Chapter 561 Leaving the City
Daxing City, under the Mingde Gate.
The city gates remained tightly closed, but unlike the usual quiet and deserted scene, a squad of Left Guards soldiers marched in with neat and heavy steps under the Mingde Gate, taking the place of the city guards.
They erected a long canopy in front of the city gate, and placed more than a dozen tables and benches under the canopy, arranged in two rows with a distance of more than ten feet in between.
These tables and chairs are for the medical officers of the Imperial Medical Bureau. In a little while, these people will be ordered by the Grand Chancellor to come here for a consultation to determine whether the 321 patients on the list submitted by Yanzuofang have recovered and can leave the city to go home. The distance of more than ten feet in the middle is for the patients to pass through.
This passage leads directly to Mingde Gate.
Such a grand display naturally alarmed many people on both sides. They opened their doors and windows, peeking out and wondering what was happening at the city gate.
Some people began to whisper among themselves—
"What are they trying to do?"
"I just heard them say that they seem to be preparing to let some patients leave the city. In Yanzuofang, most of the patients have already been cured."
"That powerful? I heard that Yanzuofang is managed by Young Master Yuwen."
"Indeed, this young master is truly kind-hearted. I had heard before that medicine in Chang Le Fang costs one tael of silver per bowl, but he gives away medicine for free. Now, so many patients have been cured without spending a single penny."
"As expected, the eldest young master is more capable."
"So, it seems that the second young master is—"
These hushed whispers drifted on the breeze to the second floor of a restaurant not far from Mingde Gate, on the street.
This restaurant hadn't had any business for several days and was on the verge of collapse, but today, a few customers inexplicably came. The waiters, seeing their lucky break, worked tirelessly running errands up and down the stairs. Because of the commotion at Mingde Gate, many people mustered up their courage to come and see what was going on. As the crowd grew, the restaurant regained some of its former liveliness.
But all this noise subsided when it reached the window of the private room on the second floor facing the street.
Shang Ruyi sat in the private room, listening to the whispers of the person standing next to her, while casually glancing at the street through a crack in the window. Mingde Gate was ready, and a few soldiers rushed over and said a few words. Clearly, they were preparing to welcome the dozen or so medical officers from the Imperial Medical Bureau.
It's almost 3:45 PM.
At this moment, the deep voice in her ear ended. Although Shang Ruyi's expression remained unchanged, her breathing became erratic for a moment. After a long silence, she looked up at the person beside her: "Is this what you found out when you went back?"
"yes."
The one who responded to her was none other than her subordinate, Jiang Kesheng.
After purchasing the medicine at Tongguan, Jiang Kesheng rested for a while. However, after only two days, Shang Ruyi returned and encountered a plague in Daxing City. Jiang Kesheng was once again dispatched by her. This time, however, there was no important mission; he was simply tasked with gathering information.
But it wasn't until today, just as the city gates opened at noon, that they returned to the city.
After Jiang Kesheng finished speaking, he thought for a moment and said in a low voice, "Because of the special situation in Luoyang, I am worried about exposing our presence, so I dare not make any big moves. This information—"
Shang Ruyi immediately replied, "No need to say anything, I understand."
"..."
"I'm asking you to go back and gather information, but only on the condition that you act within your capabilities and don't force yourself."
As she spoke, she reached for a glass of wine on the table in front of her, watching the shimmering light reflected off it as it swirled slightly. Her eyes sparkled as she said softly, "Besides, this information is already sufficient."
Jiang Kesheng widened his eyes slightly.
He was clearly puzzled and wanted to ask questions, but after all, this was the master's business. Although being without eyes, ears, mouth, nose, tongue, body, and mind is a Buddhist practice, it is also an essential condition for being a subordinate. He didn't listen, ask, or look; he just needed to do his job well.
So he suppressed his curiosity and said softly, "Then, this subordinate will take his leave."
Shang Ruyi nodded and said with a smile, "You must be tired from this trip. Go back and rest first."
"yes."
After speaking, Jiang Kesheng bowed, nodded to Wo Xue and Tu She'er standing behind Shang Ruyi, and then turned and left the private room. A moment later, the sound of him going down the stairs could be heard outside.
