Half an hour later, in the chaotic military camp, a group of soldiers gathered in layers around the entrance of the large tent, each craning their necks to peek inside.

“What’s happening? Wasn’t it said that the Princess suffered no serious injuries?”

“Ah, nobles just can’t handle shock. The Young General didn’t refuse to save her, who would have thought the Princess would faint from fright…”

“But she shouldn’t be unconscious for so long. Could it be that she was injured from being carried on the Young General’s horse back to camp?”

“I’ve heard that Princess Yongying is even more favored than the imperial princesses. If something goes wrong in our territory, would all our heads be enough to pay for it?”

Everyone swallowed nervously.

Inside the tent, Mu Xinhong stood anxiously rubbing his hands by the bed, observing the military physician’s expression: “How is she?”

The physician released the three fingers he had used to check her pulse: “Judging by her pulse, there’s nothing seriously wrong. By all rights, she should be awake by now. I’m just not sure if the Princess has any serious injuries elsewhere…”

Mu Xinhong’s face showed his difficulty.

The unconscious young girl on the bed was pale, her once-pristine pink dress now stained with large patches of mud. She appeared to have fallen, but he hadn’t been close by at the time and didn’t know the specific circumstances.

The Young General had truly treated her like cargo, bringing her back and then leaving without checking her injuries, going instead to examine the corpses.

In this camp full of men, where even the hunting dogs were male, who would dare touch this precious body? Let alone examine her for injuries…

Just as Mu Xinhong was pacing anxiously, the discussions at the tent entrance suddenly quieted. The soldiers parted like flowing water, clearing a path.

Yuance entered the tent, sword at his side, walking through the crowd.

Mu Xinhong: “Young General, you’ve finally returned! If you hadn’t come back, the Princess’s injuries…”

“Would have healed by now?” Yuance tossed his sword aside.

Mu Xinhong caught the sword and hurriedly returned it to the rack: “…No, did you notice where the Princess was injured when she fell?”

Yuance narrowed his eyes, recalling Jiang Zhiyi’s posture when she fell. With his index and middle fingers together, he pointed from a distance to the left elbow, right wrist, and left knee of the person on the bed.

“Those aren’t critical areas, and there’s no sign of fracture. This is still unconsciousness caused by excessive shock,” the military physician concluded.

Mu Xinhong asked urgently: “Then how can we wake her up?”

“Well… there is a method, but I fear it’s not very dignified…”

“Do we need dignity now?” Yuance glanced at the dust-covered person lying on his bed and waved his hand, signaling them to move aside.

Mu Xinhong retreated in trepidation: “Be gentle, her delicate skin can’t withstand rough handling…”

A trace of impatience flashed in Yuance’s eyes. He raised his hand to loosen his collar, sat down at the edge of the bed, and pressed his thumb firmly on Jiang Zhiyi’s philtrum, then pushed down sharply.

Like a drowning person suddenly drawing fresh air, the person on the bed gasped, furrowed her brows in pain, and tremblingly opened her eyes.

Jiang Zhiyi’s confused gaze wavered in space, as if she hadn’t yet recovered from the shock. After a long moment, she slowly turned her head following the hand before her eyes, saw the person sitting by the bed, and seemed to pause, her gaze flickering slightly.

Meeting Jiang Zhiyi’s gaze and recalling her troublesome temperament, Yuance raised an eyebrow and withdrew his hand.

Unexpectedly, in the next instant, Jiang Zhiyi’s eyes suddenly reddened, and her thick, long eyelashes trembled as a tear fell.

…Was his force that strong?

Yuance rubbed his fingertip, frowning as he beckoned the military physician to handle the situation. Just as he was about to stand up—

His upper body was suddenly struck, his waist abruptly tightened, and a pair of jade-like arms firmly embraced him.

The dust-stained pink bundle buried her head in his chest: “A-Ce gege!”

“?”

Yuance was pushed backward by the impact, his hands raised high above his head.

Around them, numerous gasps of shock arose. Yuance held his hands aloft, staring at the white tent fabric before him for a moment, then slowly lowered his head to look at the pair of hands encircling his waist.

“Who are you calling?”

Jiang Zhiyi seemed not to hear, continuing to embrace him, her eyes brimming with tears: “A-Ce gege, I was truly frightened just now. Those bandits held such large blades, I almost thought—thought I would never see you again in this lifetime—”

“…”

Yuance’s raised hands slowly clenched into fists as he held his breath.

“I just had a terrifying nightmare where I fell and reached for you, but you disdainfully pushed me away… Thankfully, it was just a dream…”

“?”

“I knew A-Ce gege wouldn’t abandon me,” Jiang Zhiyi said, hugging him tighter as if still afraid, her cheek nuzzling against his collar. “I knew you cared for me!”

“……”

“A-Ce gege, why aren’t you speaking?” Jiang Zhiyi wiped away her tears and looked up, meeting Yuance’s shocked gaze.

“Are you—” Yuance’s back and waist were arched like a bow, his body as rigid as iron, “talking to me?”

