Chapter 125 This epidemic is indeed not a natural disaster, but a man-made disaster!
Xi Xiyue kept his promise. Within three days, he had someone copy the official report, originally circulated only among the literati and a small number of noble families, and delivered it to the Du residence for Du Heng to review. Although this action did not violate the rules, it was also unconventional, which shows the breadth of Xi Xiyue's connections and the depth of his affection.
Du Heng searched for a long time in his study, carefully comparing the northern map that Su Ying had circled in the geographical records with the villages where the epidemic broke out in the official report, and he had an idea in his mind.
In the past, he used to think alone. But these days, he and Ying'er have been looking through medical books and geographical records together, and gradually, he has developed a new habit. No matter what, he always has to talk to Ying'er before he can put his mind to writing.
So he called out to Qingquan, "See where my cousin is and tell her I'm waiting for her in the library."
At this moment, Su Ying was with Wanyi. With so much going on at home, it was impossible to keep it a secret from Wanyi. Cheng had learned her lesson and spent her days with her mother-in-law, reciting scriptures and cultivating herself. Most of the time, Wanyi naturally stayed with Su Ying, reading and writing, and occasionally, Rong would teach her some housekeeping skills.
Today was a rare day, Wanyi was embroidering a purse, and Su Ying also became interested. If there was anything she couldn't do, it seemed that needlework was the only one.
"Finally found something that my sister can't match!"
Although Wanyi was joking, she was teaching seriously and patiently: "Sister, the purse material you cut seems a little too big!"
Su Ying smiled and said, "This is my first time learning, and I'm afraid it won't be done well because it's too small. I'll first make one three times the size of yours. Once I'm more skilled, I'll make it the same way you did it."
Wanyi tilted her head and thought about it. It seemed to make sense, so she said, "No wonder Sister didn't choose satin, but blue silk. Blue silk is indeed easier to work with."
Unexpectedly, when she was halfway through embroidering, Qingquan came to bring her food, saying that the young master had gone out yesterday and brought back some cakes from Jiangnanjing.
Wanyi was surprised to hear this and asked, "Brother, you bought it yesterday, why did you wait until today to send it to me?"
Qingquan replied, "My master came back late yesterday, so he didn't have time to deliver it to Miss. I will deliver the box to the library later."
When Su Ying heard this, her cheeks turned hot.
That day, Du Heng and she finished reading the geographical and medical books. They both felt that writing based on books alone was too isolated, so Du Heng decided to ask Xi Xiyue for help.
Before Du Heng left, he specifically asked her if she wanted to try Jiangnan Jing's cakes. She replied, "I heard that Jiangnan Jing's cakes can only be ordered seven days in advance. Even if I wanted to try them, you wouldn't be able to buy them."
Du Heng smiled faintly and said, "Rules are rules, but as long as you are determined, you can still do it. It's just that there are not many varieties to buy."
She smiled and said, "My cousin is thoughtful. I will eat whatever you buy."
He did come back late that day, but he still asked Qingquan to send her more than one box. Unexpectedly, he didn't give any to Wanyi.
Originally, Qingquan should have left after delivering the box, but he repeated, "Cousin, I will take your box to the library later."
Su Ying, feeling shy, finally understood Qingquan's implication. She stood up and said to Wanyi, apologetically, "I just remembered that I haven't done what my aunt asked me to do. Sister, please forgive me for being rude. I'll go first."
Seeing Su Ying put down her needlework and asked Taoxi to put away the half-embroidered blue silk purse, Wanyi naturally did not think too much and stood up to see her off, saying, "Goodbye, sister."
Du Heng stood on the stone steps of the library and looked at the gate. After a while, he saw Qingquan leading Su Ying over, with Taoxi following behind them.
Qingquan closed the courtyard door consciously, Taoxi bowed to Du Heng and was about to go to the ear room, but just as he took a step, he remembered something and took out a big purse and asked Su Ying what to do.
Du Heng saw it and asked curiously, "What is this? It doesn't look like a bag, nor does it look like a purse."
When Su Ying heard this, her face flushed red, but she did not answer Du Heng. She just whispered a few words to Taoxi before walking up the stone steps.
When she passed by Du Heng, she ignored him and went straight into the library.
Du Heng laughed, looked at her pretty back, and said, "It was I who said the wrong thing." Then he caught up with her in a few steps and gently held her hand.
Su Ying's cheeks were as rosy as a newly opened lotus, which made Du Heng's heart beat fast. He was like a flying dragonfly wanting to land on the pistil of the pink lotus. He was moved and kissed her.
Du Heng had been waiting on the stone steps for a long time, and his lips were a little cool. When they touched Su Ying's warm cheeks, she felt a tingling sensation. She bit her lip, pushed him away, turned her head away, and asked, "Is this why you asked Qingquan to come to me?"
After saying this, Su Ying felt extremely embarrassed, so she turned around and saw a lot of papers covered with words on the desk.
When she took a closer look, she realized that it was a copied official report.
Suddenly, she felt a warmth on her shoulder. Du Heng's hand touched her shoulder and said softly, "Take a look at what was mentioned in the court report and compare it with the official roads and villages circled on the map. Do you find anything?"
When Su Ying heard this, she ignored her shyness and sat down to read it carefully.
Du Heng, as usual, sat on a stool beside him, quietly waiting for Su Ying.
After a long while, Su Ying whispered, "This epidemic is really not a natural disaster, but a man-made disaster!"
After hearing this, Du Heng felt that the phrase "a tacit understanding" applied to him and Ying'er. His lips curled up as he picked out the earliest handwritten newspaper of that time and pointed out, "The court report only mentioned a casual sentence, saying that the red spot plague was introduced from outside the border, but it did not mention the date of its discovery."
Then, he pointed to the map and said, "This village of Muir is the first village where the plague broke out, as reported in the imperial report."
As he spoke, he began to measure the distance between the border and Moore Village with his hands.
Before he could answer, Su Ying took over and said, "There are two or three small villages between Muer Village and the border. If the source of this plague is indeed outside the border, then Muer Village is definitely not the first village to be affected by the outbreak!"
Du Heng nodded and said, "So, the Pei family not only delayed the military report, but also deliberately concealed it. It wasn't until the truth could no longer be hidden, and they discovered that the Lu family had reported it to the capital, that they were forced to report Muer Village. Otherwise, the guilt would be even greater."
Over the past few days, Du Heng and Su Ying had begun to sense that the epidemic in the north was even more out of control than rumored. Their discovery had just shocked Su Ying even more.
It seems that the truth is more serious than they had previously expected.
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