As soon as Jiang Kesheng left, Tu She'er couldn't help but speak up: "No wonder we couldn't find him not long after we returned from Fufeng. It turns out Miss sent him out again. But Miss, why did you send Brother Jiang to investigate those matters? And why back to Banyan Temple?"
Before she could finish speaking, Shang Ruyi turned around and glared at her.
Tushe'er shut her mouth instinctively after being glared at, but the curiosity in her eyes couldn't be suppressed and kept flashing. Seeing her expectant look, Shang Ruyi shook her head helplessly and said, "Then tell me why?"
Tushe'er shook his head.
But after shaking her head, she thought for a moment and said softly, "Half-Rock Temple. After Miss got married, the official's wife passed away and was sent to Half-Rock Temple."
"..."
"Also, the young lady and her husband later went to Banyan Temple to pay their respects."
"..."
"But what does all this have to do with that guy surnamed Yu?"
Shang Ruyi looked at her, a half-smile on her face, and said, "Is that all you remember?"
Tushe'er blinked, her eyes looking even more bewildered. She stared at the roof, biting her finger and thinking for a long time before saying, "This servant really can't remember."
Wo Xue, who was standing to the side, also said softly, "Yes, young mistress, haven't we only been there a few times since we returned to Luoyang?"
Shang Ruyi glanced at her, then at Tu She'er who was still struggling to think, shook her head with a wry smile, and was about to say something when she heard footsteps outside again. It was the waiter leading people up to the second floor, opening the door to the private room next door and welcoming them in.
Looks like it's just another group of people coming to watch the show.
At this moment, there was already a lot of noise in the restaurant, but everyone's eyes and attention were focused on Mingde Gate below. When Shang Ruyi looked down again, the imperial guards at the city gate had already prepared everything, and several familiar figures appeared at the city gate.
The one leading the group was Lin Shi'an, the Imperial Physician.
Behind him were several other medical supervisors and physicians, among whom Shang Ruyi also saw Wu Huanzhi and others.
They had clearly received orders from the Duke of Sheng, and having changed out of their usual simple and plain clothes from Yanzuofang and Changlefang, they all changed into official attire and slowly walked to the pavilion outside the city gate, where they took their seats in turn under the arrangement of the Zuoxiaowei soldiers.
Once they were seated, the Zuo Xiaowei Army began to drive away some of the onlookers who were standing on the street.
Before long, there were hardly any people left on the street.
Then, a group of people ran to the side, and a commotion could be faintly heard coming from the direction they were heading. About fifteen minutes later, a series of heavy footsteps gradually emerged.
Shang Ruyi turned to look out the window and saw the 321 recovered patients, led by a troop of guards, slowly walking toward Mingde Gate.
These people had endured ten days of suffering from illness, and they were all pale, thin, and emaciated. But now, they had recovered, and when they walked down the street, they could see the city gate in front of them, which led to their homes. Their faces were filled with joy.
This vitality instantly brought to life the group of people who had previously looked gloomy and dilapidated, like dolls.
They quickened their pace instinctively and arrived at the city gate in a short while.
At this moment, one person stepped out from the line.
From the very beginning, Shang Ruyi's gaze was fixed on him. Although the long street was already crowded with people, his tall figure and handsome demeanor still stood out from the crowd. Even though his face was covered by a veil, his clear and bright eyes were enough for people to recognize his identity.
It was Yuwen Qian.
He walked to the front of the line and said a few more words to the patients. Although they were still quite far away and he couldn't hear what they were saying, the patients immediately nodded and formed a long line, walking one by one under the shade.
The first person in line was a middle-aged woman.
She was wearing a gray cloth dress, holding a small booklet in her hand. Her face was somewhat ashen, but her eyes were exceptionally bright. Full of expectation, she walked forward and knelt down in front of the first low table.
Behind the low table was Wu Huanzhi, the medical supervisor of the Imperial Medical Bureau.
He politely asked the woman to place her hand on the table, took her pulse, then asked her to open her mouth so he could examine her tongue and her eyelids.
Finally, he took the booklet from the woman's hand, drew a horizontal line on it, and then gestured to the woman to invite him to leave.
