Chapter 528 The Emperor Has Two Kinds of Sons—
After autumn arrives, the weather is always a mix of rain and coolness, but the rain on this day felt more like a final, determined burst of madness after several days of brewing.
Therefore, the torrential rain unsurprisingly engulfed the entire city of Daxing.
When they finished dealing with their immediate matters and returned to the Duke's mansion, it was already late at night. News of the plague had naturally reached them long ago. As soon as they entered, they saw that the mansion was brightly lit, but filled with smoke and a strong smell of burning mugwort.
It was Aunt Hui directing the servants to burn mugwort and perform fumigation.
The rain was heavy, and the air was filled with the raw, fishy smell of rainwater, mixed with the smell of burning mugwort, making it almost impossible to breathe. But Aunt Hui was not careless and instructed everyone to hold up umbrellas so that even the corners would be filled with the smell.
Not only that, she also closed several side doors of the house in advance, restricted the movement of the servants, and prepared hot water infused with herbs for the masters to bathe in.
Seeing how capable she was, Yuwen Yuan nodded in satisfaction and still instructed, "No one in the household should leave the manor for the next few days. If any sick person is found, report it immediately and send them to Yanzuo Ward for treatment. No favoritism is allowed."
Aunt Hui quickly replied, "Yes."
Upon hearing the words "Yanzuofang," Shang Ruyi's eyes flickered slightly.
But she didn't say anything. Yuwen Yuan had already turned around and said to Yuwen Qian and Yuwen Ye, "Alright, you've been busy all day. Go and rest. Tonight might be the only night you can get a good night's sleep in the days to come."
The group immediately bowed and said, "Yes."
So everyone went their separate ways back to their respective rooms.
Pushing open the door, a cloud of smoke, thick with the smell of medicine, rushed towards her. Even Shang Ruyi, who had grown accustomed to the smell of medicine along the way, coughed lightly twice. Two blurry figures immediately jumped out of the room: "Miss, Master, you're back!"
It is Tushe'er and Woxue.
Both of them had veils covering their faces, held sticks of mugwort that were still glowing, and had red eyes, clearly having been choked by the smoke.
Shang Ruyi said, "Why does it smell so much stronger here than outside?"
As she spoke, she walked in, occasionally wiping the tip of her nose. Tu She'er and the others hurriedly extinguished the mugwort, saying, "Aunt Hui and the others had someone come and fumigate it once, but I wasn't sure, so I fumigated it again."
Wo Xue nodded: "The Second Young Master and Young Mistress's residence cannot be taken lightly."
"Where is Changwan?"
"I also gave her some mugwort, and she went to fumigate the servants' quarters."
Because Wo Xue did this every day when she was in Fufeng, she is now very familiar with it. Shang Ruyi knows that they do not trust Aunt Hui, but this is indeed too cautious. Even if Aunt Hui really favors one over the other, the plague is different from other things. If something really happens in the mansion, who among the remaining people will not be in danger?
Shang Ruyi then waved his hand, dismissing them.
She and Yuwen Ye rested for only a short while before going to the bathroom to shower. After washing away the dust and fatigue, they returned to their room to find most of the lights in the Duke's mansion had been turned off. The night was deep, and a lingering medicinal fragrance permeated the heavy rain. The sound of the rain, like a waterfall, added an invisible layer of worry to their hearts.
Shang Ruyi sat down at the dressing table and had Tu She'er comb her slightly damp long hair neatly, while Yuwen Ye sat on the couch beside her, drinking the tea that Chang Wan had brought him, his brows slightly furrowed, lost in thought.
Clearly, neither of them intended to go to bed immediately.
A short while later, footsteps could be heard amidst the rain outside; it was Mu who had come to report on the day's events.
He stood at the door, took off his heavy raincoat, and walked into the room, still damp with sweat. He bowed to Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi and said, "Second Young Master, Young Madam, the sick villagers who were guarding outside the city have now entered the city. Some of them have been taken to Chang Le Fang for temporary accommodation. There are nearly two hundred of them, and they are all seriously ill."
Yuwen Ye asked, "Has Chang Le Fang been cleared out? What is the situation inside?"
Mu Xian said, "Chang Le Fang is close to the city gate, and the epidemic is quite serious there. When we sent people to clear out the market, there were already quite a few patients inside, so not many people were cleared out."
Where are these people being housed?
"I have settled them in Da'anfang. If any more patients fall ill, they can be sent back immediately."
