The master and servant continued walking forward.

Cheng Liang continued to mutter, "I wonder who this mysterious advisor is? This time, the Emperor actually placed him in Changning Palace! That's where the late Emperor lived."

Upon hearing the mention of the late emperor, Xuanyuan Han suddenly stopped in his tracks.

At the same time, she sensed a familiar scent in the air and thought in surprise, "That scent is so familiar..."

Cheng Liang had just finished speaking when he suddenly realized that his master in front of him had stopped abruptly. He wondered if he had said something wrong again.

However, when he followed the direction of his master's deep gaze, he saw a shadowy figure on the ground in a corner not far away.

Having confirmed that someone was hiding there, Cheng Liang raised his voice and shouted in that direction, "Who's there?"

The person who was timidly hiding in the corner with his back pressed tightly against the wall was Yi Shangyun, who had just sneaked out of Changning Palace.

"Haven't you come out and pay your respects to His Highness the Prince of Qin?"

Upon hearing Cheng Liang's even harsher remark, Yi Shangyun was momentarily stunned.

When he suddenly realized what was happening, he muttered to himself in disbelief, "His Highness the Prince of Qin? How could it be His Highness the Prince of Qin?"

Perhaps due to nervousness, he unconsciously gripped the wooden tray he was holding tightly.

Although she had indeed thought of secretly meeting him out of curiosity, she never expected it to happen so soon, let alone under these circumstances.

"what to do?"

"what do I do?"

"I absolutely cannot let him see my face!"

After a moment of realization, Yi Shangyun hurriedly looked around, only to find that she had nowhere left to retreat.

"Why aren't you coming out here yet?"

At this moment, Cheng Liang's voice urged them once again.

Just when all else seemed lost, I suddenly noticed some wet mud in the flowerbed at my feet.

Perhaps it was because of the hot weather and the fact that someone had sprayed water on her in the evening, so she bent down, grabbed a handful, and rubbed it haphazardly on her face.

After doing all that, she asked herself, "Shouldn't I be recognized now?"

So, gritting his teeth, he lowered his head and hurriedly went closer.

With a thud, she quickly put down the plate in her hand, knelt on the ground, and bowed to him: "This servant greets Your Highness, the Prince of Qin."

Before Xuan Yuanhan could speak, Cheng Liang shouted, "Which palace are you from? What are you doing hiding here? And why are you dawdling after I've been calling you for so long?"

Yi Shangyun hurriedly replied, "This servant is a pharmacist from the Imperial Pharmacy. I was just delivering medicine to Changning Palace."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Liang asked in surprise, "Changning Palace?"

Yi Shangyun was still unaware of what other palaces were in the Western Qin Imperial Palace besides Changning Palace, where she was located, so she explained again, "Yes, it is Changning Palace. I just delivered the medicine and was about to go back."

Seeing that Yi Shangyun kept her head down and didn't show any of her face, Cheng Liang asked, "Why are you hanging your head so low?"

Yi Shangyun was forced to raise her head slightly, but still kept it low. She explained, "This servant...this servant tripped and fell when I came out just now, and got my face dirty. I was afraid of offending the masters, so I hid."

Xuan Yuanhan then glanced at her, who had slightly raised her head, before turning his gaze to the road ahead.

He said in a deep voice, "This road leads out of the palace; the Imperial Pharmacy should be there!"

"Ah! Really?!" Yi Shangyun was startled.

He glanced in the direction Xuan Yuanhan was looking and realized that in his haste to leave, he had forgotten Dingxiang's instructions and gotten lost in his panic.

So she quickly explained, "I'm sorry, I'm new here and not yet familiar with the palace. Thank you for your guidance, Your Highness."

Nothing seemed amiss; she was just a somewhat careless young medicine girl who had just entered the palace. So, Xuan Yuanhan continued walking out of the palace.

Cheng Liang also glanced down at him one last time. Yi Shangyun, who was kneeling on the ground with her eyes lowered and not daring to look up at anyone, also followed closely behind her master.

At this moment, Yi Shangyun, who had not yet seen Xuan Yuanhan's appearance, finally dared to raise her head and slowly stood up, watching the departing figures of Xuan Yuanhan and his servant.

Gazing at that figure in a black brocade robe, exuding an imposing aura without anger, wandering away like a god of the night, I suddenly fell into a strange state of mind.

Under Xuanyuan Han's guidance.

Soon, Yi Shangyun arrived at the door of the Imperial Pharmacy.

Things have changed. Upon entering, I saw that the door of the room directly opposite the brightest light was wide open.

Yi Shangyun crossed the courtyard, stepped onto the stone steps, and upon closer inspection, saw a weathered figure pulling out a medicine box from an inconspicuous corner.

He then placed it under a bright lamp, carefully selecting the medicinal herbs while muttering to himself.

