Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved

"Princess Consort, you move very quickly, have you studied martial arts?"

On the carriage ride back to Prince Mansion, Jun Yuyan brewed tea and asked Murong Jiu.

She nodded, "I have learned a little."

Her master had said that to strengthen the body one must first be healthy, and to heal others one must first heal oneself. Her master himself was a spry old man who had also forced her to learn from a young age.

Unfortunately, later she had drawn poison into her own body to detoxify Jun Haoze, completely collapsing her health and failing her master's expectations and effort.

Thinking of her master, she felt a wave of sorrow. She didn't know where the little old man had gone, he had even said that he would surprise her at their next meeting, but in her past life she had never seen her master again before she died.

She looked at Jun Yuyan, the man's slender fingers lifted the teacup to his lips. His lips were thin but attractive, and the pure white tea made his fair complexion even rosier, making the unmasked half of his face look very handsome.

She had heard that his knife wound was on his cheek, the cut too deep; when healed, it had left a long scar which utterly marred his face.

It really was a shame, for he was an exceptionally handsome man.

But if she could find the Star Snow Grass her master had mentioned, and make an ointment from it, it might be possible to help restore his appearance.

Only the Star Snow Grass grew in highland marshes and was exceedingly rare. She didn't know if she'd ever find even one in her lifetime, so it was best not to raise his hopes by mentioning it.

As Jun Yuyan looked up at her, Murong Jiu cast aside her stray thoughts and asked him,

"Prince, if I wanted to find someone, would you have a way to do so?"

Instead of her looking for someone like searching for a needle in a haystack, it would be better to ask Jun Yuyan for help.

Jun Yuyan did not refuse and asked, "Do you have a portrait?"

Murong Jiu's heart leaped with joy, "I don't, but I can draw one now. May I use your writing materials, Prince?"

She had seen paper, ink, brush, and inkstone inside the luxurious carriage.

Jun Yuyan nodded to indicate he agreed.

She then took out the writing materials and laid them on the small desk. Soon, the image of an old man appeared vividly on the paper.

Her drawing was very realistic, capturing the old man's likeness so well that his vigor and spirit came through.

Jun Yuyan took a few extra looks; when the ink had dried, he folded the drawing and put it away, "I will send someone to help you look for him. I will inform you when I have news."

"Thank you, Prince!"

Murong Jiu's face carried a smile, her eyes brimming with brightness.

Her smile came from the heart, a stark contrast to her previous silence; Jun Yuyan saw a sense of duality in her, as if she was veiled in a layer of mystery.

"Also, earlier in the palace, thank you for speaking up for me to His Majesty."

"You are Princess Consort Ling."

His implication was that protecting her was simply his duty.

Murong Jiu understood and did not overthink it, nor did she indulge in wishful thinking.

"You did very well today. As for my mother, you need not worry."

At these words, she was slightly taken aback, not expecting Jun Yuyan to go out of his way to console her.

Until they left the palace, Noble Consort Qi had not given her any pleasant looks, but thanks to the matter with the ginkgo, her expression of disgust was no longer evident.

She wouldn't mind, after all, she and Jun Yuyan were only a pretend couple; she didn't need to please Noble Consort Qi, her mother-in-law.

"Sigh!"

Suddenly, the carriage came to an abrupt halt, and Murong Jiu was thrown forward by the momentum, but Jun Yuyan reached out with his broad palm and pulled her back, waiting until she was settled before letting go.

His voice was deep as he asked:

"What has happened outside?"

The guard replied, "Reporting to you, Prince, a woman rushed out and blocked our way."

"Your Highness Prince Ling, my parents are deceased, and a local tyrant is forcing me to become a slave or a prostitute. I truly have nowhere else to turn. Please, take me in!"

From outside came the piercing cry of a woman.

Murong Jiu's brows slightly furrowed; this voice, it sounded familiar to her.