"Hmm. What about the other markets and wards in the western part of the city?"
“The Right Guard has gathered all the patients from the various wards and markets in the western city together, but my subordinates and Cheng Qiao are still not at ease, so we have sent more people to search again. Currently, apart from Chang Le Ward, there are no other patients in the western city.”
How many patients are currently being housed in Chang Le Fang?
"Two thousand one hundred and fifty-four people."
"..."
Yuwen Ye frowned, but said nothing. However, Shang Ruyi's breathing became heavy.
She had made a rough estimate in the Taiji Hall today, expecting that there would be at least two or three thousand patients in the city this time. She did not expect the actual situation to be even worse, with more than two thousand in the western city alone.
She instinctively wanted to ask, but didn't want to ask directly. Mu Xian, however, was tactful and said, "The number in the East City is unknown, but I sent someone to inquire, and it seems there are more than two thousand people."
Yuwen Ye's expression was somber as he waved his hand and said, "Alright, I understand."
Mu Xian bowed and was about to leave when Shang Ruyi immediately stopped him and asked, "Mu Xian, have you found out who those people who came into the city seeking medical treatment are?"
Mu Xian immediately said, "I also asked around, and most of them are villagers from the southwest of Daxing City, but some are from even more distant places."
"Further away? Where?"
"It is located west of Daxing, near Fufeng County."
At this point, his tone became more serious. He looked up at Shang Ruyi and Yuwen Ye and said, "In other words, the abandoned village we found on our way back from Fufeng."
Yuwen Ye's eyes flashed: "Where?"
"yes,"
Mu Xian continued, "I heard from those people that people in their village started to fall ill and die during the Battle of Fufeng. They couldn't figure out the cause, but they knew that those who drank the river water caught a cold. They took medicine but it didn't help. Instead, their condition worsened. In the end, the patients suffered from splitting headaches, abdominal pain and diarrhea, and eventually vomited blood and died."
"..."
"These people thought they had offended some deity and were being punished. In order to survive, they had no choice but to relocate and leave that village."
"..."
"Later, they wandered to several villages southwest of Daxing City, spreading the plague to the people there as well. Some of them went to the city for medical treatment—the patients in the city were probably infected by them; while outside the city, many people died in those few days, and the city officials had no choice but to burn the bodies of those people every night..."
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi took a deep breath.
Yuwen Ye turned to look at her: "What's wrong?"
Shang Ruyi said sadly, "Two nights ago, I kept vaguely seeing red lights outside the window. At that time, I thought I was seeing things. It turned out that people outside the city were burning corpses."
The thought that they only cared about their own gains and losses, while the people outside the city were already suffering from the plague and even burning corpses every night, made her heart ache like it was being pricked by needles.
In fact, since hearing the Golden Dragon Drum today and learning that the plague had spread in Daxing City, she had pieced together the whole truth. However, now that she had actually heard the facts, she still couldn't help but feel a little sad and pained.
The plague, the disease that nearly took Yuwen Ye's life, finally spread.
The source of this is the Jingguan (a mound of skulls) built by Xue Xian.
The mound of corpses formed by the bodies of 80,000 Fufeng garrison commanders was a horrific sight, too gruesome to behold. It also polluted the Xiaolin River. In addition, Fufeng suffered a severe drought that month, with not a drop of rain falling. The plague in the water could not be diluted and flowed into the village, infecting those who drank the water. These people were terrified and had no choice but to leave their homes, but they also brought the plague to the area around Daxing City.
Now, it truly proves the saying: "When a comet appears, disaster strikes."
The Battle of Fufeng has already claimed so many lives, but no one expected that after the brutal war, a terrible epidemic would be waiting for these innocent people.
In chaotic times, one should not act like a human being...
Yuwen Ye also sighed softly, but he did not dwell on that emotion. He simply listened quietly to Mu Xian's report and then asked, "What is the situation in the military camp outside the city?"
Mu Xian immediately said, "Second Young Master, you can rest assured that there has been no outbreak of disease in the army yet."
Yuwen Ye nodded and then instructed, "Keep a close watch on them. They are not allowed to leave the camp for the next few days, but their daily training must not be relaxed. I will send someone else to deliver their food and water."
Mu Xian said, "Understood. I will go and deliver the message immediately."
Seeing that he was about to leave after bowing, Shang Ruyi immediately said, "Mr. Mu, wait a moment."
