lava

Chapter 39

“Princess, when you have free time, look out the window and look at the common people. Please remember that you are a princess. When you are thinking about those who need protection, don’t forget that you also have to protect them.”

"What if I can't do it?"

“It’s possible,” Mu Yuan said. “I also thought I couldn’t do it that day, but there was always a voice in my heart encouraging me. She said, ‘Be brave.’”

Princess Ruyi stared blankly at Mu Yuan, then murmured, repeating the last word of his sentence: "Be brave."

Mu Yuan waved to the adjutant at the door, who was about to urge him on, signaling him to come immediately. Then he picked up his bundle and said to Princess Ruyi, "Yes, Princess, be brave. I was inspired by this to revive myself that day, and I give you these words today as well. No matter whether you return to Xia Kingdom in the future, or what other things happen to you, please remember that you are a princess, and you have responsibilities to bear. If you can't hold on anymore, just say these three words to yourself, and they will help."

Mu Yuan left, leaving Princess Ruyi standing there, stunned. She stood there, and suddenly tears streamed down her face. "Be brave," she thought, "but can bravery really prevent a marriage alliance? Can bravery change fate? What use are these words? It's just self-deception." That young General Mu, all he said was that he was afraid she wouldn't sacrifice herself for the people. She was a princess, but she was also a person. Did being a princess mean she was destined to be abused? She walked to the window, looked up at the sky, and felt a deep despair and sorrow. This vast world seemed to offer no place for her happiness.

With tensions high at the border, Nie Chengyan pondered for days, finally deciding to personally enter the Xia Kingdom to investigate and quickly find and bring back the Elder of Clouds and Mist. He believed the answers to everything awaited him there. But this time, he decided not to take Han Xiao with him.

"The border situation is tense right now, and everyone's attention is focused on the war, so they're bound to neglect other things. I'll go to Xia Kingdom disguised as a merchant caravan, resolve the matter as soon as possible, and then come back." That's what he told Han Xiao.

"But isn't it normal for a caravan to have a maidservant?" Han Xiao was still trying to persuade Nie Chengyan to let her go along.

"Xiaoxiao, just wait for me here. That way I can rest easy. I'll be back soon."

"How fast is 'soon'?" Han Xiao was genuinely unhappy. She had accompanied him all this way, only to be told at the last minute that she couldn't come along.

"Soon is very soon."

"Just how fast is it?"

"Xiaoxiao." Nie Chengyan finally couldn't help but put on a stern face. Han Xiao didn't speak, but his face was even uglier than Nie Chengyan's. Nie Chengyan sighed inwardly, but decided not to change his mind; Han Xiao was left to wait at the inn.

In such a dangerous situation, Long San was naturally willing to go to great lengths for his friend, and he wanted to go with Nie Chengyan. However, Feng Ning very sensibly said to stay behind: "If you all leave, Xiaoxiao will be left alone. Her safety is in my hands."

Long San nodded and patted her head: "You also need to take care of yourself. Don't always rely on your kung fu skills to push yourself to the limit. Take advantage of this time to let Xiao Xiao take good care of you and stop having headaches all the time."

The two couples exchanged many words of advice and reminders, but the day of parting still came. Nie Chengyan, disguised with his men and carrying a large amount of goods, traveled along the trade route and went to the Xia Kingdom amidst the turbulent situation.

Han Xiao felt uneasy. What was the secret behind all of this? Could she bring the divine doctor back safely?

A sudden turn of events

After Nie Chengyan left, Han Xiao missed him every day. She was very worried about him, wondering how he would manage without her to take care of his basic needs, and how he would cope with his tantrums without her to comfort him. These thoughts made her lose her appetite and sleep.

Fortunately, Feng Ning was there to keep her company during these days. She would take her to high places to look out, tell her jokes about the things she did after losing her memory, encourage her, and miss her. She would sternly stare at her and imitate Nie Chengyan's tone, saying, "If you don't eat properly, I'll spank you when I get back." This would make Han Xiao laugh out loud.

