It Was A Fake Marriage, But Jiu Qian Sui Took It Seriously - Chapter 21

Chun Hua was knocked out from behind. She had no idea what had happened, and she collapsed instantly. When she woke up, she found that both Master Lu and the young lady were gone. There were bloodstains not far away, and she was so terrified that she ran back to find Nanny Su.

Nanny Su was equally frightened but remained calmer than Chun Hua. She quietly sent people to search the mountain, following the trail of bl00d all the way to the cliff’s edge.

Lu Yuan had not returned to the fabric shop, and Nanny Su had her suspicions, but she dared not voice them, afraid of tarnishing the young lady’s reputation.

As night fell and the rain started pouring, Nanny Su immediately ordered people to search below the cliff.

Despite the rain, Chun Hua followed the others in search of their SHin Qing Li. The cliff was not extremely high, but the terrain was steep and even more treacherous after the rain.

Just as everyone was figuring out how to descend, Nanny Su suddenly sent word that the young lady had never left the manor—she had been resting in her quarters the entire time. She instructed everyone to return and rest.

Chun Hua was bewildered. The Shin Qing Li was clearly missing.

She rushed back, ready to question Nanny Su, but upon arrival, she saw someone standing beside her—it’s the Duke’s personal guard, Yun Sheng.

Without much explanation, Nanny Su handed Chun Hua a small bundle and told her to follow Yun Sheng to find the young lady.

Chun Hua was so terrified of the Duke that her fear extended to anyone around him. She barely dared to breathe the entire way.

The moment she stepped inside, expecting to see her lady safe and sound, she was instead greeted by an utterly shocking scene.

Her lady was lying on the messy bed, clothes in disarray, her damp hair clinging to her neck. Her face was flushed, her eyes hazy.

Beside the bed, Jun Mo Ran stood, calmly fastening his belt.

Chun Hua’s breath caught in her throat, and she started hiccupping uncontrollably—could it be that…

A terrible thought crossed her mind, and her face turned beet red. She sneaked a glance at Duke’s expression, only to quickly lower her head when he looked back, still hiccupping silently.

An old bull preying on tender grass… Beast!

“Check her wounds carefully and apply the medicine,” Jun Mo Ran said as he pulled the door shut behind him.

Medicine? What medicine?

Chun Hua froze for a moment, her eyes welling with tears. Beast! Absolute beast!

Now that they were alone, Chun Hua ran to the bedside, her tears falling in big droplets. “Miss, how are you feeling? Does anything hurt? ”

Chun Hua was drenched from the rain, her hands ice-cold—she had clearly been searching outside for a long time.

Shen Qing Li took a deep breath and shook her head. “I’m fine. It’s a good thing that… Lord Jiu saved me.”

She decided that from now on, she would simply call him “Lord Jiu”—there was nothing different about him compared to others.

Only then did Chun Hua notice the bloodstains on her lady’s body. It seemed different from what she had imagined.

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. Yun Sheng’s voice came from outside: “Miss Chun Hua, there’s hot water outside.”

Chun Hua quickly responded, then went to bring in the water. She poured it into a copper basin—just the right temperature—and carefully helped Shen Qing Li clean up.

Supported by Chun Hua, only then did Shen Qingli finally sit up and scan her surroundings.

The wooden cabin was small but well-equipped. A long wooden table sat beneath the window, holding an ink set and a tea set.

In the corner, a censer emitted a faint sandalwood fragrance, reminiscent of his scent. On the shelf by the bed sat a copper basin, some towels, and a second basin with partially melted ice.

Shen Qing Li slowly removed her clothing. The wounds on her arm had been treated in time and had not stuck to the fabric, but the long gash on her back had adhered to her clothes. She couldn’t take them off.

Chun Hua had no choice but to carefully peel the fabric away. Bl00d immediately seeped from the wound. Shen Qing Li trembled from the pain but endured it. Once her clothes were fully removed, she was covered in sweat once more.

