Chapter 6: Awakening as Prince Yi

　　On the outskirts of Bianliang—the Eastern Capital—stood Prince Yi’s Manor. This was the residence of Zhao Pu, the thirteenth son of Emperor Zhao Ji. His mother, Consort Qiao, had died shortly after giving birth to him. Raised by a wet nurse, Zhao Pu had been sickly and frail since childhood—unfit for any serious responsibility, and the least favored among the emperor’s many sons.

　　On this day, Zhao Pu could hold on no longer; he closed his eyes and drew his final breath.

　　Qiao Mengrong, Nurse Zou, and the prince’s personal maids wept bitterly.

　　Shen Jianchen faintly heard the sound of weeping. Then the power of the Millennial Divine Willow abruptly vanished. He was still floating in midair, shaken to his core. The people in ancient clothing before him left him bewildered. I’m dead. Why am I on a movie set? Where is Qianli Xun?

　　The man lying on the bed exerted a mysterious gravitational pull on him. Fortunately, the pull was mild, allowing him to steady himself and avoid being drawn in.

　　Then, he watched a shadow detach from the body. It emitted a golden glow and drifted over to him, saying: “Our fates are tied to this body. I’m leaving—you can take it. Remember, take good care of Mengrong.”

　　Shen Jianchen was annoyed. Some stranger just told him to love a girl he’d never heard of. “Who is Mengrong? Why should I love her for you? I already have someone I love—Qianli Xun!”

　　The shadow could not hear his voice at all.

　　A golden ray shone from the sky above, and beautiful celestial music filled the air with joy. The shadow drifted upward toward the golden light.

　　The light and the celestial music were so beautiful that Shen Jianchen struggled to float upwards toward them. But before he could get close, a flash of radiance struck him down, sending him falling straight into the corpse on the bed. The sensation was akin to falling into a bottomless abyss.

　　He stopped falling. Shen Jianchen heard the crying again, but it was very different now. When he was floating in the air, the people seemed close, but their crying was faint. Now the crying was loud and clear, ringing in his ears and getting on his nerves. “Stop crying!” he shouted.

　　The crying stopped, just as he’d expected. Shen Jianchen realized he no longer felt weightless. Instead, an inexplicable sense of stability filled his body. Did I really enter that shadow’s body? he thought. Might as well open my eyes and find out.

　　He tentatively opened his eyes and, sure enough, saw a bright world. Three faces appeared above him, all female. One was a maidservant in ancient attire. The second was a kindly-looking woman of about forty. The third was a pretty, elegant young lady of noble bearing.

　　Seeing that Prince Yi had miraculously awakened, Qiao Mengrong threw her arms around him joyfully. “Brother! I thought I would never see you again, but you’ve come back to life! Sob…!”

　　Nurse Zou said urgently, “Quickly, fetch His Highness’s medicinal pills and have him take one, before something happens again!”

　　The maidservant hastily brought a brocade box from a nearby table. Opening it, she used a silk handkerchief to pick up a single pill and presented it to Qiao Mengrong.

　　Qiao Mengrong stopped crying and let go of Prince Yi. She held the pill between her slender, delicate fingers and brought it to his lips. “Brother, quickly take this pill. It’ll do you good.”

　　Shen Jianchen hadn’t figured out what was going on yet. How could he just accept medicine from others? Besides, he hated bitter medicine more than anything. Just the smell alone was enough to make him gag, let alone swallow it.

　　The pill was right at his nose, and the bitter smell was unbearable. He swatted it away and sat up in one motion. “I’m not sick. Why would I take that stuff?”

　　Her brother had never been rude to her before. Rubbing her stinging hand, Qiao Mengrong was taken aback. His voice was loud and strong, and the way he sat up showed none of his usual sickly weakness. Forgetting the pain and her surprise, she asked, “Nurse Zou, could it be that after a trip to the Gates of Hell, Brother’s illness has been entirely cured?”

　　Knowing a bit about medicine, Nurse Zou grabbed Prince Yi’s wrist to check his pulse. “His Highness is cured!” she exclaimed excitedly. “Cured! Truly cured!”

　　Hearing this, the maidservants nearby were equally delighted.

　　Qiao Mengrong was the happiest of all. She embraced Prince Yi. “Brother! The Heavens must have been moved by my sincerity, bringing you back from the dead and curing your illness!”

　　The beautiful woman holding him brought Shen Jianchen no joy at all. He knew full well he was living in a stranger’s body. This was no movie set—it was a different era altogether. Right now, he just wanted to know one thing: who was he?

　　He pushed Qiao Mengrong away and asked, “Who are you? Who am I? Where is this?”

　　Everyone froze at Prince Yi’s questions. Qiao Mengrong, in particular, was shocked—her brother’s words clearly meant he didn’t remember her.

　　Nurse Zou, being more experienced, spoke up. “Rest assured, Princess Jiahe. I reckon His Highness took a trip to the underworld, and they made him drink Mengpo’s Soup before sending him back. The bad part is it wipes your memories clean. The good part is it cures all diseases.”

　　Qiao Mengrong finally breathed a sigh of relief. “If Nurse Zou says so, then I’m relieved. Brother’s health is what matters most. As for his memories, there’s no rush—we can help him recover them slowly. And if he truly can’t remember, then let his new life start from now…”

　　Seeing them talk about other things instead of answering his questions, Shen Jianchen grew impatient. “You still haven’t answered me.”

