The Prince had injuries and needed to eat more high-protein foods.

Before Aunt Lu returned from the fields, Qin Zheng had already put pig’s trotters and soybeans in a pot to stew.

The pig’s trotters were blanched beforehand and then stewed with the beans.

They were separately caramelized before being added to the pot. In the bubbling thick soup, the chopped pig’s trotters had a beautiful brown color on the surface, and the cooked soybeans were plump and round.

The steam carried a strong fragrance.

During the meal, Qin Zheng noticed that the Prince ate half a bowl more than usual. It seemed that the stewed pig’s trotters and soybeans suited his taste.

After dinner, when Qin Zheng was getting ready to leave according to her agreement with Lin Zhao, the Prince suddenly asked, “Did you not follow the prescription I gave you for the morning medicine?”

Qin Zheng’s steps paused for a moment as she turned away from him and remained silent for a while before saying, “I consulted the doctor. The doctor said that simply strengthening the potency of the medicine might have a rapid short-term effect, but in the long run, it would damage the body.

Your Highness, we have plenty of time ahead of us. Let’s follow the doctor’s prescription and take it slow.”

The medicine was bitter and had a strong smell.

Qin Zheng guessed that the Prince couldn’t discern the dosage of the herbs just by tasting it.

He probably realized that the medicinal properties were weaker than before when he ground the medicine.

After she spoke, the Prince didn’t say anything more, and Qin Zheng couldn’t read his thoughts.

She continued, “Lin Zhao is still waiting for me. I’ll go out first.”

As she stepped out of the door, a breeze swept through the courtyard.

The flowers of an old locust tree outside the courtyard fell like snow, and a few even drifted into the house.

Qin Zheng’s dark green skirt brushed against the threshold as she walked out, scattering the locust flowers on the doorstep.

Her black hair gently floated in the breeze, as if ripples were forming in the spring water.

The Prince watched her departing figure, lost in thought.

In two lifetimes, this was the first time someone had worried about his body’s ability to withstand the effects of medicine.

After years of war, he had suffered countless injuries large and small, but on the battlefield, seizing the initiative was everything.

Everyone was pushing him forward, and no one had ever told him to take it slow.

To heal his injuries as quickly as possible, he had always used the strongest medicine.

The Prince glanced at the picturesque spring scene outside the room.

Perhaps… this time around, he could afford to take it slow.

Subconsciously, he tried to fiddle with something at his fingertips, but found nothing there.

——The string of bodhi beads that had been wrapped around his wrist for twenty-eight years had been buried in the imperial tomb along with his previous self.

---

Qin Zheng hadn’t gone far from the courtyard when she spotted Lin Zhao and Xique waiting at the intersection, holding a food box.

Seeing her carrying a small bamboo basket and holding a hoe, Lin Zhao smiled with narrowed eyes. “Sister Zheng always looks good no matter what!”

Qin Zheng gave her a playful glare. “Enough joking around. Let’s get going.”

Since they were supposed to be going to dig up snake-repelling herbs, they naturally had to keep up appearances.

Lin Zhao asked Xique to help Qin Zheng carry the tools, but Qin Zheng refused, saying that the bamboo basket and hoe weren’t heavy.

The weather was bright and sunny, and the grass and trees in the mountains were lush.

The chirping of birds was incessant, making the village seem like a paradise.

The last time Qin Zheng had entered the village, her eyes had been covered.

Now, following Lin Zhao out of the village, she was amazed at how treacherous the terrain of Liangyan Mountain truly was.

On the inner side of Liangyan Mountain was a massive sinkhole with walls dozens of feet high, all made of bare rock without any vegetation.

Previous generations had constructed a plank road on the nearly hundred-foot-high cliff to connect with the outside world.

Qin Zheng noticed that the plank road used a “slanting pillar” load-bearing beam design, with horizontal holes drilled into the rock wall and horizontal beams inserted, and diagonal vertical holes drilled below to insert vertical beams as support, creating a stable triangular support structure.

She had heard of ancient plank roads that could accommodate horse carriages, originally built for transporting grain and fodder, akin to modern highways.

She had also visited some plank road scenic spots in her previous life, but they didn’t evoke the same awe as the plank road before her eyes now.

This plank road could accommodate four people walking side by side, and in areas where the cliff was less steep, a stone slope had been carved to make a path.

Qin Zheng ran her hand along the wooden guardrail beside the plank road and sighed with emotion. “The wisdom of our ancestors has benefited future generations for thousands of years.”

Lin Zhao seemed to have misunderstood and proudly said, “That’s right. According to the elders in the village, before the establishment of the Great Chu, life was extremely difficult for the people at the foot of the mountain.

The nobles and generals fought each other for over a decade, and there was never a moment of peace.

Later, when the Northern Barbarians invaded, they even occupied the imperial capital of Bianjing.

