I Will Come Back
Lu Hexu returned to the room holding the secret letter.
Su Zhenzhen was still asleep.
He lay down and pulled her into his arms.
Su Zhenzhen subconsciously found a comfortable position to continue sleeping.
Although a mosquito-repellent sachet had been placed, a few stray mosquitoes still managed to slip in.
Lu Hexu reached out, picked up the palm-leaf fan resting on the couch, and gently fanned Su Zhenzhen.
Su Zhenzhen had a very comfortable sleep.
The next morning, when she woke up, she found that Lu Hexu was no longer beside her.
After washing up, Su Zhenzhen pushed the door open and heard noises coming from the small kitchen.
Lu Hexu, with his sleeves rolled up, was making breakfast for her.
His attitude was very serious, but the finished product was quite a sight.
It was simply a chaotic kitchen producing a disastrous breakfast.
Su Zhenzhen looked down at the fried egg in front of her; it was so burnt that even a dog wouldn't eat it.
Lu Hexu: ...
"Forget it." Lu Hexu picked up the plate with the fried egg. "Let's feed it to the fish."
"Let me do it." Su Zhenzhen rolled up her sleeves and directed Lu Hexu to wash the pots and pans. She walked around the kitchen and finally found some sesame seeds and flour.
After using a small stone mill to grind the sesame seeds into powder, she added sugar, mixed it into a filling, then kneaded the risen dough and began to make steamed buns.
The weather was hot, so the dough fermented quickly. As Su Zhenzhen finished wrapping a few buns, Lu Hexu finished cleaning the kitchen and walked over.
He mimicked Su Zhenzhen's actions and started making buns.
However, because his skills were too poor, Lu Hexu's buns either burst open or had broken skins.
"Alright, stop messing around. Go out and play with Sushan."
Lu Hexu: ...
Lu Hexu went out to feed the cat.
More than ten minutes later, the steamed buns were out of the pot.
Su Zhenzhen and Lu Hexu sat on the lounge chairs under the eaves, each holding a sesame bun.
"Zhenzhen."
After eating three sesame buns, Lu Hexu suddenly spoke.
"Hmm?"
"The vassal lords are going to rebel."
Su Zhenzhen pinched the half-eaten sesame bun in her hand. She looked down and saw that the sesame filling had been squeezed out, falling onto her fingertips.
Su Zhenzhen lowered her head and licked the sesame filling off her finger.
It came after all.
"I plan to personally lead the troops into battle to end this war as quickly as possible."
Su Zhenzhen suddenly turned her head to look at Lu Hexu.
The rebellion of the vassal lords was the Great Zhou's final war.
Lu Hexu didn't have the plot armor of a male protagonist.
Su Zhenzhen lowered her head, tears falling uncontrollably.
"I hate war."
"I will come back, Zhenzhen," Lu Hexu stepped forward and hugged her.
Su Zhenzhen buried her face in his embrace.
"Do you really have to go?"
"Yes, I must go." Lu Hexu stroked the woman's soft hair. "It's just a pity that our shop in Yangzhou is finished, but we don't have the chance to go back and take a look."
Su Zhenzhen tightly gripped Lu Hexu's sleeve. "When you come back, we'll go see it together."
The man said gently, "Alright."
-
The rebellion of the vassal lords finally arrived.
Su Zhenzhen temporarily held the imperial seal, securing the rear for Lu Hexu.
Battle reports from the frontlines constantly arrived. Hearing that the Emperor was personally leading the army, the morale soared, and they won several battles in a row.
Su Zhenzhen sat in the imperial study, facing a stack of memorials half the height of a person.
She rested her chin on one hand, her eyes half-drooping, looking at the victory report in front of her with a faint smile on her face. "Your Majesty, it's late."
Wei Heng brought in some tea.
Su Zhenzhen picked up the cold tea and took a sip, her body shivering from the chill.
"Your Majesty, the weather has turned cold. Why not drink some hot tea?"
Su Zhenzhen shook her head. "Cold tea helps keep the body awake." After saying that, Su Zhenzhen went to wash her face and continued to review the memorials.
Although these memorials had already been pre-screened by Wei Heng and the Grand Secretariat according to Lu Hexu's previous habits, the stack on the imperial desk continued to grow.
"Your Majesty, the Chief Minister is here."
Xie Linzhou had replaced Shen Yanci as the new Chief Minister of the Grand Secretariat. During his tenure, he had proposed many suggestions beneficial to the Great Zhou.
