Female Consort Chapter 59: Amnesia

Qiu Che was lost in thought when, in the blink of an eye, she realized they had already arrived in front of the wooden house.

A slender figure was leaning against the door frame, silently watching their direction.

She didn’t know how much had been overheard.

Qiu Che’s eyes brightened, and she was about to step forward when she remembered what they had just talked about. She worried that Li Qingwu might overhear and start overthinking, so she forcibly stopped herself.

Turning back, she shifted the topic seriously:

“…You misunderstood.”

Qiu Che said, “I didn’t mean to imply that you were lying… I was just thinking, perhaps we’ll have to bother you here for a bit longer.”

Uncle Jiang, having also noticed Li Qingwu standing at the door, dressed in a thin garment, looked away after hearing her words, his gaze filled with doubt. “Oh?”

Qiu Che smiled and raised her right hand, still wrapped in bandages. “For my recovery. I hope you don’t mind.”

Uncle Jiang glanced at her for a moment, snorted, but didn’t say whether he believed it or not, as if tacitly agreeing.

With that, Qiu Che turned around, casually tossing the wooden sword onto the stone table in the courtyard, and quickly walked over to Li Qingwu. Her eyes sparkled with restrained joy. “You’re awake? Are you feeling okay?”

Li Qingwu opened her mouth, looking up at her with a somewhat dazed look in her eyes, as though waking from a long dream. “...I’m fine.”

Qiu Che took a step closer, about to speak again, but Li Qingwu casually turned her gaze, looking past her at Uncle Jiang. “And this person...?”

Qiu Che answered, “This is Uncle Jiang. He saved us.”

Li Qingwu paused for a moment, nodded, and bowed. “Thank you, Uncle Jiang, for saving our lives.”

Uncle Jiang waved his hand and turned away. “It’s good you’re awake. I’ll go get some restorative medicine for you. Remember to take it daily... Qiu girl, you too, drink it and your injury will heal faster.”

Qiu Che nodded in response.

With Li Qingwu awake, her previously heavy expression finally lightened, and a hint of a smile appeared. Uncle Jiang found it unusual, clicked his tongue, and turned to leave.

Qiu Che watched him go, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Li Qingwu standing so thinly in the autumn wind. Without thinking, she took off her shawl to cover her.

But unexpectedly, Li Qingwu dodged away.

Her movement was swift, like avoiding a venomous snake.

In the long silence that followed, Qiu Che’s smile froze along with her motion.

After a while, she awkwardly retracted her hand, hooking her shawl with two fingers, and softly said, “I just wanted... to give you something to cover yourself.”

Li Qingwu opened her mouth, looking a little embarrassed, but accepted it. “Thank you…”

She turned and entered the house. Qiu Che stood in place for a moment, wondering what Li Qingwu’s actions meant.

Could it be that Li Qingwu also had memories of her past life… and was upset with Qiu Che for being so dense?

Before she could think further, from inside the house, Li Qingwu, now sitting at the table, turned her head to look at her and said, “...Why don’t you come inside?”

Qiu Che’s feet moved faster than her mind, and she immediately stepped across the threshold into the house.

She sat down beside the table, carefully considering her words. “You’ve been lying down for many days and might not know what’s happening outside. This place is called Taoyuan Village. A little over ten days ago, we were saved here by Uncle Jiang…”

She spoke slowly, explaining the current situation, knowing that Li Qingwu’s biggest concern was Yao Tai, who had taken the blow for her. So, she added, “Yang Qiu said that Yao Tai is fine, so don’t worry.”

Although Yang Qiu’s letter had mentioned Yao Tai without much detail, only saying that her life wasn’t in danger, Qiu Che knew Yao Tai must have been seriously injured.

But for now, it was best to keep that from Li Qingwu to avoid unnecessary worry.

Li Qingwu nodded, then seemed to fall into deep thought. Qiu Che’s heart inexplicably skipped a beat. “...Did you dream of something?”

If Li Qingwu really had memories of their past life, perhaps she, like Qiu Che, would have her perspective swapped. It was hard to say whether it would be a good thing or a bad one.

Just as she was lost in thought, Li Qingwu spoke, “I... don’t remember.”

Qiu Che subconsciously sighed in relief, though she wasn’t entirely sure why she felt that way.

But before she could fully exhale, Li Qingwu’s next words cut off her breath. “Who are you?”

