The eldest princess dismissed everyone, sat down by the bed, and took Ling Yunzhou's hand.
"Yunzhou, we made vows of eternal love, shared countless romantic moments under the moon and flowers—have you forgotten them all? You promised to return and marry me after winning the battle!" the Princess said emotionally. "Yunzhou, you gave your wife five thousand taels of silver, which she voluntarily relinquished; you two are even now. You still owe me your ten-year promise. When you wake up, shall we get married?"
Oh no, who wants to marry you?
Ling Yunzhou inwardly screamed, believing the princess was spouting nonsense; he had never made any pact with her under the moon. However, his body was too weak; if he got up now, he worried the princess might force herself on him!
He was getting anxious; how was he going to escape the clutches of the princess if things continued like this?
Fortunately, the princess wasn't always by Ling Yunzhou's side, but there were always maids guarding the room. Ling Yunzhou's subtle movements went unnoticed by the maids, which allowed him to catch his breath.
He knew the Princess's residence inside and out, but he was too weak to go out without someone to help him.
The opportunity that Lingyunzhou had been waiting for soon arrived. In the afternoon, the Emperor and Prince Rui came to visit Lingyunzhou.
The eldest princess brought Ling Yunzhou to her residence; everyone knows what she's up to.
“Your Majesty, it is truly inappropriate for the Grand General to be staying at the Princess’s residence. In my opinion, it would be better for him to go to Prince Rui’s residence than to stay here at the Princess’s residence.” Prince Rui said frankly. Everyone knew about the Princess’s past relationship with Ling Yunzhou, but the two of them had no relationship anymore, so it was not suitable.
Emperor Zhao Zhe smiled without saying a word. The eldest princess's thoughts were obvious. She was shameless. He felt helpless, but also a little envious. His elder sister could be so bold and reckless, but he couldn't.
"My sister is worried that the General is left unattended at the General's residence. Let's go and see how he is doing. I can't lose such a great general!" Zhao Zhe said jokingly.
"Your Majesty, Prince Rui!" The eldest princess greeted Zhao Zhe and Prince Rui with gentle grace.
"How is General Ling?" Zhao Zhe asked.
"Imperial Physician Ke still cannot determine why General Ling is in a deep sleep. I have a suggestion, and I wonder if Your Majesty would like to hear it?" The Princess said casually as she led people inside.
"What is your suggestion? Please speak frankly, Your Highness."
"If the imperial physicians cannot cure him, Your Majesty should post an imperial edict to invite folk doctors to treat General Ling!" the Princess said with a worried expression.
“Wouldn’t that make people think the court is incompetent?” Prince Rui said, seemingly unconvinced, as he had received news that Lingyunzhou had awakened.
"What does it matter if Yunzhou is brought back to its senses and the court admits it lacks capable officials?" the Princess couldn't help but say. "Your Majesty, are you truly willing to lose such a talented general?"
Zhao Zhe smiled without saying a word. The group had already arrived at Ling Yunzhou's bedside. Looking at the extremely thin Ling Yunzhou, Zhao Zhe was filled with emotion.
"Imperial Physician Ke, why is General Ling still unconscious?"
"This humble official has no idea." Imperial Physician Ke immediately knelt down. "The General has no internal injuries, so this humble official also has no idea why the General has not woken up."
"Let me take a look!" said Prince Rui, stepping forward and patting Ling Yunzhou's face.
"Prince Rui, what are you doing?" the eldest princess shouted.
"Let me see why Ling Yunzhou is unconscious. Although I am not skilled in medicine, I know my limits." As Prince Rui spoke, he touched Ling Yunzhou's chest again.
Ling Yunzhou could no longer bear it and suddenly opened his eyes, meeting the old face of Prince Rui, and couldn't help but cough.
"He's awake! He's awake!" Prince Rui was taken aback, then burst into laughter. "As expected, I am the most powerful one!"
"Yunzhou!" The eldest princess rushed forward and grasped Ling Yunzhou's hand. "You're awake! When did you wake up? How are you feeling?"
Ling Yunzhou shook off the princess's hand. Only with the emperor and Prince Rui present did he dare to wake up. Seeing the princess made him feel disgusted. The words that were whispering in his ear were all lies. He was utterly disappointed in the princess.
The eldest princess was taken aback. In front of the emperor and Prince Rui, she was able to control herself and not lose her temper on the spot.
“Yunzhou, when you were unconscious, it was the Eldest Princess who took care of you. Now that you've woken up, you should thank the Eldest Princess!” Prince Rui said. “We men can’t be too heartless.”
Ling Yunzhou glanced at the eldest princess, his eyes cold.
"Thank you, Princess."
"Yunzhou, why did you suddenly wake up?" Zhao Zhe asked curiously, feeling that the timing of his awakening was rather strange.
"Your Majesty, I instinctively felt a pair of rough hands on my face, and I was immediately terrified, which is why I woke up," Ling Yunzhou said weakly, frowning.
Looking at his rough hands, Rui Wang thought, "I'm not a woman, how delicate can my hands be?"
"Heh, heh heh, if I had known you'd wake up so quickly, I should have come sooner," Prince Rui teased.
"Yunzhou, would you please stay here?" The princess lowered her stance and looked at Ling Yunzhou with a pleading expression.
Even though he was weak and listless, Ling Yunzhou didn't want to look at the princess any longer.
"Your Majesty, Prince Rui, are you here to take me back to the General's Mansion? The General's Mansion isn't completely wiped out!" Ling Yunzhou's words carried suppressed displeasure, as if he were saying that he would only come to the Princess's Mansion if the General's Mansion were completely wiped out.
“Yes, I’ve come to escort you out of the Princess’s residence. How can a great general like you recuperate in the Princess’s residence? Wouldn’t that damage the Princess’s reputation?” Prince Rui said. “Your Majesty, you must think so too!”
Zhao Zhe nodded, then looked at the Princess with a hint of warning.
"Elder sister, since Yunzhou wants to return to the General's Mansion, you shouldn't force her to stay."
The eldest princess was unwilling to accept this. She had been waiting here for several days, day and night whispering their past in Lingyunzhou's ear. Had it all been of no use?
"Yunzhou, if you need anything, just say the word," the princess said, gazing at Ling Yunzhou with a hint of resentment.
"Your Highness, lend me a hand, my legs are... weak." Ling Yunzhou ignored the Princess and spoke to Prince Rui.
"Come, come, lift up the General, let's go, let's take the General back to the General's Mansion!" Prince Rui was prepared and immediately called his personal guards forward.
Zhao Zhe increasingly felt that Prince Rui seemed to know beforehand that Ling Yunzhou had woken up, but even his elder sister didn't know, nor did the imperial physicians. How could Prince Rui have known?
"Uncle, you should send Yunzhou back to the General's Mansion first. I'll stay and have a word with my elder sister," Zhao Zhe said, looking at the eldest princess who was gazing longingly at Ling Yunzhou.
Prince Rui naturally had no objection, but the eldest princess was reluctant to part with him.
"Your Majesty, why won't you help me?" After Prince Rui took Lingyunzhou away, the eldest princess looked at Zhao Zhe with heartache and said.
"Royal sister, don't you think Ling Yunzhou's awakening is a bit too coincidental?" Zhao Zhe's smile faded. "The person you're guarding doesn't even know when he'll wake up. No wonder he doesn't like you!"
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