Also located in Yanfu Temple.
The clouds passing by on the clothes were both busy and fulfilling.
There were more than a dozen skilled healers that Xuan Yuanhan had found at the temple, so they weren't particularly busy.
Besides helping to treat and care for some patients on a daily basis, she often focuses on learning as much as possible about the sandstorms in Northwest China from the firsthand descriptions of these disaster victims.
And in the dead of night, he would meticulously record everything in detail.
Occasionally, in her spare time, she would think of Xuanyuan Han.
Thinking that Xuan Yuanhan hadn't contacted her at all, nor had he come to visit her even once, she assumed that Xuan Yuanhan must be really angry with her this time.
At this time, she would pick up a hoe and a basket and climb to the top of the mountain in one go. She would sit on the ground, enjoying the breeze and looking down at the entire Western Qin Imperial City at the foot of the mountain.
They would often sit like this for a long time, until the Milky Way was shining brightly overhead and the moon was high in the sky.
Gazing at the myriad lights flickering in the peaceful city before her, her heart finally seemed to slowly calm down...
She had just returned from gathering herbs on the mountain.
As usual, as soon as Yi Shangyun stepped out of Yanfu Temple, Xuan Yuanhan, who had already ordered someone to find out her daily outing times, would secretly follow her all the way until he saw her safely return to the temple before he could feel at ease.
As soon as Yi Shangyun stepped through the door, a strong young man rushed up to her and asked anxiously, "Your Highness, we're almost fully recovered. If we continue to eat and drink here for free, our bones will probably start to rot. When will Your Highness take us back to rebuild our home?"
Under Xuan Yuanhan's secret protection and full assistance, the disaster victims of Yanfu Temple recovered very well.
During this time, living and working alongside them day and night, Yi Shangyun became even more determined to help them rebuild their homes.
Seeing everyone so eager to return home and full of confidence in a bright future, Yi Shangyun was genuinely happy.
So he smiled at them and explained, “Let’s wait two more days, until everyone has fully recovered before we set off. The journey home is long, and everyone has managed to overcome the illness without a single one being left behind. I believe that everyone will be able to return home without a single one missing. Those who survive such a calamity are bound to have good fortune in the future. You must live well for all the fellow villagers who have died, mustn’t you?”
Hearing this, the crowd was greatly encouraged and shouted in unison, "Rebuild our homes and live well! Those who survive this calamity are sure to be blessed!"
The man asked her again, his voice brimming with anticipation, "Your Highness, you really will come back with us to help us, right?"
Yi Shangyun said confidently, "Yes, it will definitely happen."
In an instant, countless rounds of applause erupted from all around.
Hearing such inspiring shouts and thunderous applause coming from the courtyard.
Xuan Yuanhan, separated by a wall, felt a mix of emotions. This was the path Yi Shangyun had chosen, a path that many upright men in the world would hesitate to take, yet she was so fearless.
What frustrates him most is that he can neither support her nor oppose her, because he doesn't want her to work so hard.
After much deliberation, he finally gritted his teeth, turned around, and left.
At this moment, Dingxiang went up to greet her and brought her aside. While helping her unload the basket from her back, she handed her a cup of jasmine tea that had been cooled to the perfect temperature and smelled wonderful.
Yi Shangyun was so busy wiping the sweat from his forehead that he didn't realize until the tea entered his mouth that it was no longer the usual clear tea served at the temple. Only then did he look down at it.
He paused for a moment, then looked up at Dingxiang's face in surprise and asked, "This is the finest jasmine tea. When did the temple acquire such good tea? We have a lot of things to do, so we must be careful with our money and use it sparingly."
Dingxiang smiled slightly, her face full of anticipation that Yi Shangyun would like the tea, but she did not expect to be scolded by him.
Helpless, she could only follow the lie that Xuanyuan Han had made up when he handed her the tea, and explained to her: "Your Highness, this tea is from the temple that I brought from the palace today. It was not made with the money of the donors."
Unexpectedly, Yi Shangyun became even angrier upon hearing this, and reprimanded him, "Then it's even more unacceptable! How could you smuggle palace supplies out of the palace for your own use? If you were discovered, you would be severely punished. Where would that leave me?"
Dingxiang really didn't know how else to persuade her to accept it, so she could only continue lying and pretend to compromise, saying, "Alright, Dingxiang knows she was wrong. This tea was actually given to me by a noble lady in the palace. Just this once, Your Majesty, please accept Dingxiang's kindness! Dingxiang saw that Your Majesty usually doesn't like to drink the coarse tea in the temple, so she thought of bringing it out from the palace."
Yi Shangyun knew from the beginning that she was lying to her, but she didn't expect her to keep lying again and again. So she couldn't help but expose her and scolded her loudly.
"That's utter nonsense. Do you think I don't know that this top-quality jasmine is most famous in Hengzhou of Nan'an Kingdom, and that the jasmine tea produced from it is only available in the Nan'an Imperial Palace and is exclusively for the royal family? Xi Qin Kingdom could never possibly have this kind of tea."
