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The midday sun was blazing, its intense heat baking the earth, making even the air feel scorching. On the city tower where Dengzhou and Laizhou bordered each other, Hualan stood alone by the railing, gazing at the winding official road in the distance, her figure appearing somewhat frail under the blazing sun.

"Your Highness, the sun is so strong, and you've been standing here for almost an hour. Why don't you go and rest in the corridor?" Cai Zan, the maid behind her, looked at her slightly reddened cheeks and advised her with concern. "Captain Sun has already sent out several scouts to find out the prince's whereabouts. He will definitely report back immediately as soon as he has any news. It's not a good idea for you to keep enduring this here."

Hua Lan seemed not to hear her, still gazing at the distant horizon, her brows slightly furrowed, her voice filled with undisguised worry: "By calculation of the journey, the Prince should have arrived by now, but... not a single message has been sent."

Just then, Consort Xiang, Xie Tianxiang, came up with a bowl of chilled plum juice. She gently took Hua Lan's hand, the coolness of her palm making Hua Lan shiver slightly. Xie Tianxiang softly advised, "Sister, don't worry too much, your health is the most important thing. Think about it, perhaps no news is the best news? If something really happened, it wouldn't be so quiet. Come on, let's go wait in the shade over there, it's too sunny here."

Jin Shuai's family had arrived here as planned several days ago, which made even the usually composed Hua Lan anxious. These days, she would climb the city gate tower every day and stand there all day, her eyes fixed on the road they had come from, hoping to see that familiar figure and flag soon.

Originally, several ladies from the household wanted to accompany Hualan to wait, but the children were still young and needed careful care after the long journey, so they couldn't all come. In the end, only Hualan and Xie Tianxiang remained on the city tower each day, anxiously counting down the passing seconds.

A slight chill ran through the corridor, ruffling the stray hairs at Hua Lan's temples. She took the plum juice Xie Tianxiang offered, but had no appetite for it. After taking only a small sip, she continued gazing at the distant horizon, silently repeating in her heart, "My lord, you must be safe and sound..."

As the sun gradually slanted westward, the evening glow, like spilled gold dust, painted the clouds on the horizon with a magnificent hue. Hua Lan and Xie Tianxiang stood atop the city tower, gazing at the golden clouds, their eyes gradually dimming—it seemed they would receive no news again today.

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of disappointment in each other's eyes. Just as they were about to turn and descend the city wall, Sun Hu, the captain of the personal guards beside them, suddenly brightened up and pointed to the distant official road, exclaiming, "Madam! Look over there! There's dust rising in the distance, and judging by the momentum, it looks like a cavalry unit!"

Before he could finish speaking and before Hua Lan could respond, he quickly turned to the soldiers beside him and ordered, "Quickly! Pass on my order: have the third platoon leader lead a team to investigate immediately, find out who the newcomers are, and be on high alert!"

"Yes, sir!" The soldier accepted the order and immediately turned and ran down the city wall.

Before long, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from the city gate. A squad of thirty guards rode out, their hooves kicking up a cloud of dust as they galloped off in the direction the dust was rising.

Hua Lan gripped the railing of the city gate tower, her gaze fixed on the departing squad. Her hands unconsciously clenched her sleeves, a mixture of anticipation and indescribable nervousness in her heart. Xie Tianxiang stood beside her, gently patting the back of her hand, offering silent comfort.

Time passed slowly, and an hour slipped by in the blink of an eye. The sky was already completely dark, and torches and lanterns were lit on the city walls, illuminating the towers as if it were daytime. Just as their hearts began to sink, suddenly, three streaks of light shot up in the distant sky with a "whoosh," followed by three dazzling fireworks that bloomed in succession, lighting up half the sky.

"It's a signal!" Sun Hu slapped his thigh, his face instantly breaking into a joyful smile. He turned to Hua Lan and Xie Tianxiang and shouted, "Madam! This is the Prince's signal! There's no mistake! Judging from the distance, the Prince should be at the city gates in about half an hour!"

Hua Lan suddenly raised her head and looked at the lingering afterglow of the fireworks in the night sky. Her eyes instantly reddened, and the worries and anxieties that had been building up for many days turned into the joy of surviving a disaster.

Xie Tianxiang couldn't hide her excitement either. She grabbed Hualan's hand and said with a smile, "Sister, that's wonderful! Let's hurry down, wash up, change our clothes, and go to the city gate to greet our lord!"

Hua Lan nodded vigorously, her lips curving upwards involuntarily. Her previous fatigue and disappointment vanished, replaced by pure joy and eagerness. The two walked hand in hand down the city wall, their steps light as if they were walking on air. Even the guards around them wore relieved smiles.