“If I’m not talking to my A-Ce gege, who else would I be talking to?” Jiang Zhiyi blinked in confusion.

A-Ce… gege?

Yuance looked away incredulously.

Outside the tent, the long-stupefied crowd hurriedly turned their backs, some covering their eyes, others their ears.

Jiang Zhiyi followed his gaze, and seeing the mass of people, immediately released him, pulled up the quilt, and retreated backward. Her gaze flickered as she looked at Yuance, and her pale face gradually flushed red.

Mu Xinhong forced himself to recover from this scene and went to the entrance to disperse the crowd: “Do you all want to lose your eyes? Go, go, disperse!”

The crowd scattered like smoke, and the last soldier to leave, after running a few steps, remembered something and returned to carefully close the tent flap.

In the silent tent, the stillness grew more profound. Of the two facing each other on the bed, one was rigid as a withered tree, the other’s face was like a peach blossom.

Jiang Zhiyi’s face showed embarrassment: “I’m sorry, A-Ce gege, I didn’t notice there were others around…”

She knew how to apologize?

No… was she apologizing for the presence of others?

“Uh, there’s no one else here, there will be no one else here immediately!” Mu Xinhong pulled the bewildered military physician, “Young General, then we’ll also go outside…”

“Not you,” Yuance raised his palm to stop him, staring at the blushing person before him as he slowly stood up, “me.”

“Eh?” Jiang Zhiyi hurriedly reached out to grab his hand.

The soft pressure seemed to return, and Yuance lowered his eyelids to look at the slender white hand clutching his little finger, freezing from fingertip to heel.

“A-Ce gege, they can leave, but why are you going?”

Yuance looked at her blinking eyes and forced out a few words through clenched teeth: “To discuss your head… your injuries with the physician.”

“But I’m afraid to be alone when you’re gone…” Jiang Zhiyi’s mouth trembled as if she might cry again.

“Then—” Yuance clenched his free hand at his side and gently pulled back his little finger, “be afraid.”

Outside the tent, Yuance stood with his hands behind his back, letting the wind blow over him. He appeared tranquil, peaceful, and serene.

If only Mu Xinhong hadn’t noticed from behind that one finger, the little finger that seemed to have separated from the others, standing alone in the wind.

The faintly sweet fragrance lingered persistently at his nose. Yuance frowned, heard movement behind him, turned his head, pointed at the tent, and declared with certainty: “Her brain must be damaged by fever.”

The military physician pondered for a moment: “This… the Princess has no high fever, so that seems unlikely…”

“Then her brain is damaged by fright?”

“Excessive shock can indeed cause mental confusion, but the Princess’s speech is clear, her language fluent, and her behavior consistent with normal emotional states. Her movements just now were even three degrees swifter than yours, Young General…”

“…”

Mu Xinhong scratched the back of his head and whispered, “Could it be that the Princess is still plotting to obtain your sword and is deliberately creating a diversion to get us to leave?”

Yuance nodded, listened for a moment, then lifted a corner of the tent flap to peer inside.

Jiang Zhiyi was sitting obediently on the bed, sighing with a face full of grievance. When she caught sight of him through the gap, her eyes brightened, and she was about to get off the bed.

Yuance promptly closed the tent flap.

“Not that?” Mu Xinhong glanced at Yuance’s unpleasant expression and continued scratching his head. “Then perhaps it’s…”

Yuance raised his hand to indicate enough: “Whatever it is, return her to the Marquis of Yong’en’s mansion immediately.”

During the hours waiting for someone from the Marquis’s household to arrive, the entire camp was enveloped in a strange atmosphere.

As far as the eye could see, everyone moved with stealth, speaking in hushed tones. Soldiers on patrol duty passing by the large tent kept their eyes straight ahead, walking at a quick pace, afraid that lingering nearby for even a moment might cause them to hear or see something they shouldn’t.

Even though, since Yuance had left the tent, he hadn’t set foot inside again.

After Mu Xinhong had accompanied Yuance, who couldn’t return to his “tent,” on countless circuits around the camp, a magnificent carriage finally stopped at the camp entrance.

A richly dressed woman hurriedly descended from the carriage—it was Madam Zhong, the wife of the Marquis of Yong’en.

Mu Xinhong led her into the camp with evident relief, guiding her to the entrance of the large tent.

Yuance stood before the tightly closed tent flap, raised his hand, and gripped the corner of the curtain.

Madam Zhong had already anxiously asked many questions on her way through the camp. Now, seeing him grip the edge of the tent so tightly that the veins on the back of his hand bulged, yet still not opening it, as if he were brewing some emotion…

Madam Zhong swayed, touching her temple: “Young General Shen, has something happened to our Zhiyi?”

Mu Xinhong hurriedly smoothed things over: “No, no, it’s not that…”

The one with the problem might not be the Princess…

Yuance lifted the tent flap with one motion, stood aside with his hands behind his back, and invited Madam Zhong to enter.

