After listening to Dingxiang's words, Yi Shangyun fell into deep thought.
Unexpectedly, in this very space, she developed such a profound and passionate relationship with a complete stranger.
At this moment, she suddenly felt an urge to meet that person. What kind of man was he? Was he really as brave and powerful, as aloof and dignified as the rumors said?
But as soon as the thought crossed her mind, before she could even think about it further, she immediately suppressed it, telling herself, "No, besides Wei Mingxuan, I cannot, and will never, have room for anyone else in my heart! Absolutely not!"
After a while, Yi Shangyun finally calmed down and got back to the point, asking, "Dingxiang, so you also already knew that Emperor Jing still doesn't know my true identity? You're just afraid that if Emperor Jing finds out that I am the Princess Consort of Qin, the one who defied his wishes and led the desertification control efforts in Lu County, then the Qin Prince's Mansion and the Yi Mansion in the west of the city will suffer a catastrophic disaster. That's why you dare not call me Princess Consort in front of others, right?"
Dingxiang nodded seriously, but still didn't quite understand, saying, "The Imperial Physician once told me that when he first saw the unconscious Empress in the villa outside the palace, the eunuch in front of the Emperor actually asked him if he recognized the Empress. That's when the Imperial Physician had this suspicion. They knew that the person leading the desertification control efforts in Lu County was the Empress. According to the Emperor's temperament, even if she wasn't torn apart by five horses, she would certainly be beheaded as a warning to others. Yet, so far, no punishment has been handed down. I don't know what the Emperor's true feelings are for the Empress, so he asked me to temporarily join him in denying that we know the Empress."
After hearing Dingxiang's words, Yi Shangyun thought to himself, "Just as I thought!"
Originally, he had only guessed about all of this, but at this moment, Yi Shangyun finally understood.
He paused for a moment, then said, "It seems that Zhang Zhiyuan is not so blindly loyal after all."
Dingxiang recalled with a sigh, "Actually, Lord Zhang's change was entirely due to the influence of the Princess. Think about it, Lord Zhang has indeed changed a lot over the years since the Princess left the Imperial Pharmacy and the palace."
Yi Shangyun exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, really?"
Dingxiang nodded and poured her another cup of hot tea. She continued, "Your Highness, you may not know this, but ever since His Highness the Prince of Qin witnessed Your Highness being swallowed by that sandstorm right before his eyes in Lu County, he has been bedridden and unconscious."
Yi Shangyun seemed somewhat disbelieving and asked, "You said... he would... because of me... is everything you said true?"
Dingxiang nodded in affirmation and continued, "Even the legendary Physician Yue, who is said to be comparable to Hua Tuo in the Prince's mansion, was helpless. His Highness's breathing and pulse are fine, but he just can't wake up. When the Imperial Physician learned of this, knowing the deep affection between His Highness and the Princess, he guessed that His Highness was likely here because of an accident involving Your Highness. He even risked the execution of his entire clan to go to the Prince's mansion and tell the unconscious Prince Qin that Your Highness was still alive."
Unexpectedly, such earth-shattering and soul-stirring emotions truly exist in the human world. Dingxiang still seems unable to believe it: "I never imagined that His Highness the Prince of Qin would actually awaken."
As Yi Shangyun listened to Dingxiang's words, he couldn't help but fall into deep thought once again: "Am I really that important in the heart of King Qin, Xuanyuan Han?"
After a while, Dingxiang suddenly lowered her voice and leaned close to Yi Shangyun, asking, "Your Highness, what do you plan to do next? Right now, His Highness Prince Qin is frantically sending people everywhere to search for Your Highness! He must be very worried about Your Highness, and he certainly never imagined that Your Highness would fall into the Emperor's hands and be imprisoned in Changning Palace..."
Upon hearing this, Yi Shangyun let out a long sigh of relief, pulled himself out of his thoughts, and suddenly blurted out: "Dingxiang, to be honest, I already have someone I like, and I don't belong to your world!"
Upon hearing this, Dingxiang turned back, scratched her head, and asked in confusion, "Not belonging to...our world? What does Your Highness mean by that?"
After thinking about it, she realized that even if she spoke up, probably no one but Tuoba Hong would believe her.
After thinking for a moment, he said, "Don't worry, I have a way to save the Prince of Qin's mansion and the Yi family in the west of the city."
Dingxiang looked at the person in front of her with a puzzled expression and asked, "What does Your Majesty intend to do?"
At this moment, Yi Shangyun suddenly spoke up and asked, "Dingxiang, can you help me see my father, Pharmacist Yi?"
Upon hearing the mention of Pharmacist Yi, Dingxiang's face immediately fell. Seeing this, Yi Shangyun assumed she was unwilling to help him and hurriedly asked, "What's wrong? You won't help?"
Dingxiang shook her head vigorously and said, "The Pharmacist... he's been so preoccupied with finding the Empress that he's lost his appetite and always looks worried. It's heartbreaking to see him like that. I often see him deliberately keeping himself very busy. Even though he's quite old, he still insists on doing everything. I know he's trying to numb himself with work and not let himself be idle. But when he really has nothing to do, he just sits alone in a corner of the courtyard, lost in thought. A few times, I even saw him secretly wiping away tears, and it made me very sad."
