As expected, rumors are not credible.
After Qianwu left, Qingyi immediately closed the door. Then she walked to Li Xingyi's side and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "Your Majesty, that palace maid has been arranged to leave the palace by this servant. I suppose she will not be punished by Shi Hui."
Although Shi Hui was imprisoned, she could still be demoted to a palace maid.
Li Xingyi took another piece of paper and slowly wrote on it. She calmly said, "Hmm, have you found a cure for the plague?"
Qingyi replied, "Not yet, it will probably take some effort."
Li Xingyi lowered his eyes and said, "Then let's continue searching. By the way, have you found anyone usable?"
Qingyi thought for a while and said, "Jiang Changjun, the daughter of the richest man in Jiangnan, is gentle and refined, known as a talented woman. She has beautiful features, a kind heart, and is intelligent and wise. However, she is quite cunning."
After listening, Li Xingyi said calmly, "Sounds good, but whether it's usable or not, we'll have to see for ourselves. Is there anything else?"
Qingyi said, "Yes. Tao Yuran, the daughter of the village chief of Yanming Village in Jizhou, is as beautiful as a flower. She is kind and approachable, and very clever. Her mind is hard to fathom."
Li Xingyi said, "Let's wait and see. This is too slow. Write down all the candidates one by one. Pay more attention to the powerful ones. Also..."
She thought for a moment and said, "Keep monitoring Shi Hui. Just give her the person she's looking for."
Qingyi immediately understood and replied, "This servant understands."
Li Xingyi looked up at the window and said, "It's late, we should rest."
Qingyi replied, "Yes."
Li Xingyi sat in the chair, quietly watching the doorway.
Qi Dou hadn't arrived by this time, so Li Xingyi knew he wouldn't come. Li Xingyi felt that today was a little quieter than usual. She kept her eyes down as she got up and walked towards the bed.
...Silence is the right thing to do; it's how we should be.
Inside Yonghe Palace, Shi Yan waited for Qi Dou with a look of resignation, trying to comfort herself.
...It's only a matter of time.
Suddenly a voice rang out, "His Majesty has arrived!"
Shi Yan, accompanied by her palace attendants, immediately bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects."
Qi Dou slowly stepped down from the palanquin and looked at Shi Yan, saying, "No need for formalities."
Shi Yan replied, "Thank you, Your Majesty," and then stood up.
Qi Dou bypassed Shi Yan and stepped into the hall. Zhao Hongxing whispered to Shi Yan, "Your Majesty, hurry up and follow."
Shi Yan then followed into the hall and said to Qi Dou, "You may all leave."
After hearing this, Shi Yan pretended to be calm. Fu Rong looked at her with some worry. Zhao Hongxing quickly pulled Fu Rong out and closed the door.
Outside, just as Furong was about to speak, Zhao Hongxing said with a knowing look, "Alright, your mistress will be fine."
After all, Qi Dou would remain chaste for Li Xingyi, so how could he possibly touch anyone else? Fu Rong, however, mistakenly thought that they were really going to consummate their marriage, and of course, nothing would happen if they did!
She looked sad, and Zhao Hongxing looked at Furong's face, which looked like she was about to cry, with a puzzled expression.
Hmm? Could it be that she feels sorry for her mistress who can't consummate her marriage with His Majesty? But His Majesty doesn't have any past with Consort Duan, does he? Could it be that His Majesty is so handsome that this mistress has secretly fallen for him?
That's really quite pitiful.
Thinking of this, Zhao Hongxing nodded in agreement.
When Furong saw Zhao Hongxing's approving expression, she thought it was really as she had imagined, and she couldn't help but cry.
Zhao Hongxing hurriedly pulled her aside, saying, "Oh dear, my dear, please don't cry. Go and rest. You still have to serve your mistress tomorrow morning."
Upon hearing this, Furong cried even harder.
Helpless, Zhao Hongxing could only have someone take Furong back to her own room.
Inside the room, Qi Dou saw Shi Yan standing stiffly with her head down, so he could only walk to the bed, take a quilt and a pillow, spread them out on the floor, and lie down.
Qi Dou said, "Don't worry, I won't touch you. Go to sleep."
Upon hearing this, Shi Yan looked up and saw Qi Dou sleeping on the ground. She was shocked and quickly said, "Your Majesty, how can you, the supreme ruler, sleep on the ground? If anyone should be sleeping, it should be me."
Qi Dou closed his eyes and said, "I'm sleepy and want to go to sleep. Don't talk."
Shi Yan looked at him in disbelief.
His Majesty... is not as rumored.
