Xuanyuan Hao quickly turned to look at Yi Shangyun's face, secretly giving him a wink, implying that he didn't need to be polite and should speak up. However, he only saw Yi Shangyun glance at Zhang Zhiyuan outside the hall before speaking.
"Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince's recovery from smallpox is entirely due to the concerted efforts of everyone in Donghua Palace, especially Chief Physician Zhang. He devoted himself to researching and preparing effective medicines, which enabled His Highness to recover safely and quickly. Chief Physician Zhang is the one who deserves the most praise. This servant has merely fulfilled the duties of a servant."
Xuan Yuanhao was stunned and speechless. He couldn't believe that this woman would give up such a good opportunity so easily, especially to someone who had previously held a deep prejudice against him.
At this moment, Emperor Jing, after hearing Yi Shangyun's words, said, "Summon Zhang Zhiyuan to an audience."
"Your Majesty, I, Zhang Zhiyuan, pay my respects to Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor! Your Majesty, I have failed in my duty and beg Your Majesty to punish me," Zhang Zhiyuan said as he entered the hall and bowed.
"Zhang Zhiyuan, I should punish you for dereliction of duty today, but some say that you devoted yourself to researching and concocting effective medicines while the Crown Prince was ill, which allowed him to remain healthy. Therefore, I will spare your life for now. If you commit another offense in the future, your punishment will be more severe."
Emperor Jing glanced at Yi Shangyun and said to him. Only then did Zhang Zhiyuan realize that the person Emperor Jing was talking about who was so strongly protecting him was actually her. He felt ashamed and looked at Yi Shangyun's lowered face with an apologetic expression.
"The Empress has arrived! The Princess has arrived!"
Just then, the father-in-law's voice came from outside the door.
Xuanyuan Yue, supporting the Empress with both hands, strode hurriedly into the main hall of Donghua Palace. Upon entering, they bowed and said:
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects."
"Yue'er greets Father Emperor."
As soon as Emperor Jing finished speaking, Xuan Yuanhao hurriedly stepped forward and bowed, "Your subject greets Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, and asks if Your Majesty is well?"
"My son, get up quickly and let your mother take a good look at you!" The Empress was extremely anxious and almost ran all the way to Donghua Palace with Xuanyuan Yue.
The Empress pulled Xuan Yuanhao to his feet, her eyes brimming with tears as she cupped the handsome young man's face in her hands. She looked him over carefully, examining him from left to right, up to down, for a long while. Finding nothing amiss, she then lifted her sleeve and scrutinized his arm thoroughly, as if examining him closely. Finally, she pulled him into her embrace, tenderly stroking Xuan Yuanhao's head with one hand.
Xuanyuan Yue saw this and pouted as she slowly walked over and hugged the two of them. The three of them cried tears of joy and embraced each other.
"My poor son"
"Royal Brother"
"Empress Dowager"
"Royal Sister"
Yi Shangyun stood quietly to the side, her small lips pursed tightly as she smiled at the happy mother and her two children. She was so moved that her eyes filled with tears.
At this moment, Emperor Jing walked slowly towards the mother and her two children with his hands behind his back and said, "Alright, now that we've recovered, you should stay in the palace and stay by your mother's side. There's no need for you to travel around anymore."
After saying this, Emperor Jing walked out of the Donghua Palace's sleeping quarters, and everyone present bowed and saw him off.
"Your Majesty, I respectfully see you off."
Your son respectfully sees off Your Majesty.
Your son respectfully sees off Your Majesty.
"This old minister respectfully sees Your Majesty off."
"This servant respectfully sees His Majesty off."
As soon as Emperor Jing left, Xuanyuan Yue and Xuanyuan Hao hugged each other tightly and jumped up and down, saying, "Brother, this is wonderful! Father has finally granted you permission to never have to leave the palace again." The Empress looked at her two healthy and happy children and felt an indescribable joy and relief in her heart.
But what mattered most to her was that, after this bout of smallpox, Emperor Jing had actually kept Xuanyuan Hao by his side forever. Lost in thought, she couldn't help but turn back, gazing tenderly at Emperor Jing's departing figure, murmuring, "Your Majesty..."
"Yun'er, come here quickly," Xuan Yuan Yue suddenly called out softly, as she was still immersed in the warm family affection of others.
Upon hearing Xuan Yuan Yue's summons, Yi Shang Yun slowly walked over and said, "Yun'er greets Your Highness."
"Mother, Yue'er won!" As soon as Yi Shangyun walked over, Xuan Yuan Yue smiled at her and then turned to the Empress, saying with pride and arrogance.
The Empress smiled as she looked at the petite woman before her. She truly hadn't expected that Xuan Yuan Yue would actually win the bet, and win so beautifully that it was astonishing.
"Are you Yi Shangyun?" the Empress asked with a smile.
"This servant is a pharmacist from the Imperial Pharmacy, Yi Shangyun," she replied to the Empress with composure and humility.
"You served the Crown Prince well during his illness, and I will reward you handsomely. Princess Yue has already pleaded with me on your behalf..."
Just as the Empress was halfway through her sentence, Xuan Yuan Yue suddenly began coughing incessantly, "Cough...cough..."
Upon hearing this, the Empress looked at Xuan Yuan Yue with concern. Xuan Yuan Yue shook her head slightly and then continued the Empress's words, "Yun'er, I have already consulted with the Empress Dowager and decided that, with New Year's Eve approaching, you will be rewarded with a thousand taels of gold and granted permission to leave the palace early to go home for the New Year. Prepare well after you return, as you will be entering the Prince Qin's residence after the New Year."