Now, with the vassal lords' rebellion, Su Zhenzhen also frequently summoned him to the palace to discuss major state affairs.
"Your Majesty, regarding the floods in Hangzhou and the grain merchants hoarding food to maliciously raise prices, what are your thoughts?"
"Wait a moment." Su Zhenzhen propped her forehead with one hand and took another sip of cold tea.
Xie Linzhou frowned. He was not very familiar with this Empress. When they worked together, they often had disagreements. Minor issues were one thing, but this concerned the safety of the people in Hangzhou.
Currently, the Great Zhou was facing external threats from the vassal lords' rebellion. If internal chaos from disaster victims arose, they would be attacked from both sides, beset with difficulties internally and externally.
"Your Majesty, this matter cannot be delayed any longer."
"I have already sent someone over."
"How exactly is Your Majesty handling this? Does Your Majesty know that with the external threats to the Great Zhou unresolved, if another incident occurs in Hangzhou and triggers panic across various provinces, the Great Zhou will sooner or later fall into a precarious state with no days of peace."
"I know." Su Zhenzhen raised her eyes to look at Xie Linzhou and suddenly let out a laugh. "Lord Xie, I heard your wife has been ill for several years and cannot receive guests?"
Xie Linzhou's expression changed drastically. "Yes, thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. My wife has a weak constitution and has been recuperating at home."
Xie Linzhou's wife, Liu Tingyue, was a hidden spy planted by Shen Yanci by his side. When Su Zhenzhen left six years ago, she heard that Liu Tingyue had also retreated.
To this day, Xie Linzhou still hadn't found Liu Tingyue's whereabouts.
The usually upright and honorable Lord Xie had concealed only one thing from the outside world: the fact that his own wife was a rebel, and he had kept it hidden to this day.
"I happen to know some medicine. Later, I will have Wei Heng give Lord Xie some nourishing medicines to take back and help Madam Xie recover her health."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Xie Linzhou pursed his lips, turned, and left.
Liu Tingyue was Xie Linzhou's weakness. Whenever Su Zhenzhen couldn't argue him down, she would bring up Liu Tingyue.
At times like this, Xie Linzhou, who was terrible at lying, would always leave first to avoid exposing his flaws.
Su Zhenzhen shook her head and smiled, then continued to review the memorials.
Su Zhenzhen originally thought this matter was over, but unexpectedly, the next day she received news from the Imperial Bodyguards that Xie Linzhou had left Jinling without authorization and headed for Hangzhou.
Su Zhenzhen: ...
Su Zhenzhen had to drink three more bowls of cold tea to calm down.
It wasn't like she could just behead Xie Linzhou.
Could she really not behead him?
She looked at the letter of apology submitted by Wei Heng regarding Xie Linzhou, which stated that everything should wait until he returned from Hangzhou. At that time, whether he lived or died would be entirely up to Her Majesty's decision.
Su Zhenzhen felt even more exhausted after reading it.
"Wei Heng, fetch me a carrier pigeon."
In just a moment, Wei Heng brought over a carrier pigeon.
Su Zhenzhen hid the written secret letter on the pigeon's leg, then pushed open the doors of the imperial study and released the pigeon.
The carrier pigeon flapped its wings and soared, sweeping past the vermilion eaves, speeding toward the outside of the palace.
A year ago, Shen Yanci sank into the hidden mausoleum along with those gold, silver, jewels, and that dream of restoring the nation.
Lu Hexu, keeping his promise, did not make things too difficult for the people under his command.
However, when checking the roster, Su Zhenzhen did not find Liu Tingyue.
With this matter on her mind, she sent Jiang Yunshu to investigate for information.
Jiang Yunshu investigated for a long time but found nothing, only saying that this woman's anti-reconnaissance skills were exceptionally strong, and a smart woman like her must be living very well.
Therefore, even Su Zhenzhen did not know where Liu Tingyue was.
"Your Grace, to whom are you sending this letter?"
"The boss of a fabric shop in Hangzhou has some connections with my master, Liaochen. With Hangzhou facing this disaster, I sought her out and asked her to hoard grain and raise the prices. The plan is currently halfway done, and we cannot let Xie Linzhou ruin it."
After three days of traveling alone on horseback, Xie Linzhou finally arrived in Hangzhou from Jinling.
