005
"Let us in, sir... let us in..."
"Get out of here!"
A dozen or so guards brandished their long blades, and the ragged old man trembled as he retreated to the base of the city wall.
"Do you wish to enter the city? Do you have official credentials?" The soldier stopped Song Ling and his party's carriage directly.
“Of course,” Song Ling handed over the document, then asked casually, “May I ask why those outside the city are not allowed to enter?”
"They're just a bunch of vagrants and scoundrels," the soldier said nonchalantly after inspecting them, raising his hand. "It's good enough that we're not chasing them away."
"Let them through!"
Before getting into the carriage, Song Ling turned her head and looked at the people huddled together in the distance. There were about a dozen people in her sight, all dressed in tattered clothes, some even barely clothed, and a few leaning against dry, slippery tree trunks, on the verge of death.
Perhaps after they die, soldiers will come pulling carts with disgust, and then the jackals and wild dogs in the mass graves in the countryside will have another feast.
Qi Man tentatively asked, "Miss, would you like some of our men to rescue?"
“No need,” Song Ling closed her eyes, no longer looking at those scenes.
Qi Man hesitated, as if he wanted to offer some more advice but ultimately remained silent.
Once a girl makes up her mind, no one can sway her. Sometimes she wonders how a girl so young can be so cold-hearted.
The carriage swayed and wobbled to a stop.
"Doctor! Please, I beg you! Save her, I'll do anything you ask..."
At the entrance of the clinic, the carriage gradually came to a stop, and a sobbing plea reached Song Ling's ears. She suddenly opened her eyes.
The man kneeling in front of the clinic was a young-looking boy, about sixteen or seventeen years old, roughly the same age as Song Ling.
His worn-out gray robe was covered in pudding, and in some places it was still torn, perhaps because it hadn't been mended yet. Looking closely, his face was covered in dirt and dust. He should have been a lively and carefree age, but his whole being was filled with vicissitudes and despair.
He was holding something bulging in his arms, which upon closer inspection turned out to be a small child whose face was flushed, perhaps indicating that he was very ill.
"How can we save someone if they can't even afford medical treatment?"
Standing at the door was a boy of about ten years old. Judging from his appearance, he seemed to be a medicine boy. He stood with his hands on his hips, looking arrogant. "Judging from your clothes and appearance, you are probably a refugee who sneaked into the city. You are very dirty! This child may have been infected with the plague to be like this!"
"Ah!" The people who had gathered to watch the commotion all dispersed with fear on their faces.
Not long ago, after a heavy rain, many prefectures and counties were hit by outbreaks of disease, and the number of deaths was unknown. Large numbers of refugees fled in all directions. If it weren't for the prefect's foresight, Nanting Prefecture would have long since become a living hell like many other prefectures and counties.
"Get lost! Don't disturb our doctor's consultation!"
The young apprentice threw a piece of mutton-fat jade back in front of the kneeling man, and the jade pendant immediately shattered into two pieces.
The man picked up the two pieces of broken jade with trembling hands. His eyes were red and his palms were covered with blood and dirt, but he did not let up.
Feeling the baby in his arms whimpering in pain, he staggered to his feet and walked toward another clinic, muttering, "Yaoyao, don't be afraid... don't be afraid."
"I can save her."
He was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly turned around in the direction of the sound. In front of him was a woman who looked pale and sickly.
Disregarding everything else, he was at his wit's end. He knelt down before her with a thud and lowered his head, pleading, "Please..."
Song Ling lowered her eyes but did not stop him. "Follow me."
As the man looked at the increasingly hot face of the person in his arms, his grip tightened, and he followed Song Ling to another clinic.
"Is it all taken care of?"
“This clinic is outrageous,” Qi Man said, leading them inside. Her expression was also rather unpleasant. “They can sell a single ginseng root for an exorbitant price. How can they have the nerve to do that?”
"Young lady, the price you've offered only allows you to wait for half an hour." The young apprentice's attitude wasn't exactly friendly, but he was at least less arrogant than the previous one.
Thank you.
Amid the man's nervousness and fear, Song Ling took the child and placed her on a small couch. She then took out the silver needles she carried with her and said, "Prepare some hot water."
"Let's wait outside," Wu Sheng patted the man on the back. "Our young lady's medical skills are excellent."
The man gritted his teeth and dared not leave his sight for even a moment, refusing to leave no matter what. He watched quietly without saying a word.
"You may stay, but you must wait outside the screen."
Half an hour later, Song Ling retrieved the last needle and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
The blush on the little girl's face had faded, and she was finally sleeping comfortably. The child, only a little over a year old, had a sallow complexion from all the suffering, and her body was thin; it was clear how much she had endured.
"Wait a quarter of an hour."
Song Ling took the tea from Qi Man and looked at the man who rushed towards the small couch. Her tone was somewhat cold. "Her illness is cured, but she is weak and needs to take good care of herself. Otherwise, she will definitely not live much longer."
What she didn't say was that such an illness requires years of careful care to prevent it from becoming a chronic condition, which shows that he didn't have the means to do so. Whether the child could survive was another matter, let alone recover.
The man, lost in thought and burdened by the bewilderment and depression of recent days, burst into tears.
But then a calm female voice drifted into my ears, "Why are you crying here?"
"With silver saddles and embroidered banners, their spirits soaring, who wouldn't exclaim that the Ning family of the capital has produced outstanding young men..."
