Chapter 84 I've heard that mimosa water is added to wine. Do you have that in your tea too?

The mountains are quiet and peaceful, with a light drizzle falling gently.

After consuming the Mysterious Heart Lotus, Jing Qianheng fell into a deep sleep. Jiang Zhishui lay on the inside of the bed and reached out to stroke his cheek. The white fox Pei Yan lay on Jing Qianheng's chest and, imitating Jiang Zhishui, swept his chin with its paw.

"Sister, why is he sleeping for so long?"

"Yes, he needs to sleep for a few days. I only ate one piece before, but he ate a whole flower. This stuff is good, but it's not easy to digest."

The white fox yawned boredly, turned over, lay down, closed its eyes, and was about to fall asleep.

Jiang Zhishui stood up, picked up the white fox, and said gently, "Let's go out and not disturb him."

The room was quiet; the person in bed was fast asleep.

During the year Jiang Zhishui was gone, Jing Qianheng slept poorly every night, plagued by nightmares. Most of these dreams were related to Jiang Zhishui, and they felt incredibly real, as if he had experienced them firsthand.

Even though the scenes in his dream made him feel bad, it was still good to dream of her. So even if he couldn't sleep, he would force himself to fall asleep so that he could dream of seeing her again.

Jiang Zhishui took the golden feather and traveled back in time again. A wisp of her divine consciousness fell with the heavenly lightning and returned to the mountain where she fell off the cliff that day.

The system needed time to repair its internal programs after obtaining the Golden Feather. It connected Jing Qianheng's dream and Jiang Zhishui's dream in the form of dream weaving, allowing them to return to the day they traveled through time.

However, the two lost their memories of their first life; their memories only extended to the point where Jiang Zhishui was about to leave when Jing Qianheng found her in time and brought her back.

Prince Ling's Mansion.

After Jiang Zhishui woke up, she couldn't understand why she went to the designated location as instructed by the system, but what happened next? How did she fall into a coma and how did she end up back at the Ling Prince's Mansion?

Unable to get a response from the system, she opened the door in frustration, only to see Lu Xuetang raising her hand to knock.

"You're awake, that's perfect." Lu Xuetang smiled slightly. "His Highness has gone out, so I could only come to find you while he's not around."

"..." Jiang Zhishui had a headache, and she swayed as she rubbed her forehead. Lu Xuetang helped her into the house and sat her down.

Lu Xuetang poured her a glass of water. Seeing that her expression had softened considerably after drinking it, she then said, "It's been some time since I entered the manor, and His Highness has been very cold towards me. Sister, you were ordered by His Majesty to bring me back to the manor, but why has there been no progress on the things that need to be done?"

Jiang Zhishui hesitated and said, "This... I've been busy lately and forgot. Besides, Your Highness is very suspicious, so I don't know how to make a move. If I'm caught in the act, I'm afraid Your Highness will blame me."

"I've thought it all out for you." Lu Xuetang said decisively, her tone leaving no room for argument. "This wine has been laced with aphrodisiac water. You don't need to do anything. Just find a way to get him to drink it, and I'll take care of the rest."

Jiang Zhishui frowned as she looked at the pot of wine on the table, realizing that the other party had come prepared. It seemed that she couldn't get away with just a few perfunctory words.

"His Highness is very angry because of your departure." Lu Xuetang looked towards the door and whispered, "I've never seen him so angry before. He looked so...heart-stirring. Although I serve the Crown Prince alongside my master, I've always harbored a deep admiration for His Highness. I liked him the moment I first saw him when I was little. He was beautiful, yet fragile, covered in blood, bound by ropes, and not free. I don't know why, but seeing him like that always made me feel strange..."

Lu Xuetang's cheeks flushed, and she suddenly became excited. "He looks good now, all clean and tidy, but... I can't forget the other him in my mind. I want his clothes to be stained with blood again, his wrists, neck, and ankles to have those rope marks again. I also want to..."

Jiang Zhishui initially listened attentively to her story, but the more she listened, the more her brows furrowed, and she interrupted her with a look of horror: "Lu Xuetang, do you know what you're saying?"

"..." Lu Xuetang realized her loss of composure. She calmed her breathing and said frankly, "Anyway, you were planning to give him up anyway, weren't you? Since you don't want him, why not give him to me? He's a nuisance to you. I'll take care of him for you so you can go far away. Isn't that better?"

"Our affairs are none of your concern," Jiang Zhishui said unhappily. "Are you done talking? I'm tired."

Lu Xuetang said, "Don't be angry, I'm only doing this for your own good. If you don't want to cooperate, I won't force you, but I'm afraid you won't be able to explain it to His Majesty. If I return empty-handed, His Majesty won't let it go easily, and the father and son will become estranged. Wouldn't your sins be even deeper then?"

“Miss Lu, I didn’t say I wouldn’t help you.” Jiang Zhishui sighed, “Is this really your personality? You seem so humble and gentle, but you’ve become so aggressive.”

Lu Xuetang stood up and took Jiang Zhishui's hand, her face gentle. "Sister, don't blame me. I was just getting impatient, that's why I came to bother you..."

“I know that my sister treats me well.” Lu Xuetang stroked Jiang Zhishui’s hand with her fingers, her tone intimate. “His Highness never allows anyone else to get close to him. With just a word from you, he kept me in the manor. He cares about you a lot. He will do whatever you say. He will never refuse to do anything you want him to do. You just need to ask.”

