Chapter 1169: Unwilling to settle for you making do (1/2)

If Gu Qishao overheard Long Feiye’s words, how would he react?

Perhaps he’d be just like Gu Beiyue. The doctor entreated, “Your Highness! There is still unrest in the four directions and the world is under chaos. You must return to the army soon! Ning Cheng and Jin Zi’s tiger troops will definitely be blocked by the snow and wind when winter falls. It’s very likely Northern Li will use that chance to change their tactics, which means you must guard against them! Even now, the western front is rife with struggles thanks to its many army camps. Their generals have a reputation for being brutal and fierce. If they aren’t satisfied, they’ll raise unrest and make the civilians suffer! As for the south...Your Highness should understand their situation very well. I expect someone’s sewing the dragon robes for Your Highness already!”

Seeing Long Feiye refuse to budge, Gu Beiyue went on, “Your Highness, even if you wait in Medical City for a year, Cloud Realm will still be yours eventually! But imagine how many rebellions and battles could happen during that time? Missing out on this year means you’ll need to spend three more wresting back the peace and establishing your own kingdom as emperor.”

Long Feiye understood all this.

“Your Highness, neither you nor the princess will be of much help if you stay. Gu Qishao’s the best choice for hunting down ingredients and combining them. As the princess is pregnant, she cannot do such tasks!” Gu Beiyue finished.

Long Feiye waved a hand to indicate that he didn’t have to continue. After a long moment of silence, he said, “If there’s anything you need, just tell Xu Donglin. And send me any updates via secret missives.”

“Understood,” Gu Beiyue replied seriously.

At the same time, Han Yunxi was in Fourth Young Miss Ren’s room, clueless to the truth. The young woman examined her hand and prescribed some medicine for her to try. Han Yunxi was ready to leave when Fourth Young Miss Ren called her back.

“Princess, please wait,” she said, “Let me help you examine your arm.”

Arm? While Han Yunxi was puzzling over that, Fourth Young Miss Ren murmured hastily, “Princess, I have a request.”

“What is it? Do the walls have ears?” Han Yunxi lowered her voice as well.

“It’s not that, but…” Fourth Young Miss Ren felt helpless. Now Han Yunxi was even more confused. Does this have anything to do with Gu Beiyue? She could tell that the girl liked the doctor. In fact, this was true for all females in Medical City. They liked the young and accomplished unmarried Academy Head. Aside from the elevation in status, anyone who married him would be lucky enough to wake and see his gentle as an April spring breeze smile everyday and be happy for the rest of her life.

Han Yunxi couldn’t read Gu Beiyue’s heart, especially after he said things like he didn’t love anyone. His mind was a mystery to her.

Fourth Young Miss Ren’s voice grew even softer. “Princess, there are--there are ears above us.”

Above us? Before Han Yunxi could look up, Fourth Young Miss Ren quickly stopped her. “You can look later, or else it’ll know I tattled!”

Still lost in a fog, Han Yunxi did as she was told. She pretended to leave and walked to the exit, only to glance back and see….

...and see Lil Thing hanging off the rafters, its round black eyes staring at Fourth Young Miss Ren! It hadn’t realized it’d been discovered yet. Fourth Young Miss Ren didn’t even dare to lift her head. Just how much did she fear Lil Thing? After being stared at for a few days, Fourth Young Miss Ren initially assumed that Lil Thing liked her and even tried to tease the little squirrel into a hug.

It would have been better if she didn’t try, because the action gave hr a fright. Lil Thing clearly saw her as an enemy. When she tried to play with it using a stalk of grass, it almost bit her fingers off. She ran off to find Academy Head Beiyue straight away, but never reached the door before Lil Thing forced her back. Then she tried sending a young medical assistant in her place, but he too, was turned away. Apparently, all matters of the medical academy had been temporarily handed ove to Vice Academy Head Shen while Academy Head Beiyue was refusing all visitors.

Then she thought of seeking out the princess, but Lil Thing blocked her path and almost gnawed through her shoes. Although she couldn’t understand the creature’s cheeping, she understood it was warning her not to tattle or else it’d be in trouble. Fourth Young Miss Ren didn’t understand Lil Thing very well, but she had heard of the famous poison beast since her young while growing up in Medical City! Of course she wouldn’t dare provoke the animal.

At last, she found her chance today to tell the princess in secret.

--

Han Yunxi studied Lil Thing for awhile, but the always alert squirrel never noticed her.

This fellow, I haven’t seen hair or hide of it for days. So it was causing trouble for Fourth Young Miss Ren all this time? But why would it do that?

Fourth Young Miss Ren was her lifesaver. If Bai Yanqing had captured any other doctor, even an obstrtrics one, there was no guarantee they could have sent out those prescriptions successfully. “Cough, cough,” Han Yunxi coughed lightly.