As war broke out, flames of battle raged in the distance. Although Gusha City was not affected, many families fled the city to avoid the disaster. Han Xiao and Feng Ning, two women, supported each other and waited for their beloved to return.

That day, Feng Ning accompanied Han Xiao for a walk to clear her head, but they encountered an annoying incident. Two thugs were dragging an eight- or nine-year-old child along. The child struggled desperately and cried loudly. A woman chased after them, grabbing the thugs and pleading desperately. The thugs kicked the woman away and cursed, "Blame your dead husband! He owed debts and didn't pay them back even after he died. I'm being kind; I won't send you to a brothel. I'll just use your son to pay off the debt. You should be grateful."

The child cried loudly, hitting the big man: "Don't hit my mother, don't hit my mother!" The big man slapped him across the face: "What are you making a fuss about? If the army wasn't short of people, I wouldn't even want an old man like you."

It sounds like human traffickers kidnapped her and sold her to the army as a servant. She's so young, and her family has no one to rely on. It's truly pitiful. But the onlookers dared not speak out and could only watch from afar.

Han Xiao was furious and said, "This is too much." She turned to call out to He Ziming, who was hiding in the shadows, but Feng Ning grabbed her wrist and said, "Leave here first, I'll deal with him when I get back."

Han Xiao immediately understood. They were outsiders, and their presence in the city was already conspicuous. These local bullies who could get involved with the local military government must have some influence. If they meddle in other people's business, they probably wouldn't get any benefits. She wasn't worried about anything else, except that Nie Chengyan and the others weren't there, leaving only her, Feng Ning, and He Ziming. If something happened, they wouldn't be able to stay here, and things would be bad. It was best to act discreetly when you see injustice.

Reminded by Feng Ning's words, Han Xiao quickly nodded and prepared to leave. But after taking only two steps, he heard a delicate shout from behind: "Stop!"

Han Xiao and Feng Ning turned around and saw a sedan chair parked by the roadside. A woman in gorgeous clothes stepped out, looking elegant, wealthy, and arrogant. She pointed at the two bullies and said, "You audacious thieves, how dare you kidnap ordinary people in broad daylight!"

The two thugs noticed that the woman possessed an extraordinary air, and several guards stood beside her sedan chair, suggesting she came from a powerful family. They recognized all the important figures in Gusha City, yet they had never seen this woman before, implying she was from out of town. Since she was from out of town, they had nothing to fear. However, they preferred to avoid trouble, so they said politely, "Miss, you're unaware of the situation; it's best not to meddle. We conduct legitimate business, with all the necessary documentation."

"What proof do you have? Let me see." The woman persisted, seemingly oblivious to the thug's implied meaning.

Han Xiao whispered to Feng Ning, "Princess Ruyi." Feng Ning nodded and pulled Han Xiao to a secluded spot, saying, "This is a good spot. Let's continue watching the show."

The thug frowned, surprised that this woman was so tactless. He and his brother had spent their entire lives in Gusha City, managing all the relationships inside and outside perfectly; they weren't afraid of a girl. They exchanged a glance, said nothing, and simply grabbed the child to leave.

Princess Ruyi, however, spread her arms wide to stop them, saying, "Put this child down." The two thugs' expressions changed, and they were about to lash out when Cui An and the guards rushed over to protect the princess.

The thug narrowed his eyes, thinking that it seemed he wouldn't be able to escape today. The child's mother was already kneeling on the ground, kowtowing to Princess Ruyi with all her might: "Please, young lady, have mercy and save my child."

"The army is short of manpower, and this family owes money and can't pay it back. We're just being kind by letting this child do some work in the army camp. It's proper work. If this child does well in the army, he'll become a pillar of the nation in the future. We're doing a good thing." The thug finally decided to say a few nice words.

Princess Ruyi ignored him and only asked the child, "What's your name? How old are you?"

"My name is Zhuzi, and I'm nine years old." The child opened his teary eyes and said loudly, "My family only has my mother left. My mother is not well, and I want to stay at home to take care of her. I can earn money, really, I will pay back the money. Please, young lady, don't let them take me to the army."

