Chapter 366 Willing to marry the princess, even as a male concubine
Half a month later, the people who were injured in the war to quell the rebellion had almost fully recovered.
Several thousand of the barbarians died, and their vacated houses and fields were temporarily used to house refugees.
They had previously seized the local people's land, but the government decided to return it to the people.
As Yun Zhaoxue walked along the road, the people all bowed and greeted her.
"This humble subject pays respects to the Princess."
She helped the elderly woman up, saying, "Madam, there's no need for such formalities, please get up."
"Princess, you have shown me great kindness by giving me a second life. You have provided me with free porridge, free medical consultations, and free medicine. Please accept my bow!"
Passersby on the road, upon hearing the words "Princess," hurried over to greet her with bows and salutations, saying, "Quickly, quickly, go and pay your respects to the Princess."
The people looked at Yun Zhaoxue with excitement, "This humble subject greets the Princess, this humble subject greets the Princess..."
Good deeds are rewarded... The princess is righteous and courageous, a woman who is no less capable than any man..."
"The princess is a role model for all of us women; we should all learn from her..."
A scholar stepped forward to speak on behalf of the people, "Princess, you led us to defeat the rebels, which saved us from being slaughtered. You are our savior in Panyu County. Please accept our bow!"
"It's all what I should do. Please get up. Defeating the enemy is the achievement of all the people in our county. If you want to thank someone, thank yourselves."
Yun Zhaoxue told them to get up, and then suddenly bowed to them.
The people were puzzled and frightened by what they saw. "Princess, this is not right, this is not right, please get up quickly."
"Yes, Princess, we cannot accept such a generous gift from you."
"You deserve it. In times of crisis, it was you who stood up to resist the foreign enemies and defeated or drove them away. Thank you all!"
She couldn't stay idle at home for a few days, so she came out to inspect the shops.
This is a good opportunity to make up for that dinner party that was abruptly interrupted.
Dozens of doctors from the city were invited to the banquet, partly to fulfill a promise, and partly to conduct a medical academic exchange.
Lingnan is a land of miasma, where malaria, hemorrhoids, or even a cold from a mosquito bite can be fatal.
Hua Murong developed a prescription for treating malaria and, taking advantage of today's banquet, taught the method to the doctors in Panyu County, who would then pass it on to more people.
They also needed to learn about suturing techniques. The people had learned about suturing techniques from books, but they had no practical experience with them.
Until that day, I witnessed Yun Zhaoxue and Hua Murong using this method to save many seriously injured patients.
Those who were injured were almost on the verge of death, but they were all saved.
Everyone surrounded Hua Murong, asking for his advice.
Hua Murong's throat was dry from talking. When he saw Yun Zhaoxue arrive, it was like seeing a savior. His eyes lit up, and he reached out to her, "Girl, help me..."
Yun Zhaoxue discovered that there were not only doctors, but also many unrelated people.
Li Rui, Lu Zheng, Lu Wenzhong...
They weren't interested in medicine; they just came to join in the fun.
Lu Zheng was stabbed by Yun Zhaoxue in the backyard of the Pu family, and then taken to fight at the city gate. His wound reopened, and Yun Zhaoxue saved him again. Today, he came to express his gratitude.
Lu Wenzhong, admiring her chivalrous spirit, came over to join in the fun.
Li Rui came over to thank her for saving his father.
When he saw Yun Zhaoxue coming over, he was the first to greet her and said, "Princess, you're really not being fair. I helped you write the prescription that evening, and you still owe me a meal. You didn't even invite me."
"This wasn't organized by me; my second brother was in charge. The main purpose was to invite the doctors over for a medical exchange. We planned to hold another small banquet to make up for the last one. Since Young Master Li is here, let's hold it together."
"Oh, then can we not count this time?"
"Since we're already here, what do you say?"
Lu Wenzhong rushed over and pushed Li Rui aside, saying, "Lu Wenzhong greets the heroine, Princess."
"Brother Lu."
Hearing her address him, Lu Wenzhong felt flattered and quickly waved his hand, saying, "You call me Brother Lu? That's not right."
She was a royal princess, while he was just a commoner.
When Yun Zhaoxue arrived, everyone gathered around her, but because of the difference between men and women, they dared not get too close and asked her about relevant medical knowledge from a distance.
Zhao Jiu and the other waiters who were helping out at the restaurant brought the food out from the kitchen. "Esteemed doctors, the food is ready."
