Under Sun Heng's careful massage, Li Ru's bulging veins began to subside, and he gradually returned to normal.
Li Ru stood up, bowed to Sun Heng, and said:
"Thank you for your help, benefactor. In the past, whenever this monk fell ill, he would be in pain for several hours. Just now, your massage not only relieved my pain but also helped me recover some of my memories."
"General Li, you're too kind. It's an honor to be able to help you with your troubles," Sun Heng said.
At this moment, Li Ru turned his head, looked at Li Xue, and said:
"Are you really my sister Xue'er? So many years have passed, and you've grown so tall."
Seeing that her brother had recognized her, Li Xue burst into tears of joy. She rushed over and hugged her brother, and the two siblings embraced and wept bitterly.
Upon seeing this, Sun Heng quietly withdrew and quickly reported this great news to Zhao Xian.
"Lord Shaoqing, what a joyous occasion! The monk who was carrying water just now was indeed General Li Ru. The princess has helped him regain his memory, and the two of them are now embracing and weeping."
"Really? That's great! Let the siblings have a good time together. We shouldn't disturb them. They'll be here soon," Zhao Xian said excitedly.
At this moment, the brother and sister sat on the overturned bucket, talking about their experiences over the past ten years, seemingly forgetting everything around them.
An hour later, monks began to come to the kitchen. It was time to cook, and the place was no longer suitable for them to talk.
"Xue'er, let's go somewhere else. The temple is about to prepare lunch," Li Ru said.
“Oh no, we’ve been talking here for so long and left Brother Zhao behind. I’ll take my brother to see him.”
As Li Xue walked, she introduced Zhao Xian's situation to Li Ru.
Li Ru quickly realized that Zhao Xian was a fourth-rank official in the Ministry of War of the imperial court, and that he had accompanied Li Xue on a long journey to visit him.
"Xue'er, quickly take me to pay my respects to Lord Shaoqing."
"Okay, Brother Zhao is still by the incense burner, let's go there."
At this moment, Zhao Xian and several guards were still burning incense. Today was the day the princess and Li Ru were to meet, so they had to burn as many incense sticks as possible.
And so, the group continued burning incense, and an hour later, they saw Li Xue leading a monk toward them.
Zhao Xian took a few steps forward and began to sized up Li Ru.
Li Ru was tall and bore a striking resemblance to the Fourth Prince, though he lacked the Fourth Prince's domineering presence.
Li Ru approached Zhao Xian, bowed respectfully, and said:
"Greetings, Lord Shaoqing. Xue'er has traveled a thousand miles to find her brother. You have accompanied her throughout the journey without complaint. I am deeply grateful."
"General Li, you are too kind. It is my duty to accompany the princess to the Kingdom of Jindian to visit you. It is good news that you have regained your memory. I wonder what your next steps are?"
"Currently, this humble monk has recovered some of his memories, but it will take some time before all of them are fully recovered."
In the Kingdom of Jindian, this humble monk still has some unfinished business, and cannot make a decision on the next step immediately.
"It is not convenient to talk here. Please, Your Excellency, come to my meditation room for a chat."
Zhao Xian nodded and walked with Li Xue toward Li Ru's meditation room.
Li Ru's residence was located at a corner of the temple. The area was remote and full of huge rocks. Li Ru's meditation room was located under a huge rock, which served as the roof of the meditation room.
When Li Xue saw the meditation room, she was stunned. Her brother lived here, and this huge rock was pressing down on his head. For so many years, her brother had been enduring it.
The meditation room was very small. After placing a bed inside, there wasn't much space left, so a table and a stool had to be placed outside.
Li Ru was a little embarrassed. His place was too small, and there wasn't even a place to sit. However, there were large rocks everywhere, and if he didn't mind, he could sit on them.
“These big rocks are natural benches, and they’re very cool to sit on. Let’s sit here,” Li Xue said, as she found a big rock and sat down.
Zhao Xian nodded and found a rock to sit on. Seeing this, Li Ru also sat down on a rock next to him.
Next, Li Ru talked about his experiences over the years, but his memories were fragmented before. It was only after entering the palace and the princess cured his illness that his memories began to come back complete.
When talking about the princess, Li Ru burst into tears. Over the years, apart from fetching water from the mountain, he had never ventured any further.
The place I usually go to most is the open space in front of the temple. Standing there, I can look in the direction of the imperial city and miss the princess.
"Brother, do you know where the princess is?" Li Xue asked.
"She should still be in the palace. I know the princess's personality. If the royal family doesn't agree to our marriage, the princess won't marry and will live out her days alone."
It was my fault that the princess was harmed. I should have left the palace after she cured my illness, and then none of this would have happened.
But I have no memory of what happened before. I left the palace and didn't know where I was going. Besides, the princess saved me. I want to repay the princess and protect her for the rest of my life.
I have promised the royal family that I will not disturb the princess's life or meet with her, which is why I came here to become a monk.
Now that Xue'er has found me, of course I must return to the Great Northern Dynasty, but I can't bear to leave the princess behind.
After saying these words, Li Ru was in great pain, finding it difficult to decide whether to stay or leave.
“Brother, before we came to the temple, we went to the palace of the Golden Kingdom and met the emperor and empress. It was the empress who told me about you and the princess, and that you became a monk here. That’s how we found this place.”
"Did Xue'er see the princess in the palace? Is she alright now?" Li Ru asked anxiously.
"I did not see the princess in the palace. The queen told me that she had not seen the princess for seven or eight years."
"How could this be? Where did the princess go?" Li Ru asked anxiously.
"After you left the palace, the royal family told the princess that you had left the Kingdom of Jindian. This news was a huge blow to the princess."
After that, the princess fell ill and never recovered. Later, when she was feeling better, she ran away from home.
A year later, the Queen finally found the princess in a remote place, but by then the princess had already become a nun, just like her brother.
The Empress begged the princess to return with her, but the princess resolutely refused, telling the Empress never to come looking for her again, as she would live out her days there alone.
"Ah, how could this be? It seems the princess is even worse off than I am." Li Ru sighed deeply, tears streaming down his face.
At this moment, Zhao Xian spoke up: "General Li, your fate with the princess is not yet over. You can continue your relationship."
"Lord Shaoqing, what do you mean? This situation arose precisely because the royal family disagreed. Even so, the royal family will not change their mind."
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