Spring arrives and the land smiles

When Qingyan woke up, it was Luo Qing who was taking her pulse.

"The princess has been overthinking, which has damaged her liver and spleen. A few doses of medicine should help her recover, and she should be fine."

"Thank you for your trouble, Young Master Luo." Yunxuan sent a maid to go with Luo Qing to get the medicine, and then sat down next to Qingyan.

"You're awake." The voice remained gentle and soothing.

"Hmm..." Qingyan murmured softly as she sat up from the chaise lounge. Yunxuan considerately placed a soft pillow under her lower back.

"You've been overthinking, Yan'er. Did you hear Young Master Luo's diagnosis?"

Qingyan nodded.

“Since you came south from Suizhou, you’ve been paranoid, wishing you could grow ten more orifices out of your seven-orifice heart. Your liver and spleen are both damaged, and you’ve been unconscious for four hours today.” Yunxuan gently stroked her small face with heartache; her complexion was haggard, and her lips were bloodless.

"Everything is so complicated, I have no choice but to accept it," Qingyan sighed softly.

"The matter of submitting to the emperor remains unresolved; are you worried about Ning Yuan?" Yun Xuan said bluntly.

"If we have no choice but to fight Qiu Rong, you want to give Ning Yuan the greatest protection. Even if we are defeated, you won't allow anything to happen to Ning Yuan, right?"

"You've been concerned about the craftsmen, tested the Emperor, and kept a close eye on Lan Zhen, handling everything personally. Do you think this will protect Ningyuan?"

"Yan'er, if war really breaks out, and you help him so much, yet Ning Yuan is still defeated, he will surely sacrifice himself for the country to uphold loyalty and save face. Do I really need to spell this out for him?"

"Yan'er, is it that you lack confidence in Ning Yuan, or is it that you're just worried and confused?"

"I..." Recalling everything that had happened, Qingyan realized that she had indeed been seeing threats everywhere.

"On the way to Yushan, you kept stopping and dragging your feet. You said you were going to Yushan to move iron, but in reality you wanted to keep the commander of the Southern Xia border defense in your hands. Otherwise, wouldn't it have been redundant for you to personally escort Lan Zhen into the country and then have Li Muqing come to pick him up?"

"Yan'er, I've said it before, even if the general guarding the border between my Great Qi and Southern Xia is a member of the Zhong family, I have a way to make Zhong Chengyu hold the line to the death. Why won't you let me share the burden for you? Don't you trust me?"

"I didn't," Qingyan quickly denied.

Yunxuan had indeed guessed her thoughts, but the reason she did this was not because she didn't trust him. So, in the end, it was because she was too concerned to think straight.

"Then let's put Lan Zhen back. He's annoying to look at." Yun Xuan recalled Lan Zhen's kiss on Qing Yan's drunken night and the affectionate look in his eyes when he looked at Qing Yan. If it was an act, Yun Xuan really didn't believe it for a hundred years.

"No, he drank so much of my wine, how can I just let him go?" Besides, keeping him around is at least a double insurance policy.

"Aren't you afraid he might have some ulterior motives towards you?" Yunxuan wanted to hint at it, but this girl was shrewd in other matters but not so clever in this one, so he simply pointed it out directly.

"No," Qingyan said dismissively, "He's just a womanizer, and he's just a smooth talker."

Sure enough, he was incredibly stupid. Yunxuan shook his head.

“That night he took advantage of you while you were drunk and made advances on you. If I hadn’t arrived in time, he would probably have become another concubine of my Great Qi.”

what? !

"That damned lecher!" Qingyan angrily punched the chaise longue. "He's capable of anything, fearless of anything, even the destruction of heaven and earth!"

The gloom on Qingyan's face grew stronger.

Yunxuan asked in confusion, "Yan'er, that night you instructed Zhui'er to bring six jars of wine to me. Wasn't that something you anticipated?"

"I never thought this scoundrel would disregard my status. I was just worried that if he got drunk, I would feel safe with you by my side, so..." Qingyan's voice trailed off, indicating that she knew she was wrong.

"A sense of security?" Yunxuan's heart skipped a beat, and joy welled up within him. "Yan'er has become dependent on me."

Dependence?

"Ah, well, I..." Qingyan stammered, embarrassed. Never mind, the more she said, the more mistakes she'd make, so she simply shut up.

