Lin Xi brought Chu Yi with her and teleported thirty kilometers, arriving outside the capital city. This place was a desolate wilderness, surrounded by tall trees.
Lin Xi found a flat area with Chu Yi, closed her eyes, and the construction card flew out. She envisioned the shape of a house in her mind, and instantly, a wooden cabin rose from the ground. Furthermore, within fifty kilometers of the cabin, no one was permitted to enter.
The interior layout was that of a modern four-bedroom, two-living-room house, with two bathrooms and an open-plan kitchen.
Chu Yi was placed by Lin Xi in one of the bedrooms. Looking out from the bedroom window, lush trees were dotted with unknown flowers and plants, creating an extremely beautiful scene.
It was amidst this chorus of birds and fragrance of flowers that Chu Yi woke up. She stared blankly at her bed, then looked around at the wooden walls, the wooden wardrobe, and the lemon-patterned quilt covering her—none of these belonged to the ancient times.
Chu Yi quietly touched the cotton-acrylic blend quilt, unable to regain her composure for a long time. These were things not from the Jin Dynasty. Had she traveled back to the modern era?
At the thought of this possibility, Chu Yi's eyes grew warm with tears. She eagerly threw off the quilt and ran down from the bed, wanting to verify if her guess was correct.
The modern layout of the four-bedroom, two-living-room house moved Chu Yi to tears. She noticed signs of occupancy in one of the rooms and began to search.
She opened the door and saw Lin Xi in the tea room outside, playing with her phone and sipping tea.
Lin Xi was wearing a set of beige home clothes, her hair, now grown to her waist, was jet-black and glossy, and she simply let it cascade loosely.
Hearing footsteps, Lin Xi looked up at her and said with a smile, "Come sit, have a cup of tea."
Lin Xi picked up the teapot and poured her a cup. Chu Yi, not knowing why, walked over.
She still bore many injuries. The Nine Revolutions Soul-Returning Pill had saved her life but couldn't heal her wounds in a short time.
Lin Xi turned her palm upward, and a Revitalizing Pill appeared in her hand. "Take it," she said.
The Revitalizing Pill was about the size of a Malteser, and even resembled one in shape. Chu Yi reached out and took it.
Lin Xi lowered her head to fiddle with her phone. "Since you're awake, reply to the messages in the group chat. Xu Siyu has asked about you several times already."
Since joining the group, Xu Siyu had been very active. In less than an hour, she had inquired about Chu Yi's condition no less than ten times in the group.
And during this time, she had recounted everything about Chu Yi's situation.
She was still talking, mainly denouncing Grand Princess Zhaoyang.
[Ancient World Xu Siyu: After Chu Yi and I traveled to this world, Grand Princess Zhaoyang was the first person we met who believed in us unconditionally.]
Xu Siyu and Chu Yi had physically traveled through time. They had gotten separated from their colleagues during a company team-building event. When they finally walked out of the forest, they realized the world outside was nothing like they imagined.
They thought they would be greeted by the civilization of modern society, an era of information explosion, but instead, it was an unknown dynasty.
Both were extremely anxious. Eventually, they decided to head towards more prosperous areas. Dressed in clothes bought with the crystal bracelet Xu Siyu traded, they walked along the official road every day.
Meeting Grand Princess Zhaoyang was an accident. At that time, the Grand Princess was eight and a half months pregnant and her water broke on the road. The Grand Princess's entourage had never expected her to go into labor at that moment and were ill-prepared. Coupled with the fact that the baby was in a breech position, it seemed both mother and child would be lost.
Chu Yi and Xu Siyu stepped forward. One was from obstetrics and gynecology, the other from internal medicine. Although they were just interns, their medical ethics wouldn't allow them to stand by idly at such a time.
So, risking execution, they delivered the baby for Grand Princess Zhaoyang. The child was born, a boy weighing about five pounds.
This made the Grand Princess and her consort immensely grateful. Thanks to the foundation laid earlier by Emperor Lin, this era didn't impose significant restrictions on women practicing medicine, engaging in business, or holding official positions.
