As he walked out of the clinic, Tuoba Ze suddenly stopped, his hands behind his back. He paused, his gaze lingering, as if he had remembered something.
In the blink of an eye, they arrived directly in front of Pearl's tent.
Hesitating for a moment, he was about to speak.
Just then, Pearl came out carrying a bundle in one hand and a basket in the other.
He was overjoyed to see that Tuoba Ze had come to his tent at night for the first time.
So he hurried over to greet him: "Why is the Crown Prince here so late?"
Seeing the bundle and basket in her hands, Tuoba Ze asked, "Are you... planning to go out?"
As soon as Zhu'er realized it, Tuoba Ze's gaze was fixed on the basket in her hand.
As soon as he realized what was happening, he quickly hid the objects behind his back.
Then, she hurriedly explained, "Oh, it's nothing really. I heard that Atu's mother gave birth to another baby boy for Atu, and I was just thinking of sending some food and baby clothes over. I'm sure the Crown Prince knows that Atu's father passed away not long ago, and now there's one less man in the family. Their situation wasn't good to begin with, and now with this little one, things are even worse..."
Seeing that Tuoba Ze seemed to be deep in thought, Zhu'er quickly invited, "By the way, it's cold outside, Your Highness, please come into the tent and talk."
"You mean... Atu's mother gave birth to a posthumous child? When did this happen? How come I've never heard Atu mention it before?"
Tuoba Ze listened and asked in surprise.
As Zhu'er lifted the curtain for him, she said, "I heard that she was born a few days ago. The First Prince is always busy with affairs, so Atu would not tell you such trivial matters and disturb your peace."
At first, Tuoba Ze didn't actually intend to go in; he just wanted to call Zhu'er out and say a few words before leaving.
Perhaps out of consideration for her years of service, or perhaps because he suddenly realized that he had been neglecting the people around him, he went inside.
After entering, Pearl placed the basket and bundle she was carrying in a corner.
"Please, Your Highness, make yourself at home!"
Then, she walked to the other side, thinking of pouring Tuoba Ze a cup of hot tea.
However, Tuoba Ze did not sit down, but said, "This prince will be leaving first thing tomorrow morning!"
Upon hearing this, Pearl's hands, along with her rapidly beating heart, suddenly paused.
However, the joy on his face vanished in an instant, and he asked somewhat cautiously, "In a little over a month, it will be the end of the year. Can't the Crown Prince wait until after the New Year to leave?"
"No!" Tuoba Ze naturally didn't need to explain to a mere maid.
He then said to himself, "Go to the clinic later. She's not feeling well right now. Pack her things. I'll take her away first thing tomorrow morning."
After so many years of longing, and not knowing where the courage came from tonight, Zhu'er actually mustered up the courage to hand over the teacup in her hand and ask, "Your Highness, this time, could you please take Zhu'er with you?"
Clearly, Tuoba Ze was also completely taken aback by her bold move, although he was not unaware of Zhu'er's feelings for him.
So he stared into her eyes and said, "You know, I have never liked having women around me."
Since things had come to this, Zhu'er decided to go all out and became even bolder, asking, "Then why is it that Miss Yi can?"
Tuoba Ze still refused to explain to her, saying only, "She is different from ordinary women; she is of assistance to this prince."
"But Pearl can help you too!"
Pearl muttered to herself silently.
Finally, gritting his teeth, he changed his approach and said, "Miss Yi is currently too weak and needs someone to take good care of her. Why don't you bring Zhu'er along, Your Highness, to help take care of her health? Is that alright?"
Upon hearing this, Tuoba Ze realized that he indeed did not know how to take care of a new mother.
In addition, there's the very annoying Young Master Yi traveling with him, who will definitely stick to Yi Shangyun's left and right.
If Zhu'er were with Yi Shangyun, Young Master Yi would definitely be more cautious and restrained, so he agreed to her request: "Alright, then you can come along too!"
Pearl said happily, "Thank you, Your Highness."
Tuoba Ze, however, warned her sternly: "But you must remember, do not have thoughts you shouldn't have, and do things you shouldn't do. She is my woman, and you cannot touch her. Otherwise, I will never forgive you."
Pearl was actually burning with jealousy, but for now she could only reply, "Yes, this servant will always remember her duty and will never do anything out of line."
Tuoba Ze didn't even drink a sip of tea before leaving the house.
Before leaving, he took out a five-hundred-tael silver note from his pocket and instructed Zhu'er, "Give this silver note to Atu's mother on my behalf. Since Atu is the only capable man left in her family, he can stay behind and doesn't need to come along this time."
Zhu'er clutched the silver notes left by Tuoba Ze tightly. Seeing how Tuoba Ze had changed so much, she stood in the eye of the storm, her heart unable to calm down for a long time.
