Chapter 119

The backyard of the county government office.

Qu Dubian poured Ye Xiaoyuan a glass of water and asked him to take a break.

Two imperial doctors were taking Concubine Xuan's pulse.

Doctor Yang said, "A doctor must have tried to save her before, but he only tried to keep her stable, and didn't give her acupuncture to revive her."

Qu Watanabe: "Yes, how can Empress Xuan wake up?"

Doctor Yang: "Acupuncture to dissolve blood stasis requires medication," he pondered, "It's not a big problem, but it's best to go to the county government, where there are more complete varieties of medicinal materials."

After four or five days, people coming from the capital will go directly to the county government, which will make it more convenient to contact Concubine Xuan.

The medicinal herbs Xue Letian brought were mostly for treating abrasions and preventing diseases. Some of the herbs that Concubine Xuan needed were not available here. It would be better to go to the county government, where the damage was the least severe and Concubine Xuan could get better care.

Qu Watanabe: "I'll listen to you. When will Empress Xuan wake up?"

Doctor Qiu: "After acupuncture, take some medicine and it will be fine in two days."

Upon hearing this, Qu Dubian felt relieved.

He trusted the medical skills of these two people. If he was not absolutely sure, he would not speak so confidently.

He took a half step back and bowed, saying, "I knocked you two out and brought you here because I was in such a hurry. I hope you two doctors will forgive me."

Doctor Yang quickly dodged and waved his hand: "No, no. Your Highness, please get up quickly."

He said with a bit of worry and a bit of sigh, "Reading thousands of miles of books and traveling thousands of miles, practicing medicine and treating patients, no matter how hard it is."

"But, Your Highness, you are not sick?" Doctor Yang looked at Qu Watanabe and said in surprise, "I thought you were the first person who came here to need treatment."

Qu Watanabe: “…”

Concubine Xuan was in a coma, Sixth Brother was incompetent, and the Magistrate of Hua County was still busy managing the zoning of the people according to the disaster management rules. He was the only one left who could take charge, so how could he dare to get sick at this critical moment?

He stroked his chin and said nonsense: "Maybe it's the climate and soil here that nourish people."

Doctor Yang was still a little worried. His medicine box was the one he had prepared before he was knocked unconscious at the prince's residence. It contained some of Qu Watanabe's most commonly used medicines.

Better get prepared.

-

The other side.

Yu Ruo had just returned from the resettlement site for the people of Nanning, and his expression was silent.

Gu Xin also remained silent.

Although they were mentally prepared that the people of Nanning would not receive very good care from the Great Zhou, it was still hard to bear seeing with their own eyes the scene of more than a hundred people crammed under two straw huts, starving and half-naked.

Magistrate Hua only gave them a pot and told them to scoop some water from the river, boil it and drink the water from the pot, which would help them survive for several more days.

Hungry? Sorry, the people of our Great Zhou don't have enough food. If you are hungry, find a way yourself.

They went to the resettlement site in the morning and it was dark when they came back.

It’s not that the people of Nanning were too troublesome, but they helped bury two bodies of people who died of starvation and helped fish out two Nanning citizens from the river.

Yu Ruo was soaked all over and his clothes were covered with mud.

"How long will it take to write a letter from here and send it to Father?"

Gu Xin: "I will leave overnight and deliver it to Xinzhuang on the border. Your Majesty will receive it tomorrow."

Yu Ruo: "Okay."

As they were talking, they entered the disaster-stricken area that had been re-demarcated by the county government.

After a day of adjustment, the disaster-stricken area is now much more regulated than when they left in the morning. Patrol guards are coming and going to prevent unrest.

There were also officials distributing clothes and servants in wealthy families.

The newly rescued wounded were carried on stretchers by the young and middle-aged men among the people and sent to the injury area.

Several doctors were running around there, boiling the medicinal soup - the medicinal materials were still limited, and one portion of the medicine had to be boiled several times, but it was already very good.

Some people were burning mugwort everywhere. The smoke was choking, but not too bad.

