Chapter 48

Qi Yu did not stay in Pei Jin's room for long; she left after he fell asleep.

Before Pei Jin arrived, she had planned to go out the next day, so she had to go back early to rest and recharge.

The next day, before leaving, Qi Yu had something delivered to the Taoist temple on the mountain, then mounted her horse and set off with her bow and arrows and guards.

Just as Pei Jin was about to try the same trick again, he heard the news that Qi Yu had left, so he had no choice but to drink the medicine all at once under the watchful eyes of Imperial Physician Wu.

After seeing the imperial physician off, Pei Jin asked the person beside him, "Did Her Majesty say when she will return?"

The palace servant replied in confusion, "This servant does not know, but Her Majesty has instructed that you are not to leave the house until you have recovered."

Pei Jin had someone bring him books and began to read them slowly.

Qi Yu returned in the evening. She had been practicing archery for almost half a month and it had been very effective. In addition, the prey in the nearby mountains was stupid and clumsy, so she had a good harvest. She was so engrossed in her practice that she didn't notice and ran far away.

When she returned, Pei-Jiu was waiting for her in front of the house.

Qi Yu dismounted, handed the reins to a servant, and walked towards Pei Jiu: "It's so late, why don't you rest first?"

Pei Jiu shook her head and spoke eloquently: "Only when I see Your Highness can I feel at ease, and only when I feel at ease can I fall asleep."

"The Empress is covered in sweat; she must have had a great time."

Qi Yu smiled slightly, her gentle gaze falling on Pei Jiu.

As they entered the house and walked along the veranda, the guards had already withdrawn, and Pei Jiu took out a handkerchief.

Qi Yu lowered her head and cooperated.

Pei Jiu carefully wiped away her sweat.

Pei Jiu said, "This servant has had hot water prepared. Your Highness may have your meal first, and then bathe and change your clothes."

Qi Yu: "We've already used it outside, so there's no need to go through all that trouble. Just take a shower."

Pei Jin knew from the noise outside that Qi Yu had returned, so he went out and saw this scene.

Qi Yu was wearing red today, with her back to him, so he could only see her back, her long, flowing hair, and the red ribbon fluttering in the breeze. He didn't need to go out with her; just one glance was enough to imagine her dashing figure.

She lowered her head and chatted happily with her maid.

Pei Jin was somewhat envious of this maid; she could stand rightfully beside Qi Yu, but he could not.

Pei Jiu put the handkerchief away, and Qi Yu continued walking forward. As she turned into another corridor, she caught a glimpse of Pei Jin out of the corner of her eye, and their eyes met briefly before parting.

Qi Yu paused for a moment, and after walking a distance, asked Pei Jiu, "Does Lord Pei have anything to do today?"

Pei Jiu shook her head: "The imperial physician said that Lord Pei has good constitution and his health is improving quickly."

Qi Yu overheard this and took it to heart.

Having played all day, Qi Yu took a bath and fell into a deep sleep that night.

The next day, Qi Yu was admiring the flowers when she unknowingly walked over to Pei Jin's place. She glanced at him through the window and prepared to enter through the main gate.

But then Pei Jinzheng calmly poured the medicine into the potted plant while holding his sleeve with one hand, and placed the bowl on the tray with his head down.

Qi Yu's gaze sharpened; Pei Jin would never have done something like this before.

After all, no one would joke about their own body.

But now Pei Jin has lost most of his memory. He is stubborn and determined to achieve whatever he wants. For this reason, he dares to do things that are unusual for ordinary people, such as delaying the healing of his injuries.

Qi Yu turned and left without disturbing anyone. After leaving, she instructed the palace servants: "Go and boil another bowl of the medicine that Lord Pei needs to drink at noon, and send it to Lord Pei."

The palace maid acknowledged and withdrew.

When the palace maid returned, she curtsied and said, "Your Highness, Lord Pei would like to invite Your Highness to come over and have a game of chess."

Qi Yu had been admiring the scenery in the garden for several days, and upon hearing this, she got up.