Mu Xian quickly stopped: "Is there anything else you need, young mistress?"
Shang Ruyi winked at Tu She'er, who nodded and immediately went downstairs to get a package and handed it to him. Mu Xian opened it and saw that it contained several of the veils that Yuwen Qian had given Shang Ruyi to cover her mouth and nose when they were in Fufeng.
Mu Xian was startled: "This is—"
Tu She'er smiled and said, "This was ordered by Miss last night to be made in a hurry. Because it was needed so urgently, there wasn't much. Brother Mu, you, Brother Cheng, Shan Tong'er, Brother Shen, Nie Chong, and the others can use it first. We'll make more at the manor and send it to you so that your men can use it too."
Shang Ruyi nodded and said, "Your men must guard Chang Le Fang, and they must also protect themselves."
Mu Xian immediately said, "Thank you, young mistress."
After saying that, he picked up the bundle and left.
Tushe'er finished styling Shang Ruyi's hair and was about to leave when Shang Ruyi asked, "Last night I asked you to organize the medicinal herbs we bought earlier, have you finished?"
Tushe'er hurriedly replied, "I've already sorted it out. The medicinal herbs were stored properly, and there was no loss whatsoever."
Shang Ruyi nodded and said, "Have Jiang Kesheng and the others send more people to guard that batch of medicinal herbs. Losses are secondary; the most important thing is to prevent theft. Understand?"
Tushe'er's eyes lit up, and she immediately came to her senses, saying, "This servant understands."
After saying that, he turned and hurriedly left.
It was past midnight, but the rain outside hadn't stopped; instead, it was pouring down like crazy. Large raindrops pounded against the windows and roof, the sound of them pattering incessantly, as if to say that they wouldn't be able to get through the night peacefully.
Amidst the chaotic sound of the rain, Yuwen Ye said, "The medicines you mentioned are—"
Shang Ruyi turned around: "It's the medicine that I asked Tu She'er to take Jiang Kesheng and the others out of Tongguan to find before."
"..."
“At that time, Tushe’er brought a package to Fufeng and cured your illness. Although the remaining medicine is temporarily useless, I still asked them to keep it.”
"..."
"I didn't expect it would actually come in handy."
She spoke very calmly, as if she were just doing something extremely simple, but who could have imagined how much power this seemingly ordinary arrangement would have!
Yuwen Ye said, "So, you were prepared all along."
Shang Ruyi sighed and said, "Actually, after you recovered in Fufeng, I was worried about this matter—I've never heard of a plague affecting only one person."
"..."
"But later, I didn't hear about the epidemic spreading widely, so I thought it was God's mercy."
"..."
"But little did we expect that the real disaster would come here."
Hearing this, Yuwen Ye frowned and said, "If it really was the Xiaolin River that was polluted by that Jingguan (a mound of stones), causing the villagers downstream to contract the disease, then what about those further downstream—"
Shang Ruyi immediately said, "You don't need to worry about that."
"Oh? Why?"
“The epidemic in the river was so severe at the time because it was very close to the Jingguan (a mound of deadly insects), and Fufeng suffered a severe drought for a month without a drop of rain. But after that, there were several rains, which washed away the river water. In addition, various streams and rivers flowed into the river along the way. I think the epidemic should have been diluted.”
"..."
"Otherwise, downstream villages and towns should have reported the outbreak long ago."
Yuwen Ye nodded: "That's true."
"..."
So now—
Shang Ruyi looked up at him and said, "So right now, our most important task is the problem at hand: the epidemic and the patients in Xicheng."
"..."
A glint suddenly flashed in Yuwen Ye's eyes.
However, both he and Shang Ruyi understood that there was one more thing she hadn't said: they needed to eradicate this epidemic faster and sooner than Dongcheng.
Today, in front of the Taiji Hall, Yuwen Yuan's last words, seemingly casual, were more earth-shattering than a thunderclap overhead. You must know that once this plague is over, he can rightfully take over the imperial power and ascend to the throne. His sons' status and position will naturally change along with his, almost rising to the top in one step.
In this context, the phrase "rewarded handsomely" takes on a deeper meaning.
After all, the emperor's sons were already wealthy and powerful, practically ruling the entire country. In particular, Yuwen Qian and Yuwen Ye were not ordinary playboys. For them, the only "reward" would be a further step up in status!
Because the emperor had two kinds of sons—
One type is the prince.
One possibility is that he is the crown prince!
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