Priceless: A widow with a baby asks the prince to marry again

The iron hooves crushed the thin ice on the banks of the Onon River, and the five thousand elite cavalry of the Qin family rushed into the chaotic battlefield like a raging wave breaking through a dam!

Qin Tao, charging in the front, had bloodshot eyes and swollen veins. The long sword in his hand transformed into a dancing silver dragon. With a muffled crack of bone, he cleaved a fierce Jurchen warrior who tried to intercept him, sending him flying backwards, armor and all, in a spray of blood! He was so excited that he almost lost himself in the battle, roaring at the top of his lungs: "Kill! Kill all these bastards!"

"Young General! His Highness Prince Kang is in great danger!" Deputy General Zhao, standing nearby, was so anxious that his voice trembled. He struggled to deflect an arrow and shouted, "We're here to rescue! Not to fight to the death!"

Qin Tao shuddered suddenly, snorting heavily, and finally suppressed the urge to kill. He frowned and looked around at the Shura scene, his heart sinking.

The Northeastern Army totaled 500,000 men, and Prince Kang Chu Shikun led over 200,000 elite troops on this expedition, including 100,000 cavalry! What a magnificent display! (In contrast, the Northwestern Army, while similar in numbers, had only 30,000 cavalry, a figure they had gained thanks to the 30,000 warhorses captured from the Oirat during the New Year's Eve battle.)

Originally, King Kang was chasing the desperate remnants of the Tatars and killing them all the way to Kulun.

However, the advantage in military strength is not omnipotent. The Tatar cavalry still has fierce combat power. They fell into a desperate situation because they were surrounded on three sides by the Oirat, Prince Duan and Prince Kang at the beginning of the war.

Years ago, the mask of "peace" between Wala and Prince Duan Chu Shiyu in Mobei was broken, and they turned to reconcile with the Tatars. However, they were severely damaged by Prince Duan in the battle on New Year's Eve, and were unable to take care of themselves and were unable to participate in the chaos again.

Prince Duan Chu Shiyu was stationed in the Gobi Earth City. Although he cooperated with Prince Kang to ensure logistics, he did not pose a direct threat to the Tatars.

As a result, only the remnants of the Tatars and the exhausted main force of King Kang were left to continue fighting on this vast grassland.

Especially after receiving the emperor's recall order, the "recluse" King Kang became increasingly impatient and reckless, running headlong into a trap carefully laid by the Tatars. The army was split into several sections, with the front and rear unable to support each other. The main force, along with King Kang himself, was trapped in the icy valley of the Onon River...

On Qin Tao's flank, Fang Qiu's slender body almost merged with the warhorse, and she leaned against the hot horse's neck.

Drawing on her months of rapport with Qin Tao, Fang Qiu, along with the nine women who had been assigned to "secretly" protect her, "slipped" into the vanguard of the Qin army, which had arrived to provide support. These nine women were the secret guards assigned by the Fang family to protect her. Their identities now clear: they were Fang Qiu's most solid and collaborative initial team when she decided to embark on the path of becoming a female general. Now, they followed her closely, their horses following her for several feet, forming a dynamic protective circle.

Fang Qiu, like a swift darting between blades, controlled her mount to dodge and maneuver through the chaotic battlefield, firing her short crossbow rapidly, accurately eliminating the scattered enemies threatening her flanks. Her eyes, sharp as an eagle, were fixed on the half-tilted royal flag in front of her - that was their only goal.

"Royal flag! His Royal Highness Prince Kang is there!" Fang Qiu's sharp warning voice pierced through the deafening shouts of killing!

Under the fallen royal flag, all of Kang Wang Chu Shikun's personal guards had been killed or wounded, with corpses scattered all over the ground!

King Kang himself lay on his back, the spine of his horse shattered by a heavy mace, his armor stained and tattered, a crossbow bolt lodged in his chest! It was unknown whether he was dead or alive!

What was even more terrifying was that a fierce Jurchen warrior in heavy armor was holding up a scimitar with a fierce smile, and the sharp blade was pointed at King Kang's defenseless neck!

"Stop him!" Qin Tao's eyes were bloodshot and his roar shook the sky, but he was tightly entangled by several fearless Tatar cavalrymen and could not escape for a while!