The Northerners burned, killed, and looted, treating us like livestock, often massacring villages and cities.

It was only then that our ancestors of the Lin family led their clan to hide in Liangyan Mountain.

Thanks to the natural defenses here, Qiyun Village has never been affected by the flames of war.”

Qin Zheng smiled but didn’t respond.

Lin Zhao thought of the chaos below the mountain and sighed, “Three hundred years ago, Emperor Wu Jia broke through the enemy forces with his strength and brought an end to that era of chaos. But now, in this world, who knows how long the chaos will last.”

She kicked a pebble beneath her feet. “They say that like father, like son, and the son of a mole will learn to make holes. Unfortunately, Emperor Wu Jia had no descendants.

Otherwise, his descendants would have been prominent figures in this era.

There would have been no chance for the Li family of Qixian County to proclaim themselves emperors in Bianjing.”

Qin Zheng thought of the descendants of Emperor Wu Jia in the village and felt inexplicably guilty.

She said, “Dynasties rise and fall, and it’s the common people who suffer the most.”

Lin Zhao casually plucked a tuft of dog tail grass and held it in her mouth.

“It’s almost Emperor Wu Jia’s birthday on the seventh day of the fourth month.

In previous years, many people would go to Yungang Temple to offer incense during this time.

The temple would also prepare for a temple fair, which was as lively as the New Year.

But in the future, there probably won’t be such grand occasions anymore.”

After all, the Great Chu had already perished.

Qin Zheng was puzzled. “What’s the connection between Emperor Wu Jia’s birthday and the temple fair at Yungang Temple?”

Lin Zhao looked at her in surprise. “Sister Zheng, you don’t know?

Emperor Wu Jia was originally a lay disciple of Yungang Temple!

He was born into a prominent family in Longxi, but he killed his mother at birth, reportedly because his destiny was cursed.

Before he turned one year old, his biological father sent him to Yungang Temple for cultivation.

He didn’t return home for eighteen years and never saw his relatives. It wasn’t until later, when the Northern Barbarians invaded the Central Plains, that he descended the mountain to join the army.”

Lin Zhao was martial-minded, and it was easy to see her admiration for Emperor Wu Jia.

“When he descended the mountain, he annexed Longxi and Longdong, then marched north, conquered Huaiyang, took Jingzhou, attacked Pankou Pass, and captured Huaxi Dao, achieving successive victories.

He pushed back the Northern Barbarians and drove them back to their homeland! After unifying the northern forces, he led his army south, surrendered Huaiyin Marquis, repelled the tribes of West Ling, and defeated a hundred thousand troops of the Wu barbarians!”

Lin Zhao’s face reddened with excitement as she spoke, but she ended on a sad note.

“Unfortunately, fate envies talent. Emperor Wu Jia died of illness just one year after proclaiming himself emperor.

People say he was the reincarnation of the God of War, who returned to heaven after bringing peace to the world.

To commemorate him, temples dedicated to him were built all over the country, so there is no Wu Emperor’s Temple in Qizhou.

The people of Qizhou only go to Yungang Temple to offer incense on Emperor Wu Jia’s birthday every year.”

After hearing Lin Zhao talk so much about Emperor Wu Jia’s deeds, Qin Zheng finally understood his status in the hearts of the people of the Great Chu.

No wonder in the original book, the rebel army went to such lengths to fabricate a story about the Crown Princess being a calamitous consort to smear the royal family of Chu.

Qin Zheng sighed, “He was loved by the people so much in less than a year on the throne, regardless of his civil achievements.

Just based on his military exploits, he can be called an emperor for all ages.”

Lin Zhao nodded vigorously. “If I were born a few hundred years earlier, I would definitely go serve as a female general under Emperor Wu Jia!”

Qin Zheng chuckled, “Given the current state of affairs, who knows? You might actually become a female general one day.”

Lin Zhao retorted, “I don’t care for these current so-called nobles who only know how to stay in their own comfort.

The Northern Barbarians have even reached the Hexi Corridor, and they don’t even dare to make a peep.

Li Xin isn’t a good person either.

His soldiers plunder wherever they go, worse than bandits! It’s not worth sacrificing ourselves for them!”

As they spoke, they passed through a stone cave ahead and arrived at the outer wall of Liangyan Mountain.

Qin Zheng saw the cable car she had taken up that day, with about a dozen men in plain clothes guarding it.

When they saw Lin Zhao, half of them stood up and greeted her respectfully, “Miss!”

When they saw Qin Zheng, they only glanced at her and showed no surprise.

The other half, though they also stood up, seemed extremely disrespectful.

They didn’t even finish their greetings to Lin Zhao properly, and some of them even held bamboo toothpicks in their mouths, looking at Qin Zheng in a very rude manner.