The thug cursed and was about to hit the child again when Princess Ruyi shouted, "If you dare touch him again, I'll take your head!" Her face was full of anger, and her anger was incredibly fierce, which actually intimidated the man. Seeing that he stopped, Princess Ruyi asked again, "What can such a young child do in the army?" The burly man remained silent, and Cui An whispered a few words in the princess's ear. The ins and outs were nothing more than the lower-ranking officials in charge of recruitment colluding with local officials to manipulate things, pocketing the pay. Children couldn't go to the battlefield; they were just assigned to the rear of various armies to do hard labor. If they were unlucky, they would be fabricated and sold elsewhere. On the army's roster, they were just there to occupy a name so that officials could collect their pay and take advantage of them.

The thug vaguely heard Cui An's words, though he couldn't hear them clearly, but he was still uneasy. He forced himself to say, "We have the seal of the military government, so recruiting people is a piece of cake."

Princess Ruyi stared at him for a long time, then suddenly said to the guard beside her, "Go and call Xie Chen here. I want to ask him, no matter how far Gusha City is from the capital, it is still under the emperor's nose. What rules and regulations does the garrison follow?"

Upon hearing this, the two thugs' expressions changed. This woman dared to openly call out General Xie's name. Just who was she?

Xie Chen arrived quickly. He had heard about the situation. If it were any other imperial relatives or noblewomen, he would have dared to use excuses like being busy with military affairs. After all, it was wartime, and there was no time to waste talking to a woman about a child being kidnapped and taken to the army. But this person was Princess Ruyi, and Xie Chen dared not neglect her.

Xie Chen initially thought the princess, having been demoted and sent as a bride for a political marriage, held little importance in the Emperor's eyes. However, he hadn't expected General Mu to dare protect her. He had initially thought General Mu was naive, but then the Emperor's decree arrived a couple of days prior, ordering the royal guards to escort the princess back to the palace and commanding the garrison at Gusha City to protect her safety. Xie Chen realized the Mu family was indeed cunning and adept at flattery, even anticipating the Emperor's intentions. Therefore, he naturally dared not neglect the princess. Princess Ruyi, however, was no pushover; she was displaying considerable power in his territory. Xie Chen feared that if he left any leverage over her, she might use it against him in front of the Emperor, putting him in serious trouble. Thus, although he resented the princess's meddling, he had no choice but to feign intervention and mediate.

Upon Xie Chen's arrival, he bowed, feigned concern, and then addressed Princess Ruyi, saying, "Princess, it is wartime, and conscription is indeed a crucial matter. While it is rare for a ten-year-old to enlist, there are precedents. If you are not pleased, I will simply order his release." He wasn't implying the matter was inappropriate, but rather that the princess disliked it, thus appeasing her, saving face, and protecting the livelihoods of the two burly men. He gave the two men a wink, and they quickly released the boy, also bowing respectfully to the princess.

Princess Ruyi gritted her teeth as she watched the mother and child weeping in each other's arms. She knew she had acted impulsively, and that she shouldn't have interfered given her status. But seeing the scene of kidnapping and beatings, she suddenly thought of herself. When she was brutally beaten by the Xia King, helpless and abused, she wished someone would step in to protect her. Mu Yuan's parting words to her, "Look at those people, don't forget you also have to protect them," suddenly made her understand that feeling.

Seeing the princess remain silent in a daze, Xie Chen assumed nothing was wrong. After all, she would be leaving in a couple of days, and he was still in charge of the city. He had given her face, taken care of the matter, and that was it. He said he was busy with military affairs and couldn't stay any longer, and prepared to leave. The two bullying brothers, sensing his presence, also bowed and prepared to go. Just as they took a step, they heard the princess shout, "Halt!"

Xie Chen stopped, turned around, and met Princess Ruyi's cold gaze: "General Xie, do you think I am a woman and shouldn't meddle in this matter?"

Xie Chen lowered his head and remained silent. Ruyi continued, "Do you think I just want to show off and leave in a few days, so you can do whatever you want?"