A smile immediately appeared on the woman's face. She hurriedly nodded her thanks, took back the booklet, and bowed to Wu Huanzhi after getting up. She then walked to the next low table and sat down, where a physician was sitting. Like Wu Huanzhi, he took her pulse, examined her eyelids and tongue coating. After checking everything, he took the booklet, added a vertical line under the horizontal stroke drawn by Wu Huanzhi, and then gestured for the woman to move downstairs.
Along the way, more than a dozen medical officers from the Imperial Medical Academy examined the patient and found no problems whatsoever.
Several tally marks were also left on the booklet.
Finally, the woman walked up to Lin Shi'an.
Although Lin Shi'an was the Imperial Physician, he dared not neglect such a commoner. After carefully examining him and confirming that the plague had been cured, he turned and nodded to the soldiers guarding the city gate.
Immediately, someone shouted, "Open the city gates—!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the heavy bolts were removed, and several soldiers immediately stepped forward and slowly pushed open the huge city gate. A beam of light shone on everyone at the city gate and illuminated the hopeful eyes on the woman's ashen face.
She was both surprised and delighted, as if a ghost that had been wandering in hell for years had finally found a way out.
She was about to leave immediately, but stopped when she reached the city gate. She turned around and looked at the medical officers and Yuwen Qian, who was standing by the roadside. Although he was still masked, he had a pair of gentle and clear eyes. Suddenly, she knelt down and kowtowed to them repeatedly.
Yuwen Qian said something to the person next to him, and a servant immediately went over, helped the woman up, and escorted her out of the city gate.
As soon as she left, everyone around cheered.
Even Shang Ruyi heard Tu She'er and Wo Xue behind her let out a soft sigh—although their two sides were considered "enemies," deep down, they were still happy for the innocent people who had suffered after the patients were cured. So, even though they were unwilling, they subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief. In the restaurant where they were, countless laughs and sighs rang out, and some people kept praising, "Good, that's great!"
"Yes, Young Master Yuwen saved everyone's lives!"
"Young Master Yuwen is truly a capable ruler!"
"If it weren't for Young Master Yuwen, these people would not have survived. Even if they had, they would have been skinned alive."
When it came to the last sentence, everyone seemed to have a chance and fell silent, no longer saying anything. However, the strange atmosphere in the air lingered in everyone's hearts.
Shang Ruyi's brow furrowed slightly.
But she didn't say much. She just heard people ordering food and drinks in the private room next door. The waiter was running around busily, but his face was full of joy, like a woman who had finally left Daxing City and was preparing to go home, as if she had finally seen the light.
Looking towards the city gate, right behind the woman, the other patients were also overjoyed and eagerly moved forward.
The imperial physicians began to diagnose these patients in an orderly manner.
So the patients lined up one by one and, after being confirmed that they had recovered from the plague and that there was no longer any possibility of spreading it, they led the booklet with several tally marks written on it out of the city gate.
One by one, the number of people is slowly decreasing.
What Shang Ruyi could see more clearly was the deep, dark shadows cast by those people, which were gradually lengthening as the sun slowly tilted westward, nearing dusk.
Wo Xue looked up at the sky, then looked down at Shang Ruyi and said softly, "Young Madam, you said before that the person from Taiyuan would be leaving the city this evening to go back, is that right?"
Shang Ruyi nodded silently.
Wo Xue said, "Then now—"
Before she could finish speaking, a series of crisp hoofbeats echoed down the long street, and the once bustling city gate fell silent as many people turned to look.
A rider came galloping from the north side of the long street. When he got close to Mingde Gate, he pulled on the reins and slowed down. Shang Ruyi recognized him at a glance. It was Song Shiyan.
He really is going back.
At this moment, one of the imperial guards guarding the city gate stepped forward to stop him. Song Shiyan immediately took out a token from his pocket, which was obviously given to him by the Duke of Sheng, a token that allowed him to leave the city. The imperial guard saw it and immediately waved his hand, preparing to let him pass.
Shang Ruyi stood up, her gaze fixed intently on Song Shiyan.
He remains all alone.
He carried no satchel on horseback, nor any bundles on his person.
So, no one really gave him the medicine?
That--
Just as Song Shiyan, looking anxious yet disappointed, was about to ride past the group of patients and doctors, a person suddenly stepped out from the crowd and blocked his way.
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