On the training grounds, soldiers braved the harsh morning cold as they practiced their martial exercises with impressive vigor.
Yan Chi stood at the front of the elevated platform, his stern gaze sweeping over everyone below. Under his watchful eye, the soldiers exhibited even more spirit than usual. The battle cries shook the heavens, and even Qin Wan, standing at the outermost edge, could feel the intensity of their martial fervor!
Bai Ying stood beside Qin Wan, her eyes also bright as she watched the scene before her.
Qin Wan smiled and said, “I know you used to be his messenger before. You’ve been to Shuo Xi, haven’t you?”
Bai Ying’s expression turned solemn. “Yes, I have. When His Highness was nine years old, before he went to Shuo Xi, he saved my brother and me in Luo Zhou. He kept my brother as his guard but almost sent me to live with a farming family. At that time, the Princess Consort had already passed away, and there was no one managing the Prince’s mansion. His Highness didn’t need lady attendants. Seeing how small and thin I was, he thought he couldn’t properly place me and wanted to find me a good family to live with, allowing my brother to visit occasionally. But I didn’t want to be separated from my brother, so I said I could learn martial arts and serve His Highness. Seeing my earnest plea, His Highness finally agreed. Initially, I learned martial arts alongside my brother, but being a boy, he naturally learned faster than me, so I later changed to a different master…”
Qin Wan nodded repeatedly. “His personality is really…”
In ordinary noble households, having one more or less female servant wasn’t significant, and some would keep many maids around. However, Yan Chi was exceptionally proper in this regard. Qin Wan’s smile deepened unconsciously. “At least both you and your brother turned out well.”
Bai Ying nodded. “Yes. I lost my parents when I was young, but I still remember scenes of their interactions. My father was a gentry in Ying County, south of Luo Zhou, with modest wealth. My mother was the daughter of a local teacher. After they married, their mother relied on her father, but her father often beat her. I’ve forgotten what my parents looked like now, but I vaguely remember how my father used to beat my mother. Later, the father was caught colluding with the county magistrate in salt smuggling and died in prison. Mother soon passed away from illness. Father had made many enemies during his lifetime, and afterward, our clan members drove my brother and me away…”
Qin Wan hadn’t heard Bai Ying speak of her parents before, and hearing this stirred sympathy in her heart. But Bai Ying continued, “I’m deeply grateful to His Highness for not sending me to another family and instead letting me learn martial arts. Otherwise, I might have followed in my mother’s footsteps.”
The fate of Bai Ying’s mother was the fate of most women in this era. Qin Wan sighed deeply, “Never mind, forget those unhappy memories. Things will get better, and I’ll find you a good match.”
Bai Ying’s cheeks reddened. “The Princess Consort needn’t trouble herself over me. I truly haven’t thought about such things.”
Qin Wan laughed. “Although you have martial arts skills now, your personality has become somewhat distant. You’re about my age, so why not open your heart more? Like Fu Ling, who lives happily despite her casual nature.”
Bai Ying lowered her eyes, tugged at the corner of her mouth, and nodded with a soft response.
Seeing this, Qin Wan stopped teasing Bai Ying. When she looked back at the training grounds, she saw Yan Chi had begun his practice. The long spear in his hands moved like a swimming dragon, and Qin Wan found herself increasingly mesmerized. Only after watching him complete a set of spear techniques did she quietly leave with Bai Ying.
“Where is the infirmary?” Qin Wan asked after walking a short distance.
Bai Ying, clearly familiar with the camp’s layout, pointed to the southwest. “It’s over there. I inquired yesterday – there are about a hundred seriously wounded soldiers being treated there now. Those with lighter injuries have returned to their camps. The forces here are combined from General Chu’s coordination with the sentinel camps around the main camp, along with the troops General Zhou brought. The main camp’s soldiers mostly haven’t moved. Before this, they encountered Lin Xu Gui’s transferred garrison troops from Ding Zhou twice, which resulted in many injuries.”
As they walked, Bai Ying explained, and Qin Wan, thinking of the generals she’d seen yesterday, said, “From what I saw yesterday, many didn’t seem like low-ranking officers.”
Bai Ying hurriedly replied, “General Chu and Master Qi have been conducting rescue operations. Earlier, Lin Xu Gui had captured many people to control the main camp, and these are the ones General Chu and the others rescued. The main camp’s troops still lean toward His Highness, though some have turned to Lin Xu Gui, but they’re a small minority.”
This point was naturally clear to Qin Wan – with the Shuo Xi army’s hundred thousand troops, it would be impossible for everyone to maintain absolute loyalty to the Prince’s mansion.
Soon, Qin Wan and Bai Ying arrived at the infirmary. The tents here were smaller and arranged closely together. Being far from the training grounds, the battle cries were now quite faint. Qin Wan glanced inside the tents as she passed – most were dark inside, with occasional groans of pain echoing out. At a corner, she saw two larger medical tents, with the bitter smell of medicine wafting from within. Two large cauldrons were set up at the entrance, brewing medicinal soup. Qin Wan stood nearby and sniffed – the left one was for treating cold illness, the right for external injuries.
Seeing the medical tents, Qin Wan slowed her pace. Just then, the tent flap lifted, and a middle-aged man in a crimson military uniform emerged. Though wearing military attire, he was hunched over, unlike other soldiers. Seeing the medicine packages in his hands, Qin Wan knew he was a military doctor.
The man was startled to see Qin Wan and Bai Ying. The infirmary rarely had visitors, and now not only were there visitors, but two fair and handsome young men. The military doctor found it strange and asked, “Who are you? Who are you looking for?”
Qin Wan and Bai Ying exchanged glances. Bai Ying began, “This is the Pri-“
Before she could finish, Qin Wan raised her hand to stop her, then said, “I came to see if the medical tent needs any help.”