Xie Chen's heart tightened, but he remained silent, his expression unchanged. Ruyi smiled coldly: "You climbed to this position with great difficulty; you should inquire about my reputation. I may not have many other skills, but I'm adept at bullying others and taking advantage of favor. I've beaten the Imperial Concubine, scolded princes, refused marriage, defied imperial decrees, and run away from the palace. I've done everything that other princesses and princes dared not do. Now that I'm involved in this mother and son's affairs, I'm going to see it through to the end. Does the General understand what I'm saying?"

Xie Chen lowered his eyes and said, "Please enlighten me, Your Highness."

Princess Ruyi approached him and whispered, "Private scouts, disrupting the military camp, embezzling military pay, colluding with the Xia Kingdom, poisoning the princess... this should be considered an attempt to rebel, right?"

Xie Chen was shocked. This was clearly a frame-up. He said, "Princess, please be careful. Don't smear yourself."

"General Xie, don't underestimate me because I'm a woman. Scheming and intrigue aren't something only you women do. You're guarding Gusha City, a major trading city. Although it's a border city, it's lucrative with little fighting, and far from the emperor's reach, the palace doesn't interfere much. It must have taken you a lot of effort to get here. But if something happens in this city, General Mu should rush to handle it. What does that mean? It means you're not trusted. I haven't been here long, but I see clearly that you're nothing more than someone who guards fertile fields. Now that war has broken out at the front, if you're lucky, General Mu and his men will defeat the enemy, and you'll still be living a carefree life here. But if you're unlucky and the fighting reaches here, you probably won't be able to handle the situation. Do you think the palace doesn't know?" Ruyi's words hit the nail on the head, leaving Xie Chen feeling uneasy.

Ruyi continued, "In a couple of days, the court will send people to escort me back to the palace. I'm afraid there will be supervising officials accompanying me. You should pray that they will turn a blind eye, otherwise, you're likely to have a hard time. Even if they are your accomplices, once I return to the palace, I will naturally make sure you suffer in this quagmire." Before Xie Chen could reply, Princess Ruyi added, "I'm not afraid of you taking any tricks. I know your background. You should consider this carefully."

Xie Chen thought for a while and finally said, "Princess, just tell me what you want to do."

Princess Ruyi said in a low voice, "Don't you find it disgusting to use those two arrogant dogs?" Xie Chen knew that she was speaking so softly to save face for him, so he quickly went along with it and said, "It is not appropriate. I will take back the printing and exempt them from the job."

“Life is hard for orphans and widows in the city. This city is bustling with business, surely they can find a way to make a living?”

"Yes, some workshops are short of staff, and I will make arrangements accordingly."

Princess Ruyi smiled and said softly, "It's good that the general will keep an eye on things." She took a step back and said loudly, "The general is absolutely right. In that case, the general shall handle it." Xie Chen agreed. Princess Ruyi gave Eunuch Cui a wink and then returned to her sedan chair.

After a while, Eunuch Cui returned to the sedan chair and whispered into it, "Princess, everything is arranged."

"Is Xie Chen ready?"

"Princess, rest assured."

There was a moment of silence in the sedan chair, followed by a soft sigh from Ruyi: "Father-in-law, did I do something stupid?" Before Eunuch Cui could reply, she continued: "Stupid is stupid, anyway, I always do stupid things."

After Han Xiao and Feng Ning had seen enough of the commotion, they wandered off to another area, leaving He Ziming to secretly follow the mother and child. Once the crowd had dispersed, he led Han Xiao and Feng Ning to the couple's residence. It turned out that Han Xiao had overheard the child saying the mother was unwell, so she wanted to examine her. After examining her, buying medicine for the mother, and secretly leaving some silver at their house, Han Xiao and Feng Ning happily returned to the inn.

Back at the inn, Han Xiao was surprised to find Princess Ruyi waiting there. She bowed and said cautiously, "My mistress is not here."

"I know." The princess's attitude remained aloof. But perhaps because he had seen Princess Ruyi doing good deeds in the street, Han Xiao found her way of speaking less annoying.

"I'm here to see you, Han Xiao."

"May I ask what brings the princess here?"

