Empress Duan gently waved her round fan and said, "The Concubine Chen has gone to the temple to practice."

She glanced meaningfully out the window. "But I'm not sure whether the Emperor has let her go."

Xue Qiong rubbed the edge of the teacup thoughtfully. Empress Duan raised the corner of her lips slightly and inserted a peony-shaped golden hairpin into her hair:

"This hairpin is my favorite, so I'm giving it to the princess."

In the tiled courtyard of Hanyu Temple.

Sheng Xiyan was wearing a green dress and sitting in front of the medicine furnace, with the Chinese medicine book in her hand turned to the last page.

Hua Xia paced back and forth anxiously:

"My lady, it's been seven or eight days, and the Emperor hasn't even sent a letter. Could it be that he's truly bewitched by that Wusun Princess?"

"No." Sheng Xiyan stroked her pregnant belly, her eyes firm, "The emperor must be too busy."

Picking up the newly prepared prescription, "These past few days I've been feeling that this prescription will soon come in handy."

At nightfall,

Sheng Xiyan suddenly sat up from the bamboo couch, cold sweat soaking through his shirt.

The dream scene is vivid:

The moat was filled with swollen corpses, babies were crying on the scorched earth, and Xuan Ling's dragon robe stained with black blood fell beside the copper furnace where she prepared medicine.

"Mother!" Jiang Jiang put his arm around her waist in a daze.

Sheng Xiyan stroked her son's sweaty hair and her eyes fell on the "Theory of Plague" spread out on the desk.

I was extremely anxious and wanted to get out of bed desperately.

Ruan Niang was sleeping with me tonight, and when she heard the noise, she quickly got up:

"Xiyan, do you want to get up at night? I'll go with you."

Hua Xia, who was resting on a small couch nearby, quickly got up, took the shoes and put them on Sheng Xiyan with swift movements, and then put a coat on her.

Sheng Xiyan said as she sorted out her clothes:

"I'm not going to the bathroom. I've been thinking about the prescription for curing the plague, and I feel like there are some areas I can think about more carefully. Don't worry about me, just go back to sleep."

Ruan Niang lit two candles, and Hua Xia went to boil some hot water.

"We'll stay with you."

Two days later, in the Yangxin Palace.

Eunuch Fu came in with a letter in his hands.

Xuan Ling just glanced at it and didn't even show any intention of reaching out to take it.

Eunuch Fu couldn't help but advise:

"Your Majesty, this is the sixth letter Madam Sheng has sent in the past half month. Don't you really want to read what's inside..."

Xuan Ling's face was gloomy, and he said coldly: "Take it away, I don't want to see it."

His hand accidentally touched the imperial edict written that night - asking Qi Yan to escort Sheng Xiyan back to the palace.

He stared at it for a moment, and suddenly, as if he had made up his mind, he threw it into the burning gilded charcoal stove.

The imperial edict turned to ashes,

Sheng Xiyan, since you are willing to stay outside the palace, I respect your choice.

I want to see how long you plan to stay before coming back.

Five days later, in the tile courtyard of Hanyu Temple, early morning smoke slowly rose.

Hua Xia and her friends were making breakfast in the kitchen, while Jiang Jiang was playing hoop rolling with the Chow Chow and Pekingese in the yard.

On the porch, Sheng Xiyan was lying in a rocking chair reading a book, with a black cat beside her.

Ruan Niang brought the bird's nest soup over, sat on the stool next to her, and stirred it with a spoon to cool it down.

"I heard from Hua Xia that there hasn't been a letter from the Emperor in the past half month? Xi Yan, the situation in the harem is changing rapidly. Aren't you worried that the Emperor might change his mind?"

Sheng Xiyan seemed to be in deep thought, and suddenly put down the book and said:

"Sister-in-law, when my eldest brother sends someone to deliver the fruits and vegetables, go back to our pharmacy and bring back some medicine."

