Chang Yuncheng felt his heart beating violently. He slowly reached out to extract the letter – a simple piece of paper with just one large line of text.

“Chang Yuncheng, you coward, why did you run? Was it so difficult to say goodbye to me? Just wait, I’m coming to find you. You’ll give me a proper farewell face to face this time. Don’t you dare run away again.”

Chang Yuncheng read it over and over, as if he couldn’t recognize the words.

“What, what does this mean?” he murmured.

The guard beside him was even more puzzled and couldn’t help but crane his neck to look.

Chang Yuncheng suddenly put it away, guarding it as if a treasure were being spied upon.

The guard helplessly stood properly.

Only then did Chang Yuncheng continue reading the letter again. His mind was in chaos, but he forced himself to calm down and figure out what was going on.

Lady Qi said she was coming to find him…

She had come to the capital…

Fan Yilin said she came with Second Madam Chen Shi…

Chen Shi’s health was poor…

Lady Qi had superb medical skills…

So she accompanied and escorted her to the capital…

Then she disappeared again…

They said she had left…

But there was no news of Lady Qi returning to Yongqing Prefecture…

So she…

Chang Yuncheng looked at the letter in disbelief.

“Are you leaving?”

“Of course.”

“For a long time?”

“I don’t know. At least half a year.”

“I want to go too!”

“What nonsense are you talking about? What would you go for?”

“Of course I have to go. Long-distance relationships are marriage killers!”

“I don’t care. I have to go anyway. Even if I don’t live there permanently, I should have visitation rights, shouldn’t I?”

Chang Yuncheng felt his ears buzzing and his throat dry and sour.

She meant what she said…

She meant what she said!

Chang Yuncheng suddenly headed outside.

“Pack up, we’re returning to Mobei! Quickly!” he shouted loudly.

All the guards in the courtyard were stunned.

They had just arrived in the capital, and they were leaving before their luggage was even unpacked?

Chang Yuncheng shouted again, and everyone finally believed the Prince wasn’t joking.

Then they would follow orders. Without asking questions, they began to pack.

There was commotion outside the gate, then several people rushed in.

Leading them was a eunuch whose white, plump face smiled like a flower upon seeing Chang Yuncheng.

“Oh my Prince, we finally found you! They said you had gone out just now. We were having people search everywhere,” he said with a laugh.

Chang Yuncheng hurriedly stopped and bowed to him.

“Eunuch Wang,” he said.

“Quickly, quickly, everyone’s assembled, just waiting for you. Into the palace we go,” Eunuch Wang said with a laugh, reaching out to take his hand.

Chang Yuncheng was stunned for a moment.

“This, Eunuch Wang, I don’t need to go, do I?” he said.

Eunuch Wang clicked his tongue.

“What are you saying!” he said with a laugh, patting Chang Yuncheng’s hand.

Chang Yuncheng calmly withdrew it.

“His Majesty is waiting for you,” Eunuch Wang said with a laugh, pulling Chang Yuncheng along without allowing any argument.

Chang Yuncheng was helpless.

“Allow me to change clothes,” he said.

This was proper, and Eunuch Wang nodded with a smile.

“Prince, you must hurry. We all know His Majesty’s temper,” he instructed.

Chang Yuncheng efficiently changed clothes in the room.

“Prince, are we still leaving?” a guard asked.

Chang Yuncheng frowned and said nothing.

Who knew what would happen after seeing His Majesty…

“Use carrier pigeons. Ask where Xiao Qu and the others are now,” he suddenly said, thinking of something.

The guard frowned.

“Prince, Xiao Qu’s carrier pigeons have already stopped,” he reminded. They couldn’t receive messages at all.

Chang Yuncheng clenched his fists.

Such a long distance, and this woman – a weak woman with two maids.

Her boldness was truly too great!

This damn woman had always been frighteningly bold!

Chang Yuncheng couldn’t help but grind his teeth. If anything happened along the way…

He quickly shook his head, dispelling that inappropriate thought.

“Send word to our people there, saying Yueniang has gone, tell them to quickly go meet her,” he said.

Yueniang?

The guards didn’t know the young mistress’s given name.

The guard hesitated for a moment, though he could guess from Chang Yuncheng’s expression.

“Yes, the young mistress has gone to Mobei?” he asked tentatively.

