Chapter 221 Adopting a Child from a Collateral Branch

"Go to even more distant places to purchase supplies, regardless of cost," he said coldly. "Continue to send troops to strengthen the search in the city, and do not miss a single place."

"Yes!" Wei Yu accepted the order and withdrew.

Jiang Zhi noticed Xie Qi's furrowed brows and suddenly remembered something.

"I might be able to help with the drug shortage," she said.

Seeing her pale and weak face, Xie Qi said with heartache, "Zhizhi, don't exhaust yourself. I'll figure out a way to deal with these things. The most important thing for you now is to get better."

Ultimately, Jiang Zhi suffered all this because of him.

She had been kidnapped by the Di people for so long, and no one knew what kind of harm she had suffered.

But he dared not ask, for fear of stirring up her painful memories.

Now, as long as she is safe and sound, that is enough.

Jiang Zhi shook her head. "What about the things on those Di people? My baggage should be among them."

Xie Qi immediately ordered someone to fetch it, and Jiang Zhi told him to open it and take out the seal inside.

"Before leaving Xuzhou, I just purchased a batch of spices and shipped them out. Judging by the time, this batch of goods should be not far from Yaocheng now. I can write a letter and ask the guards I hired to transfer the goods to Yaocheng."

"Medicinal herbs and fragrances go hand in hand. The musk, mugwort, and calming incense inside can all be used to prevent and treat the plague. As for the herbs like Coptis chinensis, Bupleurum chinense, and Forsythia suspensa, I can have them buy them on the way and send them over. It will only take three days."

Xie Qi's eyes lit up as he listened to her finish speaking.

"Zhizhi, did you send me from heaven to help me?" He had been overwhelmed with the plague in the city these past few days, but now that Jiang Zhi had arrived, her biggest problem of lacking medicine had been solved.

He couldn't resist hugging her and giving her a big kiss on the forehead.

Jiang Zhi glared at him, "What are you doing?"

"I'm just so happy, it's so good to have you by my side." He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head.

He added, "Once the plague in Yaocheng is over, I will make up for the double amount of silver you lost."

Hearing him say that, Jiang Zhi's heartache subsided somewhat.

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Kyoto, the study of Prince Xiang's residence.

Looking at the letter sent from Yaocheng, Xiao Yunheng's usually gentle and calm face revealed a cold smile. "As expected, they are a bunch of useless Di dogs. They were caught, yet they still managed to let someone escape."

He burned the letter over the candle flame, then coldly ordered his trusted subordinate waiting below, "Go and tell Xiao Xuanyou this news, and have him go to the Northern Border. We'll give him a big gift."

In recent days, after Xiao Xuanyou eliminated Xiao Chengjin's power, he turned all his attacks on himself.

As the rightful crown prince, Xiao Xuanyou was deeply loved by the people. Ever since his ambition was exposed, he had been suppressed by him to the point of being unable to breathe.

If Xiao Xuanyou could leave the capital and go to the northern border, he would be able to get some breathing room.

He originally wanted the Helan tribe to use Jiang Zhi as a hostage to kill Xie Qi and eliminate Xiao Xuanyou's powerful right-hand man.

Since he had failed, he could only try another method: to make Xiao Xuanyou and Xie Qi turn against each other, which would also achieve the effect he wanted.

Just then, Yaocheng was struck by both drought and plague, and His Majesty was considering sending someone to supervise the army, pacify the border, and stabilize morale.

If Xiao Xuanyou knew that Jiang Zhi was in Yaocheng, he would definitely have taken on this task and gone there personally.

When the time comes, far from the capital in the north, with two men vying for one woman, and I have someone add some firewood, it will surely be quite interesting.

He regained his usual calm and detached expression, with a slight smile on his lips.

Meanwhile, inside the city of Yao.

Jiang Zhi's medicine was delivered quickly.

Xie Qi specially chose an open square and set up two large pots. One was used to cook porridge, and the other to boil medicine, so that the people in the city who had not yet contracted the disease would line up to receive it.

Only those who have taken the medicine can go to the side to get porridge.

Jiang Zhi's body had not fully recovered, and she did not want to show her face or reveal her identity. She left all these matters to Xie Qi and his soldiers, while she stayed in the general's mansion to recuperate.

Xie Qi did not return until night fell.

