Outside the palace gates, a luxurious carriage stopped a distance away.
Beside the carriage stood Ye Ying, dressed in a black, waist-cinching brocade robe.
"Miss Leng, my prince requests your presence," Ye Ying said respectfully.
Hearing this, Leng Ruo Li's eyebrows furrowed slightly. What was this man up to now?
Leng Ruo Li hesitated for a moment before boarding the carriage.
Inside the carriage, Jun Mo Han, clad in a dark purple four-clawed python robe, sat upright with his eyes closed, as if unaware of someone entering his carriage.
Only after Leng Ruo Li had taken her seat did Jun Mo Han speak indifferently.
"Drive! To General Leng's mansion."
Following this, Ye Ying slowly started the carriage, heading towards General Leng's mansion.
Inside the carriage, Leng Ruo Li and Jun Mo Han remained silent throughout the journey.
As the carriage slowly passed through a bustling market, Leng Ruo Li heard a familiar female voice from outside. She immediately opened the carriage window to look.
She saw Liu Nian Hua arguing with an old woman by the roadside.
Leng Ruo Li shouted from outside, "Stop!"
The carriage immediately halted. Leng Ruo Li turned, swiftly alighted, and walked towards Liu Nian Hua and her son.
"Mother, when Meng Fan was critically ill, you showed no concern. Now that he's alive, you come to snatch my child."
Liu Nian Hua cried, her son also weeping beside her.
"Liu Nian Hua, you jinx, you killed my son, and now you want to kill my grandson?" the old woman cursed angrily.
"Mother, I was also heartbroken when Zhen Yuan died on the battlefield, but his death has nothing to do with me."
"How can it not be related to you? It's because you have the face of a widow that you caused my son's death. Come, Meng Fan, go home with Grandma." The old woman snatched the child from Liu Nian Hua's arms.
"No, no, I don't want to go. I want to be with Mother."
Little Meng Fan cried out loudly. Perhaps due to his weakened state, his face instantly turned pale.
"Mother… Mother, save me," little Meng Fan pleaded.
Liu Nian Hua looked at her son's pale face and felt an immense pain.
She lunged forward, pulling little Meng Fan into her embrace. By then, he had already fainted.
"Child, what's wrong?" Liu Nian Hua asked anxiously.
Leng Ruo Li sensed that little Meng Fan's condition was not good. She immediately walked over to Liu Nian Hua and her son, feeling little Meng Fan's pulse.
She said to Liu Nian Hua, "Sister Nian Hua, the child's body is too weak. You can't agitate him anymore. Come, let's take him back to Hundred Herbs Hall first. I'll give him a thorough check-up."
Liu Nian Hua looked up. Recognizing Leng Ruo Li, she let go of her guard, handed the child to her, and followed her towards Hundred Herbs Hall.
The old woman also trailed behind them.
From the carriage nearby, Jun Mo Han lifted the carriage curtain and watched everything that was happening outside.
"Your Highness, should we still follow Miss Leng?" Ye Ying asked.
"Follow!"
Jun Mo Han uttered the two words indifferently.
---
At Hundred Herbs Hall
"Alas, it's my fault. I didn't guard against that old woman, allowing her to snatch little Meng Fan away within the time it takes for a cup of tea to brew while Liu Nian Hua was away from the clinic."
"Taking care of that mother and son was an important task entrusted to him by his junior master."
At this moment, Doctor Huang was blaming himself for not having looked after little Meng Fan properly for Liu Nian Hua.
Suddenly, with a "whoosh," a gust of wind swept past him.
Before Doctor Huang could even see who it was, the door to the room where Liu Nian Hua and her son were staying was closed.
When Liu Nian Hua arrived at the clinic, she learned that the person who had rushed into the clinic was his junior master.
Inside the room, Leng Ruo Li drew some of little Meng Fan's blood and placed it into an instrument in the system space for analysis. The results were quickly obtained: little Meng Fan's body was inherently weak, he had undergone surgery yesterday, and today he was tormented by that old woman, making his body unable to withstand it.
Leng Ruo Li immediately retrieved glucose from the system space and administered it to him.
After an incense stick's time, she opened the door and walked out.
"Sister Nian Hua, little Meng Fan is not in any danger. He's just extremely weak. I have some nutrient-rich sweet water here. Take this to mix a cup for him every day."
As Leng Ruo Li spoke, she took a packet of glucose from her sleeve and gave it to Liu Nian Hua, teaching her how to mix the glucose water.
"Miss, thank you for saving my son again," Liu Nian Hua said gratefully.
The old woman, who had been following them, heard that little Meng Fan was fine. Her small eyes began to dart around again, hatching another wicked plan.
"My poor grandson, it's all this harbinger of doom's fault for harming you."
She was determined to snatch this evil spawn away today and obtain the compensation money for her son's death on the battlefield.
Subsequently, the old woman lunged at little Meng Fan in the room, attempting to take him away.
Liu Nian Hua quickly stepped forward to protect him, stopping her actions.
"Mother, I know why you're trying to snatch my child today. Isn't it all for the compensation money from Zhen Yuan's death on the battlefield?"
Liu Nian Hua exposed the old woman's motive on the spot, causing her to lose face and become enraged.
"Nonsense! You ill-intentioned woman, trying to sow discord between us grandmother and grandson."
Indeed, she had come for the money today, but she absolutely could not admit it.
"Mother, I will go and get that compensation money for you, but I will take little Meng Fan myself. Please do not bother us again in the future."
Liu Nian Hua suddenly said, as nothing, not even gold or jewelry, was as important as her precious son.
The old woman's eyes lit up upon hearing Liu Nian Hua's words, which suited her perfectly.
"You said it yourself. All the compensation money for my son belongs to me."
"Yes!"
Liu Nian Hua nodded.
Instantly, the old woman's attitude changed.
"Heh heh, Nian Hua, I also think it's best for Meng Fan to live with his own mother. After all, I, as his grandmother, am getting old and cannot take good care of him. Moreover, his two uncles also have their own children and their lives are not easy. It's best if you can raise Meng Fan alone."
As the old woman spoke these words, she felt immensely pleased with herself.
However, she did not realize that her words had immediately drawn the scorn of everyone in the clinic.
They had never seen such a shameless mother, such a shameless grandmother, who would abandon all pretense for money.
"Mother, you don't need to say anything else. I won't go back on my word. Come find me tomorrow, and I'll take you to collect the money. From now on, I hope you won't disturb our mother-son life."
"Heh heh, of course, of course," the old woman promised, and with a smile, she turned to leave the clinic.
"Wait!"
Leng Ruo Li suddenly interrupted.
"Sister Nian Hua, ask her to write a letter of guarantee first, a guarantee that she and her family will never disturb your lives again. You can take her to collect the money today. As for your son, don't worry, I will find someone to take care of him."
Liu Nian Hua looked up at Leng Ruo Li and immediately understood her intention. It was best to sever all ties and be done with it.
"Alright. Thank you, miss, for helping me."
Liu Nian Hua glanced at the old woman again and said, "Mother, just do as this young lady says. As long as you sign the letter of guarantee, I will take you to collect the compensation money today."
Afterward, she asked Doctor Huang for paper and a brush, wrote a letter of guarantee, had the old woman press her handprint on it, and then took her to collect the money.