"Are you scared when you see these scars on my body?"
Jin Jinzhi curled her lips into a smile, but couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
[It still scared her.]
Yun Duoduo shook her head.
"It's not that I'm scared. I run a small clinic and have seen and treated many wounds, but I've never seen anyone like Brother Jinzhi with so many scars before."
"Does it hurt?"
Jin Jinzhi had been in the northern frontier since childhood, leading the Zhenbei Army against the Northern Liang army. Later, he continued to lead troops into battle and fight against assassins. No one ever asked him if he was in pain.
At this moment, facing Yun Duoduo's gentle words and caring eyes, he felt a warm current surge into his heart.
“These areas are completely healed, but there are still scars.”
Yun Duoduo's fingertips gently touched the long scar on Jin Jin's waist and abdomen.
Jin Jinzhi gasped in surprise at the action, and grasped Yun Duoduo's hand: "I'm used to it."
Yun Duoduo felt his body tremble slightly.
"Yes, it is getting a bit chilly. Let me treat your wound and then you can put on your outer robe quickly."
She withdrew her hand from his grasp, took gauze from the medicine box, and quickly re-bandaged his wound.
"alright!"
The wound has stopped bleeding and will scab over in a few days.
"This little injury is nothing," Jin Jinzhi said with a smile, having regained her composure.
He took Yun Duoduo's coat from the shelf and handed it to her to put on.
"Let's go back to the palace."
It was already bright outside, and the horse tied to the tree was grazing on the grass at its feet.
Jin Jin untied the horse's rope, leaped onto the horse, and then reached out to pull Yun Duoduo onto the horse as well. The horse galloped towards the south gate.
...
After a long and arduous journey, we finally returned to the Nanyang Imperial Palace.
Xiao Jinyu, Xue Deyi, and Sun Huohuo had already returned to the capital after their great victory in Nanyang.
Xiao Jinyu has a post in the Imperial Guard and cannot be delayed for too long. Xue Deyi has a post as the garrison commander of the capital, and Sun Huohuo also needs to manage the Ministry of War with his father.
The main force has already returned to the capital, and a portion of the Zhenbei Army has also returned to the northern frontier. Today, only Jin Jinzhi's small group of men entered the palace.
The horse galloped all the way, passing through the south gate and turning through several streets and alleys, until it arrived at the palace.
The guards at the palace gate saw Jin Jinzhi and Yun Duoduo from afar and murmured in disbelief, "Is that the Prince of Jibei and the Ninth Princess?"
As the group drew closer, the guards confirmed that the newcomers were indeed the Prince of Jibei and the Ninth Princess.
The guards exclaimed with delight, "Princess Ninth! Princess Ninth and Prince Jibei are back!"
After the nearby guards confirmed that Jin Jinzhi and Yun Duoduo were safe and sound, they rushed to the Golden Palace to report to Yun Beiye.
Yun Beiye was listening to the ministers report on their work when he heard that Yun Duoduo had returned. He was so happy that he immediately stood up from the dragon throne.
Zhao Zhongquan always understood Yun Beiye's thoughts, and he shouted loudly, "If you have something to say, speak up; otherwise, the court is dismissed!"
Before he could finish speaking, Yun Beiye had already happily strode away from the Golden Palace.
He held onto his gleaming golden imperial crown and ran towards the palace gate.
The palace eunuchs and maids stared in disbelief at Yun Beiye's running figure. They had never seen His Majesty behave so rudely before. They were all turned around and made to face the wall in repentance, forbidden from peeking at the Emperor's face.
"Duoduo!"
Yun Beiye shouted as he rushed toward the palace gate.
Upon hearing the news, Ah Xiang, Granny Liu, and Xiao Liuzi, who were inside Fu Shuang Palace, also rushed to the palace gate.
"Father!"
When Yun Duoduo saw the bright yellow color in front of her, she rushed over and hugged Yun Beiye.
"Oh, Duoduo is finally back! It's so good to see her back!"
Yun Beiye looked at Yun Duoduo and made her spin around in front of him again to make sure she wasn't hurt before he felt relieved.
"Look at you, you're such a mess! You're not allowed to sneak out by yourself again!"
"Yes, Father!"
Yun Beiye was very happy to see his daughter. She seemed to have lost weight this time, unlike before when she was a bit chubby, and she was much prettier.
[As expected of my daughter, Yun Beiye! She dared to go to Western Chu alone to confront the King of Western Chu, and she left without hesitation. Such a free spirit, just like mine!]
"Go and see your royal grandmother!"
"Your grandmother eats vegetarian food and chants Buddhist prayers every day, hoping for your safe return!"
"Yes! I'll go see my grandmother right away!"
Yun Duoduo lifted her leg to walk towards Shouchang Palace, but turned her head and saw Ah Xiang and Xiao Liuzi standing at the foot of the wall with red and swollen eyes.
"Princess! You're finally back!" Ah Xiang stepped forward and took Yun Duoduo's hand.
"We servants were so worried!" Xiao Liuzi said, his voice trembling with tears.
Yun Duoduo frowned as she looked at Xiao Liuzi, who had huge dark circles under his eyes. "What happened? How did you end up looking like this?"
Xiao Liu rubbed his messy hair, his face full of guilt, "This servant is worried about the princess, and can't eat or sleep."
"It's all my fault! I should have stayed by the princess's side to protect her!"
Looking at Yun Duoduo's tattered clothes, he felt that he himself had failed in his duty.
"Sigh, if you went, who knows who would be protecting whom?!"
"It's alright."
Ah Xiang sobbed, looking at Yun Duoduo, who was covered in soot and had lost a lot of weight, and felt very sad and heartbroken.
[This time when the princess returns, we must ensure she is well-fed and plump to reflect her noble bearing!]
"Aunt Xiang, I'm perfectly fine!"
"I was filthy, but what could I do? We've been living a life of hardship, sleeping in the open and rushing to escape, so how could I possibly find clean clothes?"
"Quickly, come back to Fushuang Palace with me to change my clothes, then I have to hurry to see my grandmother."
Ah Xiang and Xiao Liu helped Yun Duoduo walk inside. "Why are your eyes so swollen, like steamed buns?"
"I'm not dead yet!"
Yun Duoduo laughed and scolded, "You're crying like a ghost."
"This servant believes that the princess went to Western Chu and married the king of Western Chu, and may never return."
"This servant will never see the princess again in this lifetime!"
"You servant, you too!"
The thought of never seeing Yun Duoduo again brought back the heartache they felt, and they wiped away their tears and cried.
"Alright, don't worry, even if I get married, I'll definitely marry someone from Nanyang!"
"Really?!"
"That's wonderful!"
Jin Jinzhi was talking to Yun Beiye when he watched Yun Duoduo's departing figure and heard what she said.
[Married to a man from Nanyang...]
He curled the corners of his lips into a slight smile; he happened to be from Nanyang.
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