Qiu Che: “...”

Li Qingwu pursed her lips, looking a little embarrassed, yet her eyes were sparkling. “I remember I had a very loving wife... but I don’t remember what she looked like. Could it be you?”

Qiu Che: “...”

She suddenly stood up, closing her eyes briefly.

Then, she strode toward the door, her voice tinged with panic. “Uncle Jiang, ”

“Having been asleep for so many days, suddenly waking up, and being physically and mentally exhausted, it might have been too much of a shock, causing her to selectively forget certain things. There might also be some confusion in her memories…”

“In short, this girl Qingqing... has amnesia.”

“Amnesia?” Though Qiu Che had been prepared for this when she heard Li Qingwu’s words, she still couldn’t help but feel puzzled. “How could it happen suddenly...”

Li Qingwu didn’t lose her memory even after falling off the cliff, so why would a trip to the Southern Yi Forest make her forget?

Uncle Jiang shook his head, saying nothing, but gave Li Qingwu a subtle glance before placing the medicine on the nearby table.

Qiu Che avoided Li Qingwu’s curious, uneasy gaze. Her fingers, hanging by her side, curled slightly as she quietly asked Uncle Jiang, “Can she recover?”

Uncle Jiang pondered for a moment, then said, “Generally speaking, she should recover. It could take anywhere from ten days to half a month, or even as long as three to five years.”

“Is there a way to speed up her memory recovery?” Qiu Che hesitated before adding, “Without harming her health?”

Uncle Jiang smiled. “That’s uncertain. For amnesia, it depends on whether she can remember things herself. It’s best to talk about events that you both remember, things that left a deep impression. Keep telling her stories.”

After finishing his instructions, he didn’t say much more, only reminding them to join him for a meal at the village’s head and leaving, leaning on his cane.

Qiu Che followed him to the door, and after a long pause, turned around, her expression complicated as she looked at Li Qingwu.

Inside, the atmosphere was slightly tense.

Li Qingwu tilted her head in apparent confusion. “Although I don’t remember you… I still remember many things.”

Qiu Che licked her lips, sitting across from her. “Like what?”

“I remember my name is Li Qingwu,” Li Qingwu said seriously, “I’m the Princess of Great Xia, and I remember marrying a female consort. We were very loving… I also remember opening many shops and earning lots of money, and I remember going into the Southern Yi Forest to find Tengshou Grass for my foot injury…”

Qiu Che felt a little speechless. “So... you’ve forgotten me?”

Li Qingwu blinked. “No, didn’t I just say? I remember I had a female consort, and we were very loving... Wasn’t that you?”

Qiu Che was speechless for a moment. “Yes, but we…”

We were clearly distant and estranged, not loving at all.

Even now, knowing that Li Qingwu might have some feelings for her, she wasn’t 100% sure, 

After all, in their past life, any affection Li Qingwu showed her only occurred after Qiu Che had saved her.

It seemed that Uncle Jiang was right; Li Qingwu was probably experiencing some memory confusion, which was evident right now.

But telling Li Qingwu this truth was something Qiu Che couldn’t bring herself to do.

Li Qingwu waited for a while but didn’t hear anything more from her, so she asked in confusion, “What’s wrong?”

Qiu Che kept silent, turning her head, and softly said, “Nothing.”

Since she had amnesia, discussing this would only push them further apart.

Qiu Che comforted herself, there was no need to rush, everything would be fine in time.

“Are you so okay with the idea of having a female consort?”

Li Qingwu blinked. “Because you’re so beautiful… and very gentle. When I saw you for the first time, I felt an instant liking. Thinking about it now, even though we’re both girls, it doesn’t matter so much.”

Qiu Che laughed.

Gentle?

She hadn’t expected that word to ever be associated with her.

Li Qingwu rested her chin in her hand, smiling at her. “Consort, you look really beautiful when you smile.”

Qiu Che’s smile faltered, and she coughed twice, feeling a bit flustered.

...It seemed it wasn’t just her imagination.

Li Qingwu’s amnesia seemed to have made her more bold and passionate.

Qiu Che, unable to handle her directness, poured her a cup of tea, trying to change the subject. “In any case, now that you’re awake, you should rest and recover. I get the feeling that Uncle Jiang seems familiar to me, but he doesn’t seem to have any ill intentions…”

“You felt that too?” Fortunately, Li Qingwu easily followed along with the topic, “I also think Uncle Jiang seems familiar… Wait, the smell.”