In the silent tent, Jiang Zhiyi sat hugging her knees on the bed, her eyes lowered. Hearing the movement, she raised her head with a joyful face, but upon seeing Madam Zhong behind Yuance, her expression fell, and her smile vanished completely.

“Oh my, Zhiyi! I’ve only been separated from you for a morning, and you’ve become like this!” Madam Zhong hurried forward as soon as she entered, but after just a few words, she was choked by something and covered her cough with a handkerchief.

“What kind of charcoal are you burning in here that’s so suffocating?” Madam Zhong traced the smoke to the basin of inferior charcoal by the bed. “Our Zhiyi has always used silver-bone charcoal. Isn’t this just mistreating—”

She stopped mid-sentence when she noticed that Jiang Zhiyi was sitting quietly on the bed without even wrinkling her nose.

She then saw the crude, rough clay bowl by her hand, which had held tea that was now completely drained, not a drop remaining.

And looking at the hard, clearly uncomfortable quilt that she was wrapped in.

Not only was Madam Zhong stunned, but Mu Xinhong also stared in surprise.

Life in the military camp was rough, and they hadn’t expected the Princess, who required plush carpets even for stepping on mud, to accept these makeshift items.

Yet surprisingly, Jiang Zhiyi not only used them but showed no signs of aversion, especially displaying a particular fondness for the Young General’s quilt, reluctant to let it go.

“Zhiyi?” Madam Zhong would sooner believe that snow could fall in June than believe that Jiang Zhiyi could tolerate these shabby things. Increasingly shocked, she waved her hand in front of Jiang Zhiyi’s eyes, “What’s happened? Has someone bullied you?”

Jiang Zhiyi raised a pitiful face and looked at the person standing behind Madam Zhong.

Yuance: “…”

“No, no, Madam Marquis, please don’t misunderstand! The relationship between the Young General and the Princess is entirely proper, without the slightest entanglement!” Mu Xinhong realized after speaking that his words sounded somewhat suspicious, like protesting too much, so he added, “The most urgent matter now is to treat the Princess’s external injuries. Madam would do best to take the Princess back as soon as possible…”

“Is this Young General Shen’s wish?” Jiang Zhiyi suddenly interrupted, pursing her lips unhappily as she looked at Yuance.

Yuance: “Of course. Does the Princess intend to linger in this subject’s quarters to recuperate?”

Jiang Zhiyi took a deep breath, as if forcibly suppressing something: “Then does Young General Shen also believe that between us, everything is proper, without the slightest entanglement?”

Yuance blinked calmly: “What entanglement should this subject have with the Princess?”

Jiang Zhiyi nodded very slightly and slowly, her almond eyes blinking gently, dropping a tear.

Yuance: “…”

“If there is no entanglement, why did you save me today?” Jiang Zhiyi asked again, not giving up, her voice choked with tears.

“The Princess happened to fall within the boundaries of our military camp. If not for that, this subject indeed would not have meddled in affairs that don’t concern him.”

As if unable to catch her breath, Jiang Zhiyi trembled and hiccupped, looking at him in disbelief as tears fell continuously like broken strings.

Madam Zhong watched, both perplexed and alarmed, and quickly urged, “Zhiyi, why don’t you return to the mansion with your aunt first? If these external injuries aren’t cleaned and treated promptly, they might leave scars!”

“Let them scar then, after all, I’m just an affair that doesn’t concern anyone now!”

Yuance: “…”

Madam Zhong: “How can a young lady bear scars? Your future husband will see them!”

“I’ve already become an affair that doesn’t concern anyone, who could I possibly marry…”

Yuance: “……”

Mu Xinhong stood motionless behind Yuance, silently moving his lips: “From the Princess’s words, was she supposed to marry you?”

Yuance looked expressionlessly at the tearful person: “If you’re asking me, who am I supposed to ask?”

The sobbing, breathless cries echoed in the tent, repeatedly assaulting everyone’s eardrums, causing the veins at their temples to throb visibly.

Yuance pressed his ear, closed his eyes briefly, and turned to Madam Zhong: “Madam Marquis?”

Madam Zhong raised her head in a daze.

Heaven knows that since entering the Marquis’s household, this child had never cried. How could she, as an aunt, have ever encountered such a dramatic scene before?

Madam Zhong smiled somewhat awkwardly: “This child refuses to return home no matter how I persuade her… does Young General Shen have any solution?”

Yuance’s patience was completely exhausted. With a grim face, he stepped forward, placed one knee on the edge of the bed, bent down, and slipped his arm under the quilt, about to lift both person and quilt in one go—

Jiang Zhiyi’s crying stopped abruptly. She hiccupped and raised her head.

Yuance turned his head to meet a pair of eyes filled with lingering emotion and unspoken words.

The person whose eyes were still tearful opened up like a lock being turned, and confusedly wrapped her arms firmly around his neck.

“…”

After a moment of silence, Yuance slowly withdrew his hand from under the quilt, raised it, and delivered a swift chop.

Then, under the shocked gazes of Madam Zhong and Mu Xinhong, he hoisted the unconscious person onto his shoulder with one hand and strode out of the tent.