Speechless, I called for sobering tea, had her drink plenty, and with the waiting guards, sent her home. Consort E was calm, expertly carrying her to her room.
The direct consequence of this farce was—I caught a cold.
I was sick and delirious, feeling alternating heat and cold, dizzy and aching all over. When Jiang Yun Qiao came to see me, I was curled up in bed, shivering. She felt guilty, regretting bringing me to drink, and ending up drunk herself. However, she claimed to have no memory of that night’s conversation, appearing completely innocent.
I struggled to open my eyes, weakly saying, “It was nothing. Just mentioned something about snow, about a youth.”
Jiang Yun Qiao’s expression changed dramatically, becoming incredibly complex.
Then, I heard a story.
When Jiang Yun Qiao was fourteen, she had encountered an ethereally beautiful youth during a vast snowfall in Qi Kingdom. This fleeting glimpse had captured her heart, but left no trace of his identity. She searched desperately but found nothing and had to give up.
She told herself he was a divine being who had returned to heaven, beyond mortal desires, burying this longing deep in her heart, never mentioning it to anyone.
At sixteen, following Emperor Hong’s wishes, she married the eldest son of the E Tai Zai family. Her husband was kind, and she tried to love him, but her feelings never progressed beyond mere fondness. Her love remained with the youth she met in the snow, forever unretrievable.
Though loveless, life continued. At eighteen, A’fu was born. She was content and gradually became accustomed to this happiness, casting aside her unrealistic expectations. But at this time, she unexpectedly reunited with that ethereal youth.
However, she was now married with a child, and the youth was not from Nan Rui Kingdom. They could never be together. Her infatuation was unknown to the youth. She understood they could never be, and though her heart was unsettled, she remained outwardly calm, occasionally visiting his location, satisfied just seeing that he was well.
Everything had been fine until the internal unrest in Qi Kingdom disrupted the youth’s life. This unsettled her again. In her conflicting pain, she chose to drink to numb herself and find momentary peace.
So this was Jiang Yun Qiao’s secret. Perhaps the person she loved was just a beautiful image she had created in her mind. What young girl hasn’t had romantic fantasies?
But she was too obsessed, letting her youthful longing become a lock on her heart’s door. Resolving it wasn’t difficult—finding the youth, letting him truly appear in her life might make her realize she didn’t love him as much as she thought.
However, the youth was in Qi Kingdom. Would they kidnap him to Nan Rui just to heal her heartache? This seemed unrealistic. Unable to think of a better solution, I could only advise her to focus more on her consort husband and A’fu, to enjoy family happiness and let time wash away everything.
Jiang Yunqiao’s story made me miss An Jin even more. My cold symptoms were worsening, showing no signs of improvement. Hongdi was worried and invited many imperial physicians, but to no avail. Rumors began to spread in Fengzhu City, saying that the Yu King’s illness was caused by lovesickness. The most absurd version claimed that I was secretly in love with General Shen, who loved someone else, and that I had begged His Majesty for marriage but failed.
I wanted to cry but had no tears. Although the imperial physicians were helpless, they ominously said that a minor cold could develop into a serious illness if prolonged. Hongdi was extremely worried and issued an imperial edict, seeking folk doctors.
Whoever could cure the Yu King’s illness would be handsomely rewarded. I thought this was somewhat exaggerated. I rarely fell ill, and it was hardly significant, but with such a reward, I seemed like a frail princess from a play. As it turned out, someone did exactly that, not only claiming the imperial edict but also requesting to marry the princess as a reward, which Hongdi actually agreed to.
Chapter Sixty-Six: Another Wave
When I heard this news, I almost jumped up from my sickbed. My younger sister inquired about the doctor who claimed the edict; he was quite handsome, though his left hand was somewhat inconvenient. After a private conversation with Emperor Hongdi, he agreed to the conditions of his request. My imperial uncle was good in every way, except for his love of matchmaking. After previously trying to match me with General Shen, he now inexplicably agreed to a doctor wanting to marry me.
Breaking into a cold sweat actually slightly improved my cold symptoms.
I asked Jiang Yunqiao to come and try to persuade Hongdi to change his mind, but she looked gleeful, saying that the emperor’s words could not be retracted. This is the consequence of making the wrong friend, who not only doesn’t help at a critical moment but also takes pleasure in my predicament.
I could only drag my sickly body to meet Hongdi, trying to move him emotionally and reason with him to reject this condition. He smiled meaningfully and asked, “Are you sure you want to refuse?”
I hesitated for a moment. Seeing my hesitation, Hongdi nodded satisfactorily. “Or you can meet him first. You will definitely like him.”
I gritted my teeth, “Thank you for your kindness, but I currently do not want—”
A tall and elegant man walked out from behind the screen. I stood stunned, forgetting the reasons I had prepared. Hongdi laughed, “I knew you wouldn’t want to refuse him.”
The man wore a blue robe with a wooden hairpin, with a gentle, soft smile. “A Yao, I’m back.”
The princess of Nanrui and the commoner doctor who cured her cold became married. This romantic legendary story quickly spread throughout Nanrui and the other two countries, becoming a widely-told tale. In fact, An Jin’s appearance was precisely the medicine to cure my heartache. He came, my worries were resolved, so what illness could not be healed?
After the incident in Qi Kingdom, An Jin followed Xia Zhichun back to Qi Kingdom, intending to reunite with his mother-in-law and make the secret department a thing of the past. However, no matter how he persuaded her, she refused to leave Qi Kingdom for Nanrui. An Jin was helpless when his mother-in-law reached the end of her life and peacefully passed away.
Grief-stricken, An Jin began preparing his mother-in-law’s funeral, burying her and his father-in-law together according to her wishes. While he was handling the funeral, an unexpected incident occurred, and he encountered a group of highly skilled assassins.
An Jin’s martial arts were not weak, but the number of assassins was considerable. Although assisted by several elders from the secret department, he was still injured. His left hand’s tendons were severed, and without timely treatment, had almost lost function. That arm could no longer embrace me or gently stroke my hair as before. With his mother-in-law’s death and his left hand disabled, I wept bitterly holding his powerless left hand. An Jin kissed my face, saying he had returned to me and everything would be fine.
Those wanting to kill An Jin were Yan He and Xia Zhichun. Only in Nanrui, under the protection of the royal family, could we find peace.
I begged Hongdi to hold another wedding for us, giving An Jin an official status in Nanrui. Hongdi was somewhat regretful; he had hoped I would marry General Shen to gain the Shen family’s loyalty, but seeing my insistence and that An Jin brought the black gold symbol, he had to agree. Thus, An Jin’s latest identity is: Nanrui’s grand consort, Wang Jun of Yu King.
