On one hand, as a member of the Southern Rui royal family and heir apparent, I should step forward at this time of panic and do something for the Southern Rui people. On the other hand, I was worried about what might have happened to Yun Qiao in the earthquake and wanted to take this opportunity to see if she was safe.
Since ancient times, earthquakes have easily been used as a pretext to negatively impact royal rule. Only by going myself could I quell such unfavorable rumors.
When An Jin heard about this, he insisted on going with me. I refused and ordered people to watch him carefully. Who knew he would use some method to mix in with the accompanying physicians and follow along. When discovered, he proudly said, “I’m also a physician. Have you forgotten that I cured your cold?”
So I had no choice but to let him follow.
The disaster-affected area included five cities and three states in eastern Southern Rui. An Jin and I traveled, busy inspecting local officials’ disaster assessment, comforting victims, distributing supplies and arranging relief.
After covering four cities and three states, we finally reached Rao City. Upon entering, I discovered this was actually the most severely affected place.
Most dwellings in Rao City had collapsed, the ground covered with horrific cracks. Livestock and human bodies were mixed together, with a strange odor in the air. Homeless Rao City civilians huddled together by the roadside, too overwhelmed to tend to their own injuries.
An Jin and I immediately divided tasks. He arranged to handle corpses and conduct rescue, while I gathered disaster victims and had accompanying physicians provide treatment and distribute cotton clothing and food.
The city official, hearing that imperial envoys had arrived from the capital, hurried to welcome us. I had my soldiers detain him, intending to punish his inaction. He begged for mercy: “The Prince of Ning is not here, and I did not dare to make decisions independently. Please, Your Highness, show mercy!”
“Where is the Prince of Ning?”
“A few days ago, the Prince of Ning was helping with relief efforts. Then someone reported that a young master had escaped, and the Prince hurriedly left and never returned.”
“A young master escaped?” I thought. Could it be about Xia Zhiyuan? Only he could make Yun Qiao so anxious. “He didn’t return, and you didn’t send anyone to look?”
The city official looked distressed: “We didn’t have enough manpower—”
“At least you know which direction he went, right?”
“I heard he went west, towards Liuxia Mountain.
An Jin tried hard to smile at me. “A Yao… think of something else. Think about when you were little, desperately… bullying me…” I laughed weakly. “At this moment… you… just remember this?” He smiled even more gently. “I remember… everything.” I took a breath, opened my eyes, and looked at him. I knew he had also reached his limit. “Brother Jin.” “Hmm?” “Will you… fall in love with… someone else?” He was stunned. “No. Not in this lifetime.” I smiled contentedly and nodded. “Then… I can rest assured. Although… this is a bit selfish…” His expression suddenly changed. “A Yao—” “I can’t hold on anymore.” I looked at him apologetically. “Brother Jin, help me take care of Mom and Dad, and—” “No!” He interrupted me. “Don’t do anything foolish!” It was too late. I just slightly loosened my hand and immediately felt myself falling rapidly, accompanied by a sense of relief.
Chapter Seventy-Six: Hard-Won
I was lucky. Although the crevice looked terrifying, it wasn’t as deep as I had imagined. I was caught by tree vines and rocks several times, and miraculously landed on a pile of soft mud. My chest was painfully shocked, my limbs were numb, and I couldn’t move, yet my consciousness remained clear.
Although I couldn’t move temporarily, I breathed a sigh of relief, knowing my life was safe. Just as I was catching my breath, I heard a noise overhead and knew something was wrong—mountain rocks were collapsing. Somehow, I found the strength to roll to the side, which sent another wave of intense pain through my legs.
An object crashed to the ground, landing precisely where I had just been. I was incredibly fortunate but then heard a familiar muffled groan from where the object had fallen. “Umm—”
“An Jin?!” I was shocked and groped my way over. “An Jin… is that you?”
“A Yao?” It was indeed his voice. “Are you okay?”
I was both amused and exasperated. “How did you come down?”
“I was worried… you’d be alone and scared.” He paused, calling out to me. “A Yao, are you hurt?”
I smiled bitterly and reached out, finding and holding his hand. “Not seriously, how about you?”
“I’m fine.” He sighed.
“Fine? Wouldn’t it have been better to stay up there and call for help?” I squeezed his hand, suppressing the pain spreading through my body. “Idiot… if I hadn’t reacted quickly, I might have been crushed by you…”
He remained silent, then laughed softly after a while. “I panicked and forgot everything.”
I carefully listened to the surroundings. “It seems to have stopped shaking. Someone will come to rescue us soon.”
“Mm.” He responded vaguely. “Yao Yao…”
“Hmm?”
“I’m sorry.” He seemed to exhale deeply. “I’ve neglected you too much these past days.”
” “Why say this now?” I curved my lips in the darkness. “Actually, I’m also at fault. I thought you could handle everything and just focused on my own matters, forgetting to ask what you were thinking.” He took a while to respond. “I’ve always been concerned about the child-preventing wine. I know you like children. But—there’s no antidote to the wine. I was afraid you would leave me because of this, so…” “I know.” My heart ached, and I squeezed his hand tighter. “I know everything. I like children, but compared to you, nothing else matters. Brother Jin, having you is enough. No one can replace you.” “A Yao…” His voice was choked. “Brother Jin, I’ve already thought it through. Without our own children, I’ll adopt one from the clan’s children. When the child turns sixteen, I’ll pass the throne to him, and we’ll return to the Xiao family to live with Mom and Dad. What do you think?” “…Okay…” His breathing became slightly irregular. “If only I had explained earlier.” “It’s not too late now. Once we get out, we’ll start over, everything will be like before, okay?” “Okay.” After saying this word, he was silent for a while before suddenly asking: “A Yao, if I weren’t here, would you marry someone else?” I laughed, which aggravated my chest injury, causing me to grimace in pain, afraid to make a sound and worry him. After recovering, I laughed at him: “Are you mimicking my previous question?” “Would you?” “Yes.” I answered without hesitation. “Then…
