After three days of rest, Yan Si finally agreed to follow RongCheng to leave the cave; the clothes on both of their persons at this time were equally ragged, looking no different from beggars.
Stepping along behind the man's tracks, Yan Si constantly felt his heart restless with anxiety, and he asked, "Eldest brother, where are we going?"
RongCheng remained silent, pondering for a moment before replying, "The imperial palace... but prior to that, we will go to a certain place."
"The imperial palace!?" Hearing up to this point, Yan Si suddenly stood dead in his tracks: "Do we truly have to go to the imperial palace?"
That place was bound to be even more terrifying than the Grand General's residence; he naturally felt immensely uneasy.
Seeing Yan Si's reaction like that, RongCheng smiled and patted his shoulder, reassuring him, "There is no need to fear; as long as I exist, no one will dare to make things difficult for you."
"Why is that?" How exactly did he possess such vast authority? At that thought, Yan Si asked haltingly, "What... what exactly is eldest brother's true identity?"
"Me?" RongCheng replied placidly, "I am the Eldest Prince of the Song Kingdom."
"The... Eldest Prince!?" Upon hearing this, Yan Si was struck with horror, feeling his head spin like a pinwheel; never expecting that he had become sworn brothers with the Eldest Prince, his heart suddenly found it terribly frightening...
"Do not fear! I truly can protect you!"
Even his own person had been ambushed to the point of nearly losing his life, yet he spoke of being able to protect him!? At that thought, Yan Si wished to return to the cave immediately.
Seeing the boy suddenly turn around unconsciously, RongCheng instantly grasped his hand and pulled him along...
After a while, perceiving that Yan Si had become more compliant, RongCheng asked, "I see your medical skill is truly very excellent; I intend to arrange for you to become an Imperial Physician, do you think that will do?"
"Imperial Physician?" Yan Si felt a bit bewildered and asked in return, "What is an Imperial Physician?"
RongCheng smiled, patted his head, and said, "You will know in due time! Although entering the palace carries a few restrictive rules, I will absolutely not let you suffer any disadvantage."
Speaking a little like that made it sound pleasant, but in truth there were up to thousands of rules of conduct; if Yan Si were to find out, it was to be feared he would wish to return... RongCheng spoke again, "Just take up the post, and afterward whether you wish to perform the duties or not is entirely fine."
Conferring a position merely to provide a title and status—the person was the sworn younger brother of the Eldest Prince, who would dare to force him to work?
After departing from the desolate forest region, the two of them advanced down toward an area where residents lived. At this time, noticing a person leading a horse walking toward them, RongCheng abruptly called him over to negotiate, finally purchasing it at an exorbitant price.
And then, RongCheng assisted Yan Si to climb onto the horse, letting him sit in front of himself, and once finished, swung the whip to lash the horse into a gallop.
That night, the two of them arrived at a relatively discreet villa located in the outskirts... At this time, a domestic servant ran out to open the door; the moment he caught sight of RongCheng, his countenance first turned deathly pale, and subsequently he cheered with joy, crying out, "Your... Your Highness!? Is it... is it truly you? Have you truly returned?"
He wasn't dreaming, was he!? Over the past period, rumors had been flying around that the Eldest Prince had met with disaster while hunting, and was subsequently carried away by wild beasts, leaving his corpse missing; who could have expected that he would suddenly appear here, and furthermore in this foul-smelling, tattered, and ragged state.
Seeing that person making a great fuss, crying and recounting at the same time, RongCheng's expression became extraordinarily majestic, and he said in a cold voice, "Do not speak nonsense; hurry inside and instruct the servants to prepare water and clothes, and furthermore..."
RongCheng enjoined the servant to perform a few more tasks... having just heard them, the fellow hurriedly wiped his tears, assented, and ran off.
Waiting until the person had departed, RongCheng only then returned to his normal expression and said, "Little brother, let us go inside together."
Yan Si nodded and followed RongCheng to step inside; seeing an unfamiliar place, he looked left and right...
This villa was truly not very large, but the structure was very beautiful, and furthermore, it was exceptionally quiet... After a long period of observation, he asked, "Eldest brother, where is this?"
"This is my private villa; whenever I return too late from hunting, I always come here, and furthermore, it is..." Speaking up to here, RongCheng suddenly hesitated.
"Furthermore, it is?"
He walked while looking around the villa for a moment, his heart poignantly recalling past events; not knowing whether to feel happy or sad, he merely said, "Furthermore, it is the place where my wife was previously imprisoned."
"Imprisoned?" Why was it called imprisoned? Did eldest brother not love the person very much? For what reason was he imprisoned?
This, Yan Si naturally did not understand; it was precisely because of love that imprisonment was necessary, so as to bind the person to oneself. Perhaps in the past RongCheng had been wrong, but currently he found it entirely worthwhile, because he had acquired the person's heart for eternity.
At that thought, the corners of RongCheng's lips curved up slightly with an air of complete contentment, yet he swiftly retracted it back to his previous calm demeanor, merely saying, "Let this matter not be mentioned again."
Afterward, he pointed his hand toward the front: "We have arrived."
Before Yan Si's eyes was a room that appeared quite ordinary; however, facing it was an entire miniature rockery that was immensely majestic, and furthermore exceptionally lifelike and beautiful.
Yan Si stood gazing blankly for a long time, and RongCheng suddenly patted his shoulder, urging, "Go inside."
Hearing the call, Yan Si was momentarily startled and then nodded, following RongCheng to step inside.
The room was exceedingly clean and well-appointed, the space carrying a faint, refreshing scent of agarwood incense; there was additionally a water basin billowing with steam and a set of clothes placed on the table nearby.
RongCheng enjoined softly, "Currently, I must return to the palace straight away; you stay here temporarily for a few days, and wait until I finish arranging matters to fetch you to come along... Now quickly cleanse away the dust and change your clothes, in a little while someone will bring dinner over."
Having finished speaking, the man simultaneously turned his back to leave; catching a glimpse of RongCheng about to depart, Yan Si instantly grasped his robe to hold him back, appearing as though he were anxious.
RongCheng turned back to face Yan Si and patted his hand, comforting him, "It is fine, it is only for a few days, absolutely nothing will happen, stay here with an easy mind."
Yan Si remained silent for a long long time, then asked, "Will you truly return to fetch me?"
Having already brought the person all the way here, he never expected that the boy would still fear being abandoned. He let out a sigh and reassured him, "Naturally! Stay here with an easy mind, do not worry about anything at all."
Only when it was put that way did Yan Si finally agree to let go of RongCheng's robe; the man gently caressed his head a few times and then hurriedly departed straight away.