Ye Rou secretly curled the corners of her lips and offered some insincere comfort, but it was no different from adding fuel to the fire. "The Marquis is angry, so Madam, please don't take his words to heart."

Although the eldest son and his companions' behavior was inappropriate, they are still children, and their actions are understandable.

Her words of comfort only made Chen's mother feel worse, and she murmured but couldn't utter a word.

After all, because of what happened with Shen Yuzhou, she always felt indebted to Shen Feng.

Qiu Yue couldn't stand it anymore. Their mistress had a good temper, which was why she let Aunt Ye be so arrogant and dared to climb over the mistress's head.

The eldest young lady and the third young master are the same; they don't even know to speak up for their own mother.

But she was just a maid, her voice carried little weight, and she could only watch helplessly as her mistress was bullied by a concubine, which pained her greatly.

"Madam, please don't listen..." Qiu Yue gently comforted her, trying to dissuade her from listening to Aunt Ye's instigation, lest it damage her relationship with the eldest son and the others.

But Mother Shen didn't say a word, and turned away directly. Looking in that direction, it seemed to be Songzhuyuan.

Qiu Yue knew something was wrong and quickly followed.

*

Outside the city.

Shen Feng rode his horse ahead, glancing back every now and then with a wary expression.

Once outside the city, the northerners lurking in the shadows could make a move at any moment, so he had to be careful.

Having traveled a long distance safely, Shen Feng felt a weight lift from his heart, and he loosened his grip on the reins.

But he was clearly too complacent. The next moment, an arrow pierced the air and came straight at him, carrying a terrifying sharpness.

Shen Feng's pupils dilated in shock, and his body swayed to the side. The arrow narrowly missed his heart and pierced his shoulder.

Instantly, a sharp pain struck.

As the man in black leaped out of the bamboo forest, Shen Feng tumbled off his horse, hiding behind his men in terror.

"Hand over the Heavenly Star Grass, and I'll spare your lives." The leader of the men in black stretched out his long sword, pointing to the boxes of herbs beside him, and his deep, hoarse voice slowly rang out.

"No, I can't give you the Heavenly Star Grass." Shen Feng's eyes darted around. Although it was a refusal, his tone wasn't forceful, as if there was still room for negotiation.

Shen Feng had indeed prepared a backup plan long ago. The herbs in the box were not the Heavenly Star Grass that the Northerners wanted, but Frost Star Grass that he had switched out long ago. These people couldn't tell at all.

But he had to maintain appearances, at least to make His Majesty believe that he was truly risking his life to protect these herbs.

*

Liangzhou.

After traveling for nearly a day, Song Zhiyu finally arrived in Liangzhou.

What met the eye was a desolate and tragic scene.

The entire city of Liangzhou was silent. Song Zhiyu walked all the way without seeing a single person.

She was a little puzzled and said to Zhou Xingzhi beside her, "This Liangzhou City is eerily quiet."

Zhou Xingzhi shared the same thought, his lips pressed down, his face expressionless.

Suddenly, a hurried figure rushed over and was about to collide with Song Zhiyu. Zhou Xingzhi's eyes narrowed, and he reacted quickly by grabbing her waist and pulling her into his arms.

With his free hand, he grabbed the back of the person's collar with lightning speed and with great force.

"Please spare my life, sir... I... I didn't mean to, they're coming to arrest me." The man's face was flushed red from being choked by his collar, and he made intermittent pleas for mercy.

"Who's coming to arrest you? Explain yourself." Song Zhiyu steadied herself and gestured to Zhou Xingzhi to release the person; she wanted to get to the bottom of this.

Seeing the imposing presence of Song Zhiyu and Zhou Xingzhi, the man dared not conceal anything. "It was...it was Prefect Li. He insisted that we had all contracted the plague and wanted to confine us to Shijia Village and burn us to death."

"What? What about Lord Pei and General Su? Aren't they going to do anything about it?" Song Zhiyu's pupils shrank, and an ominous premonition suddenly rose in her heart.

"Lord Pei and his entourage were also infected with the plague and were confined to another location by Prefect Li. Shijia Village was the most severely affected. Prefect Li believed that Shijia Village was the source of the plague outbreak and, heeding the words of Physician Ming, ordered the villagers of Shijia Village to be burned alive to prevent other people from contracting the plague."

This corrupt official, for his own selfish gain, actually wanted to sacrifice us. Naturally, we refused and seized an opportunity to escape, but we were still discovered.

The man poured out his heart, his eyes bloodshot when he mentioned Prefect Li, clearly showing how much he hated him.

Song Zhiyu and Zhou Xingzhi exchanged a knowing glance, both sensing that something was amiss.

Prefect Li? The renowned physician Ming?

Song Zhiyu murmured the two names softly, feeling confused and worried about Pei Qingyan and Su Jinyang.

According to the villagers, the eldest and third brothers must have been controlled by Prefect Li, which is why they were unable to stop Prefect Li's crazy act of burning down the village.

"You..." Song Zhiyu's words were interrupted by the approaching footsteps.

"Chase after him! He can't have gone far. Lord Li said that if we don't catch him, we'll all be in deep trouble."

Accompanied by footsteps and shouts, a group of soldiers walked menacingly toward them.

Upon seeing this, the villager's legs went weak as noodles, and he tugged at Song Zhiyu's skirt, pleading, "Sir, they're here! Please save me! I'm not infected with the plague, but they want to take me back and burn me alive!"

Song Zhiyu didn't speak, but stared intently at the soldiers standing in front of her. She wanted to see who these Prefect Li and Doctor Ming were, that they could come up with such a vicious scheme.

And what about my eldest and third brothers? I wonder if they are all well?

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