A critical moment! Fang Qiu struck the horse's belly fiercely, and the warhorse beneath her neighed loudly. Like a bolt of black lightning, it forcibly cut through the impossibly narrow gap between the two intertwined enemy cavalry! The blade of the blade almost grazed her temples!

The moment she started, the nine female secret guards instantly burst out with amazing tacit understanding and riding skills!

They did not blindly follow the charge, but worked instantly like precise gears: four of them rode their horses diagonally, thrusting with spears and short lances in their hands, accurately blocking or forcing back the scattered enemy cavalry on both sides who tried to encircle Fang Qiu!

The other three men drew their bows and released their arrows almost simultaneously. With a sharp piercing sound, the arrows shot towards the face and the arm of the sword-wielding Jurchen warrior, forcing him to draw his sword back to block. Although they failed to injure his vital parts, they bought Fang Qiu a crucial moment!

The last two men acted like protective wings, sticking close to the outside of Fang Qiu's sprint path, firing short crossbows continuously to suppress the cold arrows that might be shot from a distance!

The Jurchen warrior was disturbed by the sudden arrow, his movements slowed slightly, and then he became even more furious! He turned around suddenly, his eyes flashing with murderous intent, and the scimitar in his hand drew a deadly arc of light, slashing fiercely at Fang Qiu who was already within reach!

In this life-or-death situation, Fang Qiu displayed astonishing riding skills! Without dodging, she slid and plummeted to the right side of the horse's belly. Like a kite with its string cut, she instantly dangled from the galloping horse's side! The cold blade, carrying the aura of death, whizzed past her nose, severing several strands of her flying hair!

In that split second, Fang Qiu, who was hanging by his horse's side, thrust out his left hand like lightning! His five fingers, like steel hooks, grasped the heavy gilded jade ring on King Kang's belt with incredible precision!

"Get up!" A clear and delicate shout contained amazing explosive power!

She took advantage of the huge inertia brought by the galloping warhorse, exerted force with her waist and abdomen, and actually dragged King Kang's heavy body out of the pile of corpses and pool of blood!

The prince's heavy body slammed into the saddle bridge in front of her like a sandbag! The immense impact shook Fang Qiu's internal organs so much that they seemed to shift, and a fishy-sweet taste surged in her throat. But her arms tightly wrapped around Prince Kang like iron hoops, holding him firmly in place! At the same time, she gave a fierce tug on the reins with her right hand!

"Hi-lul-lul!" The warhorse, possessed of spiritual power, sensed its master's intentions and neighed loudly as it rose to its feet. Its iron hooves, as big as bowls, kicked fiercely into the face of the Jurchen warrior who was charging again with a force of thunder! The warrior was forced to retreat in embarrassment to avoid the attack.

"Go!" Qin Tao finally fought desperately to open a bloody path. The flash of his sword was like a streak of silk, stirring up a bloody storm and blocking the pursuers!

Fang Qiu succeeded, and the nine female secret guards' formation instantly shrank! Like the most loyal shadows, they rode their horses and tightly surrounded Fang Qiu!

Some used their spears to deflect spear points thrust from the side, others used their swords to precisely cleave stray arrows, and still others tacitly protected Fang Qiu's back. Their movements were swift, precise, and silent, as if they were a whole, clearing a relatively safe passage for Fang Qiu and King Kang in the chaotic battlefield!

Fang Qiu no longer hesitated and placed King Kang horizontally in front of the saddle, holding him tightly with one hand and shaking the reins violently with the other!

The warhorse's hooves flew, turning into a black whirlwind that swept along the ground. Under the protection of the Qin family army, the guards, and the nine female knights who followed him like shadows and fought bloody battles, they created a barrier of flesh and blood.

Finally breaking through the last thin barrier, he dashed back towards where he came from, towards hope, leaving behind only the deafening cries of killing and the wailing of shattered glaciers!

...

Inside the dusty makeshift medical tent, the smell of blood and strong herbs was almost suffocating.

Liu Rusi's forehead was covered in sweat. She had just tied a tourniquet for a soldier with a broken leg, and there was still sticky blood on her fingertips.

Suddenly, a heart-wrenching cry rang out from outside the tent: "His Royal Highness Prince Kang is here! Quick! Military doctor!"

Liu Rusi instantly suppressed her fatigue and quickly cleaned her hands, her eyes sharp as she turned towards the entrance. Several blood-soaked, crazed guards rushed in carrying a stretcher. Lying on it was none other than Prince Kang, Chu Shikun!

A jet-black wolf-tooth arrow lodged deeply in his left chest, near his heart! The shaft trembled with his weak, labored breathing, and each tiny rise and fall brought out streams of dark red blood foam, soaking the prince's elegant dragon robes into a terrifying dark color. His face was as pale as gold paper, and he was on the verge of death!

"Get out of the way!" Liu Rusi shouted, dashing to the stretcher like an arrow from a bow. Her extensive experience instantly sounded the alarm—this position was too dangerous. The heart or major blood vessels were highly likely to be damaged. Death was whispering in her ears! Without hesitation, she reached out to check the depth of the arrowhead and the surrounding area, while shouting to the nearest assistant, "Hemostat! Quick! Cut open the clothing and clean the wound immediately!"

As her fingertips touched the cold, death-scented arrowhead, a large, bony hand, stained with dust and blood, suddenly grasped her wrist! The force was immense, carrying an unquestionable majesty and a subtle tension!

"do not move!"

Liu Rusi turned around in shock and met Chu Shiyu's deep eyes. He had obviously also rushed over at full speed, his breathing was still a little unstable, but his eyes were unusually solemn.

"Send Doctor Zhao over!" Chu Shiyu turned around and gave orders to the others in a deep voice. His voice was not loud, but it instantly drowned out the noise in the tent and King Kang's painful breathing.

"This injury can't be delayed!" Liu Rusi's voice trembled with anxiety as she tried to break free from his iron-like grip. "The arrowhead is in an extremely dangerous position. We must clean the wound and stop the bleeding immediately! If we delay any longer, it may be too late! Everyone else is busy treating other seriously injured patients whose lives are hanging by a thread, and they may not be able to get away!"

Chu Shiyu's hands remained motionless, as solid as a rock. His gaze swept across Prince Kang's pale, golden face, before finally returning to Liu Rusi's anxious eyes. Deep within those eyes surged a heavy undercurrent she couldn't comprehend. "I know the danger."

His voice was extremely low, and each word fell like an icy bead, with an almost cruel calmness. "That's why you can't touch him."

"Why?!" Liu Rusi couldn't understand for a moment, and had no time to think about the vortex behind it. Saving people was her only thought at the moment.

"Because he's Prince Kang!" Chu Shiyu's voice was low and solemn, and every word was filled with cold reality. "If you try to save him and he dies, you could be charged with 'failure to provide adequate treatment' or even 'murdering the prince'! By then, public outrage will rage, and even I might not be able to protect you! You can't wade into this muddy water!"

This corner of the medical tent fell into deathly silence, with only the difficult hoarse sound coming from King Kang's throat.

Chu Shiyu's words were like a bucket of cold water, cooling Liu Rusi's feverish mind. She thought rapidly... her first thought was a sharp suspicion - was Chu Shiyu just trying to use this opportunity to kill Prince Kang? After all, they were rivals for the throne!

"Then why bother rescuing him?" She almost blurted out, her voice carrying a hint of cold questioning. What was the purpose of putting this hot potato in front of her?

Chu Shiyu was stunned for a moment, a complex expression flashing across his eyes. He then responded in a low voice, his tone filled with an unquestionable royal dignity: "He is a descendant of the Great Xia royal family, his bloodline is noble. If his body falls into the hands of foreigners and is desecrated by them, it will damage the dignity of the nation and bring disgrace to the entire Great Xia! Bringing him back is a must."

He did not deny the possibility that King Kang's death would be beneficial to him, but the importance of this "face" was also a reality.

Liu Rusi understood instantly. To save Prince Kang, all she had to do was pretend to do her best and get him back. As for whether Prince Kang lived or died… for Chu Shiyu, perhaps death was better. The ultimate winner of this war would no longer have a strong opponent.

At the same time, she also fully understood that Chu Shiyu wasn't lying to stop her. The grief of losing a loved one can destroy reason, and people in grief are easily angered. In modern society, medical disputes and assaults on doctors are endless... In this feudal era with strict hierarchy and human life being worthless, when a prince - the son of an emperor - died, it was natural to bury several "culprits" with him, and the doctors who finally came into contact with the patient were the first to bear the brunt of the consequences!

