Chapter 73

Inside Prince Rong’s Estate.

Rong Mo received the latest dispatch from the scouts he had stationed to monitor Cheng Qingyao. He narrowed his eyes slightly, a trace of bone-chilling cold flitting imperceptibly through his gaze.

“Ruyi, your prediction was flawless. Xue Qi actually went straight to find Cheng Qingyao. She shed a few tears and practically begged him to come kill you, and that absolute fool actually agreed to it.”

Rong Mo felt a deep sense of exasperation toward this younger brother of his, thoroughly disappointed that he was being played like a puppet by Cheng Qingyao. But the person he detested above all else was Cheng Qingyao herself.

He felt an urgent impulse to eliminate Cheng Qingyao immediately to root out the problem, but the moment he recalled the words of Daoist Priest Yunqing, he forced himself to calm down.

Cheng Qingyao possessed a massive shroud of atmospheric providence. They could only systematically grind away her luck over time; they absolutely could not clash with her in a direct, head-on confrontation.

The mere thought that such a venomous woman actually walked around with a grand destiny protecting her left Rong Mo feeling deeply disgusted.

Fortunately, Daoist Priest Yunqing had explicitly mentioned that his little wife remained entirely unaffected by it.

Even so, they couldn’t afford to rush matters.

They had to patiently bide their time for the perfect opportunity.

“Mo, do you think Cheng Qingyao is completely unhinged? I merely gave her a simple beating. Compared to the utterly filthy deeds she’s orchestrated, I’ve been incredibly merciful, and yet she actually wants me dead!”

Cheng Ruyi huffed in exasperation, her entire being burning with immense fury.

It was a stroke of luck that she wasn’t an ordinary woman; otherwise, she wouldn’t even know how she died. However, this turn of events meant she could officially check a major task off her list. Hmph! The absolute moment Xue Qi walked through their doors, she would ensure Cheng Qingyao’s plan backfired spectacularly, giving her a loss she could never recover from.

Furthermore, she was absolutely going to turn her into a bald-headed nun!

Rong Mo gently fondled his little wife’s head, his lips curling into a warm smile: “Indeed. She is suffering from an incurable case of pathological jealousy; it has already reached the terminal stage and is completely beyond saving.”

Cheng Ruyi burst into a bright chuckle, teasing merrily: “Mo, you’re getting better and better with your words.”

Rong Mo smiled, smoothly changing the subject.

“Ruyi, Xue Qi is going to infiltrate the estate tomorrow night. I’ll order the guards to intentionally leave a few blind spots for him. When the time comes, I’ll leave the rest entirely to you.”

Cheng Ruyi’s fighting spirit soared, her smile brilliantly radiant: “Don’t you worry, Mo! I won’t inflict any physical harm on him. I’ll ensure he loses consciousness out of nowhere, exactly like Cheng Qingyao did.”

Finishing her piece, she patted her stomach. “But right now… can we please go get something to eat? My stomach is rumbling a bit.”

Rong Mo nodded with a smile. Lately, they spent their days either dining alongside Prince Rong or returning to the Marquis of Changle’s estate to feast with Ruyi’s parents. Their daily life was exceptionally sweet and fulfilling, drawing immense envy from everyone around them.

Today, they were dining with Prince Rong. After the meal, Prince Rong didn’t immediately depart. Instead, he cleared his throat, inquiring with a trace of sheepish embarrassment:

“Ruyi girl, do you happen to have any more of that… miraculous medicine on hand?”

Cheng Ruyi’s eyes widened in sheer astonishment.

“Father, when did you go out and acquire a concubine? If I recall correctly, there isn’t a single other woman residing in your inner court.”

Rong Mo likewise directed a thoroughly peculiar look toward Prince Rong.

Prince Rong’s lips twitched violently, and he explained rather awkwardly: “It’s not for my personal use. It’s certain other imperial princes and clan elders who desperately desire it.”

“If they want it, they can just head over to the Marquis of Changle’s estate and buy it directly from my father! Why are they bothering me for it?” Cheng Ruyi muttered, somewhat speechless.

