After Dingxiang finished speaking, she looked at Yi Shangyun with hopeful anticipation, expecting a very definite answer from him. Just then, a eunuch's voice came from outside the door, "Where is Yi Shangyun? Why aren't you coming out to receive the imperial decree?"
Upon hearing this, Dingxiang hurriedly got up and went out to check. She saw that the person was a favorite of the Empress, so she bowed but said in a very impolite tone, "What brings you to the Imperial Pharmacy today, Eunuch?"
The eunuch glared at her disdainfully and said, "You little brat, I'm here at the Imperial Pharmacy on the Empress's orders. Tell that ugly girl, Yi Shangyun, to come out and receive the decree right now. If you anger me, I might sue you for disobeying an imperial order."
"Who are you calling an ugly girl, Father-in-law? This Yi Shangyun is the great medicine girl favored by His Highness Prince Qin. Does Father-in-law not even respect His Highness Prince Qin? Oh, if that's the case, then Father-in-law certainly won't respect the person he favors either!" Dingxiang retorted fearlessly.
The eunuch was furious, his eyes turning green with rage, but thinking of His Highness the Prince of Qin, he ultimately had to suppress his anger. He seemed to be struggling to breathe, but instead extended a delicate finger, pointing directly at the lilac in front of him, and said, "You...you..."
At this moment, Yi Shangyun slowly walked out. She had just heard the two arguing loudly outside. As soon as she came out, she shook her head slightly at Dingxiang, then respectfully bowed to the eunuch and asked, "What brings you here, sir?"
"Hmph, fine, I'm just unlucky to have run into you two brats today. Yi Shangyun, why don't you kneel down and accept the decree?" The eunuch had no choice but to lower his head and give up because of the noble status of Prince Qin, Xuan Yuanhan. So he said to the two of them in a fit of anger.
Upon hearing this, Yi Shangyun immediately knelt down to receive the imperial decree, despite her pain. Dingxiang also knelt down beside her at this moment.
The eunuch then proclaimed the imperial decree: "By the Empress's decree: The Crown Prince is afflicted with a serious illness. The imperial pharmacist's robe bears the inscription 'Her service in attending to his illness,' and she is hereby awarded a thousand taels of gold in recognition of her merit. Furthermore, given her exceptional medical skills and considering that the Princess of Qin's residence is frail and requires a capable physician, she is hereby bestowed upon the Prince of Qin's residence as a physician. She is permitted to leave the palace immediately and must report to the Prince of Qin's residence after the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. No delay is permitted. This is the imperial decree."
Yi Shangyun was well aware of these matters, and without hesitation said, "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty the Empress."
"Congratulations, Yi Yao Nu! You're leaving the palace so soon, unlike some people who might have to wait until they're old and faded," the eunuch said, raising his eyebrows and disdainfully provoking Ding Xiang beside her as he handed over the reward.
"You..." Dingxiang pointed angrily at him with a finger, but Yi Shangyun quickly stopped her. The father-in-law snorted heavily at her and strode away.
At this moment, Dingxiang finally came to her senses, but with a wry smile, she said to Yishangyun, "Yun'er, congratulations! You've received a thousand taels of reward and you can even leave the palace."
As she spoke, she lowered her head. Seeing this, Yi Shangyun quickly put down the reward money in his hand, took her hand, and said, "Dingxiang, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hide it from you. I was just about to explain it to you in detail when the Empress's decree arrived."
When Dingxiang looked up again, her eyes were already brimming with tears. She hugged Yi Shangyun tightly and choked out, "Yun'er, I don't blame you. How could I blame you? I'm just happy for you, really. Originally, I only wanted to be with you forever, never to be separated, but now..."
Hearing Dingxiang's heartbreaking sobs nestled on her shoulder, Yi Shangyun felt a deep sadness. "Dingxiang," she said, "all good things must come to an end. No matter how wonderful our time together was, we couldn't escape the arrangements of fate. It's like chasing after someone; the tighter we chase, the further they drift away, until one day they suddenly disappear from our lives. In this vast sea of people, to have the chance to meet you is something I will never forget."
Dingxiang didn't quite understand, but kept sobbing and saying, "Dingxiang will never forget Yun'er."
At this moment, for some reason, Yi Shangyun suddenly thought of Xuan Yuanhan. She recalled his words of comfort to Xuan Yuanyue not long ago, and said to Dingxiang, who was also grieving, "Dingxiang, you're doing very well in the Imperial Pharmacy. You've truly grown up. Now that you're grown up, you must understand that in this world, no one will always be with you. One day, you will be all alone."
Dingxiang seemed to have cried enough and understood some things. After all, in the days she spent with Yi Shangyun, she had learned a lot and grown a lot from him. She was no longer the timid and weak Dingxiang she used to be.
So, she slowly stood up, wiped away her tears, and said earnestly to Yi Shangyun, "Yun'er, Dingxiang understands. Dingxiang will definitely continue to walk bravely and strongly like Yun'er. Yun'er, in the future in the Qin Prince's Mansion, no matter what difficulties and setbacks you encounter, you must be brave and strong. Let's work hard together, okay?"
The two stood in the courtyard of the Imperial Pharmacy, hand in hand, nodding and encouraging each other with firm lips, determined and hoping for a better future together.
At this moment, although Yi Shangyun had a smile on his face, his heart was extremely heavy.