Jiang Zhishui withdrew her hand. "Miss Lu thinks too highly of him and also overestimates me."

“His Highness is not stupid.” Lu Xuetang grasped her hand again, tightening her grip, and smiled, “His Highness is just temporarily bewitched. As long as you can help him come to his senses, he won’t remain so foolish. Sister, you must not miss this opportunity. His Highness is most confused right now. He will never expect that you have a backup plan. If you hesitate any longer, he might do something detrimental to you first.”

"Me?" Jiang Zhishui asked doubtfully, "What could he possibly do to me?"

Lu Xuetang was taken aback. "Sister, do you know that after you went missing, His Highness searched for you everywhere like a madman?"

Jiang Zhishui then realized that she had left without saying goodbye. Thinking of Jing Qianheng's angry expression, she swallowed nervously and asked, "Did he bring me back?"

"Yes, sister isn't very fast," Lu Xuetang said regretfully. "If she had run farther, it would have been better. How come she was found so quickly?"

Jiang Zhishui also found it strange; how did he know about Wangfeng Cliff? She whispered, "Where did he go?"

Lu Xuetang said, "They went to the Eagle Pavilion."

Jiang Zhishui was silent for a moment, then looked up at Lu Xuetang, "Okay, I understand. Is there anything else? I really have a headache, I need to sleep a little longer."

Seeing her calm expression, Lu Xuetang paused for a moment before confirming, "Sister, you've agreed?"

"His Highness harbors deep resentment towards my sister. He will surely punish her upon his return. I'm afraid he will lock you in the darkest side hall and never let you out again..." Lu Xuetang said in a low voice, "By then, it will be too late for my sister to regret it."

Jiang Zhishu frowned and said impatiently, "I know, I know."

Lu Xuetang bowed slightly to her and said with satisfaction, "Then sister, please rest well. I'll go back and wait for your good news."

As darkness fell, the moonlight grew hazy. The air was thick with a muggy, humid heat; rain was imminent.

Inside the study of the Ling Prince's residence, Jing Qianheng listened to Su You's report, his face darkening, remaining silent for a long time. Su You glanced at his expression, feeling uneasy. He awaited instructions, but Jing Qianheng dismissed him without saying anything.

After Lu Xuetang left, Jiang Zhishui went back to bed and slept for a while. She had planned to take a nap, but she ended up sleeping until evening. When she woke up, she was hungry, so she asked someone to get her some food. After eating, she rested her chin on her hand and stared blankly at the candle.

Lost in thought, the door was pushed open, and the sound of pattering rain came in. The sudden coolness on her face made Jiang Zhishui, who had been sleepy, instantly wake up.

Jing Qianheng, dressed in black, walked in with a cold expression.

The rainy night was cold and damp. The room, which had been warm, suddenly cooled down as the cool breeze blew in.

Jing Qianheng glanced at her, then turned and slowly closed the door. Jiang Zhishui was still in shock, sitting up straight and staring blankly as the glimpse of rain outside the crack in the door slowly disappeared.

As the door closed, only the two of them remained inside. The noisy rain was shut out, and the quiet atmosphere became stagnant, making Jiang Zhishui feel a little short of breath.

Jing Qianheng looked at her quietly, without saying a word.

Jiang Zhishui's eyes darted around as she racked her brains trying to think of a way to start a conversation, but the atmosphere was too awkward and the other person's expression was not good, so she did not dare to speak easily.

Jiang Zhishui unconsciously placed her hands in front of her abdomen and rubbed them repeatedly with her fingers.

Jing Qianheng's gaze fell on the wine pot on the table, and he asked calmly, "Does your head still hurt?"

Jiang Zhishui shook her head: "It doesn't hurt anymore."

She glanced at him timidly; he sat opposite her, looking thoughtful.

Jiang Zhishui remained silent for a while, then picked up the teapot and poured him a cup of water. She sat down quietly to the side, glancing at the person opposite her from time to time.

Jing Qianheng lightly traced the rim of his glass with his fingers, without drinking. After a long while, he looked up and asked, "Don't you have anything to say?"

Jiang Zhishui: "........."

I want to say it, but I'm not too bold to say it.

Logically, she shouldn't have left without saying goodbye, but things happened suddenly. He wasn't in Kyoto, and the system mission was urgent, so she had no choice but to leave.

If she left a letter, she feared she might never return, and leaving too many traces of herself would only add to the sadness. It was better to leave cleanly, and perhaps he would forget her after a while.

In any case, they didn't have many pleasant memories together. He disliked her, she made a terrible mistake, they argued and separated, and when they met again, she harbored ill intentions, even deceiving him while he had amnesia...

Jiang Zhishui felt guilty and kept her head down without speaking. Jing Qianheng said in a low voice, "I heard that acacia water is added to wine. Do you have it in your tea as well?"

Jiang Zhishui looked up in shock. The other person held up a teacup and drank it in front of her, then smiled and said, "No? Would you like me to have a glass of wine?"

Jiang Zhishui looked at the pot of wine on the table, her expression flustered.

Jing Qianheng stared at her, and seeing that she didn't move, he took the wine pot himself, poured a cup, swirled it gently, raised his eyes slightly, and said softly, "Is one cup enough? I'll add more if not."

After saying that, he raised his glass to his lips.