“The miraculous medicine is simply too explosive. They failed to secure a single dose during the initial rush, and your father claims he has completely run out of stock, instructing me to request some from you directly,” Prince Rong explained helplessly. Had it not been for the fact that these individuals possessed a higher seniority within the royal clan than he did, he wouldn’t have agreed to act as their messenger.

At the time, when an imperial prince well into his sixties had personally begged him to help procure the miraculous medicine, Prince Rong had nearly assumed he was suffering from auditory hallucinations.

Though everyone heralded it as a divine remedy, its core essence was still fundamentally an aphrodisiac—it simply came packaged with extraordinary side effects.

The older these old men got, the more terrified they became of death. The miraculous medicine not only allowed them to experience a spectacular second youth but also actively extended their lifespan and fortified their health. Why wouldn’t they want it?

Consequently, they completely discarded their dignity to beg Prince Rong for a supply.

Hearing this, Cheng Ruyi swelled with immense pride.

“So that’s how it is! I can provide one hundred pills. As for how they are distributed, I won’t meddle in it, but the silver payment cannot be short by a single copper.”

Prince Rong let out a thunderous laugh: “Understood, you little money grubber!”

Cheng Ruyi chuckled cheekily: “Hey, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with being a money grubber.”

Prince Rong shook his head with a smile, internally reflecting upon the miraculous ginseng extract Ruyi girl had gifted him. Ever since he began consuming it, his entire constitution had become remarkably vibrant and healthy, making him look as though he were barely in his early thirties.

To ensure his daughter-in-law wouldn’t be exposed to unnecessary danger, he had tacitly validated the phenomenal efficacy of her miraculous medicines to the public.

Everyone was well aware of its profound effects; even the Emperor himself was showing clear signs of aging in reverse, wasn’t he? Right now, the various imperial concubines within the inner palace were staring at his imperial brother like a pack of ravenous wolves.

Upon hearing about the miraculous medicine, a sudden thought stirred within Rong Mo’s mind. The gaze he directed toward his little wife carried a distinct trace of underlying desire; perhaps the two of them could personally test the raw effects of the miraculous medicine tonight.

The mere thought caused an uncontrollable anticipation to surge through his veins, making him wish for nightfall to arrive instantly.

Once Prince Rong departed, Rong Mo leaned in and whispered the suggestion directly into Cheng Ruyi’s ear.

Cheng Ruyi’s eyes sparkled with brilliant light.

“We can definitely give it a try!”

Securing his little wife’s enthusiastic consent, the corners of Rong Mo’s mouth tilted upward. He pulled her into a deep embrace and planted a passionate kiss on her lips, the depths of his eyes swirling with profound anticipation.

Over the next few days, the weather underwent a massive, drastic transformation, a biting chill gradually creeping into the air. By the dead of night, around the third watch, the temperature plummeted with a sudden, violent ferocity. Countless citizens across the capital were abruptly jolted awake from their slumber by the piercing cold.

Cheng Ruyi and Rong Mo were no exception.

The young couple had just finished consuming the miraculous medicine and indulging in a thoroughly ecstatic, profoundly harmonious bout of martial intimacy. They hadn’t been asleep for very long when the invasive, freezing air penetrated their chambers, instantly freezing them awake.

“The weather has turned cold!” Rong Mo frowned slightly, reaching out to tuck the duvet tightly around his little wife’s body. The temperature had plunged far too rapidly, catching them completely off guard.

“Perhaps when we wake up tomorrow morning, even the well water inside the estate will be entirely frozen over,” Cheng Ruyi joked casually. With her wood-element abilities protecting her body, she didn’t feel the slightest trace of discomfort from the chill.

In a little over a month, the rains would cease entirely. They had to utilize these remaining forty days to harvest and store as much ice as humanly possible within their ice cellars.

It was honestly a blessing that Cheng Qingyao had thrown that massive tantrum; otherwise, Cheng Ruyi wouldn’t have known the exact timeline of the impending disaster.

Rong Mo gathered his little wife securely into his arms, his face clouded with deep worry: “I didn’t expect winter to strike with such sudden violence. Fortunately, we hoarded a vast quantity of grain beforehand, so we face no shortage of food. The remaining issue is strictly our water source.”

“I predict that starting tomorrow, a massive wave of citizens will begin migrating out of the capital toward regions with active river systems.”