Ruan Niang agreed, handed her the bird's nest soup, and advised:

"Xi Yan, your mind is full of the epidemic right now. The epidemic is far away in the south, far away from us. You should be concerned about Jun Xin."

Sheng Xiyan ate bird's nest and said confidently, "I believe the emperor will not change his mind."

Mother Sheng was sewing a robe for Jiang Jiang and said with a smile:

"You have such a bad temper. It's a good thing you met a good man. Otherwise, he would have given birth to a child while you are still here!"

Suddenly, several nuns ran into the courtyard, shouting in panic, "Master Juekong, something bad has happened!"

Sheng Xiyan put down the bowl and said, "Come in and talk. What happened?"

"This morning, someone knocked on the temple door. When we opened it, we found many refugees on the roadside..."

"Refugees?"

Sheng Xiyan suddenly stood up from the rocking chair and asked, "Where are these refugees from?"

"The nun said she suspected they came from the south and placed them on the road near the temple. Senior Sister Jingchen has already gone to the city to report this to the government office."

Sheng Xiyan paced back and forth on the porch and made a quick decision:

"Sister-in-law, please hurry back to the city and get some medicine from our pharmacy or other pharmacies I know. I'll give you the prescription and the banknotes."

"Okay, I'll go back now."

Sheng Xiyan walked down the stairs but was stopped by Sheng's mother and Hua Xia.

"Xi Yan, you can't go! You're pregnant! Your father said cholera is very contagious!"

"Don't worry, mother. As long as we take proper precautions, nothing will happen."

Sheng Xiyan ordered Meixiang and others to hurry up and make some masks. She concentrated on finalizing the recipes she had been hesitating about, and finally the opportunity to put them into practice came.

At noon, the sun was high in the sky.

Xuan Ling was wearing court robes and had just returned from the Hall of Supreme Harmony after finishing his government affairs.

At the entrance of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Princess Xueqiong stood gracefully, looking into the distance from time to time.

Seeing the imperial carriage parked in the garden, surprise flashed in his eyes, he went forward and bowed gracefully.

"Xue Qiong pays respect to the Emperor."

Xuan Ling raised his head slightly, his eyes swept over the beauty in front of him like a torch, and he stepped into the palace.

Inside the palace, when changing into the dragon robe, Princess Xueqiong stepped forward to help: "Your Majesty, let Xueqiong help you."

Xuan Ling refused, "The princess is a guest, there is no need to do anything."

Xue Qiong was not discouraged, and her love for this handsome and domineering emperor became stronger.

"Xue Qiong has admired wise and brave men like the emperor since she was a child."

Eunuch Fu said, "Your Majesty, lunch is ready."

Xuan Ling replied, "Prepare the meal."

Xue Qiong hurriedly followed,

"Your Majesty, may Xueqiong have the honor of preparing your meal? Over the past few days, Xueqiong has learned from the palace staff the proper etiquette for serving Your Majesty, and there will be no mistakes."

Those big watery eyes looked at Xuan Ling with anticipation.

Xuan Ling sat at the dining table, his deep eyes seemed to be lost in thought.

Xue Qiong rolled up her sleeves, revealing her snow-white wrists. The small bells she wore made clear and pleasant sounds as she moved.

She vividly told many interesting stories about the Wusun Kingdom.

Through her vivid descriptions, strange stories and local customs become vivid, making people feel as if they are there.

Emperor Xuanwu couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth slightly, and a smile that hadn't been shown for many days appeared between his eyebrows.

Suddenly, there was a loud noise outside the hall.

The palace maid in front of the emperor looked panicked, knelt on the ground, and said in a trembling voice:

"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! A cholera epidemic has broken out in the capital!"

Xuan Ling's face suddenly changed, and the jade chopsticks in his hand were placed heavily on the table with a bang.

He stood up suddenly and walked towards the outer hall as fast as lightning, and shouted, "Quickly summon the adults to the palace to see the emperor!"