Where is the Prime Minister's authority?
The Rebirth Pavilion became the hottest topic in the capital.
Every day before dawn, long queues would form on Suzaku Street, with noble ladies clutching their handkerchiefs and whispering, "I heard that Minister Li fainted from the Mirror Demon yesterday, and when he woke up, he insisted on breaking in again!"
The scholars held the guidebook and argued, "It's obvious that we should draw the talisman with cinnabar first and then light the candle, but you just don't believe it!"
On the seventh-floor terrace, Ruan Yunsheng leaned against the railing, his fingertips leisurely fiddling with the tea lid. The gilded incense burner exuded a pear cloud fragrance, and the noisy voices downstairs filtered into a vague warm tide.
She took a sip of the iced plum wine and saw that the flower seller on the street corner had her basket filled with ghost talisman silk flowers that were only available from Wangsheng Pavilion.
"Madam," Hua Rong said, smiling as she stepped forward, holding the account book. "Three thousand taels were received today at 9:00 PM. Second Young Master Qi sent someone to ask if we would like to open a nightclub?"
Ruan Yunsheng glanced at the distant eaves of the palace wall and said, "Tell Qi Xiuming that scarcity makes things valuable—only when they are hungry will they appreciate the taste of meat."
Suddenly, a bronze bell rang, and a white dove flew down from the eaves, carrying a piece of golden paper. Unfolding it, it was a piece of handwriting by Wen Ciyuan: "Return home for dinner at 3 p.m. Madam, please do not indulge in cold drinks."
There was also a frowning figure drawn on the corner of the paper.
It's quite clingy. She chuckled and threw the paper into the incense burner.
As dusk gradually fell, the glazed tiles on the roof of the pavilion reflected the lights of thousands of homes. Ruan Yunsheng listened to the actors singing, with a dozing cat curled up at his feet. Suddenly, he felt that all the difficulties he had encountered in the past had turned into a warm teacup in his palm.
Ruan Yunsheng got up from the couch and happened to run into Qi Xiuming who was clamoring for a dinner party at Louwailou. It was said that there were several ventriloquist masters there. She didn't hesitate at all and directly refused.
Qi Xiuming grabbed Ruan Yunsheng's sleeve and wailed, "Boss Ruan, please stop! This wonderful night out has just begun!"
Ruan Yunsheng pulled back his sleeve and flicked his forehead with his fingertips: "What do you know, little brat? Going home is much more interesting than watching ventriloquism~"
As she turned around, her pomegranate skirt swirled into a crimson cloud. "Sister, let me teach you a lesson: a warm quilt and soft jade are better than countless things in the world."
Qi Xiuming scratched his head in confusion: "Warm quilts and soft jade? Isn't it just for sleeping?"
But he didn't think too much about it. Since Boss Ruan didn't want to go, he would just find someone else. Going home was impossible.
The red door of the Prime Minister's Mansion creaked open.
Moonlight streamed across the bluestone steps, casting a shadow on the tall figure in the corridor. Wen Ciyuan, wearing a black nightgown, was leaning against a pillar, holding the scroll upside down for a long time, his hair still dripping with moisture from his bath.
"Madam, you're back early." His voice was as cold as night dew, but his eyes burned with a dark fire. "Three quarters of an hour earlier than expected."
Ruan Yunsheng smiled and threw herself into his arms, rubbing his slightly furrowed brows with her fingertips: "Some people are almost turning into wife-waiting stones. If I don't come back, I'm afraid I'll be drowned in jealousy~"
He suddenly leaned over and held her horizontally: "Since Madam is so considerate..."
As they walked steadily towards the inner room, he bit her earlobe and whispered, "Then I'll examine you carefully to see if I've made any progress recently."
A half branch of peach blossoms peeked in from outside the window, with a drunken firefly resting on the petals, reflecting the beauty of the other.
The next morning, Ruan Yunsheng turned over in her warm quilt and noticed the person beside her getting up. Wen Ciyuan immediately turned around and gently stroked her back, his voice muffled like a dream beside the pillow: "It's still early, sleep a little longer."
His fingertips brushed across her eyelashes until her breathing became long again, and then he quietly left.
Ruan Yunsheng lazily rose at noon. As the maid tied her hair, she reported, "The Prime Minister has returned home and is currently discussing matters with several other officials in the study."
She frowned: "Can you have breakfast?"
The maid shook her head: "The adults arrived at the hour of Mao, and the Prime Minister only drank half a cup of tea."
