With half a volume of medical texts and the scent of herbs drifting through the air, Xu Yining grew up among medicine burners and case records as the only daughter of the Imperial Medical Director. She saw suffering everywhere, yet could not understand the injustice of the world. Rumors ran rampant through the streets, all claiming that Nan Heng, who guarded the border, was a bloodthirsty butcher and a scourge throwing the court into chaos. But with a physician’s eye, able to see through appearances, she discerned the truth behind the rumors: the general guarded the nation’s borders and protected its people. The armor he wore in the windblown sands was stained with blood, but it also bore witness to his devotion. Even more baffling was the man himself. Though he cared for the common people and bore the burden of keeping the vast realm secure, he insisted on playing the part of an arrogant, unruly man with ambitious designs, letting the slander cling to him without offering a word in his defense.
Xu Yining knew nothing of court intrigue or the dark schemes of the human heart. She was simply a physician. To her, the world’s troubles came down to two things: healing people and healing hearts. That was enough.
Go go go!