“Teaching can wait, everyone sit down and eat first, I’m starving.” Pei Huaiji squeezed through and pulled Yun Zhaoxue to sit down in the main seat.
Those doctors were the clinic's living advertisements. Here, they were like novice apprentices, humbly seeking knowledge and even forgetting to eat.
After the meal, Yun Zhaoxue and Hua Murong took turns teaching, one teaching suturing, mainly applying it to the treatment of wounds such as surgical knife and sword wounds, fractures with skin and flesh lacerations, focusing on three aspects: debridement, suturing, and bandaging.
After briefly explaining several suturing methods, the focus will be on disinfection.
People in this era did not pay much attention to disinfection. Before surgery, they would usually heat the wound with fire or soak it in alcohol, or they would not even take the first two steps, which led to wound infection and a very high mortality rate.
"The main reason for the festering and ulceration of the wound is infection by microorganisms that are invisible to the naked eye, which is commonly known as 'dampness and toxins.' Therefore, we need to heat the wound with fire or disinfect the equipment with alcohol before performing surgery or using needles..."
She has developed a disinfectant liquor that can be made using existing technology in this era.
These are conclusions she reached through repeated experiments and research.
The doctor below was like a child sitting in a classroom listening to the teacher's lecture, frantically taking notes, but still unable to keep up with her speaking speed.
"Princess, may I ask which book you learned these methods from? May I borrow it so that we can copy it down and pass it on to our descendants?"
"I don't have any books on me. When I get back, I will organize the contents into a book and record it for everyone to copy and borrow."
"Thank you, Princess. You are selfless and teach us for free. You are the second most skilled doctor in the world."
The number one divine physician is Hua Murong.
Malaria has been a problem that has plagued Lingnan for many years. Northerners turn pale at the mention of it, and because of this concern, they dare not go south to do business.
Hua Murong has been researching treatment methods for the past few days, and has finally figured them out, curing more than ten patients.
There happened to be a doctor in the restaurant who suffered from malaria for many years. He could only stabilize his condition by taking medicine all year round, but it could not cure him.
Hua Murong volunteered to use him as a demonstration for acupuncture.
There were so many people in Lingnan that he couldn't save them all, so he decided to teach this treatment method to other doctors.
Xiao Mingshu went to the kitchen to cook a medicinal soup for treating malaria.
Hua Murong inserted silver needles into his Fengchi and Dazhui acupoints, and gently twirled the needles.
After drinking a bowl of herbal medicine, the doctor broke out in a light sweat and felt refreshed.
"It works, it works so well! Thank you so much, doctor! It's a blessing for us and for the people of Lingnan to have two such doctors."
"You misspoke. From now on, Lingnan will depend on you. We are only here temporarily and will not stay for long."
Lu Wenzhong looked reluctant to part with her. "Princess, are you leaving Lingnan so soon?"
Li Rui and Lu Zheng were also looking at her.
Yun Zhaoxue said, "I will leave, but the time is uncertain, maybe this year or maybe next year."
She planned to travel north before the Lunar New Year, but deliberately didn't give an exact date, fearing her whereabouts would be exposed and she would be in danger on the road.
Lu Zheng clutched his chest.
Li Rui, who was at the same table as him, glanced at him sideways and asked curiously, "Hey~ is your chest bothering you? Or are you reluctant to let her go? Do you have improper thoughts about her?"
The last sentence is an affirmative statement.
Lu Zheng's dark, handsome face flushed slightly, but it wasn't noticeable unless you looked closely. "You're the one who has it."
Li Rui didn't deny it, shrugging and saying, "Yes, I took a liking to her the first time she came to my house, and I even had the audacity to say that I wanted to take her as my concubine..."
Before he could finish speaking, Lu Zheng gave him a cold glance.
Li Rui glared back defiantly, "What are you glaring at me for? I haven't finished yet. She cured my father, but I was punished by my father with family discipline. I still have the whip marks on my back."
"After I learned about her identity and abilities, I knew I was not good enough for her. She was already married and had two children. If only the princess could take a husband, otherwise I would really be willing to marry her, even as a male concubine."
"Save your breath, you're nowhere near as good as her husband."
He had seen Xiao Xuance in person. Even when he was down on his luck and working in the fields, dressed in coarse linen clothes, his noble temperament and unparalleled appearance could not be concealed.
Regardless of his family background and battlefield achievements, the couple were evenly matched and a perfect match.
Trying to undermine someone is simply overestimating one's own abilities.
"Although I may not be as good as Prince Xiao, he is still young and beautiful."