The man's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively stood up to shield the girl behind him. "I don't understand what you're talking about!"
“Young Master Ning, you certainly understand.” Seeing that he was about to flee with the child, Song Ling threw her sword onto the table. “If I wanted to harm you, why would I have saved her?”
"Young master, why don't you sit down and listen to what I have to say?"
"Your sister can also rest a little longer."
Ning Yunqi looked at her warily, the dagger in his sleeve ready to strike at any moment. "I will return the money to you, young lady," he said, then gently picked up the girl and prepared to leave.
None of the three people inside offered to stop him, and he breathed a deep sigh of relief as he was about to step out the door.
But the woman suddenly asked him a question that left him speechless: "In these chaotic times, doesn't the Second Young Master want his younger sister to live a healthy and carefree life?"
"Or do you want her, a child not even a year old, to share all of this with you?"
Those feet felt as if they were filled with boulders, unable to move an inch.
Half an hour later
"How many medicinal herbs did you buy?"
“Here, that’s all.” Qi Man shoved it into his pocket. “That old doctor at the clinic is like a hen brooding over her chicks, he won’t reveal a single thing. I clearly saw that he had a lot of herbs hidden away, but he wouldn’t sell them even if I offered a higher price.”
"I expected this." Song Ling lifted the side curtain of the carriage and looked behind her. Inside the city, vendors hawked their wares and people rode horses in an endless stream; outside the city, there were countless people who were emaciated and dressed in rags. It was as if they were in two different worlds.
"Use these for now, and make some pills in case of emergency."
“No,” Qi Man clutched his pocket tightly. “This is for you to prepare medicine, young lady. We can ask for more pills when the disciples come.”
“I’m useful,” Song Ling said, unusually not angry. Seeing that Qi Man was a little sulky, she reached out and pinched her cheek. “I’ll think of another way next time. It’s not like my problem just started a day or two ago.”
"oh."
Upon arriving at the military camp, Song Ling and her group were suddenly stopped.
"Mr. Song!"
Song Ling looked at the soldiers waiting at the entrance of the military camp and asked with some doubt, "Did the general give any orders?"
"It was Military Advisor Wei who instructed his subordinates to wait. The military advisor only said that the Governor of Yunzhou had come to visit the General with his wife and daughters, and that you could return to your camp first."
"To the military camp's encampment?"
Song Ling frowned slightly. "Prefect Wang of Yunzhou..."
"Then I shall take my leave!"
A group of people pushed and shoved each other as they walked out from not far away. The leader of them was none other than their General Yu and the governor of Yunzhou.
The two exchanged words back and forth, and General Yu, who was not good with words, was like a seasoned veteran of officialdom, completely different from his previous tactless demeanor.
Their general surprised her; there were so many unexpected surprises.
Now that the two groups were bound to meet, seeing that Lord Wang had already noticed her approaching, "This..."
“My daughter is a cousin of Military Advisor Wei,” Song Ling said, glancing at Yu Baizhou and Wei Yan without batting an eye. She fabricated the lie without a hint of guilt. “Because our family has fallen on hard times, my parents have passed away and abandoned me. So I wrote a letter and came here to seek refuge with them.”
Her pitiful tone, coupled with her delicate and pale appearance, made it seem like she was telling the whole story, even if it was only three parts true.
“Indeed,” Wei Yan replied, “I have already prepared a house for my cousin, and she will be settled in a few days.”
The Prefect Wang didn't say anything, but looked at Song Ling with a serious expression for several times, which made Wei Yan behind him nervously swallow.
Song Ling lowered her head slightly, a sight that made Governor Wang feel even more familiar, but he couldn't quite place where that familiarity came from, and in the end he could only look away.
"If the general and his advisor have any needs, I will certainly do my best."
"Thank you, sir," Wei Yan and Song Ling said in unison.
Song Ling didn't look up until the governor and his entourage boarded the carriage. He then met the eyes of a woman not far away, whose eyes held curiosity, suspicion, and a fleeting wariness.
Song Ling nodded slightly in acknowledgment, naturally not missing the woman's sudden panic and helplessness.
What a strange woman. Song Ling subconsciously did some calculations. She was the only legitimate daughter of Governor Wang, and perhaps she would have another chance with her in the future.
"Has the young lady made a new discovery?" Qi Man, having followed Song Ling since childhood, noticed her actions immediately.
Song Ling shook her head slightly, "Nothing important."
She turned to look at the two generals who seemed hesitant to speak, and asked, "Are there any prisoners of the Southern Barbarians in the military camp?"
"What?"
What a nonsensical statement! No one present could follow her train of thought.
"Why are you asking this?" Yu Baizhou pinched his cheeks, which were almost stiff from smiling, and became more and more puzzled. "Of course there is."
He found the girl very strange, odd in every way, and increasingly disbelieving that she could help him solve the problem of food supplies.
"General, would you like to hear some of my thoughts?" Song Ling looked at him. "Or you could have the military advisor tell you."
Wei Yan was eager to try, but before he could speak, he was interrupted. His general said decisively, "I don't understand those grand principles he's spouting. You tell me!"
My heart shattered into pieces.
Song Ling didn't indulge him at all, and said quietly, "If you are not talented and have little knowledge, don't blame your teacher for not teaching you well."
What an annoying girl! Yu Baizhou strode away angrily, and Wei Yan couldn't catch up with him no matter how hard he tried.
"General, please slow down..."
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