Lixia didn't know what to say. She stared straight at Yi Junlan, stunned that the man she saved in the mountains was actually Prince Kang.
Yi Junlan felt uncomfortable under her gaze and coughed lightly, turning his head away.
Lixia snapped back to reality, sitting on the ground. "You left without saying a word back then. A'Mu and I were worried about you!" She laughed awkwardly, then smacked her forehead. "I'm so confused... You were unconscious most of the time back then, so you probably didn't recognize me. No wonder we met several times and you didn't say anything..."
"I recognized you. I woke up once that night," Yi Junlan interrupted. "The situation was urgent, so I left in a hurry."
"Oh." Lixia smiled faintly and didn't ask further. It was his business, after all.
The rain grew heavier.
"You're injured. Let's go inside," Yi Junlan gestured to a small cave nearby.
Lixia looked at her scraped arm and stood up. She saw Yi Junlan struggling to push his wheelchair while trying to pick up his mask. She immediately turned back to help him push the wheelchair into the cave.
The Cave: Intimacy and Tension
Inside the cave, Yi Junlan noticed Lixia worrying about her maid, Hongshang.
"Han Feng," he called out.
Although Lixia saw no one, she felt a cold breeze above her head.
"He will notify your maid," Yi Junlan said. He then pulled Lixia to his side to examine her arm. "Do you have medicine?"
Lixia was a bit annoyed by his commanding tone but softened when she realized he was concerned. Yi Junlan tore a strip from his inner robe and skillfully bandaged her wound.
"I used to do this often at the border," he explained with a smile.
Suddenly, voices approached the cave. "You better behave, or you'll be the one suffering if people find out."
Panic set in. Lixia pushed Yi Junlan into a narrow fissure in the cave wall. It was tight—only enough space for the wheelchair. With nowhere else to hide, Yi Junlan pulled Lixia onto his lap.
"Don't make a sound," he whispered, his warm breath tickling her ear. He stroked her back gently to calm her racing heart.
The Unwanted Show
A man and a woman entered the cave. It was Yi Mingji (Prince Liang's son) and Beiye Yinman.
Yi Mingji pinned Beiye Yinman against the wall. "How do you like this place, Miss Beiye?"
Beiye Yinman tried to use her status as Prince Su's woman to threaten him, but Yi Mingji laughed. "Prince Su is too busy to care about you. Your father killed my father. Did you think I'd let him go? Today, I start with his daughter."
Beiye Yinman realized the danger too late. Yi Mingji forced himself on her, ignoring her pleas and tears.
Hidden in the fissure, Lixia trembled at the sounds of violence. She signaled to Yi Junlan: Should we save her?
Yi Junlan shook his head. This is inevitable. Prince Liang's son doesn't care about a woman's background. Stay out of it.
He pressed Lixia's head against his chest and covered her other ear with his hand to block out the obscenities.
Lixia, bored and trapped, started eating the cherries she had picked. She even fed one to Yi Junlan. His lips brushed her fingers, making her heart race.
Eventually, the "storm" outside ended. Yi Mingji left after humiliating Beiye Yinman further. Beiye Yinman, filled with hatred, stomped on a crab before leaving into the rain.
The Confession
Once they were gone, Lixia tried to jump up, but Yi Junlan held her tight.
"You hate me?" he asked, staring into her eyes.
"You... just now... you had a reaction. It was disgusting," Lixia stammered, feeling the hardness beneath her.
"That was a normal man's reaction. It wasn't intentional. Did I scare you?" He loosened his grip.
"That was my first kiss," Lixia muttered. "And yours too. So we are even."
"I... I..." Yi Junlan wanted to say he would take responsibility, but he feared rejection.
Lixia looked at his scar. "Your scar can be removed. And your legs... I fixed your bones myself. If you recover well, you can walk again."
Yi Junlan's voice trembled. "Really?"
"Yes. Come to Kirin Pharmacy, and I'll treat you."
Yi Junlan smiled, his heart soaring. She thinks I can walk again. How can I let her go now?
The Imperial Decree
That night, Yi Junlan went straight to the Palace.
"Mother, I want to marry."
The Empress was ecstatic. The Emperor rushed over.
"It is General Mo's daughter, Mo Lixia," Yi Junlan announced. "Father, if you have no objections, grant the marriage decree immediately."
The Emperor was delighted. "That girl saved my life too! I was saving her for you anyway."
Yi Junlan stayed in the palace that night, determined not to wait.
The next morning, Lixia was shaken awake by Xiqiu. "Miss! The Palace sent people! It's a marriage decree!"
Lixia groggily dressed and went to the main hall.
"By the Emperor's decree: Mo Lixia... is hereby betrothed to Prince Kang as his official Princess Consort."
The Mo family was stunned. Madam Mo cried, worried about her daughter marrying a "cripple." Mo Wushang rushed to the palace to protest.
"Li'er, have you met Prince Kang?" her father asked before leaving.
"Yes. I saved him in the mountains years ago," Lixia admitted.
"No wonder," Mo Wushang realized.
Lixia sat there, processing the news. He went to the Emperor last night? Does he really like me that much?
Leng Xue comforted Madam Mo. "Mother, don't cry. Li'er saved the Prince. Maybe she can cure him. And he has no other women. Li'er won't have to deal with jealous concubines. It might be a good match."