Upon looking at the casualties in the courtyards, Zhu Aizhi was moved with compassion.

"We are running short of medicinal herbs for the injured and clean cotton for cleaning the wounds. Will you be able to make a trip into the capital city overnight to get supplies? Oh yes, there's a pharmacy in the city with a shopkeeper who is an old friend of mine. Just tell him that Prince Yu's Mansion is in need of these medicinal herbs and he will definitely comply."

Lin Mengya gave the physician's prescription to General Zhu.

"Rest assured, Princess. I will make sure to accomplish the mission you entrusted to me."

Zhu Aizhi, accompanied by his trusted aide, set out on the journey into the capital city to fetch the medical supplies.

At the moment, the floor of the courtyard was occupied by wounded soldiers waiting for medical attention. However, without the necessary medical supplies, Lin Mengya would be unable to help them.

"Will the four of you come over here?"

After pondering for a while, Lin Mengya made a last-minute decision to go into the woods to pick herbs that would help the wounded soldiers.

As soon as she voiced out her thoughts, all four maids objected to the idea.

"It's really dark now. What would you do if you met any wild beasts in the woods?"

Baizhi was the one who opposed this idea the strongest. She looked at Lin Mengya with wide-open eyes and shook her head violently.

Although the killers from the Peach Blossom Dock had retreated for now, who knew if they were still waiting for an opportunity to strike again?

"Moreover, unlike this place, the hilly terrain of the woods is difficult to navigate. It would be a serious problem if you got lost."

Back at home, Baishao would occasionally go into the hilly woods to pick hogweed and other herbs to supplement the medicine at home. Thus, she was very aware of the dangers inside the hilly woods.

"It's alright, I will take some men with me. I'm just going to look for some common herbs. It should not be a problem."

Lin Mengya had made up her mind, so the four maidservants failed to dissuade her.

In the end, Baisu and Baishao had to accompany her up the hills to look for the herbs.

Long Tianhao was talking, when he suddenly realized that Lin Mengya had disappeared.

He forced himself to get up and leave the room to look for her. Unfortunately, she was nowhere to be found.

"Where's Princess Yu?"

Everyone shook their heads. Just a moment ago, they had seen her going around and helping to bandage the wounds, yet in the blink of an eye, she was gone.

"We believe she has gone out to check on the soldiers there. That must be the case. She is such a kind soul."

The soldiers who had been attended to by Lin Mengya were filled with gratitude for her kindness.

The soldiers perked up when they smelled the strong aroma of the pot of meat, which also lured Snow and the baby tiger out of the room.

"Whose little white kitten and puppy are these? They look so adorable!"

The two little animals had been starving for an entire day. In fact, they had only drunk some water earlier.

Their animal instinct had made them emerge from the room to check out the smell.

"Go back! You can't be running around all over the place when your master's away."

Baizhi and Baiji, who had returned after sending Lin Mengya on her way into the hills, dashed forward to pick up Snow and the baby tiger respectively.

They were two very intelligent creatures. Apart from Lin Mengya, they were most familiar with her four maidservants. Once they were in their arms, they stayed quiet submissively.

"Where's Princess Yu? Where has she gone?"

Long Tianhao asked with a frown.

Lin Mengya had always been very protective over her four maidservants. She had almost never let them leave her side. He believed there should not be a big problem.

They felt a sudden sense of guilt in their hearts when Prince Yu inquired about Lin Mengya.

Baizhi, who was the most quick-witted one, put Snow into Baizhi's arms as she spoke.

"Master is checking out the situation outside. Baizhi, please bring these two cuties back into the room while I go to the kitchen to prepare some food for the men."

Baiji's reply reassured Long Tianhao and calmed his nerves for the time being.

Both Long Qinghan and Hu Tianbei had fallen asleep. Although Long Tianhao was feeling bouts of fatigue, he could not make his heart be at ease.

The aroma of food was the best way to warm people's hearts.

Lin Mengya had cleverly given instructions for the pheasants and wild rabbits to be minced and boiled in the soup.

The moment the wounded soldiers ingested some of the meat congee, their hearts warmed up and they felt rejuvenated.

Snow and the baby tiger were given a bowl of the congee each. They obviously savored it as Long Tianhao stretched out his hand to pat their furry heads.

"Prince Yu, it's getting late. You should retire for the day."

Lin Mengya had instructed the two maids to make sure Long Tianhao got some proper sleep.

However, as long as Lin Mengya was not back, Long Tianhao could not stop worrying about her. The bouts of fatigue came to him in waves. Nevertheless, he forced himself to stay awake and refused to succumb to sleep.

"I was under the impression that there was still some supply of meat in the temporary imperial residence. How come there are only bits of meat in this congee?"

The two maidservants exchanged looks upon hearing Long Tianhao's question. In the end, Baizhi opened her mouth to speak in a whisper.

"There is indeed lots of fresh meat, vegetables, and fruit in the temporary imperial residence. However, most of them have been taken away by the Crown Prince's men."

Ever since the soldiers had arrived, the Crown Prince had not even come out of his room to check on them.

Needless to say, he had not shown any appreciation or offered any comforting words to them. What was even worse, he had taken the entire supply of meat and vegetables for his own consumption.

Once, years ago, when their ancestors had been fighting on the battlefield, they had been surrounded by their enemies and remained trapped for three days and three nights. During this time, the soldiers had neither eaten nor drunk. The great ancestor had ordered them to kill their war horses.