Leading his horse through the crowd, he saw the effects of the grain shortage. The commoners squatted along the sides of the streets in ragged clothes, emaciated and sallow. Their eyes were numb, lacking even the strength to speak.
The doors of the grain shops were tightly shut. The price lists posted on the walls tripled in a single day, and ordinary families could no longer afford even half a liter of rice.
Xie Linzhou furrowed his brows tightly.
He had received news that Hangzhou's largest fabric shop, Yunjin Embroidery Workshop, was hoarding grain at high prices.
Xie Linzhou found the workshop. He saw many burly men sitting around the entrance, guarding the shop's granary. Upon noticing him, they immediately shot him fierce, ruthless glares.
"I am here to sell grain. I heard you are buying," Xie Linzhou said without a trace of fear.
One of the burly men looked him up and down and asked, "How much do you have?"
"A thousand catties."
The man instinctively stood up. Looking at Xie Linzhou, he said, "Come inside with me."
Xie Linzhou followed the burly man inside.
The fabric shop had temporarily suspended its usual business and was now only buying and selling grain.
The spaces originally meant for storing fabric were now filled with grain. Even in the open-air courtyard, sheds had been erected to cover the piled-up grain.
Xie Linzhou followed the man inside and was led into the main room.
Since autumn had arrived, the weather had suddenly turned cold and gloomy. A charcoal basin was burning inside the room. A woman sat behind a reed blind, clicking away at an abacus.
Through the coarse reed blind, Xie Linzhou's gaze fell on the woman's hands resting on the abacus.
They were slender and well-proportioned, with thin calluses on the fingertips. They looked somewhat familiar.
"Boss Liu, someone is here to sell grain."
Su Zhenzhen had already sent a letter to Hangzhou, hoping that the female boss could stall Xie Linzhou. When the time was right, she would naturally open the granaries and distribute the grain.
For someone as smart as Xie Linzhou, he seemed to lack a bit of talent in economics, actually failing to see through her intentions.
Su Zhenzhen sighed and opened the letter sent from the front lines.
Lu Hexu's handwriting had gotten even better.
Su Zhenzhen first gently stroked the letter paper before she began to read the letter Lu Hexu had sent.
Lu Hexu never told her how dangerous the battlefield was; he would only tell her that the beef jerky there was delicious, or that the mutton soup was very tasty.
Yet he was clearly someone who did not like eating salty foods.
Su Zhenzhen opened the beef jerky that was sent along with the letter and slowly chewed on a piece.
The taste was indeed quite good.
There was no taste of artificial additives. The jerky, made of pure beef, was savory and delicious with every bite, its meat firm but not tough.
The letter mentioned that it was a pity the mutton soup could not be packed and sent to her, so he could only send her some mutton fat to eat.
Su Zhenzhen opened the bundle and, sure enough, saw a small piece of mutton fat inside.
Wei Heng came in carrying today's dinner and saw the mutton fat and beef jerky placed on Su Zhenzhen's desk.
"Your Grace, would you like the imperial kitchen to prepare this?"
"Just slicing it will do."
"Yes."
Wei Heng picked up the piece of mutton fat, turned around, and walked out of the imperial study.
Su Zhenzhen continued reading the letter.
Lu Hexu mentioned that the weather was getting colder and there was a shortage of medicine in the army.
Su Zhenzhen thought of the mutton fat from just now.
She picked up her pen and wrote: Take clean mutton fat and simmer it over a slow fire until it becomes a paste. After cooling, it will be white and smooth. Applying it to wounds can relieve pain and promote tissue regeneration.
The Rebellion of the Vassal Kings was lasting longer than Su Zhenzhen had imagined.
She originally thought that by saving Lu Mingqian, she might be able to change some of the original plot's developments, but she didn't expect that what was meant to happen would happen anyway.
However, because Lu Mingqian did not die, the Prince of Su passed his title of vassal king to him before passing away.
Among the eighteen vassal kings, eight had a deep relationship with the Prince of Su.
The original book mentioned that in order to provoke the Rebellion of the Vassal Kings, Lu Changying blamed Lu Mingqian's death on the new emperor, Shen Yanci, claiming it was a show of strength to pave the way for reducing the vassal kings' power.
At that time, due to Lu Mingqian's death, the Prince of Su's already poor health completely collapsed, and he followed him to the grave.
People are not made of wood or stone; who could be completely devoid of emotion?
