Deep in the night.

Chu Changsheng followed Murong Bi up the mountain.

After walking for a long time, they still hadn’t seen any glowing medicinal herbs.

“Eldest Princess, are you tired?” Murong Bi stopped. “The luck isn’t very good today. Why don’t we go back?”

Chu Changsheng looked at the pitch-black mountain forest and nodded: “Alright, let’s go back.”

She wasn’t the type to be stubborn. Since they couldn’t find them, they could just come another day.

She turned around, but her foot stepped on empty air.

Murong Bi at her side grabbed her wrist, and the two of them rolled down the mountain path.

Chu Changsheng felt her head being protected in a very warm embrace. Various sounds swept past her ears. Before long, she had rolled to the bottom of the mountain.

“Eldest Princess, does anything hurt?”

An urgent voice sounded in her ear.

She quickly said: “I’m alright. What about you?”

“I’m fine too.” Only then did Murong Bi notice he was holding Chu Changsheng. He hastily released her.

If the night weren’t so dark, Chu Changsheng would certainly have noticed the crimson on his cheeks.

However, she keenly smelled blood: “You’re bleeding?”

Following the scent, she discovered his leg had been scraped by a tree stump on the mountain, leaving a long gash. She could faintly see the exposed flesh.

She quickly stood up: “Someone, come!”

Not one of the shadow guards who usually never left her side appeared.

Chu Changsheng couldn’t help but feel annoyed. That group usually followed one step behind, but when they were actually needed, they all disappeared.

“Eldest Princess, do you see the grass beside that rock? Pointed leaves, the root stem is purple-red.” Murong Bi’s voice was very calm. “I trouble the Eldest Princess to pick two stalks—that will be enough. It can stop bleeding.”

Chu Changsheng said in surprise: “Your eyesight is really good to see clearly in this darkness.”

Murong Bi’s face bore a smile: “Generally at the foot of mountains there’s this type of medicinal herb, growing beside rocks. I trouble Your Highness to look for it.”

Chu Changsheng quickly picked the medicinal herb. Murong Bi chewed it up and placed it in a cloth strip, tying it to his wound. Then he felt around for a long stick to use as a crutch and spoke: “I’ve been to this mountain before. If we follow this path down and go around a village, we’ll reach the western gate of the capital. Your Highness need not be afraid.”

Although it was pitch dark, he could indeed distinguish directions. After walking for about an hour, the two finally reached the city gate.

It could be said that from birth until now, Chu Changsheng had never walked so far in one stretch.

When she wanted to give up, seeing Murong Bi calmly walking with a stick as his support, she persevered.

However, when they reached the city gate, the large gate was tightly closed. It wouldn’t open until dawn the next day.

Murong Bi took off his outer robe and spread it on the ground: “I can only trouble Your Highness to make do here. In about two hours, the city gate will open.”

Chu Changsheng’s hand had originally been resting on the jade pendant at her waist. This was proof of her identity—she could enter and exit the capital at any time.

However, seeing his actions, her hand on the jade pendant relaxed. She sat down on the ground naturally and asked curiously: “I heard Duke Xingguo wanted to arrange a marriage for you, but you refused. Why?”

Murong Bi looked toward the distant darkness and spoke: “My parents hope I’ll establish a family and career, walking the path they’ve already paved—entering court as an official. But I don’t like the political arena. I like healing and saving people. The highest a physician can reach is imperial physician, but my father says that for the legitimate son of a duke’s household to become an imperial physician would be somewhat humiliating.”

“Among aristocratic families, there truly are no legitimate sons who become imperial physicians.” Chu Changsheng shook her head. “But imperial physicians also have official rank and status. How could that be humiliating?”

Murong Bi’s gaze looked distantly at Chu Changsheng.

He suddenly spoke: “How about the Eldest Princess recruit me as Prince Consort?”

“What?” Chu Changsheng looked completely stunned. “You—why would you suddenly say this?”

Murong Bi’s face turned red again.

After their chance encounter on the street last time, he dreamed of the Princess’s face every single day. Only then did he realize he had contracted lovesickness.

For the first time, he realized he might be a shallow person, actually falling in love with a woman’s beauty.

So he went to find news about the Princess.

In his concept, princesses were all arrogant and domineering. Perhaps after seeing the Princess’s deeds, he could expel that face from his mind.

But unexpectedly, he sank deeper and deeper.

The Eldest Princess was enfeoffed at eight years old. Starting at nine, she traveled everywhere with the Great Emperor and the Empress Dowager. When people throughout Great Jin mentioned the Eldest Princess, there was only one word: benevolent and kind.

Wherever the Great Emperor went, bandits were completely eliminated.

Wherever the Eldest Princess went, there was no suffering.

Many poor people struggling at the bottom prayed daily for the Eldest Princess to travel to their area, longing for the Eldest Princess to save them from their misery.

When the Eldest Princess turned twelve, she took over the Compassionate Orphan Hall and even opened branch halls, specifically to provide relief for the elderly without support, disabled people, and so on…

It could be said the Eldest Princess’s good name was known throughout the land.

The more he learned, the more moved he was.

Murong Bi was about to speak.

Suddenly, someone walked over from the side.

This was the entrance to the capital. Every dawn, many common people waiting to enter the city would wait here, with many carriages and horses stopped.

A young man dressed in silk walked toward Chu Changsheng and Murong Bi: “May I ask if you two are also waiting to enter the capital?”

Chu Changsheng raised her head.

When she saw the young man’s face, she suddenly froze.

This face—it seemed as if she’d seen it somewhere before…

Murong Bi had already stood up and replied: “Indeed we are. May I ask what advice you have?”

“I see you two sitting on the ground, so I specially invite you onto my carriage for tea.” The young man smiled. “The grass is heavy with moisture. Sitting for too long is bad for the body. Please, you two.”

Chu Changsheng stood up and couldn’t help but ask: “May I ask where this young master comes from?”

The young man cupped his hands: “My home is in Luochuan. I came to the capital this time on business. I originally planned to find an inn in the suburbs to stay at first, but for some reason they were all full, so I could only wait at the city gate.”

“Luochuan…”

Chu Changsheng murmured.

This was the fief where her Imperial Father had been Prince Pingxi before. That year when she was kidnapped by people from Dongling Kingdom, Xie Shiyun had saved her and thus lost his memories.

Later, the Empress Mother arranged for people to send Xie Shiyun to Luochuan and arranged a new set of childless parents for him.

The young man before her should be Xie Shiyun.

This face bore some resemblance to Xie Shi’an, so she recognized him at a glance.

Chu Changsheng saw from Xie Shiyun’s attire that his life should be fairly decent. Those matters of the past need not be brought up.

She smiled: “Then we trouble you, young master. May I ask how to address you?”

The young man said gently: “My humble surname is Luo, single name Cheng. Luo Cheng.”

“Brother Luo.” Murong Bi cupped his hands. Both sides were now acquainted.

Walking together to the carriage, looking at it, Murong Bi hesitated.

He had agreed to come because he didn’t want to make the Princess uncomfortable.

But for the Princess to get on the carriage and be in an enclosed space with an outside man would harm her reputation.

Just as he hesitated, the carriage curtain was lifted. A pregnant woman with a big belly smiled: “Quickly get on the carriage. The tea is already brewed.”

“This is my wife.” The young man spoke. “Please, you two, board. There’s no problem.”

Chu Changsheng boarded the carriage. The space inside was very large, more than enough to accommodate four people.