Although the Crown Prince was half a Long, he had not learned about this piece of history.

"When the day breaks tomorrow, we will set out from here. Once we are back in the capital city, we'll be out of danger."

Since the attack from the killers of the Peach Blossom Dock had been abrupt and ferocious, the situation earlier had indeed been precarious.

Fortunately, military aid had arrived at the last minute and put a stop to the enemy's advancement.

However, both parties had suffered casualties. In fact, more than half of the killers of the Peach Blossom Dock had lost their lives.

Why would a secret society be trying so hard to annihilate them at all costs?

The truth had been obscured by layers of fog. To discover it, it was necessary to make an extra effort to pry and look for leads.

The aroma rising from the food brought a warmth that refreshed the mind of the soldiers.

Lin Mengya had quietly made the necessary arrangements for everyone, so her beautiful image had left a deep impression in most of their minds.

To them, Prince Yu had valiantly killed their enemies, while Princess Yu had done her best to care for those among them who were wounded.

This was why more and more of them were sincerely grateful for these two.

Almost two hours passed before Lin Mengya, who was carrying a bamboo basket on her back, appeared in the courtyard of the temporary imperial residence once again.

Her spectacular dress was dotted with mud prints.

The delicately-embroidered shoes on her feet had also turned the color of dust.

Her silky smooth hair now looked like a bird's nest sitting on her head. Nevertheless, the smile in her eyes was as brilliant as the most beautiful star ever.

The outcome had been wonderful. She had been pleasantly surprised to find that Mount Lingju was home to such a rich diversity of herbs.

Lin Mengya's eyes were full of sparkles as she looked at the full basket of herbs she had collected. Perhaps it was because this place was in the vicinity of the royal hunting ground, but the fauna and flora there had been carefully preserved.

"You're back finally, Master! I was so worried!"

Baizhi dashed out of the house immediately upon her return and unloaded the bamboo basket on Lin Mengya's back.

"It's alright. Didn't you know that Baisu and Baishao would do their best to protect me? Look at the wild fruit I brought back for you. Have a taste and see if you like it!"

As she spoke, Lin Mengya dug her hand into the basket, took out a few red wild fruits and stuffed them into Baizhi's hands.

Instantly, the little lass's worried expression was replaced by a sweet smile. She brought one fruit to her mouth and took a bite.

However, her countenance changed the moment she bit into the fruit and her face scrunched up like a dumpling.

"My dear Master, is this some kind of pickled fruit? Why is it so sour?"

Tears rolled down Baizhi's cheeks as she held on to them.

Although this fruit looked delicious on the outside, it was in fact extremely sour.

"Haha! It's called Hundred-Seed Fruit. It's delicious if you steam it with sugar!"

An experienced soldier around them cried out.

Perhaps it was because Baizhi was petite, but everyone found her adorable. Soon, laughter echoed throughout the courtyard.

"I see! I will steam it right now!"

Once they broached the subject of food, Baizhi beamed with excitement. She carried the fruits in her arms and ran into the kitchen.

Lin Mengya shook her head as she looked at the lass who had just run off. Then, she turned around and started sorting out the herbs.

Upon seeing how she carefully laid out the medicinal herbs onto a clean piece of cloth, some physicians got down to help her arrange the herbs.

Among them were herbs for hemostasis and pain killers. Although there were not many of them, they were sufficient for now.

"My dear Master, you walked so fast!"

Baishao and Baisu, along with a few guards following them, finally arrived.

Each of them was carrying a basket of herbs that Lin Mengya had instructed some men to pick.

However, the herbs were mixed with some useless weeds. It took the physicians and Lin Mengya a long time to sort them out according to their uses.

"Baiji, let's blend this hemostasis into pulp and juice. Baishao and Baisu, please assist the physicians in distributing the herbs to the wounded."

Subconsciously, Lin Mengya had become the focus of the entire courtyard. It seemed that everyone was taking orders from her now.

Although she no longer looked fresh and beautiful, as her gorgeous adornments had been replaced by mud and fallen leaves, she remained the most beautiful woman in their hearts.

"Hang on, it's going to hurt a little."

Lin Mengya applied the medicinal herb onto the wounded soldiers, whose soot-black faces started blushing when they were gently taken care of by the beautiful gentle princess.

Fortunately, the sky was dark, so no one could see them blushing.

"All done. After returning to the capital city tomorrow, please remember to come back to change the dressing of your wounds every three days. Make sure the wounds do not come into contact with water. Avoid having spicy food and do not use the injured arm to carry heavy things. Do you understand?"

Lin Mengya carefully instructed them as she realized that they were not equipped with even the most basic medical knowledge.

Without the proper knowledge, their wounds would get seriously infected.

She repeated the same set of instructions for each wounded soldier.

As each man nodded stiffly in response, touched silently in their heart, they felt a sweet, warm feeling inside them.

Princess Yu was such a kind, attentive and mindful person. Prince Yu was truly a blessed man.

Soon, all the soldiers had their wound dressing changed. For the time being, Lin Mengya picked up the bamboo baskets and went out with the physicians to continue sorting the rest of the herbs.

Coincidentally, General Zhu had returned with more of the much-needed medicinal herbs.

Lin Mengya gave instructions, decocted medicinal herbs and distributed the herbs. She toiled the entire night before the sky soon began to light up gradually.

"Master, there you are. All done."

Baizhi spoke as she started yawning. The four lasses had labored alongside Lin Mengya the entire night after all.