“In tribute to Heaven and to accept the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor’s decree states: Luo Chu of the general’s residence has been practicing medicine and has helped the commoners in the name of Divine Physician Bai. She shall be rewarded with a promotion to an imperial physician! She is to accompany the army to conquer the Desolate Region. The date of departure shall be fixed at a later date. End of the decree!”

After hearing the orders, Bai Luochu was startled and she only received the decree after several calls by the eunuch.

“This old servant shall return to make my report. Young Lady Luo Chu better prepare sufficient luggage for the trip ahead. After all, the Desolate Region isn’t as rich as our Cloud Water Nation. If you forget to bring anything, no one will be able to help you.” The eunuch responsible for delivering the decree left the confused Bai Luochu standing at the entrance of the general’s residence.

After Bai Luochu entered the courtyard, she put down the imperial decree and prepared to cultivate. Cai Ling was rather curious and picked up the imperial decree.

“Shall be promoted to become an imperial physician... Mistress, this is a great thing! Why didn’t you say anything about it?!” It was obvious that Cai Ling had only read of the first half of the imperial decree before getting excited.

Bai Luochu saw how that Cai Ling was overreacting and she shook her head helplessly. “Why don’t you continue reading before making your verdict?”

Feeling that something wasn’t right, Cai Ling continued reading the imperial decree. When she saw the words ‘conquer the Desolate Region’, her eyes widened in shock, “Desolate Region? His Majesty wants a lady like you to ride into battle with His First Highness? Is there something wrong with His Majesty’s head? He is blatantly scheming against Mistress! Mistress, can you not go? The Desolate Region doesn’t sound like a friendly place.”

Of course Bai Luochu didn’t wish to head over to the Desolate Region. However, if she failed to follow the order, she would be defying the imperial decree. If she wanted to worm her way out of it, she had to produce a legitimate reason to convince the old emperor to allow her to stay. She would also need to bring out sufficient benefits to tempt him.

I can’t deal with this decree as I please. It has just been issued and if I find a reason to refuse it, I will be disrespecting the old emperor. If he makes a big deal out of it, things will get troublesome… I guess I’ll think of something tomorrow.

Throwing the matter to the back of her mind, Bai Luochu went back to cultivating and left behind a worried Cai Ling.

...

“Your Majesty, if you pull her into the expedition, aren’t you afraid Divine Physician Bai will refuse the decree?” De Quan was puzzled. After all, this was a serious matter and he didn’t know what the old emperor was thinking. Why would he throw a young lady to the Desolate Region?

A stick of incense was still burning in the censer and the smoke formed a veil over the old emperor’s face. De Quan couldn’t see his expression, but it was clear that the old emperor had a plan. “Do you think that lass from the general’s residence has nothing up her sleeves? She is an incredible individual. If she agrees to take part in the expedition, I will be able to test her limits. If she doesn’t agree to go, she will definitely come over to offer me some benefits in exchange. No matter what, I won’t be on the losing end, right?”

De Quan responded quickly by praising the old emperor, “Your Majesty is wise.”

In De Quan’s heart, he cursed, 

The old emperor is getting better and better at scheming. If I can’t keep up, I’ll probably turn into a corpse soon.

On the other side, Pei Qingfeng and Pei Rumo were in an endless dispute in the First Prince’s residence.

“Why did you spout so much bullshit in the imperial court? No one ever came out of the Desolate Region alive! If something happens to Luo Chu, how are you going to take responsibility for your actions?” Pei Qingfeng raged.

Pei Rumo wasn’t going to allow Pei Qingfeng to do all the talking, “You have disrespected His Majesty in front of all the civil and military officials! If I were the emperor, I would’ve thrown you out! If I wasn’t there to stop you, you would have completely offended Emperor Father.”

“So be it. I don’t wish to sit on the throne and he can’t do anything about it. He has already done so many bad things! He should be the one afraid of criticism!” Seeing that the old emperor placed Bai Luochu in danger, Pei Qingfeng no longer cared about manners and he shot his mouth off.

When Pei Qingfeng faced Pei Qingfeng who was bordering on irrational, he reprimanded, “I’m trying to hold myself back, but can’t you think about your actions? You’re turning into a brainless idiot when it comes to anything involving Luo Chu! In the end, you’re acting like a lunatic because you want to accompany her there as well, right?!”

Pei Qingfeng muttered, “Yes....”

Pei Rumo’s head was about to explode. “Can’t you just trust me for once? I don’t care what you think of me! Sinister, scheming or despicable… You can think whatever you want. As for Luo Chu, I will never allow her to be harmed. Even if I have to use my life to protect her, I will ensure her safety! Can you calm down now?!”

Pei Qingfeng slowly raised his head and asked, “Are you telling the truth? Are you sure you will risk your life to protect Luoluo?”

Pei Rumo wasn’t happy with how Pei Qingfeng had been addressing Bai Luochu but he nodded anyway. “Absolutely. Right now, you need to look for the flexible hedgehog armor in your treasury and pass it to Luo Chu. That can serve as the last line of defense in case I am unable to get to her in time.”

Pei Qingfeng nodded and felt that this statement was the most useful one Pei Rumo uttered the entire day. He quickly made his way back to the Second Prince’s residence in order to look for the armor.

Pei Rumo thought everything through and Pei Qingfeng was acting like a cat on a hot tin roof. The final party, Lu Wenshu, finally showed up in the First Prince’s residence after receiving the news.

“Young Master Lu sure is free today...” Pei Rumo felt drained. First, he had to deal with the emperor, then, he had to deal with Pei Qingfeng. Right now, Lu Wenshu appeared. This was the liveliest his First Prince’s residence had been in a long time.

Lu Wenshu didn’t exchange any conventional greetings and immediately got to the point. “I am here today to discuss a deal with Your First Highness.”

Pei Rumo frowned as he didn’t know what Lu Wenshu was up to this time.