"Yan'er, don't worry, I'll let you rely on me." Yunxuan smiled and opened his arms to Qingyan.

"Hehe!" Qingyan joked, "I want to take a nap, you can go out first."

As Qingyan spoke, she pushed Yunxuan out.

“But you’ve only slept for four hours.” Yunxuan grabbed her mischievous little hand. “Don’t sleep anymore. I’ll have a meal with you. You haven’t eaten a single grain of rice in a long time.”

Qingyan nodded, finding Yunxuan's gentleness irresistible.

A few side dishes and a bowl of congee. Yunxuan knew that Qingyan always preferred light food, and after falling into a deep sleep, she probably didn't have much of an appetite.

"Didn't you say you'd eat with me?" There was only one set of chopsticks and a bowl on the table, but the food looked very light and refreshing, which made Qingyan feel a little hungry.

“Yes, but I’m not the one keeping you company, you eat.” Yunxuan sat down next to Qingyan, teasing her with a playful remark.

Qingyan chuckled, in a great mood.

"Yunxuan, did you beat up that scoundrel when he harassed me?" Qingyan took a bite of the vegetarian shredded vegetables.

"That wasn't a hard beating," Yun Xuan laughed. Indeed, it wasn't a hard beating; he had only knocked him to the ground.

"You're a really unqualified husband," Qingyan said with a smile.

"Next time I'll make him crawl on the ground looking for his teeth."

"How could there be a next time?" Qingyan glared at Yunxuan.

"Yes, there can't be a next time." Yunxuan quickly smiled apologetically, but in his heart he disliked Lan Zhen even more.

Summer has arrived, and the heat is getting heavier. You can hear cicadas chirping in the early morning, their incessant chirping making people irritable.

However, after reading the letter Ning Yuan sent, Qingyan felt much better.

"Yan'er, you can rest assured now. The new weapons manufactured in Suizhou have been delivered to the military camp, and the 30,000 vanguard troops of the Ning family army are all fully equipped." Yunxuan held the letter in his hand, very excited.

"But there's still no news from Yushan?" Yunxuan's letter still couldn't dispel Qingyan's worries.

"No news is good news. Everything must be normal in Yushan," Yunxuan comforted her, and what he said was indeed true.

Since that's the case, there's no point in staying in Fancheng any longer.

"Then let's set off tomorrow." Qingyan's brows finally relaxed a little.

The following day, Qingyan and her entourage left with Song Wenbo, who was reluctant to part with them. However, Song Wenbo was extremely happy because the Princess had finally revealed, in a very subtle way, that she wanted him to serve as the prefect of Suizhou.

Fancheng was still more than 200 li away from Yushan. Qingyan stopped to rest whenever she encountered a post station, keeping her pace slow and steady. She still had two thoughts on her mind: one was to keep track of Qiu Rong's movements, and the other was to keep an eye on the two people who might cause trouble for Ningyuan. Since she had already reached an agreement with Lan Zhen, this was only to guard against honest people, not scoundrels.

"Zhui'er, the plum juice isn't cold enough." Qingyan took a sip and put it down.

“Princess, when I went to get your medicine yesterday, Young Master Luo said that you should not drink iced drinks and your diet should be mild, otherwise your stomach pain will be worse in a couple of days.” Zhui’er pushed the plum juice in front of Qingyan, as if to say that with your current frail body, you can’t even handle iced drinks, so you should take good care of yourself.

"Why did my abdominal pain worsen in a couple of days?" Could it be that Luo Qing had discovered some hidden ailment in her? Qing Yan frowned.

“You forgot, you’ll be here in a couple of days, um…” Zhui’er blushed and symbolically rubbed her stomach.

"What?" Qingyan looked completely bewildered. "How did he know?"

Zhui'er's innocent eyes drooped: How would I know? How could he know?

Qingyan slapped her forehead and realized: Butterfly Flower Prince Luo Qing was the Immortal Physician's first disciple. After taking her pulse, he would naturally know everything.

This Luo Qing truly has the heart of a doctor and a parent.

"Yan'er, just bear with it for a few more days." Yunxuan had appeared behind her without her noticing, and the folding fan in his hand gently brought her some coolness.

What? He knew he had really lost face completely.