Just as she thought Jun Yuyan would take pity on the woman and accept her, she heard him say coldly:

"The Prince Mansion is not a refuge. Someone, go report to the Government Office."

Murong Jiu's lips curled slightly; indeed, if the man was a tyrant, then it should be reported to the authorities for justice.

"Your Highness!"

The woman outside sounded incredulous as she prolonged her cry.

It was her!

Murong Jiu's smile faded, and she lifted the carriage curtain to look outside. There, a woman dressed in white mourning clothes knelt in the middle of the road, her figure delicate, eyes red and swollen, like a white pear blossom beaten by a torrential rain, pitiful.

She wasn't just anyone; she was Bai Aoshuang, one of Jun Haoze's former concubines from her previous life.

Bai Aoshuang was different from the other concubines; originally, she was a maidservant in the General of the Northern Command's Residence. She was taken as a concubine by the Third Young Master of the General's Residence. When the General's Mansion was searched and confiscated, she obtained a letter of divorce before the seizure, and soon after, she ended up in Jun Haoze's harem.

Only then did Murong Jiu realize that Bai Aoshuang had always been Jun Haoze's agent, gathering intelligence on the General's Mansion, ultimately leading to its downfall.

After the fall of the General's Mansion, she had grieved for a long time. Although she had only seen the General of the Northern Command once, he had seemed kind and gentle, not like someone who would betray his country for glory. The sons of the General's Mansion were also good people.

When she mentioned this to Jun Haoze, he looked at her with a strange smile on his face and simply said she was a woman of the inner chamber and did not understand matters of court.

That strange smile, she never understood its meaning until her death.

Now, recalling it, the smile carried a mocking scorn, sending a chill down her spine.

"Prince!"

The guard had already dragged Bai Aoshuang aside and the carriage was about to move on when Murong Jiu grabbed Jun Yuyan's arm, urgently saying, "Prince, I am in need of a maidservant. Let her come to my side!"

Her subconscious told her that she could not let Bai Aoshuang go back to the General's Mansion.

This scene didn't occur in her previous life because Consort Yun Pin had a miscarriage and Jun Yuyan was being punished. Perhaps it was because she missed it that Bai Aoshuang had been taken back by the General's Mansion.

Or perhaps, Bai Aoshuang was already an informant for Jun Haoze at this moment.

Regardless of which possibility it was, she must keep Bai Aoshuang within close watch before anything else.

Jun Yuyan remembered that she had three maidservants, and there were many maidservants in the Prince Mansion at her disposal; she wouldn't miss one.

Moreover, he had seen too many of these tricks, where bullies coerced people or women who sold themselves to bury their fathers, merely relying on their looks to climb the social ladder.

Such women were deep and scheming.

However, he did not refuse Murong Jiu, instead asking, "Are you sure you want her?"

Murong Jiu nodded firmly, "Yes!"

Jun Yuyan was somewhat disappointed; he didn't need someone so naively kind by his side.

Yet, he heard Murong Jiu continue, "I also want her indenture contract. If she is to enter the Prince Mansion, she must sign an indenture contract."

It seemed she was not so naive after all. Jun Yuyan's eyes shimmered slightly, and he nodded:

"Very well."

Back in the Prince Mansion, after Murong Jiu finished her lunch, Bai Aoshuang, along with her indenture contract, was delivered by Steward Lin.

"Princess Consort, Miss Bai's indenture contract has been processed at the Government Office. The Prince has instructed you to keep it yourself. As for whether you wish to rename Miss Bai, it's entirely up to you," Steward Lin said.

Murong Jiu glanced at Bai Aoshuang, who stood there with her head lowered, weak and docile, and said indifferently, "Upon entering the Prince Mansion, one leaves the past behind. It's natural to change one's name. Steward Lin, what do you think of renaming her 'Cui Hua'?"

Bai Aoshuang suddenly lifted her head, and across her tender, innocent face, flashed a trace of astonishment.