Reborn as the Crippled King's Beloved-Chapter 474 My Empress is So Clever

Four years ago, Jun Yuyan was injured in the leg by a wild beast while out in the wilderness and was also trapped in a snare.

A young girl appeared above the trap as if she had descended from the sky, her back loaded with a basket of herbs.

"Oh! How did you fall into the trap? Don’t worry, I’ll rescue you!"

The girl exclaimed in surprise, setting down her basket of herbs, and scurried to the side to tear off some vines. She wove the vines together tightly and then tossed them over a tree branch. Using the tree for leverage, she used her slender frame to pull Jun Yuyan up to safety.

His injuries were severe, and he was unable to walk; the girl fashioned a simple stretcher from branches and dragged him back to a cave.

That cave was the little home the girl had made for herself, equipped with everything inside. The two of them huddled together there—with him healing and her drying herbs. Sometimes they watched the rain together and even huddled for warmth.

They spent their days and nights together, and he became captivated by the girl’s intelligence and tenacity, gradually developing feelings for her.

Unfortunately, war broke out at the Frontier Pass; his Hidden Guard found him, and he had no choice but to return to the battlefield.

Murong Jiu’s brow furrowed more and more deeply.

She said, "Four years ago, you and I didn’t know each other, so I’m unclear about whether this first encounter between you and her truly happened."

Jun Yuyan shook his head, "I can be certain that this event absolutely never occurred four years ago."

"Why are you so sure?" Murong Jiu’s tone became much gentler.

"This memory is too vivid, almost as if it happened yesterday. Even if I had lost my memory, it would be impossible to remember every detail so clearly. Moreover, I’ve been rigorously trained from a young age and have lived alone in the wilderness for a month. I am well acquainted with every kind of animal trap; it’s impossible that I would have been so careless as to get injured by one," he continued.

Murong Jiu couldn’t help but part her lips slightly.

Was it from such a trivial detail that he deduced the memory to be false?

Jun Yuyan, noticing her slightly open cherry lips, and glimpsing the faint hint of her tongue, felt his Adam’s apple move slightly as he persisted,

"Even if I had fallen into a trap, I would have actively sought to rescue myself rather than wait for someone else to save me; this doesn’t match my character either."

"Perhaps the injury was too severe?"

Jun Yuyan said, "Ever since I was seven, whenever I went out, I’ve always carried enough signal flares to send signals, letting the Hidden Guard know my location."

It seemed to make sense, but it wasn’t impossible that the signal flares had all been lost.

Jun Yuyan continued, "In that memory, she looks almost exactly the same as she does now; she was only fourteen then, it is improbable that she hasn’t changed in four years. And then there’s the Hidden Guard; everything in the memory is clear except their faces. They’re cloaked in all black, wearing black hats, with just a pair of wooden eyes showing. But I rarely have my Hidden Guard dress that way."

Indeed, the Hidden Guard of Jun Yuyan, though they wore dark clothes, did not cover their faces or heads.

"So, based on these points, are you concluding that this is a made-up memory, forced onto you by someone else?"

"When I first woke up, seeing her did feel very familiar, and the love in my heart surged both suddenly and intensely. It was at that moment that I sensed something was off. Since she and I had been apart for many years, and this was only our second meeting, where could such deep feelings come from? Moreover, I felt an awkwardness deep within, a voice inside me telling me that the person I loved was not her."

Jun Yuyan looked into Murong Jiu’s eyes, speaking with utmost sincerity.

That is to say, during the period when Jun Yuyan was unconscious, Wang Yingluo must have done something to him, resulting in his having an unfamiliar memory. This memory made him believe that Wang Yingluo was the woman he deeply loved, but he soon sensed that something was amiss. Even with the loss of his memories, he could still realize that the woman he loved was not the Wang Yingluo before him.

Murong Jiu was touched, her nose tingled, and tears silently fell.

"Don’t, don’t cry."

Jun Yuyan was flustered, not knowing what to do.

All the memories between him and Murong Jiu had vanished, but his heart was still beating for her.

Even without the memories, he felt distressed and wanted to wipe her tears, to hold her in his embrace.

But he dared not to act presumptuously towards the person in front of him.

Murong Jiu had already wiped away her tears. She looked at Jun Yuyan and said, "So, you went along with her on purpose to unravel the mysteries that surrounded you and brought her into the palace to keep things under control, right?"

Jun Yuyan nodded. He looked at Murong Jiu with admiration. The little lady, though her tears were dried, still had moist eyes that appeared misty and pitiable—it would soften even the hardest of men’s hearts, compelling them to comfort her in their arms.

He finally understood that he, who had never considered love and even thought of living alone forever, could fall head over heels for a woman and want to have children with her.

He discovered that Murong Jiu understood him better than he had imagined—her thoughts clear, grasping concepts with ease, and extremely calm in the face of problems.

"Yes, I know my identity; I’ve only lost the memories of these three years. I am still the same as before. And she is a peculiar existence. The loss of my memory is surely linked to her, and the additional memories, needless to say, were her doing. Her purpose is to make me fall in love with her, to become the one above all, beneath none. Moreover, she often says some strange things, which seem as if they don’t belong to our dynasty..."

Murong Jiu widened her eyes in shock: "Don’t belong to our dynasty? Is she from foreign lands? Overseas? But, the Xiaoxi Village she spoke of is an isolated place. If there were anything abnormal, wouldn’t others notice it?"

"This is what’s so strange. I just have this feeling; I’m not sure where she comes from. That Xiaoxi Village is incongruent with her. Those villagers are all churlish, full of vile customs, treating other women poorly, yet they all dote on her."

Upon hearing this, Murong Jiu was even more astonished.

She well knew what the situation in some remote villages was like. In the past, she and her master had passed through a village where women were treated like dogs and tied up inside houses. The villagers were obstinate and their thoughts outdated and regressive, practicing a strong preference for boys over girls from a young age, treating women nothing more than as tools.

The more remote the place, the more prevalent and entrenched these bad habits become.

"Putting it that way, has she also altered other people’s memories?"

"That is what I think as well."

"Then doesn’t that mean she can do whatever she wants? Can she successfully alter anyone’s memories in this world? No, that’s not right. You brought her into the palace, indicating you have assessed the risk. When she wants to modify someone’s memories, it takes a continuous effort over time, right?"

"Exactly, the Empress is truly bright!"

Jun Yuyan praised her.

The look of admiration made Murong Jiu feel a bit embarrassed.

Now knowing that Jun Yuyan had not fallen in love with someone else, but rather had his own difficulties, her heart that was on the verge of breaking was quickly healing.

And she suddenly found that Jun Yuyan, cautious and tentative in his amnesia, seemed quite endearing as well.