Just friends?

Those few words made Xu Qingchen’s rejection clear. Ye Li could only sigh regretfully in her heart – it seemed her eldest brother and Princess An Xi truly wasn’t meant to be.

Ye Li dropped her chess piece and looked at Xu Qingchen, “If that’s the case, I won’t speak of it anymore. However… if Big Brother truly has no such intentions, you should make things clear with Princess An Xi soon.” Xu Qingchen nodded, “I understand. Is there something else you want to say?” Ye Li looked at Xu Qingchen seriously and asked, “Do Big Brother and Uncle still have reservations about the Prince and the Prince’s Manor?”

Xu Qingchen started, putting down his chess piece as well to look at Ye Li, “What makes you think that?”

Ye Li smiled slightly, “Big Brother, I practically grew up in the Xu family. I haven’t forgotten the teachings that Uncle and Big Brother gave me in my childhood. Both Big Brother and Uncle are talented in statecraft – it’s rare enough to find one such person in the world, yet the Xu family is fortunate to have two. These days, you and Uncle have worked hard on many matters in the Northwest, but… with your and Uncle’s abilities, it shouldn’t require this much effort, should it?” Xu Qingchen lowered his eyes and smiled faintly, “Is this the Prince’s observation?”

Ye Li shook her head, “If I can see it, how could the Prince not? However, he hasn’t said anything. Are Big Brother and Uncle being so reserved because you don’t trust the Prince and his manor?”

After a moment of silence, Xu Qingchen shook his head, “No, we’re just tired.”

“Tired?” Ye Li didn’t understand. Xu Qingchen smiled, “Ye Li, despite whatever hardships the Xu family has endured over the years, the Xu clan of Yunzhou has maintained its reputation as the foremost literary family for hundreds of years. The Xu family has survived two dynasties because each generation has worked cautiously to maintain this position. It’s lonely at the top… if we don’t want future generations to live as we do, then… letting the Xu family’s reputation gradually fade might be the best choice.” Ye Li lowered her head, “Does Big Brother not trust me?”

Xu Qingchen shook his head, “No, it’s not that I don’t trust you or the Prince. But what about after you and the Prince? How will your descendants view the Xu family? Through three dynasties, we’ve helped establish two. No one would trust such a family, and who wouldn’t be wary? Look at how close the Founding Emperor and the first Prince of Din were as brothers – and how did that end?”

“Big Brother…” Ye Li sighed. How could she not understand the Xu family’s difficult position? If the Mo family army truly competed for the throne and eventually established dominion over the Central Plains, the Xu family would inevitably become the greatest founding ministers. A family that had survived three dynasties. A family that had betrayed the previous dynasty to support the Chu then betrayed the Chu to support the Prince of Din – even with their reputation as the kingdom’s foremost scholars, they couldn’t eliminate the suspicion of both the people and the ruler. Xu Qingchen smiled at her, “Don’t worry, Ye Li. The Xu family will remain in the Northwest supporting the Prince until he no longer needs us.”

Ye Li frowned, “Big Brother means as strategists?”

“Correct,” Xu Qingchen nodded with a smile.

“Absolutely not!” Ye Li firmly refused, “Big Brother must know that throughout history, strategists never meet good ends.” So-called strategists who lurked in the shadows advising rulers were typically discarded once their usefulness ended, precisely because they knew too many secrets. Even the ruler’s civil and military officials generally held no goodwill toward such people. Too much wisdom bred suspicion, while incompetence led to abandonment. If such a role were forced upon her brother and uncle, Ye Li would rather they retire to the mountains now and leave worldly affairs behind. Xu Qingchen raised an eyebrow and smiled, “Does Ye Li think the Prince is someone who would discard people after using them?”

Ye Li shook her head, saying firmly, “It’s still not acceptable! Big Brother, if you and Uncle trust me, please stay in the Northwest with peace of mind. Whatever the future holds, I stake my life on ensuring the Xu family can withdraw safely during my lifetime. If Big Brother and Uncle don’t trust this, I’ll go ask the Prince now to let the Xu clan retire from service.”

“Ye Li…”

Ye Li shook her head, looking at Xu Qingchen with bright eyes, “I know Big Brother and Uncle are considering my position. If the Prince relies too heavily on the Xu family, the Prince Manor’s old ministers will surely resent me. But I absolutely cannot let Uncle and Big Brother suffer such indignity. Big Brother and Uncle are talents meant to govern, not hidden strategists scheming in the shadows.”

