Chapter 1: Reborn as the Concubine of the Enemy Nation's Prince
Qi Xiaojun exerted the last of his remaining strength and swung his spear vigorously, battling the enemy troops.
His body was already wounded in multiple places, and the once pristine white battle robe was stained with blood.
Qi Xiaojun was an exceptional warrior and exceptionally handsome, often leading the Qi State's troops to battle and seldom suffering defeats, earning him the moniker of "Beautiful War God." Unfortunately, the disparity in strength between the Chu State and the Qi State was too great, and he alone was powerless to turn the tide.
At that moment, all of Qi Xiaojun's soldiers had been killed, leaving him as the sole survivor.
"Still resisting futilely?" sneered the Second Prince of the Chu State, Chu Weiduo, who was mounted on a splendid steed. He ordered the archers to surround Qi Xiaojun.
With a mere gesture, a barrage of arrows rained down upon Qi Xiaojun, piercing his body.
Qi Xiaojun felt an excruciating pain in every part of his body and finally succumbed, falling off his horse with a loud thud.
As his consciousness faded, he heard Chu Weiduo's triumphant laughter: "Haha, I've annihilated all those Qi State troops! Father Emperor will surely reward me handsomely!"
Qi Xiaojun mustered the last of his strength to open his eyes and look at Chu Weiduo, a cold smile forming on his lips.
Then, Qi Xiaojun plunged into a deep, dark abyss, losing all his senses and knowing nothing more.
...
When he regained consciousness, he found himself lying on a soft bed, and the pain in his body had almost completely disappeared.
Only his head was still aching, and his mind was in a haze.
Qi Xiaojun couldn't believe it as he ran his hands over his body - the gruesome wounds had all vanished without a trace.
While he was still confused, a figure entered the room.
The man, who appeared to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, was clad in a black brocade robe, with striking brows and bright eyes. His handsome and imposing appearance was softened by the warm rays of the setting sun filtering through the window.
"You're awake?" the man spoke. "Is there still anything bothering you?"
"You are... the Fourth Prince of the Chu State, the Wise King Chu Lianmo, are you not?" Qi Xiaojun exclaimed in surprise.
Although it had been four years since he last saw him, he was still familiar with this face, having served as a hostage in the Chu State for eight years.
"...What's wrong?" Chu Lianmo slightly furrowed his brows. "Have you really forgotten even your own lord?"
"Am I... running a fever?" Qi Xiaojun touched his forehead, which did feel a bit warm.
Chu Lianmo also reached out to check his forehead. "It's gone down quite a bit. Looks like you're almost recovered."
"Your Highness!" At this moment, a maid hurried in. "Lady Qin, the side consort, suddenly has severe chest pains and hopes you'll go check on her."
"Sudden chest pains?" A flash of concern crossed Chu Lianmo's calm face. "I'll go see her right away."
After responding to the maid, Chu Lianmo looked at Qi Xiaojun and said, "You rest well. I'll come back when I have the chance."
With that, he promptly stood up and left.
"..." Qi Xiaojun was truly perplexed by the current situation.
He did know something about the Fourth Prince of the Chu State - the rumors said he was a libertine who had taken both men and women as his wives and concubines in his residence. The "Lady Qin, the side consort" the maid mentioned must be one of them.
While the Chu State had a relatively open culture, where taking male spouses and concubines was becoming increasingly common, the vast majority of wealthy families still had female primary wives for the purpose of succession. Chu Lianmo was no exception, but most of his side consorts and concubines were men.
Qi Xiaojun still remembered that he had a somewhat friendly relationship with Chu Lianmo when he was a hostage. Back then, Chu Lianmo was a virtuous and upright young man, but Qi Xiaojun didn't know how he had become this way in the past four years.
However, this was not Qi Xiaojun's primary concern. What he was most concerned about was his current situation.
Qi Xiaojun rose from the bed, supporting his delicate and weak body as he shakily walked to the dressing table and looked into the bronze mirror.
The face reflected was not his own!
The person in the mirror had a pale and smooth complexion, with crystal-clear and bright eyes, and red lips without any makeup, exuding a subtle feminine charm that was slightly similar to Qi Xiaojun's original appearance.