Rumor has it that Qi Dou is extremely cold-hearted, ruthless, and unsympathetic to women. When he was a prince, a woman was about to fall in front of him, but he refused to reach out to help her up and just watched her fall to the ground.
But the fact that such a person would let himself sleep on the bed while he slept on the floor only made Shi Yan more confused about this emperor.
Shi Yan carefully walked to the bedside, quietly got into bed, covered herself with the quilt, and went to sleep.
...Rumors are indeed unreliable.
She fell asleep with these thoughts in mind.
Qi Hui and his group walked for a long time without seeing a city. Seeing that it was getting late, they set up tents to rest on the spot, gathered some firewood to build a fire, and after they finished, everyone was hungry. Fortunately, they had brought a lot of dry food and water with them before they left. After distributing them, everyone happily ate the dry food around the campfire.
Ji Shao calculated the distance and said, "At our current speed, we will arrive in three days at the earliest and seven days at the latest."
Qi Wenzhe nodded and said, "Hopefully it won't be too late..."
Qi Hui bluntly stated, "What difference does it make whether it's sooner or later? We still don't have a solution, do we? Let's just pray that we don't get infected."
Although it was disheartening, it was the truth. Qi Hui insisted on going to such a dangerous mission, so there must be something worth going for him. But I don't know what could be more important than life.
Ji Shao and Qi Wenzhe looked at Qi Hui with puzzlement. Qi Hui deliberately asked, "What? Does Academician Qi already have a solution?"
Everyone cast expectant glances at Qi Wenzhe, who calmly replied, "Your Highness is joking. How could someone as incompetent as me come up with a method that even the most accomplished seniors couldn't devise?"
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately deflated. Qi Hui smiled and said, "Academician Qi is too modest. This trip will depend entirely on you, after all, who here can compare to your medical skills?"
The other doctors immediately felt as if they had been shot with an arrow.
Seriously?! How could someone get infected with this?!
Xian Wenzhe replied respectfully, "Your Highness is too kind. My medical skills are mediocre and do not deserve Your Highness's trust."
The following sentence clearly avoids the topic of relationships.
The other doctors watched him and cried out inwardly.
If your medical skills are so mediocre, then what are we?!
Qi Hui remarked sarcastically, "Court Minister Qi is truly...utterly loyal."
The two stared at each other with hostility.
Ji Shao looked left and right, then had no choice but to change the subject: "Academician Qi, how should we prevent the plague? And how should we treat the patients?"
Qi Wenzhe had already announced the method for preventing the plague to the world when he learned it, so Ji Shao's question at this time was clearly an attempt to change the subject.
But Qi Wenzhe still answered respectfully: "Burn mugwort, wash frequently, and remember to cover your face before entering the city. The plague is raging, so everyone remember to cover your face so that you won't get infected."
"As for treatment, I only have a few clues after looking through the medical books of the past, but there is still no way. I can only prescribe a formula to make the patient suffer less."
After he finished speaking, he looked somewhat distressed, blaming himself for not having thought of a way to cure them completely.
At this moment, Qi Hui casually said, "Your Majesty is really something. You have no choice but to send you to Bashu to provide support. Isn't that pushing you into a fire pit?"
Thinking of Qi Dou, he felt a sense of disdain.
He didn't even kill all those infected and then burn them. It would have been the simplest way, but he refused to do it, as if he was afraid of chilling the hearts of the people. He was indecisive and soft-hearted.
After listening, everyone thought about it carefully.
It seems that's indeed the case...
They all lowered their heads in silence. Upon seeing this, Ji Shao immediately said, "Your Highness is joking. How could His Majesty send us to our deaths? His Majesty is kind-hearted and only hopes to save the people of Bashu."
Qi Hui spread his hands and asked, "Is there any way to save him?"
Ji Shao chuckled awkwardly and whispered, "It seems not..."
After pondering for a moment, Qi Wenzhe asked, "Then why did Your Highness accompany us to Bashu to 'die'?"
He emphasized the word "sending to one's death" when he spoke of it.
Upon hearing this, Qi Hui's attendant immediately stood up and said, "How dare you speak to the Prince like that?!"
Qi Hui waved his hand at him and said, "It's alright."
Seeing this, the attendant had no choice but to sit down again.
Qi Hui looked at Qi Wenzhe and asked, "What does Academician Qi think?"
Qi Wenzhe frankly replied, "I do not know."
Qi Hui smiled and said, "Then just consider that I went there because I cared about the people. Perhaps after I die on this trip to Sichuan, my name will be remembered in history?"
Ji Shao turned pale upon hearing this.
You can't say that!
Qi Wenzhe looked at Qi Hui calmly and said, "Your Highness is a lucky man; nothing will happen to you."
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