Sheng Xiyan looked at Wei Xiu in surprise, wanting to ask him what he was thinking. Then she changed her mind and said, "I just happen to be going somewhere. You can come with me."

Wei Xiu responded with his hands on his knees. Even when he was sitting in the carriage, he kept his back straight.

The carriage turned on the way back to Zhenbei Palace, went to Donghuamen, and then stopped at Dongchangmen.

Sheng Xiyan took him out of the carriage and went to the East Factory.

"Princess." When the guard at the East Factory Gate saw him, he smiled happily as if he had seen a long-lost relative. "Are you here to see the governor? The governor is inside. Come in."

There was no need to even report to the authorities and they just welcomed him in.

Wei Xiu: “…”

Although he had never been to Dongchang, he recognized the two large gold-painted characters on the black plaque. That's right, why did his sister's visit to Dongchang seem like she was returning to her parents' home?

Everyone in the Great Rong Dynasty had some awe for the East Factory, and Wei Xiu was no exception. As soon as he stepped into the gate of the East Factory, he became tense and his face was a little nervous.

He couldn't help but look at Sheng Xiyan beside him, and saw that his sister was still smiling and calm, and he secretly admired her in his heart, she is worthy of being his sister! Sheng Yan was right, his sister is very courageous.

Wei Xiu calmed himself down and felt that he must not embarrass his sister, so he pursed his lips tightly and did not smile.

After thinking about it for a while, the guard took them to a side hall, served them tea, and then said with a smile: "Princess, please sit down for a while. I will go and report to the governor."

Sheng Xiyan smiled and nodded slightly.

The tea from the Dongchang is unique in the Darong Dynasty. Even though Sheng Xiyan doesn't know much about tea, she can taste its mellow and sweet fragrance. It didn't take long for Xiao Shuo to arrive.

Sheng Xiyan stood up and bowed, calling out, "Big Brother."

Wei Xiu also bowed in greeting.

After sitting down, Sheng Xiyan handed over the prescription she had just brought from Baicaotang and said, "It has been revised for several days. Two new auxiliary medicines have been added. They will alleviate the stimulation to the human body and have a better calming effect. Also..."

Sheng Xiyan talked to him one by one.

Xiao Shuo also knew some knowledge of medicine.

If it was just for these few addicts in the capital, there would be no need to go through so much trouble. However, compared with the capital, Fujian is the real problem. According to preliminary estimates, there are at least 10,000 people who take the Shiquan Paste in Fujian. If these people are not properly controlled, they will surely cause chaos.

Wei Xiu didn't understand, but he just sat aside and listened obediently.

Then, after they finished talking about the recipe, Sheng Xiyan changed the subject and said, "Wei Xiu, tell me what you just said again."

Sheng Xiyan had originally planned to deliver the prescription to Qingming Teahouse later, but after hearing what Wei Xiu said, she thought this was something unusual, so she brought him here with her.

Wei Xiu was stunned for a moment before he realized what she meant.

He always showed little expression, and seemed calm even when facing Xiao Shuo. Wei Xiu said, "The Queen Mother may have contracted the plague."

"I suspect someone gave her the infection on purpose."

Xiao Shuo became interested after hearing this and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Ah Cheng said that both the wife of Duke Cheng'en and the wife of the Crown Prince have been infected with the plague, and the Crown Prince's wife is in a very serious condition. I'm afraid she will not be well..."

As soon as he talked about this, Wei Xiu's previous nervousness about entering the East Factory disappeared, and his expression became even calmer, as if he was an outsider, watching the changes on the chessboard without any personal emotional fluctuations.

"Mrs. Cheng'en fell ill three days ago. About four days ago, she went to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to visit the Queen Mother."

"If he got it from the Queen Mother, it would be too early to fall ill right after returning."

"So, I judge that the wife of Duke Cheng'en must have contracted the plague before going to the Imperial Temple."

He analyzed calmly.

To Ah Cheng, these things were just casual talk, but to Wei Xiu, some of the information could be connected together, and he came to a conclusion.

"It could be just an accident, but it's too much of a coincidence."