The two of them opened a clinic, specializing in internal medicine and gynecology.
Later, Xu Siyu married Xiao Tianlang, and Chu Yi fell in love with the Guardian General, Fu Yanchen. They were together for a long time but eventually broke up.
[Ancient World Xu Siyu: That damned emperor had his eyes on our Chu Yi long ago. He had been subtly trying to flirt with her before. Our Chu Yi paid him no mind and clearly rejected him. So he set up this scheme precisely to force Chu Yi to agree to enter the palace and become his woman.]
Xu Siyu was lying in bed at this moment. Her husband was handling official business in the study partitioned off opposite the bed. Xu Siyu turned over and continued typing. She had really kept some words bottled up for too long.
[I simply couldn't imagine Grand Princess Zhaoyang would be such a person. Once, we all considered her our best friend!!]
[Ancient World Xu Huanhuan: Please elaborate on what exactly happened.]
Xu Siyu typed rapidly: [Grand Princess Zhaoyang became pregnant again this year. Because she ingested some harmful substances during pregnancy, the pregnancy was troubled. For the sake of the baby, she frequently went to Chu Yi for check-ups, but the child still miscarried. She was furious and, despite her illness, went to the palace to weep and complain. Some high-ranking concubines in the palace took the opportunity to kick her while she was down. Not long after Chu Yi was thrown into prison, she was tortured until covered in wounds.]
[Even then, Grand Princess Zhaoyang was unwilling to let her go, because the child she was carrying this year belonged to her favorite male favorite.]
Following Lin Xi's prompt, Chu Yi entered the group chat. Seeing Xu Siyu's words warmed her heart, yet also stirred an indescribable sense of disappointment.
"So, you crossed time and space to save me? So, I'm still in the Jin Dynasty?" Chu Yi asked Lin Xi, touching the slightly warm jade pendant hanging on her chest.
Lin Xi nodded at her. "Yes. I was originally on a mission in Sister Zhong's world. Just as I was about to leave, I received an alert from the group system, so I came here. Take it. That's the Revitalizing Pill from Chu Qianmo in the group. After taking it, all your injuries will be completely healed."
Chu Yi didn't doubt any further. She placed the Malteser-like pill directly into her mouth. A rich, herbal fragrance washed over her, then the pill dissolved into liquid and slid down her throat, leaving a slight bitterness.
As a doctor, during the two or three years since her transmigration, she had studied the medical texts of this world. She could barely identify two or three types of medicinal herbs; beyond that, she didn't know.
A wave of warmth rose from her stomach, then her entire body became comfortably warm. The wounds that had been burning with pain incessantly were enveloped by this warmth, and then the wounds themselves vanished.
Chu Yi opened her eyes wide in amazement. "This is truly miraculous! Can you tell me the prescription?!"
As a doctor, Chu Yi set aside all grudges at this moment. She only wanted the formula for this pill. If this medicine could be mass-produced, even with only one-tenth of its efficacy, it would be enough to save many, many lives.
Especially those in the military.
"You'll have to ask Chu Qianmo about that; it's his formula," Lin Xi said, taking a sip of tea. The tea was fragrant, the chirping of birds sounded in her ears, and the nearby forest was lush and green. The feeling was simply sublime.
It was worth the fine tea she had managed to procure from Lu Shenzhi after discovering this place.
Thinking of Lu Shenzhi, Lin Xi's gaze paused for a moment. Due to student loans and the academic issues of Luo Shuzhen and a few others, her chats with Lu Shenzhi had continued uninterrupted during this period.
Lu Shenzhi rarely spoke in the group chat, but he always responded to her private messages without fail, no matter how late or how busy he was, replying to every matter and every sentence.
He even sometimes shared bits of his life with her, like clouds with unique shapes in the sky, or mountains and waters with exceptionally beautiful scenery.
With a woman's subtle sixth sense, she could perceive the delicate feelings Lu Shenzhi held for her.
But...
Lin Xi sighed and stopped dwelling on it.
