"Ziqian, I want to go to the Guanyin Temple tomorrow..."
The man paused in his tracks: "No need to beg. Whether I can get pregnant or not is up to me."
"With my stamina, you're not afraid of not being able to get pregnant?"
Su Yujiao blushed as she listened to his lewd words: "No... I'm not asking for a child."
"I wanted to pray for you."
"The land of Shu is treacherous, ravaged by plague. Your journey there will be extremely dangerous."
"Anyway, I have nothing to do at home. Instead of living in fear all day, I might as well go to the temple to eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist prayers to bless you."
"Besides, you and your mother-in-law aren't home, so the second branch of the family will probably try every means to make things difficult for me again."
"As a granddaughter-in-law, I can't talk back to my elders; I can only stay as far away as possible."
Lu Ziqian listened to her words, each one seemingly considering his feelings; it would be a lie to say he wasn't moved.
For the first time ever, he pulled her into his arms and gently kissed her forehead.
"Alright, I'll personally escort you up the mountain tomorrow, and I'll also send a few guards to stay and protect you."
"However, I have to go to the palace early tomorrow morning, so I'm afraid I'll be back late."
Su Yujiao shook her head: "It's alright. I still need to prepare your luggage and some commonly used medicines tomorrow, which will take some time."
The two walked hand in hand, talking about their upcoming separation.
He didn't return to his room until late at night.
Lu Ziqian pinned the woman down, his movements gentler than usual, perhaps because of Su Yujiao's words just now.
He knew this mission was indeed dangerous, and if he were to contract the plague, he might not have a chance to return.
Considering how much she wanted a child, he suddenly regretted not giving her a child sooner, so that he could have an heir.
So he took it countless times that night, as if he wanted to make up for all the time he had missed.
Afterwards, the man went to sleep contentedly.
Su Yujiao endured the soreness and got up to wash up, then took out a black pill from the box on her dressing table.
This is a contraceptive pill she made herself; it can be swallowed with water, which is much more convenient than decoction.
Su Yujiao swallowed the pill without hesitation and then tiptoed out of the room.
"Miss, it's so late, why aren't you asleep yet?"
"If you can't sleep, come sit with me in the front hall."
"yes."
"Go and fetch some cotton cloth and needles and thread."
She wants to make more masks so they can be used on the go.
"Miss, here is the cotton cloth and needle and thread you requested."
"What does Miss need to do? Let me do it."
"Yes, you come too."
"Make some face masks to prevent the plague."
Xiao Tao couldn't help but laugh and said, "Miss, you've finally overcome your hardships."
"Just now, you and the general were walking hand in hand. All the servants in the manor saw it. They all said that you've finally made it, and the general has finally realized how good you are."
“Those people are good at reading people’s expressions. They know that you are favored, so they are much more respectful to me.”
Su Yujiao smiled, her hands continuing to thread the needle, without explaining much to Xiao Tao.
She will tell Xiao Tao all the plans when she arrives at the Peony Shop tomorrow.
"Miss, is this mask worn on the face?"
"Um."
Do you think what I did was right?
"Yes, the outer layer is made of coarse cloth, and the inner layer is made of fine cotton cloth."
"You continue cooking, I'll go to the kitchen to make porridge."
As dawn broke, Lu Ziqian heard a rooster crowing.
He touched the empty half of the bed and couldn't help but frown.
Where are they?
The man pushed open the door and went out, and saw that everyone in the mansion was busy. Su Yujiao was directing the maids to do needlework.
"Ziqian, you're awake?"
Did we disturb you?
Lu Ziqian pointed at the dozens of maids and servants: "What are you doing?"
"Making masks and covering your face can effectively prevent the spread of the plague."
"After all, you're going to be in close contact with plague patients, so you can't afford not to take proper protective measures."
Looking at the dark circles under her eyes, Lu Ziqian felt an indescribable feeling, as if he were filled with something warm and comforting, which made him feel happy and relaxed.
"Didn't sleep all night?"
"Yeah, I have something on my mind and can't sleep, so I might as well get up and find something to do."
Lu Ziqian reached out and touched her fair face, gently rubbing it, feeling a little sorry for her: "Don't worry, I'll be fine."
"Go and get some sleep. Leave these tasks to the maids."
"Um."
It was dawn not long after Lu Ziqian left home, and Su Yujiao took Xiao Tao directly to the peony shop.
Su Yujiao explained her purpose, and Jin Mudan and Xiao Tao both looked at her in shock.
“Miss, that’s a plague. Everyone else is trying to avoid it, but you insist on going forward.”
Jin Mudan also expressed her disapproval: "Yes, the epidemic is ruthless; it can be fatal."
Su Yujiao insisted, "I have to go. This is the only chance. My parents and sister-in-law are waiting for my brother to come home."
The two men fell silent as they listened to her words.
After a long silence, Jin Mudan spoke first: "Okay, I'll help you."
"I'll help you find someone who knows how to disguise yourself."
"Anyway, you're going to the temple to eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist scriptures, staying in the meditation room all day. With Xiao Tao helping you from the inside, you won't easily be exposed."
The three of them huddled together and whispered among themselves, discussing the detailed plan.
After leaving the Peony Pavilion, Su Yujiao took Xiaotao to a tavern and bought several jars of the strongest liquor.
Then I went to the pharmacy and bought lime and Atractylodes lancea, but the lime was in very short supply.
After all, lime in ancient times was not a building material but a medicine, so it was simply impossible to buy it by the bag.
To this end, the two of them visited every pharmacy in the capital and bought all the available medicines.
In ancient times, Atractylodes lancea was used to ward off evil spirits, and people often confused it with Artemisia argyi.
However, Atractylodes lancea smoke actually has a very good disinfecting effect when used to fumigate the air.
In addition to epidemic prevention, it can also be used for air disinfection in wards, operating rooms, clean rooms, and laboratories.
She delivered half of the lime and Atractylodes lancea to the Peony Pavilion, and took the rest home.
After returning home, Su Yujiao used traditional distillation methods to distill several large jars of liquor into highly concentrated alcohol.
"Xiao Tao, send these two jars to Peony Pavilion."
"I also asked her to expedite the production of masks and gloves."
"Brother Gu will go and pick it up tonight."
"yes."
Lu Ziqian returned from the palace just as Su Yujiao finished her work. She then carefully instructed him on the proper use of masks, gloves, alcohol, lime, and Atractylodes lancea.
As Lu Ziqian listened to her careful instructions, he held her in his arms, a hint of emotion in his eyes: "Don't worry, I will definitely come back safely."
"Maybe by the time I come back, you'll already have a child here."
Su Yujiao looked at him and smiled happily, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.
She reached out and touched her flat stomach, where his child would never be.
Afterwards, Lu Ziqian personally escorted her to the Guanyin Temple. Although he didn't bring much, everyone in the General's Mansion knew about Su Yujiao's trip to the mountain to pray for blessings.
The next morning, Su Yujiao, disguised as a man, appeared at the back door of the Gu family's residence to meet Gu Heng.
"Brother Gu, don't you recognize me?"
Gu Heng didn't recognize her at first, but she startled him when she spoke.
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