When Qi Yu arrived, Pei Jin had already prepared tea, and Qi Yu sat down opposite him.

Because Pei Jin was injured, they did not go to the pavilion, but instead sat in the room on chairs by the window with a table in the middle.

Pei Jin spoke first, "I specially brewed some tea, I don't know if you like it."

Qi Yu placed the first piece: "Why don't you drink the medicine?"

Pei Jin: "I drank the medicine you sent again. Since you saw me pour it out, why didn't you come to see me?"

He wasn't guilty at all.

Qi Yu didn't look up: "You haven't answered my question yet."

"...Because I want to see you."

Pei Jin and Qi Yu both remained silent.

Pei Jiu was shocked. She was close enough to hear everything clearly. To prevent the two from saying anything else that might be overheard, she left and sent the palace servants standing outside away.

When Pei Jiu returned, Qi Yu said to her, "Lord Pei has lost his memory and has mistaken me for his wife."

Now that they are not only outside the palace, but also far away from Wu Shiyan, Qi Yu naturally wouldn't refer to herself as "this palace" in front of close people.

Pei Jin... we could be considered close.

Pei Jin asked Pei Jiu, "May I be so bold as to ask, when did Your Highness enter the palace?"

Pei Jiu said, "This March."

Pei Jin looked at Qi Yu and calculated, "Then our time at Hengwu Courtyard must have been last summer."

Qi Yu analyzed the game: "Wrong, it's after the Qixi Festival this year."

Pei Jin was slightly taken aback, then smiled and said, "Madam also said that it wasn't you."

If not, why does Qi Yu know so much about it?

During his time at Hengwu Courtyard, because he didn't have everything he needed, he had the steward bring him many items, suggesting that Hengwu Courtyard wasn't their usual residence.

If it were someone else, they certainly wouldn't know so clearly where the couple lived.

Qi Yu said casually, "I only found out because I'm on good terms with your real wife. You can ask Pei Jiu about it."

Pei Jiu looked conflicted. After the Qixi Festival, wouldn't that be the time when the Empress stayed at the Pei residence?

Pei Jin did not ask the question that Qi Yu had asked.

Two purses flashed through his mind, along with a purse worn at the waist of a blurry figure entering the mansion. A subtle jealousy arose in his mind towards the real lady that Qi Yu had mentioned.

Pei Jin ignored these illogical memories and took out the purse he had hidden close to his body: "This is the one you embroidered for me. I've always remembered it."

After suffering a severe head injury, the first thing he did upon regaining consciousness was to touch his chest to make sure it was there.

Upon seeing the purse, Qi Yu's hand paused slightly, and her anger subsided for a moment.

Why are you still keeping it?

Even though this purse had suffered a great calamity with Pei Jin, it was spotless, a stark contrast to the disheveled Pei Jin that Qi Yu had seen that day.

Qi Yu softened her tone: "This is not good. I'll embroider another one for you another day."

Pei Jin laughed, looking even more handsome: "Alright, if there's another one, I'll wear it at my waist every day."

It was probably because the purse in his hand was very similar to the one Qi Yu had made that day that Pei Jin had kept it hidden close to his body. But now that Qi Yu had embroidered one that truly belonged to him, he could wear it openly.

very nice.

Qi Yu couldn't be too harsh on Pei Jin anymore, so she reminded him, "You must take the medicine. Otherwise, if something happens, I will never come here again."

Pei Jin asked, "Will you come to play chess tomorrow?"

"Come."

Pei Jin made up his mind and began to play chess seriously with Qi Yu.

Even so, Qi Yu, who hadn't studied chess much, still won.

Qi Yu thought that Pei Jinlian must have lost this part of his memory, which led to the game turning into a battle of wits, and in the end, she won the game.

That's a good memory loss.

Regardless, she won, and a smile spread across Qi Yu's face.

Pei Jiu observed Pei Jin from the side. Pei Jin looked much better than the childhood sweetheart that the Empress had lost. It was probably able to soothe the Empress's wounds. It was perfectly normal for the Empress to be gentle with Pei Jin.

