The shopkeeper chuckled, then shook his head, saying, "Hmph... Once you enter the palace, it's like entering a deep sea; it's not so easy to get out. Back then, Yi Shangkun got into trouble in the palace and was imprisoned by the Dali Temple. It was this young lady who risked her life to find the immortal herb for him, which is why the Emperor pardoned her. But this young lady was implicated and punished by being sent to the palace as the most insignificant servant in the deep palace. Later, she was punished in the palace and made to kneel in the freezing cold for twelve hours, which caused her to develop a serious leg ailment. Presumably, seeing that she didn't have long to live, and fearing that dying in the palace would bring bad luck and sully that magnificent palace, they bestowed her upon the Prince of Qin's mansion in the east of the city. Now, after the Lantern Festival, she will go to work. Anyway, she is destined to serve others wherever she goes in this life; who knows how long she will live?"
Upon hearing this, Mei Zhixuan clenched his hands, which were resting on his knees and hidden under the tea table, in anger. After a moment's thought, he asked, "Does the shopkeeper know who punished her in the palace and why?"
After a moment's thought, the shopkeeper said, "It seems to be because of Princess Yue's marriage to the emperor. The young lady pleaded with the emperor on behalf of the princess, which offended and angered him. The emperor ordered her to kneel in the freezing cold for twelve hours. It was only thanks to Prince Qin's advice that her life was saved. Otherwise, she would have frozen to death on the spot."
After the shopkeeper finished speaking, he sighed deeply and shook his head regretfully.
"So all these years, she has gone through so much and suffered so much humiliation. How could the Emperor of Western Qin treat my legitimate princess of Dongning like this? One day, I, the prince, will make you pay double." Mei Zhixuan frowned and thought fiercely to himself, his hand gripping the teacup tightly as if he wanted to crush it.
After a long while, Mei Zhixuan came to his senses and asked again, "How much does the shopkeeper know about Master Yi's past? For example, where did he live and how did he make a living before this mansion was built?"
The shopkeeper immediately looked troubled and shook his head, saying, "I really don't know. I doubt anyone here knows either. In the beginning, Master Yi would occasionally come here for tea, but when people asked him about it out of curiosity, he would always stammer and seem extremely reluctant to talk about it. Later, he gradually stopped coming, probably because he didn't want others to know about his past..."
"Thank you, shopkeeper." After pondering for a while, Mei Zhixuan and his guard finally stood up. Mei Zhixuan took out a gold ingot from his pocket, gently pushed it in front of the shopkeeper on the tea table, said this, and then turned and strode away.
Upon seeing it, the shopkeeper's eyes widened in astonishment. He stood frozen, staring at the gleaming gold ingot, completely dumbfounded.
When he finally came to his senses, he picked up the gold ingot and muttered to himself, "Who is this person? How can they be so generous?"
As he spoke, he gazed longingly toward the direction of the Yi residence.
After leaving Zhao's Teahouse, Mei Zhixuan and his guards made a special trip to the front of Yi's residence, where they stood there intently for a long time before finally leaving.
"Your Highness, do you think this young lady from the Yi family is indeed the legitimate princess we have been searching for for many years?" The guard asked doubtfully as soon as he turned around.
Mei Zhixuan seemed to be pondering something in secret. Upon hearing the guard's words, he paused for a moment, then said, "We cannot draw a final conclusion yet. After all, it is still unknown whether that Master Yi and his wife are the couple whom the Empress Dowager entrusted with the mission in the face of danger. According to the teahouse owner, he seems to be very secretive about the past. But the more he tries to hide it, the more there is to it. However, my intuition tells me that it is most likely her. At this point, I'm afraid we can only confirm her identity with one thing."
The guard, especially curious, asked urgently, "What is Your Highness referring to?"
Mei Zhixuan breathed a sigh of relief and uttered the words "Phoenix Imprint".
"The phoenix mark, what is that?" the guard exclaimed in surprise.
Mei Zhixuan hesitated for a moment before saying, "My stepmother once said that every woman born into her family has a phoenix mark on her body. This is their exclusive mark, unparalleled in the world."
The guard instantly understood and asked urgently, "Your Highness means... a physical examination?"
Mei Zhixuan nodded in agreement, but a hint of difficulty appeared in his eyes. He then instructed the guards, "Send a message back saying that this prince will not be returning to the East Garden for the time being. Once the news arrives from there, we will settle down near the Yi residence... and wait for the enemy to come to us."
In the front hall of the Yi residence.
Aunt Lan sat at the table, trembling with rage, her teeth grinding together. Her eyes blazed with fury as she glared at Yi Shangyun, seemingly spitting fire. Pointing at Yi Shangyun's nose, she roared, "You truly are a jinx! Your engagement was broken off, causing the Yi family to lose face. And now, on the first day of the new year, you've caused this again! Do you want to ruin the entire Yi family before you're satisfied? Master, no matter what, you must give me an explanation today! Waaah...waaah...waaah..."