Beneath the city gate, the lights flickered, reflecting the expectant faces of the crowd, waiting for the cavalry to appear at the edge of the night.

The half-hour wait felt as long as an entire spring and autumn. As the sound of horses' hooves grew closer and the light of torches pierced the night, Hua Lan immediately recognized Jin Shuai among the dusty, weary troop. His armor was covered in dust, and his temples were streaked with frost, clearly indicating that he had endured a long and arduous journey.

The worries and longing that had been building up for days burst forth at this moment. Hua Lan's eyes instantly filled with tears. No longer caring about the demeanor of a well-bred lady, she lifted her skirt and ran towards Jin Shuai, throwing herself into his arms and hugging him tightly.

"My lord...you're finally back..." Her voice was thick with nasal tone, and her body was still trembling slightly.

She was so overjoyed and excited that she didn't notice that the moment she rushed into his arms, Jin Shuai's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, as if a wound had been aggravated. Then, they quickly relaxed, and a gentle smile appeared on his face. He raised his hand and gently stroked her back to comfort her: "I'm back. I'm sorry to have worried you."

At this moment, the ladies of the manor also rushed forward with their children, each with a joyful expression of relief after surviving a calamity. General Jin smiled and hugged them one by one, but his armor was covered in dust and grime, so he didn't hug the children. Instead, he smiled and gently patted each child's head, saying softly, "I'll hug you properly after I get back and wash myself clean."

The children nodded obediently, chattering and calling him "Daddy" as they surrounded him, creating a lively and heartwarming scene.

Marshal Jin remained as calm and collected as ever, chatting with his wives about the journey as he walked towards the city gate. However, Sun Bao, the captain of his personal guards following behind, was sweating profusely and couldn't contain himself any longer. He stepped forward and whispered, "Your Highness, Madam, we must hurry into the city! His Highness..."

"Stop talking nonsense." Jin Shuai interrupted him without turning his head, his tone calm but carrying an undeniable authority. "Let's go, let's go into the city."

Helpless, Sun Bao could only awkwardly take a step back, stand aside with his hands at his sides, and stop talking, but his eyes were full of worry as he looked at Jin Shuai.

Xie Tianxiang was quick-witted. She had caught a glimpse of Jin Shuai frowning just now, and seeing Sun Hu's anxious appearance, she had already become suspicious. As the group walked towards the mansion in the city, she pretended to adjust her skirt and quietly fell a few steps behind, coming to Sun Hu's side and asking in a low voice, "Captain Sun, has something happened to the Prince? Don't lie to him."

Sun Bao glanced at the Jin Shuai and his wives who were chatting happily ahead, hesitated for a moment, and finally said in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "Madam, the Prince... is injured. On the way, the Prince specifically instructed us not to say anything, just so you wouldn't worry."

"You're injured?" Xie Tianxiang's heart skipped a beat, her face paled slightly, but she still forced herself to remain calm and asked, "Is the injury serious?"

Sun Bao pointed discreetly to the hem of Jin Shuai's armor, lowering his voice even further: "It's not a fatal injury, but just now the princess rushed over and hugged several other princesses. It seems that the wound has probably reopened..."

Xie Tianxiang looked in the direction he pointed and, by the light, could vaguely see some dark marks on the edge of the armor. Her heart clenched immediately. She suppressed the urge to rush forward and ask, and simply nodded, quickly following the group ahead. But when she looked at Jin Shuai, her gaze held an undisguised pity.

The group returned to the pre-arranged mansion. As soon as they crossed the threshold, Xie Tianxiang immediately instructed Shulan and Yanran, "Take the children back to the backyard to rest and let them settle down as soon as possible." She then turned to Yue Ru and said, "Yue Ru, you stay here."

Seeing her arrangement, Jin Shuai understood immediately—Tianxiang must have gotten the truth from Sun Bao. Hua Lan, though somewhat puzzled as to why she had sent the children away as soon as she entered, didn't ask further and simply stood obediently to the side. Once Shu Lan led the children, chattering away, to the backyard, the front yard immediately fell silent.

Xie Tianxiang's smile vanished instantly, replaced by urgency. She grabbed Hualan's hand and quickly ordered, "Sister, quickly help the master remove his armor! Yueru, quickly send someone to fetch the medicine box! Shuang'er, go and boil some hot water to prepare to clean the master's wounds!"

The series of instructions was clear and concise, carrying an undeniable urgency. Hua Lan belatedly realized what was happening, and abruptly looked at Jin Shuai, her gaze falling on his armor. The fleeting frown she'd seen when she'd rushed into his arms flashed through her mind, and her heart leaped into her throat: "My lord, you...you're injured?"

