When the news reached the General's Mansion, Qingying was finishing up a purse when she pricked her finger with a needle. Blood stained the locust blossoms on the purse, but she didn't care.

"I heard that he was hit by a stray arrow and fell into the water. The river is swift, and His Highness was swept away as soon as he fell in. The General and his men have already led a search party."

Qingying subconsciously touched the red string on her wrist, trembling violently. "How could anyone dare to launch a sneak attack on the returning army? Don't those people value their lives?"

Granny Zhang comforted her, saying, "Don't worry, Miss. His Highness the Crown Prince is a lucky man; everything will be alright."

"Young lady, why don't you pray to the Bodhisattva and ask Buddha to bless His Highness?" Yu Yue reminded her.

Qingying hurriedly ran towards the Buddhist hall.

I knelt devoutly before the Buddha statue for a day and a night, but it wasn't enough, so I went to Chongfu Temple early the next morning.

Never before had she prayed so earnestly for divine intervention, hoping that her Ah Xu would return safely.

She copied Buddhist scriptures and wrote vows every day at Chongfu Temple, dressed in plain clothes and without makeup.

She prayed to Buddha: "If Ashu can return safely, I will offer incense every day from now on and never eat meat again."

Whether or not Buddha truly heard her sincere prayers, news of Wei Huaixu's rescue finally reached the capital a month later.

Qingying knelt on the prayer mat, listening to Tongxia's good news. The beads in her hand fell to the ground, but she didn't bother to pick them up. She grabbed Tongxia and excitedly asked, "Is this true?"

Tong Xia, her eyes also brimming with tears, nodded vigorously, "It's true, girl."

"Thank goodness, thank goodness, he's alright..."

Qingying turned around and kowtowed several times to the Buddha statue in front of her.

She never expected that when she rushed back to the General's Mansion, she would receive another unexpected message—Wei Huaixu had lost his memory and forgotten many things.

The Emperor granted her permission to visit the palace, but she didn't bother to change into her usual exquisite clothes and jewelry. Instead, she entered the palace in the plain clothes she had worn when she returned from Chongfu Temple.

Eunuch Yu told her that His Highness the Crown Prince was seriously injured and had not yet fully recovered. He was currently recuperating in the Eastern Palace and told her not to say anything that might upset His Highness when they met.

They arrived at the East Palace gate without any obstacles, but were unexpectedly stopped at the palace entrance.

Chang An, the head guard of the Eastern Palace, reached out to block her, saying with a troubled expression, "Miss Liu, there's a strong smell of blood inside. You'd better not go in yet."

This person was honest and simple, and after speaking, he became embarrassed, as if he had done something wrong.

Qingying sensed that his attitude was a bit off, so she curtsied gracefully and said, "Lord Chang, I am the Crown Princess appointed by His Majesty. He is injured, so naturally I must go in to see him. I am not afraid of the smell of blood, please let me in."

Chang An felt a little guilty seeing her slightly haggard face, but couldn't come up with any reason to continue stopping her, so he stepped aside with a strange look on his face.

Qingying appeared calm on the surface, but was anxious inside. She pushed open the door and entered the inner hall, where she saw a pretty young girl holding a medicine bowl and a spoon, feeding the prince medicine spoonful by spoonful.

Qingying stopped, staring blankly at them.

The woman had her back to her and didn't immediately notice that there were several more people in the room, but Wei Huaixu saw her first, looked up at her, and his eyes were full of unfamiliarity and wariness.

This was a look Qingying had never seen on his face before, and it pierced her heart instantly.

"Who are you, trespassing into the Eastern Palace?"

Qingying stared at him blankly, opened her mouth, but couldn't make a sound for a moment.

She was flustered inside, but she forced herself not to lose her composure and maintained the elegant demeanor of a noble lady. She said softly, "Your Highness, I am your fiancée, Liu Qingying, the daughter of General Liu."

Wei Huaixu's face turned pale instantly. He stopped looking at her and hurriedly explained to the girl, "Shushu, I don't know her. I don't like her. Please don't misunderstand."

Shushu?

Upon hearing this title, Qingying was stunned. She wondered if this woman had taken the opportunity to impersonate her and stay by Wei Huaixu's side.

The girl next to her also looked at her.

Qingying finally saw her face clearly: willow-leaf eyebrows, almond eyes, cherry lips, a slender, pointed face, and a charming yet sharp appearance. Although not as beautiful as Qingying, she possessed a unique and captivating beauty.

Upon seeing Qingying, the woman's eyes dimmed, and she murmured softly, "So you already have a fiancée." Then she stood up and said, "I...should I go out first?"

She placed the half-eaten medicine bowl in Qingying's hand and turned to leave. Wei Huaixu, disregarding his own injuries, lifted the quilt, got out of bed, and grabbed her wrist.

He took the bowl from Qingying's hand, swallowed the rest of the medicine in one gulp, and showed no patience whatsoever for drinking it spoonful by spoonful. He gave the girl a reassuring, gentle smile, but when he turned to her, his face was expressionless.

He was gentle and polite by nature, and even when he spoke coldly, he did so in a slow and gentle voice: "Miss Liu, I fell into the water and lost my memory. It was Shushu who saved me and took good care of me. Shushu and I are in love, and she is the only future wife I have ever chosen. I beg Miss Liu to grant my wish."

Qingying stared at him in disbelief.

He continued, "I only just learned of our engagement. I have completely forgotten everything that happened in the past. I will ask my father to cancel this engagement."

It was only now, as if belatedly, that Qingying looked at him, her eyes misting over.

He said he forgot?

What does it mean to forget?

Is it just that he doesn't remember her? Or does he not remember anything else?

It was the same face, the same person, yet why did he seem so unfamiliar? Why couldn't she understand a single word he said?

Qingying was overwhelmed with shock and fled the place, her face pale. As she ran out of the East Palace, she stumbled and nearly fell to the ground, but was fortunately caught by Wei Dongchen, who rushed over.

"Second Girl, are you alright?" Wei Dongchen looked at her with concern in his eyes.

It had been a long time since she last saw him. He seemed to have grown taller and his skin had darkened, but Qingying was not in the mood to look at him closely. She hurriedly thanked him and then walked around him to continue towards the palace gates.

When they arrived at the palace gate, Liu Chengfeng was already waiting for her by the carriage. He noticed her tear-streaked face and hurried over, anxiously asking, "Shushu, why are you crying? Who bullied you? Tell your brother, and I'll go and teach him a lesson!"

Qingying raised her head, glanced at him, and then could no longer hold back, burying her face in his arms and bursting into tears.

"He said he forgot, he wants to break off our engagement, he's fallen for someone else, big brother, he doesn't want me anymore..."

Liu Chengfeng hugged her tenderly, gently stroking her hair to comfort her, and said softly, "Shushu, don't cry. Your crying breaks my heart. Shushu is such a good person. It's a shame for him to lose you."

"But what can I do? I can't bear to..."

"Don't worry, your brother will stand up for you. This marriage was personally bestowed by His Majesty. It won't be so easy for him to cancel it. Some things can't be erased just by saying he's forgotten them."

Qingying buried her face in his chest and sobbed for a long time. Finally, when she was exhausted from crying, he carried her onto the carriage.