Chapter 560 Success or failure, today is the day.
Before we knew it, it was already past midnight.
Few pedestrians passed by on the long street, and few customers lingered in front of the shops that had dared to open. The shouts and calls of the vendors and shop assistants were weak and listless, leaving the entire city of Daxing still shrouded in a powerless and helpless silence.
Until a series of footsteps broke the silence.
It was a troop of imperial guards, filing out of the Daxing Imperial Palace and heading south along the long street.
The orderly procession and heavy footsteps startled the crowd on the street, who couldn't help but turn their heads. Many households that had closed their doors and windows opened their windows and cautiously looked down, wondering what was going to happen in the city. Once the procession had gone far away, all that remained were the people's speculations.
All these sounds intertwined and reached the second floor of the inn, through a window that was slightly ajar.
Shen Wuzheng stood behind the window, his gentle and calm eyes quietly watching the departing procession. Hearing the surprised and puzzled discussions downstairs, a mist seemed to rise in his eyes, obscuring all his thoughts and making it impossible to see his true feelings.
Only when he heard a long yawn from the room behind him did a genuine smile appear in his eyes.
Turning around, I saw Pei Xingyuan sitting up on the bed, stretching out in a big yawn.
The bright light made it hard for him to open his eyes. He could only see a blurry figure of Chen Wuzheng by the window, and he mumbled, "Why is it so noisy? Aren't you going to sleep?"
Shen Wuzheng shook his head: "I can't sleep."
"Why can't you sleep? We were up and about until the middle of the night last night, weren't we?"
"I'm not like you, with such a carefree attitude. Get out of bed as soon as you wake up."
"I'm injured, what do you mean by being thick-skinned?"
Pei Xingyuan was displeased with his ridicule and grumbled under his breath, but he obediently got out of bed. Soon after, the waiter brought hot water, towels, and salt to help them wash up. Then, he brought up the lunch that had been prepared in advance. Although it was not very fancy, it contained fish and meat, and the table was full of food.
Pei Xingyuan sat down and smiled with satisfaction: "Not bad, not bad. I was injured and needed to nourish myself."
Shen Wuzheng washed his hands, walked over, sat down, picked up his bowl and chopsticks, and said, "Eat quickly."
While talking, she served him food. Although Pei Xingyuan's hand was still a little sore, he could still move freely when it came to eating. He used his bandaged hand to hold the chopsticks and shoveled rice into his mouth like a squirrel. Shen Wuzheng watched from the side, trying his best to keep a straight face, but he couldn't help but laugh.
Just as we finished our meal, heavy footsteps sounded outside.
The two recognized the footsteps and instinctively turned around. Sure enough, it was Yuwen Ye who pushed open the door and walked in.
Upon seeing him, Pei Xingyuan immediately smiled and said, "Fengchen, you're back. Have you eaten?"
Yuwen Ye shook his head, walked in, and closed the door behind him.
Pei Xingyuan waved enthusiastically and said, "The food at this inn is quite good. We didn't eat much, so let me get you an extra bowl and chopsticks."
Shen Wuzheng gave him a reproachful look and shook his head: "Can't you ask me something serious?"
Pei Xingyuan smiled again before saying, "I was worried he'd be hungry since he'd been gone for most of the day. Why don't you ask him—"
Yuwen Ye walked over, lifted his robe, and sat down opposite Shen Wuzheng. He looked up and met Shen Wuzheng's gaze, then said, "I think I just saw a troop of Imperial Guards leave the palace and head south. Did something happen over there?"
Yuwen Ye shook his head: "They were ordered to do it."
"Get something done? What kind of thing?"
"Upon entering the palace, my elder brother submitted a list to the court, which included 321 patients who had been cured in Yanzuo Ward."
Pei Xingyuan's eyes widened: "They've cured so many of them?"
Yuwen Ye nodded and then said, "He specifically asked my father to open the city gate at Mingde Gate in the south of the city, so that the medical officers of the Imperial Medical Bureau could conduct a joint consultation and, after confirming that these people had recovered, let them leave the city and go home."
Upon hearing this, Shen Wuzheng frowned slightly.
Compared to his composure, Pei Xingyuan immediately exploded, saying, "This? If he does this, isn't he just putting on a show for the people of Yanzuo Ward and Changle Ward? No, that's not all, he's putting on a show for the entire city."
"..."
"Does that mean he cured the plague?"
He asked again, still fuming, "What did the Grand Chancellor say?"
Yuwen Ye said, "Father has already agreed. The Imperial Guards that Brother Fuming just saw were from the Left Valiant Guard. They were ordered to guard Mingde Gate to prevent anyone from sneaking out."
