Zhan Xinjia was puzzled. Before long, the carriage slowly stopped in front of a clinic.
She really wanted to say that her fever had almost subsided and there was no need to waste time bringing her to see a doctor. Besides, time was of the essence, and it was more important to rush to Yaozhou City to capture the people from Lanjiang and pry them out of the city.
She was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, almost ready to launch herself and carry the carriage away, afraid of delaying things.
However, Fu Shouan and Lord Shen looked quite calm.
Once again forced to sit on the hospital bed, Zhan Xinjia, who has always been afraid of bitter medicine, forced herself to drink a large bowl of bitter medicine in one go in order to save time. After drinking it, she wiped her mouth, got up and tried to slip away.
"Holy crap, let's get out of here!"
She was dumbfounded, staring blankly at the two people in front of her who were as steady as Mount Tai.
Fu Shouan chuckled a few times. "Well, there's no need to rush. You sit here for a while, and I'll go out with Brother Shen to talk about something."
With that, Fu Shouan put his arm around Shen Suqing's shoulder and walked out.
Zhan Xinjia finally understood what it meant for the emperor to be unconcerned while the eunuch was anxious. Holy crap, she was so anxious she felt like she was going to explode.
That's a plague! That could kill hundreds of thousands of people! There are only two days left! Forget about her being sick, even if she had both legs amputated, she would find a way to crawl over and help.
Let alone amputation, even if she dies, her soul will still drift over to see if she can bless a few!
Pacing anxiously back and forth in the clinic, suddenly, a shining exclamation mark appeared above Zhan Xinjia's head!
She suddenly stopped in her tracks.
Yes, before she left, Yan Xiyue mentioned that she had an imperial uncle, who was also her father's younger brother. Apparently, he was a monk in a temple on a mountain outside Yaozhou City. At the time, she had scoffed at the idea.
No, your family even has Buddhist monks from the Beijing elite circle?
Then the adorable Yan Xiyue corrected him—
My imperial uncle converted to Buddhism and is no longer in the capital. He's at most a Buddhist monk in the suburbs, right?
Although he was completely unfamiliar with that so-called "suburban Buddhist monk," it seemed he could ask Yan Xiyue for help out of respect. In case the plague really broke out, at least there would be a place to isolate the patients.
Zhan Xinjia calmed down a bit and took a step to go out and discuss with Lord Shen and Fu Shouan.
However, as she walked towards the door, she was immediately stopped by the soldiers who had been guarding the door from the left and right.
"Lord Shen has given instructions that you must not be allowed to leave, young lady."
These people spoke with a strong southern accent and were clearly not from the capital.
Zhan Xinjia was stunned for a moment, but then she understood.
On the way here, Lord Shen had already contacted the local government of Qin County. Coming to the clinic for treatment was just a pretext. His real purpose was to stop her within the territory of Qin County and prevent her from going to Yaozhou.
If she wasn't mistaken, Fu Shou'an and Lord Shen should have already left by carriage.
Dry!
Dude...why?!
The letter was torn open.
Although even hundreds more people couldn't stop her, she at least has some basic moral character, so how could she possibly lay a hand on innocent workers?
Just as she was considering the feasibility of knocking all the soldiers unconscious, the leading soldier, pale-faced and trembling, added in a further statement.
"Lord Fu said that if we don't keep an eye on you, he'll turn around and stab us in the back."
Zhan Xinjia: "..."
I am already afraid.
There was no use in being anxious now. With her mouth dry, Zhan Xinjia could only sit back down at the table and gulp down a large mouthful of tea, trying to figure out what else she could do. After finishing her tea, she glanced at the table and was surprised to see several bags of snacks wrapped tightly in oil paper.
There was her favorite braised pork, osmanthus sugar, and some local specialty pastries from Qin County, all of which were her favorite flavors.
Suddenly, Zhan Xinjia remembered that when Xiao Shen was still on the ship feeding her sugar water, he had said helplessly that the food in his luggage was all dry food and not suitable for a patient, and that he would take her to eat something delicious after they got off the ship.
