Lu Tianjiao returned to her room from Shaohua Pavilion, took out the paper from her sleeve, placed it on the desk in front of her, and stared at it for a long time. Suddenly, a strange smile appeared on her face, and she said, "Hmph, this piece of writing can fool my eyes? I want to see what you're up to."
Cheng Liang, who was already exhausted both physically and mentally, watched Lu Tianjiao leave triumphantly, as if she had succeeded in some inexplicable conspiracy, after her outburst.
So, feeling uneasy and lost in thought, he returned to his room, holding his breath as if deep in thought. Before he knew it, he had sat there for the entire evening, as if even the surrounding air had frozen along with him.
Suddenly, a night breeze swept through the dark room, and only then did I realize that outside the window, it was already deep into the night.
At this moment, he was clearly wide awake. Deep down, he had a feeling that the two women were definitely plotting something, but he couldn't figure it out.
To no avail, he slowly got up, walked to the window and gently closed it. After thinking for a moment, he simply walked to the other side, closed the door from the outside, and walked towards Lin Yuexuan again.
Incense smoke curled in Lin Yuexuan, the room was quiet, and the lights were on everywhere.
Xuan Yuan Yue was resting her chin on her hand, seemingly already exhausted, and kept dozing off by Xuan Yuan Han's bedside.
Meanwhile, Xuanyuan Hao, who was on the other side, had already fallen asleep peacefully on the soft couch by the window at some unknown time.
As soon as Cheng Liang entered the bedroom, he glanced at the exhausted appearance of the siblings and felt a pang of sadness for some reason.
After a slight hesitation, he quietly walked over, carefully picked up the sleeping Xuan Yuanhao from the soft couch, and placed him on the bed in the side hall. He removed Xuan Yuanhao's shoes, socks, and outer clothes, then carefully tucked in the corner of the quilt. Only then did he gently lower the curtain and return to Xuan Yuanyue's side.
He gently patted her shoulder and whispered, "Princess, Princess..."
Upon hearing the sound, Xuan Yuan Yue opened her half-open, sleepy eyes and turned her head in surprise, saying, "General Cheng, why are you back again... I actually fell asleep."
There seemed to be some self-reproach in his words.
Cheng Liang hurriedly said with concern, "Princess, it's already late at night. Let me watch over Your Highness. You've been on guard all day. Go and rest in the side hall. Tomorrow morning, I will escort you and the Crown Prince back to the palace."
Xuanyuan Yue listened to Cheng Liang's words, seemingly full of unease. She turned back to look at Xuanyuan Han, who was still sleeping soundly on the bed, covered in wounds. She sighed deeply and said helplessly, "Alright, if anything happens, inform this princess immediately."
Cheng Liang nodded silently.
"I don't know why Uncle Qin has been unconscious like this. As for Yun'er, there's still no news. I feel like the sky is about to fall." As she spoke, Xuan Yuan Yue got up and headed towards the side hall.
Upon hearing this, Cheng Liang stood silently to the side. All of this was the same for him. At this moment, he, too, didn't know what to say, or what he could say.
Suddenly, his eyes widened as if he had remembered something, and he hurriedly said to Xuan Yuan Yue's back, "Princess, please wait."
Upon hearing the sound, Xuanyuan Yue quickly stopped and turned around. Cheng Liang stepped forward and asked in confusion, "Princess, something happened just now that I find very strange."
Cheng Liang recounted to Xuan Yuan Yue everything that Lu Tianjiao had told him earlier, word for word.
After hearing Cheng Liang's words, Xuan Yuan Yue gritted her teeth, slammed her slender hand heavily on the armrest of the soft couch beside her, and said angrily, "Actually, I've been restless all this time. I knew that this scheming Lu Tianjiao wouldn't be so easy to deal with. Sure enough, Hao'er's calligraphy couldn't escape her eyes in the end. But, she suddenly didn't go to the south of the city with Princess Yongle, who was inseparable from her, but stayed alone in the palace. What exactly is she trying to do..."
Suddenly, Xuan Yuan Yue and Cheng Liang said in unison.
Xuan Yuan Yue: "She wants to go to Lin Yue Xuan alone to see Qin Huang Shu!"
Cheng Liang: "She wants to enter Lin Yuexuan alone to see His Highness!"
Then, Xuan Yuan Yue asked with a puzzled look, "But Princess Yongle isn't familiar with our Western Qin. How could she bear to leave her shadow behind?... General Cheng, we must send reliable people to keep a close eye on Princess Yongle. We absolutely cannot allow any trouble to arise while the Qin Prince's Mansion is currently facing internal and external troubles."
Cheng Liang nodded heavily, and Xuan Yuan Yue said with deep concern, "This princess will be returning to the palace tomorrow. From now on, everything in the Qin Prince's mansion will depend on the general. The general must protect Lin Yuexuan, protect Uncle Qin, and protect the entire Qin Prince's mansion. If the Qin Prince's mansion falls into chaos, the entire Western Qin and even the entire Ling Kong Continent will be plunged into chaos... At the Lantern Festival palace banquet, this princess will personally report Uncle's situation to my father and mother. General Cheng, you can just focus on doing your job."
