Yuancheng
When she left the next day, Jingwan learned from Wuxia that Lu Chang had specially gone to the village to buy the kitten the night before. She lowered her head and stroked the kitten gently, without saying a word.
As the carriage was about to leave, Jingwan could still see the family standing in the courtyard watching them go through the window. Her heart ached: "The land tax is three liters, and the poll tax is three shi. How are they supposed to survive?"
In the Northwest, after the war had just ended, the government came door to door, demanding taxes from each household. The people had exhausted their money and grain to support the war effort, so where could they find food to pay?
During the war, the imperial court repeatedly refused to supply silver and grain to the Northwest under the pretext of an empty treasury, and only promised to exempt the country from taxes for five years.
They didn't want the war to end, so all those promises became empty words. The newly appointed officials didn't acknowledge them and still demanded that the people pay for the grain.
However, the people of the Northwest are known for their fierce and unruly nature. When families unite, they will beat anyone who dares to come to collect taxes. Later, when the government refused to allow the people to cultivate the land, General Lu led his soldiers to carry out spring plowing. Weapons were laid out one after another on the ridges of the fields. Who dared to step forward and obstruct them?
After General Lu left, Princess Li Muyun took over the defense of the northwest border. She was only seventeen that year, young and a woman, and even with her status as a princess, she was still looked down upon by local officials.
The government imposed heavy taxes, and some officials even levied additional taxes privately. Those who refused to pay taxes were robbed of their property by their men, and some were even tortured. Unexpectedly, this princess was even more ruthless than General Lu. She led her men into the government office, arrested the officials, and beheaded them right at the entrance of the government office.
The seventeen-year-old girl, her face splattered with blood, held only a blood-soaked broadsword and asked the officials if they had any objections.
From then on, no official in the Northwest dared to deny the imperial edict granting a five-year tax exemption.
The Northwest, which had suffered from the ravages of war, was finally relieved of its heavy tax burden.
Not every official is like Li Muyun, nor does every official with a heart to speak out for the people have such an extraordinary background and immense power as Li Muyun. It's just that this chaotic world is so cruel that it seems to devour people alive.
To reach Bing and Wei prefectures, one must first pass through Ye City, the capital of Dan Prefecture. However, it was still fifty li away from Ye City, so Lu Chang had Wu Xia change the route and head towards Jinyang. After the carriage arrived in Jinyang, Lu Chang told Jing Wan to rest there for a few days and not to head north for the time being.
She asked why.
Lu Chang didn't want to lie to her, so he only briefly told her about the situation in Ye City. After the flood receded, a plague broke out everywhere. The historical records of the Great Wei state show that no great flood had ever been followed without causing a plague, and the two prefectures of Bing and Wei were no exception.
Ye City, the closest city to Bing and Wei provinces, has become a hub for plague patients. The situation is dire, and if left unchecked, the entire city will surely perish.
To travel north, one must pass through Ye City and then through Bing and Wei Prefectures.
"The situation is unclear right now. Once the epidemic has subsided in a few days, I will take you to continue north. For now, you should stay in Jinyang."
"And you, are you staying in Jinyang with me too?"
Lu Chang shook his head apologetically: "I need to go back to Ye City."
Wuxia thought to herself that she could actually go north by waterway. Although it would be a detour, it wouldn't take too long.
But she dared not speak out, only secretly grumbling that her master was wicked and used his cunning against a young girl.
Jingwan then realized that his trip to Danzhou with the Princess was not for disaster relief, but for eliminating the plague.
Despite having official duties, he still dared to sneak away to pick her up... But he was also worried about her. What if he accidentally contracted the plague in the plague city?
There was a plague outbreak in the northwestern border region before. The plague disappeared, but it wasn't because doctors cured it; it was because all the people who had contracted the disease died. Once everyone was dead, the plague naturally disappeared...
Sometimes, even a plague in the military can change the course of a war...
Worried, she blurted out, "I'll go to Danzhou with my cousin! If there's anything I can do, I'll help!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he regretted it. It wasn't that he was afraid of going to Danzhou, but he felt that he couldn't do anything and would only cause trouble if he went with them.
Lu Chang naturally disagreed, and after instructing Wuxia to take good care of her, he hurriedly left.
He had official business to attend to, so even if he wanted to say something more, Jingwan swallowed it back and watched him leave. However, in the evening, she couldn't eat or sleep well, tossing and turning several times. Wuxia was also completely unable to sleep because of her, so she turned over to comfort her: "Miss, don't think too much. There's always a way out. The plague in Danzhou will disappear sooner or later."
Jingwan remained silent for a long time, and Wuxia thought she was going to sleep, but then she heard her say, "Is Yecheng short of medicine? If so, I'll buy some in Jinyang tomorrow morning and send as much as I can!"
Wuxia laughed after hearing this and teased her, "Yecheng is the capital of a prefecture, with tens of thousands of people in the city. Add to that the refugees from two prefectures, and there are almost 100,000 people in total. Do you have enough money to buy medicine for your family?"
Before she could speak, Jingwan got up from the couch, went barefoot, and ran to the trunk to rummage through something. A moment later, she ran back and climbed to Wuxia's bedside, showing her what she was holding with a hint of smugness.
Wuxia recognized them as a pair of jade bracelets that Qin Ziyou had given her.
It is worth a fortune and is a rare treasure that is extremely difficult to buy even with money.
“I can pawn these bracelets and use the money to buy medicine. I can give it to as many people as I can.”
Wuxia sat up and asked her calmly, "Are you willing to do that?"
Jingwan slowly suppressed her smile, lowering her head to hide her loneliness from Wuxia.
