Return to camp

Rulan held her mouth shut, but sneezing was simply out of her control. She looked at Yuan Ming pitifully, and Yuan Ming pushed her back helplessly. She tumbled down the slope like an onion, landing on the soft dirt.

Yuan Ming made a silencing gesture to Rulan, indicating her to stay where she was and not make any noise, and turned to look at Songlan who was not far away.

Song Lan mistakenly thought that it was an enemy coming to attack her, and was about to shout for help when Yuan Ming flew over, tackled Song Lan, covered her mouth as she was about to shout, and dragged her into an inconspicuous corner.

Song Lan felt the world spinning. A soft, dusty hand pressed tightly against her lips, and she couldn't break free. Then, a voice buried deep in her memory rang in her ears.

The voice was soft and gentle, saying, "Don't move, don't speak, or your neck will crack."

Song Lan blinked and nodded slightly. The hand slowly loosened. She gasped and looked at the person behind her. Her pupils widened instantly. The noble man who had changed her destiny, whom she had only met once, was now looking at her with a half-smile.

In fact, the sisters Yuan Ming and Yuan Zi look very similar, both being beauties capable of using their beauty to commit crimes, but once you have met them once, you will definitely not mistake them for each other. This is because Yuan Zi is bright and beautiful, while Yuan Ming is charming.

Song Lan's heart was pounding. Was it really her? During the years she worked as a maid, Song Lan had longed to see Yuan Ming, the woman who made her feel bright and warm at first sight, the child of destiny who always stood on the altar and looked down upon the common people.

Song Lan stared at Yuan Ming intently. She was very different now. Her whole body was covered with dust, without any gold or silver jewelry adorning her. Even her hair was plain, with only a few dead branches and leaves stuck in it.

However, her temperament remained unchanged, she was graceful and elegant, and her expression was even a little playful. However, Song Lan, who had worked in the deep palace, smelled a subtle madness in Yuan Ming, similar to Yuan Zi, but compared to Yuan Zi's arrogant display, Yuan Ming was more restrained.

"Have you seen enough, girl?"

Yuan Ming lowered his voice, like a drop of water falling into a tranquil lake, stirring up ripples and pulling Song Lan back from her daze.

Song Lan subconsciously put on a humble attitude and asked weakly, "Is it His Highness Yuan Ming?"

Yuan Ming laughed inwardly. Compared to her previous life, where she had been demoted to a commoner and lived a life worse than pigs and dogs, this life, after killing several beggars, everyone she met, with the exception of Rulan, actually addressed her as "Your Highness." If it weren't for the constant pain in her head that made her want to go crazy, Yuan Ming would have truly believed she was still the high and mighty Princess.

"Who are you? Who lives in this tent?"

Could it really be Yuan Zi? Yuan Ming's alarm bells rang. She wanted to go straight to Zhong Yingqi, but from a distance, she noticed a new tent in the barracks. This tent was so gorgeous that it was incomparable to the simple tents of ordinary soldiers.

The patrolman who let her and Rulan into the military camp mentioned to her that the imperial court had come to deliver supplies a few days ago, and the important person who delivered the supplies lived in this tent, and she was a woman.

All signs indicate that the person coming is Yuan Zi.

Unaware of the situation, Yuan Ming didn't dare to rashly seek out Zhong Yingqi. She avoided everyone except the patrolman who let them in, and quietly brought Rulan to investigate. As luck would have it, Songlan arrived. Yuan Ming felt that this maid-dressed girl seemed to recognize her, and if she didn't ask her questions, she would be doing a disservice to this fate.

Yuan Ming raised the corners of his mouth slightly and asked, "I'm Yuan Ming, do you still recognize me?"

Song Lan was surprised. Could the former favored child of heaven really remember an orphan?

Yuan Ming noticed Song Lan's expression, so she continued, "It's you. Long time no see. How have you been lately?"

