"By the way, I must thank the gentleman who treated Xiaomi's injuries in person."
As Jinlan spoke, she held Xiaomi in one arm and lifted her skirt with the other, walking straight back into the courtyard.
Upon seeing this, Qiaolan quickly stepped forward and blocked his way, saying, "Oh, sister, you don't know this, but this young master is a friend of His Highness the Third Prince. So, helping His Highness and sharing his burdens is his duty. Sister, you don't need to be so polite."
However, Jinlan disagreed, insisting, "Sister Qiaolan, you are mistaken. Since he is a distinguished guest invited by His Highness the Third Prince, I should thank him in person. That way, it won't seem like our Ladyship has failed to discipline her servants properly, and it won't be impolite!"
After Jinlan finished speaking, she bypassed Qiaolan's obstruction once again and continued forward.
Qiaolan and Qiaohui exchanged a quick glance, then quickly followed and each took one arm to lift Jinlan up. Qiaohui said, "Uh, Jinlan sister, Jinlan sister, no need, really no need! We will definitely convey your gratitude to you."
Qiaolan nodded in agreement.
However, Jinlan frowned, utterly puzzled by their actions, and asked in bewilderment, "What are you two girls doing, sneaking around like that?"
He paused, as if he had suddenly guessed something, and looked up at the old but still solemn and dignified vermilion gate in front of him, and then glanced at the unusual arrangement around him that was completely different from usual.
He asked, "Wasn't this courtyard supposed to have been abandoned for many years? Why would His Highness the Third Prince suddenly send two of your trusted confidants here to serve, and why are there so many guards surrounding it?"
For a moment, both Qiaolan and Qiaohui were speechless when asked the question.
Seeing this, Jinlan became increasingly uneasy and continued to ask, "I ask you, who exactly is the guest that His Highness the Third Prince invited? Why is he so important and mysterious that even I cannot meet him?"
"That guest, that guest, he, he..." Qiaohui panicked and stammered. She was extremely guilty and felt that she might blurt out the truth at any moment. She was terrified.
Fortunately, Qiaolan still retained a sliver of composure. She bit her lip and said, "Sister Jinlan, you don't know this, but that guest has a very difficult and eccentric temperament. He doesn't like to see people, whether it's day or night, so he has always kept his door closed to guests. It's not that we deliberately prevented you from seeing him. So, please don't overthink it. We sisters will definitely thank him properly on your behalf."
"Is that really true? You're not lying to me?" Jinlan stared into their eyes, half-believing and half-doubting.
"No, no," the two sisters said in unison.
"But why do I keep feeling... like I've vaguely sensed a familiar aura, something I've seen before? Who is he? Who is he...?"
Just as Jinlan was still unwilling to give up and looked around the courtyard with great curiosity, trying to get more information and preparing to speak again, she suddenly heard the hurried footsteps of a palace maid behind her.
Upon seeing Jinlan's retreating figure, the palace maid cried out anxiously, "Sister Jinlan, Sister Jinlan, we've searched everywhere, but we haven't found a trace of Xiaomi! The little prince is crying even harder now, what should we do?"
Seeing this, Qiaolan quickly urged, "Alright, alright, my dear sister, there's no need for 'buts.' The young prince's situation is more important, sister, you should hurry back to the palace to avoid causing Her Majesty any trouble..."
Jinlan then looked at the now extremely quiet Xiaomi in her arms and said helplessly, "Alright, then I'll have to trouble you two sisters. I'll come to thank you in person another day."
"Alright, alright, go on, go on..." Qiaolan and Qiaohui pushed and shoved, urging the suspicious Jinlan to leave.
Watching her receding figure, the two sisters hurriedly wiped the cold sweat from their foreheads and finally breathed a long sigh of relief. Qiaohui said, "Thank God, she's finally gone."
But Qiaolan remained worried and said, "I'm afraid she's not so easy to deal with!"
Go out and walk east along the long corridor. After about a few courtyards, you will reach Xuan Yuan Yue's bedroom.
At this moment, Xuanyuan Yue was holding her beloved son in her arms, gently patting his soft little body while pacing back and forth in the bedroom, swaying him gently.
No matter what, the child just kept crying and making a fuss, and even his voice seemed to have become a little hoarse.
"Hai'er, don't cry, Hai'er, don't cry, let's not cry..."
As she spoke, something seemed to come to mind, and her eyes suddenly welled up with tears, which fell drop by drop onto the baby's swaddling clothes.
All the palace maids and nannies around him had been helpless in dealing with this, and could only stay by his side waiting to be ordered around at any time.
But as soon as she shed tears, comforting voices kept coming: "Princess, please rest! Let us servants take your turn. The hundred days haven't even passed yet, Princess, you must take care of your health!"