"I...I..." Seeing that she had no way to defend herself, Dingxiang became anxious and immediately knelt down in front of him.
Yi Shangyun, however, remained relentless, pressing him further: "Hurry up and tell me, where did this tea come from?"
"I...I..." Dingxiang really didn't know how to continue to cover for Xuanyuan Han. In her panic, she suddenly came out timidly, half-truthfully.
“On my way here today, I met a young man who wished to remain anonymous. He gave me this tea. Knowing that I know Your Highness, he specifically asked me to bring it to you.”
Upon hearing this, Yi Shangyun pondered to himself, "Young Master? A member of the royal family of Nan'an Kingdom? ...Could it be...the Third Young Master? But how did he know I was at Yanfu Temple? Besides, I've never mentioned to him that I like jasmine tea before!"
At this thought, although there were still doubts, seeing that Dingxiang looked so aggrieved that she was about to cry.
Yi Shangyun walked over and helped Dingxiang up, apologizing to her, "I'm sorry! I made a mountain out of a molehill."
She was almost exposed, but she managed to fool everyone. Dingxiang shook her head and stood up.
After thinking for a moment, she said, "We are about to leave the capital and head to the northwest. Who knows when we will return? Before you leave, Your Highness, are you really not planning to go back to the Prince of Qin's residence to see His Highness one last time?"
Upon hearing this, Yi Shangyun took a deep breath and smiled slightly, but there was a deep sadness and reluctance in that smile: "What's the point of seeing him or not seeing him? Even if I want to see him, maybe he doesn't want to see me at all. Rather than being rejected by each other under the same roof, it's better not to see each other at all."
Upon hearing this, Dingxiang became extremely anxious and said, "Perhaps Your Highness has misunderstood His Highness Prince Qin? Are you really determined to avoid him like this for the rest of your life?"
Yi Shangyun said, "Whether there's a misunderstanding or not, it doesn't matter to me anymore."
Dingxiang sensed a hidden meaning in Yishangyun's words and pressed for an answer: "It's not important? How can it not be important? What do you mean by that, Your Majesty?"
Yi Shangyun remained silent for a long while, and finally seemed to have made a difficult decision in her heart, saying, "When I return from the Northwest, I will go to the Prince of Qin's mansion to request a divorce from Your Highness. From now on, we will marry separately and have nothing to do with each other."
"What did you say? You're asking for a divorce? You've only been married for three days!" Dingxiang was instantly stunned.
Yi Shangyun turned to look at the pitch-black night before her, her expression reflecting the tangled emotions she felt. She sighed silently with a forlorn look, "Yes, it was so hard, we just got married, but it's only been three days..."
As the moon rises above the willow branches, at the Qin Prince's Mansion.
As soon as Xuanyuan Han returned to his residence from Yanfu Temple, he summoned Cheng Liang and asked, "How is it going? How is the search for the person progressing?"
Cheng Liang was truly annoyed and said angrily, "Your Highness, we haven't found it yet."
Xuanyuan Han then said with a serious expression, "Send more people and make sure to find those two, master and servant, as soon as possible! Otherwise, I'm afraid there will be a huge uproar in the palace."
"Yes." Cheng Liang clasped his hands in acceptance of the order.
Perhaps because of the matter with Yi Shangyun, Xuan Yuanhan had been feeling somewhat tired lately, so he waved to him, signaling him to step back.
But as soon as he stepped out, he came back again.
Xuanyuan Han was sitting with his eyes closed and head bowed. Hearing footsteps approaching, he asked, "Is there anything else?"
Cheng Liang reported, "Your Highness, Ding Yaonu requests an audience!"
Upon hearing this, a pair of extremely deep eyes suddenly opened, and Xuan Yuanhan murmured in a low voice, "What is she doing here so late?"
Cheng Liang replied, "She said she has something important to report to His Highness!"
"Important matter?" After a moment's thought, Sui Yi immediately ordered, "Let her in!"
In the past, Dingxiang would go directly back to the palace from Yanfu Temple, but today she came specifically to tell Xuanyuan Han something because of what Yishangyun had just said.
As soon as she entered, Dingxiang stepped forward and knelt down to greet him, saying, "This servant greets Your Highness Prince Qin, may you live a thousand years!"
Xuanyuan Han asked in a low voice, "What do you have to report to me?"
Dingxiang stood up anxiously and said, "Your Highness, the Princess Consort insists on taking the disaster victims from Yanfu Temple back to rebuild their homes. They will set off early the day after tomorrow..."
Before he could finish speaking, Xuanyuan Han suddenly snapped out of his daze and exclaimed in surprise, "What did you say? Why so fast?"
Dingxiang said, "It's because the disaster victims want to go home as soon as possible. I heard those disaster victims tell Her Highness the Princess that a strong sandstorm there can whip up sand walls dozens of feet high, completely obscuring the sky and making everything invisible. Accompanied by the rolling winds, the sand wall will advance rapidly, making it look like the end of the world."
Clearly, just hearing that made Dingxiang extremely terrified.
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