The scent of mugwort dispelled the unpleasant stench, and the chaotic and muddy disaster-stricken areas followed the same set of rules and operated in an orderly manner.

Gu Xin: “Your Highness, this…” He had never seen such a well-organized disaster area.

And how long has it been?

Just one day! The efficiency is amazing.

Yu Ruo was already squatting outside a straw hut, and asked, "Excuse me, sir, I remember that the disaster area was not divided like this in the morning. Who ordered this?"

The old man who was drinking hot water looked up and said, "I heard from the county magistrate that it was a disaster relief expert named 'Bian Dou' who gave the order. We are ordinary people and don't know anything about it. But if we do as they say, we can eat thick porridge, which is a good thing. It's a good thing, so let's do it."

A master named Lentil?

"Did the master come here suddenly?"

The old man thought for a moment and said, "It seems so. Anyway, I haven't heard of it before."

Yu Ruo thanked him, walked around the disaster area attentively, observed carefully, and finally stood in front of the county government office.

"I've seen disaster relief methods before, but this is the first time I've seen a systematic one."

"Into a system?"

"Well," Yu Ruo said, "Look, the wealthy families who had never shown up before have also started to distribute porridge. This all happened within one day. It's probably the work of the same person."

Gu Xin didn't quite understand what he heard, but he looked at his own prince with a serious expression.

After entering the county government office, Yu Ruo asked around to find out when strangers came to the government office. However, he only found out that apart from Ye Xiaoyuan and his group who came at night, there were no other strangers.

Yu Ruo: "Forget it, I'll go write the letter first."

He returned to his room and wrote an urgent letter, asking his father to transfer grain from the border town to Xianghe River as soon as possible, and negotiate with the Emperor of Da Zhou to gather the people of Nanning in one place and send them back to Nanning as soon as possible.

After finishing writing, Gu Xin went out overnight to deliver the letter, but Yu Ruo went to Qu Dubian's yard.

Qu Watanabe was drying his hair in the yard.

Ye Xiaoyuan took a break and cleaned himself up. He couldn't bear to see his prince covered in dust, so he didn't bother anyone else. He went to boil some water and helped Qu Dubian change his clothes, wash his hair and body.

He had changed his clothes and was sitting on the stone bench outside in a thin white lining, his hair half-dried.

He looked up at Yu Ruo: "What are you doing here?"

Yu Ruo pursed her lips: "I want to ask you for help."

Qu Watanabe said lazily: "No help."

Yu Ruo: "Please."

"Um?"

It seemed like this was the first time that Qu Duanbian heard the word "ask" from Yu Ruo's mouth. Usually this guy always came to pull his little sheepskin, and his words were full of temptations, which made him very annoying.

Yu Ruo: "I have already sent a letter back to Nanning, but it will take time for the food to arrive. I would like to ask you to talk to the county magistrate and give some food to the people of Nanning."

It’s not that there are no Nanning people who want to blend in with the people of Da Zhou, but their accents are different, and they will be exposed as soon as they open their mouths. They will either be expelled or beaten, and can only be concentrated elsewhere.

Qu Dubian: "Hua County Magistrate is an official. He gave food to the people of Nanning without orders from above. If someone with ulterior motives reports it, he might lose his official hat."

Yu Ruo walked up to him and said, "As long as there is food, I will not involve Magistrate Hua. Half a bag will be enough."

Qu Dubian stopped wiping his hair and asked curiously, "What's in it for me if I agree to help you? What can you do for me?"

Yu Ruo glanced at the cotton handkerchief in his hand, gently pulled it over, held it in her own hand, rolled up her sleeves, and started to serve: "You take a rest, I'll do it."

After drying his hair, he went back into the house and brought over a glass of water.

While Qu Du was drinking water, I massaged his shoulders and legs.

Qu Dubian slowly let out a sigh of relief. This abominable guy always picked on him and made him feel insecure.

He enjoyed the attentive service of Prince Nanning and felt that Yu Ruo's skills were unexpectedly good. "You didn't really learn it before, did you?"

