After returning to the capital, the eldest daughter saved her entire clan with her medical skills.

a long distance away

His tall, aloof figure stood alone in the snow, his dark hair disheveled by the wind. From a distance, he looked like the King of Hell, who held the power of life and death over humankind.

The north wind howled, and the cold was biting. The man stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the distant snowflakes, his expression ethereal and distant.

"Master, we still haven't found it."

Four bodyguards, one in black, one in white, one in red, and one in blue, approached from four directions and knelt before the man in the black brocade robe.

"Well, this is the will of Heaven. We've been away for more than half a year, and I'm afraid there are troublemakers in the court again. Let's set off back to the capital today."

The man's expression remained unchanged, still displaying his usual calm and aloof demeanor.

"But Master, if we cannot find a divine healer, your..."

"It's alright. It's time to return to the capital. The Xue family army is defending the border against foreign enemies in the winter. I'm afraid the emperor is using the military provisions and money I left behind to refine the elixir of immortality. If we don't go back soon, it may lead to a major disaster."

After speaking, the man turned and walked into the snow in the distance.

The four guards exchanged glances, their eyes flashing with heartache.

When the emperor was the crown prince, he was mediocre and incompetent, and extremely jealous. He couldn't stand seeing princes who were better than him doing well, because he was not favored by the previous emperor.

The late emperor originally intended for the prince to succeed to the throne, but the prince was too young, and the empress dowager strongly opposed it. In order to save his life, the crown prince had to be allowed to inherit the throne.

In retrospect, the late emperor's foresight was correct. Since the crown prince ascended the throne, taxes in the Chu and Qin states have been rising again and again, causing the people to be displaced and their lives to be filled with misery.

Fortunately, the master had already established himself in the court and issued many new policies that benefited the people and the country, which alleviated the crisis in the Chu and Qin states.

Even so, the emperor showed no gratitude towards his master, but instead became increasingly suspicious and wary of him.

Since the Empress Dowager was not the prince's biological mother, she naturally wouldn't be of one mind with him.

The prince has been suffering from a strange poison since childhood, and it goes without saying who is behind it.

If it weren't for the master's strong will and extraordinary patience, he would probably have met with misfortune long ago.

Having been taken in as the prince's secret guards since childhood, they felt sorry for their master and did their best to search for the whereabouts of the divine doctor, hoping to cure their master's strange poison as soon as possible.

The guards leaped away and disappeared without a trace.

On the wide official road, a magnificent and exquisitely decorated carriage sped along.

Frozen bones lay scattered haphazardly along the roadside.

Every winter, some poor people freeze to death.

Regent Murong Xun sat coldly on the soft seat, looking out at the desolate scene through the curtains. His fists slowly clenched, and he exuded a cold and dangerous aura.

......

The blizzard that had been falling for days finally stopped today, and the sun shone through the azure sky onto the white snow, scattering colorful light.

The streets of Beijing gradually filled with pedestrians, all with smiles on their faces, and the cries of vendors filled the air.

Since returning to the manor, Xue Ruanruan has been extremely busy. First, she used her spare money to rent a spacious courtyard in the suburbs of the capital and stored all the grain in the cellar.

The huge cellars were filled to the brim before the next one was moved on, until all the cellars were filled.

The items for keeping warm were stored in mud-brick and thatched houses. The houses were extremely simple and looked somewhat dilapidated, but they were spacious, with thousands of items for keeping warm filling the rooms.

Tomorrow we will be escorting grain and winter supplies to the frontier. After finishing what we have to do, we will return to the general's mansion immediately.

I had promised the old clan chief that I would bring the young people of the clan to transport grain and winter supplies.

In fact, there were not many young members of the Xue family who stayed in the capital. Ninety percent of them went to the frontier with the Xue family army, and a few went out to do business with Xue Qing, the third young master of the general's mansion. Very few young people stayed in the capital to maintain the family business.

The matter of transporting grain could not be known to outsiders, for fear that the emperor and ministers in the court who had a grudge against the Xue family would target them and sabotage them in secret.

The escort agency responsible for this transport was the Dragon Tiger Escort Agency, which was not well-known in the capital but had considerable strength.

The owner of the escort agency was Xiao Yi, the second son of the Marquis of Zhongyong. He once encountered bandits while escorting goods and was rescued by General Xue Yan, who happened to be passing by.

The Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion prepared generous gifts and personally visited Xue Yan with his wife and Xiao Yi to express their gratitude for saving their lives.

Xiao Yi later visited Xue Yan several more times; he was a grateful and thoughtful person.

Some soldiers who were forced to leave Xue Family Army due to serious injuries also joined Longhu Escort Agency through Xue Yan's introduction.

This is why Princess Lingjun chose this escort agency first, mainly because she felt reassured.

However, Marquis Zhongyong was, after all, a subject, and dared not rashly act as a镖师 (bodyguard/escort) for the Xue family, for fear of being discovered by the emperor and implicated.

Despite the Marquis Zhongyong's objections, Xiao Yi insisted on escorting the goods for the General's Mansion, arguing with the Marquis about repaying the life-saving grace with the utmost gratitude.

Helpless, the Marquis pretended not to know anything about it, turning a blind eye and agreeing to it.

In a dilapidated courtyard on the outskirts of Beijing, a graceful figure, as slender as a willow branch, stood quietly in the yard.

Her body was covered in dust, and her fair face was filthy. Only her bright, clear eyes, sparkling like stars, shone in the night.

Xue Ruanruan looked at the supplies filling the room and yard with satisfaction and finally smiled.

Finally, all the supplies in the space were moved out, so there's no need to worry about the elders suspecting the origin of the food and winter supplies.

After several busy days, I was physically exhausted, but I felt very satisfied.

It was getting late, and to avoid worrying his family and relatives, he brushed the dust off himself and rode his little donkey back to the general's mansion.

The night in the outskirts of Beijing was eerily quiet. The bright moonlight shone through the clouds and fell on the earth, reflecting a pure white light under the snow, as bright as day.

The snow on the path was too thick, and the little donkey was panting heavily from exhaustion. Not wanting to let the little donkey that his master had given him die from exhaustion, he could only head towards the more distant main road.

Fortunately, there weren't many people on the official road at night, so she rode her donkey freely and boldly.

The snow on the official road had been cleared by government officials, and the little donkeys ran much more happily, their clattering sounds especially clear at night.

Not far behind them, a beautifully decorated carriage sped by, its hooves clattering on the ground.

In the darkness outside the carriage, shadows followed closely behind.

A line of mounted guards with swords followed behind, creating a formidable scene that no one dared to provoke.

The coachman traveled for three days and three nights, and the journey was incredibly smooth, with only a handful of carriages he encountered.

Relaxed and with night falling, the prince was in a hurry to return to the capital. He saw no one on the official road for a long time and moved as fast as lightning.

In the blink of an eye, they closed the distance between them to within inches.

When the driver saw the donkey running ahead, his pupils contracted and he suddenly tightened the reins.

"Shut up!"

The sound was fast and urgent, resounding through the sky.