"Zhui'er, let's continue on our way." Qingyan blushed as she got into the carriage.

From Fancheng to Yushan, although there are no more prosperous places like Fancheng along the way, there are still a few lush towns, such as Yuantang, the next stop.

The town of Yuantang and the origin of its name can be traced back to a change in the course of the Yuanjiang River hundreds of years ago. At that time, it was the end of a previous dynasty, a period when the empire was on the verge of collapse. Usually, man-made disasters accompanied natural disasters. According to historical records, the southern region experienced a month of torrential rain that year, and plagues raged everywhere, causing widespread devastation. As a result, the Yuanjiang River breached its banks, and a large river running north-south was forced to flow westward for dozens of miles before stopping at the foot of the Lufeng Mountains. It then flowed southeast along the mountains and eventually returned to its original course. This large loop caused the originally relatively straight Yuanjiang River to make a big bend, with the bend resembling a large pond, hence the name.

Today, Yuantang is no longer the desolate place it once was. With its babbling streams, small bridges, and houses, the people live and work in peace and contentment, creating a serene and peaceful scene that brings a sense of tranquility to everyone.

Dong Xueli, the local official of Yuantang, was a typical Confucian scholar—pedantic, learned, and respectful of etiquette. Although learned and talented, his pedantry and outdated ways prevented him from being promoted despite years of service. However, Lord Dong was humble and content, and he lived a happy life among the people of this region.

At this moment, Lord Dong was leading his men to respectfully welcome the Princess's carriage outside the city gate.

"See Her Royal Highness the Princess."

"Please rise, gentlemen." Qingyan raised her hand to help them up, and the group stood up and lined up on both sides. Lord Dong accompanied the princess and led the group to their lodgings.

According to the administrative system of Yuantang, there would naturally be no imperial palaces or post stations. It would be quite good to have a clean residence. Qingyan was not picky and settled in amidst Lord Dong's fearful and restrained apologies.

But can anyone tell me why Lan Zhen has to live next door to me?!

Qingyan was speechless at this request.

However, the most awkward thing was that there weren't enough rooms in the mansion, so Qingyan and Yunxuan had to be arranged to be together.

Looking at the only bed in the entire bedroom, Qingyan made up her mind, took off her coat, and lay down at the innermost part of the room.

Yunxuan stood at the door with his arms crossed, watching her expression shift from worry to confusion. He smiled gently, took off his coat, and lay down next to Qingyan.

From being tense all over to breathing steadily, Qingyan finally fell asleep.

Yunxuan kissed her forehead and then fell into a deep sleep.

You slept soundly through the night, without any dreams, and felt very at ease.

When Qingyan woke up the next morning, she found herself clinging to Yunxuan like an octopus. She panicked and quickly withdrew her arms and legs, only to see Yunxuan wake up.

"Now that summer is here, Yan'er is getting more and more restless in her sleep." Yunxuan got up and smiled as he looked at her helpless expression, which was quite endearing.

"You only just realized I'm a terrible sleeper?" Qingyan was naturally annoyed by this teasing remark.

She glanced at him sideways, suppressed her panic, jumped out of bed, hurriedly put on her clothes, and went outside.

Summer clothes are light and thin. Yunxuan stroked his arm, the smooth touch of the girl's skin still lingering on his fingertips, overlapping with the soft and smooth feeling of the day he pulled her out of the bath. The corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up slightly.

As soon as Yunxuan got out of bed, he heard Qing calling his name incoherently. She rushed back like the wind and collapsed in front of Yunxuan as soon as she reached the bedside.

"Yunxuan, look."

Qingyan held up the letter in an unseemly manner and waved it in front of Yunxuan.

Yunxuan reached out and pulled her up. Seeing her tense expression, he had no intention of teasing her and quickly picked up the letter and unfolded it.

It was written by Ning Yuan himself.

Yunxuan quickly glanced through the document, his expression grave.

After Haitu and Ina's wedding, Haitu demanded that the border garrison deliver the other half of the promised grain supplies. General Zhao Minghui, however, demanded that the garrison exercise its right to station troops in his royal court according to the regulations listed in the letter of state, and also to escort the grain into the country. Haitu, however, obstructed this with various excuses, and a small-scale military conflict has recently occurred, resulting in casualties on both sides.