Anyway, we didn't do anything, did we?

Pei Jiu was completely on Qi Yu's side. At first, she thought Qi Yu was cold to everyone and very difficult to get along with, but now, Pei Jiu felt that there was no one better than Qi Yu.

She was genuinely kind to her.

For the next two days, Qi Yu came to play chess with Pei Jin, and Pei Jin personally brewed tea each time. He observed how often Qi Yu drank tea and quickly figured out her preferences.

After another game of chess ended, Qi Yu prepared to leave. It happened to be windy that day, so Pei Jiu went to get her cloak.

Qi Yu stood up, and Pei Jin also stood up. As Qi Yu passed by him, he quickly grabbed her hand, held her waist, and pulled her aside.

Pei Jin's back blocked any possible prying eyes from outside and also kept Qi Yu in front of him.

“My lady, I really miss you.” Pei Jin murmured, his eyes filled with sorrow, but his love remained undiminished.

He looked into Qi Yu's eyes and gazed deeply into them.

The beloved is right in front of you, but because of the Emperor standing between you, you have to observe inappropriate etiquette. How can this not be painful?

Pei Jin's figure completely blocked Qi Yu's view. Qi Yu looked to the side but couldn't see anything, so she could only look at Pei Jin.

Qi Yu pursed her lips: "You'll regret it if you remember."

Pei Jin thought about the scattered fragments that had flashed through his mind over the past two days. These memories were not enough for him to sort out the current situation, but he knew that it was her in Hengwu Courtyard.

Pei Jin said firmly, "There is absolutely no possibility of regret."

"Remember what you said."

Qi Yu no longer hesitated and leaned down to kiss Pei Jin's lips, but she quickly pulled away and said, "Pei Jiu will be back soon."

Unable to hide his affection, Pei Jin placed his hand on the back of Qi Yu's head and resumed and deepened the kiss.

Qi Yu's words could have two meanings: she was reminding him to end this brief moment of tenderness, or she was telling him to hurry up and not waste time.

Pei Jin firmly believed it meant the latter.

When Qi Yu finally heard Pei Jiu's footsteps, she stepped on Pei Jin's foot, and Pei Jin reluctantly parted ways with Qi Yu.

His gaze was gentler than ever.

Qi Yu leaned against him, not looking at him.

As Pei Jiu was about to enter, she heard no movement inside, not even the sound of chess pieces being played. So she knocked on the open door and said, "Your Highness, this servant has returned with the cloak."

Qi Yu came out immediately, and Pei Jiu draped a cloak over her shoulders and tied it on.

Qi Yu looked at the wind in the courtyard and stretched out her hand, saying, "It's going to rain tonight. If the rain is heavy, the people who are coming may be delayed for two more days."

Pei Jiu was puzzled. Pei Jin, who was beside Qi Yu, looked at the wind outside with a quiet and subtle look in his eyes.

Once it rains, the roads outside the city become muddy and difficult to travel, and even if His Majesty is on the road, he will be stuck in place.

This means that for the past two days, it has truly been just the two of them.

Since he had no memory of His Majesty and felt no fear, Pei Jin remained calm and composed.

The rain started in the middle of the night. At first, the rain was light, but when Qi Yu woke up in the morning and went outside, a curtain of rain had formed outside the corridor, and the rain really started to get heavy.

Qi Yu put on an extra layer of clothing before heading to Pei Jin's residence, as usual.

The tea Pei Jin brewed today was a little too hot, and Qi Yu warmed her fingertips with the cup.

Upon seeing this, Pei Jin immediately pulled Qi Yu's hand over and held it tightly with both hands.

Pei Jiu left almost simultaneously, closing the door behind her.

It's raining and cool today, and the windows are closed.

Qi Yu looked at Pei Jin with a calm and composed expression.

Pei Jin had only one thought in his mind: This is my wife. The one who is wrong is His Majesty, not him.

A growing sense of warmth rose within me.