"Zisu, what are you trying to do? Don't scare me! Put down the sword and talk to the Third Young Master properly. Please put it down, I beg you... Waaah... Waaah..." Bai Zhi was so frightened that she grabbed Zisu's arm and started crying. But Zisu's grip on the sword was so strong that Bai Zhi tried her best to budge it several times but couldn't shake it at all.
She only calmed down after hearing Bai Zhi's cries, but the sword against her neck remained firmly in place.
At this moment, she could only plead helplessly with Yi Junhao, "Since Third Young Master's obsession with that ugly...that girl is so deep that even Zisu's life cannot be stopped, then Zisu only asks to accompany Third Young Master on this journey, willing to do her utmost to protect him. We will live together, and we will die together."
Upon hearing this, Bai Zhi became anxious, quickly wiping away her tears, and said, "Bai Zhi also wants to go with Third Young Master and Zi Su, to the death."
Angelica dahurica
"Perilla"
Their eyes met, and everything was understood without a word.
Yi Junhao, however, remained silent, his brows furrowed and his eyes lowered.
Seeing that he wouldn't allow it, Zisu brought the sword even closer to herself, and it actually touched the skin on her neck. Blood immediately seeped out.
"Zisu!" Bai Zhi cried out in alarm, and then quickly drew her long sword from its sheath and slashed it at her own neck.
Just then, Yi Junhao hurriedly reached out and flicked something out, making two consecutive "whoosh" sounds. Immediately afterward, the longswords in Zisu and Baizhi's hands were struck and fell to the ground.
The two of them instantly looked at the longsword that had fallen at their feet, and then hurriedly looked up at Yi Junhao's face.
Yi Junhao finally spoke, "You two brats. Fine, you can come if you want. But I have something to say to you beforehand: you must obey my orders in everything you do, otherwise all three of us will be in danger, understand?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," the two replied happily, clasping their hands in agreement. Yi Junhao shook his head helplessly at them before turning and setting off.
Zisu and Baizhi quickly picked up the swords that had just been knocked off the ground, safely sheathed them again, smiled at each other once more, and then hurriedly followed.
In the Qin Prince's Mansion in the east of the city, Cheng Liang hurriedly entered the Chenghua Hall.
Upon entering, he respectfully bowed and greeted him, "Your Highness."
Xuanyuan Han stood by the window, his expression calm, one hand behind his back and the other holding a purple clay teacup. He stared blankly at the graceful pine branches outside the window, bent under the weight of the snow from the previous night's snowfall.
Hearing Cheng Liang's voice, he finally snapped out of his daze and turned to look at him.
Seeing his master turn around, Cheng Liang hurriedly reported, "Your Highness, Miss Lu from Xiqin Academy has arrived."
"Why did she come at this time?" Xuan Yuanhan seemed somewhat surprised. With New Year's Eve just around the corner, why would Lu Tianjiao rush over at this time?
As she spoke, a graceful and elegant young woman, dressed in a pink dress and draped in a dark red cloak, slowly entered the hall. Her smile was as radiant as a blooming flower. This woman was none other than Lu Tianjiao, daughter of Lu Xian of Xiqin Academy.
She carried a small black wooden brocade box in her hands, and with a gentle and refined manner, she smiled and bowed to Xuan Yuanhan as soon as she entered, saying affectionately, "Tianjiao greets Brother Han."
However, Xuan Yuanhan's face showed no sign of the surprise she expected. He simply asked coldly, "Why are you here? Is there some emergency?"
Looking at his face, Lu Tianjiao was deeply disappointed. She then respectfully presented the brocade box with both hands. Xuan Yuanhan's eyes widened in surprise. He took the brocade box with one hand, and Cheng Liang quickly took the teacup from his master's other hand and placed it down.
When he returned to his master's side, Xuan Yuanhan had already opened the brocade box. Inside the box was a secret letter written by Lu Xian and sealed with wax, along with a jade bottle similar in size to a regular small medicine bottle.
Xuanyuan Han picked up the jade bottle, examined it briefly, and then put it back in the brocade box. He took out a secret letter from it, and Cheng Liang stepped forward to take the brocade box from him. Xuanyuan Han quickly removed the wax seal from the secret letter, opened it, and carefully read it. It turned out to be the message he had been waiting for for a long time.
At this moment, Lu Tianjiao spoke up, "It is already New Year's Eve, and I shouldn't be bothering Your Highness. However, my father said that Your Highness was anxiously searching for these things, so he specifically ordered me to personally deliver them to Your Highness as soon as possible. Although I don't know why, as long as it is something Your Highness is in a hurry for, I dare not neglect it."
Xuan Yuanhan quickly finished reading Lu Xian's secret letter, seemingly ignoring Lu Tianjiao's words. He simply instructed Cheng Liang, "Take Miss Lu to rest... Return quickly after she's settled."
"Your subordinate obeys," Lu Tianjiao replied, still wanting to continue speaking, but Cheng Liang hurriedly urged her out of the main hall. "Miss Lu, please."
Although Xuan Yuanhan's face remained calm as always, he was overjoyed inside, because what Lu Tianjiao brought him today was indeed good news. Xi Qin Academy was indeed extraordinary, and Lu Xian had not disappointed him.
After quickly settling Lu Tianjiao in, Cheng Liang hurriedly returned to Chenghua Palace. "Your Highness, what are your orders?"
