She peered into his eyes and lifted her chin lightly. Her mouth was stretched into a smile. “Yes. There is you, but you are not alive. You only exist in books.”

“Books?”

‘You were a character who existed in history books. If not on paper, you wished to be a specimen soaked in formalin?’ She was on the verge of involuntarily speaking out her mind but stopped herself in time. “The place in my dream is very far into the future. So, you had become a figure recorded in history.”

“This Prince was spun around by you.”

“I will explain everything in due time.”

“Very good. Our days together are long!”

His words sounded as flirty as ever which left her quite baffled.

Jing Rong tightly held her hand. His gaze was filled with affection as he looked at her. “Having you is my greatest blessing. Even if this Prince is recorded into annals of history, the scribe who recorded it must put you in it because you are my one and only princess.”

“When did I say I wanted to be Princess Rong?”

“The title is exclusively yours!”

Ji Yunshu bashfully glared at him. She returned to her serious self and said, “When I chose to be with you, I was already prepared to endure many ordeals and trials. You are a prince and I am merely a concubine-born daughter. Glory, prestige, gold and silver have no appeal to me. What I want is to live in seclusion amongst mountains and rivers with my beloved people – far from the turmoil, deep into the luxuriant or snowy peaks where we can pass our days with each others’ company, supporting each other from sunrise to sunset until our last breath. Living just like that is enough for me. But for such life, you have to renounce your identity and become a commoner like me. Are you willing to do so?”

It was as if she was asking him to choose between his country and beauty.

Which would he choose?

Jing Rong pulled her into his embrace. He seemed as if his usually cold eyes sparked with electricity which could burn her on the spot. He declared, “What you desire, how can I not wish for? Believe me, those days will certainly come.”

“Really?”

He heavily nodded and like a child, he pouted, “But you cannot bring Wei Yi. That guy is too much to handle.”

She immediately freed herself from his arms and spoke anxiously. “I promised his parents that I will take good care of him.”

Jing Rong pondered a bit. “Since you already promised, we should marry that guy as soon as possible. Rest assured, this Prince will find a good family to look after him until his old age. That should solve the problem. At that time, I will send him a great gift which will guarantee his well-being for the rest of his life – a sweet life filled with dozens of children and grandchildren.”

Bro, Wei Yi is a man! How blind are you?!

Ji Yunshu blushed in shame and pushed him away. “Can’t you just be serious for once?”

“But I am serious.”

“I can’t see it!” she scolded him.

Woman, what a great temper you have! He was laughing inside but still decided to calm her. “Fine, fine, fine! This Prince promises you – we will bring Wei Yi too. After all, he is as cute as a child. Later when we have our own children, they will need a big brother to play with.”

“Has your head been kicked by a donkey? Or do you have a fever?” Ji Yunshu used the back of her hand to check the temperature of his forehead.

Jing Rong grabbed her hand. A frown appeared on his face as he showed a serious expression. “I must have a fever. That’s why until our lives end in this world, you must be with me to help me cure from this fever. If you leave, I will undoubtedly die.”

Will undoubtedly die?! How exaggerated! Yet, his corny words melted Ji Yunshu into a puddle.

She frowned. “You are not allowed to speak such nonsense!”

“Yes, Madame!” Jing Rong acted obedient.

Ji Yunshu smiled and rested her head on his muscular shoulder. She then gazed at the moon as round as a disk. “I think I will never be able to return. This life I am fated to remains here, accompanying you. How can I be so unlucky.”

She was barely done speaking when-

Pop!

Jing Rong flicked her forehead strongly. In an angry and arrogant tone, he stated, “You know how many women want to climb into my bed?! Yet, I don’t even spare them a glance. It’s funny how I remember a certain someone sleeping with me again and again.”

“Wh-who slept with you?”

“In that deep valley in Liang Mountain, that day in my bedroom… Oh! Wait let me try to remember a few more times.”

“Stop!” She glared at him, reluctant to start a words war.

Soon after, Jing Rong shamelessly hugged her again. She pushed him away; he glued himself to her more… and so they continued playing around several times.

……

The next day.

Jing Rong had returned to his estate and immediately dispatched people to investigate the matter discussed the previous day. When night fell, he sat at his desk within his study room, busied writing something under the flickering candlelight.

He was dressed in an embroidered robe with a crown holding his hair, a gray cape draped around the shoulders, and his eyes were lowered. His cold, arrogant face had lost its usual edge, mellow under the light, glowing with a scholarly and gentle countenance. It was a rather nice change. He appeared like a greenhorn scholar.

Lu Jiang had rushed to his study room. He stood right outside the door and greeted him. “Your Highness!” he addressed.

Jing Rong did not respond. He continued to write a letter, completely task-focused. Only after his brush dotted the final punctuation did he raise his head to look at Lu Jiang.

“So?”

“There was nothing abnormal in his behavior before he entered the capital. All his troops in Qingzhou made no movement. Except for a few squadrons following him, there was nothing else peculiar.”

After the report, Jing Rong raised his hand and held up his right sleeve as he lightly placed his brush in its holder. The silence continued until the ink dried on the paper. Then, he raised the paper and a smile bloomed on his face as he admired the poem he wrote.

He hummed in satisfaction before asking in worry, “Do you know if Yunshu will like this poem?”

It turned out he was writing a love letter to Ji Yunshu!

Lu Jiang stood there, his behavior as respectful as before. However, at times, he would raise his head to peek at his master and caught sight of his master immersed in joy. Ah~! His Highness has been poisoned with love, and it has reached a terminal state – there is no cure for it.

While Jing Rong was admiring his work, he casually requested, “That old man has tread on this world far longer than us. In addition, he has lived through three emperors’ reigns. He had long learned to be very cautious. Split the men into two groups. One will keep an eye on the movements at Li Mansion, and the other will… secretly follow Li Gang.”

Li Gang, the old general’s son?! He was even called Li Gang1.

Lu Jiang didn’t understand the reasoning behind it. “Li Gang is currently still in Qingzhou. His daughter had just passed away not long ago, and when Old General Li left, he did not follow. Why do you want to send people to follow him?”

Jing Rong curbed the smile on his face. He resumed with his usual coolness. His long, narrowed eyes were like razors as they stared sharply at his subordinate. “Li Gang might seem like a good-for-nothing, but he is still that old man’s son. How can a sly old man like him have a son so unlike him? If that old man had another purpose, the only hint might be found on his son.”

“This subordinate understands.”

“Don’t let Yunshu get wind of it. I want to let her focus on recreating the portrait of those servants.”

“As you wish, Your Highness!”

1. This is a true story which was reported in China and had become a big joke. It happened on a certain day a few years ago when a drunk man hit and killed two students. When he got caught and the news reporter was filming. He was screaming all the time that they could not arrest him and “My father is Li Gang.” I believe you can find that piece of new again somewhere on the net.