The village chief had the doctor temporarily locked up in Xiao Cui's woodshed.
The burly men all ran home to check the situation and also looked around at all the neighbors.
After figuring things out, they returned to Xiao Cui's house.
They all looked dejected.
"Village chief, all the sick elderly people have the same symptoms: their palms are all pink, and they are basically bedridden. We able-bodied people haven't noticed it yet, but the pink color on our palms can't be washed off. What should we do?"
"How could this plague suddenly break out in our village? Could it have been brought in from outside?"
Their eyes all turned to Xiao Cui.
Xiao Cui immediately waved her hand.
“It wasn’t me. Besides, I didn’t wander around the village when I came back last night, and I didn’t go to your house either. How could I have infected you with the plague?”
Everyone agreed that it made sense.
They all turned to look at the village chief.
"Village chief, please think of something! I...I don't want to die!"
"Yes, village chief, this matter must not be spread, otherwise the soldiers will really come and massacre the village."
"How about we go and invite a few more doctors back? I've heard that Dr. Zhong from Huichuntang in the capital is a living saint, and his medical skills are superb. Maybe we can invite him over..."
Xiao Zhuang, who had been squatting silently to the side, sighed.
"Do you think we don't want to invite Doctor Zhong? The waiter at Huichuntang said that Doctor Zhong was summoned to the palace to treat the Emperor Emeritus and won't be back for a while."
Everyone panicked.
"What should we do?"
"Are we just supposed to wait to die in the village?"
“I…I want to take my wife and two sons with me. We can’t die here.”
A man turned to leave, but the village chief sternly stopped him.
"Are you crazy? Do you want no one to know about this? What if you have a relapse on the way out and someone notices? Wouldn't that kill the whole village?"
The others quickly closed the courtyard gate and stood guard.
"The village chief is right, we must work together."
"What's the use of working together? His attitude just now made it clear that he can't cure it."
Xiao Cui suddenly remembered what happened at the flower shop.
He immediately stood up.
"I know someone who might be able to cure it."
She repeated every single word Jiang Qingwan had said in the flower shop.
Hope also ignited in the village chief's eyes.
“That lady can tell at a glance that you have contracted the plague, and she may actually have a way to cure it. Here’s what we’ll do: I’ll have people guard the village and not allow anyone to enter or leave. You and Xiaozhuang go out and find someone, and make sure to bring that lady to Xiahe Village.”
...
In the study of the Jingzhao Prefecture government office.
The clerk looked at the neatly organized files on the desk and couldn't help but sigh.
"My lord, the evidence we have gathered is conclusive and complete. If we report it directly to His Majesty..."
Liu Ruzhi waved her hand.
“The case involves officials of the imperial court. According to the law, the Prefect of the Capital Prefecture must submit the case to the Ministry of Justice for review before he can appear before the Emperor. This is the rule and cannot be violated.”
The advisor was also helpless.
"Everyone knows that the Minister of Justice was promoted by the old Prince Su. Now that this case is in his hands, it's likely that he will never be able to see the Emperor again."
Liu Ruzhi looked up at him.
"I ask you, if we present the evidence directly to the Emperor, how do you think he will handle it?"
The advisor was taken aback.
"If a prince breaks the law, he is subject to the same punishment as a commoner. Does the emperor intend to protect him?"
Liu Ruzhi smiled.
He raised his hand and sealed the file.
"I've always suspected Qin Run's identity as a prince, but the Emperor hasn't doubted it at all. Is there really any suspicion about a romantic encounter more than a decade ago?"
The advisor seemed to be deep in thought.
"What you mean is that His Majesty has ulterior motives in acknowledging Qin Run."
Liu Ruzhi stood up and handed another file to the clerk.
"Whether there are ulterior motives or not is not for us to consider. Have someone anonymously submit this file to the Dali Temple."
"Dali Temple?"
The advisor suddenly realized.
"The current Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review is the Second Prince's man. Your Excellency, are you planning to use someone else to get things done?"
Liu Ruzhi laughed and said, "I don't know whose people he is. Back then, when the Emperor suddenly promoted Qin Minglang to the position of Director of the Court of Judicial Review, he was completely overshadowed by him. Moreover, the Qingfeng Village incident not only caused the Court of Judicial Review to suffer heavy losses, but also damaged its reputation. That person has been holding a grudge ever since."
The advisor gave Liu Ruzhi a thumbs up.
"My lord, you're really something, letting the Court of Judicial Review take the lead and diverting the trouble. If things get out of hand, the Ministry of Justice won't dare to suppress it."
...
As expected, Wang Zheng, the Minister of Justice, went to the Su family immediately after receiving the case file.
Unfortunately, Su Weichuan was still recovering from his internal injuries and was preoccupied with the loss of the Heart of the Sea Dragon, so he refused to see him without even saying a word.
Wang Zheng lingered at the door for a long time before finally having to leave.
Just as they were about to get into the carriage, the clerk rushed over.
"My lord, something terrible has happened."
"What happened now?" Wang Zheng was already troubled, and his brows furrowed upon hearing this.
The clerk pointed to the dossier in his hand.
"This case can probably no longer be kept secret."
Wang Zheng was taken aback.
"What do you mean? Liu Ruzhi went straight to the palace?"
The advisor shook his head.
"Lord Liu did not go to the palace, but someone somehow wrote down all the details of the case and posted them on the most conspicuous bulletin boards in the city. Now the bulletin boards are surrounded by people, who are talking about it. The deceased's family went to the Jingzhao Prefecture to make a scene, but Liu Ruzhi said that the case had been submitted to the Ministry of Justice for review, so the deceased's family all came to the entrance of the Ministry of Justice to make a scene."
Wang Zheng disagreed.
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