26: At the beginning of love for the sick

"How long ago was that..." Mo Yingqi scratched his head. "Besides, it was what I should have done."

"Should... Yingqi, isn't that exactly the problem?" Luo Yongan smiled, but her tears kept falling. "There is no such thing as 'should'..."

The Northern Border was cold, frequently visited by wolf packs and even black bears. The place they lived was somewhat remote, and although wolf packs occasionally appeared, Mo Yingqi's Master always drove them away.

Unexpectedly, one day Mo Yingqi and the two sisters went up the mountain to practice archery and were targeted by a black bear. Heavy snow had sealed the mountain, and the bear probably hadn't eaten enough; it had woken up from hibernation, and hunger made it manic and brutal.

Although Mo Yingqi's Master arrived in time, Mo Yingqi, in order to push the two sisters away, had his back ripped open by the black bear's claws, bleeding profusely.

The second time, a wolf pack attacked, and Mo Yingqi's Master happened to be absent. The alert Mo Yingqi discovered the wolves and, fearing for the sisters' safety, the thirteen-year-old boy locked the door, grabbed his knife and bow and arrows, and fought the wolf pack under the cover of night.

By the time their Maternal Grandmother's Hidden Guards arrived, Mo Yingqi was covered in blood, gripping his knife, and his quiver was completely empty.

The scars left on Mo Yingqi's body were almost all incurred while protecting them. That time, Luo Yongan and Luo Yongning cried almost to the point of fainting, but he just smiled and said, "As long as you two are fine, it was worth it."

People who would risk their lives for them existed in the past, exist now, and will exist in the future. But the sisters knew very well that this was only because they were once the next leaders of Partridge Sky, the daughters of a Prince, and now they were the Daxing Dynasty's most honored Legitimate Princesses.

But Mo Yingqi was different. He didn't know their identities, nor had he ever cared about them. He was pure, purely wanting them not to die, purely... disregarding his own life.

Luo Yongan vaguely recalled that when she first met Mo Yingqi, he was even... somewhat disdainful of them.

"Can't you just not let them live here? Men and women should maintain distance. How am I supposed to study properly?"

"Girls are the most troublesome. I don't want to play with them!"

Mo Yingqi was only a few years old then, but he was like a hedgehog, wrapping himself in sharp quills. Even his Master couldn't help but sigh: "This child's temperament changed after losing his mother. Don't take what he says to heart."

The Mo Family of Jiangnan was considered a famous merchant family, but their lineage was sparse. Old Master Mo only had one daughter. Although many women in the Daxing Dynasty conducted business, Mo Yingqi's mother, Mo Qingyu, simply wasn't suited for it.

Recruit a Live-in Son-in-Law? The Mo Family had such a large estate, but only one daughter. What if his only daughter was bullied after he passed away? People's hearts are hidden. Even if the son-in-law was sincere now, what about the future? Who could guarantee that he wouldn't harbor ill intentions while guarding such a massive inheritance?

Just then, the Zhang Family suddenly came to propose marriage. The Zhang Family was a family of officials, and Zhang Jiayan held an important position in the Ministry of Revenue in the Capital at that time. Old Master Mo was surprised. Leaving aside that Zhang Jiayan was already Grand Chancellor Zhou's Distinguished Son-in-Law, even though his wife had passed away, he still had a son and daughter, and his relationship with the Zhou Family was so close. Why would he marry the daughter of a merchant family?

Old Master Mo kept his guard up and specifically hired someone to investigate. He learned that the Zhang Family genuinely wanted to propose marriage and had no hidden reasons... At least, he couldn't find any and didn't know of any.

It was already extremely difficult for a merchant family to marry into an official family. Moreover, Zhang Jiayan had a good reputation; he had been upright and his family background was decent. There was no need for him to marry a merchant's daughter, even if the Mo Family was very wealthy.

Old Master Mo pondered it. Although it was a second marriage, marrying into the Zhang Family would provide support for his daughter's later life. At worst, he could sell off his assets and leave them to his daughter and her future children, ensuring the mother and son wouldn't be unable to survive without the Zhang Family.

