Moments later, Shangguan Yi's chamber door was finally opened, and a crowd of people outside the room swarmed forward.
Madame Shangguan: "Cold Consort, how is my husband?"
Prince Ji: "Cold Consort, how is my uncle?"
Shangguan Yan and Shangguan Cheng: "Veiled Divine Healer, how is my father?"
...
The crowd peppered Leng Ruoli with questions.
"Wait until you all quiet down, and then I'll tell you," Leng Ruoli said, speechless.
As soon as she spoke, the crowd instantly fell silent.
Leng Ruoli slowly began, "General Shangguan's surgery was very successful, but he is not yet out of the danger period. None of you can go in to see him."
"Divine Healer, what does surgery mean? And why can't we go in to see my father?" Shangguan Yan asked, full of confusion.
"Surgery means cutting open to remove the diseased part. I'm not letting you in to see General Shangguan because I have disinfected his room. I'm afraid that the viruses and bacteria you carry might infect him, putting his life in danger. Once he is past the danger period, I will let you see him. Please wait patiently," Leng Ruoli explained concisely and clearly.
However, the people in the Shangguan residence still didn't understand what Leng Ruoli meant by viruses and bacteria, as these were words they had never heard before.
At this moment, Prince Ji quickly stepped in to help Leng Ruoli explain to the crowd. "Aunt, esteemed cousins, after the Divine Healer performed the C-section to deliver Yingying's child, she also didn't allow me to go in and see. In fact, what the Divine Healer calls viruses and bacteria are simply the invisible dust on our bodies. If we bring that dust in, it will hinder Uncle's wound from healing and could even endanger his life. Therefore, we cannot go in to see Uncle now. Once Uncle's condition stabilizes, the Divine Healer will naturally let us see him."
"Oh, oh, then we won't go in for now. We'll go in when the Divine Healer allows us," Shangguan Yan nodded, still a bit confused.
Afterward, Madame Shangguan asked the household staff to disperse and attend to their duties, hoping to distract everyone and ease the tense atmosphere.
Once the Shangguan brothers left, only Prince Leng, Prince Ji, and Madame Shangguan remained outside Shangguan Yi's chamber.
Leng Ruoli, meanwhile, re-entered her system space, changed another bottle of medicinal solution for Shangguan Yi, disinfected his incision, and carefully observed his physical condition.
The next morning, Shangguan Yi's chamber door was opened once again. Outside the door, besides Prince Ji, Prince Leng, and Madame Shangguan, the Shangguan brothers had brought their wives and children to gather outside Shangguan Yi's chamber again.
When Leng Ruoli appeared before everyone, all eyes turned to her.
"Cold Consort, how is my husband's condition?" Madame Shangguan eagerly wanted to know about her husband.
"Madame Shangguan, General Shangguan's body is no longer in critical condition. He has woken up. If you wish to see him, you may go in two at a time, taking turns. However, you must not delay the patient for too long and disturb his rest," Leng Ruoli reminded them.
"Yes, yes, Cold Consort, we understand," Madame Shangguan nodded repeatedly upon hearing Leng Ruoli's words.
Subsequently, everyone voluntarily divided themselves into pairs and took turns entering the room to see Shangguan Yi.
Leng Ruoli, however, pulled Jun Mohan to a pavilion outside Shangguan Yi's chamber. She sat down, took out a pen and a sheet of white paper, and clearly wrote down the post-operative care instructions for Shangguan Yi. She then handed the paper to Madame Shangguan and turned to leave the Shangguan residence.
Leng Ruoli and Jun Mohan had originally come to the Nan Zhao Kingdom to collect the Fire Lingzhi. Although they had obtained the Fire Lingzhi, there was still no news of the Snow Root Orchid. They could not delay any further and needed to set off immediately for the Bei Chen Kingdom to search for the Snow Root Orchid.
After returning to the Yunlai Inn, they immediately instructed Yin Chen and Chu Mingxuan to pack their belongings and leave Bianjing, preparing to travel to the Bei Chen Kingdom to find the Snow Root Orchid.
As they were leaving the Yunlai Inn, Prince Ji called out to them. Prince Ji was holding a small wooden box and hurrying towards them.
"Prince Leng, Cold Consort, I know you will be leaving Bianjing in a hurry today, but I still wish to detain you for a moment." Prince Ji said with a smile.
He then handed the small wooden box in his hand to Leng Ruoli.
"Cold Consort, this small box contains a token of gratitude from my uncle to repay your life-saving kindness. I hope you will accept it," Prince Ji said gratefully.
"Prince Ji, I cannot accept this gift. Please tell General Shangguan that saving his life is also a form of destiny, and it is my duty as a physician. I wish him a lifetime of health and peace in the days to come," Leng Ruoli refused Shangguan Yi's gift with a faint smile. The amusement in her eyes conveyed sincerity and straightforwardness, making her seem approachable.
Prince Ji was stunned. He couldn't help but feel envious in his heart: Prince Leng is truly fortunate to have a consort who is not only highly skilled in medicine but also kind, beautiful, and intelligent.
Jun Mohan, standing beside her, saw Prince Ji staring intently at his consort. A cold aura immediately emanated from him, causing the surrounding temperature to plummet, making everyone shiver.
Prince Ji immediately sensed the chill from Jun Mohan and chuckled sheepishly. "Prince Leng, I merely admire the Cold Consort's skills. I have no romantic feelings for her whatsoever. Please do not misunderstand."
"It's best if you don't. Otherwise, I don't care who it is. Anyone who dares to have improper thoughts about my Li'er, I will not let them go and will directly nip their feelings for Li'er in the bud," Jun Mohan said possessively.
Everyone: "..."
This man is truly overbearing!
In fact, Jun Mohan himself couldn't understand why his jealousy had become so intense. Ever since he realized he had fallen in love with Leng Ruoli, his possessiveness over her had grown stronger. He wouldn't allow any man to have improper thoughts about his Li'er.
Jun Mohan's words suddenly made the atmosphere around them a bit awkward.
To ease the tension, Leng Ruoli suddenly remembered something.
"Prince Ji, I heard you have an eldest son, nicknamed Xiao Liuzi?" Leng Ruoli asked curiously.
"Yes, Cold Consort. Have you met a boy nicknamed Xiao Liuzi, who is just twelve years old?" Prince Ji asked excitedly.
"Prince Ji, please don't get too excited. I'm not sure if the boy I rescued in the capital a few months ago is your eldest son. However, his nickname is also Xiao Liuzi, and he's around twelve years old. Judging by his appearance, he also looks like a Nan Zhao person," Leng Ruoli said softly.
"Cold Consort, that boy must be my eldest son, Xiao Liuzi. Yingying and I have been searching for him for four years without success," Prince Ji said, his eyes welling up with tears.
"It's all my fault back then for being deceived by Wen Yuerou and misunderstanding Yingying's betrayal. That's how those people took the opportunity to steal my Xiao Liuzi," Prince Ji said painfully.
"Alright, Prince Ji, please don't be sad. We are about to depart. You can go to Tianwu Capital and check this address."
As Leng Ruoli spoke, she took out a pen from her sleeve, wrote an address on a slip of paper, and handed it to Prince Ji.
Then, she turned around, nimbly mounted her horse. Jun Mohan and the others also mounted their horses. They all waved goodbye to Prince Ji and immediately rode away.
Prince Ji, having received news of his eldest son, stood frozen, staring at the paper in his hand, having forgotten to give the small wooden box from his uncle to Leng Ruoli.