Xiao Song first submitted a petition. The next morning, he received a reply from the palace eunuch, granting Ran Yan permission to return to Lanling. However, before she left, she had to enter the palace for a follow-up examination of Princess Jinyang.

Ran Yan changed into her official uniform and hurried to the palace while her three children were still asleep.

As the carriage arrived at the palace gate and stopped for the guards to check identities, Ran Yan heard Liu Qingsong's voice, "Ninth Sister, I will go with you."

Ran Yan parted the curtain of the carriage window and saw Liu Qingsong, dressed in a green official uniform, galloping towards her on a horse.

Liu Qingsong was currently on marital leave and did not need to come, but the incident of Ran Yan being kidnapped last time still left him shaken. Liu Qingsong had been in the Great Tang for over a decade and seemed to be thriving, but even today, he could not fully integrate. To him, Ran Yan was family, and in this world, she was the only irreplaceable family member.

Ran Yan felt a warmth in her heart, "Thank you."

Liu Qingsong laughed dryly, "Come on, when Miss Ran suddenly becomes this gentle, it's indeed a bit hard for me to accept."

"You're just asking for a beating." Ran Yan let down the curtain.

At this moment, the examination at the palace gate was complete, and the carriage slowly moved ahead.

Ran Yan alighted from the carriage in front of the inner court's palace gate and, after a short wait, was briskly approached by an eunuch who bowed and said, "Lady Xianliang, Physician Liu, Princess Jinyang has gone to the Eastern Palace, please come with this slave."

The eunuch gestured and ordered two sedan chairs to be brought over, "Please have a seat."

Ran Yan handed her medicine chest to a nearby eunuch and took a seat on the sedan chair.

There was some distance from the inner courtyard to the Eastern Palace, mostly shaded by trees, and Ran Yan closed her eyes for a brief rest. Even Liu Qingsong, who loved to talk incessantly, stayed silent within the walls of the Imperial Palace.

After what felt like a long time, Ran Yan faintly heard noises, indistinct but with the sense of a crowd.

Ran Yan opened her eyes.

Liu Qingsong whispered, "We've arrived at the Eastern Palace."

Since Princess Jinyang had come to visit Li Chengqian, they would, of course, be carried to where he was staying.

As they neared, the sounds became clearer, among them a loud voice proclaimed, "If I had the world, I would take tens of thousands of cavalry to Jin City, then let my hair down and submit to Simon as his subject and general. Wouldn't that be nice!"

Ran Yan could roughly understand such oblique words, meaning: "If I had the world, I'd take my tens of thousands of cavalry to Jin City, dishevel my hair, and go submit to Simon, becoming his general—how wonderful that would be!"

Such words, if heard by Emperor Li Shimin and the court officials, the consequences would be imaginable.

The sedan chair stopped at the entrance of the courtyard, and Ran Yan stood up to straighten her robes, waiting for the eunuch to announce her arrival.

After the time it took to drink two cups of tea, the reporting eunuch returned, sweating profusely, "Lady Xianliang and Physician Liu, please."

Passing the arch, the sounds of gongs and drums grew louder. As Ran Yan walked along the corridor, she could see a group of people dressed like Turkic people amidst the obscured courtyards, and instantly spotted Li Chengqian among them.

Turning a corner, Ran Yan could clearly see several yurts similar to those of Turkic people set up under the osmanthus tree next to Qingquan Tower, each marked with banners to indicate different tribes.

In front of the yurts, there were bonfires, with two eunuchs dressed as Turkic women turning the sheep roasting over the flames.

Looking at Li Chengqian, Ran Yan saw that he was much more animated since the day of An Jin's death, no, it was an overexcitement, an abnormal expression not shown by someone in a normal state.

"I will die tomorrow. You all have a good feast and prepare to mourn," Li Chengqian sliced a piece of lamb with his knife, grabbed it with his hand, and started gnawing at it.

The surrounding eunuchs eagerly stepped forward to snatch at the lamb meat.

After finishing the lamb, Li Chengqian lay down on the mats next to the yurts, and upon seeing this, the eunuchs immediately dropped the lamb and threw themselves forward to wail loudly, "Khan! Khan!"

The eunuchs' shrill voices carried an intensely genuine sorrow.

Noticing that Ran Yan lingered, one eunuch, wiping the sweat from his temple, gently reminded her, "Lady Xianliang, the Princess is in the small eastern chamber."

Ran Yan then withdrew her gaze and followed the eunuch into the small eastern chamber.

Princess Jinyang, in a light yellow tunic, rested her cheek on her hand, leaning against a table. Seeing Ran Yan and Liu Qingsong enter, she said, "Lady and Physician Liu, please be seated."

"Thank you, Princess."

"Thank you, Princess."

They bowed and thanked the Princess, then took their seats on the mat.

"Lady is a Divine Doctor. I've read in books that a Divine Doctor can bring back the dead and mend bones. Can you bring An Jin back to life?" Princess Jinyang asked with furrowed brows and a distressed look.

"Why would you want to revive An Jin?" Ran Yan inquired.

Tears began to fog Princess Jinyang's eyes, "When An Jin was here, my royal brother never acted like this. I'm very scared of his behavior now."

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