Outside the residence of the Marquis of Zhongyong.

Lei Ce stood in the shadows, gazing at the gate of the Marquis's mansion.

The subordinate behind him whispered, "She's been locked up for quite some time now. They say the old lady is ill and can't see guests."

But my subordinates discovered that someone was secretly bringing in medicinal herbs and food. Boss, this is too suspicious.

He was ordered to keep an eye on Ye Zhen, but Ye Zhen hadn't left the mansion recently, so he could only stand guard outside the gate.

In the capital, it wasn't uncommon for people to close their doors and offices, but it was highly suspicious that even procurement work couldn't be carried out and had to be delivered through the wall in the middle of the night.

Lei Ce, a man of considerable experience in the Martial Virtue Division, had a vague suspicion in his mind and asked, "Besides sending things in, has anything been sent out?"

For example, a corpse.

The subordinate shook his head, "We didn't see a single person or object come out from inside."

Lei Ce covered his mouth and nose and quietly approached the gate of the Marquis's mansion, carefully listening to the sounds inside.

There were footsteps and the voices of servants, but apart from being quieter than usual, I didn't notice anything else unusual.

Lei Ce moved away and returned to the shadows.

Since the government office is under lockdown, it should also be aware of the contagiousness of the epidemic. If a patient dies, it is best to cremate them. Burying them haphazardly in the government office will only lead to more infections.

The fact that no bodies were sent out from the Marquis's residence indicates that there are currently no dead people inside, and the situation is still under control.

Or perhaps he guessed wrong; it wasn't an epidemic inside, but rather something truly happening in the Marquis's residence that couldn't be revealed to others for the time being.

Lei Ce pondered for a moment, "Continue to keep a close watch in secret, without making a sound, and report any developments immediately."

His goal was to find that person, not to make an enemy of the Marquis's mansion.

He stood there for a while longer before leaving.

Meanwhile, at the General's Mansion, Ye Wantang had just received a letter.

The letter also described the current situation of the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion, but explicitly stated that the reason for the mansion's closure was smallpox.

After reading the letter, Ye Wantang was so shocked that she threw it far away. "Quick, wash your hands with hot water."

It seems that the letter itself is unclean.

After washing her hands, she asked the head guard, "Who sent this?"

The guards in the manor are now all her people; the maids are loyal to Ye Jinghong, and the guards are loyal to her.

The head guard said, "Someone gave the beggar money to deliver a message."

The beggar had no idea who the other person was and had no way of finding out.

The head of the guards also read the contents of the letter and knew about the feud between Ye Wantang and the Marquis's mansion. He asked, "Should we spread this matter?"

Ye Wantang really wanted to do that; she couldn't wait for the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion to suffer.

The messenger might be hiding his identity and not be reliable, or perhaps he wants to use her as a tool.

She needs to be careful.

"Send someone to keep an eye on the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence, and report any unusual activity immediately."

If the Marquis's mansion truly had smallpox, people would surely die. Even if no one died, there would be other strange occurrences.

Only when she has solid evidence against the Marquis of Zhongyong can she launch an attack on his residence.

Ye Wantang hoped it was true, and she slowly smiled.

Ye Zhen dared to conceal the epidemic; she's doomed.

And then there's the Marquis of Loyalty and Valor, who dared to humiliate her last time. If she gets the chance, she'll make sure they get away with it.

The head guard then asked, "Miss, how could there be an epidemic at the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence?"

I have never heard of any plague outbreak in the capital. How could the people of the Marquis of Zhongyong’s mansion have contracted it?

Ye Wantang's eyes brightened slightly after he reminded her.

Since the Marquis's residence was closed, how could the messenger know that there was smallpox inside?

It is highly likely that the smallpox outbreak was caused by the messenger.

They're trying to kill the Marquis's family.

Who could have such a deep grudge against the Marquis of Zhongyong's family? After thinking it over, Ye Wantang realized that, apart from herself, it could only be Fu Jiang, the newly found grandson of the Grand Princess.

Fu Jiang had already left the capital and had previously served as an official in another region. It's possible that he knew where the epidemic was and sent someone to deliver the source of infection to the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence.

"Contact various places and ask them to pay close attention and report any outbreaks promptly, especially in Qingzhou."

If she could discover the epidemic and report it to the court in time, that would be a great achievement; it would be even better if she could find a way to prevent and treat the epidemic.

She could use this great achievement to restore her reputation, and perhaps even secure a marriage for herself...

Thinking of something, she quickly had someone light a lamp and went into the storeroom where Ye Jinghong's belongings were kept.

She remembered that when she was a child, Ye Jinghong would hold her on his lap and scribble something on a notebook.

She seemed to have mentioned smallpox to her back then, but she was young and immature and didn't listen carefully. She's long forgotten about it over the years.

I just vaguely remembered smallpox.

Ye Jinghong is a very capable woman. It is said that she traveled to many places when she was young and knows a lot. Perhaps she has a way to treat smallpox.

After her death, all her belongings were sent back to the capital. She considered them unlucky and wanted to burn them, but she also had to appear to the world as if she missed her deceased mother, so she piled them all up in this storeroom.

She remembered that Ye Jinghong treasured that notebook very much. She wanted to take it and play with it, but Ye Jinghong wouldn't allow it, saying that he would pass it on to her when she grew up.

Afterwards, unable to bear the hardships at the border, she feigned illness and returned to the capital. She had little contact with Ye Jinghong and never saw that thing again.

But since Ye Jinghong said that, the manuscript must have been preserved.

That night, the general's mansion's storeroom was lit up all night.

Ye Zhen's Menghuaxuan is another example.

She started to have a fever, and felt dizzy and lightheaded, but it was within a tolerable range.

Wanxing insisted on taking care of her, but she kicked her out.

Ye Zhen trusted his mother. A woman with such a heart for the world would not easily record things unless she was certain.

But since this was Ye Zhen's first time experiencing this, she was worried that she might not fully understand it or might make a mistake.

She didn't want to drag Wanxing into this, and besides, the household needed Wanxing to keep an eye on things and report to her in a timely manner.

But Wanxing wasn't so obedient this time; she paced anxiously outside the door.

“Miss, if you are worried, I will try to get vaccinated like you, then I won’t be afraid.”

Ye Zhen was so angry she laughed.

There can be an infection reaction after vaccination. If Wanxing also gets vaccinated, she will end up like her. Who will take care of whom?

But she didn't have the energy to say anything more to Wanxing.

But someone else replied on her behalf, "Once it's successful, your young lady will implant it for you without you even having to ask."

It's Xie Tingzhou.

He returned, travel-worn.

As he passed by Wanxing, he said, "I brought medicine, which will keep her safe. What you need to do now is to fetch some hot water."

As he spoke, he pushed open Ye Zhen's door.

How are you?

He walked to Ye Zhen's bedside, bent down and touched her forehead.

Ye Zhen raised his hand to stop him, "Get out of here."

She didn't want Xie Tingzhou to get infected too.

Xie Tingzhou took the opportunity to check her pulse, saying, "Your condition is better than Chaolu's. It seems that your method for treating acne is effective."

Before he arrived, he received a letter from Fu Guang, informing him of Ye Zhen's smallpox vaccination.

"Have you visited Chaolu and the others?"

There was something complicated in Ye Zhen's eyes.

She hoped that Xie Tingzhou could help Chaolu and the others, but Chaolu and the others were in a serious condition, and she was worried that Xie Tingzhou would also be infected.

Realizing this, she was stunned.