The greeting, like an old friend, made Song Lan's heart tremble. "Your Highness Yuan Ming, I am doing well now. After that incident, I was expelled from the Eastern Palace and had nowhere else to go. By chance, I ended up working for... the princess. I didn't expect to meet Your Highness here. It's a blessing from heaven. It's truly wonderful."

Yuan Ming's expression remained unchanged, but he went over Song Lan's appearance in his memory, but unfortunately there was no such person in his memory.

The reason why he didn’t remember Songlan was indeed due to Yuan Ming’s pride.

She always called Yuan Zi arrogant, but she herself harbored a certain arrogance, unknowingly. But compared to Yuan Zi's self-defeating behavior, Yuan Ming's was less acute—her first half of life had been too easy, with nearly everything going her way, leaving her feeling high and mighty. The sage books and the Emperor's tutors had educated her well, leaving her benevolent and loving, her people like her own children, her high moral standards elevating her to an invisible pedestal. She gazed upon the people with compassion, seeking to help them in their suffering.

Yuan Ming was so immersed in this, because she thought she was so great that she no longer needed others' praise, so she didn't use her photographic memory to help the people who benefited from her kindness. Even Zhong Yingqi was no exception. If Zhong Yingqi hadn't mentioned their first meeting, Yuan Ming would probably never remember that they had such an indissoluble bond.

As for the question in Song Lan's mind: Would the once-proud son of heaven really remember an orphan? The answer is "no." Yuan Ming doesn't remember her at all. The reason Yuan Ming said this was just a cliché.

After Song Lan finished her little speech, Yuan Ming roughly guessed Song Lan's identity: when she was still a princess, this girl was most likely a servant somewhere in the Eastern Palace. Judging from her tone and demeanor, he knew he had once done her a favor. When Yuan Zi was cleaning up the Eastern Palace, she must have seized the opportunity to work for Yuan Zi.

There was no Song Lan in her memory of the previous life. Yuan Ming thought that it was probably because she was so crazy about killing at that time and could not remember the faces of the dead, so she had no impression of him.

Thinking of this, Yuan Ming felt some apology and regret towards Song Lan. Perhaps in her previous life, the blood on her knife was from subordinates who had turned to Yuan Zi for survival and eventually abandoned her.

Yuan Ming shook his head gently, his eyes becoming less calculating and more gentle.

"Your forehead is still bleeding, how can you say you're fine?"

This sentence touched Song Lan's heart, and tears of grievance welled up in her eyes, unable to be stopped. Since Song Lan entered the palace, has her superior ever shown any concern for her? Moreover, this injury was caused by Yuan Zi. Given that the royal sisters were sworn enemies, this sentence naturally made Song Lan lean even closer to Yuan Ming.

Song Lan hurriedly wiped away her tears and said in a sobbing voice, "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. By the way, the princess has been looking for you. There are many of her people in the barracks. Your Highness, please be careful."

Yuan Ming's face darkened slightly, but in an instant, he smiled again. He gently told Song Lan to be more careful and asked Song Lan's name.

"Songxi, my maid's name is Songxi. But..." Song Lan paused for a moment, "Some people also call me Songlan. I prefer the first name."

"Okay, Songxi."

Yuan Ming stuffed a small package into Song Lan's hand and disappeared into the darkness.

After Yuan Ming left, Song Lan stayed there for a long time. She held the medicine bag handed to her by Yuan Ming tightly in her hand and stared blankly at the stars and the moon shining above her head. There was confusion in her eyes, but then a faint smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.

…

Jiang Kai had finished reading all of Rulan's medical books in the past few days. Just as he was about to put out the candle and take a rest, a dark shadow suddenly rushed in through the tent window, passed through the narrow window like a carp jumping through a door, and landed steadily in the tent.

The extinguished candlelight re-lit. Jiang Kai looked at Yuan Ming speechlessly, gritting his teeth and saying, "What are you doing? Don't you know how to knock on the door?"

