Before Xiao Rongyan could speak, Bai Qingyan said: “Don’t refuse. Having a military physician with you will give me some peace of mind. The child and I… are both waiting for you to return.”

Soon, Wei Zhong brought in the medicine. Xiao Rongyan looked deeply at Bai Qingyan, then took the bowl with one hand and drank it all down before putting on his mask.

As he walked out of Bai Qingyan’s courtyard, he saw Great Yan generals waiting at the gate of the adjacent courtyard.

Upon seeing Xiao Rongyan, the Great Yan generals all gathered around, asking about his injuries with a cacophony of voices.

Bai Qingyan stood inside the courtyard gate, listening to Xiao Rongyan tell those Yan generals: “It’s nothing…”

“Your Highness, this subordinate heard that General Wang, who is on good terms with General Song, has already sent word back to our Great Yan capital, reporting Your Highness’s unauthorized bringing of troops to aid Jiangzi City. He wants to persuade the Empress Dowager and His Majesty to revoke Your Highness’s military authority. The Empress Dowager will surely blame Your Highness when she learns of this. Your Highness should quickly write a memorial, and this subordinate will send a swift messenger back to the capital!” The general following Xiao Rongyan was extremely anxious.

The Empress Dowager was easily influenced. Now that the prince wasn’t in the capital, if the Empress Dowager was truly manipulated by petty people, then Great Yan would have no hope of unifying the realm.

“This prince knows.” Xiao Rongyan acknowledged, then ordered: “Go muster the troops. The army departs immediately for Gu Feng!”

“Yes!”

The Yan generals accepted the order and left.

Yue Shi stepped forward to Xiao Rongyan’s side, looking at his master with worry and self-reproach: “Master…”

Xiao Rongyan raised his hand and ruffled Yue Shi’s head: “Let’s go!”

“Ninth Prince, please wait.” Bai Qingyan stepped out from the courtyard gate.

Xiao Rongyan turned around and, together with Yue Shi, formally bowed to Bai Qingyan: “Your Majesty…”

She turned to take a medicine chest from Wei Zhong’s hands – one that Physician Hong had prepared for her – and walked to Xiao Rongyan: “This medicine chest contains some wound medicines that Physician Hong developed. They’re very effective for sword and arrow wounds on the battlefield. I hope the Ninth Prince won’t disdain taking it.”

Yue Shi stepped forward to receive it for Xiao Rongyan, then stood properly behind his master.

“I’ll see the Ninth Prince off…” Bai Qingyan made a gesture for Xiao Rongyan to proceed.

Xiao Rongyan nodded and walked at the front with Bai Qingyan, hands clasped behind his back.

On the long corridor, Wei Zhong and Yue Shi walked behind, deliberately keeping Bai Qingyan’s and Xiao Rongyan’s guards at a distance, not allowing them to approach.

“A’Yan, I’m not as uncaring about your feelings or our child as you said.”

Bai Qingyan’s steps were slow. When going up the steps, Xiao Rongyan instinctively reached out to help her up, responding softly: “Mm!”

She gently caressed her abdomen: “I just felt the battle situation was still within my control, and even if it went beyond my control, I could regain control of the situation.”

Xiao Rongyan remained silent as he walked beside Bai Qingyan.

“A’Yan, you and our child are both my family…” Bai Qingyan’s voice was very soft. “You’ve always been in my heart. I admit that when Jiangzi City was besieged, I thought of everything except you, because… A’Yan, I never thought you would give up Great Yan’s opportunity to be first into Yun Jing to come save me.”

Xiao Rongyan, walking with hands behind his back, paused mid-step, and Bai Qingyan stopped as well.

Wei Zhong quickly blocked the guards behind them, retreated several steps, and smilingly had everyone turn around.

“You don’t need to go to such trouble explaining!” Behind his mask, Xiao Rongyan’s deep, solemn eyes looked at Bai Qingyan. He stepped forward and gently grasped her shoulders. “Some things I did were my own choice. I can’t demand that you must do the same, A’Bao… just be yourself.”

After speaking, Xiao Rongyan said to her: “No need to see me off. Make preparations early – the sooner you return to the capital… your mother, your aunts, your younger brothers and sisters… will all be at ease!”

He released Bai Qingyan’s shoulders and called out to Yue Shi…

Mother, aunts, younger brothers, and sisters – he didn’t include himself among them.

“A’Yan!” Bai Qingyan grasped his hand, looking up into Xiao Rongyan’s eyes and saying in a low voice: “You are my husband. I care about you too, just as you care about me!”

Holding the medicine chest, Yue Shi turned around and saw Bai Qingyan grasping Xiao Rongyan’s hand. He quickly turned back around, pretending not to have heard his master’s call.

“If I asked you… to choose between your younger brothers and sisters, or between me and Great Zhou, A’Bao… how would you choose?”

Bai Qingyan’s expression was stunned.

Seeing that Bai Qingyan couldn’t answer, Xiao Rongyan asked again: “If your younger brother or sister and I were both besieged by Western Liang at the same time, both at death’s door, and you only had enough troops to save one person, A’Bao, whom would you save?”

Behind his mask, Xiao Rongyan’s lips curved slightly upward. He gently stepped forward and improperly embraced Bai Qingyan: “How could I bear to truly make you… face such a difficult choice…”

Bai Qingyan’s hands were against Xiao Rongyan’s chest. Through his clothes, she could feel his strong, powerful heartbeat beneath his solid muscles.

He lowered his head, his mask pressed close to Bai Qingyan’s left ear, and said in an extremely low, hoarse voice: “Not to mention… I’m also very afraid, afraid that you would choose to abandon me! So A’Bao, if there comes a day when your younger brother and I are both trapped, you must go save your younger brother. This is my choice and my request.”

Proud as Xiao Rongyan was, he had never bowed his head or shown weakness to anyone in his life, but this time… he was utterly defeated before Bai Qingyan.

Bai Qingyan’s eyes immediately became moist and red, her ten fingers tightening slightly, almost unable to control her tears.

He gently released Bai Qingyan and reminded her again: “Return to the capital soon. Don’t delay any longer. Don’t make me worry, understand?”

Without waiting for Bai Qingyan to respond, Xiao Rongyan called out to Yue Shi again.

This time, Yue Shi dared not delay and immediately stepped forward quickly with Xiao Rongyan’s guards: “Yue Shi is here!”

Xiao Rongyan stepped back and bowed deeply to Bai Qingyan: “Your Majesty is with child and needs not see me off further. Murong Yan takes his leave here and hopes Your Majesty will take good care of yourself.”

After speaking to Bai Qingyan, he led his guards forward.

Yue Shi hurriedly bowed to Bai Qingyan, then followed with the medicine chest.

Watching Xiao Rongyan’s upright figure striding away, one couldn’t tell at all that he was injured. If Bai Qingyan hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she couldn’t imagine it.

Afraid that she would abandon him for Great Zhou, for her younger brothers and sisters…

Bai Qingyan had never known that Xiao Rongyan thought this way in his heart.

In Bai Qingyan’s impression, Xiao Rongyan was so high and mighty, so powerful, so fearlessly strong and arrogant.

She still clearly remembered from her previous life, at the gates of the capital city, him in white robes with a black fur cloak, his chiseled, hard features calm and unruffled, yet seeming to carry an extremely intimidating aura of violence.