Lu Qing gently patted her daughter's head. As a mother, she felt it was necessary to let her child know what it meant for people to be wicked.
"Don't judge a book by its cover. Have you forgotten what your father taught you?"
Qianqian pouted, "I know. But this older sister is different from the one I met the first time. The last one was really scary."
"Look at you, you just said you knew how to behave, but you're back to the same old ways." Lu Qing picked up her daughter and walked towards their residence, saying, "There's no difference, unless there are two people."
Qianqian always believed in her mother's teachings, and when Lu Qing said this, she also suppressed her curiosity about Xie Lanzhi. She muttered softly, "They're clearly different. Last time she was fierce and ruthless, but this time she's all smiles and gentleness, just like Her Highness."
Lu Qing dismissed it as nonsense; how could a person's soul change so much? Impossible, impossible. Her father never taught her that.
The two had just returned to their temporary residence in the small courtyard when Lu Qing suddenly felt her arms go empty. Her daughter had been snatched away in an instant. In her panic, Lu Qing saw a familiar meteor hammer reflected in her eyes, hurtling towards her...
Lanzhang Palace.
After receiving the report from Xie's secret guards, Xie Lanzhi dismissed them and waited by the tea table, tapping the surface of the table with her fingertips, clearly lost in thought.
There was still no news from Zhang Ju's side.
The secret guards reported that something had happened inside the Censorate. He wanted to go in and investigate but was driven away by a group of experts and could not get close.
Zhang Ju dared not betray her.
Something must have happened.
What could possibly happen in just one day?
Intrigued, Xie Lanzhi stood up and paced back and forth in Lanzhang Palace, her figure drawing attention. The palace servants and Xie's maid couldn't help but show concern for their mistress.
Xie Lanzhi picked Xiaoxiu over: "This morning, after His Highness went out, did he give any instructions or do anything?"
Xiao Xiu looked puzzled: "His Highness didn't do anything, he just went out and hasn't come back."
She began to feel restless again, wanting to probe the missing piece in her lover's life. She considered sending someone to investigate, but as soon as she stepped out the door, she stopped herself.
Xie Lanzhi couldn't help but sigh: "No, we agreed that she should be independent."
This would leave her completely unaware of her, which made her very uneasy.
After much deliberation, she decided to just do it once. At least this time, she needed to know.
Xie Lanzhi decided to intervene.
Si Xitong had changed into a light purple palace dress. She returned gracefully, looking carefree, no longer arguing with her with a conflicted expression as she had in the morning.
"Little Phoenix".
Si Xitong stopped in front of her, and her previous sullen mood seemed to have dissipated from her.
She said, "Lanzhi, I've thought about it. I was being immature this morning, and my methods were indeed too childish."
"Why belittle yourself like this? It's right to apprehend him, but you don't need to risk your life yourself." Xie Lanzhi breathed a sigh of relief, but even so, she still sensed a slight change in Little Phoenix.
She looked him up and down, while Si Xitong remained composed, allowing her to scrutinize him. His aura seemed to proclaim, "I am the real little phoenix."
Xie Lanzhi did not pursue the matter further, but instead reminded her, "I have a lot of things to do recently, so you should stay in the palace and send others to do things for you."
"Zhang Ju's intelligence has always been very accurate; you can trust him."
“Chapter and sentence…?” Si Xitong suddenly interrupted, her expression showing a hint of embarrassment.
Xie Lanzhi narrowed her eyes, her gaze probing: "Is there a problem?"
Si Xitong said, "He is injured and probably cannot work for me for the time being, so I gave him a two-week leave."
Is Zhang Ju injured? Or was it just injured?
Since Little Phoenix had sent everyone away to recuperate, she didn't need to bother checking how Zhangju got injured. She could wait until he recovered before making a decision.
“I remember there is still one person available in the Department of Cautious Punishment.”
She had barely uttered the words...
Si Xitong then said, "Lanzhi is talking about the Poison Master."
Xie Lanzhi nodded: "He's quite capable, you can use him."
"What a coincidence, Zhang Ju also recommended him to replace the head of the Censorate." Her tone was casual, as if she didn't care much about who served her.
Now that someone else was in charge of the Censorate, Xie Lanzhi no longer paid attention to Zhang Ju.
She received intelligence from Xie Jun that something had happened at headquarters.
Even though she issued strict epidemic prevention orders, something still happened.
The epidemic could be serious or minor. If it is not dealt with quickly, it could spread among the population and cause large-scale injuries and illnesses to Xie Jun.
"Little Phoenix, I have to go back to the military camp soon. You must take good care of yourself." Xie Lanzhi hurriedly returned to the palace, put the Ebai pendant on her waist, and then left.
Si Xitong stopped in front of her, straightened her armor, and then tiptoed to kiss her lips. She said reluctantly, "Come back soon. Take good care of yourself too."
After speaking, she ignored Xie Lanzhi's astonished expression and made way for her. Xie Jun then appeared in front of the hall at the right time, pulling Xie Lanzhi back to her senses. She glanced at her for a moment before leaving.
Si Xitong walked to the sword rack, took Eshi down, and gently wiped it with a clean cloth covering her jade-like hands.
She called Xiao Xiu over: "Did the Marshal ask me anything today?"
Xiao Xiu said, "Just now the Marshal was concerned about you, Your Highness. The Marshal really cares about you."
Si Xitong's expression softened. She licked her red lips, recalling the surprised attitude of someone after she took the initiative.
She truly still didn't understand her allure. Lanzhi was surprisingly clueless in this regard.
She shouldn't have argued with her in the morning. The more she argued, the more immature she seemed.
No wonder Lanzhi never treated her like a...mature girl.
We can't blame her alone.