Cheng Ruyi wasn’t overly concerned: “Mo, we won’t run out of water. We’ve bored two exceptionally deep wells within our estate, and the root system of that thousand-year-old ancient tree can store an immense volume of water. Furthermore, we can hoard a massive quantity of ice blocks within our underground cellars. As long as we ration it prudently, we don’t have to fear running out of drinking water.”

“The water within the ancient tree’s roots will eventually be depleted. We must prepare a secondary contingency plan,” Rong Mo countered, far less optimistic than his little wife.

Cheng Ruyi suddenly recalled a specific plot point from the book—there was a particular location Cheng Qingyao had scouted well in advance. That place was called Dahua County; it possessed an extraordinary abundance of freshwater lakes alongside a massive, perpetually flowing river.

Thinking of this, she immediately described the location to Rong Mo.

Rong Mo let out a soft chuckle, planting a tender kiss on her forehead: “Prince Pingnan already deployed troops to garrison Dahua County well over two months ago. He has systematically constructed a vast number of manors and residential compounds there.”

“Furthermore, from what I know, Cheng Qingyao purchased a substantial amount of land and rural manors in that exact region quite some time ago.”

Precisely because of this anomaly, Prince Pingnan had never once relaxed his surveillance over Cheng Qingyao. Whatever moves she made, Rong Mo only needed to pay a brief visit to Prince Pingnan’s manor to obtain the full intelligence report.

“She genuinely possesses the ability to foresee the future!” Cheng Ruyi remarked lazily, snuggling deeper into Rong Mo’s chest.

Rong Mo’s gaze turned dark and profound.

His little wife was entirely correct; this Cheng Qingyao was simply too bizarre. Even Prince Pingnan had grown deeply suspicious of her, intensifying his surveillance over her every movement to the point where they were instantly alerted the moment Xue Qi appeared by her side.

Xue Qi was a professional assassin, but the elite scouts deployed by Prince Pingnan were certainly no pushovers either. Otherwise, Xue Qi would have detected their presence long ago.

Speaking of Xue Qi, Rong Mo found himself looking forward to tomorrow night with immense anticipation. His little wife had mentioned that Xue Qi’s amnesia was likely the result of a severe head injury that had compressed his meridians.

The following morning, everyone awoke to find themselves greeted by a pristine, stark white world of snow.

Cheng Ruyi’s eyes danced with immense excitement as she stared out the window at the rustling, heavy snowfall. The servants of the estate were already outdoors diligently clearing the paths. This blizzard had struck with absolute fury; in the span of a single night, the ground, the eaves, and the tree branches were all heavily coated in a thick layer of frost.

A piercing, biting gale whistled into the room, stinging the skin like the sharp edge of a blade.

While Cheng Ruyi felt perfectly fine, Mo Xiang’s face had already turned entirely crimson from the freezing temperatures, her entire frame shivering violently. She watched in absolute horror as her young mistress actually extended her bare hand out of the window to catch the drifting snowflakes.

“Miss! It is freezing outside, please close the window immediately. Be careful not to catch a cold!”

“Your mistress’s constitution is absolutely stellar, I don’t fear the cold one bit!” Cheng Ruyi replied, playing with the snowflakes with absolute relish. It had been over a decade since she had laid eyes on snow this clean and pure.

Back in the post-apocalyptic wasteland, the skies were perpetually shrouded in a dreary grey. Whenever winter arrived, the falling snow was a murky, half-grey composition that carried highly corrosive properties. Who would ever dare play with it? Even stepping outdoors required a person to wrap themselves tightly from head to toe.

Mo Xiang stamped her feet in frustration, offering several more frantic warnings. Seeing her young mistress remain completely obstinate, she had no choice but to scurry off to locate the Heir Apparent.

Upon learning of the situation, Rong Mo merely offered a tender, indulgent smile, uttering a single sentence: “Leave her be, let her do as she pleases.” No one understood the terrifyingly robust nature of his little wife’s constitution better than he did.

For her to actually fall ill was practically a physical impossibility.

Mo Xiang: “…”

While absolute harmony reigned within their courtyard, the outside world had already descended into complete chaos. This sudden, catastrophic blizzard caused the nerves of the entire populace to snap taut. Rumors were rapidly circulating that this winter would last for a mere forty days—meaning that starting from December until the end of the following year, not a single drop of rain would fall from the heavens.