The middle-aged man was stooped, his face showing exhausted pallor, and his hands holding the medicine packages were covered in chilblains. Hearing this, he looked Qin Wan up and down, snorted dismissively, and turned away, focusing on opening the medicine packages and pouring the herbs into the cauldron.
The medicinal broth in the large cauldron hadn’t yet come to a boil, with only wisps of steam rising. Seeing his actions, Qin Wan said, “Wouldn’t it be better to prepare all the herbs together for brewing? This way, the medicinal properties might not be evenly distributed…”
The middle-aged man frowned at these words. “What do you know? I don’t care where you’re from, but I’m very busy here. Don’t cause trouble!”
With that, he stormed back into the tent.
Qin Wan was about to speak but held back. Bai Ying grew angry, “How dare he-“
“It’s fine,” Qin Wan smiled. “He must be truly overwhelmed. I can see he hasn’t slept properly for two or three days.”
As she spoke, Qin Wan peeked into the medical tent, noting the dim yellow lighting from lamps inside, with only that one person moving about. She frowned, “How many doctors are there here?”
Bai Ying tilted her head in thought. “When I asked yesterday, they said there were four or five.”
Four or five isn’t too few… The others must be tending to the soldiers…
Qin Wan sighed. She had come to help but encountered someone with a fiery temper. She waited a moment longer, and seeing the man didn’t emerge, she could only sigh again. Noticing some scattered herbs where he had poured the medicine earlier, she picked them up from the cauldron’s edge. After carefully examining them for a moment, she suddenly said, “Let’s go back first.”
Bai Ying, not wanting Qin Wan to linger, quickly followed.
On their way back, Qin Wan asked, “Is there a shortage of medicinal herbs in the camp?”
Bai Ying nodded. “Yes. The mountains to the northeast are blocked by heavy snow, and there are Lin Xu Gui’s forces. From the south, we can only come through Liang Zhou, which has also had several days of heavy snow since entering the twelfth month. General Chu doesn’t want to expose the camp’s location, so he hasn’t sent anyone to purchase herbs, only gathering what they could from hunters in the nearby mountains.”
“No wonder. The medicinal soup just now was missing two ingredients, and brewing it that way would only be half as effective.”
Bai Ying sighed. “There’s no choice. Master Qi and the others can only wait for His Highness to return and then take back the main camp. The main camp still has plenty of military supplies.”
Qin Wan nodded thoughtfully, then looked around at the snow-covered mountains surrounding the valley. “Though the Shuo Xi plateau is vast, it’s barren. However, it doesn’t lack medicinal herbs. His prescription was too mild. I’ll go back and write a new prescription, and we’ll see if he’ll use it.”
Upon returning to the central command tent, Qin Wan heard rustling sounds from the inner chamber as soon as she entered. She hurried in to find Yan Chi bare-chested, changing clothes. Hearing movement, he turned back with a smile. “Where did you go?”
“Just walked around the camp a bit.” Qin Wan approached to help him change.
Seeing Yan Chi still had a light sweat from training, she turned to wring out a cloth and wiped him down before helping him dress.
As she was fastening the front buttons, Yan Chi pulled her into his embrace. “Having a wife is wonderful.”
Qin Wan smiled. “I went to the training grounds earlier…”
Yan Chi raised an eyebrow. “Why didn’t you call for me?”
Qin Wan laughed. “What would I call you for? You need to attend to your duties, don’t mind me.”
After he was dressed, Qin Wan led Yan Chi out. His breakfast had already been served, and he ate quickly. Qin Wan watched him eat, waiting until he finished before saying, “I also visited the infirmary earlier. It seems they’re short on medicinal herbs?”
Yan Chi appeared unsurprised. “Yes, but it won’t be a problem to hold on a bit longer.”
Qin Wan thought for a moment. “We brought quite a few herbs in our carriage. We can use them for the seriously wounded soldiers first. Also, I noticed the doctor’s prescription for the medicine wasn’t very good, so I thought of writing a new one. What do you think?”
Yan Chi smiled. “Of course that’s fine, but from now on, you must take at least two guards with you when you go anywhere.”
Qin Wan pouted. “But I had Bai Ying with me.”
“Bai Ying doesn’t count.” Yan Chi firmly rejected, then called Bai Feng in and gave instructions for Zhong Yao and another guard to stay with Qin Wan at all times. Seeing the orders had been given, Qin Wan could only accept.
After arranging for guards to accompany her and giving many instructions, Yan Chi added that Qin Wan had full authority over the infirmary and medicinal matters before heading to the council tent. Alone in the tent, Qin Wan began working on new prescriptions. Though it was her first time in Shuo Xi, she was well-versed in medicine and knew which herbs were most abundant in the region. She wrote a simple prescription suited to local conditions, then had Zhong Yao and the other guard carry the medicines to the medical tent.
When Qin Wan returned to the medical tent, the two large cauldrons at the entrance were boiling, but no one was there to serve the medicine. This time, she directly lifted the tent flap and entered. Sure enough, she saw the man from earlier crouching on the ground, sorting herbs.
Hearing movement, he turned around, and seeing Qin Wan again, his brows immediately furrowed. “Since when did the camp become so undisciplined? Is this a place anyone can just enter as they please?! Get out, get out… I must speak to General Chu about this!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Wan held out her prescription to him. “Would you take a look?”
Though annoyed, he recognized it as a prescription and took it. His expression quickly changed.
“You… you know medicine? Your prescription is quite good, but we don’t have two of these herbs here!”
Qin Wan stepped aside, and Zhong Yao entered carrying the medicines. She said, “You don’t have them, but I do. Now, may I help here?”