Chapter 20

A towering sycamore tree had been their salvation.

Cradled in Qin Xiyi’s arms, the little prince had suffered nothing more than a bit of a fright. Qin Xiyi, in turn, had been shielded by Cheng Mozhi, escaping with only a few scratches from the branches.

Cheng Mozhi, however, had ended up with a fractured leg—a stroke of luck, all things considered.

As it happened, this deep valley held a hidden world of its own. They stumbled upon a dilapidated bamboo hut and took up temporary residence.

Before they knew it, a month had passed.

“Imperial Mother, Uncle is so amazing! He carved a little rabbit for me and even said he’d teach me martial arts!”

Perhaps it was the pull of shared blood, or perhaps it was because Cheng Mozhi had risked his life to save him, becoming a hero in the boy’s eyes. Little Liang Ying was utterly devoted to him.

“Be a good boy, Ying’er. Don’t disturb your uncle while he’s resting. Off to bed now.”

After tucking her son in, Qin Xiyi returned to the hearth. She added a handful of kindling to the fire, brought the water in a cracked clay pot to a boil, and brewed a pot of tea she had dried and roasted herself.

Watching her move about from his spot on the bamboo bed, Cheng Mozhi suddenly let out a soft chuckle.

Qin Xiyi glanced back at him.

Cheng Mozhi patted his injured leg. “I was just thinking… maybe this was a blessing in disguise. If I could spend the rest of my life like this with you, I’d die a happy man.”

Qin Xiyi shook her head, exasperated. “Once your leg is healed, we’ll find a way out of here.”

It was the first time she had mentioned leaving since their fall.

The valley was vast. While Liang Shi would undoubtedly have search parties out, it would take time to find this remote spot. Yet they both knew that the simultaneous disappearance of an Empress and a high-ranking envoy would throw both nations into chaos.

Ever since Cheng Mozhi had learned that Qin Xiyi had taken her sister’s place in the political marriage, he hadn’t been able to utter a single word of reproach for her deception.

He felt her suffering as if it were his own.

No matter how much he yearned to, he couldn’t bring himself to ask her to run away with him. He fell silent, his head bowed.

“You look flushed from the heat. Let me give you a sponge bath.”

Qin Xiyi fetched some water and began to wash him down.

When he pulled off his tunic, she froze.

His physique was lean and firm, his skin as fair as a woman’s, save for a reddish-brown birthmark on his left chest in the shape of a butterfly.

Qin Xiyi had first noticed it during that fateful boat ride when they’d pledged their love. Finding it charming, she had once traced its outline, turning the mark into a painted butterfly.

But now, a butterfly truly did rest there, looking as though it had alighted upon his chest, vivid and lifelike.

Cheng Mozhi gave a small smile. “Missing someone can get quite tedious. I had no choice but to carve the pattern she liked, one stroke at a time, day by day. Well? Is my handiwork up to par?”

Qin Xiyi’s fingers brushed over the butterfly with a feather-light touch, as if afraid to disturb it, before she turned away to wring out the coarse cloth.

When she turned back around, Cheng Mozhi had actually stripped off his trousers and was sprawled out before her with utter abandon.

Despite how intimately she knew his body, Qin Xiyi felt her face flush hot. She shot a panicked glance at the sleeping Ying’er before turning back to glare at him.

“Come now, see your good deed through to the end. I truly can’t manage on my own right now!” His tone was one of mock-pleading, but the sheer mischief on his face was impossible to hide.

“Vice Minister Cheng, Master Cheng, Top Scholar Cheng… you certainly weren’t like this before. Whatever happened to that ‘Liu Xiahui’ who didn’t even dare look at me, the one who turned as red as a boiled lobster at the slightest touch?”

“I have the Princess to thank for that. That fellow was far too stiff and dull. If I hadn’t developed a thicker skin, I wouldn’t have stood a ghost of a chance with Her Highness, would I?”

Cheng Mozhi’s smile was positively infuriating. Qin Xiyi gritted her teeth, grabbed the towel, and let out a cold laugh. “Fine then. Don’t expect me to be gentle.”