Cheng Ruyi had intentionally leaked the intelligence regarding the impending drought to Prince Pingnan, which could be considered an immense act of merit for the populace. Because the citizens had been granted ample time to prepare mentally, during the autumn harvest of the latter half of the year, everyone had carefully hoarded their grain reserves after paying their mandatory taxes.

When spring arrived the following year, they would focus entirely on planting highly drought-resistant crops. Even if they only secured a single harvest for the entire year, it would still be infinitely better than facing a complete crop failure.

After she finished playing in the snow, Cheng Ruyi paid a quick visit to the Marquis of Changle’s estate. She harvested a fresh batch of vegetables, smoothly utilizing her wood-element special ability to nourish the crops and fruit trees inside the greenhouse. She then loaded up several crates of fresh vegetables, several crates of specialized eggs, and fifty live chickens and ducks to bring back to Prince Rong’s estate.

The remaining fifty chickens and ducks were left behind at the Marquis’s estate for her parents, Cheng Yu, and her maternal cousin Luo Fei to consume.

Speaking of Cousin Luo Fei, Cheng Ruyi couldn’t help but feel a sudden surge of schadenfreude.

The wedding date he had selected was truly ill-timed.

With the weather turning this freezing and bitter, everyone would be entirely consumed with digging up ice blocks to hoard inside their cellars. Who would actually possess the spare time or inclination to celebrate a marriage or attend a wedding banquet?

Cheng Ruyi escorted two massive carriage loads of supplies back to her estate, drawing a substantial amount of attention along the way. Despite the sudden, violent drop in temperature, the streets were still densely packed with pedestrians. The citizens felt thoroughly speechless watching Consort Cheng casually carting chickens, ducks, and vegetables back from her maiden home time and time again.

As the grand Consort of the Prince’s Heir, her behavior remained as delightfully eccentric as ever. It was perfectly understandable that the Heir Apparent, Rong Mo, doted on her unconditionally, but that the royal family itself actually tolerated such unrefined antics was simply mind-boggling to the public.

It could be said that Cheng Ruyi’s uninhibited lifestyle provoked immense envy and jealousy from countless noble young ladies across the capital.

Just then, Prince Pingnan’s carriage happened to pass by. Lifting the window curtain, Prince Pingnan witnessed the spectacle with a perfectly calm, unreadable expression. However, his gaze locked onto the flock of lively, clucking chickens and ducks, refusing to shift away for a very long time.

The poultry raised by the Marquis of Changle’s estate was spectacularly delicious. Rong Mo had once gifted him two birds, and the memory of that exquisite flavor still lingered vividly on his palate to this day.

I’ll have to drop a subtle hint to Rong Mo later.

Completely unaware that someone was actively plotting against her poultry, Cheng Ruyi happily made her way back to Prince Rong’s estate.

After a thoroughly bustling day, she gifted ten chickens and ducks to the main kitchen, reserving the rest entirely for her personal consumption.

When Prince Rong laid eyes on the fresh livestock, his eyes crinkled into a joyful smile.

Following a thoroughly magnificent feast, Rong Mo and Cheng Ruyi began to look forward to the arrival of the night with immense anticipation.

The night descended rapidly. A solitary silhouette, braving the swirling blizzard and bone-chilling gales, quietly and stealthily infiltrated Prince Rong’s estate.

The sentries of Prince Rong’s estate had all been briefed well in advance that a visitor would be arriving tonight. During their patrol shifts, they intentionally left behind a substantial number of blind spots and security lapses, even going so far as to casually gossip aloud about the exact location of the courtyard where the Heir Apparent and the Consort resided.

Xue Qi smoothly navigated his way directly to their residential quarters—the Manyue Pavilion.

Aside from a few hanging lanterns swaying gently in the wind, the Manyue Pavilion was wrapped in an absolute, dead silence.

Xue Qi possessed exceptional night vision. He effortlessly located the master chambers of the Manyue Pavilion. Unfortunately, before he could even attempt to slip inside the newlyweds’ bedroom, a dull thud echoed through the courtyard, and he abruptly collapsed unconscious onto the ground.

