Chapter 143 [VIP]

Although Xie Yingchen was sitting and Prince Jin was standing, Prince Jin did not feel superior at all. Instead, he seemed to be stared at by a ferocious beast. Under that gaze, Prince Jin even forgot to wipe the tea from his hair.

Before long, the tea had soaked his clothes.

It wasn't until Xie Yingchen withdrew his gaze and wiped the water stains from the commemorative document that Prince Jin suddenly came to his senses.

He was actually intimidated by a junior. This thought made him feel uneasy.

Prince Jin was not surprised that Xie Yingchen would bring up something from six years ago. Now, if Xie Yingchen wanted to advance further, he had to clear his name of the crimes of deposing the crown prince and murdering his father and emperor. He himself had been by the late emperor's side before his death, and it was Xie Yingchen who had produced the imperial edict.

He sneered, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

The will is genuine.

It is true that the deposed crown prince poisoned Xie Yingchen; no matter how much he struggled, it was useless.

"It's only been six years," Xie Yingchen said with a slight smile. "Your Highness's memory is truly failing. It's time for you to retire."

Prince of Jin: !

Whether or not I should retire is not for you to decide.

If the argument continues, Xie Yingchen will not back down, and he will only make a fool of himself in front of others.

He needs to think of another way.

The Prince of Jin angrily flung his sleeve and walked away without looking back. He didn't even notice the threshold, tripped over it, and almost bumped into a passing tabby cat.

"Meow?"

The tabby cat tilted its head and looked at him in a friendly manner.

The Prince of Jin, seething with anger, kicked the tabby cat in the stomach.

"Towards the sun!"

Xie Yingchen shouted in the hall, and a young man with a black ponytail rushed out, moving as fast as an arrow. However, the eunuchs serving in front of the Wenyuan Hall were even faster. One of them suddenly pushed the Prince of Jin aside, and the other bent down and hugged the cat in his arms.

The Prince of Jin stumbled several steps backward.

The surrounding eunuchs ignored him and rushed over to the cat, afraid that it might lose a single hair.

"My dear cat, are you alright?"

"Cats are good, people are bad."

"Don't be afraid, my cat ancestor."

"Meow."

The cat was terrified; its pupils narrowed to slits. It gratefully rubbed against the little eunuch.

The young eunuch was overjoyed and carefully placed it on the ground.

Wang Changshi helped Prince Jin up. Prince Jin was about to get angry when he looked at the cat surrounded by a group of eunuchs, acting like an ancestor. The cat had golden eyes, glossy fur, and a priceless collar. The more he looked at it, the more familiar it seemed.

Yes.

It's Shen Xu's cat.

Thinking of Shen Xu, Prince Jin could only suppress his anger and secretly rejoice that he hadn't actually kicked him.

"Who takes care of this cat?" Prince Jin displayed his magnanimity. "Don't be reckless next time."

None of the eunuchs paid him any attention.

Xie Yingchen came out of the hall, stood in front of the door, and waved, saying, "Cat."

The cat was a good cat; it rubbed against all the little eunuchs, then raised its fluffy head and looked at Xie Yingchen.

"come over."

Hearing the sound, the cat ran over on all fours, and as it passed by the Prince of Jin, it flashed its sharp claws and slapped him.

Xie Yingchen carried the cat back into the palace. Prince Jin had a bad feeling. He was still trying to pull Xie Yingchen down from the position of regent, but Xie Yingchen took advantage of being in the palace to win over Shen Xu first.

She even went so far as to fawn over Shen Xu's cat?!

The grandson of the emperor is so lacking in integrity.

However, Shen Xu is a man of unclear likes and dislikes, sinister and cunning. It will not be easy to get him to take sides, so I still have a chance.

The Prince of Jin walked with a limp.

"Young Master, the Prince of Jin has left," Xiangyang reported as he entered.

Xie Yingchen nodded, scratched the cat's chin, and the cat lay back comfortably, purring softly.

To Huai Jing, who had come with Xiang Yang, he asked, "Is there news?"

"yes."

Huai Jingzhi handed over the mailbox.

It was a message sent by carrier pigeon. Gu Zhizhuo had specially taken two pigeons from the Prince's mansion when he left.