Yuan Ming casually patted her dress, ignored Jiang Kai's questioning, turned around and pulled Rulan in.

Rulan carefully climbed over the window, looked at Jiang Kai with an embarrassed look and smiled: "Doctor Jiang, long time no see."

"You guys..." Jiang Kai's lips formed a straight line, "What on earth are you doing here? This is my bedroom! I don't need to explain again that there are differences between men and women!"

As soon as Jiang Kai finished speaking, Rulan leaned closely behind Yuan Ming, looking at the angry Jiang Kai innocently with her frightened eyes.

Jiang Kai: “…”

It's not nice to beg for mercy. He had just finished reading the ancestral medical book from his master, and now he was getting angry at the little girl. It was really not very kind. So Jiang Kai shifted his gaze and directed all his dissatisfaction at Yuan Ming: "Your Highness Yuan Ming, you are a member of the royal family after all. It's not appropriate to break into a man's bed at night, is it?"

Yuan Ming snorted and retorted, "I wouldn't fall for someone who's half buried in the ground, so why worry about me?"

Jiang Kai took a deep breath, warned himself not to argue with such a woman, swallowed his anger, and asked again: "What exactly do you want to do?"

Yuan Ming didn't answer immediately, but walked to the tea table and poured himself two cups of cold tea. Ru Lan followed him and took one of the cups of tea from Yuan Ming, drinking it all in one gulp.

Only then did Jiang Kai notice how utterly battered the two girls were. Yuan Ming's long, well-proportioned hands were covered in scrapes, and there was a purple bruise on the joint of her right index finger. Ru Lan was slightly better off, with fewer wounds than Yuan Ming's, but her lips were pale and flaky, and the hand holding the teacup was still shaking slightly.

"You guys... go get the medicine box in my cabinet. There's some useful ointment for injuries and some tonics in there."

Yuan Ming smiled and said, "Oh, Doctor Jiang is so merciful. Rulan, go get it quickly, or he won't regret it."

Jiang Kai was really speechless about this woman Yuan Ming.

After a period of chaos, the three of them were finally able to sit down and talk.

Yuan Ming: "Doctor Jiang, think of a way to call General Zhong. Yuan Zi is in the barracks, and I can't move around easily, so I'm relying on you."

"If you don't tell me, I will go find General Zhong and ask him to come over. Who is willing to serve you?"

"Tsk, are you done yet? You're just going to make things difficult for me, right?"

Before a new round of quarrel broke out, Rulan said weakly, "Yuan Ming, Doctor Jiang, stop arguing. Let's talk it out nicely."

Jiang Kai angrily left the two of them behind, a hint of inquiry and pride flashing in his eyes, and headed for the general's tent alone. As soon as he left, Yuan Ming's entire body sank. Ru Lan immediately took Yuan Ming's pulse, thought for a moment, and said, "How do you feel now?"

"I'm fine, I just feel really tired." Yuan Ming twisted his neck and glared in the direction Jiang Kai left. "Jiang Kai does this on purpose. Every time I try to suppress my anger, he provokes me with words and observes my reaction. I guess he's trying to test some medical technique on me."

Hearing this, Rulan lowered her head and blamed herself, "I'm sorry, don't hold a grudge against Doctor Jiang. It was me. When I saved you, I boasted that I could cure you, but in the end, my medical skills weren't good enough. So when I handed the medical book to Doctor Jiang, he told me a prescription. I thought it would work, so..."

Yuan Ming raised his eyes and smiled: "No need to explain, Rulan, I believe you will never harm me. My madness is my own fault. I believe that not many people in the world can suffer from my disease. I am making it too difficult for you. If you have any ideas, just go for it. As for the results, I can accept them."

"Wait a minute, what's that sound?" Yuan Ming quickly stood up and ran to the window. Outside, flames filled the sky. Yuan Ming opened his eyes wide, turned around hurriedly, and shouted to Rulan, "Let's go!"