Jinyi Spring

Chapter 224 Memorial

At dawn the next day, with a few cold stars still hanging in the sky, Shui Chuchen was already dressed and led Tang Jian, Shaoyao, Du Ruo and others in a carriage to the palace gate.

The morning breeze was biting, causing the mink fur on the cloak to flutter gently.

Outside the palace gates, a squad of Flying Eagle Guards were already lined up and waiting.

The leader, clad in black armor and saddled with a long sword at his waist, stood tall and elegant, handsome and extraordinary, as dazzling as a celestial general descending in the morning light.

It turned out to be Ming Shanyue.

Two eyes met in the morning light. There was no smile, not even a nod, but the flower in each other's hearts quietly bloomed at that moment.

After not seeing each other for many days, a thousand words were crammed into this moment of gaze.

She looked away and lowered her gaze as she boarded the carriage. The curtain was drawn, blocking out the gazes of those outside. She leaned back in her chair, but the smile on her lips wouldn't go away.

Ming Shanyue then rode closer and clasped his hands in greeting through the carriage curtain, saying, "Your Highness, I am here on imperial orders to escort you to the medical clinic and Baima Village."

The carriage curtain twitched slightly, and a clear, soft voice came from inside, "Thank you for your trouble, Lord Ming."

Sending Ming Shanyue to protect her personally, I wonder what that scumbag father meant by that.

Regardless of the purpose, it's already a pleasant surprise that we were able to meet.

The procession set off. Dozens of Flying Eagle Guards led the way, followed by two carriages in the middle, with Ming Shanyue close behind, and then several dozen more riders bringing up the rear. The crisp sound of horses' hooves echoed through the quiet streets as they trod on the bluestone slabs.

The area in front of the clinic was already packed with people. Feng Buji, along with Aunt Wang and her son, Banxia, ​​Uncle Wu's family and other servants, as well as neighbors who had rushed over upon hearing the news, and patients' families, stood in a dense crowd.

The clinic's entrance was adorned with red decorations, and even the houses along the alley were decorated with red ribbons and colorful lanterns. People wore their new clothes for the New Year, their faces showing a mixture of awe and joy.

As soon as Shui Chuchen got out of the car, Feng Buji rushed out of the door, threw himself into her arms, and hugged her waist tightly.

She put her arm around his shoulder and patted it gently.

"Greetings, Princess Yong'an—" A chorus of kneeling voices rang out from all around, and a sea of ​​black people knelt on the ground.

Shui Chuchen released her younger brother and personally helped Aunt Wang up, saying, "Please get up quickly."

Peony jumped out of the car behind, holding a handful of pastries and candies, and stuffed them into everyone's hands, saying, "Try some, they're made by the imperial kitchen!"

In an instant, exclamations of "Oh my god, we got to eat the imperial kitchen's pastries too!" rose and fell.

The Zheng family was nowhere to be seen in the crowd. Shui Chuchen had already heard that they had gone to another place to prepare for Chen Qingrui's future.

Upon entering the clinic, Shui Chuchen took off her mink cloak, and Banxia skillfully helped her change into a plain short jacket—the one she often wore when she was "Doctor Feng."

As she did every day during her rounds, she went into each room, taking each patient's pulse, asking questions, and adjusting their prescriptions. The accommodation was packed, with extra beds even added to the corridors.

She looked around, stopping briefly in each ward. The patients were both surprised and delighted to see her, and some even shed tears.

Grandma Hu is also living there; her due date is in the middle of this month.

Aunt Wang whispered, "A baby died yesterday. If Princess Yong'an were here, she might be able to save him with the Yin Spirit Needle."

Shui Chuchen looked at Du Ruo behind her and said, "Study hard and learn it as soon as possible."

Du Ruo quickly responded.

After checking all the patients in the ward, it was nearly the end of the day. Aunt Wu whispered to Du Ruo that her parents had come to the clinic again.