Lu Zheng had some affection for Yun Zhaoxue, but he felt more admiration and respect for her.
He was self-aware, so he could only keep that admiration to himself.
Li Rui also had it, but he dared to show it, unfortunately he was destined to get no response.
...
Zhao Xuan's entourage heading north to Lin'an is about to arrive at Hongzhou. After passing Hongzhou, it will take another half a month to reach Lin'an.
They encountered several assassination attempts along the way, but thanks to Xiao Xuance, the group was not completely wiped out.
However, most of the city defense soldiers who escorted them north were killed or wounded; those who were buried on the spot or left to recover were left with only half of them.
After traveling for most of the day, we were still more than ten miles away from Hongzhou.
Rest for half an hour on the spot, then continue on your way.
Traveling by car or horse was much easier than when they were exiled south.
Xiao Xuance walked to a stream not far away and sat down on a protruding rock.
He took out a light blue handkerchief from his bosom, embroidered with irises. He carefully unwrapped it, revealing a love knot made of their hair.
This is a love knot made by Yun Zhaoxue from the hair of the two of them the night before he left, symbolizing eternal love and unwavering affection.
A few days ago, he sent a letter to Lingnan. Judging by the time, it should have reached Yun Zhaoxue by now.
Whenever he had a spare moment, he would take it out and look at it, but when he was on the go, he would put it back in his pocket.
Gu Huai and Lu Xiao, who had followed him north, caught two fish in a stream and grilled them nearby.
In the wild, we ate dry rations for every meal. Only when we got to the city could we have a hot meal. We could eat our next meal in Hongzhou. This time, we just had grilled fish to tide us over.
A group of people huddled together, flipping the wooden sticks in their hands to grill the fish on the other side, whispering among themselves, "The young master is thinking about his wife again, staring at that handkerchief every day."
They mostly stayed in the shadows, only knowing that the two had an incredibly close relationship.
Gu Huai said, "It's not just every day, it's almost three times a day. I estimate that he'll check it once more before going to bed at night. He checks it more often than he eats."
Lu Xiao grinned and chuckled, "If I had a wife as beautiful as the Crown Princess and two adorable sons, I wouldn't want to give them up either. I just want a wife, kids, and a warm bed. I wouldn't even want to fight a war."
Gu Huai sighed again, "Even heroes can't resist the charms of a beautiful woman, and even someone like the Crown Prince is no exception."
He was young and didn't understand love between men and women. He only wanted to reclaim lost territory and avenge his family and fallen brothers.
"You don't understand. How can this be called vulgar? This is called a hero matching a beauty. The Crown Prince's wife is the most beautiful woman in the capital. She was just about to marry our Crown Prince. Although Wanyan Zonglie, that bastard, is not a very good person, he is second only to the Crown Prince in terms of fighting skills. He is also still obsessed with the most beautiful woman, Princess Zhaoxue."
Do you know what a man's three greatest pursuits are?
Gu Huai replied, "Cultivate oneself, regulate one's family, and bring peace to the world!"
Lu Xiao looked at him with disdain, his eyes seeming to say: I knew it.
"Wrong! Those are all lies made up by scholars and officials to deceive people. The three great pursuits of men are to be ennobled and appointed as prime ministers, to have a fortune, and to be surrounded by beautiful women. Once you have the first two, you will pursue the third. You don't have the first two yet, so of course you don't understand the third."
Those intellectuals were all greedy and selfish, lining their own pockets and imposing one set of dogmas after another to restrict others.
All they did was seek peace, negotiate, sign agreements, and pay tribute to enemy countries, which was a disgrace to their ancestors. When had their ancestors ever been so humiliated?
"...As if you have it."
Others teased Lu Xiao, saying, "He can spout off one lie after another. He really made up a story. His time at the brothel wasn't a waste."
Before the fish was even cooked, the sound of clashing weapons came from the woods—clang! clang!
While Zhao Xuan and his group were resting in the woods, a group of black men suddenly rushed down from the mountain, surrounded them, and started slashing at them with knives.
Zhang Jun led his men in a fierce battle against the men in black, but those men in black were highly skilled in martial arts, each move deadly and ruthless. Ordinary soldiers were no match for them and were struggling to cope. Some of the men in black even broke through their defenses.
Upon hearing the sounds of fighting, Xiao Xuance hurriedly tucked his handkerchief into his robes, grabbed the spear beside him, and plunged into the forest to rescue the people.
