Before Gao Yuexing arrived at the Medicine Valley, she received a letter from the palace.
This was a rare occurrence for Gao Yuexing. Why would the palace send her a letter? Initially, she thought it might be from Li Fuxiang, but after repeatedly confirming, the envelope clearly had her name written on it. Only then did Gao Yuexing cautiously break the wax seal.
In the letter, the emperor instructed her to send a copy of any letters she wrote to her family to the palace as well, and to include as much information as possible about Li Fuxiang’s activities.
The emperor even offered her three wishes, promising to fulfill them no matter what.
Gao Yuexing didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Thinking carefully, Gao Yuexing realized that perhaps Li Fuxiang wasn’t neglecting to write home simply because he was too carefree.
In her previous life, after they got married, Li Fuxiang spent most of his time traveling—on southern tours, expeditions, and military campaigns—while Gao Yuexing remained in the capital. It seemed that she also rarely received his letters back then, often waiting months for a simple message of safety, containing only one word: “Safe” (平安), scribbled carelessly.
It really was a terrible habit.
That night, Gao Yuexing had already lain down under the quilt but couldn’t fall asleep. She lit the lamp, got out of bed, and roused Li Fuxiang, forcing his half-asleep self to sit at the desk. She demanded, “Write a letter home.”
Rubbing his eyes, Li Fuxiang replied, “You’re right in front of me. Who should I write to?”
“To your father,” Gao Yuexing said.
Staring at the blank letter paper for a long time, Li Fuxiang’s mind remained empty. He finally asked, “What should I write?”
Gao Yuexing never imagined that one day she would have to teach her husband how to write a letter home, step by step.
Li Fuxiang’s crooked handwriting was becoming harder to look at, reminding Gao Yuexing of the injuries on his hands. She grabbed his hand to inspect it. The scars from his childhood injuries had long since faded, leaving his hand clean and smooth. However, the abnormality in the bones could still be felt upon close examination.
Gao Yuexing found the spot and pressed it with some force, asking, “Does it hurt?”
Li Fuxiang turned his face toward hers, so close that it was almost touching, and said, “If you don’t press it, it doesn’t hurt.”
So, it still hurt.
“It’s because it wasn’t treated in time,” Gao Yuexing said.
If the injury had been treated promptly, with a child’s healing capacity, it wouldn’t have left any lingering effects.
Li Fuxiang had a reason for disliking writing.
Gao Yuexing couldn’t help but think of the years spent in the Xiaonan Pavilion and suddenly felt that the emperor deserved his frustration. She decided not to bother with him anymore.
She put away the pen and paper, declaring there would be no letter, and ushered Li Fuxiang back to bed.
Li Fuxiang had been sleeping soundly before, only to be dragged up for her antics. After less than fifteen minutes of this nonsense, accomplishing nothing, he found himself lying back in bed, listening to Gao Yuexing’s breathing gradually steady as she drifted off. Meanwhile, his drowsiness was completely gone. Frustrated, he turned his back to her, closed his eyes, and tried to fall asleep.
The next morning, they resumed their journey. Following the mountain path for less than half a day, they arrived at the Medicine Valley.
Yaonu sent a group of junior disciples to greet them at the entrance.
It was a group of children of various ages, many of whom had been taken in by Yaonu and Langdu after Gao Yuexing left the valley. She no longer recognized most of them.
The children in the Medicine Valley were sweet talkers, calling Gao Yuexing “sister” this and “sister” that as they surrounded her. Once they had their fill of excitement, they turned their attention to Li Fuxiang.
As people grow older, they naturally develop an affinity for children, but Li Fuxiang was an exception. He didn’t seem to like children much and lacked the patience to humor them. In their previous life, even after he got married, Li Fuxiang had never been in a hurry to have children.
Even though they had been married for a lifetime, there were still many small details that Gao Yuexing was only now beginning to ponder over.
Gao Yuexing intended to take Li Fuxiang to pay respects to the Valley Master first, but she was informed that the Valley Master was in seclusion and not seeing any visitors. With no other choice, she headed straight to the Xuancao Hall, where she met Yaonu.
