Chapter 77

On the second day at dawn, Xiao Yin once again donned the armor he had not worn for seven years.

Gu Jiu Ling packed some medicines Xiao Yin would need on the journey, along with the pastries she had made, and went to the front courtyard to see him off.

She had just walked through the covered corridor when she saw Xiao Yin standing in the middle of the courtyard directing his subordinates, and her eyes involuntarily twitched.

She had always seen Xiao Yin in a purple robe, his usual carefree demeanor.

Now Xiao Yin wore a purple‑gold helmet, his body clad in black‑gold beast‑faced head‑swallowing linked armor; the waist belt set off his sturdy, tall stature, and even just standing there he exuded a thick, icy killing intent.

Seven years had passed, and it seemed as if that wind‑commanding youth had returned, riding his warhorse, unrestrained and soaring.

Ling Feng and the others also felt their eyes turn slightly red; the Prince had not donned battle armor for a full seven years.

Xiao Yin's expression was not as excited as his subordinates'; after giving a few orders he heard Gu Jiu Ling's footsteps and slowly turned.

Gu Jiu Ling hurried over with the items, directly stuffing the cloth bundle into Xiao Yin's bosom and whispered, "Inside are medicines, trauma pills, painkillers, hemostatics, anti‑inflammatories—I've prepared some of each for you."

"Look," Gu Jiu Ling said, still uneasy, she opened the bundle again and pulled out the medicines, pointing to the small labels she had written, "I've written the usage and dosage on each bottle."

"And this," Gu Jiu Ling added, shoving the few remaining pieces of Dove chocolate from her lab into his hand.

"This is unsweetened dark chocolate, for a boost; if you ever feel weak in an emergency, just chew a few pieces."

"And I made some little pastries, knowing you don't like sweets, so I didn't add much sugar."

"This is dried tofu! I made it myself!"

"Here, beef jerky—I had Jiu Yue and Yun Duo dry it these past days," Gu Jiu Ling said, suddenly tiptoeing to whisper in Xiao Yin's ear, glancing at the impatient Crown Prince Xiao Ting and Sixth Prince Xiao Zheng waiting at the Rui Wangfu gate.

She lowered her voice: "Keep these for yourself to eat; I didn't prepare much, don't share them with those two, especially that idiot Crown Prince."

Xiao Yin's lips curled into a smile, he gathered the items, ruffled Gu Jiu Ling's hair, and softly laughed, "I know, I'm leaving; take care."

"Go!" Gu Jiu Ling saw Xiao Yin off.

The Crown Prince Xiao Ting waiting outside the mansion watched Gu Jiu Ling stuff the bundle into Xiao Yin's arms and tiptoe to give careful instructions, feeling uneasy.

"If it had been before, when Gu Jiu Ling learned he was leading troops into battle, she would have thought those items in her hands belonged to Xiao Ting; when would it ever be Xiao Yin's turn, that scoundrel?"

These days Xiao Yin has been riding on Xiao Zheng's coattails, showing a hint of soaring ambition.

"Hmph! A eagle with its wings clipped still wants to fly again? Not that easy!"

"This time Chen Prefecture is suffering floods, the refugees there have rebelled—just a small band of rebels—but the Sixth Prince Xiao Zheng has made such a big fuss, clearly just wanting to rely on Xiao Yin to gain some military merit."

Xiao Wei fights major wars; such petty skirmishes are beneath his notice.

Xiao Ting also lacks military achievements, so he naturally cannot let Xiao Zheng monopolize this great advantage; therefore he asked the emperor to let him also go suppress the rebellion, to share the emperor's burden.

"Hehe! In fact he also prepared another gift for his sixth brother and Ninth Imperial Uncle!"

"I guarantee they won't make this trip in vain!"

Xiao Zheng glanced impatiently at Gu Jiu Ling, who dared not linger any longer, and saw Xiao Yin out of the Rui Wangfu gate.

Ling Feng beside him hurried to take the parcel Xiao Yin was holding, but Xiao Yin refused.

"The Princess Consort's gifts, I will carry them myself; no need to trouble you!"

Ling Feng...

After Xiao Yin left, Gu Jiu Ling discovered he had left many dark guards for her, realizing he was watching her, afraid she would run away.

She returned to the Peach Blossom Pavilion, just sat down in the chair by the window to sort the accounts, when Jiu Yue led in an errand boy.

The boy handed over an invitation from the Grand Princess's mansion, bowing and saying, "Report to Princess Consort, my lady the Princess invites you to a gathering at your residence."

Gu Jiu Ling froze, then recalled the matter of treating the son of Imperially Ordered and the Grand Princess, Cheng Ming.

Before, Cheng Ming, that troubled youth, had been uncooperative everywhere, and even the Imperially Ordered Grand Princess harbored some doubts about her bold treatment methods.

Gu Jiu Ling proposed that she search the entire Southern Qi for a patient identical to Cheng Ming, treat that patient first, and then the Imperially Ordered Grand Princess would feel assured letting her treat her son.

To summon her so urgently to the princess's mansion—could it be that the patient has been found?

"Jiu Yue! Yun Duo! You two take the medical kit and come with me."

The two hurriedly grabbed the medicine boxes and followed Gu Jiu Ling, not expecting the princess's mansion carriages to be parked at the Rui Wangfu gate—clearly they were in dire haste.

How could she not be anxious? The Imperially Ordered Grand Princess's lifelong heartache has been her son's strange illness; now that she finally has a breakthrough, how could she remain calm?

Soon the carriage stopped at the princess's mansion gate; Gu Jiu Ling alighted and had just stepped inside when the Imperially Ordered Grand Princess came out to greet her.

"Imperial Elder Sister!" Gu Jiu Ling stepped forward to salute, but the Imperially Ordered Grand Princess seized her with a laugh, saying, "No need for formalities with me—please come in quickly!"

The Imperially Ordered Grand Princess ushered Gu Jiu Ling into the reception hall, ordered tea served, and looked at her with eyes showing some excitement.

"Sister‑in‑law, the patient you asked me to find—I have found her."

"Oh?" Gu Jiu Ling's heart skipped; sure enough her guess was correct. "Bring her in, let me have a look."

The Imperially Ordered Grand Princess hastily dismissed the surrounding attendants; better to be cautious, after all it concerns her son's life.

She ordered a woman about twenty‑seven or twenty‑eight years old to be brought in; the woman still wore her hair in an unmarried maiden's coil, clearly unwed, yet her belly was large, seeming four or five months pregnant—actually larger than Cheng Ming's.

She wore a blue‑white floral cloth dress, obviously from a poor family; accompanied by an elderly couple, the three of them wore expressions of stark terror.

They came from a remote countryside in Quanzhou; after being found by the princess's mansion people they thought something major had happened, and were frightened all day long.

Now, having been brought into the princess's mansion, they felt they had never in their lives witnessed such splendor; here people dress well, eat well, and live as if in a heavenly palace.

The leading woman awkwardly tried to kowtow to Gu Jiu Ling, but Gu Jiu Ling helped her up and had her sit in the chair.

The elderly couple beside her also stood there, uneasy.

"Please, elders, sit as well; I have a few questions I'd like to ask."

Seeing that Gu Jiu Ling was kind‑faced, the three hastily sat down carefully, but only perched on the edge of the chair, daring not to sit fully.

The Imperially Ordered Grand Princess could not interject, after all Gu Jiu Ling was the one treating the illness; she merely watched from the side, hoping that if it succeeded her son would also be saved.

Gu Jiu Ling smiled at the woman before her: "Please tell me your condition in detail."

Upon speaking of it, the woman's eyes instantly reddened.