Clouds roll and unroll, the moon sinks and the sun rises.
The next day at daybreak, Xuan Yuanhan got up and had barely stepped out of Lin Yuexuan when Yi Shangyun, accompanied by Yan'er, eagerly went out as well.
After searching for a while, they went west from the back corridor and out of the side gate, where they found a long, secluded north-south passageway. The master and servant finally found the secret room of the palace there.
Yan'er pointed to the end of a quiet, tree-lined path ahead and said excitedly, "Miss, I've found out that the secret room of the Prince's mansion is just ahead."
Yi Shangyun looked around, shushed, and whispered a reminder to Yan'er: "Yes, Yan'er did a great job! Be careful not to get caught."
So the master and servant tiptoed into a circular archway.
On the surface, this place looks like any other part of the mansion—an ordinary courtyard.
A pool of water, like a bright mirror, is nestled among lush vegetation. Waterside pavilions and elegant courtyards stand by the water, exotic flowers and rare herbs bloom around the water, and butterflies dance gracefully among the flowers.
The master and servant looked around as they walked through the corridor into the main house.
Pushing the door open, they found the large room completely empty.
Yi Shangyun walked around the house, carefully examining it from all angles, and said, "This looks like an ordinary courtyard, not like a secret room at all."
"Miss, you don't know there's a hidden secret here. Watch me."
After Yan'er finished speaking triumphantly, she glanced around and finally fixed her gaze on a painted orchid vase placed on a wooden shelf in the corner, and walked towards it.
She reached out and gently twirled the vase a few times. In an instant, a heavy stone door hidden beneath the floor in the middle of the room was suddenly opened.
Yi Shangyun was stunned: "There's such a place in the Prince's mansion!"
So he hurried over to take a look, and there he saw a dark, sunless dungeon.
"Miss, please come with me."
As Yan'er spoke, she quickly brought over a lamp and led the way, carefully supporting Yi Shangyun as they slowly descended the stone steps.
Illuminated by the few dim candles lit only in a corner of the dungeon, Yi Shangyun finally found that arrogant and domineering figure from the past.
At this moment, she was disheveled, her eyes were lifeless, and she was slumped on the ground, leaning weakly against the iron gate, hugging her knees and not moving at all.
Even when she heard the door open or their footsteps, she only turned her head slightly to glance at the two of them before turning back, knowing she had made a huge mistake and seemingly having completely given up struggling.
Xuan Yuanhan only ordered that she not eat or drink for a day and a night, and now she looks like neither a human nor a ghost, making people feel sorry for her.
Yi Shangyun strode over and stood in front of her, looking at the person in front of her in surprise.
The great medicine woman suddenly spoke in a low, eerie voice, "What, are you here to laugh at me? Or are you here to send me on my way?"
Before Yi Shangyun could even speak, Yan'er, unable to contain her anger, retorted angrily, "How can you be so ungrateful? So what if she's the daughter of the Vice Minister of War? What's so great about her..."
"Yan'er..." Seeing Yan'er so emotional, Yi Shangyun wanted to stop her.
Unexpectedly, Yan'er reached out and blocked her: "Miss, don't stop me today! I want to ask her what she means by repeatedly going against you?"
Then he continued, "What did my young lady do to offend you that you injured her so badly? Do you know that the imperial physician said that if you had used even half a bit more of your knife, my young lady would not have survived?"
Upon hearing this, the Great Medicine Woman seemed to have been caught off guard, not expecting the consequences to be so severe. She hurriedly raised her head and looked anxiously at Yi Shangyun's injuries.
Yan'er's voice still echoed in my ears: "Even so, Miss was still willing to plead with His Highness Prince Qin for you, disregarding her own serious injuries, and almost..."
Yi Shangyun finally stopped Yan'er sternly: "Yan'er, that's enough, stop talking."
He then said to the woman with the large medicine, "Get up and walk!"
Upon hearing this, the great medicine woman's eyes widened in disbelief, and she asked again, "What did you say?"
"You should leave quickly," Yi Shangyun repeated.
The woman with the large medicine head asked in bewilderment, "I almost took your life, and you really don't hate me at all? You're just letting me leave like this?"
At this moment, Yan'er spoke up again, saying, "It's not just you we're letting go, but the entire clan of the Vice Minister of War."
Yi Shangyun scolded Yan'er again: "Yan'er..."
Since she made her move, the Great Medicine Woman had been living in constant fear and regret, thinking that the disaster she had caused would surely lead to the destruction of her entire clan. She never expected that this would be the outcome.
I felt like I was in a dream, so unreal, so I asked him again to confirm: "Everyone knows that His Highness the Prince of Qin holds a high position and great power, second only to the emperor. Today I injured his new queen, and he didn't even retaliate against my entire clan, letting us go so easily?"
Yi Shangyun said leisurely, "His Highness is benevolent and will not hold a grudge against a meritorious official for such a trivial matter. However, I hope that you will be more cautious in all things in the future and change your domineering temperament, so as to be worthy of the fine family tradition of the Vice Minister's family."
