Among them were Prince Duan, Prince Jing, Long Yisi, as well as the forces of other princes. To top it off, a few remnants of the previous dynasty and people from unidentified forces were dragged out.
The commoners, however, clapped their hands in delight, praising the Emperor’s wisdom and enlightenment, while the court officials each felt insecure, fearing a single misstep could doom them forever.
Yang Mengchen, unaware of the turmoil in the capital, had neither the time nor the mind to pay attention to these matters, as she was busy treating the sick.
That evening, Mo Mei and four soldiers arrived carrying two stretchers bearing Luo Jingrui and Nan Feng. Both men had their eyes closed with sallow, gaunt faces and dark purple lips. Not only had they contracted smallpox, but it was clear they were also poisoned.
Leading the soldiers to carry Luo Jingrui and Nan Feng into a room, Yang Mengchen ordered Yang Cheng’an to quickly vaccinate the four soldiers. Since they had been traveling day and night, the five thousand soldiers had not been able to get the vaccination as a precaution. That’s why she had strictly ordered the soldiers not to make contact with the sick.
She took out a medicine bottle, poured out two pills, and fed them to Luo Jingrui and Nan Feng. Using her inner strength, she forced the two men to swallow the pills, and then she took out the Black Needle and inserted it into their acupoints. Placing both palms on their chests, she channeled her robust Inner Strength into their bodies nonstop until fresh red blood overflowed from the hollow Black Needle and she finally retracted her Inner Strength.
Yang Mengchen instructed Hai Tang to call two male villagers to bathe Luo Jingrui and Nan Feng and change them into clean clothes. After returning to the room to check their pulses—which caused her tightly knitted brow to slowly relax—Lv Luo brought some medicinal soup, which Mo Mei helped administer to the two men.
"What happened?" Yang Mengchen asked Mo Mei.
Mo Mei replied respectfully, "After capturing Hu Sheng, we learned from the servants in Hu’s residence that there were two people locked up in the cellar. Thinking they were commoners being oppressed, we went to rescue them. To our surprise, they were the Princely Heir Luo and Nan Feng, who were barely alive and infected with smallpox. We had no choice but to bring them here."
"Were you able to ascertain why Hu Sheng wanted to poison Big Brother Luo and the others?" A strong killing intent brewed in the depths of Yang Mengchen’s profound eyes.
Mo Mei shook her head. "We were busy bringing the two Princely Heirs here to seek treatment from the Princess and didn’t have time to interrogate Hu Sheng yet. I will return now to question Hu Sheng."
"If there’s an emergency, handle it yourself," Yang Mengchen said coolly. "Remember to keep a tight watch on Hu Sheng and Lu Tianhe. You must prevent any mishaps. Once this matter is resolved, we’ll deal with them accordingly."
"I shall follow your commands!" Mo Mei departed.
Regarding the four soldiers who had just been vaccinated, they needed to stay and be observed for any abnormal reactions before they could return or choose to stay and help.
Three days later, Luo Jingrui and Nan Feng woke up in succession, looking around with dazed expressions before their surprise and relief settled upon seeing Yang Mengchen.
If it weren’t for the fact that Yang Mengchen regularly checked their pulses and adjusted their conditions every time they returned to the capital, and they occasionally took strength-building nutritional supplements—if not for their determination to keep holding on without giving up hope after the mishap—they might have long become nothing but bones.
Yang Mengchen explained their physical conditions to them, as well as their current surroundings. "You must focus on recuperating. We can deal with everything else after your recovery."
Luo Jingrui spoke of the events that had occurred, which matched the results of Mo Mei’s interrogation. The priority was to cure the two men, especially since Hu Sheng was already secretly detained, presenting plenty of opportunities to deal with him.
Still, Yang Mengchen had Hai Tang send a message to Luo Jingfan to inform him that Luo Jingrui was with her in Tieling Village. After all, the treatment would require considerable time, and if Luo Jingrui failed to send a letter home to reassure his family, the Luo family would inevitably worry.
In the following days, Yang Mengchen and others spared no effort in treating the villagers.
Fortunately, no other cases of smallpox were discovered within Dan Yang County’s borders, and with the calming efforts of Mo Mei and the others, there was no widespread panic among the commoners.
During this period, people in Tieling Village continued to die, but the numbers had appreciably reduced compared to before, and the villagers’ conditions were effectively managed. The shadow of death that had hung over their hearts gradually dissipated.
Once supplies arrived, Mo Lan and Mo Ju stayed to help Yang Mengchen, while Qing Qing and Qing Hen continued to travel back and forth, bringing a steady stream of resources.
Over forty days later, as Yang Mengchen declared the full recovery of the last patient, the villagers of Tieling Village were immersed in the ecstasy of their narrow escape from death. They embraced each other, tears of joy streaming down their faces.
"The common folk wish to thank the Princess and Master Yang for saving our lives!" The headman led the whole village to kneel before Yang Mengchen and kowtow.
If not for Princess Chen, they might have burned to death from the smallpox or by the hands of Magistrate Hu. This debt of gratitude was something they would never forget for as long as they lived!
"Please stand up," Yang Mengchen said with a smile, gesturing with her hand. "You are the people of Dong Chu. The Emperor, Prince Chen, and myself are duty-bound to protect you. Due to villains’ wrongdoings, many villagers have died in vain. I assure you, I will see justice done. Rest easy!"
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