initial
It started raining again. Rulan thought that the sky had rarely cleared up since she met Yuan Ming.
Zhong Yingqi arrested them both without explanation and locked them in the post station, leaving Rulan worried. Meanwhile, Yuan Ming...
She has been in a coma for two days, breathing in more than out, and her life is in the hands of the King of Hell. She doesn't know whether she can see the light of day tomorrow.
The day before yesterday, the military commander who had arrested Yuan Ming brought in a doctor specifically to treat him, but the doctor declared that Yuan Ming wouldn't survive more than three days. Rulan, a skilled doctor herself, didn't think the doctor was wrong, but she couldn't help but feel a pang of pain. As for the handsome young general, his eyes darkened after hearing this. Rulan couldn't read his thoughts, but she knew he had no intention of releasing Yuan Ming.
Rulan knew the world was difficult, that powerful figures could kill the lower classes as easily as crushing an ant. She could only helplessly lie on the head of Yuan Ming's bed, watching Yuan Ming's long eyelashes, listening to the gentle sound of rain, and gradually falling asleep.
…
The drizzle outside the window overlapped with the rain in Yuan Ming's dream, blurring the boundary between reality and illusion, making Yuan Ming, trapped in the rain and fog, unable to tell what day it was.
Suddenly, a voice from a distant time called Yuan Ming's name. Yuan Ming turned his head sharply, and the mist gradually dissipated. Everything seemed to reassemble around Yuan Ming. In an instant, the past reappeared, and it was the small flower pavilion in the back garden of the Empress's bedroom.
This must be a dream, Yuan Ming was clear-headed. She even thought distressedly, was this dream without wailing or pain a sign that she had reached the end of her life and this was a last-ditch comfort?
Yuan Ming approached the owner of the voice.
The rain was pouring down, but Yuan Ming didn't feel her body getting wet, so she stopped and stood in the rain, staring blankly at her mother whom she deeply respected.
That's right, the voice belonged to the Empress—the first female emperor of the Qi Kingdom. In her dream, she was dressed in simple casual clothes, her hair casually tied up, reclining on a chaise longue in a small pavilion, relaxed and carefree. Beside her, two pink, tender little girls were painting with their brushes, stroke by stroke.
Xiao Yuanzi pointed at Xiao Yuanming's calligraphy and said, "Look, your 'Yuan' is crooked. Look how straight I write it!"
Little Yuanming looked at her sister's handwriting in a daze, her eyes wide open, and said in a baby voice, "Sister's handwriting is so beautiful!"
Xiao Yuanzi snorted proudly, then carefully showed the calligraphy to the empress. The empress raised her eyes slightly and commented, "Not bad." Xiao Yuanzi was very proud to receive the empress's praise. When she returned to Xiao Yuanming, she was as proud as a little peacock with its tail spread out.
Between sisters Yuan Ming and Yuan Zi, especially when they were little, Yuan Ming, being younger, would admire the more knowledgeable Yuan Zi, following her sister around like a little tail. Just like this dream memory, little Yuan Ming, with sparkling eyes, would praise her, "Sister, you're so great."
Yuan Zi was very pleased with her sister's praise. She held Yuan Ming's hand holding the brush, and with a smile on her face, she whispered in Yuan Ming's ear: "Your handwriting is so crooked. You are my sister, you can't lose face for me. Let me teach you how to write straight."
The rain showed no sign of stopping, but the sisters' laughter added a touch of liveliness to the tranquil sound of the downpour. The empress reclined on a chaise longue, a kind smile on her face. The hazy mist added a hazy beauty to this warm and happy scene, making the reborn Yuan Ming's vision seem less real.
The innocent memories of childhood make people indulge. It is like a poisonous snake spitting out venom, using nectar disguised as venom to tempt Yuan Ming to drink it and stay in the dreamland of "happiness" forever.
Yuan Ming's heart was pounding, beating fast. The strong beating made Yuan Ming's thoughts, which were evoked by memories, clear up again. The rain in her dream began to wet her face. She raised her head and closed her eyes, letting the tears disappear in the rain.
"It's time to wake up from this dream." Yuan Ming smiled bitterly and muttered, "They are just three lunatics, not worth remembering."
Three crazy people, the Empress, Yuan Zi, and Yuan Ming, none of them are left out.
The rumble of thunder outside startled Rulan. She opened her eyes and saw Yuan Ming staring at her intently. Yuan Ming's eyes were clear and bright, and under the blessing of the thunder, Rulan couldn't help but feel at ease.
Rulan was a little excited and asked hurriedly: "You are awake, do you feel uncomfortable?"
Yuan Ming forced a smile and said, "The King of Hell can't take my life. I was just too tired before."
As a doctor, Rulan hates it most when patients don't take their condition seriously.
"Are you just too tired? You almost never woke up after falling asleep." As she spoke, Rulan's eyes became a little moist.
Rulan lectured Yuan Ming for a long time, but after her anger subsided, she became upset again. "I don't mean to blame you. I just... I just hope you can take your condition seriously. Back in the dilapidated temple, you fought beggars with blood all over your body. You didn't feel pain or fatigue, and your mind was crazy. Afterwards, your body suffered severe backlash and you have been bedridden ever since. That night, I heard some noise and found a body lying in your room. I was so worried that I followed your footprints and chased you all night. Your mind is tireless, but your body won't tolerate your madness."
"Yeah, yeah." Yuan Ming replied perfunctorily and coquettishly, "I will control myself from now on. Don't criticize me anymore. If you keep going, I'll start crying."
"You!" Rulan was speechless. "Don't think I'm nagging. You must remember the doctor's words."
Yuan Ming was lying on the bed, smiling brightly, and suddenly said: "Thank you for always helping me, little doctor."
The air seemed to be still for a moment. The "little miracle doctor" reacted and said embarrassedly, "I haven't even finished my apprenticeship yet, so I can't bear the title of miracle doctor. Besides, saving the dying and the wounded can also be considered as accumulating merit. I'm doing this for myself, so you don't have to worry about it."
A warm feeling surged in Yuan Ming's heart, and he felt fortunate that in this life, Rulan did not have to die tragically in a ruined temple.
Rulan chattered a lot to Yuan Ming. Since her master passed away, she hadn't opened up like she did today for a long time. It would be against common sense for a girl in her teens with a lively personality to remain silent all day.
Yuan Ming listened quietly with a smile on his face. He was very happy to learn more about Rulan's life and personality.
When Rulan was talking happily, there was a knock on the door. Yuan Ming had a premonition that it was an old friend coming to meet him, so he said to Rulan: "There is someone outside the house, maybe it is our benefactor."
Rulan's lips curled unconsciously when she heard this. "It was a general who arrested people indiscriminately. He arrested us when you fainted on the official road, and he still won't let us go."
Rulan was not a three-year-old kid, so she naturally knew that Yuan Ming had a special identity and that the person who came must be coming for Yuan Ming. However, the other party did not look like a friend or subordinate of Yuan Ming, nor did he look like an enemy. Over the past few days, he had been coming and going, leaving Rulan confused.
The knock on the door sounded again, a little hurriedly. Rulan opened the door reluctantly, and sure enough, she saw Zhong Yingqi outside.
Yuan Ming and Zhong Yingqi's eyes met instantly, and Zhong Yingqi understood immediately and confirmed that Yuan Ming was the abandoned princess who appeared in the northern border for some unknown reason.
He was seen leaning casually against the door, with a slight smile on his lips. He raised his eyebrows at Yuan Ming and glanced at Rulan, suggesting to Yuan Ming to let Rulan go play aside.
Yuan Ming didn't know how to face Zhong Yingqi for a moment. He blamed the fact that the demeanor of this dandy young man was so different from the temperament of the "living devil" who broke into the palace in his previous life. It was hard to imagine that they were the same person.
Before Yuan Ming could speak, Rulan walked out of the room and said to Zhong Yingqi bravely, "Do you think I'm blind?"
Zhong Yingqi put away his naughty smile and looked at Rulan expressionlessly. Rulan felt a sense of oppression coming over her and her momentum immediately waned. She looked at Yuan Ming for help, and when she saw Yuan Ming nod slightly, she ran outside without looking back.
Zhong Yingqi couldn't help but laugh out loud: "This girl is a bit too timid, don't you think, Your Highness Yuan Ming?"
Yuan Ming's expression was calm: "Have we met before?"
Zhong Yingqi was stunned for a moment. Although he smiled, his tone was inevitably depressed: "I have seen him, about three years ago."
Seeing Yuan Ming still recalling, Zhong Yingqi couldn't help but remind him: "In the southwest of Yucheng, the roaming barbarians tried to capture it, and Your Highness was in the city at that time."
A word of enlightenment woke Yuan Ming up from his dream. He looked at Zhong Yingqi in disbelief, and finally found Zhong Yingqi's figure in the corner of his memory.
In the tenth year of Yuan'an, Yuan Ming followed the military general She You to the southwest to investigate the people's conditions. The two hid their identities and experienced the local customs and practices in Yucheng.
Although Yucheng has the word "Yu" in its name, the people still live a hard life. It seems that there are such poor people everywhere. It's not that they are not hardworking or fighting hard, but they have a group of beasts in human clothing above their heads, sucking their blood and knocking their marrow. They say they are the parents of the government, but in fact they are gluttons living in Yucheng.
Their greed cannot be satisfied.
The entire city's gold, silver, and jewels were stored in the mansions of these powerful officials. Their roofs were tiled with gold, their floors with silver, and even their toilets were trimmed with gold. They sat on their wealth, living a life of luxury. But when a group of roving barbarian remnants appeared outside the city gates, these greed-tainted men took the treasures without a second thought, leaving behind the fragile gate guards and the city's impoverished citizens.
At that time, Yuan Ming hated evil and could not bear to see people suffering. In a sense, he was very similar to Zhong Yingqi at this time.
Yuan Ming, despite She You's dissuasion, insisted on defending the city with a group of people who were like lambs to the slaughter. She You not only failed to persuade the princess, but also underestimated the farmers' determination to fight for their land.
On one side were the remnants of defeated soldiers, and on the other side were the poor people who vowed to defend their homes to the death. The two sides fought back and forth in the city in a passionate battle. Finally, on the thirteenth day, a group of yellow-faced farmers holding hoes and axes killed the last barbarian soldier.
During this time, She You witnessed the princess's camaraderie with the people. Yuan Ming joined the defenders in throwing stones from the city walls, ambushing barbarians in the alleys, and even preaching to boost morale when the defenders' morale was low. During that time, Yuan Ming truly integrated herself into the lives of the people. When they gnawed on grass roots, she gnawed too; when they slept in earthen pits, she followed.
Thinking about it now, Yuan Ming at that time really didn't know the meaning of "A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall". Now, she probably wouldn't be as determined as she was then. At least she would try to find reinforcements instead of throwing herself into it alone.
However, she has no regrets now.
The distant memories became clearer and clearer. Yuan Ming looked at Zhong Yingqi and finally recognized the boy with dusty face in his memory.
"I was young then. I ran away from home alone after an argument with my father and came to Yucheng, dreaming of becoming a great hero." Zhong Yingqi laughed sheepishly. "The city's dignitaries abandoned the city and fled, and I wanted to save the people from their suffering. I ended up suffering a lot and nearly died at the hands of the barbarians. It was then that I realized I was just a useless young master raised in a beautiful garden, unable to save anyone."
Upon hearing this, Yuan Ming said, "General Zhong, don't underestimate yourself."
Zhong Yingqi chuckled. "Actually, I didn't recognize Her Highness at the time. I only remembered Her Highness's busy figure and a pair of bright eyes that couldn't be obscured by dust and war. It wasn't until the Empress was dealing with the officials who abandoned the city that I caught a glimpse of Her Highness from afar. Only then did I realize with certainty that the woman who fought alongside me in Yucheng was Her Highness."
After saying that, Zhong Yingqi bowed deeply to Yuan Ming.
Yuan Ming couldn't help but ask, "I heard that you were determined to join the army. Could it be because..."
"Your Highness leads the people to protect their homeland, and you have the demeanor of an emperor. But I am useless under you. I am truly ashamed."
Knowing the reason why Zhong Yingqi joined the army, Yuan Ming couldn't help but sigh: The clever arrangement of fate is really sad...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