Fortunately, despite the numerous wounds, only the two on her arm were deep. The rest were mostly scrapes—severe-looking but not too serious.

Chun Hua had grown up running wild with Shen Qing Li. Having seen injured soldiers in military camps, she thought she was used to such scenes. But now, seeing her lady covered in wounds, she couldn’t stop her tears. If only she hadn’t passed out back then, maybe her lady wouldn’t have gotten hurt.

After Shen Qing Li was fully dressed and cleaned up, she sat up and began comforting Chun Hua instead.

Chun Hua, eyes swollen, mumbled, “Miss, you must be hungry. That side room looks like a kitchen—I’ll cook something for you.”

After such an exhausting day, Shen Qing Li was indeed famished. But instead of agreeing, she pulled out a set of clothes from the bundle prepared by Nanny Su and said, “Go change first, or you’ll catch a cold.”

Chun Hua took the clothes but shook her head. “I’ll cook first. It won’t take long. I’ll change after.”

Her throat tightened, and she nearly teared up again.

Shen Qing Li reached out to touch Chun Hua’s damp hair, just about to speak, when a knock sounded at the door. A cool, steady voice came from outside.

“It’s me.”

Shen Qing Li’s lips pressed together. After a moment, she answered softly, “Come in.”

Her heart pounded at the thought of what had just happened.

Jun Mo Ran entered, carrying a food box. His expression was as calm as ever, as if nothing had happened earlier. He placed the box on the table and said lightly, “There’s not much in terms of good ingredients here. Just some wild meat from the mountains—make do with it.”

Shen Qing Li instinctively tried to rise and give a formal greeting, but before she could, Jun Mo Ran’s firm voice stopped her.

“Sit and speak.”

Her half-raised body hesitated before settling back down. Lowering her gaze, she softly said, “Thank you, Nine… Your Highness.”

“Ninth Prince? ” Jun Mo Ran raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable.

It was as if he was asking—why the change in address?

Shen Qing Li pressed her lips together, unsure how to explain. She simply wanted to draw a clear boundary between them.

Only those close to him called him “Lord Jiu.” She wasn’t someone by his side, not even a friend. She was merely the daughter he had left behind in this world long ago.

Since he didn’t allow her to call him “Jiu Qian Sui,” she could only address him as Ninth Prince.

She didn’t like entanglements, nor did she want ambiguity. If they weren’t friends, then they could simply be strangers.

Fortunately, Jun Mo Ran didn’t dwell on the matter. His voice was calm as he said, “Eat and rest well. I have questions for you tomorrow. Your mother’s people already know you’re here, so don’t worry.”

So, he was going to question her about what happened today.

Shen Qing Li answered softly. After everything that had transpired, she had no energy left to explain much.

Jun Mo Ran simply added, “I’ll be next door,” before turning and leaving.

Shen Qing Li glanced at the wall that separated them. He was just on the other side.

What did his room look like?

Chun Hua opened the food box. Inside were two bowls of lean pork congee, a small plate of pickled vegetables, and round, fluffy white steamed buns.

She helped Shen Qing Li to the table. When they were alone, they never followed strict formalities and often ate together casually.

Chun Hua couldn’t help but exclaim, “Even Lord’s Jiu Qian… congee is made with high-quality broth—no wonder everyone wants to climb higher in life.”

“Watch your words.” Shen Qing Li tapped her lightly on the forehead. Chun Hua immediately shut her mouth and obediently lowered her head to eat.

The congee was seasoned with ginger to ward off the cold, and the pickled vegetables were spicy and tangy—just to her liking.

She remembered that he used to dislike spicy food. Had she remembered wrong?

For a moment, Shen Qing Li was lost in thought.

Then she shook her head and laughed softly.

He was a prince, and she was a commoner. The gap between them was vast. She had already decided to keep her distance—so why was she letting her mind wander again?