On the training ground, soldiers were practicing martial arts with soaring momentum despite the morning’s bitter cold.
Yan Chi stood at the forefront of the high platform, his gaze sternly sweeping over every person below. Because Yan Chi was watching, the officers and soldiers exerted even more vigor than usual. For a moment, the roars of combat shook the heavens, and even Qin Guan, standing at the outermost edge, could feel the dust-choked, blood-soaked intensity!
Baiying stood beside Qin Guan, her eyes also shining brightly as she watched the training ground.
Qin Guan smiled and said, "I know you used to follow him as a messenger. You’ve been to Shuoxi before, right?"
Only then did Baiying adopt a solemn expression and reply, "Yes, I have. When His Highness was nine years old, before he went to Shuoxi, he saved my brother and me in Luozhou. My brother was kept by His Highness as a guard, but I was almost sent to a farming family to be raised. At that time, the princess consort had already passed away, and there was no one managing the royal residence. His Highness didn’t keep maidservants by his side. Seeing how thin and small I was, he felt there was no suitable place for me and thought of finding a good family to raise me, allowing my brother to visit from time to time. But I didn’t want to be separated from my brother back then, so I said I could also learn martial arts and serve His Highness. Seeing how earnestly I pleaded, His Highness finally agreed. Later, I first learned martial arts alongside my brother, but as a boy, he naturally learned faster than I did. After that, I was assigned a different teacher..."
Qin Guan nodded repeatedly as she listened. "His temperament truly is..."
In ordinary noble families, having one more or one less maidservant was hardly noteworthy; some even kept many servants around. Yet Yan Chi was exceptionally self-disciplined in this regard. Qin Guan couldn’t help but smile more deeply. "But at least both you and your brother have grown into capable individuals."
Baiying also nodded. "Yes. I lost my parents when I was very young, but I still remember scenes from their life together. My father was a local gentry in Ying County, south of Luozhou, with modest family assets. My mother was the daughter of a local schoolteacher. After they married, my mother relied on my father, but he often beat her. I’ve forgotten what my parents looked like now, but I vaguely remember my father hitting my mother. Later, my father was caught colluding with the county magistrate to illegally sell salt and died in prison. My mother soon fell ill and passed away. My father had made many enemies during his lifetime, and afterward, my brother and I were driven out by our clansmen..."
Qin Guan had never heard Baiying speak of her parents before. Hearing this, she couldn’t help but feel compassion in her heart. Baiying, however, continued, "I am deeply grateful to His Highness for not sending me away to be raised by another family. Instead, he allowed me to learn martial arts. Otherwise, I fear I might have followed in my mother’s footsteps."
The fate of Baiying’s mother was the fate of most women in this world. Qin Guan sighed with emotion upon hearing this. "It’s alright. Forget those unhappy memories. Things will only get better from now on. I will definitely find you a good husband."
Baiying’s cheeks flushed slightly. "Princess Consort, there’s no need to trouble yourself over me. I truly haven’t thought about such matters."
Qin Guan chuckled. "Although you now have martial arts to rely on, your temperament has grown somewhat aloof. You and I are around the same age—why not open your heart a little more? Like Fuling, who is usually carefree and straightforward, yet lives joyfully."
Baiying lowered her gaze, tugged at the corner of her lips, nodded softly, and gave a faint acknowledgment.Qin Guan stopped teasing Baiying and looked back at the training ground, where Yan Chi had begun his drills. The long spear in his hands moved like a swimming dragon, and the more Qin Guan watched, the more fascinated she became. Only after observing Yan Chi complete a full set of spear techniques did she quietly leave with Baiying.
"Where is the infirmary for the wounded?" Qin Guan asked after walking a short distance.
Baiying, who had indeed familiarized herself with the camp, pointed southwest. "Over there. I inquired yesterday—currently, there are about a hundred seriously injured soldiers receiving treatment there. Those with minor injuries have returned to their own barracks. The troops here are a combination of General Chu’s forces from the surrounding outposts and those brought by General Zhou. Most of the main camp’s soldiers remain stationed. Before this, they encountered Lin Xugui’s Dingzhou garrison troops twice, which caused many casualties."
As they walked, Baiying continued explaining. Recalling the generals she had seen the previous day, Qin Guan remarked, "From what I observed yesterday, many didn’t seem like low-ranking officers."
Baiying promptly replied, "General Chu and Master Qi have been conducting rescue operations. Earlier, Lin Xugui arrested many to control the main camp, and General Chu’s group saved them. The morale of the main camp still leans toward His Highness, though a very small number have sided with Lin Xugui."
Qin Guan had naturally considered this—with a hundred thousand troops in the Northwest Frontier Army, it was impossible for everyone to pledge unwavering loyalty to Prince Rui’s royal residence.
Soon, Qin Guan and Baiying reached the infirmary. The tents here were smaller, clustered closely together, and situated farther from the training ground, where the sounds of drills had faded to a faint echo. Passing by the tents, Qin Guan glanced inside—most were dimly lit, with occasional groans of pain audible. At a corner, she spotted two larger medical tents emitting the bitter scent of herbs. Two large pots simmered with medicinal soup at the entrance. Qin Guan paused to inhale briefly—the left pot was for cold ailments, the right for external injuries.
Seeing the medical tents, Qin Guan felt reluctant to leave. Just then, the tent flap lifted, and a middle-aged man in crimson military attire emerged. Though dressed as a soldier, he stooped slightly, unlike the others. Noticing the two medicine packets in his hands, Qin Guan deduced he was a camp medic.
Startled to see Qin Guan and Baiying—rare visitors to the infirmary—the medic eyed the two fair-skinned, handsome youths with suspicion. "Who are you? Who are you looking for?"