Chu Yi didn't notice Lin Xi's distraction. She excitedly first told Xu Siyu in the group chat that she was alright now, then she tagged Chu Qianmo, asking him about the formula for the Revival Pill.
Chu Qianmo was always willing to help those he could. Soon, the formula was sent over. Chu Yi took it aside and began studying it, her expression one of rapt fascination.
In the group chat, Xu Siyu was overjoyed to see Chu Yi's message saying she was safe. She was five months pregnant, her belly slightly rounded. Stroking her ring, she fell asleep. Ever since Chu Yi was imprisoned, she hadn't had a good night's sleep for a very, very long time.
Xiao Tianlang, busy with official duties nearby, noticed she hadn't moved for a while. He walked over, unfolded the quilt, and covered her gently, then placed a light kiss on her cheek.
He returned to the desk, where a piece of paper was spread out. It was the process for conferring an imperial consort, drafted by the Minister of Rites. The person to be conferred was Chu Yi.
A cold smile appeared at the corner of Xiao Tianlang's mouth. He rolled up the paper and placed it aside, leaning back in the armchair. His usually gentle eyes were now filled with cold severity.
The Jin Dynasty had existed for four hundred years. And the Lin royal family should have perished a hundred years ago. It was Prince Lin of that time who emerged unexpectedly, forcefully extending the Lin dynasty's rule for over a hundred more years.
Emperor Lin never married or had children. At the age of forty-five, he selected several children from the Lin royal family to be raised in the palace, including both boys and girls. Only the current emperor and Grand Princess Zhaoyang proved most outstanding.
But Grand Princess Zhaoyang quickly fell deeply in love after meeting her current husband, and despite Emperor Lin's advice, she insisted on being with him.
"Better be a poor man's wife than a rich man's concubine" was what Emperor Lin had said to counsel her at the time, because her future husband already had a wife.
Because of this, the throne fell to the current emperor, Lin Zongxi. For the first few decades, Lin Zongxi lived up to Emperor Lin's trust, governing the Jin Dynasty in an orderly manner. Anyone who looked on would have believed the Lin royal family could last another hundred years.
Who could have imagined? In just twenty short years, Lin Zongxi rapidly transitioned from being wise and mighty to fatuous and unprincipled.
He neglected state affairs, spending all his time carousing in the rear palace. Consorts were brought into the palace one after another, and now he had even resorted to acts of seizing by force.
Xiao Tianlang closed his eyes. With Chu Yi dead, and so many who pleaded for her imprisoned, the pent-up emotions of the civil and military officials over the years were bound to surge.
Fu Yanchen, far in the northwest, would not sit idly by.
The Lin dynasty's reign was truly about to end this time. Nothing could stop it.
"Knock, knock." A knocking sound came from outside the door. Xiao Tianlang glanced at his sleeping wife and walked out.
"Young Master, news just came from the dungeon. Physician Chu is gone."
Xiao Tianlang was stunned. He quickly looked up at the sky. The last rays of the setting sun dyed the sky a pinkish-purple, but not far off, dark clouds churned.
"The weather is about to change," he murmured. Then, he sat beside his wife, unsure how to tell her that Chu Yi was dead.
As a friend, and as the husband of Chu Yi's friend, he felt grief and regret over her death.
Faint weeping sounds came from the neighboring courtyard, mourning for Chu Yi. Chu Yi specialized in women's ailments, treating both nobles and commoners equally.
Countless women had been treated by her. How many had been freed from those unspeakable illnesses because of her care?
Such a good physician, ruined simply because Lin Zongxi desired her.
The Lin royal family truly deserved to perish!
Outside, the rumble of thunder sounded. The weather in June was like a child's face, changing in an instant.
In Guxian County, not far from the capital, a group of people urged their horses on through the rain. The man at the forefront wore a rain cape and a bamboo hat, his expression exceptionally urgent.
A pigeon landed beside him. He retrieved the bamboo tube tied to its leg, opened it, and read the contents. Instantly, his eyes reddened.