"Ah Cheng said that now only the wife of Duke Cheng'en occasionally visits the Queen Mother, and the first person to fall ill in the capital was the wife of Duke Cheng'en. The wife of Earl Ning'an and the wife of Prince Yu both fell ill yesterday."

"Dad once said that if there are too many coincidences, they are no longer coincidences."

He emphasized, "Someone wanted to infect the Queen Mother with the plague through the wife of Duke Cheng'en."

Xiao Shuo nodded slightly and praised: "You are right."

It was very difficult for Wei Xiu to get first-hand information, but Xiao Shuo was a little surprised that he could analyze something to this extent just from other people's gossip.

"The Queen Mother was ill yesterday."

Whoever had seen the Queen Mother and said anything could not be hidden from his eyes and ears.

The Empress Dowager has suddenly had a high fever since yesterday. Both the imperial physician and Prince Li have visited her.

"Master."

At this time, someone standing in the corridor reported: "Prince Li wants to see you."

Xiao Shuo smiled slightly, he estimated that Prince Li would be here soon.

Seeing that he was busy, Sheng Xiyan stood up and was about to say goodbye, but Xiao Shuo smiled and said, "You guys go sit inside for a while."

Sheng Xiyan didn't ask any more questions and took Wei Xiu to the back.

Soon, Prince Li was brought in by the guards of the East Factory. Like Prime Minister Lin, he was instinctively a little timid as soon as he stepped into the East Factory, and then he greeted Xiao Shuo cautiously.

After they sat down, Prince Li said, "The Queen Mother is seriously ill." He discussed with Xiao Shuo, "The Queen Mother wants to see the Emperor."

Speaking of the Empress Dowager, Prince Li couldn't help but sigh.

After the Queen Mother was sent to the Imperial Temple, she brought two people to serve her and lived a hard life.

Xiao Shuo did not strictly forbid others to visit her, but most people were aware of the current situation and kept their distance when they saw that the empress dowager could not recover.

Prince Li was the head of the clan, so he couldn't escape the situation after all, and would ask about the Empress Dowager's recent situation from time to time.

Before the Empress Dowager was imprisoned in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, she had already become addicted to the Shiquan Cream. She was not like the young people, and after becoming addicted, she could not stop. She almost died by hitting her head against the wall in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Later, Prince Li came to ask Xiao Shuo if he could be more lenient to the Empress Dowager. After all, if the Empress Dowager really died because of the Shiquan Cream, it would be difficult to deal with.

Xiao Shuo was very easy to talk to and refused directly. He just sent an imperial physician over and assigned a few guards and maids to keep the person alive.

The Empress Dowager has been tortured even more these days. She finally managed to suppress her addiction to the Ten-Ingredient Paste with medication, but she suffered from recurring headaches and lost a lot of weight. Fortunately, with the treatment of the imperial physician, her life is not in danger in the short term.

Prince Li did not expect that she would suddenly become so seriously ill.

Xiao Shuo raised his eyebrows: "How is your illness?"

Prince Li sighed, "My headaches never cease, and I keep vomiting blood."

He said: "It is somewhat similar to the epidemic that the late emperor encountered back then."

After hearing this, he couldn't help but feel a little panicked.

Epidemics are like smallpox. If you are lucky and not many people are infected, it will be over easily. But if you are unlucky, it will be very troublesome for the court.

"The imperial physician came to report yesterday that there may indeed be an epidemic in the capital, but only three or five people have been infected so far."

It would be easy if Xiao Shuo knew about this!

Prince Li was convinced by Xiao Shuo's straightforwardness, so he stopped asking about the epidemic and said, "The Queen Mother is very ill. I have also consulted the imperial physician, and the imperial physician said that she may not have much time left. The Queen Mother wants to see the Emperor, I wonder..."

Prince Li looked at Xiao Shuo hesitantly.

The Queen Mother is seriously ill, and she wants to see the Emperor now most likely to plead for Prince Zhao.

When a person is about to die, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor have always had a deep mother-son relationship, so the Emperor might soften his heart. Although Xiao Shuo is in power now, the Great Rong Dynasty still has an Emperor.

Prince Li asked cautiously, "Sir, what do you think?"

"Since the Queen Mother wants to see the Emperor, then let her see him." Xiao Shuo seemed not to be aware of Prince Li's worries and said calmly, "The late Emperor's death memorial will be held in a few days, so let the Emperor go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and the Queen Mother can also see him."