Upon hearing this, the Great Medicine Woman was truly astonished.
She thought to herself, "Who doesn't know that the King of Qin of Western Qin is a man who holds grudges for the smallest things? What happened today must not have been the King's original intention! It seems that the current Queen Consort of the King's Palace is a very magnanimous and extraordinary person, and she has won the King's heart quite a bit!"
Seeing that he was still looking at him with a puzzled expression, Yi Shangyun deliberately said, "What? Are you reluctant to leave? In that case, I'll go and beg His Highness..."
At this moment, the Great Medicine Girl suddenly speculated, "I know that the King of Qin's ambitions are now obvious in the court, but don't think that if you let me go this time, my father will side with the King of Qin."
Upon hearing this, Yi Shangyun smiled slightly and said frankly, "I have never thought that way. The affairs of men in the court are their affairs. What do they have to do with a woman like me?"
The Great Medicine Girl was quite surprised by Yi Shangyun's words and asked, "If the Prince of Qin could replace the current emperor, wouldn't that be good for you? That position is what many noble ladies dream of."
Yi Shangyun thought for a moment, then smiled hopefully and said, "In this life, he is already my husband. I only want to stay by his side, love him wholeheartedly, and simply love this man. I don't care about anything else."
At this point, the Great Medicine Girl seemed to suddenly understand what Yi Shangyun was thinking and wishing for: the most ordinary and simple happiness in this world.
Finally, she slowly rose and took a step, but just as she was about to step onto the stairs, she suddenly stopped again, turned her back to the two people behind her, and said, "Do you think you can get the happiness you want by marrying a man like this? Perhaps, it was already destined that you two would not have a good ending?"
Upon hearing this, for some reason, Yi Shangyun's heart suddenly skipped a beat, and she froze on the spot, unable to move.
Upon seeing this, Yan'er asked anxiously, "Miss, what's wrong? Is your wound uncomfortable again?"
The Great Medicine Woman noticed Yi Shangyun's reaction, thought to herself for a moment, chuckled softly, and then walked out without looking back.
"Miss, Miss..."
It took Yan'er countless calls to finally pull Yi Shangyun out of her deep thoughts.
Yi Shangyun replied, "I'm fine!"
Seeing that she had finally come to her senses, Yan'er glanced around at the dark and cold space and urged, "Miss, she's already gone. Let's hurry back, or we might be discovered."
"Um"
Yi Shangyun agreed, and the master and servant walked away together.
Inside Chenghua Hall.
Xuanyuan Han is currently processing important official documents from the past two days.
Cheng Liang rushed in and reported, "Your Highness, I have already ordered someone to deliberately leak the address and switch of the secret room to Yan'er. At this moment, the Princess Consort has also released the daughter of the Vice Minister of War!"
This was something that Xuan Yuanhan had already arranged. He knew that if Yi Shangyun couldn't get what he wanted to do, he wouldn't be able to sleep well at night.
Last night, because of her injuries and fearing that Xuan Yuanhan would severely punish the entire family of the Vice Minister of War, Yi Shangyun tossed and turned for most of the night, finally closing her eyes just before dawn.
Therefore, seeing the current outcome, he was not surprised at all, and simply said in a deep voice, "I understand!"
Cheng Liang, however, seemed somewhat worried. After a moment's thought, he asked, "When that medicine girl goes back, won't she talk nonsense and tell the Vice Minister of War about this? If that happens, I'm afraid it will create a rift between us."
Xuanyuan Han said, "No, that won't happen."
Cheng Liang asked, puzzled, "Why is Your Highness so certain?"
Xuan Yuanhan gently put down the scroll in his hand and said, "The daughter of a mere Vice Minister dared to repeatedly gather crowds and cause trouble in the palace in broad daylight, using such vulgar language and even injuring someone with a knife—my Queen Consort no less. No matter what, he is in the wrong. Moreover, it was my elder brother who personally ordered me to take her away from the Imperial Pharmacy and bring her back to my residence to be dealt with as I see fit. I only asked my Queen Consort to discipline this woman properly for the busy Vice Minister of War. Otherwise, even if I don't pursue the matter, with such behavior, who in this capital city would dare to marry such a fierce woman?"
Cheng Liang thought for a moment and then said, "In this way, people will only spread the word that His Highness is kind and generous, and it will also save face for the Vice Minister."
Upon realizing this, Cheng Liang suddenly exclaimed with delight, "So it seems that all of this is thanks to the Princess Consort!"
Upon mentioning Yi Shangyun, Xuan Yuanhan let out a slightly relieved sigh, and a gentle smile returned to his face.
After a moment of silence, he suddenly came to his senses and asked Cheng Liang, "Have you prepared everything I ordered you to procure?"
"Everything is ready!" Cheng Liang replied.
Xuanyuan Han said, "Then let's set off!"
"Yes!" Cheng Liang accepted the order.
The master and servant walked out of the courtyard of Chenghua Palace, one after the other.
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