...

On the way back to find Xu Yanli.

The two Kobayashi brothers, despite their tall stature, followed behind Aon with a somewhat timid demeanor.

Mingming Ruyu explained that he was just a princess's guard like them, but the two of them just couldn't treat him as a brother or buddy.

It's as if the Jade Prince is the moon in the sky, and they are the mud on the ground.

The two men walking down the street kept glancing hesitantly at the slender young man's back, then immediately lowered their heads in shame.

Repeat this process several times.

Until they returned to the big tree where Xu Yanli had been placed.

Hearing Qingyin's words, Xu Yanli, who was obediently waiting under the tree, looked at the familiar figure in the distance and his eyes lit up. He saw the two soldiers following behind Qingyin.

Xu Yanli: "..."

Seeing Xu Yanli's stunned expression, Qingyin assumed he hadn't figured it out and introduced him as the Imperial Guard who had come to rescue them.

Xu Yanli stared blankly at the words on the ground. Of course he knew that these were the Imperial Guards of the palace; he could see their uniforms clearly every time he passed by.

But their arrival doesn't mean returning to the palace and separating from Qingyin.

Xu Yanli's mood immediately sombered, and he forced a smile as he said, "So it was someone His Majesty sent."

Xiao Lin and Lao Lin, who were following behind Qing Yin, were subconsciously annoyed when they saw Xu Yanli sitting under a tree with an injured foot. If it weren't for this Lord Xu holding them back, Young Master Ruyu would probably have already left the forest.

As if they could read minds, the two of them heard Xu Yanli, the newly appointed official who was a confidant of the emperor, say softly in a second: "Shall we leave today? I'm afraid my legs will hold Ayu back. Why don't you help me? That way I can save some energy."

His voice was unusually affected and pretentious. In the eyes of the Lin brothers, this Lord Xu was too pretentious, and his tone gave them goosebumps.

If the two Lin brothers had experienced the real world, they would probably know what Xu Yanli's tone meant.

The male protagonist, living in ancient times, spontaneously evolved into a fragrant green tea plant.

After spending this time with him, Xu Yanli subconsciously sensed that Qingyin felt a pity for him, especially after he was injured.

Qingyin looked at the pitiful Xu Yanli, but didn't detect the deliberate attempt to gain sympathy in his tone. She only glanced at him because he suddenly used a more intimate form of address.

Before Qingyin could reply, the two Lin brothers interrupted, saying, "Don't worry, Lord Xu. Since you are injured, we two brothers will take turns carrying you. We should be out of the forest soon."

Xu Yanli just watched as the two soldiers, who were supposed to be talking to him, only smiled foolishly at Qingyin.

Moreover, Qingyin even smiled at the two idiots.

Damn it, he hated those brainless soldiers for the rest of his life!

With the help of the two Lin brothers, Qingyin was able to save a lot of effort. She had originally planned to rest for one night and continue her journey the next day, but since she had met her reinforcements, she would probably be able to return to Zhaolin Hunting Grounds tonight.

The further out you go in the mountain forest, the easier the road becomes.

Along the way, the two Lin brothers were with them, and they quickly found the main group to join them.

The two were happily taken to their rooms by Hu Chong, the leader of the Imperial Guards who had stayed there, and the imperial physicians were summoned to treat their wounds.

Xu Yanli's wound was okay, just a sprained left ankle, but Qingyin's wound was more serious.

When Physician He treated Qingyin, he repeatedly instructed him to apply the medicine carefully, fearing that such a handsome young man would have a scar.

If Qingyin hadn't patiently nodded several times, this old man in his seventies or eighties probably would have insisted on following him around to apply the medicine.

Hearing the rough-around-the-edges Hu Chong standing outside the door mutter irritably, "What are you afraid of, a grown man? Scars are a man's badge of honor."

Qingyin lay in the room, listening to Lord Hu's complaints outside, and knew something was wrong the moment the expression on Physician He's face changed.

Sure enough, not long after, Physician He, who had just applied medicine to Hu Chong, stormed out the door with his medicine box and glared at Hu Chong.

"Ha! What do you know, you uncultured bumpkin! Is this young master someone like you?"

Hu Chong, who had just been scolded by the imperial physician, paused, but his mind drifted back to the stunning face of Qingyin when he first met her.

Indeed, such a young master could not possibly have recognized Ling Ran who had made the move, nor could he have imagined that he would be so handsome. Thinking that the owner of that pale, translucent face would have several ugly scars, the man subconsciously nodded in agreement with Physician He's words.

Seeing that his reasoning that his beauty should not be scarred had been agreed upon, Imperial Physician He left triumphantly as if he had won a battle, not forgetting to snort at Hu Chong before he left.

"Hey, this old man has quite a temper!" Hu Chong muttered under his breath.

Tomorrow he will take Xu Yanli and Ruyu back to the palace. This is His Majesty's order, and Hu Chong needs to inform these two people who have rendered meritorious service in protecting the emperor in advance.

Before leaving, His Majesty had given the order to speak the name of Lord Xu, but Hu Chong instinctively came to Ruyu's room.

Hearing the commotion inside, he knew that Imperial Physician He was applying medicine to the bodyguard of the excessively handsome Princess Qingyan, and his face flushed subconsciously.

So when he heard the imperial physician inside muttering, he couldn't help but mutter a few words, hoping to get the little guards inside to notice his presence.

Qingyin looked up at Hu Chong, who hadn't left for a long time but remained silent, with some confusion.

However, not long after, Hu Chong's voice came: "Ahem, the army will be returning to the palace tomorrow. The Emperor has ordered that Young Master Ruyu and Lord Xu must immediately return to the palace to pay their respects to the Emperor. Young Master Ruyu and Lord Xu have rendered meritorious service in saving the Emperor, so Young Master Ruyu need not worry."

He rattled off a string of words quickly and urgently, and towards the end, he spoke even more softly for the last sentence.

Hu Chong knew that the young master Ruyu inside was mute, and knowing that he wouldn't get a reply, he immediately ran away.

In the darkness, the man, as tall as a bear, had a face that was entirely dark red. He added the last sentence himself.

Qingyin wasn't surprised that they would be traveling tomorrow.

But the emperor seemed to still remember her? Qingyin inexplicably felt that the order to personally go to the palace after finding the person was issued by the emperor for her sake.

However, things are not necessarily the same. At night, Qingyin extinguished the candles in the room, deciding to deal with tomorrow's matters tomorrow.

He is just a patient now, and he still needs to rest and recover.

As dawn broke, Emperor Chongzhao heard the good news from the Zhaolin Hunting Grounds in the solemn Hall of Supreme Harmony in the imperial palace.

The person has been found; they will arrive at the palace around 3 PM.

This was probably the best news Emperor Chongzhao had heard in recent days.

"Li Yuanzhen"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Prepare hot water. I will take a bath and then sleep for an hour. Then wake me up."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Upon hearing that His Majesty rarely wanted to rest for a while, Li Yuanzhen was immediately delighted.