On the second day, the Prince of Huaiyang waited in vain for Mian Tang to visit his camp. Since the large ships had successfully tested the waters at night, the Prince took a rare moment of leisure to return home and check on his mischievous Princess Consort.
Mian Tang was in the courtyard, holding little Yi’er and picking gardenia flowers. Yi’er plucked a blossom and playfully tucked it behind his mother’s ear, giggling delightedly.
Seeing his father return, Yi’er waddled over with outstretched arms, demanding to be held. Cui Xingzhou extended his long arms, taking the child from Mian Tang and planting a firm kiss on his soft little cheek.
Mian Tang pressed her lips together, observing the identical father and son. A painful feeling welled up inside her. She had once shared the most intimate relationship with this man, perhaps even experiencing the happiest moments of her life, and bore this adorable, chubby son. Yet now, while everything remained beautiful, she alone was excluded from those memories.
Moreover, her so-called husband had maintained a sour expression since learning of her memory loss, seemingly disgusted by her. After all, she was no longer the innocent Mian Tang he knew, with only memories of her beautiful girlhood, but Lu Wen, a female bandit leader with blood-stained hands.
As she lowered her head in contemplation, Cui Xingzhou had already handed Yi’er to the maids to play in another courtyard. He then came over and embraced Mian Tang.
Caught off guard by his sudden approach, Mian Tang instinctively moved to block him. However, he easily countered her move with a twist of his wrist.
Cui Xingzhou tilted his handsome face towards her and said, “These are all from your beatings in the forest yesterday. They haven’t healed yet. Do you want to add new injuries?”
Looking at his handsome face, Mian Tang felt somewhat guilty. Yesterday, provoked by his taunts, she had lashed out as fiercely as possible. But seeing his beautiful face now, covered in bruises, she felt a twinge of regret for her rough treatment. After all, he was the Prince of Huaiyang, the commander-in-chief of the Northern Sea Army of Great Yan. Even if they were currently at war, this opponent deserved some respect…
Mian Tang bit her lip, ultimately pushing him away and returning to her room alone.
This act of distancing was within Cui Xingzhou’s expectations, but it still caused a pang in his heart. However, tonight, he didn’t want to turn and leave.
After so much time had passed without signs of Mian Tang’s recovery, Cui Xingzhou had gradually come to terms with the situation. His relationship with Mian Tang hadn’t always been smooth sailing; he had won her over through sheer determination and effort.
Now that the stubborn girl was acting wild, if he didn’t keep an eye on her, she might really run away. With his current responsibilities, he wouldn’t be able to find her easily. So even if she couldn’t remember him now and was cold towards him, it didn’t matter. He still remembered their beautiful moments.
He recalled asking her once what they would do if she forgot everything. She had said that if that happened, he should take her back to North Street, to the place where their feelings first blossomed, and help her remember him bit by bit…
Although it had been a half-joking remark at the time, now Cui Xingzhou wanted to quickly settle the Northern Sea rebellion and take Mian Tang back to Lingquan Town.
With this thought, the Prince of Huaiyang’s gloom of the past few days lifted. He took a deep breath, thinking that Mian Tang probably wouldn’t let him into her room tonight. He was about to instruct Mo Ru to prepare the study for him to spend the night when Mian Tang emerged from her room.
She was carrying an assortment of jars and bottles, which she unceremoniously placed on the small stone table in the courtyard. Somewhat awkwardly, she said, “Come here… I’ll apply some medicine for you.”
Cui Xingzhou hadn’t expected her to fetch medicine. His heart leapt with joy, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly. Unfortunately, the pain in his cheeks cut his smile short.
When Mian Tang had opened the medicine box earlier, she realized that she seemed to have learned medicine. There were several volumes of handwritten prescriptions and medical notes, and she couldn’t distinguish between the various medicinal powders.
In her haste, she had grabbed a few large bottles. As Cui Xingzhou sat down, she carefully examined them. The array of bottles was dizzying, and she wasn’t sure what each one was for.
Mian Tang bit her lip, her small face tense with concentration. When she finally found a bottle of Tongluo Dan, she sighed with relief and poured out a few pills for Cui Xingzhou to take.
Cui Xingzhou was familiar with Mian Tang’s habit of fiddling with her medicine jars. When he saw her pick up this particular bottle, it looked familiar. He hesitated, then said, “Isn’t this… the medicine you take before your monthly cycle to regulate blood flow?”
She sometimes experienced severe pain during her periods, so she had formulated her own prescription and made these pills. She had even boasted to him that her formula was better than what could be bought at the pharmacy.
Hearing this, Mian Tang was dumbfounded. She immediately began to stuff the pills back into the bottle, but Cui Xingzhou snatched them away and swallowed them in one gulp.
Mian Tang stared at him in disbelief, reaching out to grab the bottle. “Why did you take them when you knew what they were?”
Cui Xingzhou shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s all for improving blood circulation, whether up or down. You’ve used me to test medicines before, and I’ve rarely had stomach issues.”
Mian Tang fell silent, opening bottles and sniffing them one by one until she finally found a medicinal oil. She poured some into her palm, rubbed her hands together until they were warm, then gently pressed them against Cui Xingzhou’s face, trying to disperse the bruises.