They exchanged a look, and Qiu Che asked seriously, “...What do you mean?”

“Uncle Jiang smells heavily of Southern Yi medicine… My mother also carried that scent.”

Qiu Che fell silent. “...You heard that earlier, didn’t you?”

“Perhaps... your mother is the Southern Yi Saintess?”

The Southern Yi were known for their poisons, and many knew some medical skills, often carrying the scent of medicinal herbs on them.

Li Qingwu gave a soft “oh,” her expression calm, though it was unclear whether she was indifferent or pretending to be unaffected.

She glanced at the tea Qiu Che had poured for her and suddenly said, “This... this is Jinlong Snow Lotus Tea, isn’t it?”

Qiu Che paused, took the cup from her, glanced at the simple teapot on the table, and fell silent.

She recalled the question she had once asked Chen Huichun.

Chen Huichun had also been taken in by his master in Jinzhou.

The children of Taoyuan Village all called Uncle Jiang “Master.”

Although the two of them were nearly the same age... since they could live in such a miraculous place, it didn’t seem so strange that someone a little younger might fit in?

“Maybe I understand now... why Uncle Jiang saved us.”

The two of them went to the village head and grabbed some food. When a bunch of little kids saw the pretty sister beside her, they crowded around, calling out in unison, “Sister Qingqing,” “You’re awake,” “Your eyes are so beautiful.”

In the midst of the chatter, Qiu Che even heard someone calling her “Fairy Sister.”

Li Qingwu stood helplessly, surrounded by the children, unable to move. She cast a look of silent appeal to Qiu Che, who was leisurely watching from the side.

Qiu Che immediately cleared her throat and, holding her wooden sword, threatened, “Move aside, can’t you see you’ve scared your sister?”

The children made faces at her and laughed, “Sister Qingqing isn’t just yours! She hasn’t even spoken! Sister Ning, you’re so bossy!”

The “Sister Qingqing” they referred to peeked from behind Qiu Che’s shoulder, comfortably resting her head on it and smiling, “I’ll listen to Sister Ning.”

Qiu Che’s heart raced.

She forced herself to appear calm, as if she were used to it, raised her chin, and said coolly, “Did you hear that?”

The children let out a long “Tch” and, clutching their bowls, wandered off.

After they ate, the children insisted on playing with Li Qingwu some more.

When Qiu Che felt it was enough, she pulled her away, back to the little wooden house, and brewed a bowl of medicine for her.

“What’s this?”

“Medicine to help you recover. You’ve been lying down for too long, you need something to boost your strength.”

“Oh.”

Li Qingwu’s face was flushed, likely from playing earlier. She sat by the couch but didn’t take the bowl. Instead, she slightly parted her lips, seemingly waiting for something.

Qiu Che paused for a moment. “...Do you want me to feed you?”

“Hmm?” Li Qingwu hesitated, “Hasn’t that always been the case?”

Qiu Che didn’t reply immediately, lowering her gaze as she stirred the medicine, then carefully brought the spoon to Li Qingwu’s lips.

Li Qingwu, without suspicion, opened her mouth and drank it. Her expression was natural, but with a hint of shy girlishness, her gaze fixed steadily on Qiu Che.

Qiu Che slowly fed her spoon by spoon, feeling uncomfortable under her gaze. She handed Li Qingwu a napkin to wipe her mouth and asked, “Why do you keep staring at me?”

“Because you’re beautiful.”

Li Qingwu smiled, but before Qiu Che could respond, she furrowed her brow and pouted, “This medicine is so bitter.”

“Want some sugar?” Qiu Che asked, standing up instinctively to go out and buy some, only to remember the village was isolated and sugar would likely be hard to come by.

Li Qingwu, understanding, said, “It’s fine. I can wait until later.”

Qiu Che softly muttered, “Okay.”

Li Qingwu took a few sips of water to wash away the bitterness, then, holding the cup, looked at Qiu Che thoughtfully. “Aren’t you supposed to owe me a sugar figurine?”

“...Yes,” Qiu Che said after a brief pause, “Did you remember?”

“I’ve always remembered,” Li Qingwu smiled, “It’s just that the Prince Consort forgot.”

Her casual tone made Qiu Che relax, and she couldn’t help but chuckle, “Alright, when we return, I’ll make sure to get you some.”

