Embrace
At first light, the clear blast of a bugle sounded, and the soldiers began to march in unison, training in an orderly fashion. Zhong Yingqi, clad in heavy armor, looked particularly majestic in the morning sun. Some of the younger soldiers, tired from running, occasionally caught a glimpse of General Zhong and exclaimed in admiration, "He is truly the handsome young man of the Northern Frontier military camp."
When the sun was high in the sky, Zhong Yingqi decided to go and see the distinguished guest in the military camp. He arrived at the tent where Yuan Ming was staying and was shocked at first sight. Yuan Ming was wearing a simple dress, with his legs crossed and resting on the armrest of the chair. He sat in a lazy and domineering posture, with a look of disdain in his eyes, and exuded the aura of an emperor.
Zhong Yingqi was really frightened by Yuan Ming. He didn't know whether to leave or come in. Finally, he gritted his teeth and walked forward to greet Yuan Ming.
Seeing Yuan Ming's lazy response, Zhong Yingqi couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, is this chair uncomfortable to sit on?"
Yuan Ming casually put his feet down, sitting much straighter than before, and replied calmly, "It's fine, it's just more comfortable sitting that way. Before Rulan left, she diagnosed my condition and warned me to keep my mood happy, not to be overly happy or sad, and not to worry too much, lest my heart disease relapse and kill me. So I imagined myself kicking corrupt officials with my feet, punching corrupt officials, and sitting on the throne to judge them. Move freely, don't mind, General."
Yuan Ming spoke in a rhythmic manner, with a sense of humor and self-deprecation.
Zhong Yingqi chuckled. "I didn't expect His Highness to be such a wonderful person. I've also heard Doctor Jiang mention this illness. His Highness has gone through many hardships, and this has left a deep well of depression in his heart. Over time, this has left a deep well of mental illness. When emotionally agitated, he loses his mind, draining his body and acting entirely on obsession."
"I never thought this was a disease." Yuan Ming leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes and resting his mind, saying leisurely, "If I kick Yuan Zi out and become emperor in this state, will Qi Kingdom become extremely dangerous? Will I become a tyrant? And then be killed by a figure like a god descending from heaven, and in the end, no trace of my body will be left?"
Zhong Yingqi frowned, as if he had heard Yuan Ming's tentative intention. Yuan Ming pretended to be very frank. After saying this, he looked at Zhong Yingqi intently, expecting his answer.
"Your Highness seems to have always had some kind of prejudice against me. Did I do something to cause Your Highness to misunderstand me?" Zhong Yingqi's expression was very innocent.
Yuan Ming knew she was holding onto the past. Although her past life had nothing to do with Zhong Yingqi in this life, she couldn't help herself. The madness deep within her heart seemed to tell her that she was still trapped in the pain of the past, unable to extricate herself. Unable to utter a true answer, Yuan Ming shook her head at Zhong Yingqi and said perfunctorily, "No."
Zhong Yingqi was completely confused, but then he thought he shouldn't argue with the patient, so he turned to talk about Rulan's condition.
In fact, Zhong Yingqi is really different from the children of aristocratic families. He is usually humble and always has a smile on his face when he meets people. He is also kind and affectionate. Just as Yuan Ming thought before, there is always a place in his heart for some "worthless" lives.
For example, when Rulan insisted on returning home, before Yuan Ming even showed up, Zhong Yingqi secretly assigned a team of soldiers to escort this young woman, whom he had only met four or five times. At the time, he said, "Miss Rulan is a skilled doctor. She's inherited the legacy of Mucheng's legendary doctor and will surely achieve great things in the future. If something unexpected happens to someone like her, I'll be worried sick."
Just as he had said when he took Yuan Ming in, Zhong Yingqi didn't want to see the things he believed were beautiful destroyed. This was probably his personal trait, and perhaps the reason why so many people followed him in his previous life.
However, it is necessary to send someone to protect Rulan. If Zhong Yingqi does not do this, Yuan Ming will never let Rulan go home alone.
You know, Yuan Zi will never give up after learning that Yuan Ming is missing. If Yuan Zi's men can find Rulan's cabin, the group of killers will definitely ambush nearby. In their eyes, that is the last place Yuan Ming appeared, and it is the only clue to find Yuan Ming's whereabouts. Rulan will undoubtedly be walking into a tiger's mouth if she goes back this time, and she will be in great danger.
Although it was dangerous, Rulan still had to go back because her master's relics were there, and it was also her home. Yuan Ming had no reason to stop Rulan from going home. If it weren't for Rulan's kindness and compassion as a doctor, who rescued Yuan Ming from the ruined temple, Rulan would not have been unable to return home.
All in all, Yuan Ming will always feel indebted to Rulan, both in his previous life and in this life.
Zhong Yingqi: "The soldiers escorting Miss Rulan home reported that they had indeed encountered an ambush in the woods. The enemy was numerous and agile, looking like a group of warriors. However, my soldiers were no pushovers. The two sides fought back and forth, and eventually the enemy was dispersed and Miss Rulan was rescued. However, after this battle, the enemy may have already planned to attack the Northern Frontier military camp. The current Princess will probably not let me off easily. I would like to ask Your Highness Yuan Ming for more advice."
Yuan Ming said lazily, "Yuan Zi doesn't have that much ability. The Qi Kingdom is rotten to the core. If she doesn't deal with those wealthy officials, even if she takes the military power, it will be useless."
Yuan Ming glanced at the food box on the table not far away. If it weren't for the etiquette she had learned, she would have rolled her eyes at this moment.