Yu Ruo: "When I was little, I was always treated as a servant. If I didn't do a good job of pinching shoulders and beating legs, I would be beaten. I've been practicing this for a long time."

Qu Dubian raised his eyebrows: "When you are no longer a prince, you can open a shop. If you have skills, you will not starve to death."

"I'm playing the victim, didn't you hear that?" Yu Ruo smiled, "Sometimes I really think you're ridiculously soft-hearted, and sometimes I think you're terribly hard-hearted."

Qu Duanbian rolled his eyes silently.

Who doesn't know how to play the victim? He was the ancestor eight hundred years ago.

Qu Watanabe: "Find out where you are, you are from Nanning."

As he spoke, he looked at Yu Ruo's expression.

I really don't see any sign of difficulty.

He is able to bow down to the people. If Yu Ruo returns to Nanning in the future and has the right to speak, Nanning may become a greater threat to the Great Zhou.

Qu Dubian estimated that the time was about right, and raised his hand, "Okay, you go back, I should go to bed."

Yu Ruo paused and stopped massaging.

"What about food...?"

Yi Twelve came back from outside, glanced at Yu Ruo, and said to Qu Dubian: "Your Highness, the food has been delivered."

Qu Watanabe: “Yeah.”

He stood up, patted his clothes, and said to Yu Ruo: "Remember, the food was not given by us. It was Boss Xue who accidentally dropped a bag while transporting it, and it was picked up by the people of Nanning."

Yu Ruo was stunned for a moment: "You have already asked someone to send it off?"

Qu Watanabe: "I don't like you, but the people are innocent, and who knows, they may become citizens of our Great Zhou in the future. It's reasonable for me to help the people of Great Zhou in advance."

Yu Ruo: "I owe you a favor."

Qu Watanabe: "I'll consider it as repayment for the massage you just gave me."

After saying that, he prepared to go back to his room.

Yu Ruo stood still: "Thank you."

[Yu Ruo's favorability +10

Total Favorability 28】

Qu Du thought as he walked, this guy's way of increasing favorability is normal sometimes.

A smiling voice came from behind: "Master Biandou has the world in his heart. I admire him."

Qu Watanabe: “…”

Dog stuff.

He gritted his teeth secretly and turned around: "Where is the Lentil Monk here?"

Yu Ruo shrugged, "I don't know, I'm just saying it casually."

He is Lan Ting Jiaoyue, a type of gentleman that many girls like. He is the type of gentleman who is modest and humble, and he looks good when he smiles. But in Qu Dubian's eyes, he thinks: This guy exudes a sense of meanness from head to toe.

Qu Dubian picked up a stone, weighed it, and threw it at him.

[Yu Ruo’s favorability +3]

Yu Ruo nimbly avoided the stone, rushed to the outside of the yard in three or two steps, and even closed the door for him considerately: "See you tomorrow."

Bang!

The second stone hit the door hard.

[Yu Ruo's favorability +2

Total Favorability 33】

Qu Watanabe: “…”

He looked at Yi Twelve: "He is really sick, right."

Yi Twelve nodded silently.

-

After Yu Ruo left Qu Dubian's yard, the smile on his face slowly faded.

He looked back.

It cannot be confirmed that Mr. Bian Dou is Qu Dubian, but the series of policies implemented in Le'an County today are definitely related to him.

Just by showing his initial skills, he was able to stabilize Le'an County.

The more he interacted with Qu Watanabe, the stronger his feelings became.

When this person grows up, he will definitely be a strong rival of Nanning.

From an enemy's perspective, Yu Ruo hopes that such a person is either born in Nanning or never sees the light of day. But from the perspective of the people of the world, he hopes that such a person can shine brightly and illuminate the world.

-

Qu Dubian was lying on the bed.

Ye Xiaoyuan went to the next room to rest. He was exhausted from the journey and was busy running around after arriving here. Qu Dubian forced him back into the room and said that he was not tired or sleepy and could fall asleep as soon as he got on the bed.

Qu Duanbian yawned: "Liuliu, you're not off work yet?"