Pei Xingyuan frowned deeply, wanting to complain about something, but considering Yuwen Ye's presence, he couldn't directly complain about the other party's father, so he could only purse his lips and hold back. Shen Wuzheng pondered for a long time, then said in a deep voice, "The Prime Minister's agreement has its reasons."
"..."
"It has been ten days since the plague broke out in the city. Travel between the various markets is prohibited. Merchants, restaurants, and inns have almost no business. All crafts have stopped operating, and the people's patience has reached its limit. At this time, letting them see the city gates open and a large number of patients recover and leave can alleviate their anxiety and prevent a greater civil unrest in the city."
"..."
"Moreover, the greater the momentum, the greater the impact on the people, which is indeed a good thing."
"..."
"only--"
Pei Xingyuan was displeased upon hearing this. Seeing his gloomy expression, he asked, "But what?"
Shen Wuzheng glanced at him, then turned to look at Yuwen Ye, who also had a solemn expression, and said, "Your brother is a very capable person, and even more capable of claiming credit."
"..."
"The timing, location, and people were all perfect in allowing patients to leave the city this time."
"..."
“He claimed all the credit for controlling the plague in one go.”
As they spoke, the three men's breathing became heavy.
Despite their elaborate calculations and schemes, Yuwen Qian remained calm and collected, delivering a single, devastating blow that nearly killed them.
Shen Wuzheng's gaze deepened.
He said in a deep voice, "If we can't find the person behind him this time, we will suffer heavy losses."
After speaking, he looked at Yuwen Ye and asked solemnly, "Besides what just happened, what else do you have to do when you go to the palace today—"
Yuwen Ye said, "A message has arrived from Taiyuan."
"...!"
Upon hearing this, a light immediately flashed in Shen Wuzheng's eyes, while Pei Xingyuan, who was standing to the side, couldn't contain his excitement. Ignoring the fact that both of his hands were injured and wrapped in thick bandages, he immediately put his hands on the table and looked at Yuwen Ye with wide eyes: "How is it?"
Yuwen Ye said, "Song Shiyan, Huang Gongyi's personal guard, reported that an epidemic has broken out in Taiyuan."
"..."
"My third brother has also fallen ill!"
Pei Xingyuan immediately took a deep breath.
Compared to his excitement, Shen Wuzheng was clearly much calmer and more composed. But even with his composure, he couldn't suppress the fact that his voice was a few decibels lower than usual when he spoke, asking, "So how should we deal with this side?"
Yuwen Ye said, “Song Shiyan was ordered to come and ask for medicine, and he must set off back to Taiyuan before this evening. However, it is a foregone conclusion that the medicines in Chang Le Fang are sold out; moreover, there was the trouble caused by the patients yesterday, and Xing Yuan was injured like this while trying to buy medicine, so no one will doubt this.”
"..."
"So now, the only place where we can find the medicine is that person in Yanzuofang."
"..."
"However, my elder brother has never reported this person's identity, nor has he investigated the origin of those medicinal soups."
"What did the Grand Chancellor say?"
“Father hadn’t addressed this matter in detail before, but he has ordered that my eldest brother must find the person who administered the medicine at Yanzuofang by today, and make them produce the medicine to treat my third brother, otherwise—”
Seemingly out of consideration for his father's reputation, Yuwen Ye didn't say what he was going to say next, but even if he didn't, everyone present understood what he was going to say next.
Even after just a moment, Pei Xingyuan suddenly shivered.
He murmured, "But it's strange, this matter has been going on for ten days, and the Grand Chancellor has never inquired about the person who administered the medicine at Yanzuo Ward. Isn't he being too careless?"
Shen Wuzheng glared at him and said, "If he really wants to investigate, the first person he'll investigate is you, the one who sells overpriced medicine!"
"Yes, then he—"
"Do you really think the Grand Chancellor knows nothing?"
Upon hearing this, a glint of light flashed in Yuwen Ye's eyes, but he remained silent, staring intently at Shen Wuzheng. Pei Xingyuan, upon hearing this, suddenly widened his eyes, thought for a moment, and then said softly, "You mean—the Grand Chancellor actually knew all along that Young Master Yuwen had powerful backers, and Feng Chen also had powerful backers, including experts like us. He just didn't ask?"
Upon hearing the word "expert," Shen Wuzheng gave him a helpless look.
With a sigh, Shen Wuzheng said again, "This is the brilliance of the Grand Chancellor."
Pei Xingyuan asked in surprise, "What do you mean?"
Shen Wuzheng said, "If he intervenes, we will be constrained, and the person behind Young Master Yuwen may not get involved in this matter. In that case, although the Grand Chancellor will clarify the matter and the people involved, there will be no one to treat the plague."
