Not long after leaving Changzhou, Gu Yuzhi got off the carriage in time, mounted the small horse specially prepared for him, and raced against Mr. Huo, whipping it.

They would speed along until they were completely exhausted, then find a place to rest briefly, replenish their energy, and then hurry on their way again.

Time was of the essence, and even though Gu Yuzhi had never ridden a horse for such a long distance before, he gritted his teeth and persevered.

Traveling day and night, resting for a maximum of three hours a day, they finally arrived outside Jinzhou City on the seventh day.

Despite being exposed to the wind and sun every day, Gu Yuzhi's face didn't look dark at all; instead, it had a sickly pale appearance.

Judge Qin met them halfway through the journey. As soon as he got off the bumpy carriage, he rushed to the side and vomited violently.

He took the herbal tea handed to him by the apprentice and drank a sip to suppress the nausea before walking over to Gu Yuzhi. As soon as he looked up, he noticed that something was wrong with Gu Yuzhi.

Judge Qin straightened his expression: "Your Highness..."

He quickly changed his words, saying, "Young master, please allow me to take your pulse."

Gu Yuzhi felt a sharp pain in his groin and his calf muscles were weak and sore. Despite it being the height of summer, he felt cold all over.

Not only that, Gu Yuzhi's mind was still a bit muddled, and his gaze towards Judge Qin was somewhat hazy.

His breath was hot, and he shook his head vigorously before handing over Xiaobai's wrist, which was wrapped around his arm: "Take your pulse."

As soon as Gu Yuzhi finished speaking, he collapsed to the ground, limp and lifeless.

Fortunately, Mr. Huo reacted quickly and caught him, preventing him from falling directly to the ground.

Mr. Huo carried Gu Yuzhi into the carriage and said to Imperial Physician Qin, who was taking his pulse, "Imperial Physician Qin, His Highness has a fever."

Judge Qin grunted in acknowledgment, then took Gu Yuzhi's pulse with his other hand. After a while, he silently pulled down Gu Yuzhi's pants.

When his underwear was pulled down, Mr. Huo's pupils dilated in shock, and he gasped sharply.

His Highness's inner thighs were chafed raw, the blood had washed away the medicinal powder, and there were even specks of blood on his underpants.

Having spent years on horseback, they naturally knew early on that first-time riders would experience many difficulties adapting.

That's why Judge Qin followed closely after collecting the medicinal herbs and treated the young prince on the way.

But none of them expected that His Highness's leg injury had become so serious.

Judge Qin turned to look at Chief Secretary Xie and sighed, "Let's set up camp here. We need to rest here for at least an hour."

Chief Secretary Xie nodded solemnly: "I understand, I will go and make the arrangements."

He turned and walked to the carriage door, then said, "His Majesty said that three hundred elite soldiers will meet with Your Highness in Jinzhou. Why don't we go straight into the city?"

There's still half the journey to go. I wonder if Imperial Physician Qin has enough medicinal herbs to treat His Highness's leg injury?

Just as Judge Qin was about to answer, he noticed Gu Yuzhi's struggle.

He carefully helped Gu Yuzhi sit up, and Mr. Huo quickly stepped forward to take him, letting Gu Yuzhi lean his whole body against him.

Gu Yuzhi took a breath and said with some discomfort, "Have Guard Zhang take my token into Jinzhou and contact the people sent by my imperial brother."

Guard Zhang was waiting outside the door. Upon hearing Gu Yuzhi's instructions, he quickly responded in a low voice, took the token from Chief Secretary Xie, and then rode at full speed towards Jinzhou City.

Gu Yuzhi took a sip of water from Xie Changshi's hand, which relieved his thirst considerably.

He looked at Judge Qin with some confusion and said, "Judge Qin, you and the apprentice should also go to Jinzhou and buy more external wound medicine so we can take it to Jiangnan."

Gu Yuzhi bit his lower lip and moved his body slightly, when a piercing pain shot through his groin.

Tears welled up in his eyes from the pain, his big eyes instantly becoming watery, and his hazy mind seemed to clear up considerably.

He forced his lips together to keep from crying.

After a while, Gu Yuzhi continued, "Let's rest here for a bit, and wait for Guard Zhang to return with his men and for Judge Qin to return with the medicine before we continue our journey."

"I can't let my injury delay my journey."

Xie Changshi felt a sharp pang of sorrow in his heart. He knelt down, his forehead pressed tightly against the back of his hand, his voice choked with emotion: "Your Highness, you mustn't. You have a fever due to your leg injury and need to get plenty of rest."

Gu Yuzhi shook his head groggily: "It's alright, I can take the carriage for the rest of the journey."

After saying this, Gu Yuzhi fainted again, but his hands were tightly wrapped around Mr. Huo's arm, and he kept muttering, "Granny Xu, I'm so cold, pull the quilt up for me."

Chief Secretary Xie reached out and touched Gu Yuzhi's forehead. His forehead was burning hot, but His Highness kept complaining that he was cold.

He turned to ask Imperial Physician Qin, but found that Qin had already gotten off the carriage. He had no choice but to quickly catch up: "Imperial Physician Qin, what about His Highness's injury?"

"There's no major problem." Judge Qin directed the apprentice to fetch the medicine, while he quickly gathered the medicine pot and other necessary items to prepare the decoction.

Chief Secretary Xie was like a spinning top, sometimes chasing after Imperial Physician Qin to watch him brew medicine, sometimes getting on the carriage to check on Gu Yuzhi. He hadn't done anything, but he was exhausted.

It wasn't until the apprentice was directed to go into the city to buy medicine that Judge Qin beckoned Xie Changshi to sit down beside him: "What are you doing, turning around like that? Sit down here quietly, you're making my head spin."

"Of course I'm worried," Xie Changshi said, his eyes wide. "Aren't you worried?"

Qin, the Imperial Physician, stared intently at the fire: "What's there to worry about? Fever due to external injury infection is just a common symptom. Can't a dignified Imperial Physician like me cure such a minor ailment?"

Xie Changshi smirked coldly, "Is that so? Then why are you frowning so much you could trap a mosquito in your brow?"

Judge Qin was taken aback, turned his head and glared at Chief Secretary Xie with annoyance, his lips pressed tightly together, refusing to speak again.

He really made a fuss by letting Chief Secretary Xie sit here and rest.

It was rare to see Judge Qin get the short end of the stick, and coupled with Judge Qin's confident tone, Chief Secretary Xie's mood improved considerably. He chuckled and said, "Alright, I know you too well. You never tell the truth."

"It's because Your Highness, though young, has a great mind. Otherwise, with your personality, any other prince would probably have thrown you out of the palace long ago and left you to fend for yourself."

Judge Qin glanced at Chief Secretary Xie, intending to say that with his abilities, even if the young prince threw him out of the manor, he would still be able to live a prosperous life.

But he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue, and sighed, "You're right. Although I know His Highness's illness isn't serious, I still can't help but worry."