Just as Yi Shangyun was worrying that even if she wanted to find a carriage, she would have to go to the market far from the palace, she had already stepped out of the palace gates in the blink of an eye.
"Finally out of the palace," she murmured with a smile as she stepped out. Then she stopped, gently closed her still beautiful phoenix eyes, slowly raised her chin, and took a deep breath of the infinitely free air outside the palace.
Then she crossed her arms and stretched them high above her head, forcefully pulling her entire body up, her face held high. Facing the blue sky above, she even twisted her slender waist to the left and then to the back twice, looking quite relaxed and carefree.
After a brief moment of self-indulgence, I seemed to have regained my composure and adjusted my mindset. So I slowly withdrew from my position, but when I lowered my eyes and looked straight ahead again, I was startled by the person in front of me.
She couldn't help but exclaim, "Third Young Master... what brings you here?"
Indeed, the tall and imposing man standing before him, with those all-too-familiar peach blossom eyes and wearing a strikingly red cloak, was none other than Yi Junhao, the Third Young Master Yi.
Yi Shangyun immediately looked around, but saw no one else. She lowered her eyes, looking quite suspicious, and muttered to herself, "Could he have come specifically to pick me up?"
Just then, Young Master Yi walked towards her with a smile from afar, saying, "Little girl, don't look anymore. Your third brother has come here today specifically to take you home."
Yi Shangyun's eyes widened in surprise. "Pick me up?... But... how did you know I would be leaving the palace today?"
She was unaware that as soon as Yi Junhao heard Zisu's report that Yi Shangyun would be released from the palace that day, he couldn't wait for Zisu to finish her report and rushed to the palace. He was determined to be the first person to come and welcome her maid who had regained her freedom.
As soon as he reached Yi Shangyun, he stared at her intently, as if trying to imprint her image in his mind forever. Yi Shangyun, however, was still wondering why he was here at this moment.
After a moment, Yi Junhao said to Yi Shangyun with concern, "Girl, although you are in the deep palace, your third brother is always concerned about your affairs. Girl... you've lost weight."
Upon hearing this, Yi Shangyun laughed heartily and said, "No way! Look at him, he's so fat he can barely walk!"
Upon hearing this, Yi Junhao hurriedly said, "Let's go... let's go home."
As he spoke, he reached out and pulled Yi Shangyun up, then strode off quickly. However, Yi Shangyun's legs were already out of control and could not be pulled up and moved quickly by him.
Yi Junhao seemed to realize the unusual leg shape on his clothes, so he hurriedly turned around and asked, "Girl, what happened to your leg?"
"Oh...it's nothing, my legs are just a little sore from walking all the way from the Imperial Pharmacy," Yi Shangyun replied evasively.
However, Yi Junhao still noticed something amiss. He quickly reversed the hand that was holding Yi Shangyun and directly touched the pulse on Yi Shangyun's wrist. After a moment, he exclaimed in surprise, "Such severe cold poison? Who could have done this?"
Yi Shangyun quickly withdrew her hand and hid it behind her back, stammering, "I just caught a chill in the cold winter, it's really nothing, I'll be fine after some rest."
Who is Yi Junhao? It's likely that there's no one else in the entire Lingkong Continent with more advanced medical skills than him. How could he possibly believe the stammering lies of this girl before him? Even if she didn't tell him, he would find out the truth himself.
After a moment's thought, he suddenly stepped forward and swept Yi Shangyun up in his arms. Yi Shangyun was shocked by his actions and cried out, "Third Young Master... what are you doing... put me down right now... put me down quickly... Third Young Master..."
However, Yi Junhao ignored her screams no matter how desperately she tried to shout, and carried her all the way to the carriage. After struggling and stumbling into the carriage, Yi Shangyun's heart was pounding wildly, and her face was flushed.
At this moment, everything that happened before her eyes, including the unrestrained and alluring actions she made as soon as she stepped out of the palace gate, was seen without missing a single detail by Xuan Yuanhan, who had been waiting for her on the other side of the palace gate.
Seeing Yi Junhao's offensive behavior towards Yi Shangyun, he frowned, his eyes flashing with an extremely cold light as he stared at the two of them, his fists clenched tightly, and he even gritted his teeth.
"Your Highness..." Cheng Liang saw that he wanted to say something, but was stopped by Xuan Yuanhan's stern voice.
Xuanyuan Han said coldly, "Return to the manor."
He rushed from the Qin Prince's Mansion in the east of the city with great joy to welcome Yi Shangyun out of the palace, only to be beaten to it by that lecherous man once again.
At this moment, he tried his best to suppress his anger, lifted the hem of his robe, stepped into the luxurious carriage, sat down, and then closed his chilling eyes slightly. He suddenly asked, "Have you found out what his background is?"
Cheng Liang, who was driving the carriage outside, was momentarily stunned. He quickly replied, "I have investigated carefully and can only confirm that he is not from Western Qin, but a merchant from Nan'an Kingdom who makes a living in the pharmaceutical industry. His specific identity in Nan'an Kingdom is unknown."