Xuanyuan Han then handed the secret letter to Cheng Liang, who took it and exclaimed in surprise as he read it, "In Taiming there is a mountain called Hanhuang. Its terrain is treacherous, with snow and glaciers that never melt, a desolate and uninhabited place, about two thousand zhang high. Legend has it that there is a divine herb on the mountain, extremely rare and precious. It is shaped like a lotus, yellowish-green or slightly purple in color, standing gracefully like a delicate young girl, named Layuechun, growing among the snow. This divine herb grows only once every few decades, blooming in the last December. When it blooms, it is harvested for medicinal use, a miraculous medicine for dispelling cold and dampness, strengthening muscles and promoting blood circulation. Only the one from the summit has the best and most exquisite medicinal effect."
Upon seeing this, Cheng Liang exclaimed happily, "That's wonderful, Your Highness! It seems the woman in the medicine robe can be saved. Lu Xian truly lives up to his reputation as a learned man; he was able to discover such rare and obscure herbs!"
But as he continued reading, his brows furrowed more and more deeply. "Frosty Wasteland Brew is made with melted snow and ice from the Frosty Wasteland Mountains, mixed with herbs rich in cold-resistant properties. Drinking even a small amount is enough to ward off the extreme cold of the region."
After reading it, he looked at Xuan Yuanhan's profile with great concern and said, "Lu Xian has considered things very thoroughly, but this Layue Spring only blooms in the twelfth lunar month. There is still one day left in the twelfth lunar month before it is over. Moreover, it only grows once every few decades. If we miss it or it has already been picked by someone else, won't the Yiyao Girl have to wait for several more decades?"
At this moment, he immediately turned angry and snorted, "Hmph, is Lu Xian senile? Sending this message at this hour is practically useless, such an unrealistic and impossible thing."
However, Xuan Yuanhan kept his eyes fixed ahead, his face still cold, and said, "Isn't there still one day left to find it? Such a little-known divine herb, growing in such a treacherous place, shouldn't be so easily picked by someone else first."
While Cheng Liang was still absorbing Xuan Yuanhan's words and the information he had just received from the letter, Xuan Yuanhan had already walked to the other side, picked up his sword, and headed towards the entrance of the main hall without hesitation.
"Your Highness really wants to..." Cheng Liang saw his master draw his sword and had just begun to speak when he suddenly realized that he no longer needed to doubt or say anything more. Once his master made a decision, no one could dissuade him. So he hurriedly put the secret letter in the brocade box, grabbed the jade bottle of Cold Wasteland Wine inside, and rushed out after him.
Inside Shaohua Pavilion, Mei Xiyuan sat upright in the warm room, dressed in luxurious clothes, but her expression revealed a deep loneliness.
At this moment, she held a yellowed ancient book in her hands, but her eyes were fixed on a bunch of winter plum blossoms on the table. She sighed sadly, "The West is not as warm as the East, only because your heart is intoxicated like mud. Clad in this snowy forest, it blooms alone in the cold."
Half a year has passed since she married into the Qin Prince's mansion and became the Qin Princess, yet her relationship with Xuan Yuanhan remains unchanged, as if they were strangers. Apart from the title of Qin Princess, she seems to have nothing else.
Confined to this pavilion in the Prince's mansion all day long, as if under house arrest, the imperial marriage, the blissful union, and the mutual affection that had once filled her with pride and anticipation seemed so close yet so far away.
Her initial pride, worn down by countless lonely years, gradually faded away. A delicate, budding flower, a heart that had waited countless days and nights for gentle treatment, was ignored, hurt, and neglected inch by inch over the past days.
At that moment, she gave a cold, self-deprecating laugh, her heart skipped a beat, and her hand went limp, causing the ancient book she was holding to slip from her grasp and fall to the ground. Just as she bent down to pick it up, Granny Zhao entered, carrying a plate of delicate, moon-shaped, golden-yellow pastries topped with a red plum blossom. Seeing this, she quickly went to help pick them up, asking with concern, "Your Highness, what's wrong?"
Mei Xiyuan immediately tried to cover it up, replying, "It's nothing, I just got tired of reading."
Before she could ask any further questions, Granny Zhao placed the pastries on the table next to Mei Xiyuan and, with a seemingly mysterious air, reported, "Your Highness, this old servant just heard that Miss Lu has come to the Prince's residence."
"Miss Lu? Which Miss Lu?" Perhaps it was because too much time had passed, or perhaps she had been worn down by the long, lonely years and become somewhat senile, she hesitated for a moment, clearly unable to recall who Zhao Mama was referring to.
At this moment, Granny Zhao reminded her, "That's His Highness's junior sister, Miss Lu from Xiqin Academy, Lu Tianjiao."
Upon hearing the name "Junior Sister," Mei Xiyuan suddenly realized and exclaimed, "So it's her! I almost forgot about her. Such a clever woman!"
Mei Xiyuan's words clearly had a hidden meaning, but then she added, "But it's almost New Year's Eve, a day for families to reunite. Why would she come all this way?"
Granny Zhao replied, "This old servant heard that she came specifically to deliver a message to His Highness Prince Qin."
"Oh?... Delivering a message? Do you know what it's about?" Mei Xiyuan asked, her eyes wide with surprise.
"Well... Your Highness should know that the servants in the Prince of Qin's mansion are always very tight-lipped, so naturally we have no way of knowing," said Granny Zhao with a helpless expression.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up and he hurriedly said, "However... Your Highness, this old servant just heard that because of the bad weather, it is not convenient to travel long distances. Miss Lu is probably not going back so soon. It seems that she will stay in the Prince's mansion for the New Year."
Mei Xiyuan then said meaningfully, "It seems that what I've been searching for has come to me without any effort. She's come at just the right time. I was just wondering how I could see her again."
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