Upon seeing her, the first thing Yaonu asked was, “Did you receive the congratulatory gift I sent for your wedding?”
Gao Yuexing replied, “Yes, I did.”
Yaonu had personally prepared a medicine to invigorate qi and nourish the blood, arranging for it to be delivered before the wedding. Gao Yuexing suspected it was meant to help her strengthen her body in preparation for pregnancy.
Her suspicion was correct. Yaonu had indeed thought so. Considering that Gao Yuexing had just reached marriageable age, Yaonu believed she was still a bit too young, and early pregnancy could harm her health. Thus, she had carefully prepared the tonic to help her body recover and strengthen. Gao Yuexing hadn’t mentioned her private matters, but as soon as Yaonu felt her pulse, she immediately noticed and raised her eyebrows in surprise, asking, “You haven’t consummated your marriage?”
Gao Yuexing gave her a thumbs up. “Sister Yaonu, you’re incredible.”
To deduce so much from a single pulse reading—Yaonu’s skill was something Gao Yuexing thought she could never hope to match in her lifetime.
When facing a doctor, there was nothing to hide once the question was asked, and Gao Yuexing was not the type to shy away awkwardly.
After listening to the whole story, Yaonu nodded and said, “That’s fine. Men often think too highly of themselves at first. It’s rare to have such a fortunate match.”
“Indeed,” Gao Yuexing agreed. She turned her head to look at Li Fuxiang, who was curiously observing the courtyard. “He’s different from others.”
Yaonu suggested they stay until autumn, so she could prepare a new prescription for Li Fuxiang. She planned to shirk her responsibilities in the capital this autumn.
Gao Yuexing spent the night at Xuancao Hall, and the next day, she went to the library to browse materials.
Standing on a tall ladder, she directed Li Fuxiang from above as he pushed her around.
When Langdu entered, this was the scene he saw.
The young girl who had once sought shelter in the Medicine Valley had now married.
And his dream, like a bubble in the water, grew fainter under the heat of the sun, eventually bursting into nothingness.
Gao Yuexing turned to glance at him and greeted, “Senior Brother.”
Li Fuxiang followed her gaze and looked at him as well.
They both silently sized each other up.
Even with his hidden feelings, Langdu couldn’t help but admire how well-matched they were.
They were all children who had suffered under the cruel world, mere ants beneath the heavens. Langdu understood better than anyone that someone as precious and dazzling as Gao Yuexing could only avoid a fate of withering away in mud with the protection of power and influence.
Gao Yuexing was completely unaware of Langdu’s deeply hidden thoughts.
Langdu asked her, “What are you looking for, Junior Sister?”
Gao Yuexing waved the book in her hand and said, “Just browsing, finding something to do.”
Langdu nodded, thinking to himself how remarkable it was that, even as the esteemed Princess Consort of Prince Xiang, she was still willing to delve into these things. He said, “Master is in seclusion, and Senior Sister is so busy today that her feet hardly touch the ground. If there’s anything you don’t understand, feel free to ask me.”
Gao Yuexing thanked Langdu, saying, “Of course. I’ll probably be troubling you in the future. I hope Senior Brother won’t find me annoying.”
After Langdu left, Li Fuxiang tilted his head upward and asked, “Who is he?”
Sitting on the ladder with a thick medical book on her lap, Gao Yuexing replied, “A senior brother who used to take care of me. Back then, he went with me to the Western Frontier. You’ve probably seen him before. Don’t you remember?”
Li Fuxiang prided himself on his memory for faces and rarely forgot anyone. He asked, “Wasn’t he pale before?”
Gao Yuexing chuckled and nodded. “Yes, pale and thin, like a scholar.”
But something seemed to have happened over the years. Senior Brother Langdu had become increasingly rugged, transforming into a burly man. Gao Yuexing glanced at the contours of his arms beneath his clothing and wondered if he’d taken up weightlifting.
Li Fuxiang wasn’t used to speaking to her while constantly looking up. He stretched his neck, which let out a soft crack, and said, “Are you done yet? Come down already.”