Seeing that he couldn't hide it any longer, Jin Shuai simply stopped trying to conceal it and gave her a reassuring smile: "It's just a minor injury, nothing serious."

"You're still saying it's nothing at a time like this!" Xie Tianxiang scolded, but her hands were already moving, carefully untying the belts of the Golden General's Armor together with Hua Lan. Yue Ru had already run to the east wing, and Shuang'er also hurried to the kitchen. Only the three of them were left in the courtyard, and an indescribable tension filled the air.

The armor wasn't complicated to fasten; the two of them quickly removed the heavy armor. When the armor hit the ground with a dull thud, Hua Lan looked down and immediately gasped—the back of Jin Shuai's inner shirt was already soaked with dark red bloodstains, and fresh blood was even seeping out, clearly indicating that the wound had reopened when she had thrown him into her arms.

"This is considered a minor injury?" Hua Lan's voice trembled with tears, her hands shaking slightly. "This is...this is an arrow wound, how did you get this?"

Jin Shuai patted her hand, trying to reassure her: "It's really nothing, I just ran into some petty thieves on the way back, it's just a minor injury." Despite his words, his pale face couldn't be hidden.

Xie Tianxiang didn't say anything more, but urged with a stern face, "Don't ask any more questions. Quickly help your husband to the inner room. We'll talk after we clean his wounds." The two of them supported Jin Shuai on either side and walked quickly towards the inner room. Yue Ru had also rushed back with her medicine box and followed closely behind. The lanterns in the front yard swayed gently in the night breeze, reflecting the sudden chaos and the deep worry between the people's brows.

Yue Ru's technique was always meticulous and steady. She first carefully cleaned the area around the wound with strong liquor, then took clean needle and thread and, holding her breath, carefully stitched up Jin Shuai's wound. Each stitch was done with utmost care, for fear of pulling on his flesh and causing him more pain. After the wound was properly bandaged, she turned and went to the kitchen to carefully brew the medicine according to the prescription. The medicine pot bubbled on the stove, emitting a bitter medicinal aroma.

Since the wound had just been stitched up and couldn't get wet, Hua Lan fetched a warm, damp towel and, together with Xie Tianxiang, gently wiped Jin Shuai's hands, face, and arms. Their movements were gentle, their eyes filled with tenderness, and they even breathed very softly.

Jin Shuai leaned against the headboard, feeling the warmth of their fingertips. His tense nerves gradually relaxed, and he slowly began to recount his experiences after leaving the city: "After we left Dongjing City, I knew that Zhao Zongshi would not let me return to Dengzhou easily. Sure enough, after he realized this, he immediately ordered Gu Tingye to lead men to chase after us, trying to intercept us on the way."

He paused, recalling the situation at the time, and a faint smile appeared on his lips: "However, I was prepared. As soon as I left the city, I changed to a fast horse, traveled light, and deliberately took secluded paths, not following the main road at all. Gu Tingye's group chased us for several days, covering hundreds of miles, but they probably didn't even see a trace of us, and in the end, they could only return empty-handed."

At this point, he frowned slightly, his tone becoming more serious: "But before we could even catch our breath, when we reached the territory of Yanzhou Prefecture, we ran into the remnants of the Prince of Yan's forces. Those people were originally defeated soldiers, but they suddenly appeared halfway to ambush us. Judging from their methods, they were most likely acting on Zhao Zongshi's orders, trying to use someone else to do their dirty work."

"We fought them off, chasing and chasing each other, stopping and starting, and finally managed to shake them off and make our way to Laizhou Prefecture. We just wanted to rest and catch our breath in a village, but we ended up being ambushed by a group of bandits. Those people were very fierce and started shooting arrows without saying a word. Even though I was wearing armor, I was still hit by two arrows."

He looked down at the tightly bandaged wound and his tone became more relaxed: "Fortunately, the armor was sturdy enough. The arrow tip only broke through the armor and didn't go deep. To put it bluntly, it just gave me two bloody holes. They look scary, but they're not really that serious."

When Hua Lan heard that she had been hit by two arrows, her hand trembled violently, and she almost dropped her wet towel. Her eyes reddened, and her voice choked with sobs: "Even in this state, you still say it's not serious... Your journey has been so perilous."

Xie Tianxiang also sighed softly and squeezed Jin Shuai's hand: "Fortunately, we were blessed with good fortune and arrived safely. We can't take such risks again in the future."

Jin Shuai patted their hands with a smile: "It's all in the past. Now that we're in our territory, we're safe." As he spoke, Yue Ru brought in the prepared herbal medicine. The medicine in the bowl was dark and thick, steaming hot, with an unyielding bitterness, which seemed to silently testify to the hardships and dangers along the way.