Zhou Yanlan was stunned; she hadn't expected this to happen.

This reminded her of her brother and sister-in-law's child who died two years ago. The child was very weak from birth and would get sick easily from the wind. The child did not live to be a year old.

Moreover, my sister-in-law's health has deteriorated drastically since giving birth to that child. In the past two years, she has not only been unable to conceive again, but she has also been taking medication every day, and her condition is clearly not good.

Everyone knows that childbirth takes a toll on the body, but no one expected that the parents' young age could also be a factor, which really scared her.

"Madam Lu, you are truly amazing! My sister-in-law is just like that. She was only sixteen when she gave birth, and then she lost the baby. Her health has been deteriorating ever since, and this year she has hardly been able to get out of bed. Could you, could you take a look at my sister-in-law as well?"

"Yes, that's possible. People who haven't studied medicine don't really know much about this. I was also very young when I gave birth, and my health wasn't good either. It was only after I learned medicine that I gradually recovered."

He Jiuniang is only nineteen years old this year. The original owner of this body was only fourteen when she married Lu Baichuan. When they first arrived, both Gou'er and the original owner were terribly weak. It was thanks to He Jiuniang's care that they slowly recovered.

Hearing that she had experience, Zhou Yanlan was even more pleased and said, "Then I'll trouble you, Madam, to come back to my parents' home with me tomorrow so I can take a look at my sister-in-law. She has been seriously ill for many years and is too afraid to go out. I can only trouble you, Madam!"

He Jiuniang nodded: "If it's convenient, have your husband come and take a look too. Maybe it's his problem."

"Hmm, I'll go back and ask him what he thinks!"

Zhou Yanlan got up to say goodbye, handed the consultation fee she had brought to He Jiuniang's maid, and then hurriedly left with her own maid.

He Jiuniang had the gifts put away, and then counted the consultation fee herself. Thirty taels of silver was neither a lot nor a small amount for either of their social standing. He Jiuniang didn't say anything, put it away, and prepared to go to sleep.

I'm so tired, day after day.

She slept soundly and woke up when it was already dark. Lu Baichuan sat by the bed looking at her and was about to touch her face.

"Awake? Get up and eat."

Lu Baichuan reached out and hugged her. He Jiuniang nodded and let him pick her up and wrap her in a thick coat.

"How's the matter going?"

He Jiuniang yawned, still feeling sleepy, and washed her hands to wake herself up.

The maids brought in the prepared food, and the two sat down to eat.

“Those elite soldiers are all from Dongting. In other words, they are all suicide soldiers. If it weren’t for the medicine you gave them, they would probably all have committed suicide by now.”

Lu Baichuan was also surprised that the Dongting people had managed to gather so many people in Beiyan. To have held out for so long was no easy feat, unless…

"There is a traitor within the border region."

He Jiuniang spoke first.

"Yes, that's what I think too, otherwise so many people wouldn't have come to Beiyan, and they wouldn't have been able to keep it a secret for so long."

He Jiuniang then said, "Then it's not your business. Let someone else do it. You've only been back for a short time. We don't want to send you out again. The imperial court is so large, I don't believe we don't have anyone."

Her meaning was clear: she didn't want Lu Baichuan to go to the frontier. He had just returned from Nantai, and now he was going to the frontier again. Even the donkeys in the production team wouldn't be this tired.

"I know I won't be that stupid."

Lu Baichuan smiled and comforted her.

If he were a lone individual, it wouldn't matter where he went, but now he has a family, wife, and children, so he won't go unless absolutely necessary. He just reunited with his family, and he doesn't want to be separated from them again so soon.

"And what about the identity of the leader?"

“We removed his mask and found a token on his body that identified him as Qi Yuan, the seventh prince of the Eastern Court.”

The princes in the Eastern Court have not yet been granted titles of nobility; they are addressed according to their order of seniority.

"Heh heh, this is going to be interesting. With this leverage in our hands, Bei Yan has a legitimate reason to attack, and Dong Ting won't dare to act recklessly. We can even take this opportunity to extort some money from them."

He Jiuniang curled her lips. "A fool wouldn't take advantage of a good deal, especially one from Dongting." Thinking of the people harmed by Qingyin Garden, and the girls and children who had their blood drawn for alchemy, He Jiuniang felt that the people of Dongting should not be allowed to live.

The Eastern Court must be destroyed, but it's not as simple as it sounds. Currently, the four countries are mutually restraining each other. If two of them start fighting, the other two will definitely get involved, and then things will be in complete chaos.

He Jiuniang could easily solve it, but she couldn't do that, because that would break the rules of this world.

Besides, it's not like she wants to be the emperor, nor is it like her man wants to be the emperor, so she doesn't need to do those things.

"That's what Prince Chen thinks too, but the specifics of how to proceed still depend on His Majesty's decision."

"I don't care how they decide, I just want to get this sorted out as soon as possible so we can go home. My second sister-in-law gave birth to a chubby little boy, and I really want to go back and hold him."

At this point, He Jiuniang sighed again. With such a big event happening in the court, there must be a thorough overhaul. Many people will die during this period, and there will be changes in the positions of officials. Lu Baichuan plays an important role in this, so he definitely cannot leave first.

Meanwhile, Prince Chen was also discussing this matter with his wife.

Although women are not supposed to interfere in politics, he's just using it as a point of contention to complain to the princess.

"Although I do have many capable men under my command, I trust Bai Chuan the most. But if I send him to the frontier, his wife will definitely be unhappy. Madam Lu made the greatest contribution to the matter of the Fifth Prince this time. We cannot treat our meritorious officials unfairly. So, deciding who to send to the frontier is a real headache."

Prince Chen sighed, unable to think of any other more suitable candidate.

Although Qin Jian is also a fierce general, he is not as smart as Lu Baichuan. He is easily manipulated at times. Cheng Meng has been by his side for many years and there are many things that need to be done by him, so he can't leave. As for the ministers in the court, they all have their own selfish motives. If they are to be sent, we need to observe them further.

“What’s there to worry about? Didn’t Sixth Brother just go to the frontier? We can leave this matter to him.”

The princess spoke casually, her expression as calm as He Jiuniang's usual demeanor.

Yes, Jiu Niang is always so calm and collected when faced with problems; she should learn from her.

"Sixth brother?"

Prince Chen frowned, feeling that it was not very reliable.

Not long ago, Prince Jing and he were mortal enemies, and Prince Jing had secretly harassed him for many years. Although Prince Jing had taken the initiative to go to the frontier to make amends, he might not be able to help him deal with this matter.

“Yes, no matter what, Sixth Brother is a prince. His voluntary resignation to go to the frontier proves his determination. He wants to make a name for himself on the frontier, so naturally he wants to do this well. Your Highness, you should trust those you employ and not employ those you don't trust. Just because Jiu Niang can become friends with him, I think Sixth Brother is reliable.”

The princess's cheerful demeanor greatly encouraged Prince Chen.