“Well said, A-Li.” Before Xu Qingchen could respond, Mo Xiuyao’s approving voice came from behind them. They turned to see Mo Xiuyao walking over leisurely, his white hair floating slightly at his sides. As Xu Qingchen started to stand, Mo Xiuyao had already reached them and gestured for him to stay seated, smiling, “I didn’t expect to find A-Li and Big Brother chatting here. As it happens, I wanted to talk with Big Brother too, so I hope you don’t mind me joining?” The repeated use of “Big Brother” made Xu Qingchen’s mouth twitch – Mo Xiuyao had previously refused to call him that at all costs. Xu Qingchen looked up and said calmly, “Please have a seat, Your Highness.”

Mo Xiuyao sat down beside Ye Li and looked seriously at Xu Qingchen, “I cannot guarantee the Xu family’s prosperity for a hundred years, but as A-Li said, I will ensure the Xu family can withdraw safely during my lifetime. Does Big Brother believe this?”

After a moment of silence, Xu Qingchen finally looked up with a smile and said, “Your Highness’s word is golden – how could I not believe it? However, perhaps we should dispense with the ‘Big Brother’ title. Your Highness can simply use my name.”

Mo Xiuyao raised an eyebrow, and Xu Qingchen shook his head with a smile, “Keeping public and private matters separate is better for Your Highness, Ye Li, and everyone else.”

Mo Xiuyao immediately understood Xu Qingchen’s meaning and nodded, “Then I offer a toast with tea to Master Qingchen.”

“Thank you.”

With the formula provided by the Sickly Scholar, Shen Yang and Doctor Lin’s medicine-making naturally became twice as efficient. Of course, they first carefully verified that what the Sickly Scholar provided was indeed an ancient formula passed down from a thousand years ago. Through various means and their medical knowledge, they confirmed the formula’s authenticity and the likely effects of the resulting medicine. After a full half month, they finally refined what might be the world’s last Bilo Flower into pills and presented them to Ye Li and Mo Xiuyao. Though the Bilo Flower wasn’t small, and countless precious ingredients were added, the final product was merely five pills. If it was confirmed that the Bilo Flower had indeed gone extinct in this era, these five pills would be the only ones left in the world.

Seeing the dark brown pills with their pleasant fragrance, everyone present couldn’t help but show joy on their faces.

Shen Yang said with a faint smile, “Your Highness should take one pill first, then another after three days – that will eliminate the poison in your body. As for this sickly youth, his body can’t handle it, so he can only take a quarter of a pill at a time, dissolved in water. He should take it every five days. One pill will be enough – afterward, he just needs to find a good doctor for proper recuperation.” The Sickly Scholar coldly looked at him and said, “You made five pills total and are only giving me one?” Doctor Lin sneered, “We only need two pills. Why don’t we give you the rest and you can try taking one at a time like the Prince? Your body is weak yet you blame the doctor for prescribing too little?” He was clearly saying the Sickly Scholar’s body was too weak to handle strong medicine – while taking more would show effects faster, his body couldn’t withstand it.

Ling Tiehan patted the Sickly Scholar’s shoulder and took the medicine bottle Shen Yang offered, saying with a smile, “Thank you, Master Shen and Doctor Lin, for your hard work.” The two master physicians’ expressions finally softened. Doctor Lin casually tossed over two prescriptions, saying, “Follow these prescriptions. With about a year and a half of care, he should be fine. Pay attention to rest and maintaining peace of mind, otherwise, there might be lasting aftereffects.” Ling Tiehan carefully put away the prescriptions and sincerely thanked Doctor Lin. Though the Sickly Scholar didn’t speak, after hearing Doctor Lin’s words, his eyes couldn’t help but brighten somewhat.

The medicine crafted by the two master physicians proved remarkably effective – after just one pill, most of the poison had already left Mo Xiuyao’s body. His complexion no longer appeared as pale as before, and even his typically cold body temperature had normalized somewhat. Surely after the poison was completely cleared and with a year or so of recuperation, Mo Xiuyao’s health would fully recover. However, since the poison began clearing, his legs, which had been fine for over a year, started aching again. This prompted Ye Li to once more drag Mo Xiuyao to see Shen Yang for examination. Shen Yang wasn’t surprised by this development, stroking his beard as he said, “I mentioned last year that Your Highness’s ability to walk freely was due to the Phoenix Tail Grass. Its fire poison is nearly as potent as the Cold Pool’s ice poison. It was precisely this fire poison that temporarily broke through Your Highness’s blocked meridians, which had been severed due to your severe injury. Now that the poison is clearing from your body, naturally, the original leg injury is recurring.”

Ye Li frowned, “Does this mean that after the poison is completely cleared, the Prince will be unable to walk properly again?”

Hearing this, Mo Xiuyao tightened his grip on Ye Li’s right hand. Ye Li turned to him with a gentle smile.

