250. It seems there's really no other way.

Huaqu City.

The Prince of Zhennan was sitting at the table, looking at the roasted meat in front of him, but he had no appetite.

Sun Weicai stood to the side and whispered, "Your Highness, Xie Wenling has sent someone to say that medicinal herbs are in short supply and he wants you to allocate resources as soon as possible."

The Prince of Zhennan frowned and put down his chopsticks.

Sun Weicai leaned closer: "Your Highness, this is a perfect opportunity. The heavy snow has blocked the roads, preventing him from sending messages to the imperial court."

"Xie Wenling is seriously ill and short of manpower. If we deal with the people he sent, we can both put an end to his thoughts and increase his psychological pressure."

"When he can't hold on any longer, it will all be over."

The Prince of Zhennan's heart skipped a beat, but he still hesitated: "What if the court investigates after we kill his men?"

Sun Weicai was confident of victory: "Your Highness, rest assured, it's perfectly normal for people to go missing in the snow in this heavy snow."

“Let’s just say that the person he sent got lost and was buried by the snow. Who can trace it back to us?”

"Besides, even if we find out, if Xie Wenling is dead, no one can testify against us."

Upon hearing this, the Prince of Zhennan also thought it was a good idea: "Alright, let's do it your way. Drag the person out into the snow and deal with them properly."

Meanwhile, Wei Changshan, completely unaware of the situation, was still waiting outside for news.

After waiting for a while, he became impatient and went forward to try and find out more information.

Just as he was about to speak, two strong soldiers suddenly grabbed his arms from behind.

He was caught off guard, and the men he brought with him were also captured.

"What do you want to do?" Wei Changshan was both shocked and furious. He struggled to resist, but the soldiers held him down tightly, binding his hands and feet, making him unable to move.

Before he could understand what was happening, he was dragged out of the mansion by soldiers.

The soldiers dragged them to a secluded snow slope, where he saw a large pit not far away and realized what was happening.

Immediately afterwards, they were all pushed inside.

"Let me go! I am a man sent by Lord Xie. If you dare to touch me, Lord Xie will not let you off!" Wei Changshan shouted loudly, but a soldier stepped on his chest.

"Xie Wenling? He can barely take care of himself, yet he wants to help others?" the soldier sneered.

The remaining soldiers shoveled snow into the pit.

Wei Changshan and the others struggled desperately, but were unable to break free because their hands and feet were bound.

The cold snow piled up layer by layer, making it increasingly difficult for him to breathe, and his vision gradually darkened...

-

Xie Wenling waited all day, but Wei Changshan did not return.

His heart gradually grew cold.

The Prince of Zhennan truly intended to stand by and watch his men die, and may have even already taken action against the men he sent.

He just didn't know whether Wei Changshan and the others had been killed or imprisoned.

If it's the latter, then there's still room for maneuver.

If it's the former, it means that the Prince of Zhennan's real target is him.

"Lord Xie, don't worry. Perhaps Wei Changshan is just trapped by the heavy snow. He'll be back in a few days," a servant comforted him.

But everyone knows that this is just self-deception.

Xie Wenling lowered his eyes, pondering a solution.

His first reaction was to take out the secret letter he had intercepted some time ago and use it to threaten the Prince of Zhennan.

These letters, clearly indicating a rebellion, will surely succeed in threatening the Prince of Zhennan.

But……

He quickly shook his head.

He's really delirious from his illness.

If the Prince of Zhennan had known that he possessed such deadly evidence, he might have only wanted to force him to his death previously.

Then he would want to send someone to kill him.

At that time, not only will the Prince of Zhennan not comply, but he will also lose the evidence in his hands and die here.

To silence him, none of the people he brought with him survived.

Without them, the plague in Qiuhe City would be out of control, and the people in the city would be in grave danger.

Now, it seems there's really no other way.

They can only rely on themselves.

Xie Wenling said, "There's no need to wait. The Prince of Zhennan won't help us."

"We can't rely on him; we have to find our own way."

"Let the doctor take another look at the prescription from Princess Fukang and see if there are any substitute herbs. Even if the effect is not as good, it is better than nothing."

The group accepted the order and left.

However, not long after, Shenyang Nong rushed into the medical tent: "Lord Xie, something terrible has happened! We've tried it, and the prescription from the County Magistrate of Fukang works for patients with mild symptoms, but it had almost no effect on several severely ill patients just now!"