No matter what they said or did, Xuan Yuan Yue seemed not to hear them at all.
As the saying goes, "a mother and child are of one heart," and at times like these, the torment she endures is no less than that of her child!
Seeing this, the old nanny standing nearby felt extremely distressed and hurriedly asked the maid beside her, "Has anyone been sent to invite His Highness the Third Prince?"
The maidservant frowned and replied, "Reporting to you, Madam, we have already sent someone to invite him, but... no one knows where the Third Prince is."
Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuan Yue closed her eyes in disappointment, as if she was trying her best to suppress her emotions.
"Why is the little prince crying and restless like this? Have you found Xiaomi yet?" the nanny asked again.
Everyone in the hall lowered their heads helplessly and shook their heads.
"This...sigh!" The old nanny sighed helplessly.
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the door, accompanied by a clear voice saying, "Coming, coming, Your Highness..."
Upon hearing this, everyone looked in the direction of the sound.
Seeing that it was Jinlan rushing in from outside in a panic, she exclaimed as soon as she stepped over the threshold, "Princess, Princess, look what this is!"
Xuan Yuan Yue immediately glanced towards the door and saw Jin Lan holding a snow-white little creature in her outstretched hands. Upon seeing that familiar figure, she was so excited that she almost burst into tears and said, "You really found Xiaomi!"
Jinlan smiled and nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, yes...Found it! Found it! Xiaomi's still here, it's back!"
"What are you standing there for! Hurry up and bring it to His Highness!" Xuan Yuan Yue said excitedly.
"Oh..." Jinlan ran quickly to the mother and son who were on the verge of collapse.
At this moment, Xuanyuan Yue finally sat down.
She gently lifted the child in her arms, and Jinlan then stepped forward and placed Xiaomi's body on the large table in the hall.
Xuanyuan Yue reached out and gently touched the child's lips with a tender finger, saying with a loving expression, "Hai'er, don't cry, look what this is?"
"Meow, meow, meow..." In an instant, the kitten seemed to be full of intelligence, and at just the right time, it let out a series of continuous meows.
Upon hearing this, the child finally stopped crying and became quiet.
At this point, the hearts that had been hanging in suspense for so long finally settled back into their own bellies, and everyone breathed a long sigh of relief.
As night fell, the child finally drifted into a sweet dream.
Xuanyuan Yue gently stroked the little head with one hand, gazing tenderly at the tiny body before her, marveling at the immense, heart-wrenching power it could unleash.
I wonder what kind of man he will become when he grows up?
"When water is full, it means it is about to overflow; when the moon is fullest, it means it is about to wane; when power is at its peak, it also means that it has reached its limit and will inevitably decline."
As Xuanyuan Yue pondered, she murmured, "Hai'er, all your mother hopes for is that you will be happy and joyful for the rest of your life, that's all!"
Just as she was lost in thought, Jinlan quietly entered with a purple cloak, approached her and gently draped it over her shoulders, saying with concern, "It's getting windy, Princess, please take care of yourself!"
Xuanyuan Yue tightened her cloak, turned to smile at her, looked deeply into her face, and said earnestly, "Jinlan, thank you! Thank you for finding Xiaomi for me and Hai'er. Without Xiaomi, Hai'er and I don't know how long our lives would have been..."
Jinlan smiled at him, then looked at the child's chubby, adorable pink face on the couch, his long eyelashes, and the kitten beside him, who was also lazily closing its eyes for a nap. She said, "The little prince has finally fallen asleep. It seems that the little kitten that our Prince Qin gave us is quite effective!"
After speaking, her eyes returned to Xuan Yuan Yue, her expression suddenly becoming serious. She said, "Princess, why should you thank me? From the first day I followed you in the Western Qin Palace, I swore that I would belong to you in life and in death. Your affairs are my affairs. Therefore, please never say 'thank you' to me. I... cannot bear it."
“Jinlan…” Upon hearing this, Xuanyuan Yue was deeply moved.
Jinlan pursed her lips, thought for a moment, and said, "However, there is one person whom the princess should really thank. If it weren't for his timely help in detoxifying Xiaomi today, Xiaomi would probably have died from the poison and would no longer exist!"
"Oh? Who is he? Have you seen him before?" Xuan Yuan Yue asked anxiously, puzzled.
Jinlan said, "Actually, I still haven't been able to meet my benefactor in person. I only know that he is a young master, and a mysterious guest invited by our Third Prince. He is currently living in the courtyard in our backyard that has been abandoned for many years."
"Your Highness's mysterious guest?" Xuan Yuan Yue seemed to immediately become interested in him.
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