No! No way! Absolutely not!
A tremendous, almost desperate force propelled her to lift her head abruptly. She gripped You Ye's arm tightly, her nails digging almost into his flesh. Her voice was hoarse and broken, filled with a desperate plea: "Where is His Highness? His Highness! I need to see His Highness! Save him! Save my brother!" At that moment, her mind was blank. Her only thought was to find Xiao Xun, the only lifeline she could cling to in her subconscious, the only thing that might turn the tide!
"Your Highness... Your Highness just received the military report and went to the Ministry of War! At this moment... at this moment, it is probably being mobilized..." You Ye had not finished speaking.
"Take me there!" Xin Jiuwei, with a strength she didn't know she possessed, suddenly pushed away Xin Kui's support and struggled to get off the bed! The sharp pain in her chest made her vision blur, and cold sweat instantly soaked through her clothes, but she didn't care about anything else, her eyes filled with only a frantic obsession! "Take me to the Ministry of War! I want to see His Highness! Now! Immediately!"
“Miss! You can’t go! Your health…” Xin Kui cried as she tried to stop her.
"Get out of the way!" Xin Jiuwei shouted sharply, her voice as shrill as the cry of a dying crane. She pushed Xin Kui aside, staggered as she tried to rush out, but her body was as weak as a candle in the wind, and she fell heavily forward after only two steps!
A pair of strong arms caught her falling body promptly and steadily.
It is Xiao Xun.
He was already standing at the entrance of the warm pavilion, unnoticed. He was still dressed in the black prince's casual robes, travel-worn, his face bearing the exhaustion of a sleepless night and a deep, chilling aura, as if he had just returned from a battlefield of iron and blood. His gaze, like a cold pool, swept over You Ye, over the panicked Xin Kui, and finally landed on Xin Jiuwei's pale, tear-streaked, and despairing face in his arms.
Xin Jiuwei, as if grasping at the last straw, clutched Xiao Xun's clothes tightly with her other hand, tilted her head back, and tears streamed down her face like broken beads. Her voice was broken beyond recognition: "Your Highness! My brother... my brother... save him! Please... save him! Save my brother!" All dignity and restraint vanished in the face of the fear of her loved one's death, leaving only the most humble and helpless plea.
Xiao Xun looked down at her. The despair and fear in her eyes were so clear and so intense, like a wounded and dying little beast, piercing his frozen heart. He could clearly feel the violent trembling of her body and the force of her fingers gripping his clothes, a force that seemed to dig into his very bones.
He didn't answer immediately. His deep eyes were like the sea before a storm, churning with turbulent waves. The urgent report from the North struck his heart like a cold iron whip. Xin Yunzhou's serious injury was not only related to the battle situation, but also to... the life and death of the woman in his arms who had just experienced revenge and was exhausted!
He tightened his arms around her, supporting her swaying body. His voice was low and hoarse, yet it carried a strange power that pierced through the fog of despair, clearly reaching Xin Jiuwei's ears and echoing in the deathly silent warm room:
"Xin Jiuwei, listen up."
"Your brother, Xin Yunzhou, was hit by three arrows, one of which pierced his chest. It was extremely dangerous, as it deviated three points from his heart meridian."
"The army medical officer has removed the arrow and cleaned the wound, and used the best wound medicine and ginseng soup to keep him alive."
"I have ordered Imperial Physician Lin to immediately select two imperial physicians who are proficient in treating external injuries and poisons, and who carry the royal family's secret medicines and life-extending ginseng pills. They will be escorted by Qin Lang and the most elite Xuanjia guards, traveling 800 li by urgent means, rushing to Black Stone Ridge day and night!"
"Order the post stations along the way to prepare fast horses and arrive within three days at all costs!"
"Xin Yunzhou is a valiant general under my command, a pillar of the nation guarding Black Stone Ridge!"
"I want him alive!"
"He won't die!"
"He won't die!"
These five words, resolute and unwavering, with an unquestionable, mountain-like certainty and power, crashed into Xin Jiuwei's heart, which was filled with despair and fear! Like a thunderclap tearing through the darkness, it instantly cleaved through the suffocating gloom!
Xin Jiuwei abruptly raised her head, tears still clinging to her eyelashes, staring at Xiao Xun in disbelief. His face, so close to hers, remained stern, his brows furrowed with an inescapable weariness and gravity, but in those deep eyes burned a resolute light, almost domineering, that commanded everything! It wasn't comforting, nor was it perfunctory; it was the most solemn promise a prince wielding immense power made to his generals, to the lives of his closest comrades!
“Your Highness…” Xin Jiuwei’s voice trembled, carrying a sense of vulnerability as if she had survived a catastrophe and a sliver of disbelief and hope.
"I keep my word." Xiao Xun's voice was deep and resonant, yet every word carried immense weight. He raised his hand, his calloused, slightly cool fingertips naturally yet with an undeniable force, wiping away the cold tears from her cheek. The gesture wasn't deliberately gentle, but it possessed a strange, comforting power. "Crying won't solve anything. Xin Yunzhou is waiting for you to pull yourself together, and the soldiers in the Northern Border are waiting for supplies."
He helped Xin Jiuwei back onto the soft couch. His movements weren't gentle, but they were exceptionally steady. He turned to You Ye and Lin Wanyi, who were still stunned by this unexpected turn of events, his voice regaining its usual coldness and efficiency:
"Youye, pass down the order to allocate three more cartloads of the finest hemostatic medicine, strong liquor, and warm furs to be escorted to the northern border along with the imperial physicians! The necessary funds and provisions will be drawn directly from my private treasury, without going through the Ministry of Revenue's procedures!"
"Lin Wanyi, you personally go to the pharmacy and prepare the medicinal herbs according to this list, ensuring that the imperial physicians are fully prepared before they depart! Also, all the precious tonics in the manor should be given priority to Miss Xin to help her recover as quickly as possible!"
A series of orders were issued again, clear and unambiguous.
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