"Asparagus has a yellowish-white or light yellowish-brown surface, is translucent, smooth or has longitudinal wrinkles of varying depths, and occasionally has remnants of grayish-brown outer skin. It is hard or soft, sticky, and has a horny cross-section with a yellowish-white central column. Thin slices are light yellowish-brown, with a visible yellowish-white central column. Yellowish-white and translucent varieties are considered the best."

Seemingly enjoying himself alone, he even praised the medicinal herb, saying, "You are a miraculous medicine that everyone has overlooked!"

Then, with practiced ease, he continued speaking while performing the actions in his hands: "Asparagus is cold in nature, sweet and slightly bitter in taste. It has the effects of nourishing yin and clearing heat, moistening the lungs and nourishing the kidneys. It can be used to treat symptoms such as yin deficiency fever, lung abscess, and diabetes."

After a while, he suddenly paused, a hint of melancholy appearing on his face. He then slowly said, "I used to teach Yun'er these things in the manor, but she could never learn them. But later, I never expected that she would enter the palace and know more than I do in the Imperial Pharmacy. Tell me, when exactly did this girl learn all this?!"

After a pause, as if remembering something, Yi Shangkun sighed heavily and spoke again: "I often wonder, if Yun'er hadn't married into the Qin Prince's mansion, would she have avoided all these troubles?"

In the end, all the thoughts turned into a long sigh: "Alas!"

Then, with a slightly mischievous glint in his eyes, he asked, "If time could really go back to the past, I would still teach her, and ask her, 'Yun'er, do you know how to prepare and preserve asparagus?'"

Originally, Yi Shangyun had come here to find out where Yi Shangkun was, but at this moment, he was certain that the person he was looking for was the one in front of him.

Listening to what Yi Shangkun said about these medicinal herbs, Yi Shangyun leaned against the door frame and felt a pang of sadness.

So he continued, “Harvest in autumn and winter, wash clean, remove the stem base and fibrous roots, boil or steam in boiling water until thoroughly cooked, remove the outer skin while hot, remove impurities, wash quickly, slice thinly, and dry.”

Hearing a familiar voice suddenly come from beside him, Yi Shangkun slowly raised his head.

After a careful, focused look, he suddenly became hesitant and stammered, saying, "You...you are..."

Looking at Yi Shangyun standing at the door, he couldn't tell whether he was just seeing things because he was so busy picking out medicinal herbs, or if he was hallucinating because he had been missing his daughter so much these past few days.

He could hardly believe his eyes, so he grabbed his sleeve and vigorously rubbed them.

Yi Shangyun quickly realized this and slowly stepped forward to stand in front of him.

At this moment, Yi Shangkun walked out from beside the table and finally saw the person in front of him clearly.

He then choked up and exclaimed repeatedly, "Yun'er..."

"Is that Yun'er?!"

"It really is Yun'er!"

"You're really alive, ah..."

"I thought I would never see you again in this lifetime, but I never expected you to still be alive, still alive!"

"Father!" At this moment, Yi Shangyun finally saw the person he was looking for and called out softly.

Unexpectedly, Yi Shangkun suddenly hugged him tightly, saying excitedly, "Child, you're back, you're finally back."

After a long while, he slowly released her and pulled her to sit down: "Come sit here!"

After Yi Shangyun sat down, Yi Shangkun poured her a glass of water and handed it to her.

He then sat down beside her and asked, "What has happened to you these past few days? Do you know your mother? She heard that you were swallowed by the massive sandstorm in Lu County, and she has been crying in the mansion every day. Her eyes are almost blind from crying! And the Qin Prince's mansion... what about His Highness the Qin Prince..."

At this point, Yi Shangkun hurriedly asked, "By the way, does His Highness Prince Qin know that you have returned? Have you been back to the Prince Qin's residence?"

Seeing that this so-called father cared about her so much, Yi Shangyun didn't know where to begin.

They couldn't bear to tell him that she was no longer their daughter.

So he only said to him, "Father, you must not tell the Prince of Qin's mansion that I am still alive."

Upon hearing this, Yi Shangkun's face immediately darkened, and he asked in confusion, "Why is that? Ever since Your Highness Prince Qin encountered trouble in Lu County, he was unable to accept it and suffered a stroke, falling into a coma until he woke up a few days ago. Now that you have returned safely, how can you not see him?"

Yi Shangyun really didn't know how to explain it to Yi Shangkun. Perhaps it was time for him to know all this and slowly accept it.

But she really couldn't bear it.

Perhaps, the less Yi Shangkun knows about himself, the better he should treat him.

Yi Shangkun didn't understand why Yi Shangyun would say such a thing, but seeing that she was speaking very seriously, he pressed her for an answer: "What...what do you mean by that?"

Unexpectedly, after much deliberation, Yi Shangyun suddenly stood up and knelt before Yi Shangkun.

Yi Shangkun was startled and slowly stood up, asking Yi Shangyun, "What...what are you doing?"

Yi Shangyun bit her lip, made up her mind, and suddenly blurted out, "Father, please arrange a funeral for me!"