Inside the room.
Upon hearing the report from the subordinate, Song Yu and Song Shihuan fell into an eerie silence.
"How is that young soldier who was with Yan Chao doing?"
"Your Highness... that young soldier is eating and drinking just fine, showing no symptoms of the plague." Liuxi also found it strange, but that was the truth.
"What about the others?"
"They're all fine. Only the Second Imperial Grandson and the horses in the stable have been infected."
Liuxi couldn't help but wonder—was it heaven’s will that the Second Imperial Grandson had fallen out of favor, hence the plague struck him?
Song Shihuan’s lips twitched. "Liuxi, have the common people shown any signs of unrest?"
A small-scale plague wasn’t the real concern; the true danger lay in public panic, which could create opportunities for the disease to spread.
Liuxi shook his head, his expression already numb.
"The people are quite calm upon hearing that the Second Imperial Grandson is the one infected. They seem reassured, perhaps thinking the court would never abandon him."
"Cough—cough—!"
Song Yu spat out the tea he had just sipped, his face red from choking.
So, the only role Song Yanchao played in this trip was to pacify the people?
"I’ll write to His Majesty immediately, instructing the physicians to take meticulous care of Song Yanchao. No mishaps can be allowed."
"A few days ago, Mei Zhilin sent a prescription for treating the plague. Have the medicine prepared according to it, and make extra batches as backup."
Even after finishing the letter, Song Yu couldn’t help but lament Song Yanchao’s misfortune.
It was as if his trip to Laijin Prefecture was solely to bear the brunt of this plague.
......
The news reached the capital.
Ping Prince's Mansion.
"How is this possible? Everyone is fine, yet Yan Chao alone caught the plague?"
Shen Hua’er’s voice was shrill. "Someone must have deliberately harmed him."
"Your Highness, choose your words carefully," an elderly maidservant interjected. "Right now, Laijin Prefecture is united in fighting this disaster. If such words spread, it would disgrace the imperial family."
Scolded by a maidservant, Shen Hua’er’s face turned ashen.
Outside the door, Song Xiyan stood frozen in shock, murmuring, "How could this be... It’s impossible..."
With that, she turned and sprinted toward the palace.
Imperial Hospital.
"Physician Mei, why didn’t the medicine you gave me work? You said there was an eighty percent chance it would prevent infection. Why did my second brother still catch the plague?"
Song Xiyan trembled uncontrollably, her mind racing with thoughts of whether Song Yanchao would hold her accountable upon his return.
She had begged for the medicine, yet it turned out to be useless—would her brother think she had sabotaged him?
Mei Zhilin frowned. "My medicines are of the highest quality. If not for the difficulty in producing them, I would have given a dose to every citizen of Laijin Prefecture."
"Liar."
Song Xiyan broke down.
"Rather than questioning me, Your Highness should first confirm whether the Second Imperial Grandson even took the medicine."
Mei Zhilin’s words struck Song Xiyan like a bolt of lightning.
In a daze, she returned to Ping Prince's Mansion and headed straight to Song Yanchao’s room.
When she spotted the white porcelain vial still sitting on the table, she suddenly burst into laughter.
Tears streamed down her face.
Serves him right!
......
With the outbreak of the plague, Laijin Prefecture was on high alert, conducting daily checks for signs of further spread.
Fortunately, after five days, the disease remained contained.
From beginning to end, the only one infected was Song Yanchao—and the horses in the stable.
The horses had all perished, while Song Yanchao still burned with fever.
"Has his temperature not dropped yet?"
Song Yu couldn’t help but ask. If something really happened to him under his watch, wouldn’t Ping Prince's Mansion haunt him even in death?
The thought sent a chill down his spine.
How was this any different from being entangled by a venomous snake?
"Your Highness, we’ve administered the medicine prescribed by Physician Mei to the Second Imperial Grandson."
The physicians all wore grim expressions. "The Second Imperial Grandson had only just arrived in Laijin Prefecture and hadn’t taken many doses of the preventive medicine, so his resistance was weaker. That’s why he alone fell ill."
Had Song Yanchao taken the medicine Song Xiyan sent, there would have been an eighty percent chance he’d have been spared.
"As for treatment, recovery isn’t a matter of days. It will take time."
"Fine. Let him rest and recuperate, then."
Song Yu glanced toward the stable. To fall ill just three days after arriving—what rotten luck.
That night.
The world outside was silent, yet Song Yu found himself inexplicably restless.
He rose and stepped into the courtyard, gazing up at the full moon. Against his will, his mind conjured the image of that girl—limbs broken, breath stilled.
His chest tightened.
Why, since the day he saw that girl drown, had this inexplicable vision kept haunting him?
Suddenly, hurried footsteps approached. Liuxi rushed over, visibly relieved to find Song Yu awake.
"Your Highness, the physicians attending to the Second Imperial Grandson sent an urgent message. For the past hour, he’s been delirious, muttering... the princess’s name."
In an instant, a dangerous glint flashed in Song Yu’s eyes.
"What exactly did he say?"
"Your Highness, the physicians dared not approach, seeing how tormented he looked—as if trapped in a nightmare. They sent word immediately, instructing me to inform you."
Song Yu looked up again. The moon was unnervingly bright.
The silence around him was so profound that only the wind could be heard.
After a long pause, he spoke slowly:
"I’ll go see Song Yanchao myself."
"Your Highness!"
Liuxi paled. "The Second Imperial Grandson is infected. If you go now, you’d be putting yourself in danger. I cannot allow you to take such a risk."
"Let me go in your stead."
Song Yu’s lips curled into a bloodthirsty smile. "Do you think the physicians attending to Song Yanchao are fools?"
"If he were merely calling for Ah Huan’s name, why would they cower outside, afraid to listen?"
"That’s why I must go myself."
He wrapped a cloth around his face. "I’ve taken the preventive medicine for days. I won’t be as unlucky as Song Yanchao."
With that, he vanished from Liuxi’s sight.
By the stable’s fence, Song Yu looked down at the physicians kneeling in cold sweat and spoke softly:
"Open the gate."