From the Yi family mansion to the imperial palace, then to the Qin Prince's mansion, and who knows where I'll end up... I feel like a commodity, going through countless transfers without any chance to choose for myself.
For her, these places were like waystations along the way, with no end in sight. Where was that long-lost, warm home? She had probably already lost herself, lost in this ancient land she had traveled through.
Just as Yi Shangyun had predicted, once she left, the position of head pharmacist in the Imperial Pharmacy truly fell to Dingxiang, who had grown up.
Because of her leg ailment, Dingxiang was already managing many of the duties of the head pharmacist in the Imperial Pharmacy on her behalf. Therefore, the handover of duties before leaving the palace proceeded smoothly.
She had already packed her bags, containing only the same few old clothes she had brought with her when she entered the palace. It was truly hard to leave, given all the things that had happened here. She carefully and reluctantly examined all the items in the room.
Just then, Dingxiang came in and said, "Yun'er, shall I accompany you to Fenghua Palace to say goodbye to Princess Yue?"
Yi Shangyun gave a soft "hmm," then suddenly looked at the bounty money beside her and said, "Oh, right, take all this bounty. Your family isn't well-off; this bounty will make things a little easier."
Dingxiang hurriedly declined, "No, no, no... Yun'er, this is something you risked your life for, I can't accept it. Besides... your leg... will definitely require a lot of money in the future, won't it?"
Yi Shangyun pursed her lips and forcefully shoved the object into her arms. "Be good, take it when I tell you to. My leg... I'm afraid no amount of money can cure it... Oh well, anyway, I'm ugly, lame, and unlucky now. Maybe I did something terrible in my past life to deserve this."
As she spoke, Yi Shangyun's voice became somewhat hoarse. Dingxiang also frowned and remained silent.
After a moment, Yi Shangyun took a deep breath and finally raised her face high, as if trying to hold back the tears welling up in her eyes. She then quickly turned to Dingxiang and said, "Quickly collect the reward money, and then... see me off."
At the entrance of Fenghua Palace, a young palace maid came out and replied, "Yiyaonv, I'm so sorry, Her Highness the Princess just left the palace with Her Majesty the Empress for her temporary residence. She won't be in Fenghua Palace for the next few days, so I'm afraid I won't be able to say goodbye to the Princess in person."
Yi Shangyun said with great disappointment, "In that case, I'll trouble you... Oh, by the way, after Your Highness returns to the palace, please convey a message to the princess... Just say... No matter how far apart we are, my heart will always be with Yue."
"Yes, Your Highness, when you return, I will certainly convey your message to the maidservant." The little palace maid smiled and readily agreed.
And so, reluctantly, she walked alone through the vast palace, turning back again and again, until she reached the palace gate...
Inside the main hall of Fenghua Palace, Xuanyuan Yue stood on the stone steps in the center of the hall, staring blankly in the direction of the palace exit. Jinlan, true to her name, stood quietly beside her like a solitary orchid.
A young palace maid rushed in to report, "Princess, the medicine-maker has already left the palace."
Xuan Yuan Yue's eyes then moved slightly as she asked, "Did she say anything?"
The young palace maid thought for a moment and then said, "This servant followed the princess's instructions and told Yiyao that the princess had accompanied the empress to a temporary palace outside the palace and would not be in the palace for the time being." Yiyao then said one sentence.
Xuanyuan Yue asked anxiously, "What did he say?"
Seeing that Xuan Yuan Yue was anxious, the young palace maid hurriedly reported, "The Medicine Maiden said... no matter where you are in the world, my heart will always be with you, Yue."
Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuan Yue's expression turned solemn. Her nose tingled, and tears streamed down her cheeks. She repeated, "To the ends of the earth, my heart will always be with you, Yue," and her body trembled slightly.
Upon seeing this, Jinlan immediately stepped forward to comfort the "Princess..."
Before she could even speak, Xuan Yuan Yue raised a hand to stop her, saying, "This princess is fine."
After a while, seeing that Xuan Yuan Yue seemed to be in a better mood, Jin Lan still asked in confusion, "Since the princess is so reluctant to part with the Medicine Maiden, why is she unwilling to see her one last time?"
Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuan Yue gently touched her nose and exhaled before saying to her, "Things have come to this point; seeing her or not seeing her is futile. Seeing her would only bring the pain of parting, while not seeing her... perhaps one would still feel that she is busy with her duties in some corner of the palace, and has not left."
Upon hearing this, Jinlan suddenly realized what was going on and felt heartbroken for the two of them. She realized that this relationship was so precious and rare for Xuanyuan Yue.
Then, the two stood together on the stone steps at the entrance of Fenghua Palace, gazing towards the palace gate for a long, long time...
Finally, a frail figure, walking with unsteady steps, slowly appeared at the palace gate, seemingly trying his best to suppress his emotions...
Yi Shangyun never expected that after walking this far, her legs would feel so sore and uncomfortable, as if they didn't belong to her anymore.
She muttered to herself, "Once we leave the palace, we need to find a carriage immediately, otherwise I'm worried I'll have to crawl back to the Yi residence... No, even if I were to crawl, I probably couldn't manage it now. But the carriages are only found in the market, which is quite far from the palace. What should we do?"
As she pondered, she touched the back of her head with a worried expression.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com