In a moment of impulse, I forcibly kissed my brother's best friend.

"Yu'er? Yu'er!" Cui Zhinuan's heart tightened, and she quickly turned around and called out, "Master Xuanji! Please take a look!"

The monk Xuanji quickly walked over, took Cui Yutang's pulse, and after a moment of concentration, released his hand: "Master Cui, there is no need to worry. His body is currently fighting with the insect egg for control of his memories, so he is rather weak."

He considered it for a moment and then added, "There's no need to worry too much if he doesn't remember some things when he wakes up later; it won't affect anything else."

Looking at her unconscious son on the bed, Cui Zhinuan clenched her fists tightly at her sides, her anger reaching its peak.

The next day, the emperor's desk was piled with more than a dozen memorials impeaching Prince Rong'an for privately mining salt and iron mines in his fiefdom.

Rong'an Prince's Mansion.

"You unfilial daughter! Why did you go and provoke that widower? He only has one son, and you still went and provoked his son? Are all the men in the world dead?" Prince Rong'an was furious and smashed the teacup in his hand in front of Li Roujia. Tea and shards of porcelain splashed onto her skirt and the back of her hand, leaving red marks.

Li Roujia prostrated herself on the ground, tears streaming down her face, and said, "Father, I can't swallow this."

"I met Yulang when I was six years old, and I loved him for twelve years." Her voice trembled, filled with an almost obsessive madness. "But he went to Donglin for two years and fell in love with another woman. He would rather die than obey his grandfather's orders and refuse to marry me."

She raised her head, her expression turning frantic: "I'm not reconciled. He should have been mine."

"I don't care what you think," Prince Rong'an's voice turned cold. "Don't provoke the Cui family of Qinghe again, especially that old widower. He's a madman, or don't blame me for disregarding our father-daughter relationship."

"Get out of here right now."

Li Roujia's expression grew increasingly sinister as she stumbled out of Prince Rong'an's study. Standing on the veranda, her nails dug deeply into her palms, drawing blood.

Meanwhile, Xie Yige, who was being resented by Li Roujia, was anxiously waiting for Shisan Niang.

She sat in the flower hall of Pear Garden, her large eyes fixed on the doorway. She was tormented by the image of Cui Yutang lying in a pool of blood—every frame was like a knife, cutting back and forth in her heart.

Thirteen Sister finally appeared at the door. Xie Yige suddenly stood up.

"What did Mr. Cui say? How is he?"

Thirteen Sister looked at her, a hint of pity flashing in her eyes: "The imperial physician has already re-bandaged him, saying the wound is not serious and will need some time to heal. However..."

"Just what?" Xie Yige strode forward, tightly grasping Thirteen's hand, which was icy cold.

"He was poisoned with a rare Gu worm, specifically designed to suppress his emotions," a male voice said softly from the side.

Xie Yige then noticed that a strange man had followed Thirteen Sister in. She had seen the man in a picture book before; he had a pair of mysterious purple eyes and was none other than Yu Xiaoshan, the master of Liuying Pavilion.

"What do you mean?" Xie Yige's voice trembled.

"Someone wants him to forget you." Yu Xiaoshan's voice was extremely seductive, completely ignoring Xie Yige's breakdown and outburst.

"Who did this? Why did they do this?" Xie Yige's body trembled, like a leaf falling in the wind.

"Princess Chaoyang." Yu Xiaoshan leaned against the doorframe, casually toying with a jade thumb ring in his hand. "Why did you do this? Can't you guess why yourself, young master?"

Xie Yige remained silent for a moment, her eyes red as blood.

"I heard from Thirteen Sister that Liuying Pavilion specializes in training assassins." She raised her head, a hint of hatred in her eyes. "Could you help me teach that woman a lesson? My mother said that one should never swallow one's anger. I'm very angry right now."

Yu Xiaoshan looked at her, a cryptic smile playing on his lips: "Alright. What does Young Master want me to do?"

