Meanwhile, Emperor Yuanhe was already waiting in the Golden Palace.
Along with Emperor Yuanhe, the officials of the court were also waiting.
The eunuch who was to deliver the imperial edict was waiting at the city gate early in the morning with Emperor Yuanhe's decree.
It takes about half an hour to get back to the city from the mosque, and another half hour from the city gate to the palace. Before entering the palace, Yu Nanqing will personally escort Su Wanyan back to the Prince's Mansion.
After this roundabout journey, by the time Yu Nanqing brought Xiao Chensheng to the Golden Palace, almost an hour had passed.
Emperor Yuanhe had been holding back his anger for a long time, not to mention his dissatisfaction with Yu Nanqing these past few days. So when Yu Nanqing entered the main hall, he saw Emperor Yuanhe with a dark face and the atmosphere in the hall was extremely tense.
The entire hall was filled with a sense of oppression.
Xiao Chensheng followed behind Yu Nanqing. He was over thirty years old and this was the first time he had seen the face of the Emperor of the Great Jin Dynasty.
Yu Nanqing stepped forward and gave a standing salute: "Your subject greets Your Majesty."
Before Emperor Yuanhe could speak, he had already accepted the gifts and stepped aside, giving up the central position in the hall.
Xiao Chensheng then stepped forward, lifted his robe, and knelt down with a gentle smile on his face: "This humble subject, Xiao Chensheng, pays his respects to Your Majesty."
Emperor Yuanhe frowned as he looked at the person kneeling in the center of the hall, his face full of doubt.
The person before him was deathly pale, with unusually long limbs and bluish lips. Combined with his long robe, he exuded an indescribable sense of strangeness.
"Are you the Valley Master of Hundred Nether Valley that my Third Prince mentioned?" Emperor Yuanhe asked.
"It is I."
Xiao Chensheng's smile was so bright that it became an eyesore to Emperor Yuanhe.
It was completely out of place with the oppressive atmosphere in the main hall.
Emperor Yuanhe's eyes darkened slightly, his gaze revealing a hint of majesty as he probed: "I heard that you cured my third brother's leg ailment, but why have I never heard of it?"
“The Hundred Ghost Valley has always been a secluded place, rarely visited by ordinary people. Moreover, as the Valley Master, I have many enemies, so I naturally have to keep a low profile,” Xiao Chensheng said with a smile.
Emperor Yuanhe expressed doubt about Xiao Chensheng's statement. He had investigated the people who entered and left Prince Gong's Mansion, whether they were open or secret, and none of them had seen such a person.
However, he could not openly admit that he had sent people to monitor Yu Nanqing.
He took a deep breath and raised his hand: "Please stand up and speak."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Xiao Chensheng gave another bright smile, lifted his robe, and stood up.
For some reason, Emperor Yuanhe felt very uncomfortable looking at his smile, but he couldn't show it, so he could only frown and suppress his discomfort, and asked, "Do you know the purpose of your visit?"
Xiao Chensheng glanced at Yu Nanqing and chuckled, "His Highness only asked me to come to the capital, but he hasn't told me what it's about yet."
"My younger sister was accidentally injured during the spring hunt this year, and her injuries are serious. I am extremely anxious. I have heard that the Valley Master of Baiyou Valley is a highly skilled physician, known in the martial arts world as a divine healer. He even cured my third brother's intractable illness. That is why I asked my third brother to invite you here, hoping that the Valley Master can take a look at the Princess. I wonder if there is anything inconvenient for the Valley Master?"
He emphasized the last sentence, as if warning Xiao Chensheng that he had no choice but to accept the matter.
He certainly wouldn't say that all the imperial physicians in the Imperial Hospital were helpless; wouldn't that be a slap in the face to the imperial court?
"Since it is the Emperor's decree, how could I possibly disobey?" Xiao Chensheng said with a smile.
People in high positions of power are different; even when they're asking for a favor, they speak in a commanding tone.
The martial arts world and the imperial court have always been separate entities, each minding their own business. However, there is also a saying that all land under heaven belongs to the emperor.
Xiao Chensheng was furious. He had only met an emperor once in his half-life, and the first thing he did was issue a warning. He thought he might as well just take a drastic measure and kill them all.
Of course, it's just a thought.
Offending the royal family could mean being hunted down for life.
This reminded Xiao Chensheng of Su Wanyan. Although she swore and cursed when she spoke, she always got straight to the point. She neither flattered nor acted superior. Even though the two of them had the upper hand, she would still negotiate with him.
In comparison, wow, talking to that little girl was so comfortable.
Before he could even process it, Emperor Yuanhe had already stood up from his dragon throne and said in a deep voice, "There is no time to lose, prepare to depart for the Princess's residence!"
Eunuch Liu immediately stepped forward, waving his whisk and shouting, "Let's go! To the Princess's residence!"
Inside the main courtyard of the Princess's residence at this time.
The princess lay on the bed, her body and face covered in burn ointment, her neck and wrists wrapped in bandages, staring out the window with a look of utter despair.
More than a month has passed since the Spring Hunt, and the burns on her body no longer hurt as much. However, the burn scars just won't heal, winding and clinging to her body, looking incredibly hideous.
Fortunately, the princess was only flicked by the flames; if she had been actually burned, the situation would have been much more serious.
She had struggled to run to the mirror and looked at her ugly face. Rather than live on in this world, she would rather be gone.
Su He served her at the bedside, applied the medicine, and then lowered the bed curtains.
Throughout the entire process, the princess remained like a wooden figure, her eyes filled with a deathly aura, devoid of any light.
It wasn't until Su He spoke up and called out, "Prince Consort."
A glimmer of light suddenly flashed in the princess's lifeless eyes. She slowly turned around and, through the gauze curtain, saw a tall, slender figure walking slowly into the doorway, backlit by the light.
Su He was still holding the medicine cup in his hand. He exchanged a glance with Si Yang before lowering his eyes and bowing.
Si Yang nodded slightly, and Su He bowed again and withdrew.
Si Yang lifted the bed curtains and saw that the princess had already closed her eyes and was asleep.
Si Yang glanced at her but showed no intention of lingering. He lowered the curtain and turned to leave, but his clothes were gently tugged at. Turning around, he saw that the princess had opened her eyes at some point and was weakly pulling at his clothes with her wrist.
Then, as if all her strength had been exhausted, her hands hung limply at the edge of the bed.
Since Si Yang saved Yu Tingyi, apart from the initial period when she couldn't accept it, she has become increasingly dependent on Si Yang in the days that followed.
Yu Tingyi probably never imagined that she, who had always looked down on and tormented Si Yang, would be the one who was willing to rush into the hunting grounds to save her in the end.
Why?
She seemed to not understand, yet she also seemed to understand.
She wanted to ask him in person, but now she couldn't utter a single word or say a single sentence.
Si Yang's expression remained calm, without much change. He bent down slightly and placed the princess's hand, which was hanging over the edge of the bed, onto the bed. Because she had just applied medicine to her body, she could not cover herself with a blanket at this time.
Just then, a voice rang out from outside the door: "The Emperor has arrived!"
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