Xue Dongting lay in bed all day reading, paying no attention to Song Yuming"s attentive waiting on her. She didn"t even allow him into bed at night, so he had to take a quilt and go to the woodshed. Big tall man like him sleeping in there with the woodpile, thinking that tomorrow was New Year"s Eve and how vexing everything was right now, it made this Prince Yu who had once commanded 300,000 cavalry and soldiers depressed as could be. Xue Dongting gently pushed the window open a crack. It was pitch-black inside the woodshed and a cold wind was blowing. “Bah!” the little wife spat. She muttered, “I said to leave so you did. How come you never listened so well before!” Actually, it was plain that she was not willing to tell of her history from her past life ten years ago, and Song Yuming, in the dark, just wanted to make things clear, so what was wrong wit that?

But Xue Dongting seemed to think herself in the right as she grumbled in a low voice, “Is it so hard to admit you were wrong? Stubborn a.s.s!” She thought and thought. In the end she still was worried about her husband being out in the woodshed in the cold. She grumbled as she draped a robe over herself and got out of bed and went outside to the woodshed. She gnashed her teeth as she walked, cursing herself for being softhearted, still worried about that blockhead getting cold.

She got to the woodshed but hesitated for a bit without speaking.

Inside, Song Yuming heard movement and got up and pushed the door open. He saw his little wife standing quietly in front of the door and he frowned and reprimanded her, “What are you doing standing there!”

Xue Dongting was taken aback. Alright, I came because I was worried about you, but you want to be that way and act like a big man, talking so mean to me! Angered, she said, “What are you so mean for. Master Song, you have such a bad temper!”

Song Yuming wasn"t being mean, he was just worried she would catch cold out here in the freezing wind. He took hold of her and dragged her back to the nice, warm bedroom.

Xue Dongting wanted to jerk out of his big hand"s grasp, but she was too weak. He didn"t let her go until they were before the bed. He said, “This is just my way, I raise my voice easily. An old habit from my army days. I really wasn"t trying to be mean to you.”

She saw he looked serious and she tried hard to keep a straight face, but she couldn"t help but laugh. She simply turned and lay back down and pulled the quilt over her. She couldn"t lay on her side because of her injury, so she covered her face with a silk handkerchief.

Song Yuming sighed lightly, followed by the rustling of him undressing.

She felt cold under the covers, then a guy was in there with her. She quickly faced the wall and moved over. “Who said you could sleep here, get away, get away!”

Song Yuming took the handkerchief off her face with his big hand. In the dim light of the oil lamp he saw her seductive eyes closed, her long lashes quivering. The man took a deep breath and reach out and pulled her into the crook of his big arm.

Xue Dongting opened her eyes and pushed at him with both hands. “You"re freezing, move away a bit!”

Song Yuming held her little hands and lowered his voice, “Your hands are colder than mine, let me warm them for you.”

She hmphed and rubbed her ice-cold feet on his big legs. He drew his legs back and naughtily clasped her feet between them.

“Ah Dong, don"t leave me.”

She turned around. “I"m not Ah Dong!”

He sighed. “Whatever your name is, you"re my wife.”

She hmphed again and said indifferently. “If that"s so, then what was all that questioning about last night?”

Song Yuming held her face in his hands and said gently, “Even if you were sent by the emperor to kill me, I will happily die under your soft, gentle blade.”

Xue Dongting knit her brows and couldn"t help but say, “Sent by the emperor? Don"t wrongly accuse me!”

Song Yuming stared into her suspicious eyes. He didn"t quite get it. “If you"re not Xue Dongting from Cloudgem Lodge, then who are you if not someone sent from the imperial palace?”

She pouted, “Then just take me as someone sent from the palace then!”

There was nothing he could do with her. Anxious, he said, “Just what is going on?”

She saw how anxious he was and her heart softened. She said in a low voice, “You go first, why would someone be trying to a.s.sa.s.sinate you?”

“Because… of who I am.”

“I know, you"re a battle-hardened general.”

He looked at her and couldn"t help but shake his head. He thought, Ah Dong doesn"t know who I am, and she has no martial arts ability. Oh, Song Yuming, Song Yuming, how could you be so stupid to think she was a spy sent by the emperor!

“Ah Dong, a general is only part of my ident.i.ty. Actually, I… I am the emperor"s little brother.”

Xue Dongting was shocked. She remembered one prince, one who had retired from public life and lived in seclusion, the emperor"s younger brother, His Highness, Prince Yu!

“You"re… You"re Prince Yu?” She looked at the man before her, stunned. She ought to have known it all earlier, there was only one general prince who had retired to live in seclusion, and that was His Highness, Prince Yu. How had she not thought of that!

“You know Prince Yu?”

She didn"t want to hide it any longer. She nodded slightly. “Yes. I know His Highness, Prince Yu.”

“I came to this little fis.h.i.+ng village to live in seclusion only to lead a peaceful life. Unfortunately, the reigning Son of Heaven cannot stop worrying.” Song Yuming clenched his fist, anger clouding his eyes.

Xue Dongting gently rubbed her head against the blue stubble on his chin and said softly, “Hubby, I"ll be with you no matter what.”

Song Yuming"s heart shook. He looked down at her. “It"s my fault… I shouldn"t have doubted you.”

She kneaded the s.p.a.ce between his brows with her finger. “Don"t frown,” she said softly.

“Alright.”

“Aren"t you going to ask how I know about Prince Yu? Aren"t you going to ask how come I suddenly know medicine? Aren"t you going to ask who I am?”

Song Yuming held her tight and murmured, “It"s not important.” What was important was he knew the woman in his arms truly needed him, and wanted to live hand in hand with him till they were old.

“Actually, I am Xue Dongting, Xue Dongting from Cloudgem Lodge,” she mumbled to herself. “When I was little Mama Qiao brought use here from the capital. I"m a girl who made her living as a performer in the brothels. That widow from the west end was right, I"m just a brothel girl.”

“Not since the moment you married me. Since then you have been my wife.”

That made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. After a moment she continued, “As for why I know so much about capital stuff, why I went from knowing nothing about medicine to being an expert, I fear if I tell you you won"t believe me. Let"s just say… Let"s just say I went through a long, long dream.”

“Dream?”

“Yes, a very long dream. Ten years long. In that dream I went through many many things, and saw all the awfulness of the capital. Even I don"t know why I woke from that dream and then married you. You tell me… which is the dream? I"m very afraid. Right now I"m lying in your arms, is this all just a dream too?”

Song Yuming gently pinched her cheek. “It"s not a dream.”