These eight vassal kings had a deep friendship with the Prince of Su.
Rebelling was an offense punishable by beheading.
These eight vassal kings originally just wanted to live peaceful lives, but His Majesty simply refused to let them do so.
The precedent was chilling.
Therefore, it sparked such a large-scale Rebellion of the Vassal Kings.
Now, Lu Mingqian was not dead, and after his persuasion, these eight vassal kings finally understood the whole story and decided to jointly resist the rebelling vassal kings.
The situation was much better than in the original book.
Lu Hexu did not have Shen Yanci's male lead halo. Su Zhenzhen was once afraid that he wouldn't be able to hold on, but to her surprise, not only did he go into battle to kill the enemy, but he also won repeatedly.
Su Zhenzhen was naturally happy about the news of victory sent by Lu Hexu.
But she also couldn't stop worrying about him.
On the battlefield, swords and spears have no eyes.
Su Zhenzhen lowered her head, and tears unconsciously fell onto the letter in front of her.
She raised her hand to wipe them away, but the more she wiped, the messier it got.
The ink smudged on the letter paper, turning the letter she had just written completely black.
Su Zhenzhen took a deep breath, held back her tears, and wrote a new letter. Then, she wrapped up the medicine she had recently found time to make into the bundle.
Wei Heng came in with the sliced mutton fat and saw Su Zhenzhen standing there with red eyes, looking up at the moon.
The woman had lost a lot of weight, but her figure and temperament had become even more dignified and elegant. Just standing there, one could feel the majesty exuding from her.
"Your Grace."
Su Zhenzhen turned around and saw the red-lacquered tray in Wei Heng's hands.
The mutton fat was cut into thin slices on a small dish, with dipping sauce on the side.
Su Zhenzhen picked up her chopsticks and ate a slice of mutton fat; the taste was a bit milky and gamey.
"Your Grace, the Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching."
Indeed.
Su Zhenzhen looked at the moon overhead, which was getting rounder by the day.
"It is a rare Mid-Autumn Festival. Distribute some food, reward money, fabric, cotton quilts, and daily ointments to everyone in the palace."
"Yes." Wei Heng noted them all down.
Su Zhenzhen's gaze shifted upwards and landed on the moon again.
"Your Grace, it is getting late. Please rest."
Su Zhenzhen nodded and returned from the imperial study to the bedchamber she shared with Lu Hexu.
The bedchamber was very quiet. Only Sushan was lying on the pillow, sleeping.
Hearing the noise, it instinctively raised its head and pricked up its ears. Seeing that the person entering was Su Zhenzhen, it buried its head again and continued to sleep.
Su Zhenzhen walked over, reached out to stroke Sushan's soft fur, and then buried her face in its body, taking a deep sniff.
Ah, smells so good.
It smelled like popcorn.
Su Zhenzhen rubbed her face hard against Sushan's belly, then walked back to the imperial desk by the window in the bedchamber.
On it lay the Buddhist scriptures she had been copying for three days.
Su Zhenzhen originally did not believe in these things.
But ever since Lu Hexu went to the battlefield, her heart had become very unsettled.
She started copying Buddhist scriptures to pray for Lu Hexu's blessings.
She handled state affairs during the day and found time to write some at night.
Only in this way could she barely manage to fall asleep.
The bedchamber burned the soothing incense she had formulated herself.
The scent grew stronger, yet its effect grew weaker.
She had developed a resistance to it.
After finishing copying today's Buddhist scriptures, Su Zhenzhen still felt no drowsiness. She knew it would likely be another sleepless night.
She stood up and saw Sushan jump down from the pillow and walk over to her.
Sushan was already six or seven years old, but its eyes still looked the same as when it was a kitten.
It stood up, rested its front paws on her arm, nudged her, and let out a soft, affectionate meow.
Su Zhenzhen opened a jar, took out a small dried fish, and handed it to the cat.
Sushan immediately took the dried fish in its mouth and went to the pillow to eat it.
Su Zhenzhen was speechless. That was her pillow.
Su Zhenzhen sighed. She was used to it, so she sat there without moving.
She put away the copied scriptures, stood up, pushed open the doors of her bedchamber, and headed toward the small Buddhist hall not far away.
A statue of Guanyin was enshrined in the small Buddhist hall.
After offering incense, Su Zhenzhen knelt on the ground, prayed quietly, and then offered up the scriptures she had copied that day.
