Denghuangtai

Pei Qingyan vaguely saw Yun Zheng's mouth opening and closing, but she couldn't hear his voice. Then everything went black and she fainted again.

Yun Zheng reached out and pulled her into his arms, his face dark and menacing.

"Hidden Clouds"

He called out loudly towards the door.

The chief clerk entered in response, "My lord..." He was only halfway through his sentence when he saw Pei Qingyan, who had fainted again in Yun Zheng's arms.

"I will go and fetch the old physician immediately."

After saying this, the chief clerk hurriedly left.

"Heavens above." The old doctor sighed and hurried in. At this moment, Pei Qingyan had already been carried to the bed by Yun Zheng and was lying quietly.

An experienced doctor stepped forward to take the patient's pulse and inquire about their condition.

Yun Zheng held his breath and waited for the old doctor's result. After a long while, the old doctor's voice finally came.

"The emotional fluctuations were too great, and the heart couldn't handle it, which is why you fainted. It's alright. The prescription I wrote earlier has a warming and nourishing effect. I'll bring the decoction to the general once it's ready."

After saying that, the old doctor couldn't help but add a word of advice, "Young master, the general should avoid extreme joy or sorrow and emotional agitation at this time. You must be careful in the future."

After Yun Zheng expressed his gratitude, the old doctor and the chief clerk left the room.

He sat alone by the bed, looking at Pei Qingyan's pale face, and suddenly memories of the past came to mind.

Once upon a time, in his mind, Pei Qingyan was a lively, cheerful, and radiant young woman, who could keep warm even in winter wearing only a padded brocade robe. She was more robust than the young masters in their luxurious homes, and apart from occasional injuries from martial arts practice, she rarely needed a doctor.

He had only seen such a sickly appearance a few times in his life, and each time it terrified him to the point of being unable to sleep.

I still remember the first time I saw Pei Qingyan in such a near-death state was in the spring of the thirteenth year of Jianyuan.

Years ago, the Western Regions presented a batch of Ferghana horses to the court. The late emperor, under the pretext of gifting a precious sword to a hero, bestowed one upon Pei Xuan, the father of Pei Qingyan.

Pei Qingyan had loved spirited horses and spears since childhood. He was overjoyed as he watched the family's newly acquired steed, constantly clamoring to go horseback riding in the countryside. However, Pei Xuan believed that the horse was a gift from the late emperor and refused to let Pei Qingyan, a mere child, squander it.

Pei Qingyan waited for half a year, finally witnessing Pei Xuan lead his troops into battle in the spring. Taking advantage of the Princess's visit to the palace, Pei Qingyan stole the precious horse and also tricked Yun Zheng from the palace. The two headed straight for the outskirts of the capital, galloping recklessly, when, by a twist of fate, they stumbled upon bandits kidnapping people.

Since the early autumn of the twelfth year of the Jianyuan era, there have been frequent reports of missing children and mothers in Chang'an. The Court of Justice investigated for several months but found no clues.

Unexpectedly, Pei Qingyan and Yun Zheng met by chance.

Pei Qingyan was about to rush out to save people, but Yun Zheng stopped him.

"Wait a minute. For the past few months, the capital has been thoroughly investigating missing persons. Logically, they should have disappeared and gone into hiding. This blatant disregard for the law means either they are fearless and believe that the Court of Justice won't dare to investigate them, or the situation is urgent and they have no choice but to take the risk. Either way, we can follow them secretly and maybe we can follow the clues, find out the truth behind it all, and bring these people to justice."

Pei Qingyan listened to Yun Zheng's logical analysis and agreed with his reasoning. After tying the horses up in the woods and hiding them, the two quietly followed the bandits.

Those men knocked the bound woman unconscious and hid her in a haystack on a donkey cart, pretending to be ordinary farmers, and led the donkey cart up the mountain.

Pei Qingyan and Yun Zheng followed carefully not far away, along the mountain path, until they saw the group stop in front of a house halfway up the mountain.

The leader of the bandits stepped forward and knocked on the door. The way he knocked was very unique, the sound was like drumbeats, which should be a pre-arranged signal.

Thinking of this, Pei Qingyan and Yun Zheng exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with excitement.

Such vigilance is certainly not as simple as it seems!

Pei Qingyan crouched down and headed toward the mansion, but was stopped by Yun Zheng as soon as he took a step.

"What's wrong?" Pei Qingyan asked, puzzled. They had already followed him all this way; how could they find out the truth if they didn't go in and take a look?

Yun Zheng was more cautious than her, and explained in a low voice, "The situation inside is unclear. If we rush in rashly and there is an ambush, we might both be in danger."

"If we don't go in, the bound woman will also be in danger." Pei Qingyan was anxious and couldn't wait to break free from Yun Zheng's grasp and go in to rescue her.

Yun Zheng had no choice but to hold the man down even harder. "Ayan, a wise man doesn't stand under a dangerous wall. No matter how anxious you are to save someone, you must ensure your own safety. Otherwise, not only will you fail to save them, but you'll also put yourself in danger. Here's what we'll do: I'll stay here and guard the place. You quickly return to the capital and find the Court of Justice to come and help..."

Before Yun Zheng could finish speaking, Pei Qingyan interrupted him, "I'll stay here, you go back."

"How can that be?" Yun Zheng immediately retorted, "I'll stay with you until we get back."

His tone was firm, leaving no room for negotiation.

His insistence stemmed from his concern that Pei Qingyan, in his eagerness to save lives, might impulsively rush in and encounter danger without his presence.

"No way." Pei Qingyan retorted, leaving no room for negotiation. "I know you're afraid I'll rush in to save people, but you don't know martial arts. If you stay here alone, you won't be able to protect yourself in case of any trouble."

After saying that, she saw that Yun Zheng's brows were furrowed, and he didn't seem to be planning to change his mind. In her haste, she added, "Anyway, either I stay here and wait for you to bring reinforcements, or I go in and investigate now. You know, once I get serious, you can't stop me."

Her words contained a blatant threat, carrying a strong sense of arrogance and unreasonableness.

Yun Zheng gazed into her eyes for a long while, then gave in and sighed helplessly. "Be careful, I'll be right back."

In the end, he compromised, gave Pei Qingyan his instructions, and then carefully returned the way he came.

He glanced back anxiously and saw Pei Qingyan lying motionless in the grass, which eased his anxiety a little.

However, if he had known what happened later, he certainly wouldn't have left in peace. That incident later became something that Yun Zheng still feared whenever he thought about it many years later.

"My lord."

A gentle knock on the door pulled Yun Zheng from his reverie. He took a deep breath, suppressing the sadness in his eyes, which then turned into a cold, icy pool.

"Go in." Yun Zheng's voice was cold and devoid of any emotion.

The beggar responded and came in carrying the medicine. "The general's medicine is ready."

"Put it there." Yun Zheng gestured with his chin toward the small table beside the bed.

The beggar held the medicine but didn't touch it, hesitating slightly. "My lord, the doctor said this medicine must be taken while it's hot, otherwise it will be less effective."

"I understand." Yun Zheng's expression remained indifferent. "Put it there and take it out."

Seeing his insistence, the beggar obediently followed Yun Zheng's instructions and placed the object on the small table before turning to leave.

Before leaving the house, she peeked inside.