Xie Wenling looked up in surprise, then stood up while holding onto the cabinet.

He always believed that with the little dumpling's recipe, the plague could be controlled...

But now, they are still helpless when faced with critically ill patients.

"...Is there really no other way?" For the first time, he felt a sense of despair. The exhaustion and setbacks of the past few days had almost brought him to his breaking point.

Footsteps sounded again outside the tent, and the magistrate of Qiuhe County entered with several minor officials.

Upon seeing Xie Wenling's appearance, he knew the situation was dire, but he still forced a smile: "Lord Xie, are you feeling better? We came to ask if we should wait a little longer regarding Qingxue's matter. It's too cold now, and if someone gets sick, our county government can't afford to take responsibility."

"Wait? If we wait any longer, we'll all die. Are we just going to be trapped in a deserted city and die together?" Xie Wenling wasn't afraid of tough opponents, but he truly despised fools from the bottom of his heart. "If you don't want to help, then leave quickly and don't cause trouble here."

The magistrate's face flushed red from his rebuke, but he still said unwillingly, "Lord Xie, you can't say that. Our county government is doing this for the good of the people. Besides, we don't have enough people to clear the snow. We can't let our constables work on an empty stomach, can we?"

Xie Wenling felt a tightness in his chest from anger: "If we don't have enough manpower, we'll mobilize the people; if we don't have enough grain, we'll take it from the county government's warehouse first!"

"Are you still greedy for those winter rations because you want to take them down with you and your entire clan?"

"If you delay any longer, don't blame me for reporting to the court and impeaching you for dereliction of duty!"

Seeing that Xie Wenling was truly angry, and noticing how ill he was, the magistrate finally dared not utter another word and hurriedly led his clerks away.

Watching their retreating figures, Xie Wenling leaned against the table and coughed violently, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Shenyang Nong quickly helped him up: "Lord Xie, don't get angry with them. Your health is the most important thing! You're already ill, getting angry with them will only hurt you. Right now, the most important thing is to recover your spirits. The people of Qiuhe City are waiting for you to take charge."

Xie Wenling leaned against the bed railing, the tightness in his chest making even breathing difficult: "I know... but I just can't bear it..."

He thought he was cold-blooded and ruthless.

After all, Qu Zijin was a kind-hearted man, Wei Xiuming was cunning but truly loved the people, and the Beiding Marquis's family were all kind-hearted people.

Needless to say, children like Xiaotuanzi are all kind and good kids.

So much so that he always thought he wasn't a good person.

Until I got here and saw this group of people...

These people, who clearly hold power, only think about shirking responsibility. The lives of ordinary people are less important to them than the profits at hand.

They are cowardly, short-sighted, greedy, and utterly foolish.

He cannot kill them immediately.

Thinking of this, Xie Wenling felt another dull pain in his heart, and he couldn't help but cough, which pulled at his muscles and bones, causing cold sweat to pour from his forehead.

Shenyang Nong quickly handed him warm water, and after he recovered, he said softly, "You should lie down and rest for a while. I'll go heat up the medicine again. After you drink the medicine, get a good night's sleep. Maybe things will turn around tomorrow."

“…Okay.” Xie Wenling nodded and didn’t argue anymore.

If he continues to face these people, he'll really be driven crazy with anger.

He closed his eyes, leaned against the headboard, and a wave of exhaustion washed over him. He soon drifted off to sleep.

Shenyang Nong tiptoed out and saw the county magistrate huddled in the snow not far away with two minor officials. Their ears and noses were red from the cold, but they hadn't left yet.

Upon seeing Shen Yangong emerge, the county magistrate immediately rubbed his hands together and rushed forward with a fawning smile on his face: "Imperial Physician Shen, you're out! May I ask if Lord Xie's anger has subsided? I've been feeling quite anxious, afraid of displeasing Lord Xie and incurring the wrath of the court. Our small county office can't afford to bear that responsibility."

Shenyang Nong felt annoyed by his fearful yet ingratiating expression, but still patiently said, "Lord Xie is already asleep. He is unwell and cannot withstand any more disturbance. If you have nothing else to do, you should go back quickly and not stay here. If you bring the cold air into the tent and worsen Lord Xie's condition, can you bear the consequences?"