"May the Great Zhou be prosperous and peaceful."
"May my husband be safe."
This year's Mid-Autumn Festival in the palace was somewhat desolate.
Su Zhenzhen did not hold a grand banquet; instead, she gave the ministers a day off.
After all, who would want to dine with their superiors during a time meant for family reunions?
"Your Grace, it is getting cold." Wei Heng brought Su Zhenzhen a cloak.
Su Zhenzhen wrapped the cloak around herself and sneezed.
Standing on the stone steps, she looked up at the massive full moon.
"Wei Heng, has His Majesty sent a letter?"
Wei Heng slowly shook his head.
It had been seven days without a letter.
This had never happened before.
Su Zhenzhen furrowed her brows.
"Please rest assured, Your Grace. This servant has already sent people to gather information."
Su Zhenzhen nodded, her hand slowly gripping her cloak tightly.
Feeling restless, she left the imperial study alone and went to the imperial garden to clear her mind.
With the arrival of autumn, chrysanthemums were blooming all over the imperial garden.
Su Zhenzhen sat alone under the corridor, resting her chin on one hand as she gazed into the waterway.
"Shadow Two."
Su Zhenzhen called out softly.
Shadow Two emerged from the darkness.
Shadow Two was always a man of few words, unlike Shadow One, who was a chatterbox.
"It is nothing. I just wanted to call you."
Shadow Two had been left behind by Lu Hexu to protect her.
Although Su Zhenzhen did not know what she needed protection from while staying alone in the imperial palace, it was quite amusing to tease Shadow Two when she had nothing else to do.
Shadow Two remained speechless.
A lotus lantern floated over from afar on the waterway.
It was the size of a palm, radiating a faint candlelight, pushed forward by the ripples until it drifted right past Su Zhenzhen.
Su Zhenzhen followed the path of the lotus lantern with her eyes and saw a palace maid kneeling there with her hands clasped together, praying.
After finishing her prayer, the palace maid stood up and saw a beauty in luxurious clothes tilting her head and looking at her from not far away.
The beauty was truly stunning. Her features were pure and kind, her appearance peerless, and her skin as radiant as jade. She possessed an extraordinary aura, looking just like a fairy descended from the moon.
"What are you doing?" Su Zhenzhen asked her from a distance.
The beauty's gaze was incredibly gentle, and she was exceptionally gorgeous. Her eyes were as clear as water, seemingly holding a pool of autumn night, bright, pure, and tender.
The palace maid looked around and, seeing no one else, finally replied, "I am praying for a blessing."
Su Zhenzhen stood up and walked around the water corridor to the palace maid's side.
"Who are you praying for?"
"My brother. He joined the army."
Is that so.
Su Zhenzhen lowered her eyes and said very softly, "My husband also went to war."
The palace maid reached out her hand. "Here, this is for you."
It was a lotus lantern.
"Praying with a lotus lantern is very effective."
"Alright." Su Zhenzhen curled her lips into a smile. She reached out to take the lotus lantern, borrowed the palace maid's fire striker to light it, and held it in her palms.
A faint glimmer of light quietly ignited on the wick, emitting a soft, diffused halo that painted the night with a hazy, warm yellow glow.
The petals were folded from plain silk, overlapping layer by layer, looking just like a newly bloomed flower.
Su Zhenzhen gently placed the lotus lantern onto the water's surface.
The emerald ripples swayed gently, the lantern's light diffused, and the soft glow spread lightly across the water.
"I hope my brother and your husband can both return safely."
"Mhm."
Lu Hexu had not sent a letter for half a month.
Wei Heng finally received news stating that a plague had suddenly broken out in the army. To prevent the news from spreading, it had been kept a secret.
No wonder Lu Hexu had stopped writing and even stopped sending those foods.
"Wei Heng, did you know about this earlier?" Su Zhenzhen clutched the letter in her hand and suddenly looked up at Wei Heng.
Wei Heng stood there with his head bowed. After a moment of silence, he finally said, "His Majesty did not want to worry Your Grace. Please rest assured, Your Grace, physicians from the surrounding areas have already been urgently dispatched there."
"Wei Heng, I need to go out." Su Zhenzhen pushed aside the memorials in front of her and stood up. "I will leave things here in your hands for now."
"Your Grace," Wei Heng boldly grabbed Su Zhenzhen's arm, "Your Grace, you cannot go."
