If I traveled back to the Tang Dynasty, all I really wanted to be was a carefree prince.

After the incident at Hongwen Hall, Li Ke's life underwent subtle changes.

The biggest change is that he is no longer a loner.

Every morning, he would go to Hongwen Hall to study, and Cheng Chumo would save him a seat early, leaving the one next to him for him. Yuchi Baolin was not talkative, but he would always nod憨憨地 when he saw him. Qin Huaidao was the youngest, a five-year-old boy. Every time he saw Li Ke, he would run over, look up and call out "Third Brother", and then obediently sit next to him to write.

The sons of military officers soon discovered that this Prince of Shu was completely different from what they had imagined.

He didn't put on airs like a prince, nor did he mind their rudeness or poor grades. When Cheng Chumo lost an arm wrestling match and threw a tantrum, he just smiled and said nothing; when Yuchi Baolin couldn't recite his lessons and was so anxious that he scratched his head, he secretly passed him a cheat sheet; when Qin Huaidao's hands were covered in ink from writing, he took a handkerchief and wiped them for him.

"Third brother, you're such a kind person," Qin Huaidao said in a childish voice.

Li Ke patted his head without saying a word.

He's not a kind person. He's just seen too much life and death and knows how precious humanity is. In the ICU, a nurse willing to hand you a pair of scissors, a resident doctor willing to stay up all night with you, are people worth cherishing. It's the same here.

Cheng Chumo privately told Yuchi Baolin, "Third Brother is a man you can get along with."

Yuchi Baolin nodded, and unusually added, "They're better than those pretentious members of the imperial clan."

Li Ke did not forget his promise.

He started preparing the medicine after returning from the Hongwen Hall that day.

Yuchi Baolin said that his father, Yuchi Jingde, had an old injury that would ache whenever it was cloudy or rainy. Li Ke searched through the Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica and consulted Wang Yongzheng at the Imperial Hospital. Finally, he selected a prescription—an external ointment for promoting blood circulation, removing blood stasis, dispelling wind and dampness, made from more than a dozen medicinal herbs, including chuanxiong, safflower, frankincense, myrrh, aconite, and cassia.

He personally prepared the medicine, ground it, and mixed it. Li An watched from the side, his heart pounding with fear—some of the herbs contained aconite and aconitum carmichaelii, both highly poisonous, and the slightest carelessness could lead to disaster.

"Your Highness, why don't we have the imperial physician prepare it?" Li An said cautiously.

"No need." Li Ke didn't even look up, the medicine grinder in his hand spinning rapidly. "I know how to prepare it."

He certainly knew. Aconitum carmichaelii and Aconitum kusnezoffii contain aconitine, which is highly toxic, but with proper processing and preparation, the toxicity can be greatly reduced, while the analgesic effect is excellent. In his previous life, he had seen many cases of using aconitine-based drugs to treat cancer pain in the ICU. Although the risks were high, the results were indeed good.

He ground the medicinal herbs into a fine powder, mixed it with honey to form a paste, put it into a small porcelain jar, and sealed it.

"Take this to Yuchi Baolin," he said to Li An. "I've written the instructions on this piece of paper—take one qian (approximately 3 grams) each time, mix it with warm water to form a paste, apply it to the painful area, and wrap it with a clean cloth. Use it once a day, and do not use it more than once. Do not use it on broken skin. If redness, swelling, or itching occurs after application, stop using it immediately."

Li An took the medicine jar and the note, and couldn't help but glance at Li Ke again.

This prince, only eleven years old, is more skilled at dispensing medicine than some of the imperial physicians in the Imperial Hospital.

Three days after the medicine was sent out, Yuchi Baolin came to see Li Ke in person.

He was half a head taller than Cheng Chumo and usually walked with his head held high, but today, standing in front of Li Ke, he was timid and hesitant, like a little girl.

"Third Brother," he said in a muffled voice, "that medicine... my father used it."

"How's the result?" Li Ke asked.

Yu Chi Baolin's eyes lit up: "My father said that after applying it twice, the pain was much less, and he asked me to come and thank you."

Li Ke breathed a sigh of relief. He knew the risks of aconite-based drugs, and although he was confident that he could prepare the medicine without problems, it was, after all, his first time trying it in this era. Hearing that it was effective, a weight was lifted from his heart.

"That's good," he said. "Let your dad continue using it, and I'll make more when he runs out."

Yuchi Baolin nodded vigorously, turned to leave, but then stopped.

"Third Brother," he said in a low voice, "If anything happens in the future, just tell me. From today onwards, my life, Yuchi Baolin's life, belongs to you."

Li Ke paused for a moment, then smiled.

"I don't need your life. What use is it to me?" he said. "Just focus on doing your homework. Last time, Scholar Kong criticized you for not being able to recite your lessons, so I passed you a cheat sheet."