Prince Li heaved a long sigh and nodded repeatedly.

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the late emperor's death, so it should be a grand celebration, with royal family members, nobles, and civil and military officials all having to go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to kowtow on that day.

Originally, the emperor had suffered a stroke, and Prince Li had hesitated whether he should simply let the emperor not attend this year and have himself, the clan leader, take his place to pay homage to the late emperor.

This arrangement is appropriate now.

Prince Li originally came here with a heavy heart, but unexpectedly, Xiao Shuo was so easy to talk to, so he felt relieved.

But on second thought, Xiao Shuo even knew about epidemics, so he must also be aware of the Queen Mother's illness, right?

Whatever it is, as long as he agrees!

He left happily, and told himself in his heart that he would never come to Dongchang again in his life, because he would have nightmares if he went back.

As soon as Prince Li left, Sheng Xiyan came out with Wei Xiu. Xiao Shuo took a sip of tea and smiled, "What do you think?"

These words were addressed to Wei Xiu.

They could actually hear what was said from behind.

Wei Xiu was stunned. It was obvious that Xiao Shuo was not really asking what he thought when he said this, but was testing him instead.

Wei Xiu thought for a moment and said, "Someone wants to see the emperor."

At first glance, this statement actually seems a bit inconsistent.

Or maybe he thought that the Queen Mother wanted to see the Emperor, and Wei Xiu was just repeating this. Xiao Shuo laughed when he heard this, and said to Sheng Xiyan: "This kid is really smart."

There was a hint of shyness in Wei Xiu's eyes. No matter how mature he was, he was just a boy. He would be shy if someone praised him in front of him.

Sheng Xiyan covered her mouth and smiled.

Because she knew more of the inside story, she could barely make a guess. As for Wei Xiu, he only knew some superficial things, but it was not easy for him to deduce to this extent.

Xiao Shuo nodded, confirming his judgment.

Someone wants to see the emperor.

The inner palace is now completely controlled by Xiao Shuo. Even if she could see the emperor, it would be impossible for her to talk to him alone. The only option was to let the emperor leave the palace.

However, the emperor had suffered a stroke and was paralyzed, so it was not easy for him to leave the palace. Even if it was the death memorial of the previous emperor, the emperor would most likely not leave the palace.

There are not many reasons that would force the emperor to leave the palace.

The Queen Mother might be the perfect opportunity.

Sheng Xiyan hesitated and said, "Then the epidemic..."

The epidemic was beyond Xiao Shuo's expectations. No matter how capable he was at planning and strategizing, he was only human and could not predict everything.

Seeing Xiao Shuo's thoughtful expression, Sheng Xiyan didn't say much, just said: "If there is anything you need me for, big brother, you can tell me."

Xiao Shuo nodded with a smile, and suddenly said, "Wei Xiu, do you want to stay with me for a while?"

He spoke in a gentle voice, as if he was chatting casually.

Wei Xiu was stunned at first, then he understood something, and a hint of surprise flashed across his calm eyes.

He quickly stood up, bowed to Xiao Shuo and agreed.

Wu Ning was a little envious. This kid was so lucky. In the past, the Governor rarely gave advice to others, but now he brought Wei Xiu with him, obviously intending to teach him.

He is worthy of being Miss Shengda’s younger brother!

Xiao Shuo said, "I heard from Ah Chen that you want to practice martial arts in the morning. Then why don't you come over every afternoon?"

Wei Xiu replied seriously: "Yes."

A hint of joy naturally appeared between his eyebrows.

When his father was still alive, he was taught by his father. Later, he also attended classes in school, but Wei Xiu always felt that he was a little out of tune with others.

Sometimes he didn't understand why, even though they were doing a very simple thing and could clearly see the whole process at a glance, they were like having a black cloth over their eyes, closing their eyes and doing things in a mess.

Wei Xiu once tried to understand, and then found that he didn't understand even more: they were not pretending, they really didn't understand.

He was not a person who could read quickly since he was young. In terms of academic talent, he was actually far inferior to Chi Yu. At that time, he vaguely knew that he was better than others because he knew everything.

