Jiang Xingyan was so frantic she even used her qinggong.
She darted out in a single swift motion.
Behind her, the coachman wiped the sweat from his brow and sighed apologetically, “Sorry, General, but the State Preceptor paid me far too well.”
The carriage was parked right at the entrance of the Imperial Hospital.
Jiang Xingyan flung open the curtain and saw Yun Chunfeng lying pale as gold paper on the cushioned seat, unconscious and hovering between life and death.
Beside him, Xiao Ya stared blankly at him, as if frozen in shock.
Jiang Xingyan’s mind went numb.
What in the world was happening?
Why were both of them causing such huge troubles?
She immediately turned to head back into the Imperial Hospital to fetch Physician Sun for Yun Chunfeng.
But just as she turned, she heard violent coughing from behind.
“General…”
Yun Chunfeng’s voice was faint as a breath. Jiang Xingyan hurried closer and asked with concern, “Hold on, State Preceptor. I’ll go get Physician Sun right away.”
He shook his head weakly. “General, it’s nothing serious. There’s no need to trouble Physician Sun.”
“It’s just exhaustion—no medicine can cure it. A few days of rest will suffice.”
Jiang Xingyan recalled how the Emperor had kept Yun Chunfeng behind after the morning court session for a private discussion. She wondered what was said—could it be that he was asked to divine some heavenly secret again?
She felt a surge of frustration. Couldn’t they see Yun-ge’s eyes were already failing? And yet they still made him perform divinations!
Were they determined to milk this one sheep dry?
Meanwhile, in the palace, Xiao Ao, who was reviewing memorials, suddenly sneezed loudly.
The eunuchs and palace maids attending him fell to their knees in terror.
Xiao Ao: It feels like someone is cursing me, but I have no proof.
His back also felt strangely heavy, as if he were carrying some invisible burden.
Yun Chunfeng pressed his lips tightly together, remaining silent.
His half-lowered eyes concealed his truest emotions.
To Jiang Xingyan, he seemed like a fragile doll made of glass.
Outwardly radiant, yet inwardly bearing heavy burdens.
She casually handed Huo Ci’s prescription to the coachman who had caught up to them.
“Stay here and prepare the medicine. Handle any instructions Physician Sun gives you.”
The coachman took the prescription in confusion, watching as Jiang Xingyan drove the carriage away.
Hey, General, at least give me some compensation for my troubles!
How can you order people around without any rewards?
You’re nowhere near as generous as the State Preceptor!
…..
The carriage raced back to the military camp.
Jiang Xingyan wanted to carry Yun Chunfeng down herself, but he refused.
“General, just take care of Xiao Ya. I can manage on my own.”
He bit his lower lip, looking both stubborn and resilient, and walked unsteadily step by step.
Jiang Xingyan, holding Xiao Ya, followed closely behind, her heart clenched with worry that he might fall.
As he approached the tent, she quickly called for his attendant to support him.
But after calling out several times with no response, Jiang Xingyan grew irritated. She strode forward and lifted the tent flap, only to find it empty.
“Perhaps Nian Xing went out to gather herbs. Don’t worry, General. I’ll be fine resting alone.”
Jiang Xingyan couldn’t relax. She summoned Qiuyan and Chunxue to prepare the bed and called for Xiafeng and Dongyang to gently support Yun Chunfeng on either side, guiding him all the way to the large bed in her own tent.
Only when he sank into a deep sleep did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Xiao Ya widened her eyes, glancing at the peacefully sleeping Yun Chunfeng and then at her worried mother. She reached out a small hand and scratched her little head.
Why was Uncle able to summon thunder and lightning to play with me just a moment ago, but the moment he heard Mother’s footsteps, he fainted?
The little one couldn’t make sense of it.
Dongyang, noticing her mistress was drenched in sweat, hurriedly poured a cup of cool tea and handed it to her.
“Young Lady, please take care of yourself. Don’t overexert yourself.”
“The shopkeepers are all very loyal. They must have already communicated with each other and started investigating the traitor.”
Reminded by Dongyang, Jiang Xingyan realized she hadn’t accomplished a single proper task today—she’d been too busy taking care of the patients.
She took the tea, drank it in one gulp, and frowned in frustration.
“There are still over sixty shops left to visit. I wanted all the shopkeepers to recognize me.”
Dongyang thought for a moment, then her eyes lit up. “Young Lady, why not send Xiafeng and me instead?”
“It’s just about informing them to prepare for military funding support and catching the traitor. The two of us have plenty of free time—we can finish the rounds in a day or two.”
“Then, we can set a time for all the shopkeepers to gather and meet you. Wouldn’t that save you the trouble of running around everywhere?”
Jiang Xingyan’s thoughts suddenly cleared.
That’s right—she’d brought all four of her maids out with her. How could she have been so narrow-minded as to forget they could lend her a hand?
“Good, we’ll do as you say.”
“Change into men’s clothing for convenience.”
“Oh, and keep an eye out for any small houses for sale. Compare a few options and find a suitable one.”
“Once we collect the next rent payment, we’ll buy it for ourselves.”
Dongyang was both surprised and delighted. “Young Lady, you mean… a home for us?”
Jiang Xingyan nodded solemnly. “Yes, a home for all of us.”
Tears welled up in Dongyang’s eyes. She pulled Xiafeng along, wiping away tears as they happily went to prepare.
Jiang Xingyan glanced at the sun—it was already late afternoon.
A beam of sunlight fell squarely on the book of military strategy Yun Chunfeng had given her.
For some reason, she felt that she and Huo Ci wouldn’t switch back so quickly.
But with the war against Beiluo imminent, she had no choice but to prepare.
She flipped through a few pages, expecting the content to be obscure and hard to understand, but to her surprise, it was fascinating.
Jiang Xingyan soon became engrossed. The principles in the book shared surprising similarities with commerce.
Both were about achieving the greatest gains at the smallest cost.
The phrase “supplies must precede troops” was also a golden rule in business—prepare ahead of time to avoid future troubles.
Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
Even if she never led armies into battle, learning these strategies would greatly benefit her commercial pursuits.
She rolled up her sleeves, ready to grind ink and take notes on her insights.
But just then, a pleading voice, soft and trembling, came from the inner tent. Startled, the brush in her hand clattered to the ground.
“I beg the Young Lady to take Yun-ge in!”