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through Qi Xiaojun's head, and a flood of memories that did not belong to him rushed into his mind.
It turned out that the owner of this body was named Zhou Jun, originally a humble official's illegitimate son, who had been taken in as a concubine by Chu Lianmo.
According to Zhou Jun's memories, it was now the third day of the eighth month in the year of Yiwei, three months after Qi Xiaojun had died in battle.
"Servant!" Qi Xiaojun called out suddenly, feeling somewhat agitated.
The personal servant of the original owner, Awang, appeared. "Young Master, what are your orders?"
"Tell me, what has happened to the Qi State? Does it still exist?"
"...Ah?" Awang scratched his head, confused. "I'm afraid I don't know anything about that, sir."
That made sense. Zhou Jun and the people around him were completely indifferent to national affairs, so Qi Xiaojun's memories about the Qi State were a complete blank. His servants would naturally know even less.
"Hurry and go find someone to inquire! Surely someone in this Wise King's Residence must know!"
"Uh, I'll go right away," Awang responded, still bewildered, but went to carry out the order.
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Chapter 2: "Dare to Humiliate Me? Seek Death!"
After a while, Awang finally returned with news about the Qi State:
"The Qi State still exists. After their defeat, they agreed to our demand to increase their tribute, and now they have made peace with us. Young Master, why are you suddenly so concerned about this?"
"...It's nothing." Qi Xiaojun let out a long sigh and slumped in the chair. "I just read a romance novel about a forbidden love between the Chu and Qi people, so I was reminded of this. You may leave."
The Qi State was a vassal state of the Chu State, obligated to pay an annual tribute. The Chu State had previously demanded an increase in the tribute, but Qi Xiaojun's father, the Emperor, had refused. Angered, the Chu State then launched an aggressive war against the Qi State.
Qi Xiaojun knew that a proud man like his father, who had lost a son and tens of thousands of troops, must have felt deeply humiliated, but had to accept such conditions for the sake of his country's survival.
Qi Xiaojun felt a sense of indignation and clenched his fists, wishing he could crush every single person in the Chu State.
They had once forced the Qi State to send a hostage, and Qi Xiaojun himself had only returned to the Qi State upon reaching adulthood. But in just four short years, they had become even more shameless and overbearing.
As Qi Xiaojun was lost in these swirling thoughts, someone suddenly barged into the room without knocking.
The person was adorned with jewelry and wearing a sheer green low-cut dress, despite being male. His face was heavily powdered, and his long nails were painted a grayish-black.
Qi Xiaojun couldn't help but notice that if the man were to wash off the repulsive, seductive makeup, his features might actually be more similar to Qi Xiaojun's own than Zhou Jun's.
Based on the original owner's memories, Qi Xiaojun recognized this person as the "Lady Qin, the side consort" mentioned earlier by the maid - Qin Mei. In the Chu State, the practice of taking male concubines was just beginning to gain acceptance, so many households still used the traditional titles for female mistresses.
Qin Mei sauntered towards the seated Qi Xiaojun, smiling sweetly. "Looks like you're much better now, Jun'er? You had a high fever for three days and nights, which really scared your big brother. If you had died, I would have been so heartbroken."
Qi Xiaojun could instantly see the malice behind Qin Mei's smile.
Although he himself had never taken a wife or concubine, as a prince, he had witnessed many incidents of palace intrigue and jealousy in his father's harem. Putting two and two together, he realized Qin Mei had likely intentionally called Chu Lianmo away from his room earlier.
"You said you were unwell, but you recovered so quickly? Didn't His Highness stay with you?"
Qi Xiaojun's words bluntly exposed two facts: first, Qin Mei had most likely been feigning illness, and second, Chu Lianmo had indeed come to check on Qi Xiaojun but had left soon after, for reasons unknown.
"...His Highness still had official duties to attend to. How dare you speak to me this way!" Qin Mei turned pale and picked up a teacup from the bedside table, flinging the contents at Qi Xiaojun's face.
Qi Xiaojun easily sidestepped the attack, then raised his hand and delivered a resounding slap to Qin Mei's face.