Shen Yang said, “It won’t come to that. The Phoenix Tail Grass’s fire poison was originally planted in the Prince’s legs, so it has had some effect in opening the previously blocked meridians. But Your Highness’s initial injury was severe, and it’s a ten-year-old wound – how could it not leave some lasting effects? The current discomfort is just your body adjusting to the poison’s removal. Once the poison is completely cleared, I’ll prescribe some medicine for the old injury. In the future, it will probably only trouble you during damp or rainy weather. Many people have such ailments – it’s nothing serious.” Hearing Shen Yang’s explanation, Ye Li finally felt relieved. Indeed, even in her previous life, such severe external injuries might not recover a hundred percent even after long-term rehabilitation. Given that Mo Xiuyao’s injury was ten years old, having pain only during bad weather was a good outcome. Nodding, Ye Li said, “Then we’ll trouble Master Shen.”

While packing his things, Shen Yang smiled, “No need for such formality, Your Highness. After all these years, the Prince’s recovery has finally lifted a burden from my heart.” Ye Li knew that Shen Yang had stayed at the Prince’s Manor all these years because of Mo Xiuyao’s illness and his friendship with Mo Liufang. She didn’t say more words of thanks – after all these years of Shen Yang’s dedication to Mo Xiuyao and the Prince’s Manor, mere verbal gratitude would seem affected.

While the Prince Manor’s inner circle quietly rejoiced at the Prince’s imminent full recovery, undercurrents were stirring throughout the Northwest. When Tan Jizhi’s whereabouts and news of the Imperial Seal were suddenly leaked from an unknown source, though the Northwest appeared calm on the surface, countless hidden confrontations were taking place. Among them, Tan Jizhi was undoubtedly the most unfortunate.

Originally, Tan Jizhi had merely intended to come to the Northwest to retrieve Shu Manlin and cause some trouble for Mo Xiuyao. Who knew that since entering the Northwest, nothing had gone right – not only had he failed to even catch a glimpse of Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li, but his whereabouts and identity were suddenly exposed to the world. Now he was overwhelmed just dealing with various factions coming to demand the Imperial Seal and treasure map’s location, leaving him no energy to cause trouble for Mo Xiuyao.

Tan Jizhi understood that his current predicament had the Prince’s Manor pushing things along behind the scenes, but since he had first broken faith by falsely claiming the Imperial Seal was in the Prince Manor’s possession, he couldn’t very well complain about them kicking him while he was down.

In the night, Tan Jizhi calmly regarded the black-clad figures blocking his path, saying mildly, “May I ask which faction your friends represent? How have I offended you?”

The lead figure coldly said, “No need for pretense, Tan Jizhi. Hand over the Imperial Seal and the treasure’s location, and we’ll spare your life!” Tan Jizhi laughed coldly, “You’re not the first to ask me about the treasure, and you won’t be the last. I don’t know where you heard about any Imperial Seal or treasure, but I have only two words: Don’t have it!”

The black-clad figure sneered, “Lin Yuan, a survivor of the previous dynasty’s royal family – if we hadn’t confirmed your identity, why would we be here? Better tell us the treasure’s location honestly, or don’t blame us for being impolite.”

Tan Jizhi closed his eyes in frustration while sizing up the black-clad figures surrounding him. He’d grown numb from dealing with such people these past few days – his identity as a royal survivor of the previous dynasty had made the news about him knowing the treasure’s location much more believable. Tan Jizhi truly couldn’t explain his predicament – if he knew the treasure’s location, he wouldn’t be wandering around the Northwest. Previously he had managed to fight off several groups, but now he was alone, and these black-clad figures surrounding him were more than he could handle by himself.

After some thought, Tan Jizhi said, “You want to know the treasure’s location? Fine. But how do I know you won’t silence me after getting the map?”

The black-clad figure chuckled, “Master Tan can rest assured – we’re after wealth, not lives. Once you hand over the treasure’s location, you’re free to leave.” Tan Jizhi raised an eyebrow, “What if what I give you is fake?”

“Unless Master Tan plans to never show his face again. You should know that though the world is vast, there aren’t many places where someone like you can hide.” Tan Jizhi nodded, “Fine, I’ll give it to you!” With a flourish of his sleeve, he produced a document. The black-clad figure caught it and opened it to find a map with special markings.

“We trust Master Tan. Farewell.” With a wave of his hand, he led the group of black-clad figures away into the night. Standing alone in the clearing, a cold light flashed through Tan Jizhi’s eyes as he smiled faintly, “Since I’ve already given out one treasure map, what’s the harm in giving out a few more? Isn’t that right?”