Actually, in her previous life, Qiu Che had bought sugar figurines for Li Qingwu.

At that time, she was a prime minister, and recalling their late-night conversation, Li Qingwu had mentioned how much she liked sugar.

With an unknown impulse, Qiu Che had purchased several sugar figurines and placed them in the kitchen of the Prime Minister’s mansion.

Some were of the Monkey King, others of Chang’e flying to the moon...

But they were never given out.

After her death, the entire mansion had burned down with Li Qingwu’s fire.

Qiu Che wasn’t sure whether Li Qingwu had ever seen those sugar figurines, but she guessed she hadn’t.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t seem so calm now.

Li Qingwu, unaware of Qiu Che’s thoughts, tilted her head and smiled, “I want two.”

Qiu Che snapped back to reality and nodded, “Alright, two.”

Li Qingwu glanced around, “So, do we really have to eat at Uncle Jiang’s every day?”

“It’s quite inconvenient,” Qiu Che thought for a moment, “I’ll try learning how to cook. Maybe I can make some food ourselves.”

Li Qingwu pursed her lips and softly asked, “Don’t I need to cook?”

“If you don’t want to, then don’t,” Qiu Che saw her hesitation and nodded, “I’ll handle it.”

It seemed that Li Qingwu didn’t really enjoy cooking. It was rare for Li Qingwu to show a little of her inner thoughts since her memory loss, and Qiu Che decided to go along with whatever she preferred.

Li Qingwu still furrowed her brow. “But your injury isn’t healed yet.”

Qiu Che shrugged her fingers nonchalantly, “But that doesn’t stop me from boiling water and cooking.”

Li Qingwu smiled. “Okay!”

Her voice rose slightly, causing Qiu Che to smile in return, “Aren’t you worried my cooking will taste bad?”

“It’s fine, I’ll eat it even if it’s bad,” Li Qingwu blinked slowly and said, “As long as you make it, I’ll eat it, no matter what.”

Qiu Che thought she was so cute after her memory loss.

Maybe she was even cuter before, but they had never had such carefree, nonsensical conversations, where Qiu Che had never realized how adorable Li Qingwu could be.

Could this memory loss have unlocked some part of Li Qingwu’s personality?

Qiu Che lowered her eyes, deep in thought.

As they were talking, Uncle Jiang knocked on the door from outside, asking, “Am I interrupting something?”

Qiu Che shifted her gaze from Li Qingwu’s face, her expression calm as she turned and asked, “No, Uncle Jiang. Is something the matter?”

“The bed in this room is too small,” Uncle Jiang said slowly, “Although you’re both girls, it’s still inconvenient to share a bed. I came to tell you the room next door is empty.”

“If you need it, you can move in after tidying it up.”

Qiu Che paused.

She opened her mouth, about to respond.

But Li Qingwu suddenly stood up, took Qiu Che’s arm, and stood on tiptoe, 

She kissed Qiu Che on the cheek.

Qiu Che: “...”

Uncle Jiang: “...”

Both of them froze.

Qiu Che stiffly turned her head to look at Li Qingwu, who seemed completely natural, though her ear had turned bright red, betraying her nervousness. “It’s fine, Uncle Jiang, we’re fine staying together.”

After a long pause, Uncle Jiang finally stammered, “Uh, okay... good...”

He then walked away in a daze, looking like his soul had just left his body.

Qiu Che felt his elderly soul had been deeply shaken.

Once Uncle Jiang left, the room became quiet again.

Li Qingwu met Qiu Che’s silent gaze, feeling a little guilty, and slowly released her arm. “Since we’ll be staying here for a while, and we’re so close, we can’t keep hiding it from them…”

After a long while, Qiu Che nodded.

She said calmly, “You’re right.”

Li Qingwu bit her lip, her expression a little aggrieved, “So... you don’t like it when I kiss you?”

Though her tone was uncertain, Qiu Che couldn’t help but feel there was a hint of playfulness, as if she were purposely acting pitiful.

Even though Qiu Che could see through it, it was still hard to resist.

Li Qingwu had such a beautiful face, and Qiu Che was in the midst of developing feelings. When Li Qingwu acted this way...

No one could resist.

Not even Qiu Che.

She raised her hand, lightly touched the spot on her cheek where Li Qingwu’s lips had been, lost in thought for a moment. After a long time, she asked softly:

“Where did you learn this?”