"Is this a doctor, or a sickly patient?"
Originally, they had intended to ask the doctor to cure Shangguan Fang'er's madness and use this opportunity to curry favor with the Yun family. Who would have thought the doctor himself would fall ill...
"Useless! You can't even handle this little matter. Why don't you just go bang your head against a wall!" Xiao Jinfeng reprimanded.
Er Longzi shrunk his neck and lightly bumped his forehead with the vase, "Your Highness, as the saying goes, haste makes waste. Your subordinate heard that the doctor's medical skills are extraordinary, capable of bringing the dead back to life. He has treated no less than eighty to a hundred patients over the years, and more importantly, he is also very skilled in treating madness..."
Xiao Jinfeng snorted upon hearing this, "Who can't brag? If he's just some old quack, I'll beat him senseless!"
Er Longzi: "..."
Your Highness, please be gentle. It's not easy to find a miracle doctor in this world, and this old doctor was invited with great effort and expense.
It is said that the old doctor often practiced medicine in the Northern Frontier in his youth, healing the sick and aiding the distressed, earning him great popularity...
Outside the guest room, Shangguan Fang'er listened for a while and curiously asked, "Who is he planning to treat?"
It seemed so secretive, and she could tell he had ill intentions.
Chen Xiaoran's attention was drawn to something peculiar. "Sister Fang'er, why does Young Master Xiao refer to himself as 'this prince'? Is he a prince?"
In front of others, Xiao Jinfeng would usually call himself "I" or "this young master." Why did he call himself "this prince" when no one else was around...
Gao Jingde mused, "Perhaps his identity is indeed not simple!"
Looking at everyone who had come to the Yun family's home, none of them were ordinary people.
Even his maternal uncle was the Great General of Jingbei. It wouldn't be strange for a prince to appear.
"Let's go, I'll take you two to eat sugar balls!" Gao Jingde, who had no habit of eavesdropping on adults, pulled Shangguan Fang'er and Chen Xiaoran towards the kitchen.
At the same time, on a official road connecting the Northern Frontier to the Central Plains, a horse-drawn sleigh was approaching...
The three Yun brothers were seated on the sleigh, whipping their horses, galloping swiftly through the snow.
Yun Siman took off his mask and tied his scarf around his face, leaving only his eyes exposed.
Even so, the biting cold wind blew, freezing his eyelashes...
"Wow, this weather! It's freezing the ground cracked. It's too cold!" Yun Siman complained.
The journey from the Northern Frontier to Dashui Village was not short; it couldn't be reached in just a day or two.
The three brothers traveled during the day, and at night, if they passed an inn or a small village, they would stay there for the night and continue their journey at dawn.
Yun Sanman looked up at the overcast sky and worried, "Oh no, this weather looks like a blizzard is coming. We should find a place to shelter from the wind and snow..."
Yun Erman listened, moved his stiff body, and looked around. "But it's a desolate place, with no houses around. Where can we rest!"
Their horse-drawn sleigh was the only one on the vast snowy plains. Besides that, scattered dry tree branches loomed in and out of sight in the wind and snow.
As dusk was approaching, if they had to spend the night outside, they would surely freeze to death...
The official road was covered by snow, and the surroundings were deserted, making it impossible to judge their direction. Continuing further might lead to disaster.
Yun Siman rubbed his eyes and tightened the reins. The horse-drawn sleigh slowly stopped. "Second brother, third brother, if we want to survive, we need to dig a snow cave right now. We can crawl in to shelter for the night and boil some hot water; we'll definitely make it through!"
Having experienced much in the outside world, Yun Siman was full of survival skills. The difficulties he had encountered before were more dangerous and thrilling than this, but he had always overcome them...
Yun Sanman nodded. "Okay. Second brother, you go gather some dry branches, and fourth brother and I will dig the snow cave!"
Digging a snow cave large enough to accommodate three people was no small feat.
Moreover, the ceiling of the cave needed to be high, and it had to be ventilated. Otherwise, if they lit a fire, they would suffocate...
"Got it!" Yun Erman jumped off the sleigh and stretched his stiff legs.
The white wind howled like blades across the snowy plains, making a 'whoosh' sound as it swept past the withered trees.
With the three brothers busy, it didn't feel as cold.
When Yun Siman left the military camp, he had packed plenty of steamed buns and dried pork. They could be eaten after a quick roast over the fire...
By the time the snow cave was dug, the night had deepened. Gusts of wind mixed with snowflakes attacked, as if a vast army was gnawing at the desolate land.
The temperature outside plummeted. If an egg were to be broken, the egg white and yolk would likely freeze the moment the shell cracked.
"Second brother, third brother, have some food to fill your stomachs!" Yun Siman handed over the blackened dried meat.
Yun Sanman took a bite and suddenly asked, "Fourth brother, how are things going with Miss Xiao?"
During the time Xiao Xinling stayed at the Yun family's home, everyone could see that the girl liked Fourth Brother...
However, when they later learned of Xiao Xinling's identity, they were truly shocked.
Who would have thought that a girl who loved to have fun, was playful, and prone to tantrums, would actually be a princess of a kingdom?
Yun Siman rubbed his frozen red face and chuckled sheepishly, "Actually, after completing this mission, I planned to return to the capital to find her. As for how far things would go, we'll see later!"
If he spoke too confidently now, and things didn't work out with Xiao Xinling, it would be too embarrassing...
Yun Erman heard this and gave a self-deprecating laugh. "I used to say that Miss Xiao was so willful and ignorant. Anyone who married her would have truly bad luck for eight lifetimes. Look, Fourth Brother is already involved with her? Haha!"
Fate is truly wondrous. Often, two strangers who have only met once might become lovers in the future...
"Alas, we've been out for so long. Father and Mother must be worried sick!" Yun Sanman rubbed his numb hands. "But with this terrible weather, who knows when we'll get home!"
If the weather remained this bad every day, they might not even make it back to Dashui Village by the Little New Year.
Seeing that his second and third brothers were feeling dejected, Yun Siman was about to comfort them when he suddenly heard a shout from outside the snow shell...
The voice was very faint, as if it was immediately swallowed by the fierce wind the moment it was uttered.
The three brothers perked up their ears and listened carefully for a moment.
"Is there someone outside?"
"Who would dare to come here so late? Unless they don't want to live!"
"Second brother, third brother, you two stay put. I'll go out and take a look!"
With that said, Yun Siman put on his dog-skin hat and crawled out through the narrow passage...