The next morning, Prince Ji arrived early at the Yunlai Inn to find the King and Queen of Cold. Prince Ji planned to invite Leng Ruo Li to Shangguan Mansion to treat his uncle.
The King and Queen of Cold ate a few bites of breakfast at the inn before leaving and getting into Prince Ji’s carriage.
Along the way, Prince Ji told Leng Ruo Li and Jun Mohan a lot about his uncle.
It turned out that Prince Ji had a rather pitiable childhood. He lost his birth mother at a few years old, and as he was one of the Emperor's few princes, he was seen as a thorn in everyone's side. He was entirely protected by his uncle, Shangguan Yi, as he grew up; otherwise, he would have been killed in the various palace intrigues long ago.
According to Prince Ji, his uncle Shangguan Yi's current heart condition was also a result of saving him. Years ago, Prince Ji was targeted for assassination, and Shangguan Yi, to protect him, blocked a cold arrow meant for him, which caused the condition. It wasn't something Shangguan Yi was born with.
The three chatted on the way, and before they knew it, they had arrived at Shangguan Mansion.
The guards at Shangguan Mansion, upon seeing Prince Ji’s carriage, immediately sent someone to inform Shangguan Yi and Madame Shangguan.
The three alighted from the carriage, and shortly after, Madame Shangguan, with a group of people, hurried towards the main entrance.
"This humble wife pays her respects to Prince Ji!" Madame Shangguan greeted Prince Ji with a smile.
"Aunt, there's no need for such formalities!"
Prince Ji immediately stepped forward to help Madame Shangguan up and introduced Leng Ruo Li to her: "Aunt, this is the veiled divine doctor I've invited to treat Uncle."
Upon hearing this, Madame Shangguan looked up and examined Leng Ruo Li closely. Her hair was casually tied in a ponytail, and she wore a light purple, lace-trimmed, gem-inlaid blue wide-sleeved dress cinched at the waist. On her feet, she wore purple, plum-blossom embroidered long cloth boots. She looked very neat and tidy.
She exclaimed, "Before, I heard from the Consort of Prince Ji that the veiled divine doctor was a young woman of both beauty and wisdom. I never expected that the divine doctor herself would be so much more beautiful than the Consort of Prince Ji described. Come, please, come in and be seated!"
Madame Shangguan very courteously invited Prince Ji and the King and Queen of Cold into Shangguan Mansion.
As Shangguan Yi's condition was quite severe and he was unable to get out of bed to greet Prince Ji and the King and Queen of Cold at the mansion gate, Madame Shangguan had to invite them in.
"Aunt, it's been several days since Xiao'er visited Uncle. How is his condition?"
Prince Ji, as he walked through the main gate of Shangguan Mansion, inquired about Shangguan Yi's health from Madame Shangguan.
As soon as he finished speaking, Madame Shangguan sighed deeply. "Alas..."
"Your uncle's condition has worsened since a few days ago. For the past two days, I've had many renowned physicians treat him, but they are all helpless," Madame Shangguan said with a worried expression.
"Aunt, don't worry. Let the veiled divine doctor have a look at Uncle first. With her superb medical skills, perhaps she can cure Uncle's illness soon," Prince Ji comforted her.
Upon hearing this, Madame Shangguan nodded.
She was now placing all her hope for her husband's life on the veiled divine doctor.
Then, she led Prince Ji and the King and Queen of Cold to the living room to rest for a while. At Leng Ruo Li's request, Madame Shangguan brought her to Shangguan Yi's room to examine his condition in advance.
A moment later, accompanied by Madame Shangguan, Prince Ji and the King and Queen of Cold entered Shangguan Yi's room. Shangguan Yi was lying in bed, coughing incessantly. Seeing this, Prince Ji and Madame Shangguan quickly went to his bedside and helped him up.
Shangguan Yi, seeing that Prince Ji had brought someone to see him again, sighed, "Alas, Xiao'er, my affliction is in my heart, and it is incurable. Stop wasting your efforts trying to find doctors for me."
"Uncle, look, this young lady is the veiled divine doctor I found for you. She can definitely cure your illness," Prince Ji said with a smile.
Shangguan Yi listened and wearily raised his head to glance at Leng Ruo Li and Jun Mohan.
When Shangguan Yi saw Jun Mohan, a glimmer of light flashed in his dim, lifeless eyes.
Wasn't this young man Prince Leng of Tianwu Kingdom, Jun Mohan?
He had met Jun Mohan briefly on the battlefield years ago when he was fighting against Tianwu Kingdom.
At this moment, Jun Mohan and Leng Ruo Li were also looking at Shangguan Yi. Shangguan Yi, due to his heart condition, had become emaciated, his hair and eyebrows were white, and his eyes were vacant. Looking at him, Jun Mohan no longer saw the general's demeanor he remembered from their past encounter.
"You, are you Prince Leng, Jun Mohan?" Shangguan Yi asked, pointing at Jun Mohan.
"Yes, this King is indeed Jun Mohan," Jun Mohan replied readily.
"I never expected that after many years apart, you have become even more handsome and valiant, while I am about to fade away like the setting sun." Shangguan Yi immediately praised Jun Mohan, but he held no hope for his own condition.
"General Shangguan, you shouldn't be so pessimistic. I've accompanied my Consort today to see you," Jun Mohan said, offering comfort to someone else, which was rare for him.
Upon hearing this, Shangguan Yi looked at Leng Ruo Li again. This young girl's eyes were clear and bright, indicating she was a very intelligent young lady. However, this familiar young girl, Shangguan Yi felt as if he had seen her somewhere before.
"Prince Leng, this young lady is your Consort, isn't she? She seems full of spirit. She must be a very clever girl," Shangguan Yi commented, looking at Leng Ruo Li.
"Yes, General Shangguan, Li'er is my Consort," Jun Mohan replied immediately.
"Alright, General Shangguan, let's pause your conversation for now. I will examine your condition first."
Shangguan Yi wanted to say more but was interrupted by Leng Ruo Li.
Then, Leng Ruo Li walked to Shangguan Yi's bedside and carefully felt his pulse with her fingers. Afterward, Leng Ruo Li activated her spatial instrument to perform a quick examination.
A few minutes later, Leng Ruo Li had pinpointed the source of Shangguan Yi's illness. It turned out there was a piece of uncleansed iron fragment hidden near Shangguan Yi's heart, which explained his chest pain.
"General Shangguan, when you were shot in the chest before, did they not clean out the fragments in the flesh?" Leng Ruo Li asked with a look of confusion.
"Alas, Consort of Prince Leng, your medical skills are indeed extraordinary. Countless physicians I've seen couldn't identify my ailment, yet you discovered it just by taking my pulse," Shangguan Yi said, clutching his chest.
"Yes, I was shot in the chest years ago, and the arrow had barbs. The imperial physicians, seeing that I had lost a lot of blood, quickly pulled out the arrowhead to stop the bleeding. However, they didn't realize that a small piece of iron fragment had broken off in my flesh. Because the iron fragment was too deep, the imperial physicians dared not attempt to dig it out. They could only save my life and stop the bleeding. Later, after my wound healed, the iron fragment remained inside my chest. I sought help from many doctors, but none dared to operate on me. Now, that fragment must be very close to my heart, as I feel a dull ache in my chest whenever it's cloudy or rainy."
"Alas, after more than ten years, I've become like this. Even speaking or coughing causes me extreme pain," Shangguan Yi said with difficulty.