Yi Twelve has been a little abnormal recently. He is usually very active after get off work, but he has been sleeping very late these days and always looking at him.

"Yes... yes, aren't Madam Xuan and Sixth Brother going to the county government tomorrow? You should go with them to see them off. I don't trust others."

"good."

Yi Twelve responded but still didn't leave.

Qu Duanbian asked curiously: "Do you have anything else to say to me?"

Yi Twelve was silent for a few seconds, "Your Highness, I remember you said that as long as I find what I want to do, I can leave at any time, right?"

Qu Dubian understood the meaning of his words and slowly sat up: "Yes."

"You want to leave?"

B12: "Well, I want to leave."

One Qianqian Pill can relieve the symptoms for six hours. Now, there is only one pill left.

He didn't know whether he would be able to come back after finishing his meal tomorrow and sending Concubine Xuan and the Sixth Prince to the county government.

"…It's not that I don't want you to leave, it's just," Qu Watanabe hesitated, "it's a bit… too sudden."

"Liu Liu, can you tell me the reason?"

Yi Twelve calmly stated the reason he had thought of long ago: "I am in the palace, under constant surveillance by the secret guards, and I am not free. In a few days, people from the capital will come to the county government. I don't want to go back to the capital and the palace, and I don't want to contact the officials in the capital anymore."

It was the first time he spoke so much to Qu Watanabe in one breath.

"I want to be like the people in the storybooks I've read, free and unfettered in the world."

Qu Watanabe: "Is that so? Then when are you leaving?"

B12: "Maybe he will leave tomorrow after seeing off Concubine Xuan."

Qu Watanabe: "Tomorrow?"

B12: "It's just a possibility. I want to talk to His Highness first."

His Highness is very perceptive. If he is sure that he will leave tomorrow, His Highness will suspect that he is hiding something. If he says an uncertain time, indicating that he is not in a hurry, His Highness will not suspect it.

The antidote for the three-day drunkenness is in the hands of the royal family and never leaks out.

Even if we tell His Highness and he asks for help, His Majesty and the Secret Guard will not agree.

He was just a secret guard who had lost his identity long ago and was not important in the eyes of those people.

Maybe he has some place in His Highness' heart, but it is not worth His Highness's worry about it.

Therefore, the best solution he could think of was to find an opportunity to say goodbye and leave, so that His Highness would think that he was still living somewhere in the world.

Qu Dubian lowered his head and pulled the quilt.

"I understand. Tell me before you leave and I'll see you off."

"good."

Yi Twelve left and closed the door gently.

Qu Dubian lay back, resting his head on his arms, and stared at the roof with his eyes open.

I tossed and turned, but couldn't fall asleep for half the night.

well.

really.

Although he did not restrict Liuliu's freedom at the beginning, when the day came when Liuliu wanted to part with him, he still couldn't bear to let her go.

Qu Dubian sighed in his heart.

Twelve years.

Liuliu has been with him for twelve years.

He had long been accustomed to his companionship and protection in the dark.

outside the house.

On the roof.

Yi Twelve sat cross-legged on the tiles.

The leaves fell on his shoulders and stayed there. After a while, the wind blew and the leaves fell again.

He sat quietly all night, listening to the little prince's breathing in the room.

-

The second day.

Magistrate Hua prepared a carriage and guards.

They carefully moved Concubine Xuan onto the carriage.

The Sixth Prince: "Xiao Qi, you really won't go to the county government with us?"

Qu Dubian nodded: "You go first, I will be here in two days."

Yu Ruo was waiting for rescue from Nanning, and Uncle Le Tian was still distributing porridge here. It would be better for him to stay here and wait until everything was settled.

The Sixth Prince couldn't wait: "Then let's go first." He didn't want to stay in this damn place at all.

After he got on the carriage, he stuck his head out and said, "Don't worry, Concubine Xuan, I will help keep an eye on you. If the county government treats you badly or neglects you, I will punish them when I return to the capital."

Qu Watanabe smiled and said, "Okay."

He looked at Yishier: "Six Six, please."