She was holding a still-warm piece of sweet cake, and her eyes were about to water.
Didn't we agree to take her out to eat together? What kind of behavior is it for him to run away like this?
Actually, she did understand why Lord Shen left her here, but she just couldn't accept it.
Although Qin County and Yaozhou are only a little over an hour apart, they are separated by a river and only a stone bridge connects them. If a plague were to break out, Qin County would remain safe for a short time by simply blocking the stone bridge and drawing water from wells instead.
Lord Shen and Fu Shou'an were prepared for the worst, which was that they too would die of the plague.
He didn't want her to get involved in the danger, so he selfishly kept it from her and left her there.
Zhan Xinjia had never felt so strongly that Shen Suqing was an incurable pushover.
He dared to take in strangers he found on the street, providing them with good food and drink, teaching them to read and write, and doing their laundry and cooking for them. Even when his own life was threatened, he still thought about protecting her safety, and he even felt guilty when she disobeyed him and snuck out to get sick.
I feel guilty for not taking good care of her, and guilty that I could only give her a bowl of sugar water when she was sick.
What exactly is he feeling guilty about?
He had never wronged her in any way.
He has absolutely no obligation to be good to her from the start.
The sweet cake she ate seemed to have lost its sweetness, and she tasted a hint of bitterness. She sat at the table, chewing it carefully in small bites, as if in this way she would still be the obedient and sensible child in Master Shen's eyes.
It's as if that way she won't be abandoned.
Zhan Xinjia wiped her face and took a deep breath.
No, I can't accept my fate.
These officials only lost their backsides, but she lost her love!
Human life is at stake, what's wrong with them sacrificing their butts?
Having successfully convinced himself, Zhan Xinjia, having eaten and drunk his fill, rolled up his sleeves and was ready to forge ahead.
Just as she reached the door, the soldiers parted to the sides, and accompanied by a sweet fragrance, a young girl in a smoky red silk dress swaggered in with two maids.
The girl had a gold hairpin in her hair and gold tassels hanging from her temples. Her dress, embroidered with gold carp, shimmered in the light. She wore a large ruby necklace and four or five gold bracelets on her wrists. She wished she could wear a ring on every one of her ten fingers.
Her dazzling entrance almost blinded Zhan Xinjia, who was penniless.
At this moment, the young woman slightly adjusted her hair, and a hint of disdain appeared in her exquisitely made-up eyes as she critically scanned Zhan Xinjia from head to toe.
"You're the girl Brother Shen brought back?"
Zhan Xinjia was stunned.
ah? ?
No, if she wasn't mistaken, this "Brother Shen" couldn't be referring to Lord Shen, could it?
Indeed... she remembered that Lord Shen's hometown was a remote village near Qin County, and she was taken back to his hometown.
Could this person in front of me be the legendary childhood sweetheart or something?
In an instant, Zhan Xinjia imagined countless melodramatic scenarios: "A rich girl sponsors a poor scholar to go to the capital for the imperial examination," "The two are in love but are hindered by their unequal social status," "The poor scholar studies hard and decides to pass the examination to marry his beautiful wife," and "After passing the examination, the poor scholar thinks it's time to forget his roots and abandons his wife who shared his hardships."
In order to avoid the kind of agonizing, mute fiction that ends up like those cheesy, mindless stories, Zhan Xinjia remained silent for a while before deciding to ask for clarification on the spot.
"You know Lord Shen?"
"Yes, I know him."
"Does Lord Shen know you?"
"..."
The girl blushed, choked, and then shouted even louder.
"I don't know him, but we're from the same county. What's wrong with me calling him 'brother'? Is there any law that forbids someone from being outgoing, cheerful, and friendly?"
Zhan Xinjia: "..."
Goodness, she humbly sought out the older woman in front of her to diligently learn the art of shamelessness.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com