"..."
"How many people will die in Yanzuo Ward this time? How much chaos will erupt in the city?"
"..."
"If Daxing City falls into chaos, how can we not take action against Luoyang, Wang Shaoji who is about to head north, and the Turks who have always been eyeing us covetously?"
"So that's how it is,"
Upon hearing this, Pei Xingyuan immediately realized what he meant and sighed softly, "I thought Uncle was getting senile—"
At this point, he realized he had spoken out of turn and glanced cautiously at Yuwen Ye. Although Yuwen Ye didn't say anything, he only glared at him. Shen Wuzheng, standing to the side, shook his head helplessly once again.
Pei Xingyuan chuckled and continued, "But I never expected that besides the senile old man, there is also the rare kind of senile man."
Shen Wuzheng said, "The Grand Chancellor is like this; he doesn't even know how to be wisely ignorant."
"..."
“He clearly has complete control over our every move, and as long as we don’t really cause any major trouble, he doesn’t interfere much. Because his ultimate goal is to control this plague, and at the same time, through this plague, to discern the stance of some people and examine the abilities of others.”
As he spoke, he looked at Yuwen Ye and said, "All of us have been screened and examined by him."
"..."
"And today, he forced your elder brother to find the person who administers medicine in Yanzuofang and get the medicine to save Taiyuan and your third brother. Firstly, because the plague in Daxing City is under control, he has the capacity to find out who is behind your elder brother; secondly, he also needs to identify who is behind your elder brother, because—Young Master Yuwen is only one step away from the Grand Chancellor's 'generous reward'."
Yuwen Ye's brow furrowed again.
Pei Xingyuan shuddered slightly and said, "I thought we had thought it through enough."
"..."
"I never expected the Grand Chancellor—he truly lives up to his title."
Shen Wuzheng then asked Yuwen Ye, "Where has your brother gone now? Did he go to find that person?"
Yuwen Ye said, "After leaving the palace, he walked with me for a while. I told him I wanted to visit Xingyuan, and he asked me to give him my regards, since he was going to work at Yanzuofang."
"He went back to Yanzuofang?"
"Um."
"Didn't you go look for someone?"
“My people are in Chang Le Fang, and they can see what’s going on in Yan Zuo Fang. As it stands, they’re still in Yan Zuo Fang and haven’t left or sent anyone to deliver a message.”
Shen Wuzheng and Pei Xingyuan exchanged a glance, both showing a hint of doubt. After a long while, Pei Xingyuan murmured, "Judging from the situation these past few days, that person couldn't possibly be hiding in Yanzuofang. He must be somewhere in the city, where he can find out many of our clues."
"..."
"Your brother went to Yanzuofang, is it not to find medicine that can save your third brother?"
Yuwen Ye shook his head and said, "That's impossible. Putting aside what Father said, just considering the relationship between my eldest brother and my third brother, he would never let my third brother fall ill and ignore him."
"..."
"So, I suspect he has another way, or someone else, to help him get in touch with that person."
"..."
"He didn't move because he didn't want to give us any clues."
Shen Wuzheng thought for a moment and asked, "Besides you, are there any other people present today?"
Yuwen Ye nodded: "Yes."
"who?"
"General of the Left Valiant Guard, Yu Dingxing."
Upon hearing the name, Pei Xingyuan's eyes immediately lit up. He said, "This person and your brother have a very close relationship. If they hadn't colluded beforehand—" He paused here, then, seeing Shen Wuzheng shaking his head, he chuckled and changed his words, "colluded! If they hadn't colluded, your brother wouldn't have been able to take Daxing City so easily and achieve that great feat. Speaking of which, did your brother have any dealings with him before?"
Yuwen Ye shook his head: "Our family has never had any dealings with the Yu family. How he and Yu Dingxing met, and why they were able to take over Daxing City and join forces with them, I still don't understand."
"..."
"However, judging from the current situation, there seems to be an invisible connection between them."
"An invisible connection..."
Shen Wuzheng murmured these words repeatedly, his eyes flickering slightly, and said softly, "Perhaps, it's just someone who hasn't shown up all this time?"
Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the room instantly froze.
one person!
He never shows himself, yet he is present in every crucial matter, meticulously planning every step of the way.
so--
Everything seems to be just right!
Shen Wuzheng turned to look out the window. It was past 11 PM, and the sun was slowly moving westward, just as their plan was gradually approaching its end.
He murmured, "It seems that success or failure will be decided today."
After saying that, he looked at Yuwen Ye and asked, "By the way, where is Ruyi?"
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