Chapter 9 I’ll Save You—You Must Live

Chapter 9: I'll Save You. You Have to Live.

Ji Yuntang believed that, apart from medication and surgery, a good mindset was also key to recovery.

She stood up. "Your Highness, I, Ji Yuntang, have never believed in fate. The phrase 'leave it to fate' is too hypocritical. I prefer 'what goes around comes around'—with a vengeance."

"Although I don't know exactly what happened to you, I imagine there are many things you haven't done, a blood feud you haven't avenged. Are you really willing to die like this?"

"Those who harmed you are still alive. Why should you give up your life prematurely? Hardship isn't scary; what's scary is not daring to face it. For a real man, is living so hard? Is death so fearsome? Now, someone can save you, and you can still breathe. Why aren't you willing to try? Could the outcome be any worse than your current situation? What if I really do cure you?"

At this point, Ji Yuntang's gaze gradually turned cold. She paused for a moment and gave a self-mocking tug at the corner of her lips.

"Prince Ye, I'll be honest with you. The Marquis Yongning's household didn't just marry me off to you for a 'joyous wedding' to ward off misfortune; they also want me to be buried with you. If you die, I won't live either."

"I finally managed to escape that abusive foster couple in the countryside, and I finally got away from those shameless relatives. I'm only fifteen. My life has just begun. I don't want to die yet, and I certainly don't want to lose my life because of a man who's determined to die."

"Of course, I'm not saying all this to make Prince Ye consider things from my perspective. I just want to tell you that no matter what, I won't give up on you. I'll use everything I've learned in medicine to treat you. If you're unwilling to cooperate, that's fine too. I'll tie you up and give you acupuncture and force-feed you medicine."

"I've seen plenty of disobedient patients. I, Ji Yuntang, guarantee I'll do as I say."

The young woman's tone wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable force. Her words sent a shock through Luo Junhe.

He had been bedridden for three years, and no one had ever told him they wouldn't give up on him.

His father, his mother, and his own sister—they were all eager for him to die.

Luo Junhe opened his mouth slightly, a bitter smile on his lips. "If I live, I'll only be a burden to you..."

"You're only a burden if you die. If you live, at least I get to keep my life, right?"

In her previous life, Ji Yuntang didn't chase celebrities; she only idolized heroes.

In her heart, Luo Junhe was a great hero. Someone who fought for the country and its people shouldn't end up like this.

Moreover, he was only twenty-two now. In modern times, that's just the age of a recent university graduate. He still had so many years ahead of him to enjoy. Dying like this would be such a pity.

Luo Junhe's heart ached. It wasn't that he didn't want to live; it was that he simply couldn't.

Over these three years, Luo Sinian had invited no fewer than a hundred physicians for him. Yet, after each examination, every one of them would shake their heads with worried expressions, telling the Prince Ye's household to prepare for his funeral.

The reason he still clung to a breath of life was that he couldn't rest easy about the 200,000 soldiers of the Longyue Army, and he felt guilty towards Anqi and Long Yin, the two brothers who had served him since childhood—all those who had fought and faced death alongside him.

But now, some of them were hanging by a thread on the battlefield, while others were still suffering in cold, dark prisons.

Just then, Qiao Ye's voice came from outside the door. "Princess, His Highness's lunch is ready. Shall we serve it now?"

"Bring it in."

When the meal was brought in, seeing what was on the tray, Ji Yuntang nearly wanted to smash the bowl.

"I told you to instruct the kitchen to cook porridge for His Highness. Is this the spinach and carrot porridge the kitchen made?"

In a palm-sized bowl, there was mostly clear broth with hardly any rice grains visible. Floating on top were a few cabbage leaves and fingernail-sized pieces of lotus root. It was as perfunctory as could be.

This stuff—forget about feeding it to a patient like Luo Junhe—even pigs would probably turn their noses up at it.

Seeing the displeasure on Ji Yuntang's face, Qiao Ye's heart seized with fear. She knelt on the ground. "Princess, please calm your anger. It's just that His Highness is used to a light diet. He usually throws up whatever he eats, or it just runs right through him. The kitchen has gotten in the habit of making things easily digestible for His Highness."

Of course, she didn't dare tell Ji Yuntang that this was specifically ordered by Liu Linlang and that it even contained laxatives.

If Ji Yuntang fed this to Luo Junhe and his condition worsened, she would surely face death.

But if she didn't feed it to Luo Junhe and the prince starved or had problems, she would also be in deep trouble.

Fuming with anger, Ji Yuntang shooed Qiao Ye out.

"Pieces of lotus root this big, and you call that easily digestible? Take it back and have them remake it. If they don't do it properly, I'll go over there myself and show them how it's done."

Hearing the young woman's fierce tone, even though he couldn't see Ji Yuntang's face, Luo Junhe could imagine her feisty, claws-out appearance at that moment.

He felt a bit dazed and also felt like laughing.

How long had it been since he had seen someone willing to step forward and defend him?

Luo Junhe was well aware of the situation in the Prince Ye's household. Kick a man when he's down. The servants no longer regarded him as their master, completely forgetting the kindness he had shown by taking them in initially.

Only when Luo Sinian visited would they put on a superficial show of respect.

Once Luo Sinian left, they would immediately revert to their old ways.

He knew he couldn't change the current state of affairs. Over time, Luo Junhe had become indifferent to what he ate, wore, or where he lived.

He couldn't see, and his body was deteriorating day by day. Now, Ji Yuntang's appearance was like a ray of light breaking into his pitch-dark world.

In a place where no one could see, Luo Junhe genuinely curved the corners of his lips, feeling somewhat moved.

Perhaps Heaven hadn't been entirely unkind to him.

After Qiao Ye left, Ji Yuntang went to the small kitchen in her space. On the gas stove there, a pot of millet and pumpkin porridge had long been simmering, still bubbling away.

On the adjacent induction cooker, there was also a portion of golden steamed egg custard and a plate of small steamed buns.

Fortunately, she knew the servants in the Prince Ye's household were disloyal and had made preparations in advance.

Now that she had her space, Ji Yuntang would absolutely not let Luo Junhe or herself go hungry.

Ji Yuntang ate a plate of small steamed buns and drank a bowl of pumpkin porridge herself. The entire meal took less than five minutes.

Once her stomach was full, she brought the steamed egg custard and millet porridge out of the space.

Luo Junhe only felt a fragrant aroma of food waft to his nose. His stomach couldn't help but rumble twice.

His face flushed slightly, though thankfully his skin's condition hid it. Ji Yuntang, however, chuckled. "Prince Ye, you're hungry, aren't you? I cooked something for you. Let me help you sit up first."

Ji Yuntang took out a soft backrest pillow from her space and placed it behind his waist for support. Then, she carefully helped him sit up.

The millet and pumpkin porridge was still a bit hot, so Ji Yuntang first fed him the steamed egg custard.

Perhaps moved by the young woman's words earlier that day, Luo Junhe was unexpectedly cooperative. He obediently opened his mouth.

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