"The eldest prince has really changed!"
He stared longingly at her retreating figure for a long, long time before finally putting away the silver notes and putting them in his pocket. He then picked up the basket and bundle again and hurried out the door.
Soon, she arrived at the home of a reclusive herder who looked extremely ordinary, even somewhat simple.
Upon entering, one is greeted by the dim light of a candle.
Beside a woman, a little girl who looked to be about two years old was fast asleep.
The woman was lifting the corner of her clothes to breastfeed a baby who looked to have just been born.
As soon as the woman saw Zhu'er enter, she lowered her voice and said politely, "Zhu'er, you've come!"
As Zhu'er put down what she was holding, she looked around and asked, "Has Atu not come back yet?"
Upon hearing this, the woman immediately began to curse, "That brat, I don't know what he did to offend the First Prince recently. Ever since he scolded me a few days ago, he's been in a terrible temper at home. I wonder where he's run off to now?"
Zhu'er glanced at the child, and seeing how much the woman liked the child, she thanked her, "Thank you so much, Auntie!"
The woman was indeed overjoyed, gazing intently at the baby's face, and said with a loving expression, "Auntie, you're not tired at all. This child is exceptionally well-born. Look at his eyebrows, his forehead, and his ears... In our grasslands, we have never seen such a naturally elegant and noble little prince."
The woman liked it more and more as she looked at it, but upon reflection, she found herself quite puzzled.
So she asked Zhu'er, "Your aunt is asking you a question, and you must tell me the truth. Where did you find this child? Are you sure no one wants her?"
Upon hearing this, Zhu'er immediately looked around and said, "He was so heartlessly abandoned in the freezing cold right after he was born. How could anyone want him? Luckily, Atu's sister is still breastfeeding. Otherwise, he would probably just be waiting to die."
The woman was skeptical of Pearl's words, muttering to herself, "Strange, I've had the doctor examine her several times. This child is extraordinary, very strong, and has no hidden illnesses. How could such a good child be unwanted?"
But Pearl insisted on saying so, as if she had no other choice.
Just as the woman hesitated, Zhu'er suddenly reached out, trying to snatch the child back: "Since you don't believe me, then I'll give this child to someone else."
Upon seeing this, the woman quickly hugged the child tightly to protect him, saying, "No, no, no, Auntie wants him. Auntie didn't say she didn't want this child. Auntie is just afraid that the child's parents will be anxious when they find out the child is missing."
In fact, Zhu'er was drawn to Atu's family because they were one of the few herder families living alone on the grassland.
Normally, apart from Atu, the woman had almost no contact with outsiders.
In this way, one's plan will never be easily discovered.
After confirming the woman's feelings, Zhu'er took out the silver notes she had on her person and solemnly handed them to the woman.
He instructed her, "I will be leaving with the First Prince early tomorrow morning. This is what the First Prince asked me to give to you, Aunt. Please renovate this place properly, since there is another child in the family now, and this place is obviously too small."
The woman opened the silver note in her hand and her eyes widened in astonishment: "Five hundred taels!"
Startled, she hurriedly pushed it back, refusing repeatedly.
"No, no, no..."
"This is too much, I absolutely cannot accept it."
"Fortunately, the Crown Prince has not abandoned me and has been able to keep Atu by my side to train me all these years. I am already extremely grateful. How could I possibly accept his money?"
"No, no, no..."
"This is absolutely unacceptable..."
Pearl handed over the silver note again: "Auntie, you must take it. Consider it money for raising this child!"
Upon hearing this, the woman exclaimed in surprise, "This...you mean, the eldest prince also knows about the child?"
Zhu'er paused, nodded, and said, "Keep it. You know the First Prince's temper."
The woman could only slowly accept it, saying, "Alright then, please be sure to thank the Crown Prince for me."
Zhu'er smiled and then said, "There's just one thing: since you've taken this child in, you must take good care of him and make sure nothing goes wrong. This child will be very useful in the future."
The woman said confidently, "You can rest assured, I will treat him like my own child and won't let him suffer in the slightest."
At this point, both of them turned their gaze to the sleeping baby.
Zhu'er reached out and stroked the baby's round face, saying, "Look how destined he is to be with his aunt. He sleeps so peacefully in his aunt's arms."
Meanwhile, in the Cloud Clinic on the other side.
"I never expected that everything would be resolved so quickly, something I never knew how to bring up with him before!"
"I just don't know what happened that made him suddenly so eager to go to Western Qin?"
After Tuoba Ze left, Yi Shangyun pondered and murmured to himself.
Thinking that this departure might make it difficult to return to the grasslands in the future.
This parting may very well be for life.
Perhaps, before leaving, she should say goodbye to someone properly one last time.
So he slowly got up and went out alone.
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