"I will be leaving in two days. My father has sent someone to fetch me back to the palace."

"Congratulations, Princess." Han Xiao was puzzled; why would the princess come to say goodbye to her?

Ruyi cleared her throat, and sure enough, she had more to say: "Before I leave, I wanted to warn you to be careful of Xie Jingyun."

"Huh? Xie Jingyun." That dead person?

"That's right, it's Xie Jingyun, I've seen her."

Going to the battlefield

Han Xiao didn't believe in the possibility of the dead coming back to life. She also didn't believe that Xie Jingyun wasn't dead and that Nie Chengyan had misjudged her. Nie Chengyan was inherently suspicious, and Han Xiao, having known him for so long, understood his personality well. He was extremely cautious in his dealings with people and things, rarely losing his temper or doing anything foolish. Coupled with the fact that he lost his family at a young age and lived in a treacherous environment, he lacked a sense of security, which was why he clung so tightly to her. For someone with such medical skills to be unable to determine whether someone was dead or alive was simply illogical.

So when Princess Ruyi said she saw Xie Jingyun, Han Xiao's first reaction was that she must have seen wrong.

Princess Ruyi could tell what she was thinking just by looking at her expression. She said, "You don't believe me?"

Han Xiao remained silent. Princess Ruyi paused, then gave a cold laugh: "Believe it or not, it's up to you. But since I'm here, I still need to make things clear to you. I'm not just putting up a rival to scare you, but since this person has come back from the dead, and Brother Nie is snatched away by her again, or you are tripped up and killed, let me be clear beforehand, I won't have any sympathy for you. If I were you, I would make plans early and act as soon as I have the chance."

Han Xiao asked in surprise, "Make a move?"

“It’s about making sure he won’t take it away as soon as possible. But I’m not talking about myself.” Princess Ruyi held her head high: “He’s blind to treat me like this. I don’t believe my happiness can only be with him. I will not submit to fate.”

Feng Ning clapped her hands perfunctorily from the side, while Princess Ruyi frowned and glared at her: "Are you mocking me?"

Feng Ning shrugged: "No, you're right, I'm just giving you a little encouragement." She asked curiously, "Then who is Xie Jingyun?"

Han Xiao replied somewhat dejectedly, "The person you loved before you injured your foot has passed away."

Feng Ning then asked the princess, "Where did you see her come back to life?"

"I saw it in an inn in a border town of Xia when I went there."

"Did you confirm with her?"

"No."

"Then how can you be sure it's her?"

"I would recognize her even if she were ashes."

Feng Ning gave Han Xiao a look, thinking to herself how resentful this princess must be; she'd recognize her even if she were ashes. Han Xiao felt extremely uncomfortable and pursed her lips without saying a word. Princess Ruyi had said what she wanted to say, adding at the end, "You can do whatever you want with me. What happens between you two is none of my business." Although she said this, the bitterness in her tone was unmistakable. She seemed to realize this as well, and left with a stern face.

Han Xiao didn't believe it, but one shouldn't overthink things; the more you think, the more confused you become. Han Xiao spent a sleepless night, her mind filled with the memory of the first night she met Nie Chengyan, how he lay on the bed, so grief-stricken, saying, "The person I love is dead." His excited expression when he saw the red bean earrings, the way he held them to his chest when he was in unbearable pain… As she thought about it, she suddenly realized that tears were streaming down her face.

She thought she wouldn't care. From the first day she met him, she knew there had been someone like that in his heart. Whether that person was still there or not, that presence was indelible. She had always known, but she had never thought about it. She didn't think about it when she fell in love with him, she didn't think about it when she received his love, she didn't think about it when she sewed that little pouch for his earrings, she didn't think about it when he told her that he would only choose her now. But then, after they had loved each other for so long and so deeply, she suddenly started to think about it.

Han Xiao wiped away her tears and began to blame herself. It must be because she was too worried about Nie Chengyan, it must be because this Gusha City made her feel insecure, it must be because she hadn't studied medicine and treated people for too long. She was so bored, restless, and lonely that all she could do was overthink things.