"Cheng Liang will do everything in his power to protect Your Highness and the Qin Prince's Mansion. Thank you, Princess, for your consideration for my lord," Cheng Liang said earnestly.
As Xuan Yuan Yue spoke, her nose suddenly tingled, and tears welled up in her eyes without her realizing it. She said regretfully, "After this Lantern Festival, I'm afraid I'll never be able to celebrate festivals in the Western Qin Kingdom again for the rest of my life. It's just a pity that I won't be able to see my royal uncle's figure, who is the center of attention, at this year's last Lantern Festival palace banquet."
Seeing Xuan Yuan Yue's disappointed expression, Cheng Liang said in a low voice, "Your Highness, is it really impossible for you to turn back? You should know that as long as it's something you don't want to do, my lord has ways to keep you here."
Xuan Yuan Yue sighed deeply and said, "General Cheng, to be honest, even without the Third Prince of Dongning, I never intended to stay in Xi Qin for the rest of my life. This Xi Qin can do without me, can do without anyone else, but it absolutely cannot do without Uncle Qin. In fact, I have long heard officials in the court discuss that the throne originally belonged to Uncle Qin, that he was the true Son of Heaven. But... but I don't want to see my aging father heartbroken. Tell me, am I being too selfish? But I firmly believe that one day, Uncle Qin will regain everything he has lost. General, you are the person Uncle Qin trusts most. I am saying all this tonight because I fear my days in Xi Qin are numbered. I only hope that you can understand my heart."
As she finished speaking, tears streaming down her face, Xuan Yuan Yue walked sadly toward the side hall.
Suddenly, Cheng Liang whispered behind her, "Princess...take care!"
Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuan Yue stopped in her tracks but did not turn around. Hearing Cheng Liang's simple words, which sounded almost like a farewell, she knew that Cheng Liang understood what she was saying.
So, as if extremely satisfied and moved by the response, she shed two streams of tears and strode outside.
Cheng Liang silently returned to Xuan Yuanhan's bedside, staring into his closed eyes, and said, "Your Highness, did you hear everything Princess Yue said just now? If the Qin Prince's mansion is in chaos, then the whole world is in chaos. You'd better wake up quickly!"
Unbeknownst to Cheng Liang, one of Xuan Yuanhan's fingers twitched slightly twice, but Cheng Liang seemed not to notice.
Meanwhile, in Taohuadian Village, a remote village seemingly forgotten by the world, located south of Xiqin City.
The night sky overhead was dotted with stars, and a crescent moon was reflected in the babbling river in the village, adding a special liveliness to the quiet village and the deeper night. Occasionally, the chirping of many insects could be heard.
Standing quietly on the riverbank at the village entrance, looking into the distance, the scattered lights illuminate a secluded, peaceful little world.
Beneath the starlight, in the dim light of a typical farmhouse courtyard, a graceful young girl in yellow, by the faint glow of a candle, anxiously reported to an old woman, "Madam, this girl has been burning with fever all day since Wang Er carried her back. Huan'er has covered her with almost all the blankets in the house, but she can't break a sweat. What can we do? If the fever continues, I'm afraid it will damage her brain. Also, how did her head get so badly injured? Could it be...?"
Before the girl in yellow could finish expressing her worries, the old woman interrupted her, asking, "What kind of medicine did you give her?"
The woman in yellow thought for a moment and then answered fluently, “This girl must have caught a cold after falling into the water and being caught in the rain. In our southern region, we would use Guizhi Tang, which is made with cinnamon twigs (peeled), peony root, roasted licorice root, ginger, and jujubes (split).
Upon hearing this, the old woman immediately exclaimed, "That's not right!"
Upon hearing this, the woman in yellow exclaimed in surprise, "No? How could this be? Over the years, haven't we been administering medicine to everyone in Peach Blossom Village who has caught a cold in this way?"
The old woman seemed to be reminding her, "But this girl, she's not from Peach Blossom Village!"
The woman in yellow immediately widened her eyes, realizing, "The hot climate in the south depletes the body's fluids, so people in the south tend to be hot-tempered. Ephedra Decoction mainly works by inducing sweating to expel cold from the body, thus excessively depleting the body's normal fluids, which can worsen illness. Therefore, people in the south should use this decoction with caution. On the other hand, people in the north tend to be cold-tempered, with a constitution that is more prone to yang deficiency and phlegm-dampness... Ah, Huan'er understands! Huan'er was confused in her haste. Huan'er will quickly prepare a new Ephedra Decoction made with ephedra (without nodes), cinnamon twig (without bark), apricot kernel (without skin and tips), and licorice (roasted) for the young lady to take."
The old woman watched her departing figure, smiling happily while shaking her head as if in helplessness.
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