On the third day after arriving in Yihe County, Gu Zhizhuo sent back a letter detailing the situation in Yihe County, including Xie Qiyun's matter.

The second letter only arrived now, a full five days later.

Huai Jingzhi smiled and said, "Young master, Miss Gu also sent a prescription with the letter."

Xie Yingchen immediately accepted it.

This is a prescription for a prepared medicine, which can be used to make large honey pills.

In her first letter, Gu Zhizhuo stated that some of the refugees had fallen ill before leaving Qingzhou, suggesting the epidemic originated there. Treating each person individually with a single prescription would be too time-consuming; even sending all the doctors and imperial physicians from the capital wouldn't save many. Therefore, prepared medicine was needed, preferably in the form of honey pills for easy distribution. She planned to stay in Yihe County for a while longer.

Now, Xie Yingchen holds this prescription as if it were a priceless treasure.

"After copying it, send it to Baekje-do and tell them to close down immediately and only make these honey pills." This was mentioned in the letter.

"Meow~"

Seeing that he hadn't touched her for a while, Shenmao urged him on.

Xie Yingchen pinched its little ears and stroked it from the top of its head to the tip of its tail, and the cat meowed excitedly.

"Yaoyao said in her letter that the illness lasts at least ten days, and if a child gets it, the mortality rate can reach 70%, while the rate is lower for adults, but still around 30-40%," Xie Yingchen pondered. "How many imperial physicians are left in the palace?"

"The Prince of Jin took five people with him, and six people remained in Hanzhang Palace. There are still thirteen people in the Imperial Hospital."

Xie Yingchen knew that the Prince of Jin had sent the imperial physicians to Yihe County. He thought that it would be hard for Yaoyao to treat three thousand refugees by herself, so it would be good to let these imperial physicians go and "help out". He did not let anyone stop him.

"How many doctors have been recruited?"

“There are thirty-two doctors in the capital.” Huai Jingzhi said with genuine admiration, “Miss Gu is very generous. She offered a secret prescription as payment, and many doctors came to answer the call.”

"What about the medicinal herbs?"

"A batch has already been purchased."

In Gu Zhizhuo's first letter, she listed several medicinal herbs that would inevitably be needed. After reading them, Xie Yingchen immediately ordered their purchase and summoned a doctor.

He then instructed the eunuch, "Summon Minister Mo."

Xie Yingchen had no time to care about the Prince of Jin; the lives of the million people of Qingzhou were far more important than the Prince of Jin.

It's far more important than the infighting in the imperial court.

"Meow~"

The cat rolled over on the desk, rubbed its soft belly, and lay down comfortably.

"Young master, why is this cat clinging to you again today?" Huai Jingzhi glanced at it a few more times before leaving. "Last time it was even aggressive towards you. Cats are just so unpredictable."

Xie Yingchen paused for a moment while rubbing its belly, then silently took out the small jade amulet that Gu Zhizhuo had given him from his purse, hung it around his neck, and casually squeezed the cat's paws.

The first batch of honey pills was made by Baijitang and sent to Yihe County on the same day.

Following that, the second and third batches were all for the refugees who had come from Qingzhou and wandered to the vicinity of Yizhou.

Until all the stockpiled medicinal herbs were used up, a total of more than 100,000 pills were produced.

At first, Xie Yingchen only summoned doctors from the capital. However, he soon discovered that these doctors alone were far from enough, so Xie Yingchen personally went to several Taoist temples near the capital, such as Taiqing Temple and Longhu Temple.

Nine out of ten doctors are practitioners.

Most people in the Taoist community know some medical skills, and even if very few are proficient in Taoist medicine, they can still make honey pills without any problem.

Moreover, for the Taoist community, this was a meritorious act, and Xie Yingchen personally visited them, and most of them readily agreed.

In just four days, they finally produced more than 100,000 honey pills.

According to Gu Zhizhuo's prescription, healthy people should take one pill a day for three consecutive days as a preventative measure, while those who are sick should take two pills a day for ten consecutive days to recover.

Of course, "sick person" refers to someone who has been in contact with a sick person.

This third batch of honey pills was sent to Qingzhou.

Following closely behind, the next batch of medicinal herbs procured by the Ministry of Revenue arrived.

