Chapter 1

Chapter 1

And so, I had come to save He Yan again.

Just like in my last life, he was dressed as a young servant, an arrow lodged in his chest, sprawled miserably by the riverbank.

I gave his face a few firm pats. Once I was sure he was deeply unconscious, I searched out everything he had hidden on him.

One family crest, and five gold cakes.

In my previous life, the moment he woke up, he told me he had no money to his name and that he would have to rely on me for every bite, sip, and bodily need.

He sounded so pitiful. I believed him.

Back then, these five gold cakes must have been tucked away in his inner pocket, laughing at me.

Forget it. Why would I lower myself to argue with five gold cakes? It wasn’t their fault they had followed a bad master.

From now on, in my pocket, they had better behave.

As for the crest, I was magnanimous enough to stuff it back into He Yan’s tattered inner pocket.

Then I grabbed his arm and tried to drag him onto the ox cart.

Unfortunately, after three straight days of eating nothing but wild greens, I had no strength to speak of. I fell every few steps I dragged him.

By the time He Yan was lying on the ox cart, his clothes were in even worse shape, several handfuls of his hair had come loose, and even the arrow in his chest had sunk a little deeper than before.

Sigh. Once I got to the marquis manor, I really would have to nourish myself properly.

I cracked the whip against the ox, and the cart slowly headed toward the county town.

Plenty of people on the road knew me, and they all asked curiously where the man on my ox cart had come from.

I patiently answered them one by one. “Me? I saved a man by the riverbank, and now I’m taking him to find a doctor!”

At the clinic, I made it clear that as long as they could wake He Yan up quickly, even the strongest medicine was fine.

The doctor did as I asked, pulled the arrow from He Yan’s chest, and treated all the wounds, large and small, across his body.

To let him recover properly, I bled money again and had him stay at the clinic.

Sure enough, my efforts were soon rewarded. He Yan woke up the very next day.

When he saw me, he looked even more pitiful than he had in my last life and said he had been harmed by vile people, that he was penniless, and that he would have to rely on me to take care of every bite, sip, and bodily need.

I thumped my chest and promised him even more earnestly than I had in my last life.

Only, when I turned around and came back with his medicine, the grief on his face grew a little more sincere.

After one bowl of medicine, he looked as if he were mourning his parents.

I pretended not to see a thing and, blushing, told him the story of how I had rescued him from the riverbank.

Just then, the medicine boy lifted the curtain and came in. I saw a crowd of patients outside listening with great interest.

“How embarrassing!”

I stood up, stamped my foot, and ran out of the clinic.

By the time I returned, the sun was setting.

He Yan’s complexion had already regained some color. The doctor said he could go home and recuperate quietly, but I was still worried, so I insisted on keeping him at the clinic.

Three days later, He Yan could get out of bed and walk. The doctor refused to let him stay no matter what, so I had no choice but to hire an ox cart and take him home.

Who would have thought that not long after we left the clinic, I would run into Madame Prefect at the entrance of Qingyun Tower.

I hurriedly bowed to her. She nodded, then her gaze drifted casually toward He Yan.

With just that one look, Madame Prefect froze.

She shifted half a step toward He Yan. “May I ask, sir, are you He Yan, the Eldest Young Master of Ning’an Marquis Manor?”

At that question, a ring of curious onlookers immediately gathered around us.

A flash of embarrassment crossed He Yan’s face.

A moment later, he nodded. “Yes. I am He Yan.”

Madame Prefect immediately broke into a smile and invited He Yan to stay at her residence. Before she finished, she did not forget to ask how he had ended up with me.

Before He Yan could answer, someone in the crowd shouted, “I know, I know! He Shanhua saved him! She’s been looking after him day and night these past two days!”

The veins on He Yan’s left hand bulged as he gripped the sideboard of the cart, but he did not deny it.

Madame Prefect looked at me, then at him, overjoyed. “A beauty saving a hero. What a fine tale indeed!”

I covered my face and stamped my foot again. “Oh, Madame, please don’t say that.”

Madame Prefect beamed. “Tonight, I will have my husband write a memorial and submit it. Our Emperor loves heartwarming tales of repaying kindness most of all.”

The crowd burst into an uproar.

He Yan lowered his eyes. A moment later, when he looked up again, his eyes were full of delight. “Mm. Then I will have to trouble the Prefect and Madame Prefect.”