"Have someone keep a close eye on him; this person is definitely not simple," Xuan Yuanhan instructed Cheng Liang meaningfully.
"Yes, Your subordinate obeys." Cheng Liang also felt that this person's identity was too mysterious.
Then, however, he asked with particular caution, "Your Highness...should we also send more people to keep an eye on the Yi family, in case he has any designs on Yi Yaonu?"
"No need," Xuan Yuanhan said to Cheng Liang with his eyes closed, "Since she has already made a promise to me, I believe she knows what she's doing."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Liang could only obey his master's orders and dispel his concerns. He had always greatly admired his master's wisdom and resourcefulness.
At this moment, he only hoped that the ugly girl wouldn't disappoint her master.
......
"The weather is nice today. It seems that even the weather has improved since Third Brother's daughter came back," Yi Junhao said, sitting outside the carriage and driving with a rather pleasant expression.
Yi Shangyun gently lifted the car curtain. Outside, the sun was setting, and just as it was about to disappear below the horizon, a colorful cloud had appeared on the horizon, its glow mingling with the sun's afterglow, creating a hazy, simple yet beautiful painting. Such a beautiful scene was indeed a rare treat in winter.
Yi Shangyun responded to Yi Junhao, "I hope the next few days will have good weather. The New Year is in two days, so people can have a proper celebration."
New Year's Eve...the New Year...every festive season makes one miss their loved ones even more, and as he spoke, Yi Shangyun fell into a tinge of melancholy.
A moment later, she said very earnestly to Yi Junhao, who was driving, "Third Young Master, thank you."
"Here we go again... You're never allowed to say those two words to Third Brother again. Girl, everything Third Brother has done for you is entirely of his own free will, and he doesn't need any reward or gratitude from you. As long as you don't refuse Third Brother, that's enough." Yi Junhao said to Yi Shangyun behind him, his eyes slightly tilted back, his face full of seriousness.
"Third Young Master, Yun'er isn't worth you doing this. Maybe one day you'll find that Yun'er isn't as good as you think. In Yun'er's heart, there's already..." Yi Shangyun was about to say that her heart only belonged to Wei Mingxuan, and there was no way a second person could ever enter it.
Just then, Yi Junhao quickly interrupted her, saying, "Little girl, no matter what, you will always be the kindest girl in your third brother's heart. And even if this fate is wrong, I will always be your third brother, right?"
Yi Shangyun listened with tears welling up in her eyes, nodding frantically at Yi Junhao. Yi Junhao also smiled back at her with a calm heart. What else could he do for her but smile and suppress his disappointment? Unbeknownst to him, he had suddenly realized that she had become the greatest helplessness in his life.
Yi Shangyun slowly lowered the curtain, returned to the carriage, sat upright, gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and composed herself.
Yi Junhao then said, "Girl, it's New Year's Eve in two days. Your third brother is all alone. How about keeping your third brother company on New Year's Eve?"
"Staying up all night on New Year's Eve, but I..." Yi Shangyun hesitated, seemingly troubled.
"Is it inconvenient?" Yi Junhao asked hurriedly.
"No, it's not inconvenient at all... it's just... Yun'er agrees." Yi Shangyun stammered, but finally bit her lip and agreed because she couldn't bear to see Yi Junhao's disappointed expression.
"Okay, then it's settled. Third Brother will send someone to your residence to pick you up then," Yi Junhao said happily. Yi Shangyun, on the other hand, looked worried. She was only concerned about her serious leg ailment and was even more afraid that Yi Junhao would see it and keep asking her about the reason.
Are these legs really going to be ruined?
Lost in thought, she once again took out the seven-colored gold and jade bracelet from her sleeve and examined it carefully. Suddenly, the scene from that day at Donghua Palace flashed before her eyes.
"Then it's settled. Once I recover, I will repay you double," Crown Prince Xuanyuan Hao said playfully yet sincerely as he slipped the jade bracelet onto his wrist.
The next morning, the smallpox spots on Xuanyuan Hao's face disappeared without a trace, as if they had never been there.
So many things have happened recently, all of them so suddenly. Only then did the busy Yi Shangyun remember her gold and jade bracelet.
Smallpox has never been cured without a trace since ancient times, so it's obvious that Xuanyuan Hao's miraculous recovery was due to wearing her bracelet. She certainly didn't think, like Xuanyuan Hao, that this golden jade bracelet was... a vessel for the essence of heaven and earth, containing the spirit of all things in the universe, capable of curing diseases and ailments.
"Could it be..." Yi Shangyun's eyes widened as she stared at the gold and jade bracelet, then she gripped it tightly with her other hand, sat cross-legged, closed her eyes, held her breath, and focused all her attention on it once again.
She believed that the jade bracelet's ability to heal the freckles on Xuan Yuanhao's face proved it had regained its powerful functions, which meant it could surely remove the tumor on her face and perhaps even cure her leg ailment. She could no longer contain her excitement, eagerly anticipating this exhilarating moment.
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