To become a woman as delicate and juicy as a peach, she certainly couldn't remain confined to the backyard, simply being his woman. What about the previous dynasty?
She said, "Lanzhi has always cared about me; she only cares about me in this world."
Xiao Xiu nodded in confusion. Her mistress was acting strangely today; her tone seemed more persistent. But that was only natural. If she found a husband who would always be devoted to her, she would naturally think of him and miss him every day.
When Xie Lanzhi returned to the main camp, she saw an empty main camp and Xie Guang leading the way, wearing a face towel and holding a bowl, lining up in front of the cooks' hot pot to serve medicinal soup.
As soon as she arrived, Xie Guang handed her a bowl: "Marshal, this is preventative medicine prescribed by the military doctor. Please have a bowl too."
Xie Lanzhi pushed the bowl aside and looked at the long line of soldiers. Some soldiers were still coughing, and others were coughing, some more than others. There were quite a few people with similar symptoms.
She asked Xie Guang, "I didn't ask you to pick out people with symptoms and isolate them."
Xie Guang's face immediately fell: "This subordinate has done as you instructed, but who would have thought that several thousand people would contract the cough the next day, and the quarantine camp would become insufficient. We can only admit those with severe symptoms."
"But don't worry, your epidemic prevention order has prevented the soldiers from being infected with the epidemic. The military doctor also said that it can be suppressed with medication for the time being and it won't be very serious."
Xie Lanzhi frowned immediately and said, "When I came here earlier, I was fine. How come so many people have been infected?"
Xie Guang found it very strange. He had repeatedly supervised the process according to the marshal's orders, and he himself had not returned to Beijing for several days, yet he still could not avoid getting infected.
"Investigate! Investigate everyone's words and actions." Xie Lanzhi took this very seriously. She wasn't a doctor, and the epidemic was her weak point. If it happened, she might be helpless.
This isn't a war, yet we can still come up with tactics to deal with it.
This is an epidemic.
Xie Guang wondered if he could possibly investigate all these people. He had no choice but to relay the orders from lower-ranking officers to ordinary officers and soldiers. The investigation went down the chain of command, and it was almost dinnertime by the time they finished.
Finally, some clues were found.
That is, on the very day Xie Lanzhi issued the epidemic prevention order, a soldier still dared to sneak into a brothel and bring the disease back to the military camp.
The epidemic has a seven-day incubation period, but a small number of infections have already appeared after only three days. This is enough to prove that the virus brought back by the soldier is more serious.
In the main tent, Xie Lanzhi sat on the commander's seat, her face grim as she faced the generals seated on either side.
The generals on both sides sensed the marshal's murderous aura today and dared not even make a small move.
Xie Guang clasped his hands and stood up: "Marshal, this soldier had no symptoms when he was examined that day, but today he has a high fever and can't get out of bed."
Xie Lanzhi said, "There's no need to waste herbs treating those who are hindering us. Drag out all the soldiers who went out with us that day, regardless of whether they are infected or not, and behead them in public as a warning to others."
He was beheaded in public. The order was as firm as an ironclad command.
Xie Guang ordered his men to arrest them, and in an instant, a hundred people were apprehended from the vast military camp.
Of the 100 people, 30 were infected and had fevers and were lying in the isolation camp. 30 were disposed of directly, and the remaining 70 were taken to the drill ground and beheaded in front of everyone.
Among them was a general, who was said to be the youngest son of a certain elder. He was beheaded before he even had a chance to announce his father's name.
At the command, a hundred heads were hung on the drill ground, shocking everyone in the military camp. Many of those hundred men were familiar faces; they had eaten and chatted with them just yesterday, but in the blink of an eye, their heads had fallen to the ground.
The military no longer dared to treat epidemic prevention as just an ordinary order, but as a matter of life and death.
Inside and outside the Star-Picking Tower, they cleaned up bloodstains in a courtyard.
Lu Qing trembled as she held her daughter, nearly losing her head and being separated from her daughter forever.
The killer's body on the ground was dragged away by the people of the Censorate. There was a drag mark on the stone slab, all covered in blood, which was horrifying to look at.
Qianqian clapped her little hands to comfort Lu Qing: "Mommy, don't be afraid, it's alright."
The new leader of the Censorate, Zhang Feile, covered his mouth and nose with a handkerchief. His naturally gloomy round eyes looked at the woman who was as frightened as a little deer, and he felt no pity for her.
He added excitedly, "Madam Lu's brain must be... different from ordinary people's. I'd really like to see it sometime."
Lu Qing: "..."
Qianqian glared at Zhang Feile immediately; this brother was gloomy from head to toe.
Lu Qing suddenly felt nauseous. She barely managed to suppress her vomiting and questioned him, "How could the assassin that Marshal Xie captured escape from the Censorate? Isn't this dereliction of duty?"
“It was my older brother who failed in his duty.” Zhang Feile squatted down, still staring at her head, imagining how it would bloom.
Lu Qing felt a chill run down her spine and hugged her daughter, moving away from him.
Compared to Zhang Ju, this person seemed even more ruthless. She recalled that after the assassin escaped from prison, he didn't even care about escaping himself, but instead thought about killing her. She felt a chill run down her spine.
"You'd better tell me all your secrets. Otherwise..." Zhang Feile stood up, his voice, spoken through a handkerchief, was somewhat gloomy: "Your Highness's patience is running out."
Otherwise, we wouldn't have used him in advance.
He was used to replace his elder brother, and he was also used as a knife to stab the Department of Cautious Punishment without hesitation.
Lu Qing kept her mouth tightly shut.
Unlike Zhang Ju, who always reported everything, Zhang Feile took it upon himself to order the prison guards: "Separate the women and children, punish the women with whipping, and let the children watch from the side."