Exchanging a glance with Baiying, Qin Guan raised a hand to stop her from speaking and said, "I came to see if the medical tents need any assistance."
The hunchbacked man, his face weary and ashen, with chilblains on his hands holding the packets, scrutinized Qin Guan and snorted dismissively before turning away. He unwrapped the two packets and began scattering the herbs into the pots.
The medicinal soup had not yet reached a boil, emitting only wisps of steam. Observing this, Qin Guan commented, "Why not prepare all the herbs together before boiling? This way, the potency might be uneven..."The middle-aged man frowned upon hearing this and looked over, "What do you know? I don't care where you're from or how important you are, I'm extremely busy here. Don't add to the chaos!"
As he spoke, the middle-aged man stomped angrily into the tent.
Qin Guan hesitated to speak further, while Baiying grew even more irritated. "How could this person—"
"It's fine." Qin Guan smiled instead. "He's probably genuinely overwhelmed. It seems he hasn't had proper sleep for two or three days."
Peeking into the medical tent, Qin Guan noticed dim yellow light inside, likely from a lamp, with only that one figure moving about. She frowned. "How many physicians are here?"
Baiying tilted her head in thought. "When I asked yesterday, I heard there were four or five."
Four or five wasn't too few... The others must be tending to the soldiers...
Qin Guan sighed. She had come to help but encountered such a hot-tempered person. After waiting a moment longer and seeing no one emerge, she sighed again. Noticing some spilled herbs from when the man had been pouring ingredients, she gathered the scattered herbs from the edge of the large pot. After examining them carefully for a while, she suddenly said, "Let's go back first."
Baiying didn't want Qin Guan to stay there any longer either and quickly followed.
On the way back, Qin Guan asked, "Is the camp short on medicinal herbs?"
Baiying nodded. "Yes. Heavy snow has blocked the northeastern mountains, and Lin Xugui's forces are there too. From the south, the only route is through Liangzhou. Since the start of the twelfth month, Liangzhou has had several days of heavy snow as well. Moreover, General Chu doesn't want to reveal the camp's location, so he hasn't sent anyone to purchase herbs. They've only gathered what they could from hunters' homes in the nearby mountains."
"No wonder. That medicinal soup was missing two key herbs, and the way it was brewed would likely halve its effectiveness."
Baiying sighed. "There's no other way. Master Qi and the others can only wait for His Highness to return and capture the main camp. The main camp has ample military supplies."
Qin Guan nodded thoughtfully, gazing at the snow-covered ridges surrounding the valley. "Although the Northwest Plateau is vast, it's barren. However, it doesn't lack medicinal herbs. His prescription is too mild. I'll draft a new formula later and see if he'll use it."
Upon returning to the central command tent, Qin Guan heard rustling sounds from the inner chamber as soon as she entered. She hurried in and found Yan Chi shirtless, changing his clothes. Hearing the noise, he turned around and smiled. "Where did you go?"
"Just walked around the camp." Qin Guan approached to help him dress.
Yan Chi, fresh from drills, still had a light sweat on his body. Noticing this, Qin Guan turned to wet a cloth and wiped him down before letting him put on his clothes.
As Qin Guan fastened the buttons on his chest, Yan Chi pulled her into an embrace. "Having a wife is wonderful."
Qin Guan laughed. "Earlier, I also visited the training grounds..."
Yan Chi raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't you call me?"
Qin Guan chuckled. "Why would I? You have your duties to attend to. No need to worry about me."
Once he was dressed, Qin Guan led Yan Chi out. His breakfast had already been delivered, and he ate quickly. Qin Guan watched him finish before saying, "I also visited the infirmary earlier. It seems we're short on medicinal herbs?"Yan Chi wore an expression of having expected this. "Yes, but we can hold out a while longer without issue."
Qin Guan tilted her head in thought. "We brought quite a few medicinal herbs on the carriage. We can use them for the severely wounded soldiers first. Also, I noticed the prescription from the physician brewing medicine isn't very good, so I'd like to draft a new one myself. What do you think?"
Yan Chi smiled. "Of course, but from now on, you must bring at least two guards whenever you go elsewhere."
Qin Guan pouted. "But I have Baiying with me."Baiying doesn't count," Yan Chi promptly vetoed. He then called Bai Feng in and issued a series of instructions, ordering Zhong Yao and another guard to stay by Qin Guan's side at all times. Seeing that the orders had already been given, Qin Guan had no choice but to relent.
After arranging for the guards and offering numerous additional reminders, Yan Chi finally added that Qin Guan had full authority over the field hospital and medicinal matters before heading to the strategy tent. Left alone in the tent, Qin Guan began drafting a new prescription. Though it was her first time in Shuoxi, her expertise in pharmacology allowed her to account for the local abundance of certain herbs, crafting a simple yet suitable formula. She then had Zhong Yao and the other guard carry the brought herbs to the medical tent.
When Qin Guan arrived at the medical tent again, two large cauldrons at the entrance were boiling vigorously, yet no one was there to dispense the medicine. This time, she directly lifted the tent flap and entered. Sure enough, she saw the same man from before squatting on the ground, sorting herbs.
Hearing the movement, the man turned his head. Upon seeing Qin Guan again, his brows furrowed sharply. "Since when has the camp become so undisciplined! How can anyone just wander in here?! Out, out... I must have a word with General Chu about this!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Guan handed the prescription in her hand to him. "Care to take a look?"
The man's face was full of impatience, but recognizing it as a prescription, he took it nonetheless. Quickly, his expression changed.
"You... you understand medicine too? This prescription of yours is quite good, but we don't have two of the herbs listed here!"
Qin Guan stepped aside, allowing Zhong Yao to carry the herbs into the tent. She said, "You may not have them, but I do. So, may I help here now?"
OpenNovel