Tuoba Ze slowly woke up as night fell.
So he got up and patted his throbbing head hard.
Inside the tent, only the maid Zhu'er was present, holding a candle in her hand, busy trying to light several more lamps for him in time to wake him up.
Suddenly noticing that Tuoba Ze was getting up to get off the bed, he quickly stopped what he was doing and ran straight to him.
Although she felt some reproach, she was mostly filled with concern.
"The Crown Prince has finally woken up!"
"Why did you drink so much wine today?"
How are you feeling now?
Is there anything that still feels uncomfortable?
"fine!"
As Tuoba Ze spoke, he threw off the thick quilt covering his body.
Then, as he settled into his lodging, he asked, "By the way, how did I get back?"
Zhu'er recalled, "I waited for a long time but the Crown Prince did not return. I thought you were in the clinic, so I went to look for Your Highness. But the people in the clinic all said that although the Crown Prince had been there, he did not enter the tent, nor did he stay."
After a pause, recalling what happened today, Zhu'er was clearly still feeling some lingering fear.
After a while, she continued, "Later, I couldn't find Your Highness anywhere, so I wondered if Your Highness had gone to see the Second Prince. On my way up the mountain, I met a young man surnamed Lu who said that he happened to be passing by and found Your Highness drunk and lying in the snow. That's why he helped me bring Your Highness back."
Zhu'er felt extremely sorry for Tuoba Ze when she saw him drowning his sorrows in alcohol.
"How can the Crown Prince be so careless with his health?"
“Outside it’s freezing cold, and the mountains are almost deserted. If something were to happen to us, all that I’ve done for the Crown Prince would be for nothing…”
Zhu'er said so much, but Tuoba Ze only took a few words to heart.
Suddenly, he interrupted him, asking in his own mind, "Young Master Lu... who is that person?"
Zhu'er thought for a moment and said to him, "According to that young master Lu himself, they are medicinal herb merchants from Dongning Kingdom, who want to find some herbs from the grasslands to take back with them."
As Tuoba Ze listened, he muttered to himself thoughtfully.
"A medicinal herb merchant?"
"Dongning Kingdom?"
Tuoba Ze muttered to himself, then suddenly perked up, as if startled by something: "You said they came from Dongning Kingdom?"
Pearl was startled by his astonished expression and nodded blankly.
A sudden doubt arose in Tuoba Ze's mind.
"Dongning Kingdom is located on the coast, with a warm and humid climate all year round. Very few of its people can adapt to the harsh environment of the grasslands. Therefore, the trade of medicinal materials between the two countries has always been done through orders placed by the medicinal material merchants of both countries. Why would someone suddenly come to us personally at this time?"
As if the more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt, and he frowned more and more, concluding, "No, they can't be some kind of herbal medicine merchants!"
At that moment, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind: "These people are clearly not Mei Xiyuan's people. Could they be another force from Dongning Kingdom, who also knows that their princess is not dead and is here to find her?"
Just as Tuoba Ze was deep in his own thoughts.
Pearl faintly heard his murmured words and thought about it carefully again.
As if she really felt something was wrong, she spoke up again: "Listening to what the Crown Prince said, I also feel that they don't really look like merchants. The aura they exude is more like that of a strict and well-trained soldier."
At this point, Tuoba Ze was absolutely certain: "The surname Lu... I've heard that the city lord's mansion in Longhu City of Dongning Kingdom is surnamed Lu, could it be them?!"
Everyone knows this.
Since the death of the old king of Dongning, the Dongning Kingdom has been in turmoil. Although Yi Shangyun has no interest in the throne and intends to pass it on to someone else, Mei Zhixuan is unworthy of the throne and has not yet received the support of the ministers. Longhu City has always been very loyal to the old king and obeys his orders.
Therefore, it seems that what they are looking for is not a medicinal herb, but most likely the Cloud Clothing.
Could it be... that they intend to take Yi Shangyun back to Dongning to take charge of the government?
With this thought in mind, he anxiously asked Pearl, "Do you know where they are now?"
Zhu'er shook her head and said, "I was afraid they would discover the Crown Prince's identity and find out our secret of hiding here, so I parted ways with them early on by the lake. I only heard from Young Master Lu's men that they would stay here for a few more days."
If that's the case, then they must not have discovered any trace of the cloud on the clothes by now.
Tuoba Ze thought to himself, "No, we absolutely cannot let them find that woman. It seems we really can't stay on the grasslands any longer!"
Upon realizing this, he quickly stood up and prepared to go out.
Zhu'er asked, puzzled, "It's already dark, is the First Prince still going out?"
Unexpectedly, Tuoba Ze acted as if he hadn't heard her words and hurriedly left.
In the blink of an eye, he disappeared completely into the pitch-black night.
It was getting late.
Young Master Yi then said to Yi Shangyun, "It's getting late, you should get some rest. I'm going to find Tuoba Ze now!"
Yi Shangyun nodded.
Just as Young Master Yi turned around and was about to take a step, Yi Shangyun suddenly reached out a hand and grabbed him.
After hesitating for a moment, he finally spoke up: "Third Young Master, perhaps... I should go and talk to the First Prince myself!"
Young Master Yi was clearly a little angry, so he placed both hands on her shoulders and said, "What you need to do now is to rest well and recover quickly. Leave everything else to me. Don't worry, I know what to do."