He had to drill the troops every day; how could he face the army looking like this?
They were very close now, their long breaths slowly intertwining.
Cui Xingzhou looked down at the woman concentrating on applying the medicine. Her fair skin was tinged with a rosy hue, her curved eyelashes fluttered, and her cherry lips were slightly parted in concentration…
She was still herself, that sharp-tongued but soft-hearted adorable woman. Everything about her continued to captivate him; his Mian Tang was still there…
Busy with her task, Mian Tang looked up to find Cui Xingzhou gazing deeply at her. She could even see her own somewhat dazed reflection in his pupils.
She suddenly became aware of how close they were. But as she tried to stand, Cui Xingzhou wrapped an arm around her slender waist and lowered his head to kiss her cherry lips.
The scent of the medicinal oil mingled with the man’s unique fragrance, creating an intoxicating sensation. Mian Tang felt as if she had been hit by a potent paralytic powder. In moments, her limbs lost their strength, and she was tightly enveloped in his embrace…
When they finally parted, Mian Tang felt her cheeks burning. She was annoyed with herself for being so impulsive. How could she allow a man she had only met a few times to take such liberties… Even though his kisses felt pleasant, and she had already borne his child…
Cui Xingzhou, seeing her mix of lingering desire and frustration, couldn’t help but lean in again, giving her a light peck. “I’ve neglected you these past days due to busy affairs in the military camp. Once the Northern Sea situation is resolved, we’ll return to Zhen Prefecture. It doesn’t matter if you can’t remember for the rest of your life; we’ll relive our past days together.”
Mian Tang lowered her head and spoke softly, “I… don’t think I’m very good at being your Princess Consort. I’m afraid I won’t adapt to this kind of life…”
Cui Xingzhou laughed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Don’t worry, you’ll adapt very well. As long as you don’t keep scaring people with your knife, Mama Li will teach you the rules you’ve forgotten… If you can’t learn them well, then don’t bother learning at all. After all, I know exactly what you’re like…”
Mian Tang, hearing these words that didn’t sound like praise, glared at him. “What am I like?”
By now, Cui Xingzhou had been so aroused by her that he could barely contain himself. Even if they couldn’t make love right away, he needed to ease his longing.
So he simply picked her up and said, “Naturally, you have the demeanor of a mountain bandit chief. Since the great Lady Lu has arrived, why not take the opportunity to commit some robbery?”
Cui Xingzhou’s appearance was too handsome; when he wasn’t speaking, he exuded the air of a perfect gentleman. With such a face, even his roguish behavior seemed less alarming.
Mian Tang was momentarily captivated by his bright and refined smile, missing the deeper meaning in his words.
It wasn’t until he carried her into the inner chamber and behind the embroidered curtains that the great Lady Lu belatedly realized — she wasn’t open for business today!
Unfortunately, when his thin lips descended upon hers, the urge to give in to desire grew stronger. Her nose and body seemed to remember this man, and she couldn’t push him away. Her remaining protests were muffled and indistinct…
In the end, after their cold war, the Prince and Lady Lu reached a temporary agreement: they would first unite against the enemy and resist the Japanese invasion. As for other matters, they would discuss them after the war.
Meanwhile, Master Xie, having learned his lesson from the assassination attempt and the Princess Consort’s disappearance, became extremely cautious. He hadn’t dared to step out of the shipyard for days and had finally completed the modifications to several warships.
Cui Xingzhou, calculating the days, ordered the navy to familiarize themselves with the newly modified warships, preparing to attack the island occupied by the Japanese shortly. He aimed to eliminate this greatest external threat to the Northern Sea before the typhoon season arrived.
Takatsuji, having failed to capture the Prince of Huaiyang and Mian Tang despite holding the advantage at sea, realized the tide had turned. As long as the Prince remained in the Northern Sea, they could not overcome the region.
However, he didn’t believe he was no match for the Prince in naval warfare. Last time, he had become greedy and fallen for the Prince’s trick. Now that the Prince was overconfident enough to launch a naval attack on his stronghold, Yingsi believed that by defending the island and taking advantage of the natural conditions, he could still defeat the Prince, even with his new warships and superior artillery.
But his Japanese subordinates didn’t share his confidence. The island was short on food and supplies, and life was extremely difficult. Many Japanese soldiers, unable to endure the hardships, secretly escaped on small boats.
Cui Xingzhou had long ago deployed warships to patrol outside the pirate island, gathering intelligence and intercepting several ships attempting to smuggle food to the island. He deployed more warships, tightening the blockade to prevent the Japanese from coming ashore to buy food.
As Cui Xingzhou was making detailed preparations for the attack on the pirate island, Li Guangnian asked whether the two imperial envoys, who had been detained for many days, should be released.
Cui Xingzhou coldly smiled and said, “His Majesty sent them to the Northern Sea to observe how I eliminate the Japanese, not to collude with the enemy. Let them stay put. Once I’ve defeated the Japanese, their mission will be complete. At that time, I will personally escort them back to the capital to report to the Emperor.”