Yuchi Baolin's face flushed red. He scratched his head, chuckled twice, and turned to run away.

Cheng Chumo watched from the side, grinning.

"Third Brother," he said, "you know Baolin isn't one to speak easily. The fact that he said 'This life is yours' shows that he truly admires you."

Li Ke smiled but didn't say anything.

He wasn't trying to get others to obey him. He just did what he could.

The sons of military officers were enthusiastically engaged, while the sons of civil officials maintained a distance.

Fang Yizhi led the children of civil officials to sit on the other side of the Hongwen Hall. During breaks, they would gather together to discuss their studies, read poems, and write articles, never sidling up with the children of military officers.

But Fang Yizhi had been observing Li Ke all along.

He noticed that although Li Ke didn't quite understand Kong Yingda's lessons, he never lost focus and his notes were densely packed. He noticed that during breaks, Li Ke didn't play around with the sons of military officers, but instead found a corner to quietly read. He noticed that the books Li Ke read weren't just medical books—once he glimpsed Li Ke reading the Records of the Grand Historian, and another time he was reading Sun Tzu's Art of War.

"This person," Fang Yizhi said to Du Gou, "is not simple."

Du Gou, dressed in plain clothes, sat by the window with a detached gaze. His father, Du Ruhui, had passed away in May, and the mourning period was not yet over; he still wore mourning clothes.

"How is it not simple?" he asked.

"He can actually concentrate on reading," Fang Yizhi said. "Among the sons of military officers, not one can sit quietly for half an hour. But he can."

Du Gou glanced at Li Ke and remained silent for a while.

"He's a prince," he said. "He's different from those other people."

"So what if he's a prince?" Fang Yizhi said. "Li Yuanjing is also a prince—no, he's the son of the retired emperor, making him an uncle by seniority—have you ever seen Li Yuanjing reading a book?"

Du Gou remained silent.

"Furthermore," Fang Yizhi lowered his voice, "I heard something."

"What is it?"

"He's the one who prepared Yuchi Jingde's medicine. What Cheng Chumo said should be true."

Du Gou remained silent for a long time.

"A prince studying medicine and preparing remedies," he said slowly. "Interesting."

Don't you think he's neglecting his duties?

Du Gou glanced at Fang Yizhi, his gaze carrying a deeper meaning.

"My father once said something," he said, "To understand a person, don't look at what they do, look at where their heart is."

Fang Yizhi paused for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully.

On this day, Li Ke was reading in the Hongwen Hall when Li An hurriedly walked in and whispered something in his ear.

"Your Highness, His Majesty summons you."

Li Ke paused for a moment. He glanced at the sky outside the window—it was the third quarter of the hour of Si (9:45 AM), precisely when his father was handling state affairs. His summons at this time couldn't be without reason.

He put down his book and followed Ang Lee out of the Hongwen Hall.

Along the way, he quickly reviewed his recent activities in his mind—he had completed his studies normally and made no mistakes. There had been no trouble at the Hongwen Academy, and he hadn't had any further conflicts with Li Yuanjing and the others. Several doses of medicine had been prepared, all for the sons of military officers; hopefully, this wouldn't reach his father's ears.

His heart skipped a beat.

Upon arriving at the entrance of the Imperial Study, after being announced by the eunuch, he went inside and knelt down to pay his respects.

"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty."

Li Shimin sat behind his desk, holding a memorial in his hand, reading it. He didn't look up, but simply said, "Get up."

Li Ke stood up and stood respectfully to the side.

Li Shimin put down the memorial and looked up at him.

"Ke'er," he said, "I heard you've made quite a few friends at Hongwen Academy lately?"

Li Ke's heart skipped a beat.

coming.

He didn't know what his father meant by asking that question—was it a good thing or a bad thing? Did he think he was forming cliques, or that he was neglecting his duties?

"Your Majesty," he answered cautiously, "I have indeed made a few friends. Cheng Chumo, Yuchi Baolin, and Qin Huaidao are all sons of meritorious officials, of upright character, and I get along very well with them."

Li Shimin nodded, his expression unreadable.

"Cheng Chumo is Cheng Zhijie's eldest son, Yuchi Baolin is Yuchi Jingde's eldest son, and Qin Huaidao is Qin Qiong's eldest son," he said. "You certainly know how to pick your friends."

Li Ke didn't know how to respond, so he could only lower his head and remain silent.

Li Shimin was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "What did you do when you were with them?"

"Father, we studied together, practiced martial arts together, and sometimes..." He hesitated for a moment, "...sometimes I helped them prepare medicine."

"Prepare medicine?" Li Shimin's eyes narrowed slightly. "Prepare medicine for whom?"

"General Yuchi has an old wound that aches on rainy days, so I prepared a topical ointment for him. General Qin also has an injury, and I was just about to go and see him."

Li Shimin remained silent for a long time!