Xiao Shuo raised his hand to let him sit down, and asked him a question first: "Do you know the Shiquan ointment?"

"I know." Wei Xiu said.

Xiao Shuo asked again: "What do you think?"

Wei Xiu immediately replied in all seriousness: "In times of chaos, severe punishments must be used."

Xiao Shuo picked up the teacup, without making any comment, and just said, "Tell me about it."

Wei Zheng said calmly: "It is better to fear the law than to know it."

Wei Xiu added: "The Ten Perfect Ointment is harmful to people and should be strictly prohibited. However, if it is only strictly prohibited, perhaps some people will become curious."

"When I was little, my father once told me not to touch a small jar. Then he put the jar in my study. I could see it every day and wondered why I couldn't touch it."

He spoke of the coming of the Lord.

"Then I couldn't help it and opened it."

Wei Xiu's mouth curled up slightly, and he said with a barely perceptible shyness, "I thought that as long as I was careful, Daddy wouldn't notice. But as soon as I opened my hand, it turned black, and then Daddy caught it."

Xiao Shuo put down the teacup, smiling, as if he was listening attentively.

Wei Xiu said, "Later, my father said that everyone is curious. If you want to do something out of curiosity, it's okay, but before you do it, you have to know whether you can bear the consequences."

"Afterwards, my hands were black for ten days." I don't know where Daddy found this herbal juice, but it couldn't be wiped off. "Brother Yu even laughed at me."

"The same goes for the Shiquan ointment."

The stricter the imperial court's prohibitions, the more curious people will be.

There were many wealthy families in the Dayong Dynasty, not to mention that when the Ten-Perfect Cream was sold in Fujian, it was given away first and then bought. If a businessman also did this, there would be people who would think it was okay to try it.

Xiao Shuo smiled and nodded slightly.

It's quite good that he can think of this at such a young age.

Xiao Shuo lowered his eyelids slightly and said, "Starting tomorrow, you can come over here."

After giving the instructions, Xiao Shuo indeed kept Wei Xiu by his side for two hours every afternoon. He did not deliberately teach him anything, but just let him watch on his own.

When Xiao Shuo picked a "good day", he issued an order in the name of the Imperial Household Department, and all the civil and military officials, royal family members, and other nobles in the court were sent to Caishikou.

In front of them, all the Shiquan ointment that had been confiscated in recent days was taken out. In fact, there was not much. As found out before, Shiquan ointment was only popular in Fujian and its business line had not yet extended to other parts of Dayong.

In the entire capital city, less than a hundred kilograms were found.

Xiao Shuo had specifically asked Sheng Xiyan about this and knew that besides eating, smoking the Shiquan ointment could also be addictive. He asked someone to bring two large buckets of water and poured all the Shiquan ointment into the water to soak it.

In addition, a merchant who dared to secretly bring the Shiquan ointment from Fujian to the capital after the ban was issued, as well as two sons of noble families who bought the Shiquan ointment from him and tasted it several times out of curiosity, were executed at Caishikou.

There were already enough people testing the drug, so Xiao Shuo did not want to keep their lives in exchange for ransom.

Executions at Caishikou were not uncommon, but apart from the prison officials, few dignitaries would come to watch.

The public execution, the blood all over the ground and the smell of blood in the air made them tremble with fear. The timid ones almost lost their balance and only managed to avoid embarrassment by relying on the support of their colleagues.

Dozens of people were arrested before and after taking the Shiquan Paste. They were initially detained, then ransomed with huge sums of money, and now directly executed.

It must be said that all of this shocked people greatly and left them with lingering fears.

There are so many eyeliners from Dongchang that if you dare to eat any, you will definitely not be able to hide it.

Spending 180,000 taels of silver to redeem a person is already heartbreaking, and if he loses his life in vain, wouldn't it be even more painful?

Is it worth it?

Of course not!

Xiao Shuo was always ruthless and never showed mercy, and he could not stand being fooled. Knowing this, no one dared to be complacent, and everyone felt that they should go back and discipline their children at home, especially those spoiled young children. There were so many interesting things in the capital, such as riding horses and fighting chickens, but they just had to stay away from the ten-perfect ointment. If they lost their lives, they would also implicate their entire family.

