"Why is Your Highness coming to Mingyue Pavilion instead of taking a midday rest in your own room?"
Seeing that he was in such a hurry and didn't know what he was going to do, and that the two of them were still so far apart, he almost knocked him over.
Xuanyuan Han quickly reached out and swiftly embraced her waist, pulling her close and pressing her tightly against his body. He said softly, "I can't bear not seeing you. I want to see you."
Yi Shangyun was in his arms, looking at him so closely, and a strong, domineering masculine aura instantly rushed towards him.
She was so captivated that she paused for a moment, then slowly looked into his eyes and said, "Weren't we together the whole time?"
Unexpectedly, at this moment, Xuan Yuanhan suddenly pulled her soft body closer to him, whispered in her ear, "Actually, the reason I came to find you is because I have gotten used to having you by my side. I want to take a nap with my queen."
Upon hearing this, Yi Shangyun's ears instantly turned bright red. She pushed Xuan Yuanhan away, forcefully breaking free from his embrace, and refused him, saying, "No! Your Highness, haven't you heard that on the day of a husband and wife's return to their parents' home, they cannot sleep in the same bed? It's considered unlucky."
Xuanyuan Han, however, remained persistent, clinging to her again as if he didn't care about anything else, and hugging her tightly from behind: "I don't care about anything else! Don't worry, I just want to sleep in the same bed with you, and I promise I will absolutely not do anything to you."
Yi Shangyun bit her lip. She couldn't even remember when this once aloof and cold man had become so clingy. Her face flushed with shyness, she murmured to herself, "But you almost couldn't control yourself every time..."
"What did you say?" Xuan Yuanhan didn't hear her voice clearly, so he asked again.
"Little..." At this moment, Yan'er finally caught up, but when she saw the two people so intimately close in front of her, she was so shocked that she stared at them with wide eyes and covered her mouth tightly. When she came to her senses, she quickly and quietly retreated.
They embraced for a long time, but Xuan Yuanhan only tightened his grip, as if he had no intention of letting her go.
Yi Shangyun was still preoccupied with the things she hadn't yet done and the people she hadn't yet met, so she continued to try to break free of her restraints and said, "Your Highness, I really have to go out and take care of some things right now. I'll be back soon, and when I return, I'll go back to the manor with Your Highness!"
Upon hearing this, Xuanyuan Han asked anxiously, "Where are you going? I'll go with you!"
Yi Shangyun was startled and quickly declined, saying, "No need, no need, I can go by myself and I'll be back soon."
Xuan Yuanhan thought for a moment, still not wanting to stay alone in the Yi residence, but also not wanting to spoil Yi Shangyun's mood for returning home, so he once again held her tightly in his arms and said with a doting expression, "In that case, I will not agree! In short, wherever the Princess goes today, I will go!"
Yi Shangyun turned around with difficulty in his arms, smiled at him, and said, "I know Your Highness is not used to being here. This place is small, the rooms are even smaller, and it's very simple. It's nothing like the Prince's Mansion. Your Highness must be feeling very stuffy. I'm really touched that Your Highness personally escorted me back to my parents' home today. How about this, when I return later, I'll give Your Highness a gift? As soon as I get back, we'll go back to the manor, okay?"
He had thought that Yi Shangyun was heartless and would forget everything as soon as she returned home, completely ignoring his existence. But now that he saw that she did care about him, he finally relented and agreed: "Alright, then Your Highness, hurry back. I'm waiting for you to come home with me!"
"Hmm," Yi Shangyun breathed a long sigh of relief upon finally persuading him, then turned and hurriedly left.
Not far from the Yi residence, in the western suburbs of the city, there is a temple called 'Yanfu Temple'. Recently, a strong herbal smell has been wafting out, masking the only scent of incense and candles that it used to have.
After searching for a while and based on Dingxiang's description from her memory, Yi Shangyun finally found this place by following the increasingly strong scent of herbs.
From afar, one can see a tall pagoda rising into the clouds within the temple grounds, a truly magnificent sight.
Stepping across the stone slab bridge, you will reach an arched stone bridge spanning the river, and once you step off the bridge, Yanfu Temple will appear before your eyes.
Upon entering, Yi Shangyun was immediately stunned by what she saw.
The courtyard and under the eaves were crowded with patients, men, women, and children, all dressed in tattered clothes. Some of the more seriously ill patients lay on stretchers, while those with milder symptoms simply found something to lean against and sat down on the ground.
The monks in the temple are helping to take care of the people in this courtyard. Some are feeding them herbal medicine, some are feeding them liquid food, some are feeding them water, some are decocting medicine, and some are comforting the patients' negative emotions. Everyone is extremely busy.
Just as Yi Shangyun stood there, stunned and confused about what had happened, a familiar figure suddenly appeared before her.
