Most likely, he still intended for her to sit on the chaise.

She had not expected this. The Ninth Prince appeared so coldly aloof and incomparably proud, yet in conduct he was actually quite courteous. Perhaps, seeing himself seated comfortably on the chaise while she sat on the floor, he felt a little uneasy about it?

So this was the kind of Ninth Imperial Uncle he was — actually such a considerate person.

Though sitting beside him was sure to be quite a pressured ordeal, he had invited her multiple times, and continuing to refuse would seem rather rude.

After all, Ninth Imperial Uncle had saved both her and Qiao Mu today.

Feng Jiu’er walked over and was making her way toward the chaise when, without warning, her foot suddenly gave way beneath her. She went tumbling down with a thud and landed squarely between the Ninth Imperial Uncle’s two long legs.

Why did this moment feel so strangely familiar?

Ninth Imperial Uncle’s legs were undeniably long. With her collapsed between them, it was like a small child tucked into an adult’s embrace.

She tried to get up, but his large palm pressed down on top of her head. Without any effort at all, he pushed her right back down.

Off balance, she toppled sideways — and ended up lying face-down across Zhan Qingcheng’s thigh.

“Ninth Imperial Uncle!” Feng Jiu’er was mortified. She had not intended any impropriety at all — she genuinely had not meant to do it!

“Have you truly forgotten this Prince?” Zhan Qingcheng’s long fingers settled under her chin and gave it a light pinch.

Feng Jiu’er only felt her chin tighten as he lifted her face up, leaving her no choice but to meet his gaze.

This gesture of his… if he were not quite so handsome, she would have swung a palm at him without hesitation.

But the man really was very handsome. If she slapped him and left him disfigured, what then? Every woman in the world would never forgive her.

And besides, he was the high and mighty Ninth Prince. Striking a prince across the face was a capital offense.

What an outrage — being of lower standing, bullied and unable to fight back. Where was the justice in that?

“This Prince is speaking to you!” Everything Mo Bai had told him — Zhan Qingcheng had in fact already believed it. He simply could not accept it.

That she could simply lose all her memories of him, just like that? Every detail of the time the two of them had shared together, he remembered with perfect clarity.

His mood was deeply unsettled. The thought that this girl had forgotten all the small moments they had shared made him intensely displeased. The urge to tear certain people to shreds surged through him.

Feng Jiu’er thought for a moment, then quickly caught herself. She shook her head. “I have not forgotten Ninth Imperial Uncle.”

How could she have forgotten? Had she not immediately addressed him as Your Highness the moment they met? Did that look like forgetting?

Though she did not understand why Ninth Imperial Uncle was asking her this, he had asked it with such gravity that Feng Jiu’er could not help but take it seriously.

Zhan Qingcheng lowered his gaze and studied her face. In his heart, he knew — pressing her further would serve no purpose.

Yet why was it that when he saw that unfamiliarity in her eyes as she looked at him, that place in his chest felt as though something had seized hold of it and was wringing it tighter and tighter, growing more and more painful?

Because of her unfamiliarity toward him, his mood had grown heavier and heavier, and yet he ached in a way he could not name.

What kind of feeling this was, he truly did not understand at all. He only knew that he would willingly trade the entire realm to have back the way she used to look at him.

Was it that the realm meant so little to him — or was it that this girl had become this precious to him?

This question, Zhan Qingcheng had never once considered. From the moment they had first come to know each other to now, everything had simply fallen into place naturally.

He had never paused to reflect on such feelings. He only knew that it was only when this girl was by his side that life held any joy, and that he could smile.

“This Prince commands you — retrieve every memory of the past this instant. You are forbidden from forgetting this Prince.”

His gaze grew slightly heavy, and the five fingers pinching her chin tightened without his realizing it.

The growing bewilderment in her eyes made the ache in his chest deepen with each passing moment.

Why was she already beside him, and yet he still could not find it in himself to feel glad? Why did it seem as though only by having her remember what had passed between them could the pain in his chest begin to ease?

Why was he compelled to push her like this?

“Your Highness, I don’t know what you’re referring to, but…” Feng Jiu’er bit her lip, and a flicker of indignation stirred within her.

She did fear the Ninth Prince, it was true. But that did not mean he could bully her without limit.

She clenched her small fist tightly, gathering force even into her palm, still holding herself back — she would not make a move until she reached the absolute limit of her endurance.

But even Zhan Qingcheng could see it — this girl’s patience was nearly at its breaking point.

That she would look at him with such tremendous anger… she would never have done that before.

A sudden violent stab of pain struck his chest — as though someone had thrust a sharp blade straight through his heart.

Zhan Qingcheng released Jiu’er’s chin. His large palm fell against his own chest, his brow furrowing tightly.

Feng Jiu’er instinctively drew back a good distance. Looking at him again, she saw that he still had one hand pressed hard against his chest, his brow creasing tighter and tighter — as though he were enduring some immense and terrible pain.

The anger from a moment ago cooled rapidly, and a wave of unease swept through her. Was the Ninth Prince… injured?

But he had seemed perfectly fine until just now. Why had he suddenly become like this?

“Your Highness…”

“And yet you still address this Prince that way!” Zhan Qingcheng’s expression darkened instantly. In that single moment, he looked as though fury had coiled itself around every part of him.

He did not know why he had lost control. But he had — and he swept her toward him without thinking, pressing her against his chest.

“This Prince commands you — remember everything from the past this very instant. You are not permitted to forget this Prince!”

“I… Your Highness, you…” Feng Jiu’er had just barely called out “Your Highness” when she saw him cough up blood, and she very nearly had the fright of her life. The moment she uttered those two words, his complexion had changed drastically.

And then, as his mouth opened, another surge of blood came pouring out.

“Ninth Imperial Uncle, I won’t call you Your Highness anymore — please don’t be angry!”

Jiu’er reached out and grasped his wrist, pressing her fingertips to his pulse point.

Just as she feared — it was pure fury overriding his system.

All because of one form of address, and Ninth Imperial Uncle had been brought to spitting blood twice?

What had she done to deserve this? For her, it really was just a form of address — it meant nothing at all.

If he disliked it, she would never call him Your Highness again. Was that not enough?

“Don’t be angry. Calm yourself. You had just recovered from a serious illness and have not rested properly since — you rode hard across a long distance and personally took to the battlefield, and your body has never had the chance to recover and rebuild its strength. Your vital energy is severely depleted. You must stop harming yourself further.”

“I’m sorry — I was wrong. It was all my fault. Will you accept my apology?”

The carriage rolled to a halt. Yu Jingfeng swept the curtain open.

Seeing the blood at the corner of Zhan Qingcheng’s lip, he panicked and moved to step inside, only to be stopped by a cold, piercing glare from Zhan Qingcheng. “Get out.”

Yu Jingfeng froze in place, entirely at a loss.

He had not seen with his own eyes what had transpired inside, but he had heard it all.

His Highness had been driven to coughing up blood. Yet from what he could observe, this did not look like anger so much as grief.

Only that kind of grief — His Highness himself did not understand it yet, and the current Miss Jiu’er would be even less able to comprehend it. What was to be done about that?