Hearing the sound of his joints, Gao Yuexing remarked, “Is there something wrong with your neck?”
Li Fuxiang denied it immediately. “There’s nothing wrong. Just come down.”
Gao Yuexing stepped off the wooden ladder. When she reached the last few rungs, she caught a glimpse of Li Fuxiang’s hands creeping forward and braced herself. Sure enough, in the next moment, his hands encircled her waist, and her feet left the ground as she teetered backward into his arms.
Prepared for the move, she held the book tightly to her chest, ensuring it didn’t fall or scatter.
Her hair brushed against the sensitive skin behind his ear.
This time, Li Fuxiang restrained himself.
After her feet touched the ground, Gao Yuexing remained nestled in his arms and suddenly asked, “Do you prefer a son or a daughter? How about I give you one in the future?”
Holding her honestly, Li Fuxiang replied, “I don’t like either.”
“Why not?” Gao Yuexing asked.
Li Fuxiang explained, “I know my life is different from others’. Someone once told me that desiring too much is pure delusion. I neither seek familial harmony above nor wish for an endless lineage below. All I want is to spend my life with you, in peace and harmony. That’s my one wish. It’s not greedy, so it should be fulfilled, right?”
If a person’s lifetime of good fortune was limited, then he would give up everything else and only ask for Gao Yuexing—only her.
Gao Yuexing’s expression didn’t change as she reassured him, “You will be fulfilled. Even if the gods refuse to grant your wish, you still have me.”
At that moment, Gao Yuexing felt as though a fire reignited within her, making her feel invincible.
With her heart filled with determination, she dove back into the medical books.
As for Prince Xin, Li Fuqian, and his corruption, what did that have to do with her? Let him destroy himself; Gao Yuexing wouldn’t so much as bat an eye.
But she couldn’t ignore the people living along the river.
The summer and autumn of the following year were bound to be difficult, plagued by floods and disease—both natural disasters. By then, Li Fuxiang would be on a southern tour. If she prepared in advance, perhaps it could save some lives.
That evening, Gao Yuexing ran into Yaonu after her busy day. In the Xuancao Hall, she asked, “Sister Yaonu, have you ever encountered an epidemic?”
Yaonu replied, “I have. Fourteen years ago, there was a plague in the Central Plains. Under Master’s leadership, all the disciples of Medicine Valley ventured out to help.”
“Fourteen years ago…” Gao Yuexing murmured with a sigh. She had only just started learning how to talk back then.
Noticing the stack of medical books on Gao Yuexing’s desk, Yaonu asked, “What suddenly piqued your interest in this subject?”
Gao Yuexing said, “The climate has been abnormal in recent years, and it makes me feel uneasy.”
It seemed that ever since Li Fuxiang’s campaign against the Fox Hu, the weather had subtly started to change. Gao Yuexing remembered that year well—early spring’s chill lingered far longer than usual, only truly dissipating after the beginning of summer. That year, the flowers bloomed sparsely, and the crops yielded a poor harvest.
Following her line of thought, Yaonu carefully recalled and said, “You have a point.”
Gao Yuexing then asked, “If an epidemic breaks out again, do we have any solutions?”
Yaonu shook her head and answered earnestly, “There are no solutions.”
“No solutions?” Gao Yuexing echoed.
Under the lamp, Yaonu began recounting the horrors of the last epidemic. She said, “You don’t know when or where the epidemic will begin, nor can you predict what symptoms the infected will show or what medicine will be most effective. If that time truly comes, everything starts from zero.”
Gao Yuexing lowered her gaze.
In her previous life, when the epidemic broke out along the river, she had been sitting comfortably in the capital, enjoying a life of luxury, paying little attention to the crisis. Urgent reports had been sent to the capital one after another, but to her, the lives lost were nothing more than distant numbers.
Gao Yuexing tried to dig through her memories for something useful, but she found nothing—a void in her recollection.
All she knew was that half the city’s population had perished.
All she knew was that her husband, Prince Xiang, who had already been on his way back from a southern tour, turned around decisively upon hearing about the devastation along the river and personally went to the most dire areas to confront the disaster.