Cheng Ruyi and Rong Mo emerged smoothly from behind the chamber doors. Within moments, candles were lit across the courtyard, transforming the previously silent space into a bustling hub of activity.

Rong Mo had Xue Qi carried into a nearby side room, instructing Li Fan to step inside and strip him of his black night-fighting attire.

A charcoal brazier burned brightly inside the room, making it exceptionally warm and cozy.

Rong Mo waved his hand to dismiss the remaining attendants, leaving only his little wife by his side.

At that moment, Cheng Ruyi was actively utilizing her mental energy to scan Xue Qi’s brain. As it turned out, a distinct blood clot was lodged tightly inside his cranium. No wonder the man was suffering from absolute amnesia.

“How is it? Can you assist him in recovering his lost memories?” Rong Mo inquired after a long silence, staring down at Xue Qi’s handsome countenance. It was a thoroughly unfamiliar face to him.

Yet, it was Xue Qi’s true, unmasked appearance.

“It shouldn’t be an issue. Let me give it a try,” Cheng Ruyi replied, her face full of eager anticipation.

Rong Mo nodded silently.

Cheng Ruyi carefully separated her mental energy into delicate, microscopic threads, guiding them into Xue Qi’s brain to systematically dissolve and eliminate the blood clot. This was an exceptionally arduous task that demanded absolute, flawless precision; a single careless tremor could instantly fry the target’s mind, turning him into a complete idiot.

Fortunately, the mental fortitude of ancient people was fundamentally incomparable to that of a specialized ability wielder—let alone Cheng Ruyi, who was a Level 3 psychic whose mental energy was profoundly powerful.

In about the time it took to consume a single cup of tea, Cheng Ruyi finally succeeded in entirely dissolving the blood clot inside Xue Qi’s brain. Her expression remained perfectly vibrant and rosy, showing not a single trace of exhaustion from the feat.

“Done! I’ll wake him up now.”

Rong Mo’s posture instantly turned rigid with nerves.

Xue Qi slowly, sluggishly blinked his eyes open. The moment he caught sight of the enlarged, simultaneously familiar yet unfamiliar handsome face hovering right before him, he froze completely. He blinked in a dazed, thoroughly confused manner, uttering a hesitant murmur:

“Brother… is that you?”

A brilliant smile broke across Rong Mo’s face, the heavy boulder that had weighed on his chest for years finally lifting completely.

“Fantastic! Rong Ting, you’ve finally remembered.”

Xue Qi—no, he was officially Rong Ting once more—stared at Rong Mo with a trace of bewilderment: “Brother, how have you changed so drastically? Have you altered your appearance with disguise techniques? I nearly failed to recognize you entirely. By the way, have we successfully thrown off the assassins pursuing us?”

The corners of Rong Mo’s mouth twitched slightly: “…I am not wearing a disguise.”

Internally, however, he was profoundly startled. It appeared Rong Ting’s memories were strictly trapped in the events of eight years ago.

Rong Ting cast a thoroughly skeptical look at his brother’s fully matured, strikingly handsome face: “Impossible. Brother, stop playing jokes on me!”

Rong Mo cleared his throat gently: “The current era is the thirty-second year of the Zhengde reign. A full eight years have already passed since that night. Not only have I grown up, but you have also fully matured into an adult.”

Rong Ting was struck completely dumb. He frantically examined his own physical form in a flurry of panic, discovering that his body was entirely devoid of active wounds. He distinctly recalled that to avoid being captured by their pursuers back then, he had leaped directly into a violently rushing, turbulent river.

It was physically impossible to emerge entirely unscathed, and more importantly, this body was undeniably that of a fully grown man.

So… I’ve been unconscious for a full eight years?

Good heavens, could Rong Ting’s memory have genuinely remained completely frozen in the timeline from eight years ago?

Standing off to the side, Cheng Ruyi—having been entirely ignored throughout the exchange—recovered from her initial surprise and let out a thoroughly delighted, mischievous chuckle. Things were about to get incredibly entertaining. Xue Qi had successfully recovered his memories, but because his timeline was stuck eight years in the past, Cheng Qingyao’s fiercely loyal dog male sidekick had been completely erased by her hands.

Haha!

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