Yi Shangkun paced back and forth in the hall, hands behind his back, sighing repeatedly. He was truly at his wits' end. As someone who always adhered to the doctrine of the mean, what he feared most was exactly what happened.
In the palace, he clearly did not want to get involved with any faction. But now, not only could he not protect Yi Shangyun, but even his only son, who was to carry on his family line and take care of him in his old age, had just been personally selected by Xuan Yuanhan to join his army.
Following Cheng Liang meant he was destined for the battlefield, a path to certain death. As the saying goes, swords are invisible, and from then on, he would be living a life of constant danger. How could he possibly feel at ease?
Even Nian Shi looked worried, holding Yi Shangyun's hand and keeping her head down in silence.
At this moment, Yi Shangyun hesitated slightly, pursed her lips, and stepped forward to explain, "Father, Aunt Lan, this really has nothing to do with Yun'er. Yun'er doesn't know why His Highness suddenly thought of taking Jun'er into the army..."
Before she could finish speaking, Yi Shangxue stepped forward and angrily cursed at her, "A slut is a slut! She won't admit to what she did. This person hasn't even arrived at the Prince Qin's residence yet, and she's already hooked up with the master of the Prince Qin's residence. And she says it has nothing to do with you? If it weren't for you, why would His Highness Prince Qin have come to the Yi residence on the first day of the Lunar New Year? If he hadn't come to the Yi residence, why would my brother have been forcibly recruited into the army?"
As Yi Shangxue spoke with a ferocious expression, she also started to cry sadly, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand. After all, this brother usually protected her very much.
Yi Shangyun bit her lip, not expecting Yi Shangxue to remain so unrepentant. She snapped at her, "Enough... Who are you calling a slut? Watch your mouth! A young lady not yet married, speaking so recklessly and without respect for hierarchy. Have you already forgotten His Highness's reprimand?! If you continue like this, you'll only bring trouble wherever you go. If you hadn't been so blind, this wouldn't have happened. I've already spoken to His Highness Prince Qin, and he promised not to appear in public. If you hadn't been so reckless and ostentatious, how could he have..."
Before Yi Shangyun could finish speaking, Yi Shangjun took a deep breath, straightened his back, and stepped forward to interrupt her, shouting at the crowd, "Stop arguing! Today I followed His Highness Prince Qin willingly, it has nothing to do with anyone else, so don't blame... Eldest Sister."
"Big Sister?!" Everyone was shocked to hear this. For the first time, Yi Shangjun addressed Yi Shangyun as "Big Sister".
Yi Shangyun was instantly startled and looked at him in surprise.
Yi Shangjun glanced at Yi Shangyun, then took a deep breath as if to relieve some of his nervousness, and then said slowly, "Since I was little, you have all arranged and planned everything for me, always saying that it was all for my own good. You wanted me to inherit my father's medical skills and protect the Yi family's business. But, which of you has ever truly considered my needs? I am simply not cut out for medicine, but I have always admired and envied His Highness Prince Qin's bravery and martial prowess, his invincible spirit, and his godlike status. His Highness Prince Qin's words today are absolutely right: 'As a dignified seven-foot man of my Western Qin Kingdom, how can I live such a ridiculous life?'"
"To gallop across the battlefield and defend one's country"—that is what a true, upright, and courageous man should do. Therefore, today I not only do not blame my elder sister at all, but I am actually very grateful to her. If she hadn't brought His Highness the Prince of Qin to the Yi residence, Jun'er probably would never have had the courage to do what he wanted to do in his life.
Yi Shangjun's heartfelt and indignant words stunned everyone present. No one expected that this usually carefree, good-for-nothing, and utterly unsuccessful young man would harbor such lofty ambitions.
Yi Shangkun had already stopped his flustered steps, looking in astonishment at his son, whom he knew so well yet now seemed like a complete stranger.
After a long while, he was so happy that he cried, "Well done, you are really my good son. I never thought that I, Yi Shangkun, would have such a son who makes me so proud."
After saying that, he let out a hearty and cheerful laugh that he had never heard before, patted Yi Shangjun on the shoulder, and Yi Shangjun smiled back at him with pursed lips.
At this moment, Aunt Lan heard Yi Shangkun praise her son like this for the first time in his life, and she was immediately relieved. She stood up happily, and said with tears in her eyes, "This child, if that's how it is, why didn't you say so sooner? Your mother and father are not unreasonable people, it's just that those were turbulent years of swords and shadows..."
As Aunt Lan spoke, she stepped forward and affectionately patted Yi Shangjun's head. Seeing her hesitant expression, Yi Shangjun asked in confusion, "If I had told you earlier, would Mother really have been willing to do it?"
Aunt Lan and Yi Shangkun exchanged glances. In an instant, the tense atmosphere that had just filled the front hall transformed into one of harmony, and everyone's faces showed smiles of gratitude and relief.
Yi Shangjun and Yi Shangyun gazed at each other through the gaps in the crowd, and the profound meaning conveyed in their eyes was self-evident.
Only Yi Shangxue remained standing alone to one side, muttering to herself, looking completely indifferent.
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