She was naturally reluctant to part with the token of their love.
What I couldn't bear to part with wasn't the bracelets, but the unrequited love between the man and woman.
If you don't think about that person, you'll think you've forgotten him. But when you do think about him, it's not just him you think about. It's the touching words, the warm and cherished embrace, and the memories of smiling at each other.
She put the bracelets on her wrist, looked up and smiled, "I'm wearing them one last time tonight."
Jingwan climbed into bed and closed her eyes, but tears, which she could never control, streamed down her face.
She loathed herself for this and buried her head in the blankets.
Wuxia knew she was crying again and thought she was reluctant to part with the jade bracelet, so she patted her blanket and said, "I heard that Yecheng is not short of medicine, so you don't need to pawn the jade bracelet anymore."
Jingwan crawled out from under the covers, her hair a mess and plastered on her face, her snot and tears all over her face, looking pitiful: "If we don't need medicine, then what do we need?"
Wuxia could only say, "I heard there's a shortage of doctors. Wealthy families in the city have invited doctors to stay in their homes, and although doctors from surrounding cities have been called to Yecheng, there are too many disaster victims to meet the demand in a short time."
Jingwan stopped talking, collapsed onto the bed with a thud, and stared wide-eyed at the mosquito net.
She finally calmed down, and Wuxia, not daring to provoke her to speak again, closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep.
The next morning, Jingwan was still sullen. Wuxia suggested that she could relax in Jinyang City, so she dragged her out the door. Unexpectedly, she ran into an old friend in Jinyang City.
As Yuan Cheng led his horse alone across the main street of the city, he thought he had misjudged the sight. He stopped and turned around, only to see that the girl who had just passed him had also stopped.
The two looked at each other, and after a moment, Jingwan tentatively called out, "Lord Yuan?"
Yuan Cheng led his horse slowly to her side, looked her over carefully, and became even more certain that she was his old friend.
He straightened up and smiled with some surprise, "Wan'er, didn't you go back to Pingdu? What are you doing in Jinyang?"
When Jingwan left the Northwest, Yuancheng was on official business in various places. When he returned, he learned that she had gone to find her father.
Wuxia looked at the man in front of her. He was dressed in a simple blue cloth robe. Perhaps it was his fair and smooth face that gave him a different temperament from the effeminate men. He was a handsome man with a righteous air about him. He could be described as a scholar, but he lacked the simple and innocent nature of a scholar.
Jingwan briefly explained that she was going back to Yongye, but due to the epidemic in Yecheng, she could only wait in Jinyang for the time being.
Yuan Cheng didn't ask her why she suddenly wanted to go back, nor did he ask how she was doing in Pingdu. How could she be doing when she was going back home?
Jingwan offered a suggestion: "It may take some time for the plague to subside. If you want to go back, I have a friend here whose fleet is heading north. I can ask him to give you a ride."
Wuxia straightened her expression and stared blankly at the uninvited guest. Her master wanted to leave Jingwan in Jinyang, but this person had ruined everything. What would she do if Jingwan really wanted to go with him?
Yuan Cheng patiently looked at Jing Wan, and when she shook her head, he said, "Forget it, I'll stay a few more days!"
She didn't give a reason, and he didn't ask. He just patted Jingwan's head as before.
It was a rare opportunity to see an old friend, so Yuan Cheng wasn't in a hurry to leave. He took Jingwan to a teahouse for a short rest. Before leaving, he looked at Wuxia and asked, "Who is this?"
Before Jingwan could answer, Wuxia interrupted, "This servant is here to serve you, young lady." After speaking, she saw Jingwan looking at her with a puzzled expression. Wuxia squinted at her; she was tall and had a strong presence. Jingwan looked away with a hint of grievance.
Yuan Cheng smiled and said, "I don't think she's a maid."
He didn't dwell on the matter. When he met his old friend, he wasn't in a hurry to travel. Instead, he took Jingwan to a teahouse.
Wuxia stood aside, watching as this man subtly extracted all the details of Jingwan's affairs in Pingdu over the past few years. He was indeed a cunning and calculating man; she wondered what his background was.
He poured Jingwan a cup of tea and comforted her, "It's good that you're back. Although Pingdu is a prosperous place, it's not as comfortable as living in the Northwest."
"But I didn't expect the plague in Ye City to be so severe, which will delay things for some time."
Jingwan looked at Yuan Cheng and said cautiously, "Lord Yuan, could I trouble you with something?"
Yuan Cheng put down his teacup: "Please speak."
After leaving the teahouse, Yuan Cheng led his horse away, too busy to ask Jing Wan, "Can he really find a doctor?"
Jingwan has always trusted Yuan Cheng. In the past, in the Northwest, both military and civilian doctors were in charge of this Lord Yuan. He knows many people, and since he promised to find a doctor, he wouldn't be making things up.
Yuan Cheng did not make any rash promises. He not only managed the military and civilian doctors in the Northwest, but also the entire Great Wei, from the Imperial Physician to the medical students. When he arrived in Ye City with a group of teaching assistants and medical students transferred from the state, Lu Chang thought they were sent by Li Muyun.
Yuan Cheng had never met Lu Chang, but he knew of this orphaned son of General Lu. After he explained his identity as the "Supervisor of the Northwest Border Army," Lu Chang remained unmoved, neither surprised nor astonished. However, Gongsun Jiadao, the magistrate of Ye City standing next to Lu Chang, made a gesture as if to drive him away: "Ye City does not welcome eunuchs!"
Despite being offended, Yuan Cheng was not angry at all. He did not even glance at Gongsun, but said to Lu Chang, "I was also entrusted by someone."
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