"I want you to stab her in the back as well," Xie Yige said calmly. "And see if you can get some Gu worms, and put ten or eight of them in her body too."

"Hmm, very fair. I'll take care of it right away." Yu Xiaoshan said and strode away. Thirteen Sister followed closely behind, leaving four bodyguards for Xie Yige before she left.

When Cui Yutang woke up again, it was already the morning of the third day.

When he opened his eyes, his mind was a complete blank.

Bao Yu, who was guarding the bedside, saw him wake up, and two lines of tears slid down her cheeks.

"Master, you're finally awake. Are you feeling unwell? Does your wound hurt?"

"What happened to me? How did I get hurt?" Cui Yutang's voice was hoarse and filled with confusion.

Bao Yu's expression faltered slightly. He had indeed forgotten.

"Master, you were injured by people sent by Princess Chaoyang. Master Xuanji said you were also poisoned by a Gu poison. We can ask him for more details when you feel better."

Cui Yutang remained silent for a moment, then didn't press the matter further. He propped himself up and sat up, glancing at the bright sunlight outside the window: "Help me go for a walk."

Bao Yu helped him into the courtyard. Under the pear tree, fallen blossoms were everywhere. A gentle breeze stirred, and the white petals fluttered down, like a dream. Cui Yutang watched the petals fall on him, and a strange, inexplicable feeling welled up inside him.

It seems I've forgotten something important.

A sudden, sharp pain shot through my chest.

He raised his hand to his chest, his face pale.

Just then, Liu Ruolian's angry shouts came from outside: "I want to see my cousin! Don't stop me!"

Cui Yutang frowned, his voice turning cold: "Baoyu, go and chase them away. They're making too much noise."

"Yes, Master."

Seven days later.

In a pavilion at the Great Ci'en Temple, Cui Yutang was playing Go with the monk Xuanji. Both were dressed in white, one elegant and noble, the other otherworldly and detached, creating a breathtaking scene.

"How is the injury on your back?" Monk Xuanji asked calmly, placing a white piece on the board.

"The wound has scabbed over and is almost healed," Cui Yutang said, dropping a black stone. "I heard from Baoyu that I've been infected with a Gu worm. Is there any way to remove it?"

"The young Gu worm in your body is less than half a month old, it's too early to say anything now." Monk Xuanji glanced at him, his tone indifferent.

"Do you know what kind of Gu it is?"

"This Gu is called 'Forget-River'," the monk Xuanji said slowly. "Legend has it that long ago, the sixth Holy Maiden of the Black Miao tribe fell in love with a man from the Central Plains. However, the man already had someone he loved, so she cultivated this 'Forget-River' Gu to make him forget his love forever. Only the blood of his beloved can cure the Gu."

"This Miao woman is truly vicious." Cui Yutang frowned slightly, pondering his next move. "But why target me?"

"Who knows?" Monk Xuanji sighed softly.

"I won." Cui Yutang finally placed his black piece, a smug look on his lips.

"Did you win?" Monk Xuanji looked at him meaningfully. "It's hard to say."

Cui Yutang was taken aback.

"Yuzhen is waiting for me. You can stay here by yourself." Monk Xuanji stood up, flicked his sleeves, and turned to leave.

Cui Yutang ignored his departing figure and continued watching the chess game, muttering to himself, "I clearly won."

He stood up, straightened his clothes, and walked out of the pavilion.

"Ding! Target detected approaching."

When passing by the big locust tree—

Suddenly, a woman in a green ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) fell from the tree.

Cui Yutang instinctively reached out and caught her. Her soft, delicate body instantly fell into his arms, carrying a sweet floral and fruity fragrance.

He looked down—the woman in his arms had large, bright peach blossom eyes, staring at him blankly, her eyes red-rimmed, like a frightened fawn.

When he looked at the woman, he felt a sudden silence fall over the world.