B12: "Don't worry."

He took the front seat of the carriage and held the reins.

Doctor Qiu followed them, while Doctor Yang stayed behind.

The two of them had discussed it and decided that it was fine to leave Concubine Xuan to Imperial Physician Qiu, but Imperial Physician Yang was more familiar with the Seventh Prince, so it would be better for him to stay and deal with any emergencies.

Qu Duanbian waved his hand: "Be careful on the road and stay safe."

He returned to the county government office only after he could no longer see the shadow of the carriage.

Doctor Yang walked beside him and said with a smile: "I just went to the injured area to check. I thought the situation would be very serious, but I didn't expect it to be almost dealt with. Monk Biandou's method is very good and has largely avoided the occurrence of epidemics."

"If all counties and districts handle it this way, there will be no need to worry about a major epidemic after the disaster."

Qu Watanabe: “Yes.”

It's always good if fewer people die.

He followed Doctor Yang's words, but he was a little absent-minded, feeling that something was about to happen.

-

Yi Twelve led his team towards the county government.

At noon, the team stopped to rest.

Considering Concubine Xuan's injury, they walked slowly and might arrive in the evening.

Yi Twelve had a layer of sweat on his forehead. He forced himself to walk under the big tree despite his sleepiness, poured out the last Thousand Money Pill, threw it into his mouth and swallowed it.

After a while, the drug took effect and his breathing became stable.

I forced myself to wait until now to eat, I can probably last until midnight.

By then, the matters between Concubine Xuan and the Sixth Prince will surely be settled, and perhaps there will be some time left for him to come back and see His Highness before leaving.

-

Dusk.

Yu Ruo's letter was delivered to the Emperor of Nanning.

In addition to his letter, there was also a letter from Emperor Chongzhao written to him.

Without exception, both letters asked him to provide money and food to bring back the people from Nanning who were rushed into the territory of Da Zhou.

Emperor Chongzhao also asked him for compensation. After all, it was their Nanning dike that was destroyed first, which implicated the Great Zhou.

Emperor Nanning snorted coldly: "Yu Ruo, your elbow is bent outward."

The eunuch beside him asked, "Your Majesty, would you like to send some money and food?"

Emperor Nanning said nothing. After walking around the hall, he narrowed his eyes slightly.

There are still many people in the court who support sending grain, but these people don’t know that he was the one who secretly hired someone to blow up the dike in Nanning.

Heavy rains occur frequently, and once the Nanning dam is destroyed, the Xianghe dam in Da Zhou will also be destroyed.

Using two or three thousand insignificant civilians and some fields in Nanning to flood the three counties of Dazhou, how much national strength would Dazhou lose in disaster relief? And how many young and middle-aged laborers would die?

This deal is a sure win.

He still bears a grudge against the last defeat.

He asked, "How is Xianghe County now? Is it in chaos?"

The chief eunuch: "This... has been going on for several days. There was some chaos, but it was quickly suppressed."

Emperor Nanning frowned: "The epidemic hasn't started yet?"

The chief eunuch: "It seems not."

Emperor Nanning thought for a moment and said, "Send the order to send grain to Xianghe County."

It is enough to let the people of Nanning know that he has delivered grain. It doesn’t matter whether the grain bags contain grain.

He waved his hand and whispered in the eunuch's ear: "Throw the sick and dead bodies prepared into the river."

The eunuch's eyes flashed: "Yes."

After the eunuch left, Emperor Nanning sat down at his desk again and wrote a letter. After finishing it, he handed it to the secret guard.

"Send it to the northern border."

-

Night falls.

The guards who went to the county government to escort someone back have returned.

Concubine Xuan and the Sixth Prince were safely delivered. The county magistrate received them personally, and Imperial Physician Qiu was treating Concubine Xuan.

Everything went well, but Qu Watanabe didn't see Yi Twelve.

"Liu Liu hasn't come back yet?"

The guard was stunned: "Is it the adult wearing a mask?"

Qu Watanabe: “Yeah.”