Ruan Yunsheng immediately ordered the kitchen to prepare chicken porridge and four snacks, and personally brought them to the study.
Just then, several officials filed out and greeted her with smiles, saying, "Madam, how are you?"
She pushed the door open and walked in, seeing Wen Ciyuan rubbing his brows and sitting at his desk, with memorials piled up like a mountain. "Why aren't you eating again?"
She placed the food box next to the wolf-hair brush and said, "Even a body of iron can't stand it."
Wen Ciyuan took two sips of porridge from her hand and suddenly sighed, "A severe disease has suddenly spread to the three cities in the northern border. The patients have high fevers and cough up blood, and died within three days. The disease has spread to the military camp."
He took out a letter written in blood, "Your Majesty knows that Shen Yunzhou is from Medicine King Valley and wants to send him and me to treat him."
Ruan Yunsheng's fingertips trembled: "Although he is well versed in medical theory, he has never dealt with a plague!"
"That's not all." Wen Ciyuan's eyes were gloomy. "Prince Yong volunteered this morning, saying that he has been battling illness and has some knowledge of pharmacology. He wants to bring the Imperial Hospital with him to investigate the people's sentiments."
"I always feel that this disease came at the right time."
When Ruan Yunsheng heard this, her heart sank. She couldn't help but think of the days before she traveled through time when a viral infectious disease invaded and was unforgettable to everyone. At that time, there were still ventilators and nucleic acid tests to protect them, but now in this ancient time with a shortage of medicine, a plague would be a calamity.
She asked softly, "When do we leave?"
Wen Ciyuan sighed, "Tomorrow at noon."
"So soon?" Ruan Yunsheng was surprised, and suddenly remembered the modern mask. "There's no time to lose. I'll go get it right away!"
After saying that, he hurriedly got up and left.
Wen Ciyuan, who was left alone, looked at her receding back and suddenly felt like an empty-nest elderly person. Even the orchid pot by the window exuded a sense of loneliness.
Ruan Yunsheng hurried through Zhuque Street, carefully inquiring at each shop, "Boss, is this fine cotton cloth permeable? Please get the densest gauze... and ten pounds each of mugwort and atractylodes!"
When she returned to the mansion with a load of fabrics and medicinal herbs, she immediately called the maids to start work.
As she demonstrated the sewing technique, she explained, "This is called a mask. Diseases often enter through the mouth and nose, so covering it with this can block out foul air."
Wen Ciyuan approached quietly, looking at the strange object he had never seen before. He thought it was a peace locket embroidered by his wife for him. He was immediately delighted and shyly suggested, "Madam... I want a lovebird-style one."
Ruan Yunsheng looked up in confusion: "Are you saying you want to embroider lovebirds on the mask?"
She looked at the man in front of her strangely, thinking to herself, I didn't realize he was so ostentatious. Although she didn't understand, she still did as he asked.
The next morning, Ruan Yunsheng handed a stack of masks to the people who were ready to go, and specifically handed the one embroidered with lovebirds to Wen Ciyuan: "Diseases come from the mouth, so remember to wear it at all times."
After saying that, he put on his plain mask neatly.
Wen Ciyuan stared blankly at the mask on her face, then looked down at the lingering lovebirds in his hands. He instantly realized that this was meant to be worn on the face! The tips of his ears flushed red, and the embroidery suddenly became very hot.
Shen Yunzhou, who was already wearing a mask, came over and asked, "What are you daydreaming about?"
With his sharp eyes, he immediately caught sight of the special mask and burst into laughter, slapping his thigh: "Brother, I didn't expect you to like this!"
He deliberately strained his voice to learn to sing, "Flying together like wings, lips and teeth interdependent ~"
Wen Ciyuan was at a loss, clutching the mask. He looked at Ruan Yunsheng aggrievedly, like a puppy drenched in rain. If he wore this mask in public, his dignity as Prime Minister would be...
Ruan Yunsheng suppressed a smile and blinked deliberately: "What's wrong? Are you dissatisfied with my embroidery skills?"
Wen Ciyuan shook his head in panic: "How could I dislike Madam's embroidery..."
However, this pattern of the lovebirds was too embarrassing to be worn in public. Ruan Yunsheng smiled and didn't let him continue to be embarrassed. She took out another plain mask and tied it on him carefully.