Uncle Wu blocked their way, saying, "Miss Du Ruo is now an official, serving Her Highness the Princess. How can you just see her whenever you want?"

Her mother handed her a package, saying, "These are clothes we made for her, and some jujube paste cakes that she loved to eat when she was little."

Uncle Wu didn't take it, and snorted coldly, "We wouldn't dare to pass things privately. When Miss Du Ruo was little, you abused her and even tried to sell her into a brothel. Now that she's successful, you want to acknowledge her?"

"Let me tell you, she is now the princess's servant and only listens to the princess. If she wants to go back, she will naturally go back. Don't come to the clinic unless you have something to do, you won't see her there."

When Shui Chuchen returned to the house, Deputy Manager Zhao and Aunt Wang brought some more silver and account books, and talked about how much money they made last year, the dividends, taxes paid, year-end bonuses distributed, and the arrangements for this year.

Because a large amount of funds were reserved for housing construction this year, the shareholders did not receive much in dividends.

With dividends and year-end bonuses, Shui Chuchen received 552 taels of silver. Feng Buji received 200 taels, and Shangguan Ruyu received 100 taels.

Shui Chuchen, Banxia, ​​and Shaoyao packed their belongings into several packages.

She took out another two hundred taels of silver and handed it to Aunt Wang, saying, "Use this money to buy two catties of pork and two catties of pastries for each of the neighbors and patients nearby, and use the rest to subsidize poor patients."

At noon, the carriage set off again. Shui Chuchen, accompanied by Feng Buji and Shaoyao, headed towards Baima Village under the escort of the Flying Eagle Guards. Du Ruo and the others returned to the palace with their belongings.

At the end of Chen Shi (7-9 AM), Ming Changqing, wearing a straw hat, arrived at the bridge over the Baicang River.

As the winter sun rose, it illuminated the golden roof of Zixia Temple, casting a warm glow even on the snow-capped Baoxiang Mountain. The waters of the Baicang River, carrying fragments of ice, roared forward, crashing against the bridge piers and splashing white foam.

He knew that someone was watching him from a distance.

He stood at the bridgehead for a good quarter of an hour, his gaze fixed on the mountaintop, then slid down the slope to the golden roof of the nunnery. For sixteen years, she had been imprisoned there.

He suddenly remembered her smile when she was young—so bright and radiant, like peach blossoms in March. But these sixteen years had tormented her, turning her into a paper doll. Fortunately, Princess Yong'an administered acupuncture and gave her the Rongyang Pill, which allowed her to barely survive.

He handed the reins and whip to his guards and walked empty-handed to the other side of the bridge. His steps were slow, and the soles of his boots crunched over the frozen mud.

He was imagining—a woman, in the dead of night, with the night wind like a knife, running past here, panicked, fearful, desperate… how terrified she must be!

After crossing the bridge, you'll find yourself in that dense forest.

A new monument stands at the bridgehead, with three large characters engraved on it: Luofeng Bridge.

It was established spontaneously by the people.

I heard that the government also plans to build a "Fallen Phoenix Pavilion" here to commemorate Empress Xiaoxian.

Ming Changqing took off his straw hat and stood in front of the monument for a long time. He squatted down, and his personal guard took out a stack of paper money and placed it in front of the monument.

He lit them one by one, the flames licking the yellow paper, the ashes swirling and rising in the wind.

He just squatted there, expressionless, watching the paper money burn out, until the last wisp of smoke dissipated, before slowly standing up.

He put on his straw hat and continued walking deeper into the woods. Two bodyguards followed closely behind him.

After walking through a stretch of woods, they didn't continue along the path but instead turned onto a hillside. The hillside was covered with jagged rocks and rustling withered grass.

Ming Changqing strode into a pile of rocks, where a man of similar stature and clothing was already waiting.

The two barely lingered; in the blink of an eye, they were separated. (End of Chapter)