"You're insane?!" Qin Mei was both shocked and enraged. He had no idea that the timid and submissive Zhou Jun could change so much after a mere illness. "I'm the side consort, and you're just a concubine! How dare you lay a hand on me? I'm going to tell the Prince, and see how he'll punish you!"
"Go ahead." Qi Xiaojun sneered coldly and lazily leaned back in the chair, yawning.
Qin Mei stormed out, and soon summoned Chu Lianmo.
"Your Highness, look at what he's done to my face!" Qin Mei stood before Chu Lianmo, caressing his swollen cheek and weeping bitterly. "He must have gone mad. Please have him beaten to death!"
In the Chu State, people who were believed to have "lost their minds" were considered to be possessed by evil spirits and deserved to be beaten to death.
Chu Lianmo frowned slightly, neither confirming nor denying Qin Mei's claim, but eyeing Qi Xiaojun suspiciously.
"I've lost my mind?" Qi Xiaojun scoffed as he rose from the chair, looking at Chu Lianmo. "Your Highness, do you know why I had a high fever for three days and nights? It's because Qin Mei falsely accused me of stealing his hairpin and punished me by making me kneel in the rain for a day and a night, not allowing me to eat or drink. Hmph, even the imperial court requires evidence before punishing someone, but he abused his power against me without any justification."
Chu Lianmo's expression turned icy as he listened to this, and he directed his cold gaze at Qin Mei. "Is what he's saying true?"
"No, no, no!" Qin Mei trembled in fear of Chu Lianmo's terrifying eyes, frantically shaking his head. "He's the one who's lost his mind and making up lies! Your Highness, just look at how different he is from before. He must be possessed by an evil spirit!"
"That's because I've finally had enough!" Qi Xiaojun retorted. "Haven't you heard the saying, 'even a rabbit will bite when it's cornered'?
"The very next day after I became a concubine, you cursed me as a shameless vixen, dunked my head in freezing water until I was almost drowning, and then repeated this over and over again.
"Later, you stripped off my clothes and stuck silver needles all over my body, even in the most sensitive areas under my nails. You knew this would make me suffer without leaving any visible marks.
"As for pouring scalding hot tea on me or directly attacking the covered parts of my body, those were nothing in comparison. You always found reasons to trouble me, sometimes without even bothering to make an excuse.
"With so many people coming and going in this residence, I refuse to believe no one witnessed these atrocities. You can't deny it all, can you?"
Qi Xiaojun suddenly knelt before Chu Lianmo. "Your Highness, please investigate these matters and give me justice!"
Chu Lianmo was already horrified by what he had heard - the seemingly delicate and harmless Qin Mei had committed such heinous acts in his absence? Qi Xiaojun's logical and coherent account, coupled with Qin Mei's now ashen face, left no doubt that these were all true.
Seeing Chu Lianmo's shocked and enraged reaction, Qi Xiaojun knew he had gambled correctly.
Based on his previous knowledge of Chu Lianmo, the prince was at least relatively kind-hearted, making him the most tolerable among the Chu royal family.
Though Qi Xiaojun still disliked all the Chu people, Chu Lianmo was the least objectionable.
"Why didn't you tell me about this sooner!" Chu Lianmo exclaimed.
Qi Xiaojun also wanted to ask the original owner, Zhou Jun, why he had endured such abuse alone without fighting back earlier. Zhou Jun's memories revealed that he had been a timid and submissive bastard child, accustomed to facing the oppression of his legitimate mother and siblings without resistance, as his father had always neglected him.
Similarly, Chu Lianmo had likely overlooked Zhou Jun among his many wives and concubines, with Qin Mei being the one he cared most about.
No wonder Zhou Jun hadn't dared to offend Qin Mei.
But for Qi Xiaojun, his philosophy had always been: 'If you don't trouble me, I won't trouble you. If you trouble me, I'll retaliate twice as hard.'
"Your Highness, I know I was wrong!" Qin Mei, realizing he could no longer deny the accusations, knelt before Chu Lianmo, kowtowing repeatedly. "It's just that I love you so much, and I was jealous of the others! Please, Your Highness, forgive me this one time!"
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