Young mistress…

Actually, she was no longer the young mistress…

But Chang Yuncheng didn’t want to deny it.

He grunted and said no more.

Eunuch Wang was urging from outside again, and Chang Yuncheng let the guard fasten his belt.

“Be quick!” he instructed.

The guard nodded in acknowledgment and watched Chang Yuncheng stride out.

“Someone come,” the guard called, also walking out.

Two guards dropped their hands and responded.

“Send word to the Mobei steward: the young mistress is heading to Mobei, must meet and ensure her safety,” the guard said loudly.

Young mistress? The guards exchanged glances, acknowledged, and hurried to send the message.

Zhou Maochun came dejectedly to find the Emperor again.

The eunuch at the gate smiled and blocked him.

“His Majesty is currently listening to the Ministry of War discuss military affairs,” he said.

“They’ve been discussing military defense for several days? Still not finished?” Zhou Maochun said in a low voice, glaring. “I have urgent business here.”

What urgent business do you have? Nothing but looking for an old wife. You haven’t been anxious for decades, and now with half your body in the grave, you’re suddenly anxious. Being anxious won’t help you have children anymore.

The eunuch was thoroughly mocking and sarcastic in his heart, but his face remained smiling, saying nothing.

Zhou Maochun had no choice. He knew this emperor, though sometimes unreliable, was extremely willful. To put it harshly, he had a dog’s temper with a baby face – smiling one moment, the next he might have the eunuchs beat your bottom to pieces…

The door opened, and seven or eight people came out – both civil and military officials. Zhou Maochun was urgently pushing the eunuch to announce him when one of those coming out was also in a hurry and collided heavily with the eunuch.

“Aiya!” The eunuch, unable to withstand the impact of this burly man, cried out somewhat dazed.

Chang Yuncheng quickly reached out to steady him.

“Eunuch!” he apologized hurriedly.

Seeing it was Chang Yuncheng, the eunuch smiled and said it was nothing.

“I say, Prince, what are you rushing for,” he said with a laugh. “Every time it’s you rushing out like this.”

“To finish business early…” Chang Yuncheng said, his feet unable to stop moving, bowing repeatedly. “I’ll send some healing medicine for you later… I must go first…”

Only then did Zhou Maochun see clearly it was him and immediately reached out to grab him.

“How did you come here?” he shouted. “You’ve come at just the right time. I was about to ask you…”

Before he could finish, the eunuch urgently interrupted.

“Sir, please keep your voice down, don’t make noise here,” he said, stamping his foot.

Before the eunuch finished speaking, Chang Yuncheng had already broken free from Zhou Maochun.

“Master Zhou, I still have business. Whatever you want to say, we’ll talk next time. I must go first!” he said.

As soon as he finished speaking, he had already taken several steps. If running wasn’t forbidden in the palace, even so, his pace wasn’t much slower than running, and he quickly disappeared.

Zhou Maochun stamped his foot. He couldn’t catch up and didn’t dare shout loudly, so he could only watch helplessly as the young man vanished.

“The Prince is truly devoted to His Majesty’s assignments,” the eunuch also said with admiration, watching Chang Yuncheng’s retreating figure.

“Yes, yes, these past few days he’s been without food, drink, or sleep,” others said, also sighing. Then they walked away slowly with steady steps.

Zhou Maochun temporarily couldn’t worry about Chang Yuncheng and pushed the eunuch to hurry inside.

The eunuch had no choice but to go in. Zhou Maochun waited anxiously at the door, and the more anxious he became, the longer the eunuch took to come out.

In the distance, he saw a small sedan chair approaching. Two eunuchs standing by the wall ran over to meet it.

There weren’t many people in the palace who could ride in sedan chairs, though this one was rather shabby.

Zhou Maochun couldn’t help but look twice.

Inside the room, the Emperor was watching the eunuch tidy the desk when he heard Zhou Maochun’s strange cry from outside.

He pressed his forehead with his hand.

“It seems just that library of books isn’t enough to keep this old thing occupied…” he said to himself. “It’s good that Lady Qi has left. How about I just tell him some random place and send him off to search?”

Cai Zhong smiled.

The Emperor was getting serious and increasingly thought his idea was good.

“What do you think of Lingnan?” he said, sitting up straight.