But later, no one expected such a fate. Just the name Zhang Jiayan gave Mo Yingqi could reveal a few clues.

After all, no father would believe his own son was meant to be abandoned. After his mother died, Mo Yingqi's personality became even more difficult. He used to be quiet, focusing solely on learning skills and studying.

Mo Yingqi's aptitude was unique. The reason his Master took him in was not only because he owed Old Master Mo a favor years ago, but more importantly, Mo Yingqi's talent was exceptional—so good that even his wicked Senior Sister, the Maternal Grandmother of Luo Yongan and Luo Yongning, couldn't help but exclaim: "Whether this child joins the army or wanders the martial world, his future is boundless."

Thanks to this, he was able to survive the bear's claws and fight off a wolf pack at the age of thirteen.

"Yingqi, do you know? The moment you decided it was what you 'should' do, Yongning and I already knew we were doomed to be yours this lifetime." Luo Yongan looked up at him, her peach blossom eyes slightly misty, but her gaze was incredibly sincere. "So Yingqi, don't worry about whether you're worthy. I told you, you are worth it—worth us giving you everything, worth us doing anything for you."

Mo Yingqi awkwardly touched his nose and shifted his gaze uncomfortably: "What you're saying is making me blush just hearing it."

"Silly, I'm just telling the truth." Luo Yongan chuckled teasingly while gently wiping away the tears from the corner of her eyes. "Why isn't that wretched girl Yongning back yet? We're waiting to take you fishing later! Yingqi, there's a small stream nearby, crystal clear. Back at the Northern Border, we rarely had moments like this. How about we catch some fish today and I make you grilled fish when we get back?"

At this moment, inside a tent, Luo Yongning slowly tossed the Small Mace she was holding aside, and the brutal madness in her eyes slowly receded. She then smiled and turned around, looking at a Runner behind her who had been beaten until he was covered in blood.

"I thought you had strong bones, but you couldn't handle a few hits, could you?" Luo Yongning smiled innocently. "It's a pity. Even if you told me Zhou Jinan's whereabouts tonight, This Princess wasn't planning on letting you go."

"Your Highness, please let the Servants handle it." Ying Hong handed her a damp towel. "Would you like to change your clothes? The Imperial Son-in-Law..."

"Oh dear, I was so busy hitting people! Quick, quick, prepare my clothes. Honestly, it's so inconvenient here, I can't even bathe!" Luo Yongning suddenly acted like a child who was late for school. "Incense! Right, the incense! Luckily, Elder Sister was afraid I'd lose control and had people carry it!"

"Please go ahead, everything is ready for you." Ying Hong looked at her with a complicated expression. "These matters can really just be left to the Servants. There's no need for Your Highness to..."

"I'm angry! Why did Yingqi praise another woman's looks? Am I not beautiful?" Luo Yongning sounded completely justified. "That little slut! Otherwise, I'll send someone to capture her and ruin that seductive face of hers, stopping her from seducing my Yingqi!"

"Yingqi can only praise me and my Elder Sister! What is she, anyway? No, no, no... I mustn't scare Yingqi. Restrain myself, Elder Sister said to restrain myself..."

Ying Hong watched the self-talking Luo Yongning, her heart filled with mixed emotions. Sometimes she wondered, was separating Mo Yingqi from them for these five years right or wrong?

"Old Madam, you... went too far."

Ying Hong thought of their Maternal Grandmother and felt only sorrow. She didn't just make her Granddaughters like herself; in fact... their illness had become much more severe.

"I'm going to change clothes, Aunt Ying Hong. Dispose of this trash cleanly." Luo Yongning's mood suddenly seemed excellent. "The end of the month is approaching soon. I can marry Yingqi very soon..."

"Yes, Your Highness, this Servant understands."

Ying Hong watched the skipping Luo Yongning leave. Her thousands of words could only turn into a long, drawn-out sigh. Then she turned back to look at the dying man, her eyes complex, yet devoid of any sympathy.

"Consider yourself unlucky. I'm afraid you'll have to die now."