Just then, Tuoba Ze suddenly burst in.
Upon seeing that Young Master Yi was pressing on Yi Shangyun's shoulders, he was furious and strode forward, separating the two of them and shouting angrily, "What are you doing?"
Yi Shangyun hurriedly explained, "Your Highness, please don't misunderstand. I was discussing it with the Third Young Master, and we were just thinking..."
Before Yi Shangyun could finish speaking, Young Master Yi interrupted her angrily, saying, "What I do with the girl is none of your business. Who are you? And what are you doing here?"
Enraged, Tuoba Ze raised his fist again, intending to attack Young Master Yi.
Since arriving on the grassland, Young Master Yi had been holding back against him for a long time. Now, he quickly extended a hand, showing no sign of weakness in his response.
Upon seeing this, Yi Shangyun shouted at the two men, "Do you two always have to fight like this every time you meet?"
As she spoke, she stumbled to her feet, her bare feet touching the cold floor.
He turned to leave, saying, "Since that's how it is, fine, I'll leave, I'll leave right now, to make room for you! If you can't decide a winner today, then don't stop!"
In an instant, Tuoba Ze and Yi Sanshao each grabbed one of Yi Shangyun's arms tightly and made anxious noises.
"Don't go!"
"Don't go!"
At this moment, Yi Shangyun asked the two of them, "Do you want to continue fighting?"
Tuoba Ze and Yi Sanshao glared at each other fiercely.
Having no other choice but to give up, Yi Shangyun first said to Yi Sanshao, "Sanshao, may I speak with the First Prince alone?"
Upon hearing this, Young Master Yi had no choice but to leave, feeling helpless and resigned.
At this moment, Yi Shangyun invited Tuoba Ze to sit down and asked, "Why did you drink so much?"
Upon hearing this, Tuoba Ze stared at her face in astonishment and asked, "How did you know?"
Yi Shangyun said, "As soon as you came in, I could smell the strong smell of alcohol you brought with you."
Tuoba Ze quickly sniffed himself and said apologetically, "I'm sorry!"
Yi Shangyun casually tossed a homemade tea bag into the teapot, poured in boiling water, brewed a pot of hot tea, and said, "You've come at the right time. I was just about to look for you."
Tuoba Ze also said, "Actually... I came here because I have something I want to talk to you about."
Before long, the tea was ready. As Yi Shangyun served the tea, she explained, "This is a hangover remedy made from wild kudzu flowers, kudzu root, green tea, and mulberry leaves. However, it's best to drink a cup of honey water before drinking alcohol; the effect will be even better when combined with this hangover remedy."
Tuoba Ze stared at Yi Shangyun's elegant movements with infatuated eyes, muttering to himself, "Actually, I'm really jealous of Prince Qin, Xuanyuan Han. Why does he have such a wonderful woman in the world, yet he doesn't know how to cherish her?"
Upon hearing that familiar name that she hadn't heard in a long time, Yi Shangyun couldn't help but pause for a moment.
But soon, he pretended not to hear anything and asked, "Didn't the Crown Prince say he wanted to see me? Well... why don't you speak first, Crown Prince?"
Tuoba Ze took the hot tea that Yi Shangyun offered him, but said, "You go first!"
Yi Shangyun smiled and insisted, "The eldest prince should speak first."
Tuoba Ze slowly gulped down the tea in his hand before speaking to Yi Shangyun: "I've made up my mind. That Prince of Nan'an was right. I'll send you back to Western Qin!"
Yi Shangyun was stunned, recalling how the two of them had just been at odds, how could things have changed so drastically in the blink of an eye.
This startled me, and I asked, puzzled, "Why is that? Why did I suddenly have this thought?"
Tuoba Ze explained, “The winters on the grasslands are exceptionally cold and long, and your health is already in terrible shape. It would be better for you to return to Western Qin to recuperate! Also, I have some matters to attend to at my businesses in Western Qin, and I am not at ease leaving you on the grasslands.”
Although Yi Shangyun knew that this was not the real reason for Tuoba Ze's compromise.
But he wasn't in a hurry to save anyone; he was thinking about how to get back. So he asked her again to confirm, "You... really think so?"
Tuoba Ze said, "I've thought it through. As long as you're well, I'll do anything you ask!"
Hearing this, Yi Shangyun was genuinely touched. After thinking for a moment, she agreed, "Alright, I promise you, I'll go back to Western Qin with you."
"But you're bound to experience a lot of bumps along the way, and your health..." Tuoba Ze seemed very worried.
Yi Shangyun, however, was only thinking about all the thorny issues that were about to be faced, so he shook his head and said confidently, "Don't worry, nothing will happen, I can do it."
No one knew how reluctant Tuoba Ze was to part with this wonderful time.
In the end, all I could do was tell her, "In that case, pack your things and we'll set off early tomorrow morning."
Yi Shangyun smiled faintly and agreed, "Okay!"
Tuoba Ze breathed a sigh of relief, then took a deep breath and said, "By the way, what you wanted to say was..."
Yi Shangyun said earnestly, "Thank you... I want to say, thank you."
Tuoba Ze was taken aback, finding it somewhat absurd, and asked, "That's it?"
Yi Shangyun nodded.
"Okay, get some rest!"
Helpless, Tuoba Ze finished speaking and reluctantly got up to leave.
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