“Oh my, Your Majesty,” Cai Zhong said with a laugh. “Imperial Physician Zhou is over seventy years old. His old bones can’t make it to Lingnan.”

Imperial Physician Zhou’s physical condition didn’t matter much to them, but the Emperor’s health was tied to their lives, wealth, and prosperity. If they drove Imperial Physician Zhou away and something happened, what would they do?

Zhou Maochun’s loud shouting outside didn’t diminish despite the eunuch’s obstruction.

“You… aren’t you supposed to be dead?”

The Emperor frowned.

“Who is he cursing now?” he asked, waving his hand. “Go, call him in. The noise is unbearable.”

Cai Zhong acknowledged and was about to have a young eunuch go when a eunuch came in from outside.

“Your Majesty, Grand Secretary Li requests an audience,” he said.

The Emperor was also surprised.

Grand Secretary Li?

“Summon him,” he said.

Wearing a bright red python robe, white-haired and bearded Grand Secretary Li was helped in by two eunuchs, trembling.

“Your subject kowtows…” he began to say as soon as he entered, about to kneel on the ground.

“Enough, enough,” the Emperor said. “You look like you’re about to break. Don’t kneel. When you’re better, there will be plenty of opportunities to kneel.”

Grand Secretary Li’s eyes filled with tears.

“Your subject thanks Your Majesty for your consideration,” he said in a trembling voice.

Cai Zhong had already understood and brought over a cushion for Grand Secretary Li to sit on.

Before Grand Secretary Li could walk over, Zhou Maochun grabbed him again.

“How are you not dead? Weren’t you supposed to die?” he shouted loudly, looking at Grand Secretary Li as if seeing a ghost.

Anyone who had just escaped from death’s door after a serious illness wouldn’t want to hear people talking about death.

Grand Secretary Li’s eyelids drooped.

“Sorry to disappoint Master Zhou, this old man is still alive,” he said blandly.

The Emperor laughed and didn’t pursue Zhou Maochun’s disrespectful entry without permission, watching them with amusement.

“This is impossible!” Zhou Maochun said, glaring. “How is it possible? I’ve seen your medical case – you were definitely going to die…”

Grand Secretary Li was so angry he was panting.

“But I did live. Does Master Zhou mean I should go die now?” he asked.

Zhou Maochun stared.

“Who cured you?” he suddenly asked.

Grand Secretary Li’s eyelids drooped.

“Not worth mentioning,” he said lightly. “A country doctor.”

You want to embarrass me? Zhou Maochun didn’t care. He never knew what embarrassment was, whether it was others to him or him to others.

“Who? From where?” he asked.

“Qianjin Hall in Yongqing Prefecture…” Grand Secretary Li slowly began.

“Lady Qi!”

These last words were spoken by two voices.

The Emperor, who had been watching the excitement, was also stunned upon hearing this.

Lady Qi?

Somehow, the image of the woman who had walked out the main gate that day floated before his eyes…

To walk out the main gate of the Li family, her status must be noble. There were only a few families with such noble status in the capital – one inquiry would reveal it.

But because of her obvious married woman’s attire, he absolutely wouldn’t inquire.

“When superiors have preferences, subordinates will exceed them” – this saying applied everywhere, especially to someone like him who most hated being led by the nose.

However, why would hearing “Lady Qi” make him think of that woman? How could there be such a young divine doctor?

The Emperor was lost in thought. Zhou Maochun here didn’t notice at all and threw Grand Secretary Li aside.

“Your Majesty, why is it that all these unrelated people have seen Lady Qi, but I haven’t…” This time he really cried, like a child throwing a tantrum.

Lady Qi, where on earth are you?

The wind howled and swept up dust. A’Hao raised her sleeve to turn her head but was too late, getting a mouthful of sand.

She angrily lowered her head, spitting repeatedly.

Qi Yue laughed heartily.

“Look, look how clever I am. I told you not to be vain and refuse to wear it,” she said with a laugh, pointing to the veil covering her face, her bright eyes showing through the dim red haze.

Only then did A’Hao hurriedly climb into the carriage to find a face veil.

Several horses galloped from ahead.

“Lady Qi, three more li ahead and we’ll enter Gansu Town,” the leading man said, reining in his horse.

Finally arrived!

Qi Yue couldn’t help but sit up and look forward. Behind her face veil, a smile spread across her face.

What expression would that fool have when he saw her?