At first, some people complained, believing that Qingzhou had not reported any epidemic, that too much money had been spent, and that Xie Yingchen was just trying to gain fame and reputation by using such means to deceive the people and plot something sinister.

Xie Yingchen didn't tolerate it and directly had the Ministry of Personnel issue a transfer letter, transferring the person to Qingzhou.

"Since Lord Liu is so concerned about the current situation in Qingzhou, why don't you go there in person? At that time, you will be able to have a deep understanding of whether there is an epidemic."

The people, both in and out of the court, still follow the habits of when the emperor was in power: they have to fight over everything and try to gain some benefit from it.

Lord Liu was ordered to test the waters first. As a result, the Prince of Jin and the Duke of Wei did not have time to use any of their subsequent tricks before he was sent to Qingzhou.

Swift as thunder.

Even if medicine is available now, who knows if it will work? Epidemics can kill people.

Just two days later, a report came from Qingzhou, saying that an epidemic had broken out in three provinces of Qingzhou, and more than 10,000 people had died.

“Prince Jin, to avoid the spread of the epidemic to the capital, the Crown Prince must not return to the capital until the epidemic in Yihe County is under control.”

The meaning couldn't be clearer: if they cause any more trouble, they can forget about getting Xie Qiyun back.

No matter how angry the Prince of Jin was, there was nothing he could do; his son was now in Gu Zhizhuo's hands.

Xie Yingchen did not have the authority to mobilize the Imperial Guards, nor did he himself, so he could not forcibly take the man back.

And so, things completely calmed down.

Xie Yingchen coordinated efforts from all sides, keeping the entire court busy with the epidemic in Qingzhou, yet without any sign of chaos.

Even the Grand Secretary Song praised it in secret on more than one occasion.

For the first time since the late emperor's death, he hoped to serve a few more years and live a few more years so that he could witness a prosperous and glorious era.

After the sixth batch of honey pills was made and sent to Qingzhou, Gu Zhizhuo finally led his troops back from Yihe County.

When she went, she had only three hundred cavalrymen, traveling light.

When they returned, there were several more horse-drawn carriages.

Xie Yingchen waited at Sanliting early. He did not bring the entire court of civil and military officials to welcome him in a grand manner, but when he heard that Gu Zhizhuo was returning to the capital and that the Prince of Jin's son was also accompanying him, people with all sorts of thoughts came together.

Xie Yingchen ignored everyone else, especially when Gu Zhizhuo appeared at the edge of his field of vision; his eyes could only see her.

She rode ahead on horseback, dressed in red riding attire, her heroic figure captivating him. Just watching her softened his heart beyond belief.

Xie Jing was also looking at her. He didn't need to come, but before leaving, he inexplicably followed her out.

"Yun'er!"

The Prince of Jin, who had been waiting anxiously, was also staring intently at the black carriage in the procession. Before they even came over, he impatiently spurred his horse and charged off.

When the two sides were only a hundred paces apart, the soldiers of the Thousand Machine Battalion raised their longbows in unison, their gleaming arrowheads aimed at the Prince of Jin.

The Prince of Jin suddenly pulled on the reins, realizing how reckless his actions had been.

During an army's march, any collision within a hundred paces can be considered an enemy attack.

"It's me." The Prince of Jin stood still and called out, "Where's Yun'er?"

Gu Zhizhu ignored him and continued forward until she reached Sanliting before stopping.

The Prince of Jin had no choice but to follow.

As soon as the procession stopped, Prince Jin quickly dismounted and ran straight to the carriage that was following closely behind Gu Zhizhuo. Lifting the curtain, he saw a young man dressed in bright colors, yet with an extraordinary air about him.

It's not a cloud.

The Prince of Jin slammed the curtain down.

Wang Xing shrugged and got off the carriage. He raised an eyebrow at his cousin, asking with his eyes who this reckless person was, but to his surprise, his cousin's gaze wasn't on him at all.

A young man in his early twenties, with an air of elegance and nobility, stood in front of her horse and offered her his hand. Her fierce little cousin took his hand, jumped off the horse, and her phoenix eyes shone brightly as if they contained a sky full of stars.

"Young master."

Gu Zhizhuo said happily.

She released her hand, stepped back a few paces, stood still, clasped her hands in a military salute, and said, "This humble general has not failed in his duty."