"What are you all standing there for?! So many wounded are on the verge of death, why don't you rescue them?!" A shout filled with anger and fatigue suddenly broke the deadlock. It was Li Chunfu! He had just finished treating a soldier who had narrowly escaped death with a ruptured intestine. He glanced over and saw his apprentice and Prince Duan standing stalemate over the stretcher. He was immediately furious!

He strode closer and saw the hideous arrowhead on King Kang's chest. His pupils suddenly shrank!

Without hesitation, he rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward to take over. Having experienced the anatomical concepts and debridement and suturing practices brought to him by Liu Rusi, and especially after the bloody battle on New Year's Eve, Li Chunfu's treatment of external injuries had changed dramatically.

Faced with such a serious injury, Li Chunfu also knew that the success rate was slim, but as he had taught Liu Rusi before: injury to the lungs is already a life-threatening situation, so it is better to try every possible means than to stand by and watch and let the patient die!

"Master!" Liu Rusi reached out to stop him. The cruel consequences Chu Shiyu had revealed weighed heavily on her heart. Lowering her voice, she hurriedly relayed the fatal hidden danger: "This is Prince Kang! This arrow... is in a dangerous position... What if... what if we can't rescue it, we'll most likely be implicated and held accountable!"

Li Chunfu paused abruptly, then turned his head abruptly, staring at Liu Rusi with his bloodshot eyes. There was no deep political scheme of Chu Shiyu in his eyes, only pure, gushing anger and an almost painful severity!

"Bullshit!" The middle-aged genius doctor's spit nearly splashed onto Liu Rusi's face. He pointed at the bleeding arrow wound on Prince Kang's chest, his fingers trembling violently with extreme anger. "A doctor only sees the patient! No distinction between high and low, only between the important and the urgent! - Who said that?!"

"A doctor saves lives, so who cares if they're princes or commoners?! Are you afraid of taking responsibility and so you leave them to die? Was the oath you swore to us just bullshit?! If you're such a despicable person who says one thing and does another, then from today on, our relationship as master and disciple is severed! I, Li Chunfu, don't have such a cowardly disciple!"

Every word burned like a red-hot iron, searing Liu Rusi's soul! Her face flushed instantly, utterly ashamed! She boasted of possessing a soul and ideals beyond her time, yet faced with the fears and calculating interests of reality, she hesitated and cowered. Meanwhile, her master, a middle-aged physician born and raised in this feudal era, possessed a pure medical ethics and unwavering resolve, like a towering mountain, making her, a so-called "modern person," feel ashamed and insignificant as she was.

The master's figure, which was not tall, was emitting a dazzling brilliance at this moment, so majestic that people dared not look directly at him!

But...did she really have to risk her own life, or even the possibility of implicating Qin Hao, to save someone who might not be worth saving and might even become her enemy? This thought was like a poisonous snake, gnawing at her resolve.

At this moment of lightning and fire, when her conscience was struggling, a clearer and more tempting idea, like the dazzling sunlight breaking through the thick dark clouds, suddenly penetrated her mind - what if he was saved?

Saving a prince's life! A tremendous feat that no one could ignore or question! Wasn't this exactly what she'd been striving for, going deep into the dangers of the war with the army, exhausting all her energy and effort?

The fear receded like a tide, replaced by an almost crazy "gambler's" mentality - betting all her life's learning, betting her own life! The bet was on Qin Hao and her more stable and broad future!

Liu Rusi's eyes flashed with astonishing light, and she violently shook off Chu Shiyu's hand! The force she used was so great, and with such determination, that even His Royal Highness Prince Duan was shocked and released his grip!

"Master's teachings are correct!" Her voice was as clear as the clash of metal and stone, without a trace of hesitation or confusion. "You come and assist me! Elder Zhao, quickly give him the best old mountain ginseng slices to hold him up! Xia Lian, disinfect the wound with strong liquor, boil the needles in boiling water, and prepare the thinnest catgut! Dong Xue, clean the dirt around the wound immediately! Quick! Quick! Quick!"

She no longer looked at Chu Shiyu's face which had suddenly become complicated and difficult to discern, a mixture of shock, worry and even a hint of anger. He was like a fully drawn bow, with all his mental will focused on the fatal arrow that concerned life and death, and the future of them and their child!

The sharp scissors flashed with a cold light, and without hesitation, with a "swish", they cut open the prince's blood-stained python robe that symbolized supreme dignity, revealing the hideous wound underneath.