　　“Don’t worry, Brother, I’ll tell you everything,” Qiao Mengrong said. “You are Prince Yi, your name is Zhao Pu, and this is Prince Yi’s Manor…”

　　Before Mengrong could finish, Shen Jianchen eagerly asked, “I’m a prince? The emperor’s son? What’s my father’s name?”

　　“You are a prince, yes—the Sovereign’s thirteenth son. The Sovereign’s name is not something we are permitted to speak aloud, but I can tell you that the current year is the fourth year of the Xuanhe era in the Great Song Dynasty.” As she spoke, Qiao Mengrong watched Prince Yi’s expression carefully. He still looked confused.

　　Shen Jianchen never expected that dying and coming back to life would turn him into the emperor’s son. This was actually quite a prestigious status. “You call me ‘Brother’—does that make you a princess?”

　　Nurse Zou explained. “Your Highness, this is the Princess Jiahe. You found her on the side of the road and brought her home as a younger sister when you were eight years old. The Sovereign later made her Princess Jiahe. The two of you grew up together. Furthermore, the Sovereign has already arranged a betrothal for your marriage…”

　　“What? A betrothal?” Shen Jianchen took a careful look at this sister he had picked up from the road. Compared to Qianli Xun, she seemed much gentler and more delicate. Remembering what the shadow had told him, he asked, “Is your name Mengrong?”

　　Qiao Mengrong said excitedly, “You remember my name, Brother!”

　　Her enthusiasm left him unmoved. Pointing toward Nurse Zou, Shen Jianchen asked, “Who is she?”

　　“This is Nurse Zou,” Qiao Mengrong explained. “She is the wet nurse who raised you. Nurse Zou and I are the people closest to you in this world.”

　　“Wet nurse? What about my birth mother?” Shen Jianchen reasoned that no matter how close a wet nurse was, she could not replace a biological mother. He needed to know more.

　　Nurse Zou let out a sigh. “I was originally a maidservant in Consort Qiao’s maiden home. After the Consort entered the imperial palace, I married. Unexpectedly, when the Consort gave birth to Your Highness, she passed away soon after. I had given birth two months before she did. My baby only nursed from me for two months before falling gravely ill and dying, and his father, heartbroken, also passed away. The Qiao family then sent me to the palace to care for you in the Consort’s stead. Having you helped me gradually recover from the pain of losing my own child.”

　　Though Nurse Zou’s tale was moving, Shen Jianchen did not press further, afraid of hearing more sad stories. He now understood the relationship between the body’s original owner and the people before him. Everything else he could learn about later. Since he had borrowed this man’s body to return to life, he might as well start figuring out how to live his new life.

　　With this in mind, he did not want to stay in bed. Throwing off the brocade quilt, he put his feet on the floor. The moment his feet touched the ground, two maidservants immediately came over and crouched down to put his shoes on for him. Meanwhile, Mengrong—the one who called him “Brother”—and Nurse Zou stepped aside, looking very respectful and obedient.

　　Shen Jianchen thoroughly enjoyed this feeling. He had been a CEO of a large company before, but he had never experienced such treatment. Being a prince in the Song Dynasty isn’t half bad, he thought.

　　Mengrong had mentioned it was the “fourth year of Xuanhe,” but Shen Jianchen knew little of history and had no desire to learn about it. He had no idea what on earth the “fourth year of Xuanhe” meant.

　　He immediately thought of Qianli Xun. If she were by his side, she would surely have been able to make sense of it. They had perished together in the earthquake and been swept away together by the power of the Millennial Divine Willow. Since he had arrived in the Song Dynasty, had she also come to this era?

　　After his shoes were put on, Shen Jianchen stepped outside. Looking up at the sky above Prince Yi’s Manor, he asked himself, Qianli Xun, where are you?

　　A servant hurried back from outside. Upon seeing the prince appear before him, the man’s legs went weak. “A ghost!..”

　　“What ghost?” a maidservant scolded. “That is Prince Yi!”

　　The servant fell to his knees. “I just went to the Imperial Palace to report His Highness’s passing! The moment I return through the manor gates, His Highness is alive again! Haven’t I committed the crime of deceiving the Sovereign?” [TN: Deceiving the sovereign was considered a capital offense in ancient China, punishable by execution.]

　　Qiao Mengrong and Nurse Zou came outside as well.

　　“Make another trip,” Qiao Mengrong ordered. “Explain to the palace that His Highness went to the Gates of Hell and came back. His illness has been entirely cured.”

　　The servant kowtowed. “Congratulations to Your Highness on your recovery! This servant will make the trip at once!” With that, he got up and ran out.

　　Qiao Mengrong walked over to Prince Yi. “Brother, are you hungry? I’ll have the kitchen prepare something for you.”

　　Shen Jianchen focused on feeling his new body but felt no hunger. “I’m not hungry. I want to walk around the manor. I just woke up and don’t remember anything. This place looks unfamiliar. If I’m going to live here, I need to learn my way around.”

　　“I’ll go with you, Brother.”

　　Shen Jianchen did not refuse, but he did not wait for her either. Walking alone along the manor’s stone paths, he looked around with curiosity.

　　With the maidservants following behind, Qiao Mengrong followed Prince Yi, watching her brother’s back with a gaze of both excitement and unfamiliarity.

　　Nurse Zou said to the maidservant beside her, “Go tell the kitchen to have His Highness’s meal prepared. When he is tired from walking, it’ll be the perfect time to serve it. It has been so long since His Highness last left his sickbed to walk around the manor. This truly is worth celebrating. The Princess has finally made it through her difficult times.”