The Empress was quite surprised to hear Xuan Yuan Yue's words, thinking to herself: This daughter is truly generous. Just a few days ago, she tricked this girl into giving her a ten-mile-long bridal procession, and today she's extorted a thousand taels of gold from her. However, as long as her son is safe and happy, what do these gold and silver amount to her?!
Just then, Xuanyuan Yue turned around and winked at the Empress with a mischievous grin, saying, "Mother, is what Yue'er said true?"
"Oh, no mistake, no mistake, what Yue'er said is indeed true," the Empress said with a helpless smile, but Yi Shangyun felt that the expressions of the mother and daughter were very strange.
"Enter the Prince of Qin's residence? Royal sister, why does Yun'er want to enter the Prince of Qin's residence after the New Year?" Xuan Yuanhao asked anxiously, puzzled by Xuan Yuanyue's words.
“Brother, you’ve just returned to the palace. This is a long story, and I’ll explain it to you slowly later.” It was indeed difficult for Xuan Yuan Yue to convey such a large amount of information to Xuan Yuan Hao in just a few words.
"Yun'er, you've worked hard these past few days. Go back and get some rest. After you've received your reward, leave the palace... Yun'er, you're free!" Xuan Yuan Yue said, looking at Yi Shang Yun with a face full of reluctance yet hope.
"Freedom?!..." Upon hearing this, Yi Shangyun lowered his eyes and sighed softly, then exhaled a deep breath.
“Oh...right…” Xuan Yuanhao suddenly spoke up, and he was seen gently taking off the seven-colored gold and jade bracelet from his wrist.
"Woman Yiyao, I, the Crown Prince, am returning this bracelet to you today as I kept my promise. Since it was a gift from an important person, you must not allow others to wear it so casually in the future. However, this bracelet is truly magical. It seems that it was because I wore it that all the smallpox spots on my body disappeared overnight. It is indeed a rare treasure, so you must take good care of it from now on."
As Xuanyuan Hao spoke, he handed the jade bracelet to Yi Shangyun.
Yi Shangyun slowly reached out and took the familiar jade bracelet from Xuan Yuanhao's hand. She stared at it for a long time without blinking, but her expression remained solemn.
She really doesn't know what meaning this bracelet still holds for her now.
If it truly possesses the powerful functions described by the foreign scientists before the transmigration, then why has it remained unused for so long to refine an antidote and remove the hemangioma from the original owner's face? Yet, it seems that Xuan Yuanhao's smallpox is inextricably linked to this bracelet.
Furthermore, if this bracelet loses its powerful function due to time travel, then its current existence is merely a memorial to Wei Mingxuan, which is even more meaningless, because she is clearly in the Western Qin Kingdom of the Lingkong Continent, and has no idea when she will return or how she can get back. She has no clue what to do.
"What treasure? What is so spiritual?" The Empress suddenly asked in a soft, curious voice as she stepped over, interrupting Yi Shangyun's thoughts.
“Your Majesty, it is not a treasure, nor does it possess any spiritual power. It was just something His Highness the Crown Prince liked and mentioned casually. It is merely an ordinary gold and jade bracelet. Please take a look, Your Majesty,” Yi Shangyun said, handing the bracelet to the Empress before her.
The Empress took the bracelet and elegantly held it between her fingers, examining it carefully for a long time before suddenly saying softly, "Seven-colored gold-threaded jade bracelet... This bracelet... I feel like I've seen it somewhere before?"
The Empress pondered for a long time but could not recall it. Perhaps it was because too much time had passed and she could not remember it for a while, so she had no choice but to return it to its rightful owner.
"Oh dear...Mother...Yun'er has been taking care of the Emperor for more than half a month, she must be exhausted. Why don't you let her go down and get some rest?" At this moment, Xuan Yuan Yue came up to help Yi Shang Yun out of the predicament.
"Yun'er, go quickly," Xuan Yuan Yue said, giving a quick wink to send Yun'er away, not wanting anyone to bother her anymore. Her leg injury from last time was still not healed, and she had been tormented by Xuan Yuan Hao's smallpox for more than half a month. She needed to rest properly now.
Yi Shangyun obeyed and withdrew from the main hall. As soon as she stepped out of the gate of Donghua Palace, Zhang Zhiyuan, the chief physician of the Imperial Medical Academy, walked towards her.
This time, he no longer glared at Yi Shangyun, but instead approached her with a polite and refined demeanor, saying, "Miss Yi, please wait."
Upon hearing this, Yi Shangyun gradually stopped in his tracks. He stepped forward clearly and said, "Yi Yao Nu is so magnanimous. She disregarded past grievances and pleaded for my life before the Emperor. I am truly unworthy of such kindness."
Yi Shangyun was indeed somewhat surprised by his drastic change in attitude, but still maintained a serious expression and said to him, "As a key minister of the Imperial Medical Academy of the Western Qin Dynasty, have you ever heard the saying, 'Human life is of utmost importance, as precious as a thousand pieces of gold; saving a life is a virtue surpassing even that's true'?"
"Woman Yiyao, it's all my fault for being careless and negligent," Zhang Zhiyuan said, seemingly filled with regret.
Yi Shangyun snorted coldly, "Hmph, this servant still maintains my original statement: a doctor's heart is benevolent. I hope Imperial Physician Zhang will behave himself in the future."
She had barely finished speaking when she hurriedly walked away. Watching her small, slender figure disappear into the distance, Zhang Zhiyuan couldn't help but sigh inwardly...
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