Yun Jiaoyue, Liu Yiyi, Su Wan'er, and the other women screamed in fright, "Ahhh!!"
"Guards! There's an assassin! Protect the emperor!"
"Clang!" Zhao Xuan raised his sword to block, and the two were locked in a stalemate for a moment.
Zhao Xuan's innate superhuman strength prevailed, and he forcefully pushed his opponent away.
The moment the other person staggered.
With a flick of his wrist, he slashed the other man's neck with a knife.
Then two more men in black attacked, and he struggled to fight them both.
He was kicked to the ground by the man in black.
The women screamed in terror, "Ah! Your Highness..."
The man in black lunged at Zhao Xuan, who was lying on the ground, and brandished his knife to finish him off.
"Whoosh!" A sound of air being torn apart arrived!
A long spear flew with tremendous force, piercing the black-clad man's waist and abdomen with a "thud," pinning him firmly to the tree trunk behind him.
A dark figure landed mid-air, grasped the gun barrel, and pulled it out. The spear, dripping with blood and flesh, was pulled out, and the figure spun and landed, blocking the black-clad assassin and Zhao Xuan.
The spear tip swept from left to right with the force of a thunderbolt.
The man in black who wanted to step forward was intimidated by his imposing manner and dared not approach.
The leader of the men in black rushed over and ordered them, "Kill him!"
Lu Xiao leaped down the hillside, his heavy iron hammer, weighing dozens of kilograms, flying out and smashing into several men in black, causing them to vomit blood, which splattered onto Yun Jiaoyue's face.
"Ah!" She was both scared and disgusted.
Lu Xiao picked up the iron hammer from the ground, walked to Xiao Xuance's side, and assumed a fighting stance.
"You scoundrels! Don't think that just because your faces are covered, your grandpa won't recognize you. Your pathetic skills have already given you away. With your grandpa here, you won't get away with this!"
"Arrogant and conceited!"
The commander blew a whistle, and the men in black around him surged toward them.
With a swift stroke of his silver spear, Xiao Xuance slit the throats of three men in black, then swept two more men in black away in a backhand motion, sending them flying with a "bang!"
"puff!"
Suddenly a whistle rang out, and the men in black quickly retreated, withdrawing from the fight. Then, countless arrows flew towards them.
Xiao Xuance used his spear to knock away several arrows, then pushed Zhao Xuan and the others behind the carriage, using the carriage as cover to block the rain of arrows.
People around also flocked to this side.
Others were terrified, running in all directions screaming, "Aaaaaah!!!"
"Help! I don't want to die, waaaaah..."
Xiao Xuance, with his men providing cover, pushed them to the back of the carriage to hide.
"Ah!" Li Yuying was shot in the leg. Because of her pregnancy, her body was heavy and she fell to the ground, unable to move. She crawled on the ground towards the carriage and reached out to Yun Yanzhe, "Husband, save me."
Yun Yanzhe remained silent. He was unarmed; how could he possibly save him?
Besides, he was more than happy that Li Yuying was dead, and that child was most likely not his.
She was seven months pregnant but had the belly of an eight-month-old baby. He secretly asked the doctor, who said it wasn't twins, but only one child, so there was only one possibility that the child wasn't his.
Li Yuying was his disgrace; it would be better if she died. If she died, he would go to Lin'an and become the emperor's brother-in-law, with fame, fortune, and beautiful women at his fingertips.
Hearing her daughter's pleading voice, Madam Li said, "Aze, son-in-law, they are your wife and children. You can't just stand by and watch them die!"
Yun Yanzhe said, "I am a scholar, and I am powerless. Not only can I not save him, but I will also get myself killed."
"Then have King Xuan send men to rescue them, quickly!"
He remained unmoved.
In a moment of desperation, Madam Li rushed out herself, and an arrow whizzed past her eyes.
She was so frightened that her legs went weak and she fell down, while an ammunition pierced her arm. "Ahhh!!! It hurts, it hurts so much, I'm going to die."
Xiao Xuance reached out and grabbed the back of her collar, pulling her back.
"Young Master Xiao, I beg you, please help me save my daughter."
"It's too far away there, we can't save them."
The rain of arrows stopped after a short while. Li Yuying was lucky and didn't die, but she was in trouble with her pregnancy, her water broke, and she bled a lot.
"Ah! It hurts so much, ah, it hurts so much, help me, I'm going into labor..."
There were only doctors in the group, no midwives, so they had to send the person into the city to find a midwife to help with the delivery.
Miraculously, both mother and child are safe and sound.
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