In the side flower hall of the Ninth Prince's Mansion, it was in absolute silence.

Commandery Princess Jingle looked seductively at the handsome and cold man. She plucked the bodice of her outer skirt inch by inch, and then bowed her head shyly.

She was expecting her beloved to rush over instantly and hold her in his arms, as passionately as he had held the yellow-skirted girl. Then he would untie the lapel of her underwear.

However, the reality soon left her disappointed.

The handsome man stood motionless in front of her, staring at her with his head tilted, not saying a word.

Jingle was a little confused and upset and a little panicked.

"Ninth Uncle!"

After waiting for a while and having no response, Jingle was slightly frustrating but didn't want to be angry with Huanan He.

She whispered to him, her tone revealing a bit of discontent and a prodding at the same time.

Huanan He crossed his arms and teased her indifferently with his narrow eyes.

"What's wrong? Do you feel hot? I can let the underlings bring pots of ice from the ice cellar over for good. You are troublesome. It's still early before the hot days..."

"Ninth Uncle, you made fun of me on purpose."

The girl immediately became anxious. She stomped her feet with her eyes widened and her face was blushed.

Jingle made up her mind and quickly picked open the lapel of her underwear. She faced the man and exposed the bright and smooth collarbone and red bellyband boldly.

"I love you so much that I would like to give my body to you today, and I only hope that you will marry me in the future. As long as I can be your royal consort, I have no other longing in my life."

The girl smiled and approached the man one step by another. Her eyes are bright and very seductive like the sparkling water.

At the same time, she grabbed the man's large hand and placed it on her breast.

These seductive moves of hers were a bit seductive but also clumsy. It kind of attracted the interest of men.

Huanan He stared at the girl's white breast for a long time, and his thoughts suddenly became lost as if falling into swamp.

Just as his consciousness was about to overwhelm him, the dancing girl in lake-blue under the laurel tree in full bloom in his dream came into clear. The man was clear from his confused thoughts instantly.

Although Huanan He could never see the face of the girl in his dream, he had a hunch that it must be a mysterious and beautiful girl.

Every time he saw her in his dreams, he somehow felt familiar.

His gaze suddenly became clear, Huanan He forcibly withdrew his hand and let out a bizarre and gloomy laugh, ignoring Jingle's surprise and confusion.

"How dare you show me such flat breasts?"

"Ninth Uncle!"

The girl was instantly shy and quickly wrapped up her clothes, and then she jumped into the man's arms again to please him.

"I want to be with you all my life, Ninth Uncle. Please kiss me and embrace me..."

"Go away!"

All he could think of was the beautiful figure in his dream, and he couldn't forget that scene.

The Buddhist sound-like fluting in his ears was overshadowed by her noise.

Huanan He suddenly became apprehensive, like he had lost something important. He pushed the girl away with one hand.

The girl stubbornly bit her lip and lunged at him again. Her thin arms were surprisingly strong at the moment.

The two wrestled for a moment, and the man's anger reached its peak. He grabbed the girl's slender wrist like a wanting claw and pushed her in front of the rosewood standing cabinet by the window.

He drew a dagger from the small drawer, and the sharp blade caused Jingle to scream uncontrollably in fear.

"Ninth Uncle, what are you going to do?"

The man's face is expressionless. Without a word, he rolled up his cuffs and unceremoniously cut a wound on his solid forearm.

"Don't!"

Jingle cried and screamed while grabbing the dagger.

At this point, she suddenly noticed with shock that the wound not only did not flow a drop of blood but also quickly healed as before.

"How is this possible?"

Jingle said in surprise. She rubbed her eyes with both hands, cupped the man's small arms, and looked down carefully. Then raised her head and looked at the man with great confusion.

The dagger fell to the ground with a dull noise.

"Did you see it?"

The man was no longer as mad and confused as he had been when he was angry. He looked at the girl with a gloomy gaze. He muttered to himself with a sneer.

"I am such a monster, cursed by the gods from birth. My hair and beard are snow-white. I won't die or get hurt, and I can't feel pain. When the late emperor was alive, he thought I was cursed and drove me to the western tribes."

He could not control himself from remembering his sad and helpless past.

Huanan He was so sad that he took a long sigh, with a little teardrop in the corner of his eye.

He raised his hand and pointed shakily at his forehead.

"When the late emperor passed away, your brother took me back to the capital after he succeeded to the throne. He was the one who rewarded me with a house and money so that I could be clothed and fed from then on."