After commanding in the city all day, his face showed undeniable fatigue, but his peach blossom eyes were bright. He came to see Jiang Zhi without even taking off his armor.

As he unfastened his sword, he inquired in detail about Jiang Zhi's diet and medication that day.

"Zhizhi, with this batch of medicine and our diligent prevention and control efforts, the plague should be under control," he said, pouring himself a cup of tea and drinking it all in one gulp. "Oh, and I have some good news to tell you."

"We received His Majesty's decree today, and he has already sent someone to Yaocheng to pacify the army. They should arrive in less than a month."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhi felt a bad premonition for some reason.

"Who is it that has come to Yaocheng?" she asked.

Xie Qi said, "It is Eunuch Jinxi, a trusted eunuch of the Emperor, who brought the Emperor's decree and rewards for the army. Since Yaocheng suffered from drought, there should be a lot of military rations."

Jiang Zhi breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

It's good that it's not Xiao Xuanyou.

So she settled down at the general's mansion to recuperate.

As time went by, the plague in Yao City finally ended. In addition, Xie Qi's killing of the Northern Di leader had plunged the Northern Di tribes into infighting. This important border city finally had a chance to breathe and gradually began to recover.

When Xie Qi had free time, he would take Jiang Zhi to stroll around the city disguised as ordinary people, and even take her out of the city when it was safe to do so.

Looking down from the hillside, Black Ridge is steep and full of loose rocks and landslides, serving as the first line of defense for Yaocheng against the Northern Di.

Autumn has arrived, and it gets dark very early; all around is quiet.

However, with Xie Qi by her side, Jiang Zhi felt none of the tension and worry she had felt when she was held hostage by the Di people. Instead, she felt that the sky was high and the clouds were wide, and even her breathing was exceptionally relaxed.

“Zhizhi, if only we could stay like this forever,” Xie Qi’s deep voice came from behind the horse. “We won’t go back to the capital. There will be no Marquis of Wuyi’s heir, no Princess Qinghe. We’ll stay here in Yaocheng. I’ll be with you no matter what you want to do.”

Because Jiang Zhi was weak and sensitive to cold, he wrapped her in his cloak, so even on horseback, she didn't feel a bit of cold wind.

They were very close, and she could hear his vigorous heartbeat, the passion unique to young men, as if it could be transmitted to her through his chest.

However, Jiang Zhi poured cold water on his enthusiasm, saying, "Young Master Xie, the doctor has taken my pulse. You should know that I have injured my body and will not be able to conceive in the future."

“As the heir of the Marquis of Wuyi, you have an inescapable responsibility to continue the family line, while I am very stingy and unwilling to share a husband with another.”

Xie Qi had already thought about these things. "This is not a problem. As long as you are willing, we can adopt a child from a collateral branch of the Xie family and register him under your name. I will definitely treat him as my own child."

Jiang Zhi was extremely surprised.

Let alone a grand mansion like the Marquis of Wuyi's mansion, even ordinary families value their own bloodline highly. Unless the man himself is unable to have children, he would never have the idea of ​​adopting someone else.

Could Xie Qi be lying to her?

Seeing that Jiang Zhi did not fully trust him, Xie Qi was not annoyed. Instead, he smiled and tidied her wind-blown hair, then lowered his head and said earnestly, "Zhi Zhi, as long as I can be with you, I can make any concessions I can."

Looking at him like this, Jiang Zhi saw no trace of the ruthless and decisive nature he displayed on the battlefield. Instead, he seemed like a dog busy proving its loyalty, just short of wagging its tail and lowering its head to let her pet its head.

"But I..."

"Don't rush to refuse," Xie Qi spoke again, cutting her off. "You still need to stay in Yaocheng to recuperate, so you have plenty of time to think it over. Please give me a chance."

He didn't want to have any regrets.

Unfortunately, before Jiang Zhi could recover from her illness, the military envoy from the capital arrived in Yaocheng.

When Xie Qi sent troops to meet them, his pupils constricted sharply when he saw the Crown Prince Xiao Xuanyou at the head of the troops, and he gripped the reins tightly.

When Lu Yuan, with his cold and aloof demeanor and dressed in a flying fish robe, appeared behind Xiao Xuanyou, Xie Qi's brows furrowed suddenly, and a hint of apprehension flashed in his eyes.