As if triggered by the words “little ancestor,” memories of the last time he had called her that came flooding back—

In the study of the Shen residence in Chang’an, she had been throwing a tantrum over Pei Xueqing. He had lifted her onto the desk and lowered his head to kiss her…

Jiang Zhiyi shuddered and forcefully pushed him away, escaping by jumping down from the horse.

Shen Yuance’s brow twitched as he reached out to grab her, but Jing Zhe was quicker, and his outstretched hand froze in midair.

Supported by Jing Zhe, Jiang Zhiyi looked down fearfully, realizing belatedly how high the horse was. She thought about how she had abandoned her precious life in Chang’an, only to jump from buildings and horses here. When she looked up at him again, the anger in her eyes was like a tidal wave.

A squad of Xuance soldiers marched into the alley in perfect unison, lining up on both sides to await orders.

Seeing the undisguised fury and disgust in Jiang Zhiyi’s eyes, Shen Yuance’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly. He slowly withdrew his suspended hand, his expression becoming indifferent. With one hand gripping the reins and the other raised in command, he ordered: “Escort the young mistress back to the residence.”

Half an hour later, in the inner courtyard of the Shen residence.

Although there was no one around, Gu Yu still felt the atmosphere was unusually tense. She stood vigilant guard outside the bedroom door, occasionally circling to the window to check, even looking up at the roof to ensure no one could hear the voices from the bedroom.

Inside the bedroom, Jing Zhe was helping Jiang Zhiyi change out of her dirty clothes. She noticed Jiang Zhiyi sitting on the edge of the bed with a blank stare, hugging her knees. After a long silence, Jiang Zhiyi murmured, “…He knows I’ve recovered my memory, doesn’t he?”

Jing Zhe sighed inwardly. It was impossible for the Princess not to give herself away when she couldn’t act normally after realizing she had been so intimate with her sworn enemy.

“If he knows, do I still have a chance to return to Chang’an…” Jiang Zhiyi blinked with an ashen face, feeling not only despair but also filled with doubt and confusion.

“Jing Zhe, tell me, why is he treating me this way?”

Jing Zhe had said that Shen Yuance had fallen in love with her and had tricked her here because he feared she wouldn’t acknowledge it. But thinking back from the beginning, Jiang Zhiyi found the change in Shen Yuance’s attitude toward her too abrupt—with the breaking of the jade as the dividing line, he seemed like a completely different person before and after.

Before, he had always been indifferent to her, even showing fierce hostility when the jade broke. Then, transforming in an instant, he began playing the role of her lover, claiming that his previous indifference was merely to test the sincerity of her feelings.

Her true feelings for him were genuine dislike, which he knew perfectly well—what was there to test? This was a lie to pacify her.

When he coaxed her back, how could he have suddenly fallen in love with her overnight? He must have had ulterior motives.

“Could it be that when he saw me leave in anger, he felt there would be no more entertainment, so he tricked me into continuing to dance around in front of him?”

Jing Zhe replied, “But teasing you momentarily is one thing—spending months acting with you over some childhood grudge, even establishing a marriage, that makes no sense.”

Could it be that he was worried she might recover her memory and guess his private relationship with Pei Xueqing after she witnessed the broken jade pendant that day, so he wanted to keep her under control?

But he had knocked over the jade pendant in front of her himself. If he was so concerned about the matter, how could he be so careless?

Or perhaps he had forgotten the jade pendant was in that porcelain vase.

Forgetting would be understandable, but later, when Pei Xueqing came looking for him, why did he still not avoid her, not seeming to care if she discovered their relationship?

Even that day, when he saw the other half of the jade pendant in Pei Xueqing’s hand, he seemed as surprised as she was, equally puzzled.

Could it be that he had forgotten where he put the jade pendant and also forgotten his intimate relationship with Pei Xueqing?

…How could someone forget such things? Surely it couldn’t be that she had lost her memory, and he had too?

She hadn’t heard that the young General Shen had lost his memory in battle. Besides, he recognized so many people at the academy.

As she tried to sort things out, she seemed to approach an answer, yet things became more confusing. Jiang Zhiyi supported her forehead, mentally exhausted: “Jing Zhe, my head hurts so much…”

Meanwhile, in the study of the main courtyard.

Looking at Shen Yuance’s grim expression, Mu Xinhong nervously swallowed: “Do you mean the Princess has not only recovered her memory but also guessed that you and the eldest young master are two different people?”

Shen Yuance leaned quietly against the chair back, silent for a long time.

Jiang Zhiyi had recovered her memory; he had noticed that last night. Although he had imagined many times what she would be like that day, the final result was beyond his expectations.

He had indeed planted many clues for her to eventually suspect that her brother had been replaced by someone else. But from the time she began to suspect to the time she confirmed it, he should have had room to maneuver.

But now she was cutting him with a soft knife, giving him no chance to speak.

Shen Yuance said: “Since she fell in love with my brother through delusion, unless she knows I am not my brother—”

Why did she look at him that way?

The way she looked at him today was as if she were looking at a deeply hated enemy. She even jumped down from a horse that was so high for her, just because of a moment of disgust.

“Could it be that the Princess never liked the eldest young master in the first place, and like the rumors said, she hated him?” Mu Xinhong suggested.

“Then where did her memories come from?” Shen Yuance countered.

Li Dafeng had said that her extra memories might be her delusions, or they might be from vivid observations, stories of others.

But in this story, not only did the backgrounds, life experiences, and public relationships of the protagonists match up with her and his brother, but even the personalities and manners of the female protagonist’s aunt, uncle, and older cousin corresponded perfectly with reality.

If it were someone else’s story, how could there be such coincidences?

Thinking further, Jiang Zhiyi had once said when watching him practice archery at the academy that she knew he had been hiding his skills before.

Pei Xueqing knew his brother was not truly a dissolute youth, so she loved him. Since Jiang Zhiyi knew the same, it wouldn’t be strange if she loved him too.

And now, if in her eyes he were still his brother, still the person she had admired for years, she should at least have come to argue with him, to question why he had deceived her, whether he truly wanted to marry her, and what was going on with Pei Xueqing.

But she hadn’t. She only wanted to endure the humiliation and escape.

Enduring the humiliation of being with him, to escape.

The sky gradually darkened, and by the time lanterns were lit, Jiang Zhiyi sat at the dining table in the outer room of the bedroom, looking at the dishes Jing Zhe had brought in. She had no appetite, picking up her chopsticks only to put them down again.

“Princess, you mustn’t starve yourself. We still need to find a way out…” Jing Zhe began, but stopped mid-sentence when she heard Gu Yu raise her voice outside the door announcing “Young General Shen,” and immediately fell silent.

Sure enough, a moment later, there was a knock at the door.

Seeing the shadow falling on the door, Jiang Zhiyi took a deep breath.

Since he already knew she had recovered her memory, there was no need to beat around the bush anymore. Tonight, she would question him directly and get a clear answer.

Jiang Zhiyi sat up straight, adjusted her clothes and collar, and said, “Come in.”

Shen Yuance pushed open the door and entered, glancing at her dinner table: “Still angry? Even eating alone now.”

Jiang Zhiyi was taken aback by his words and, after a pause, asked, “Don’t you have dinner in your courtyard?”

“The kitchen thought I hadn’t returned, so they didn’t prepare my portion.”

“Then wait for them to prepare it.”

“That would waste time. I’ll just have a few bites here; I have to meet the envoy from the Ministry of Rites later.” Shen Yuance sat down across from her without asking.

Jiang Zhiyi’s gaze faltered: “Where are you meeting…”

“Want to come along?” Shen Yuance smiled, curving his lips. “Then after dinner, you can go with me.”

Jiang Zhiyi was increasingly unable to fathom this person. She had made her feelings so obvious, yet he acted as if nothing had happened—was he pretending to be blind or truly blind?

“Don’t want to go?” Shen Yuance raised an eyebrow slightly.

“I’ll go.” Jiang Zhiyi folded away the face she had been ready to tear off, catching Jing Zhe’s eye to bring new bowls and chopsticks, while she quietly observed the man opposite.

As if he had truly just come for a casual meal, Shen Yuance wiped his hands with a damp cloth, picked up his chopsticks, took a few bites of bamboo shoots into his bowl, and began eating as usual. After a few mouthfuls, he looked up and saw she hadn’t moved: “Why aren’t you eating?”

“I have no appetite.”

“This might be the last time we dine together, at least eat something.”

…Did he see through her determination and decide to let her go back?

Jiang Zhiyi’s eyes flickered, never expecting that after all his thunder and lightning, the rain would be so light, and he would just let her go like this.

After a moment of silence, Jiang Zhiyi hesitantly picked up her chopsticks and moved toward the bamboo shoots in front of her. As she reached the edge of the plate, she remembered he had taken from that dish earlier, and turned her chopsticks to take from the shrimp dish beside it.

Shen Yuance glanced at her and had Jing Zhe bring another pair of serving chopsticks. He then picked up a shrimp, quickly peeled it, and placed it on the small plate beside her.

Jiang Zhiyi stiffly watched his natural movement, lowered her head, and began eating rice in small bites.

A long time later, the shrimp still lay on the cold plate.

“Why aren’t you eating it?” Shen Yuance lifted his chin slightly.

Jiang Zhiyi looked at the shrimp he had peeled: “If I eat it, will you take me to meet the envoy?”

Shen Yuance smiled, looking at her expression of enduring extreme humiliation: “Jiang Zhiyi, I can take you to meet the envoy—”

“But I’ve already made arrangements with him. Even if you meet him, you won’t be able to leave Hexi.”

Jiang Zhiyi’s face changed, and her hand holding the chopsticks began to tremble. Suppressing the urge to flip the table in anger, she put down her chopsticks and stood up.

Nearby, Jing Zhe watched the two anxiously, ready to protect Jiang Zhiyi at any moment.

“Then what do you mean? What do you mean by ‘the last time we dined together’?”

“Since we’re going to break ties, it would naturally be the last time.” Shen Yuance sat in his chair, looking up at her calmly.

“What good does it do you to trick me into having this meal with you?”

“It does me no good, but it shows just how much you hate me.”

“…”

Jiang Zhiyi looked at him incredulously: “Are you sick?”

Did he need this meal to prove how much she hated him?

Shen Yuance lowered his eyes to look at the shrimp she wouldn’t even touch: “Didn’t you say… I was the cleanest person in the world?”

Jiang Zhiyi’s heart skipped a beat. Inevitably, the scene where she had spoken those words flashed in her mind.

On a rainy night with spring thunder, in that unfamiliar inn, they had squeezed together on the dark, narrow bed, exchanging wetness. He had asked if she felt dirty.

She had said, “I think A-Ce brother is the cleanest person in the world.”

Jiang Zhiyi closed her eyes briefly, her temples throbbing, enraged: “…You know perfectly well whether I was talking about you or not.”

“Using such dirty means to trick me here, have you thought about how disgusting you are?”

Shen Yuance lowered his eyelids and nodded: “I’m dirty, I’m disgusting. Only my brother is clean, is that right?”

“Yes—” Jiang Zhiyi reflexively agreed, then froze as the sound trailed off.

…What?

What brother?

Did Shen Yuance have a brother? Wasn’t he the only son of the Shen family?

…No, even if he had a brother, what did that have to do with her?

Jiang Zhiyi looked at him with amusement, about to tell him to stop trying to divert her attention.

“You love him so much, to the point that even if I and I…” Shen Yuance stopped midway, suddenly remembering what she had said to him that night at the Princess’s mansion when she was drunk.

—”The one I love is not A-Ce brother’s appearance, but his soul, his heart. There is only one A-Ce brother in this world. Even if you looked exactly alike, I would not fall in love with his substitute.”

“Indeed, you said it before, you don’t recognize the shell.” Shen Yuance nodded.

The curse that was about to leave Jiang Zhiyi’s mouth caught in her throat, and she stood motionless, though her soul seemed to tremble violently.

What did he mean…? What love, what shell—was Shen Yuance insane, or was she being foolish again?

Why couldn’t she understand his words, and why did they make her uneasy?

Jiang Zhiyi stared with wide eyes, extending her hand toward Jing Zhe as if seeking help. Jing Zhe also felt a chill run down her spine and gently took her hand.

Mistress and servant both dared not move as they watched the man sitting with his head lowered opposite them. They could only hold each other’s hands for strength, exchanging glances.

Jiang Zhiyi: Did we put too much wine in the food?

Jing Zhe: I don’t think so…

Jiang Zhiyi slowly released Jing Zhe’s hand and pretended to pace back and forth angrily. When she reached Shen Yuance’s side, she took a light breath and sniffed, detecting the scent of soapberry and a faint hint of alcohol.

So it was alcohol… Had he been drinking before bathing and coming here?

Jiang Zhiyi pretended to pace angrily a couple more times, then returned to her spot and mouthed to Jing Zhe: He’s been drinking.

Jing Zhe: I see.

But doesn’t wine reveal the truth? Could there be some hidden meaning in his words?

Jiang Zhiyi quietly sorted through his sentences, feeling she had grasped something important yet struggling to piece it together. Composing herself, she asked: “Your brother—where is he?”

Shen Yuance raised his eyes, seeming indeed to be affected by the alcohol, his gaze slightly hazy: “You want to find him?”

Did she want to—or not?

Jiang Zhiyi nervously licked her lips, choosing an ambiguous answer: “Of course…”

Shen Yuance looked at her and twisted his lips: “Unfortunately, in this world, there is only me, and no longer my brother—what will you do, Jiang Zhiyi?”