This methodical approach actually makes it seem quite convincing.

However, with a smug look on her slightly upturned lips, she quickly winked at him.

Xie Yingchen suppressed a laugh, cleared his throat, and said as she wished, "Thank you for your hard work, General Gu."

Yay! Gu Zhizhuo was delighted.

She was about to speak when she was suddenly interrupted by a piercing scream.

"Yun'er!"

"Yun'er!"

Gu Zhizhuo raised an eyebrow and secretly tugged at Xie Yingchen's sleeve, signaling him to turn around and look.

Prince Jin lifted the curtains of several carriages before finally stopping in front of a black lacquered carriage.

The Prince of Jin was struck dumb, his mind reeling.

His son did write in his letter that he had contracted a strange illness, but knowing it was one thing, seeing it with his own eyes was far more terrifying than he had imagined.

His son.

His only legitimate son, the son on whom he placed his high hopes. Half of his face was devoid of skin, the flesh blackened, with veins clearly visible, while the other half of his face was withered and pale, devoid of any color, only cracked lines, like a vengeful ghost.

Tick-tock.

A drop of blood trickled down Xie Qiyun's cheek and landed on the back of his hand.

Xie Qiyun's eyes were vacant, and he remained motionless, seemingly lost in thought.

The Prince of Jin was heartbroken and quickly climbed into the carriage. His legs were trembling, and he missed several steps before finally getting into the carriage.

"Yun'er".

He took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood off Xie Qiyun's hand.

"Don't be afraid, Father is here. Father will definitely have someone save you. Don't be afraid."

He held his son's cold hand, his voice losing its strength.

He wiped it carefully, but the blood seemed to have seeped into his skin, and he couldn't wipe it off no matter how hard he tried.

The Prince of Jin grew anxious. He used a little force, and in the next moment, a whole, withered piece of skin was rubbed off, leaving only the back of his hand without skin, where even the bones were clearly visible.

The Prince of Jin opened his mouth wide, as if he had been frozen in place, with only his hand holding the handkerchief trembling incessantly.

Xie Qiyun lowered his head very slowly, his pupils contracting little by little. He first looked at the skin stuck to the handkerchief, then at his own bloody and mangled hand, then at Prince Jin. After pausing for a few breaths, he suddenly screamed sharply.

Aaaaaah!

He lunged forward and pushed the Prince of Jin off the carriage.

Prince Jin rolled from the carriage all the way to the ground, but he didn't feel any pain. He threw off his handkerchief, got up, and rushed back to the carriage, shouting in a panic, "Yun'er, are you alright, Yun'er?"

The wind blew up the fallen handkerchief, and the leather cover swirled in the wind.

The soldiers of the Thousand Machine Battalion around them were already used to it.

These days, in Guan Xieqiyun's tent, there are moments of crying, cursing, and howling.

What's more, they had all seen Xie Qiyun's face before, which looked like a vengeful ghost. Just looking at it for too long would give them nightmares.

However, the others in Sanliting looked at each other, puzzled.

Xie Qiyun's marriage was arranged with Sun Nian from the Chengen Duke's Mansion. The Chengen Duke was the Empress's elder brother, so the two families were considered a good match.

Cheng'en Gong, having given in to his daughter's coquettish plea, made a special trip to see his future son-in-law in person.

He hadn't even met the man yet, and the Prince of Jin's behavior made him quite uneasy.

Since he was, after all, the future son-in-law, Cheng'en Gong planned to go over and say hello.

"Prince Chen, may I go and take a look?"

His attitude was excellent, and Xie Yingchen's attitude was equally excellent.

"please."

Duke Cheng'en lifted the corner of his robe and walked away quickly.

The two families had already signed a marriage contract and were considered in-laws, so Duke Cheng'en wanted to offer some words of advice.

“Your Highness,” the Duke of Chengen said kindly, “father and son have not seen each other for so many years. You think of the young master every day. Now that the young master has returned, we can talk about it after we get back.”

Crying and screaming here, making a ruckus, be careful people don't laugh at you.

Cheng'en Gong peeked into the carriage, eager to tell his daughter how handsome her parents had chosen for her.

"Forehead?"

"A ghost!!"

A note from the author: