She mistakenly got into the bridal sedan chair and married a sickly but powerful minister, becoming

Yan Heqing was well aware of Master Xuqing's concerns. Princess Yizhen's identity was extremely sensitive, and having too much contact with her would always be a problem for him.

He replied, "Today was an accident."

Master Xuqing said no more.

"Master, I've changed my clothes."

At this moment, Princess Yizhen's voice came from inside the meditation room.

The two entered the meditation room.

When Princess Yizhen saw him follow her in, a look of surprise flashed in her bright eyes, and she unconsciously clenched her robes, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.

He understood and turned his back.

Suddenly, he heard Master Xuqing speak: "You child, your old injury is too serious. It has already developed abscesses. Why don't you go for treatment? If you wait another ten days or half a month, your legs will be crippled."

Upon hearing this, he instinctively turned his head to look, only to see that her exposed legs were covered with bruises, with blackened scabs on the whip marks, the edges of the wounds were red, and there were faint signs of ulceration.

This is not the most serious injury to her legs; compared to her two knees, these injuries are relatively minor.

Princess Yizhen's knees were originally swollen high, crisscrossed with scars of all sizes, resembling a beautiful piece of porcelain covered in cracks.

I fell down today, and the scabbed wound split open, exposing my kneecap, which looked particularly horrifying.

Such a severe injury would cause unbearable pain even if one were to lie down and do nothing.

But she was born into a noble family and should have lived a life of luxury and being the center of attention.

She is only ten years old now, and she has not only endured inhuman torture, but also had to endure a lot of pain to do manual labor, just to earn a bite to eat.

Even a grown man's patience probably can't match hers.

Yi Zhen pursed her lips tightly and did not answer Master Xu Qing's question.

Master Xuqing removed the rotten flesh from Princess Yizhen's knees, then carefully cleaned the scabs on her legs, applied new medicinal powder, and meticulously bandaged the wounds.

Yi Zhen whispered her thanks: "Master, thank you."

"If you wish to thank me, then change the dressing on time." Master Xuqing was already in his seventies, and had long since seen through the ways of the world, possessing a magnanimous and detached attitude. At this moment, he also felt a pang of pity for Princess Yizhen. "Heqing, take this child back."

He turned around and saw Princess Yizhen sitting stiffly on the couch, her hair at her temples damp with sweat, and her bright, watery eyes bloodshot, making her face appear even paler.

Throughout the entire process, she only made sounds of pain when she couldn't bear it any longer.

Even if it were him, he might not be able to endure it as much as she did.

“There are no maids or servants in the temple,” he explained to Princess Yizhen. “I apologize for the inconvenience.”

He lifted Yizhen up in his arms, only then realizing that her robe was soaked with cold sweat from the pain.

Such a delicate and fragile young girl could endure pain that ordinary people could not bear, which shows that this was not the first time she had suffered such a serious injury, and it was obviously commonplace for her.

He noticed that the person in his arms was stiff and seemed to be rejecting him, so he quickened his pace.

Suddenly, the person in her arms asked her, "Where are you taking me?"

He replied in a low voice, "Your injuries are extremely serious, and you should not walk around. You should stay in the temple so that Master Xuqing can change your dressings." Then he added, "As for your brother, I have sent someone to take care of him."

Princess Yizhen looked at him with a surprised expression, seemingly not expecting that he would still show her kindness after knowing her identity.

Looking across the entire Northern Qi, apart from the monks of the State Temple.

Yan Heqing was the first person to lend a helping hand to the siblings.

For a moment, she was at a loss.

He received no response, turned the corner to the dormitory, placed Princess Yizhen on the bed, told her to rest well, and then prepared to leave.

The next moment, she grabbed his sleeve: "Can you tell me your last name?"

He was startled and looked down.

Eyes facing each other.

Her watery eyes held a stubbornness that suggested she wouldn't let go of his sleeve until she got the answer she wanted.

He slowly pulled the sleeve back from her hand, watching her clear, bright eyes gradually dim, and then her head slowly drooped, exuding an aura of loss.

He glanced at the wrinkled sleeves and slowly spoke: "Yan."

Princess Yizhen suddenly looked at him.

"Yan Heqing," he said. "That's my name."

She smiled, her clear eyes revealing the innocent joy unique to a young girl: "Brother Yan, I will repay you in the future."

He thought: No matter how much suffering she endured, her heart remained pure and clean, untainted by the filth of the world.

Therefore, her happiness came so easily.

He didn't take her words to heart.

Because, in his eyes, today's encounter was nothing more than a chance meeting.

They will never cross paths again.

Back in the next room, he instructed the young novice to find a capable and honest woman in a nearby village to take care of Princess Yizhen.

The next day, he took Yan down the mountain early in the morning and returned to the Crown Prince's residence.

Life is always so strange. Once you learn that such a person exists, you will often hear news about him.

He originally thought he would never have any contact with Princess Yizhen again, but from then on he would often hear news about her.

For example, a young man from some family might kidnap the brother and sister and torture them.

For example, a young lady might send someone to take her to a banquet for people's amusement, but she ended up falling into a lotus pond and almost lost her life.

For example, in order to have enough to eat, she secretly went from house to house to take on laundry jobs. When she was delivering the cleaned clothes to customers, she was blocked in the road and all the clothes were cut to shreds.

Clutching a pile of rags, she wept uncontrollably, going from house to house kowtowing and apologizing, begging for time so she could earn money to repay them.

Each and every incident vividly illustrates the difficult situation the siblings faced in Northern Qi.

But these are just the tip of the iceberg.

Until one day, in the dead of winter, he saw Emperor Jing'an wearing only a thin robe, tied to a pillar.

Princess Yizhen was chained around the neck in a corner, wearing only an undergarment and barefoot, huddled up in the cold. In front of her was a silver bowl, filled with frozen, greasy fat.

He learned from these spoiled brats that she had been chained up in the doghouse for three days without drinking a drop of water or eating a single bite of food.

Their purpose in doing this was to force her to eat the frozen fatty meat in the dog's bowl.

In order to save Emperor Jing'an, she did just as these playboys wished, grabbing handfuls of fatty meat and stuffing it into her mouth until she couldn't eat anymore. Her eyes were red from the strain, but she never shed a tear.

However, when she inadvertently caught a glimpse of him, tears unexpectedly streamed down her face.