Meng Yun nodded and looked at her with a smile.
"That's wonderful..." But then a worry began to creep into his heart, "The plague in Chuzhou..."
Meng Yun: "Ping'er, don't worry. I will tell you as soon as possible if anything happens to Fourth Miss."
Ping'er said gratefully, "Thank you, thank you Master Meng..."
I suddenly felt like I slept for an exceptionally long time, and when I woke up it felt like I had slept for a century.
He knocked on the door, "Fourth Prince..."
"Come in."
Seeing Dugu Jing still writing something, with dark circles under his eyes, it seemed he hadn't rested much.
Me: "Your Highness, shouldn't we go and check on the situation in the plague zone today?"
After a moment, Dugu Jing slowly raised his head.
"Miss Liu, you should stay at the inn."
I left the house feeling somewhat dissatisfied.
Back in my room, I suddenly wondered why I hadn't received a reply yet. I took out my whistle and blew it.
The man in black appeared.
Looking at the letter handed to me, he raised his eyes in confusion, "Why are you only giving it to me now?"
The man calmly replied, "Miss was sleeping the whole time."
My heart sank. Something was wrong. Could it be that I really had slept for a long time, and it wasn't just my imagination...?
"Can you smell what's burning in this room?"
"There is a dreamlike quality. A fragrance that, when inhaled, can keep you asleep for two days."
His expression changed instantly. "Who is it?" After thinking for a moment, he said, "I know, thank you."
He left in complete silence.
Actually, he also had his own selfish motives; he knew this kind of incense was burning the first time he entered the room. However, he shared the same thought as the person who burned the incense: he didn't want her to take such a risk.
I secretly took the money out of the inn. Since Dugu Jing wouldn't let me leave openly, I decided to sneak away before he noticed.
Inside the room.
"Fourth Prince, what's wrong?"
Dugu Jing suddenly put down his pen, raised his head, and looked serious.
"Send a few men to keep an eye on the people who just left the inn. Protect them covertly."
After walking for a long time, many shops along the roadside had closed down.
During the plague, the rice shops were being scrambled for when suddenly a child was spotted running towards them.
His eyes showed fear and wariness. He ran to the middle of the road, picked up a few grains of rice, and quickly threw them into his mouth.
I pondered for a moment, then followed him.
It was only when I got here that I truly saw what was called a plague.
The man carrying the load suddenly collapsed, foaming at the mouth and convulsing.
"Oh my God, oh my God..."
Chaos erupted, and a group of people began to scatter to the side.
Author's Note:
A bit too little...
Chapter 22 Plague
I handed the letter I had written to the person in front of me.
"Should we still leave it to Qiu Niang?" Jue asked.
I nodded, and from our conversation, I finally learned that his name was Jue. I knew nothing else about him.
In the letter to Qiu Niang, I asked her to contact several wealthy merchants to organize a donation drive. In my last reply, I learned that Father was coming to Chuzhou soon. Given the Emperor's recent actions, the capital is likely to experience significant turmoil.
"Miss Liu, His Highness the Fourth Prince summons you..."
What does Dugu Jing want with me?
"Jue, haven't I... seen you somewhere before?" I looked at him with some doubt.
"No."
I took a few steps forward, tilting my head to look at his face. "Really not? Are you sure..."
Jue was so startled by the sudden approach that she took a step back.
Suddenly, she felt her belt being tugged. "Miss..."
I looked at the thing in my hand and smiled: "I recognize this thing..." My eyes were filled with certainty.
She slowly approached, reached out, and suddenly placed her hand on his chest.
I felt his body suddenly stiffen and his breathing become erratic.
I smiled smugly to myself. I'd never lacked fantasies about handsome men; these were child's play for me. A glint flashed in my eyes. "It's you."
Facing the silent man, my doubts grew. What exactly was the whistle Ruoshui gave me? And why had this guy named Jue saved me time and time again?
Jue left quickly, her heart filled with panic.
"Your Highness..."
Dugu Jing stood by the window with his hands hanging down, his eyes deep and unfathomable.
The seated strategist looked puzzled. Why was His Highness acting this way when everything was going according to his plan?
He had no choice but to continue reporting: "Now that the Emperor knows about this, he will surely suspect that the First Prince was behind it. Moreover, the timing of those riots is just right, as the Emperor harbors resentment towards the Empress because of Consort Chun's death. Taking advantage of this opportunity, he can also suppress the Hu family."
Dugu Jingmo remained silent.
The room was completely quiet.
Suddenly, he slowly opened his lips: "Those people, have they been dealt with properly?"
He nodded: "Your Highness, rest assured, it was handled cleanly, with no survivors. The Red Mansion from that day will not suspect Your Highness."
Jue, who was eavesdropping on the rooftop, froze. The Red Pavilion was the number one assassin organization. Realizing something, his expression changed. It seemed this assassination attempt was actually a scheme orchestrated by the Fourth Prince through the Red Pavilion. The target was the First Prince. This Fourth Prince was far too cunning. A bright-eyed, white-toothed face suddenly flashed into his mind, and a hint of worry appeared in his eyes. Thinking of the recent events at Bright Moon Pavilion, he had no choice but to leave immediately.
Mingming heard voices outside Dugu Jing's door.
But after calling out and stepping into the room, he found that Dugu Jing was the only person there.
"Your Highness, what brings you here?"
Dugu Jing raised his eyes: "Jingrui, call me Jingrui when there are no outsiders around."
"Jingrui".
He suddenly looked at me with a pair of eyes, hesitantly, as if he couldn't bring himself to say something.
As I watched, I found it amusing and burst out laughing. "Jingrui, what's wrong?"
Dugu Jing: "...Help me change my dressing."
Looking at Dugu Jing's calm expression, I was truly impressed. Behind his clothes, I discovered that his inner garment was stained red, and when I removed the gauze, I found that the wound was festering and suppurating.
"What's going on?" he asked, somewhat seriously.
Dugu Jing pursed his lips and remained silent.
I glanced at him helplessly, asked the waiter to bring some wine, and used the wine to disinfect the wound while tearing at the gauze.