"I will remember his kindness fondly. But do you think that being a man, I am willing to be drunk every day? Could you appreciate how I feel every time I receive a reward? If I could choose, I would rather serve the imperial court than accept your sympathy and offerings because of my special physique."

The man pointed his finger at the sky and spoke loudly. In the end, he let out a sad and bitter hiss.

When he woke up from his slumber a year ago, he was already in a carriage following the long procession of Da Yi's forbidden army on its way back to the capital.

The different physique from ordinary people once sent him into a desperate panic and low self-esteem.

He used to recall the past but could not recall anything no matter how hard he tried.

Then he heard about his past from the officer leading the group.

He, Huanan He, was the ninth brother of Da Yi’s Emperor Jingxiao and was the biological uncle of the current Emperor Renxian.

On his way back to the capital by order, he fell off a horse that cause a head injury. So he had some temporary memory problems.

Then they returned to the capital, and he successfully entered the palace to meet the young emperor, Huanan Xin.

Huanan Xin doted on his royal uncle, constantly rewarding him and giving him ample living supplies. He spared no effort to create a very nearly luxurious and warm "home" for his Ninth Uncle.

The preferential treatment from the Imperial Family Huanan eventually made Huanan He accept the fact that he had temporary memory loss. He was not only very grateful for the Emperor's preferential treatment but also firmly believed in what he was told about western tribes.

Day by day, Huanan He got tired of this life.

He had offered the idea of serving the imperial court to Huanan Xin several times but was politely rejected. The Emperor even gave him more rewards.

Huanan Xin said his only wish was that the royal uncle would take care of his health and not be injured and that he would convalesce in the capital.

Just six months ago, Huanan He took advantage of his drunkenness and deliberately injured himself to force the Emperor to release him back to western tribes. But in the end, he was subdued by the combined efforts of 500 forbidden soldiers and the Eastern Depot Governor and was tied up in bed with chains for half a month without food.

The waste of time, the physical abnormality, the loneliness and pain of being a parasite, constantly tormented him as an emotion that could not be drained.

He began to hate fate and curse himself but was powerless to change.

During the day, he became eccentric and erratic. At night, he lost sleep and was in fear and loneliness.

Jingle stared at Huanan He, and although her smile looked innocent, it revealed anxiety and worry that was hard to conceal.

"Ninth Uncle, I've never looked down on you, never!"

She said firmly.

Jingle slowly lifted her hand and wiped the tears off his eyelashes.

"Ninth uncle, don't cry. I like to be with you not because you are pathetic, but because I love you very much!"

Huanan He apprehensively held her hand and asked softly.

"Ying'er, why do you love me?"

The girl smiled and said, "The first time I saw you, I felt that although you look rough but very gentle. It's just that you've been alone for too long, just like me."

"I lost my mother when I was a child and have never enjoyed my mother's love, and then my father also passed away. Although Her Grace doted on me, I would still feel lonely…"

The girl rested her head on his chest, her cheek gently rubbing against his lapel.

His lapel was embroidered with an exquisite bamboo leaf and plum blossom design, with green and golden-brown silk threads overlapping in an intricate and beautiful pattern that gave them light, soft and silky silk some extra undulation.

The girl rubbed her smooth skin against it and felt the wonderful touch.

Her words of love were ringing in his ears.

"Ninth uncle, I am the same as you, we have the same experience, we should be together. Let me take care of you in the future, and I won't let you feel lonely again."

Huanan He looked at her in awe.

Mu Qianying, Commandery Princess Jingle, was arbitrary and unreasonable even in the royal family.

But now, her smile and words and beauty were like fiery sunshine shining into his heart.

He was moved by this, and his feelings of decadence and resentment gradually disappeared.

"Ying'er..."

The man was touched by her sincerity, he thought for a moment and hugged the submissive girl in his arms tightly.

"Ninth Uncle!"

The girl was happy and blushed as she raised her arms around his neck in happiness.

...

In Jingyang Palace. In the bed-chamber of the main hall.

Zhiqi wrapped Gu Yunxi's arms wound and unrolled her sleeve for her while crying.

Gu Yunxi patted Zhiqi’s shoulder, smiled, and whispered to her.

"I'm the one who got hurt and I haven't cried. Why are you crying?"

Zhiqi dried her tears and said with a slow breath.

"I care about you, and I know it hasn't been an easy journey for you."

Gu Yunxi looked down at her injured arm vacantly and thoughtfully.

After only a moment of silence, she got her emotions under control and said calmly.

"Well, you can use my makeup later to fix my makeup. Don't let Dong Zhu and the girls find out you've been crying."