Wen Ciyuan immediately straightened his back and regained his former dignity, but quietly folded the lovebird mask and put it in his arms. This was the first thing his wife had embroidered for him.
Just as they were about to set off, Ruan Yunsheng climbed onto the carriage carrying her medicine box. Wen Ciyuan hurriedly stopped her, "Madam, what are you doing?"
"Of course we'll go together." Ruan Yunsheng said confidently, "Maybe I'm better at epidemic prevention than you are."
Seeing Ruan Yunsheng's insistence on going together, Wen Ciyuan clenched the shaft of the cart with his fingertips, his knuckles turning pale. "No!"
His voice rarely lost its composure. "The plague in the northern border is raging. The victims are suffering from skin ulcers and pus, and their breath is barely moving. How could you possibly go to such a dangerous place?"
Shen Yunzhou quickly chimed in: "Sister-in-law, you don't know. Yesterday's post reported that three of the doctors treating the patient had fallen ill! The disease is extremely serious. If infected, the patient will have a fever and cough up blood..."
He deliberately lowered his voice and threatened, "A family was fine last night, but this morning their entire family was found dead!"
Wen Ciyuan grabbed her wrist, cold sweat oozing from his palm: "Madam! Those symptoms are definitely not ordinary..."
His Adam's apple rolled, and his eyes were filled with shock: "If anything happens to you, I..."
He stopped talking abruptly, his knuckles clenching the shaft of the cart so hard that it creaked, as if he wanted to crush those ominous prophecies between his teeth.
Ruan Yunsheng gently held his trembling hand, his fingertips stroking the tense joints: "I promise you, I won't run around when we get there, and I won't go into the intensive care unit."
She raised her face, her eyes like a clear pond under the moonlight, "But you have to promise me that you won't act stubbornly. You must wear the mask I made for you every time you are inspected."
She leaned close to his ear and said, "Besides...if my husband gets sick, I'll be worried day and night in the capital, holding the medicine cup. It would be better for us to go together."
The sound was as light as a butterfly's wings, but it hit Wen Ciyuan's heart hard.
Wen Ciyuan suddenly pulled her into his arms, his mink fur covering their pressed chests. He buried his head in her neck and took a deep breath, his hair caressing her trembling Adam's apple. "...Okay."
A single word spoke a weighty promise, his scorching lips brushing her earlobe. "But if you break your promise even a little, I will lock you in a carriage and personally bring you back to the capital."
In the distance, Shen Yunzhou coughed awkwardly twice.
In the overlapping shadows, Ruan Yunsheng quietly hooked her little finger around his dusty belt and tied a sachet embroidered with a lovebird on it.
I knew his little thoughts yesterday, and I was just teasing him recently.
When the carriage drove out of the city gate, the carriages of Prince Yong and the Imperial Medical Bureau were already lined up waiting. Dozens of green-covered carriages were lined up in a long queue, and the official road was filled with yellow dust.
Just as the convoy was about to set off, a crimson figure suddenly jumped down from a willow tree by the roadside and accurately grabbed Ruan Yunsheng's car window.
It was exactly the same as the day he ran away from his marriage, but this time it seemed a little different.
Qi Xiuming swiftly climbed into the carriage, clutching a bulging bag in his arms, and panted, "Take me to Northern Xinjiang!"
Ruan Yunsheng raised an eyebrow: "Are you going to die?"
"How can you talk like that!" Qi Xiuming suddenly became shy, "Gu Nanzhi is there."
Ruan Yunsheng teased: "Go find your fiancée."
Qi Xiuming stiffened his neck and said, "Who, who is looking for her?! I'm going to cancel the engagement!"
Wen Ciyuan glanced coldly at his flushed face: "To cancel the engagement, do I need to bring osmanthus cake, almond pastry, and...daughter's red wine?"
He lightly picked it up with his fingertips, revealing a snack box that was stuffed crookedly in the bag.
Qi Xiuming hurriedly covered his bag and said stubbornly, "Can't we eat on the way?"
Then he muttered softly, "That girl loves the almond cakes from Zuixianlou the most."
Ruan Yunsheng suppressed a laugh: "You ran away from your marriage in a shocking way, and now you're thinking about sending snacks to someone?"
Qi Xiuming's ears flushed red, and he suddenly slumped down on the mat in frustration. "That stupid girl heard there was a plague in Northern Xinjiang, and she actually sneaked over there, saying she wanted to help!"
He tugged at his belt and muttered, "If she gets sick, who will collect her body?"
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