Upon hearing this, Yi Shangyun felt a pang of sorrow in her heart.
At this moment, Dingxiang thought for a moment and said, "It seems that it is the Pharmacist's turn to be on duty tonight. How about this, I will bring Your Majesty the medicine to prevent miscarriage around dusk. Your Majesty can then wear my clothes. No one should recognize you!"
Upon hearing this, Yi Shangyun excitedly grasped Dingxiang's hand and quickly thanked her, saying, "What a wonderful idea! The light is poor at night, making it easy to get confused. Thank you so much, Dingxiang!"
Their eyes met.
And in another corner of Changning Palace.
Tuoba Hong sat on a stone bench in the pavilion in the middle of the lake. On the table in front of him was a pot of pink and blooming peonies, which he had planted himself and intended to give to Yi Shangyun.
Time flies, flowers bloom and fade, but the trials of love are the most difficult to overcome...
At that moment, he was holding a bowl of medicinal soup that Zhang Zhiyuan had just personally brought him. He examined it for a while and asked, "Is there any musk added to this medicinal soup?"
Zhang Zhiyuan explained, "Musk has excellent effects in opening the mind and refreshing the spirit, promoting blood circulation and regulating menstruation, and reducing swelling and relieving pain!"
Tuoba Hong thought to himself, "But musk is like poison to me. No wonder I've been feeling unwell lately. My frequent coughing must be caused by this."
Upon hearing this, Tuoba Hong suddenly curled the corners of his mouth into a smile, and then, just as he had done for many days in the past, he gulped it down in one go.
He then slowly said to Zhang Zhiyuan, "These days, I've really troubled the magistrate, who has personally come every day to urge me to take my medicine."
Zhang Zhiyuan couldn't help but feel uneasy about his actions, but in fact, Tuoba Hong's injuries had already been largely healed.
Although the prescription I gave him won't kill him, every medicine has its side effects, and long-term use will eventually harm his health.
So, with a hint of reluctance, he said, "I have long heard that the Second Prince of Beilie is a man of both literary and military prowess, handsome and dashing, and also kind-hearted and skilled in medicine. Today, seeing is believing, and it is indeed true. If the old King of Beilie had abdicated the throne to the Second Prince earlier, perhaps the fate of Beilie would not have been like this!"
After hearing this, Tuoba Hong smiled faintly and said, "I have never been interested in the struggle for power, so no one can do anything to me!"
Zhang Zhiyuan said, "Being indifferent to worldly affairs doesn't seem to suit the status of the Second Prince!"
After a moment of thought, Tuoba Hong spoke again: "Kings fight for the world, feudal lords fight for territory, officials fight for power, people fight for status, and commoners fight for food and clothing. Although what they fight for is different, it is all for their own selfish desires."
Zhang Zhiyuan said insightfully, "But this is just an instinctive action of people in their respective positions."
Recalling the past, Tuoba Hong still insisted on his opinion, saying: "The struggle between kings, princes and ministers causes chaos in the world, and the struggle between ordinary people makes people's hearts turn evil. It can be seen that selfish desires are the source of all evil. Only by being content and having few desires can there be no struggle. Only when there is no struggle can the world be free from chaos and evil. That is a beautiful world."
Zhang Zhiyuan disagreed, saying, "Second Prince, you are mistaken. If King Wen and King Wu had not fought for the throne from King Zhou of Yin, the people would still be struggling under tyranny. It is clear that as long as everyone's struggle is in accordance with propriety, the world will not be in turmoil. Since the Second Prince has such insight, he must be a man of extraordinary talent. So why have you given up the struggle?"
Suddenly realizing that Zhang Zhiyuan was deliberately provoking and testing him, Tuoba Hong immediately put his mind at ease.
He then admonished Zhang Zhiyuan: "As a physician, Your Excellency should take it upon yourself to heal the sick and save lives, and should not be concerned with matters of worldly contention."
Seeing that Tuoba Hong was indeed kind-hearted, Zhang Zhiyuan changed the subject and deliberately teased him: "A good man's ambition lies in all directions, but in my opinion, the Second Prince actually loves beauty more than the country..."
With a "snap".
Upon hearing this, Tuoba Hong slammed his hand heavily on the stone table in front of him and immediately rebuked him: "Judge Zhang, watch your words and don't spout nonsense here."
"Cough cough cough... cough cough cough..."
After saying that, he coughed heavily again.
"Second Prince, please don't get agitated!" Zhang Zhiyuan quickly poured him a cup of tea and handed it to him.
Unexpectedly, Tuoba Hong slapped him to the ground.
Zhang Zhiyuan thought to himself, "Tuoba Hong, you know this medicine is problematic, yet you still insist on taking it every day. Are you really willing to make such a great sacrifice for her? The Northern Lie Kingdom has always been a barbarian land, yet the Second Prince of Northern Lie is so devoted. I truly admire him!"
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