Yi Shangyun slowly stepped forward and walked behind her, calling out softly with a hint of disbelief, "Dingxiang?"
Upon hearing the voice, Dingxiang turned around abruptly and looked at Yi Shangyun's face, exclaiming in surprise, "Your Highness? What brings you here? How could you come to a place like this?"
As he spoke, he hurriedly took out a clean face towel from his body and went over to tie it on Yi Shangyun.
He then immediately inquired with concern, "How is Your Highness's injury?"
Yi Shangyun said calmly, "I'm fine, you don't need to worry."
Dingxiang, however, disagreed and said excitedly, "The location of the wound is so dangerous, how could I not be worried? If Your Highness hadn't taken that knife for me, I would have been the one stabbed yesterday. Your Highness, you really scared me to death!"
Seeing that Dingxiang's eyes were already filled with tears, Yi Shangyun comforted her, "It's alright, everything is in the past now. Aren't I standing right in front of you now? Don't be afraid."
After personally wiping away her tears, Yi Shangyun asked in confusion, "So this is where you were sent out of the palace on official business. What happened here? What happened to them?"
As Dingxiang led Yi Shangyun to a cleaner, quieter place, she said, "Actually, it wasn't a servant sent by the palace..."
Before she could even open her mouth, Yi Shangyun interrupted her, saying, "Dingxiang, in my heart, you have never been a servant. There is no need for such formalities between us. Besides, we are outside the palace now. Just call me by my name as before!"
Dingxiang smiled and said dismissively, "Your Highness, you are mistaken. A master is a master, and a servant is a servant. Today, we are different from before. Whether in the palace or outside, how can I continue to call Your Highness by your maiden name? That would be unreasonable."
“Dingxiang…” Yi Shangyun wanted to persuade her again.
Dingxiang interrupted her, saying, "Whether it was when we were in the Imperial Pharmacy seeking medical advice from Your Highness, or yesterday when Your Highness stood up for me in the palace, I will remember Your Highness's kindness for the rest of my life and will never let you down. Your Highness is the only person I truly respect in my life, and Your Highness deserves it."
Hearing these heartfelt words, Yi Shangyun held her hand with emotion and called her, "Dingxiang, my dear Dingxiang..."
Dingxiang smiled at him, then looked at the patients in the courtyard and continued, "Actually, it wasn't the palace that sent me here; it was I who volunteered to come."
"Did you volunteer to come here?" Yi Shangyun asked in surprise.
Dingxiang nodded and continued, "The people Your Highness saw were refugees from remote areas in the Northwest. A massive sandstorm this spring destroyed their homes, forcing them to flee eastward. However, half of them died on the way. Even those who made it here were so exhausted that they were barely recognizable as human. In addition, they contracted the plague along the way, and half of them were buried in the mountains behind the city!"
Upon hearing this, Yi Shangyun said indignantly, "With such a natural disaster, doesn't the imperial court care? Won't they send anyone to provide disaster relief?"
Dingxiang said, "The imperial treasury has been empty for a long time. I heard that even so, the emperor is still preparing for war. This is almost common knowledge in the palace!"
Yi Shangyun was extremely surprised: "So the Emperor is just going to let these disaster victims fend for themselves, completely disregarding their lives?"
"snort……"
Ding Xiangsui sneered and said, "The Emperor... he is no longer the heaven in the hearts of the people! Now the people are just waiting for the day when this heaven can be changed, so that they can still have some hope in their lives."
In an instant, Yi Shangyun's heart was filled with complex emotions.
Just then, a master approached and bowed to the two of them, saying, "Amitabha, female benefactor, the temple's medicinal herbs are almost used up. I would be grateful if you could find a way to replenish them, otherwise I'm afraid..."
Dingxiang returned the greeting and said, "I understand, I will think of a way."
After listening to the master's words, Yi Shangyun seemed to understand something and asked in confusion, "These medicines, could they be...?"
The master said, "These medicines were all brought to the temple by this female benefactor!"
Yi Shangyun looked at Dingxiang's extremely pale face and asked, "Where did you, a mere pharmacist in the Imperial Pharmacy, get the money to buy so much medicine? I see several hundred refugees around this temple, inside and out!"
Dingxiang smiled and said, "Speaking of which, Your Highness, you also deserve some credit for this."
"Me?" Yi Shangyun asked, puzzled.
Dingxiang said, "Does Your Highness still remember the rewards you received when you left the palace? Your Highness gave them all to me back then. Fortunately, I kept some with me, which saved me in an emergency and helped them!"
Dingxiang's kindness and magnanimity truly comforted Yi Shangyun.
She looked at Dingxiang's face with great satisfaction and said, "Dingxiang, don't be afraid, I'm here. From now on, I'll be with you!"
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