"It's not that I look down on Yuanzi, but seeing as you eat dry buns every day, how can you possibly have the energy to fight? I remember when I was still a princess, I personally stamped the seal to approve supplies for the Northern Frontier. But the paper said there was a truckload of supplies, but when it arrived in Northern Frontier, only the size of a fingernail remained. I wonder how many rats were fed along the way. How many people in a country like Qi can Yuanzi employ?"
Yuan Ming changed his sitting position and continued, "General Zhong is devoted to his country and his reputation is well-known in the capital. Yuan Zi won't put pressure on you because of your status. Otherwise, she might just feel that the throne of the imperial princess, which she had worked so hard to obtain, is too secure. Trust me."
Zhong Yingqi was stunned when he heard this. Yuan Ming's words made sense, but what he wanted to pay attention to was how this princess, who was once so glorious, noble and like a god, could speak these words in a way that was three parts cold, three parts sarcastic and four parts nonchalant.
The real person is always different from what we imagine. Zhong Yingqi seemed to have a new understanding of His Highness Yuan Ming, whose mental state was worrying.
Yuan Ming could probably guess that her current self was vastly different from the image of a graceful lady in Zhong Yingqi's mind. He could instantly recall his past in Yucheng, and presumably she had left a deep impression on him. But for Yuan Ming, that was a fleeting moment. The current Yuan Ming carried the same arrogance and madness from her past life as a tyrant, acting however she pleased.
A day passed quickly, and the lights in Rulan's hut came on again. She took out the secret box hidden at the bottom of the box and slowly opened it. Inside was an extremely thick medical book. These were the prescriptions that Master Rulan had collected from traveling around. According to the master, this medical book had been passed down to him for the third generation.
Rulan carefully sorted the pages of the book and remembered what Yuan Ming had said: "If you stay in one place all the time, you won't be able to add prescriptions to the medical book. Come with me, I can help you realize your wish."
Yuan Ming might be the most noble person Rulan had ever met in her life. Rulan looked at the blank pages at the back of the medical book and struggled internally.
Since the empress ascended the throne, life has become much better for women in the world, but... when Rulan was a child, her biological parents still threw her into the abandoned baby tower just because she was a girl, even though Rulan was already five years old at that time.
Rulan vaguely remembered that there were many abandoned baby towers in the wilds of Qi Country. These towers held many infants, mostly girls, only a few days old. Every few days, the tower keepers would set fire to the towers. Each time, a shrill, terrifying cry would emanate from within. The sound would then quickly fade with the flames, waiting for the next blaze to begin.
Little Rulan was waiting for death, but her master arrived before her, a young barefoot doctor in ragged clothes. He gave her a shriveled steamed bun, which saved her life, and he became her master.
Her master had once told Rulan that the art of medicine was not to be passed down to women, as women were unable to travel independently to collect prescriptions and, moreover, were prevented from practicing medicine due to social prejudice. Therefore, her master adopted her, providing her with little more than food. However, Rulan observed her master during his consultations and learned how to identify herbs, acupuncture points, and pulse diagnosis...
Fate is fickle. While on his way, the master was hit by a sudden falling rock and his life was hanging by a thread. He had no choice but to pass the medical book to Rulan. The medical book written by three generations of miraculous doctors thus fell into the hands of a young girl.
Rulan opened the title page of the medical book, on which were written three names. Rulan looked at the three names and recited them silently. Suddenly, a strong urge surged in her heart - she also wanted to leave her own name in the medical book.
Although she didn't know how Yuan Ming knew about the medical book, her words hit home for Rulan. But staying with Yuan Ming seemed dangerous. What if she died before she even shared the book? How would she face her master in the afterlife?
While Rulan was lost in thought, the secret guards and soldiers outside had already exchanged several blows. An arrow fired by a secret guard pierced through trees and windows, grazed Rulan's ear, and lodged on a wooden pillar, taking with it a few strands of her hair.
Rulan, too shocked to react, quickly crouched under the table, clutching the medical book, trembling so violently she barely blinked. If she had tilted her head a little more… she wouldn't have had to worry about where to go; she could have simply gone straight to the underworld to see her master.
The sounds of fighting gradually got closer. Yuan Zi was determined to find Yuan Ming and sent a large number of people to hunt down Yuan Ming. It seemed that Zhong Yingqi's team could not hold on any longer.
Rulan's heart leaped into her throat. Then, several more arrows shot in from the window, one of which extinguished the candle flame. The flame dimmed, leaving only the cold moonlight to illuminate the surroundings.
The sounds of fighting faded, as if someone had pushed open the door. Rulan, terrified, dared not breathe, clutching the medical book tighter and tighter. Footsteps approached quietly, each one a knock on her fragile heart.
The owner of the footsteps stopped, probably looking around the room. Seeing that there was no one there, she began to look behind the door, rummage through the cabinets, and then... stopped in front of the table.
Rulan didn't dare make a sound. She saw the man slowly bend down. Suddenly, a pair of white jade-like hands grabbed her firmly. Her scream was stuck in her throat when a familiar voice rang out: "Rulan, I'm Yuan Ming."
Rulan took a deep breath, her whole body trembling, and cried, "You almost scared me to death."
The moonlight shone on Yuan Ming's face, casting a hazy shadow over her, making her look extremely innocent. She said, "It's my fault for not saying hello."
Rulan crawled out from under the table with tears in her eyes, reached out to hug Yuan Ming, and cried sadly.
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