In the Imperial Garden.
As dusk fell, the warm-colored lights grew brighter and brighter.
Led by a palace maid, Nangong Zeyue walked to the outside of a grand hall.
The palace maid took a liking to the dashing Nangong Zeyue and diligently introduced the sights and objects in the palace.
"Please wait, young master. The Qianqing Palace is ahead and is currently under renovation."
"Hey! The main hall was perfectly fine, what's under repair?"
"What you saw, young master, was the front hall; the one that was burned down was the rear hall," the palace maid explained patiently, her shy gaze occasionally glancing at Nangong Zeyue.
"Has it been found out who started the fire? Could it be that the late emperor, feeling ashamed before the people, set himself on fire?"
"puff……"
Nangong Zeyue's unruly demeanor made the palace maid burst out laughing.
"Young master is quite amusing. The former emperor was a pleasure-seeker; he wouldn't want to die. I heard it was a palace maid on night duty who dozed off and accidentally knocked over the oil lamp."
The rear hall was the sleeping quarters. The gauze curtains inside had been set ablaze. Too much water couldn't quench the fire nearby; by the time the water arrived, the room was already engulfed in flames.
The young palace maid overheard a eunuch in the imperial kitchen saying that the new emperor's meals never exceeded ten dishes.
The palace maids and eunuchs were all talking about it in private. The new emperor was young and handsome and did not indulge in pleasure. He was truly a blessing to all the people.
Nangong Zeyue looked around in sudden realization and exclaimed, "Oh! I see. So even the heavens couldn't stand it anymore and it's divine retribution!"
The young palace maid covered her mouth and chuckled at Nangong Zeyue's comical appearance.
"Young Master believes in cause and effect, so he must be a Buddhist. No wonder he looks so kind." The little palace maid's flattery did not fool Nangong Zeyue.
He looked toward the brightest light in the distance and deliberately made up a story, "Where is that? Has the new emperor already taken someone into his harem so quickly?"
"Young master, you misunderstand. The new emperor is not that kind of person. The harem is all empty. That is the Imperial Hospital, which is full of wounded soldiers."
"The Imperial Hospital?"
A thought flashed through Nangong Zeyue's mind: her martial uncle knew medicine, could he have been assigned to the Imperial Hospital?
"May I go and see the wounded soldiers?" Nangong Zeyue put away her carefree expression and asked seriously.
"You can go."
Before she could finish speaking, and before the maid could lead the way, Nangong Zeyue strode eagerly toward the Imperial Hospital.
Inside the Imperial Medical Academy, palace maids and eunuchs hurried to and fro, carrying food boxes, while a group of people dressed in imperial physician robes moved about.
The aroma of food wafted from outside the main hall, indicating that many people lived inside.
Once inside the main hall, Nangong Zeyue seemed to have oil on her feet, quickly blending into the bustling crowd.
The main hall was filled with wooden plank beds, where soldiers were either sitting or lying down.
A faint smell of medicine filled the air.
Nangong Zeyue bypassed the palace maids and eunuchs who were delivering food and went straight to the imperial physicians.
The imperial physicians were all wearing the same robes, and Nangong Zeyue was dazzled by them but could not see any familiar faces.
He saw palace maids and eunuchs carrying food boxes walking towards a passageway, so he followed them.
As he was walking under the corridor, a hand suddenly pulled him behind a large pillar.
"What are you doing here, you little brat?"
"Uncle-Master! You're not dead?"
Upon hearing the familiar voice, Nangong Zeyue burst into tears of joy and excitedly hugged him tightly.
"Pah! Get lost! My good days have just begun, don't try to kill me."
As Lin Miaoshou spoke, she pushed away Nangong Zeyue's hand, looked around, and then glared at Nangong Zeyue, pretending to be angry.
By the light of the distant lamps, I could see that my uncle was wearing the robes of an imperial physician.
Nangong Zeyue grinned and patted Lin Miaoshou on the shoulder, "Uncle-Master is indeed alive; this outfit fits you perfectly."
"Uncle-Master, you're doing so well in the palace, why didn't you come out and tell us? You've made us worry for nothing."
"Don't worry unnecessarily. My martial uncle has the protective medicine that Jiang girl gave me. No one can hurt me in the slightest. Look at all these wounded soldiers here. How could I possibly have time to leave the palace?"
"How are Jiang Yatou and Sui Sui?"
"That's great, she's talking to the Emperor in the Imperial Study right now!" Nangong Zeyue didn't even realize that his tone had a hint of sourness.
"Uncle-Master, are you planning to stay in the palace indefinitely?"
"I have no other plans for the time being. The current emperor has the world on his mind, and the wounded soldiers have not yet recovered. I cannot stand idly by."
Lin Miaoshou looked around and, seeing that no one was coming, lowered her voice and said, "Perhaps one day, Jiang Yatou and Sui Sui will also enter the palace, and I will be able to see them often."
"No, Shuyue will not enter the palace. She loves freedom, and the magnificent palace walls are a cage to her," Nangong Zeyue said firmly.
"Forget it, this isn't the place to talk. Go back to where you came from. I have things to do. My disciple Xu An is probably getting impatient."
"I'll come to see you all once I'm done with this busy period." Lin Miao patted Nangong Zeyue's arm and strode away like a whirlwind.
Nangong Zeyue shook her head helplessly as she watched her martial uncle's retreating figure, muttering to herself, "He's taking on another disciple. Is he going to throw him back into the Black Dragon Pool again?"
When Nangong Zeyue walked out of the Imperial Hospital, a young palace maid was standing at the door, craning her neck and looking around.
Upon seeing Nangong Zeyue appear, she greeted him apologetically, "I'm sorry, young master walked too fast just now, and I couldn't keep up. Fortunately, I managed to wait for you to come out."
The palace maid escorted Nangong Zeyue to where Gao Mu was waiting.
Nangong Zeyue took out a silver ingot and stuffed it into the little palace maid's hand.
The young palace maid felt a heavy weight in her hands; she estimated it to be a full ten taels of silver.
Aside from repeatedly expressing her gratitude, she dared not hope for anything more.
Nangong Zeyue stood beside the carriage, talking to Gao Mu while gazing out at the road leading to the Imperial Study.
A moment later, a familiar figure walked over.
Followed by guards, Nangong Zeyue took a step back, and Jiang Shuyue and Qiuju got into the carriage. Nangong Zeyue strode up.
Lowering the carriage curtain, Nangong Zeyue couldn't contain her joy and said with a smile, "My martial uncle is in the Imperial Hospital."
“I told you Uncle Lin would be alright. He’s kind-hearted and skilled. Right now, the palace is short of people. It’s better for him to work in the Imperial Hospital than as a knife maker.” Jiang Shuyue said, taking a round object from Qiuju’s hand and playing with it.
"What is this?" The light inside the carriage was dim, and Nangong Zeyue could not see clearly.
"The Emperor gave Sui Sui a toy, a ball."
"That's incredibly stingy! He's the emperor, and all he gets upon entering the palace is a ball?" Nangong Zeyue rebuked without reservation.
"That's right. The Emperor used to love playing Cuju (ancient Chinese football) in the military camp. He didn't know that Sui Sui didn't like that thing at all."
Qiuju didn't understand either. How could Young Master Suisui know how to play Cuju? Two little white rabbits were enough for him to play with.
“Miss, His Majesty just said he wants to thank you handsomely. I’m waiting to see how he will do so.”
Jiang Shuyue disagreed, "It was just a small favor, something I could do. I never expected him to thank me."
...
The Prime Minister's residence at this time.
The sound of a teacup shattering came from the main courtyard.
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