"My lord, please look at this. This is the population change of Luoyue City over the past ten years. Those marked with cinnabar are not from Sheng Kingdom."
Yun Qing took the booklet and began to read it carefully.
"Qi Xiao? Just as I thought." Yun Qing tapped the table lightly, making a dull sound.
"I'm not bringing many people with me this time. Another army will arrive in about three days. The leader will come to you with a token. After I leave, you will assist them in taking down Qihong Pavilion."
"yes!"
After quickly arranging the matters, Yun Qing took a few pieces of jewelry from the pawnshop and returned to the Yue Lai Inn.
"Ke'an, Qi Xiao, how's your packing going? We'll be setting off in half an hour."
"My lady, where are we going?"
Qi Xiao hugged Yun Qing's arm and shook it slightly.
Yun Qing only told him the alias Mu Ziyun; Qi Xiao knew nothing else about her.
Observing his expression discreetly, she replied casually, "We're going to Lin'an County next."
Upon hearing the words "Lin'an County," Qi Xiao's expression changed for a moment, but he quickly concealed it. If Yun Qing hadn't been watching him closely, she might not have noticed.
After packing their things, the group checked out of the Yuelai Inn and drove their carriage towards Lin'an County.
In the very comfortable carriage, Yun Qing yawned and lay lazily on one side, with Qi Xiao and Ke An sitting on either side of her.
Seeing that Yunqing had some dark circles under her eyes, as if she hadn't rested well, Ke'an felt very sorry for her. She carefully turned Yunqing's head and placed it on her lap so that she could sleep more comfortably.
His virtuous actions naturally caught Qi Xiao's attention. While feeling a slight pang of jealousy, she couldn't help but scoff, "What a pretentious act!"
"You!" Ke'an was about to retort, but afraid of disturbing Yun Qing, she subconsciously lowered her voice.
"Young Master Qi should mind his own business and not bring his brothel habits to his master."
"Fine, fine, fine!" Qi Xiao never expected that a mere concubine would be so sharp-tongued, daring to mock his past: "You'd better pray that you don't end up in my hands."
The exchange between the two naturally reached Yun Qing's ears, causing her eyelids to tremble slightly. However, she pretended not to notice and found a comfortable position in Ke An's arms to continue sleeping.
After that, the two ignored each other and behaved themselves for quite some time.
After traveling all day, the group finally arrived in Lin'an County as it was getting dark.
Beside the road in front of the county town, there is a stone with the three characters "Lin'an County" carved on it. Next to it is a sign with several bright red characters written in cinnabar: "Plague is rampant, and unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter."
Besides that, they saw a tent in the distance, with a wooden table in front of it where two soldiers were chatting.
Upon seeing them, the two men stood up and inquired about the situation.
After the attendant stepped forward, produced a token, and identified himself, the group was allowed to pass.
Qi Xiao, who was in the carriage, lifted the curtain and saw this scene; his eyes flickered slightly.
Meanwhile, the imperial physicians and disaster relief officials who had arrived earlier were all settled in the government office. Upon hearing that Yun Qing had arrived, they immediately came in groups to greet her.
See you there—
"Cough cough!" Yun Qing clenched her fist, as if she had choked on something, coughing loudly, and winked at everyone out of the corner of her eye.
Remembering what she had told them before, everyone immediately realized what she meant and quickly changed their address: "Greetings, Lord Mu."
The magistrate of Lin'an County stood aside, somewhat puzzled by the scene: what exactly was the identity of this young Master Mu, that he was being treated so well by these imperial physicians and officials from the capital?
You see, ever since these people came to Lin'an County and witnessed the spread of the plague, they have been finding fault with him, this lowly official.
Later, they spent their days in the county government office researching remedies for the plague and measures to save the people, rarely leaving their homes.
Why is there such a grand entourage for Lord Mu's arrival?
The Lin'an County Magistrate's doubts were destined to remain unanswered for the time being, and Yun Qing did not want to reveal her identity until the plague was alleviated.
"Sir, where would you like to stay?"
"I'll stay wherever you stay, but I have quite a few people with me, will there be enough room?"
"No problem, the county government office in Lin'an County is very large."
"In that case, lead the way."
After another round of commotion, it was already midnight by the time Yun Qing finally settled down in her room to rest.
To my surprise, I had just lain down in bed and hadn't fallen asleep yet when there was a knock on the door.
"Who is it? I'm asleep. We can talk about it tomorrow."
Yun Qing was in a bad mood because she was disturbed. All she wanted was to get a good night's sleep. Was that so difficult?
I did that with Ke'an the night before last, and last night I was used as a body pillow by Qi Xiao all night. I finally have a night to myself, so who is it that won't let me have peace?
However, after she spoke, the noise outside the door did not stop; instead, the knocking became more and more urgent.
"Knock knock knock—"
"Who is it?" Yun Qing threw on her clothes, jumped out of bed, and opened the door with great anger.
"master."
Ke'an stood outside the door wearing only a thin undergarment, two lines of tears streaming down her face, looking at Yun Qing with a pitiful expression.
"What's wrong?" Yun Qing quickly took off her coat and put it on him, then pulled him into the room.
Being treated so gently, Ke An couldn't stop the tears from streaming down her face like beads from a broken string.
Yun Qing didn't pry into the matter. Instead, she took a handkerchief from the bedside and gently wiped away his tears while holding him in her arms.
After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Ke'an finally stopped crying.
Lifting his head from Yun Qing's embrace, he saw the tear stains on his clothes and blushed with embarrassment.
"Master, am I...am I very ashamed?"
Why do you say that?
"I, as a lowly servant, have been so presumptuous, taking advantage of your favor."
Yun Qing sighed, took Ke An's hand, and walked to the bedside to sit down.
“Ke’an, don’t belittle yourself. I remember you are half a year younger than me, but you have been serving me since you were six. You have been meticulous in everything you do, no matter how small. I have never treated you as a servant, but as my friend and my family. Why be so formal between family members?”
"Master, you..." Hearing Yun Qing's heartfelt words, An Gang's tears, which she had just stopped, were about to burst forth again.
Yun Qing quickly teased him, "Don't cry anymore. If you're upset, I'll stand up for you. If you keep crying, your eyes will swell up like peaches, and people will laugh at you tomorrow."
Ke'an was timid and didn't know how to start the conversation.
The steward of the county government arranged for him and Qi Xiao to share a room, which contained only a bed and a small couch outside.
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