The guard said, "The gentleman rode away on a fast horse. I don't know where he went."

Qu Duanbian was stunned: "Gone?"

Leaving now?

"Did you see which direction he went?"

"No."

Qu Watanabe frowned unconsciously.

Ye Xiaoyuan: "Your Highness, please go back to the house first. It's starting to rain again."

Qu Dubian returned to the house and opened the window. The drizzle outside wet the ground, and the fallen leaves were shining with oily water.

"Banban, is Liuliu really gone?"

Ye Xiaoyuan: "Your Highness told me that Lord Liuliu told you last night that he would leave."

Qu Dubian looked at the simulator.

[Name: Yi Twelve (Yi Sixty-six)

Favorability: 58]

If the distance is not displayed, it means that Liuliu is not within the 300-meter sensing range of the simulator.

He leaned against the window and said, "He left so soon. I don't even know what he looks like."

Ye Xiaoyuan put his palm on his shoulder, "Lord Liuliu has been with you for a long time. Your Highness is just not used to separation."

Qu Watanabe: "I also plan to tell him new and interesting story books after returning to the palace. I recently saw a particularly good one."

Ye Xiaoyuan lowered his head and glanced at his little prince.

The boy was a little dazed and absent-minded. He did not hide his reluctance in front of people close to him, and his emotions were clear at a glance.

Ye Xiaoyuan touched his head.

In his eyes, His Highness is still a child who loves to act like a spoiled brat.

"Master Liuliu will come back."

He accompanied Qu Dubian for dinner and urged him to go to bed.

"Your Highness has lost a lot of weight in the past few days. There are dark circles under your eyes. You haven't had enough rest. You should go to bed early."

Qu Watanabe: “Okay.”

Ye Xiaoyuan saw him close his eyes before he quietly closed the door and left.

Qu Dubian gradually became sleepy, and the moment he was about to fall asleep——

[B12 is 300 meters away from the host]

[B12 is 250 meters away from the host]

[B12 is 100 meters away from the host]

Very fast speed.

Qu Watanabe almost jumped up from the bed, but he didn't open his eyes. He held his breath and remained calm. A little doubt emerged in his heart. Liu Liu was really abnormal.

What exactly is he going to do?

outside the house.

The rain and fog are fine and the smoke is hazy.

Yi Twelve was already soaked by the rain, his face was pale, and water droplets flowed down his chin into his collar.

He landed silently in the yard, calming his violently beating heart.

A few seconds later, he walked to Qu Watanabe's house and opened the door.

He kept his breathing and presence very low. He was born a secret guard and had practiced with Qu Dubian for more than ten years, so his internal strength was stronger than Qu Dubian's.

As long as he is determined to control himself, the sleeping prince will not notice him.

This is indeed the case.

Qu Dubian only heard the sporadic noise of the door opening and a faint smell of dampness, and could not feel anything else.

Yi Twelve half-knelt down in front of the bed, pulled aside the bed curtain, and silently stared at the profile of the young man on the bed.

After a moment, he took off his mask, gently held Qu Watanabe's hand, and lightly rested his forehead on the back of his hand, then withdrew immediately.

[Yi Twelve Favorability +1]

I acknowledge you as my Lord and pledge my loyalty to you till death.

Only the master can make the shadow in the dark take off the mask.

He was about to die, and once he was completely free from the constraints of the Secret Guards, he would be able to recognize his master again.

Although Your Highness did not see it and does not know it.

Yi Shier put on the mask again and left the room. Qu Watanabe slowly opened his eyes and raised his hand hesitantly, his hand was a little wet with rain.

What did Liuliu do just now?

The simulator reported that Yishier was getting farther and farther away from him. Qu Watanabe initially thought it was Liuliu's farewell before leaving, so he took a peek to avoid being sad.

However, the color of Yi Twelve's name on the simulator was changing from black to gray at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Qu Watanabe: “???”

"The name has changed color?"

Simulator: [When a character is on the verge of death, his name will turn gray.]

The next second after the simulator finished speaking, Qu Watanabe rushed out of the room.