Wei Xiu felt an indescribable joy and excitement in his heart.

He discovered that Governor Xiao was not as vicious and reckless as others said, but was very clear-headed. It was as if he could see his intentions clearly, and as if he would actually go further than he thought, which made him eager to catch up with him.

Xiao Shuo called him over and asked, "What do you think?"

“Very interesting.”

Wei Xiu couldn't quite explain his feelings, but he felt that life would not be as boring as before.

Xiao Shuo smiled.

In fact, he still somewhat understood Wei Xiu's idea.

He used to be the same.

He found that he was a little different from others. Few people could understand what he was thinking, but he could see through everyone's mind.

But it all ended when I was six years old.

Many people soon noticed that Xiao Shuo had a half-grown child with him.

Even when Xiao Shuo was discussing matters with the cabinet, he would bring him with him.

Apart from occasionally pouring tea for Xiao Shuo, he would just stand there quietly without saying a word.

This child was obviously not a eunuch in the palace. Most importantly, Xiao Shuo treated him like a teacher. Sometimes, he would give him a few pointers in the middle of a conversation with them, which made them secretly shocked.

Inevitably, some people speculated about his identity in private. The Minister of Rites even joked with Sheng Xingan: "Sir Sheng, this child looks a bit like you."

Sheng Xing'an was slightly stunned. When Xiao Shuo discussed matters with others, he mostly only summoned the inner cabinet and some specific officials. As for him, he hadn't seen Xiao Shuo for almost a month, and naturally he hadn't seen the child with him.

He couldn't help but ask, "Really?"

"I think so." The Minister of Rites stroked his beard and said jokingly, "You don't have any illegitimate children left out there."

Sheng Xingan smiled helplessly: "Sir, you are really..."

Having a concubine and a concubine's children are both disgraceful and disrespectful to society, and Sheng Xingan would never do such things.

As he was speaking, he suddenly had an idea. Of course, he didn't have any illegitimate children wandering around, but he did have legitimate children wandering around...

Could it be?

He knew that this possibility was extremely unlikely, but he couldn't control his heart from beating wildly at this moment, and an indescribable emotion surged up in him.

Over the years, he has never dared to think about Sheng Jue. Everyone knows what kind of fate a four-year-old child will have when he wanders around alone.

Seeing that his expression was strange for a moment, the Minister of Rites smiled and said casually: "Could it really be your illegitimate child?"

"Sir, please stop joking." Sheng Xingan asked anxiously, "Do you know the name of that child?"

The Minister of Rites said, "It seems to be called 'Xiu'er'. I heard the Governor call him that once. This child is really lucky. To have the Governor take him by his side and teach him personally is a blessing that many people would never ask for."

"Where can I see him?" Sheng Xing'an said nonchalantly, "You said he looks like me, so I was curious and wanted to see him."

"I don't know about that." The Minister of Rites replied, "However, we will go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple the day after tomorrow, and Governor Xiao may bring him along. We will know when we see him then."

"That's right."

Sheng Xingan responded with one or two words, but he actually didn't know what he was expecting.

I just suddenly wanted to meet that "Xiu'er".

He tossed and turned for two days, looking forward to the day of the late emperor's memorial.

When the day came, the emperor left the palace, sat on the dragon chair, and was carried to the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

On that day, many people came to the streets to see the emperor, but they saw that the carriages were tightly covered and were occasionally blown up by the wind, so they could vaguely see the emperor inside, who was emaciated, which was frightening.

When they arrived at the Imperial Temple, the emperor lowered his dragon scepter, and the ministers were also secretly frightened.

Nearly three months had passed since Yuan Xiao's day, and this was the first time the emperor had appeared in public. He looked thin, his skin sallow, and his aura was extremely weak and a little gloomy. His eyes were sometimes empty and sometimes crazy, as if he would go crazy at any time.

The ministers looked at each other in bewilderment. It was no wonder that the emperor could not attend court since he had become like this.

In fact, the emperor could not get out of bed and walk around, so he could only sit still. Even if he had someone to support him, he could only sit still so as not to look too clumsy.

Zheng Zhongming stood at the forefront of the ministers, his eyes fixed on the emperor.

Finally...

See you!