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

The shadows cannot be revealed to the public; the four shadow guards can only protect the prince in secret.

The bodyguard, Yueyin, holding a long sword, flew out directly.

He grabbed the reins with one hand, slowing the horse down several degrees, but it was too late; the bit slammed into the donkey's rump.

The little donkey, which had been running happily, suddenly let out a mournful bray and collapsed forward, its shrill and urgent screams echoing through the silent night.

On the official road, a slender black figure on a small donkey was knocked away, tracing an arc in the air before crashing headfirst into the snow on the roadside.

"Hey!"

The intense pain almost made Xue Ruanruan swear, her little face scrunched up in a grimace.

She was in a hurry to return home, her mind preoccupied with how to bring her clansmen back without arousing suspicion, and she didn't even notice the carriage approaching from behind.

Before she could react, she was struck by a powerful force and her body flew out like a kite with a broken string.

Fortunately, there was thick snow on the roadside. The person landed heavily, making a large crater in the snow. The person's head was buried in the snow, and they lay face down on the ground in a spread-eagle position, their face contorted in pain.

Who was the blind fool who knocked her flying? It hurt terribly.

Inside the carriage, the man who had been resting with his eyes half-closed suddenly swayed, opened his eyes, and stared sharply out the window.

"Your Highness, I deserve to die."

The coachman's desperate voice rang out; everyone knew that disturbing the prince's rest meant he could no longer serve him closely.

Although outsiders say that the prince is cold-blooded, ruthless, and heartless, he treats his servants very well and will not punish them severely as long as they do not make any serious mistakes.

The prince's confidants were all scrambling to get ahead.

If he were punished by the prince today and dismissed from his position as coachman, he would have no face to go back to see his parents and would have no choice but to atone with his death.

"What's the matter?"

A cold, indifferent voice, devoid of any discernible emotion, emanated from inside the carriage.

But it is precisely this ruthless and desireless nature that makes people unable to fathom it and thus instills even greater fear.

"Your Highness, the carriage has collided with a donkey in front of us."

The wind howled, and despite the freezing weather, the driver broke out in a cold sweat.

"Pay some money and continue on your way."

The deep, magnetic voice sounded like heavenly music in the pitch-black night, and was heard by Xue Ruanruan, who had struggled to crawl out of the snowdrift and walked to the carriage to demand an explanation.

WTF?

You think you can just walk away after hitting me and paying me some money? Who gave you the guts?

This infuriated Xue Ruanruan. She rolled up her sleeves and, ignoring the coachman's attempts to stop her, headed towards the front of the carriage, intending to have a serious talk with the people inside.

"Please be careful, young lady. We will handle the matter of the carriage hitting you. Please do not approach the master's carriage, or you may not be able to bear the consequences."

Yueyin stared blankly at Xue Ruanruan, then drew her sword to stop her.

"Hmph! Your master is really arrogant. Not only did he not apologize for offending me, but he also sent his guards to stop me and demand an explanation. How utterly rude!"

Perhaps she was genuinely hurt by the impact, or perhaps the quiet, enchanting moonlight made her lose her senses; Xue Ruanruan, for reasons unknown, suddenly found the courage to shout at the carriage.

Yueyin frowned, wondering who this girl was. Everyone in the Regent's Palace in the capital knew her.

Even if they had a thousand times the courage, they wouldn't dare to do such a thing.

This girl didn't play by the rules, leaving him somewhat at a loss as to how to deal with her.

Just as Yueyin was about to push Xue Ruanruan to the side of the road, a cold, hoarse voice suddenly came from inside the carriage.

"Leave her a sign so she can withdraw money at the address on it if needed."

"You...may I ask how much silver the young master intends to give?"

Xue Ruanruan originally wanted to refuse, but then she suddenly thought of her difficult situation and how she had finally met a sucker, so she decided to take the money.

Her angry little face instantly turned into a fawning one, staring straight into the car like a little lapdog.

Just then, a gust of cold wind blew by, lifting a corner of the carriage curtain.

A girl, whose body and face were covered in dirt, but whose eyes were incredibly bright and lively, came into view.

The man in the carriage was somewhat stunned, unaccustomed to her 180-degree change in attitude. After a moment of silence, he patiently answered her questions.

"Any amount of compensation, as long as it's reasonable, is acceptable."

"Hehe, young master is so generous. It's only thanks to someone as noble as you that things are done so decisively and reasonably. It's settled then."

Only a fool would turn down money. Xue Ruanruan bowed and scraped to the man in the carriage like a lackey, which bewildered the guards around her.

Are there still such shameless girls in Beijing?

How come I've never heard of this before?

I wonder which family's daughter is so eccentric, and which unlucky young man would marry such a snobbish girl.

As long as it's not their master, that's fine.

The guards prayed silently, unaware that what they prayed for was exactly what they were getting.

In the near future, this shameless girl in their eyes will be married into the family by their master in a grand wedding procession with eight sedan chairs, a ten-mile-long procession of red bridal makeup that will cause a sensation in the capital and give him plenty of face.

Upon hearing this, the man in the carriage's eyes flashed with mockery and disdain. He had never seen such a snobbish girl before; he had finally learned something new today.

Just as he was about to tell the driver to continue on his way, a surge of hot fluid gushed up from his esophagus.

With his well-defined fingertips, he gently touched the corner of his mouth, staining his hand with dark red blood.

"Cough cough..."

Before he could speak, a gush of hot fluid gushed out, followed by uncontrollable coughing up of blood.

The sound was heart-wrenching, as if the person was coughing up their lungs.

Suddenly, Yueyin heard a violent cough coming from inside the carriage. Her expression changed drastically, and she was so frightened that she quickly opened the carriage curtain, crawled inside, and fed her master the pills she had prepared in advance.

To his disappointment, the pills did not alleviate his condition at all; on the contrary, he coughed even more violently.

A deep sense of powerlessness swept over me.

The medicine personally prescribed by the head of the Imperial Medical Academy is becoming less and less effective, and the toxins in the master's body are becoming increasingly uncontrollable.

The time intervals between each episode are getting shorter and shorter.

Seeing his master suffering so much, he wished he could take his place and give his own life to ensure his master's health and well-being.

"My lord, how are you? We'll rush back to the manor and summon the imperial physician to treat you."

Upon hearing Yueyin mention seeking treatment from the imperial physician, Murong Xun's face revealed a mocking expression.

Even if the imperial physicians could cure his illness, let alone the one above them, they probably wouldn't allow it.

Just as Xue Ruanruan was about to take the wooden sign and turn to leave, she heard a familiar cough. Thinking of a certain possibility, she couldn't help but widen her eyes and take a closer look at the carriage.

It turned out to be the Regent's carriage; judging from the sounds inside, it wasn't hard to guess who was sitting inside.

The only person who could be addressed as "Master" by the servants of the Regent's Palace was Murong Xun.