Su Zhenzhen turned around, her eyes looking up at Wei Heng filled with unconcealable worry.
She looked at Wei Heng and softly spat out two words, "Godfather."
Wei Heng's pupils trembled.
The person before him no longer seemed to be the Empress who relied on her own strength and tried hard to learn how to guard the imperial court, but rather someone who was willing to face death for her beloved.
Wei Heng's hand that was holding Su Zhenzhen slowly let go.
He opened his mouth, but ultimately only said, "Your Grace, take Shadow Two with you."
The battlefield was far away, all the way in Xuanfu.
It had been rainy lately. Su Zhenzhen sat in the carriage, traveling light and moving through the nights. It took her a whole month to finally reach her destination.
The north wind howled past, sweeping up yellow sand, scraping against the face like a cutting knife.
Su Zhenzhen sat in the carriage, wrapped in padded cotton clothes, yet she was still so cold that her face was pale and her lips were purple.
She opened the carriage curtain and saw a vast, desolate expanse between heaven and earth. The vegetation had long been frozen stiff and dead, and even the river water had formed a thick layer of solid ice.
"Your Grace, we have arrived."
Shadow Two's voice came from outside.
Su Zhenzhen stepped out of the carriage. She looked up and, through her veiled hat, saw the banners on the city wall fluttering wildly in the cold wind.
Someone on the city wall saw her carriage from afar and had already come down from the tower.
The city gates were tightly shut; only a small side door was open.
Su Zhenzhen walked forward against the biting wind, her slender and frail figure looking as if it could be blown away at any moment.
"What is your business here?"
"I am here to deliver medicine."
Su Zhenzhen answered softly, then took out the token at her waist.
The soldier over there stared at the token for a moment before lowering his tone, "Once you go in, you cannot come out." His gaze lingered on Su Zhenzhen's thin body, "You might die inside."
Su Zhenzhen nodded with a steady tone, "I understand."
The soldier opened his mouth, separated by an infection-prevention mask. He fell silent for a moment, then stepped aside. "Come in."
The majority of the people in the city were infected with the plague.
They were confined in the residential area in the south of the city.
As soon as Su Zhenzhen entered the city, she could smell a heavy scent of medicine.
Wearing gloves and a mask, she wrapped herself up completely, then looked at the cordon set up not far ahead.
The commoners were all locked in their homes and forbidden to go out.
Those with symptoms would first be sent out for isolation. After the isolation period, those who were not infected could return home. But if confirmed infected, they would be sent to the residences in the south of the city for treatment.
People were patrolling inside the city, going door-to-door to register the population and check for symptoms.
Su Zhenzhen saw a familiar figure.
"General Zhou," she called out loudly.
Zhou Changfeng, who was patrolling on horseback, heard a sound and turned his head, only to see someone bundled up tightly from head to toe.
"Who are you?"
Su Zhenzhen raised her hand and lifted her veiled hat, revealing half of her face.
Zhou Changfeng's expression changed drastically. He was about to blurt out her identity, but Su Zhenzhen stopped him.
"General Zhou, where is His Majesty?"
Zhou Changfeng's face suddenly grew solemn. His grip on the reins tightened.
"Zhou Changfeng," Su Zhenzhen lowered her voice, her gaze turning sharp.
Zhou Changfeng lowered his head, dismounted, and raised a hand to summon a soldier.
The soldier was also bundled up tightly, with only his eyes showing.
"Take her inside to find him."
The soldier looked Su Zhenzhen up and down, then nodded.
"Shadow Two, do not follow me inside." Su Zhenzhen ordered Shadow Two to stay outside. "Stay by General Zhou's side and assist him in guarding against foreign enemies."
"...Yes."
Shadow Two was forced to remain where he was. Zhou Changfeng looked at Su Zhenzhen and made one final confirmation, "I must guard Xuanfu and cannot enter. Your Ladyship, once you enter this place, you will not be able to come out until the epidemic is eradicated."
"I know."
Su Zhenzhen added another layer of masking over her face.
She followed the soldier inside without looking back.
Zhou Changfeng turned to look at Shadow Two. "How did you get here?"
"By carriage. Her Ladyship brought a lot of medicine." After saying that, Shadow Two turned around. "Come with me to unload the medicine."
After Su Zhenzhen entered the residence in the south of the city, she found that the quarantine measures here were actually quite well executed.
However, the hygiene still needed improvement.
"The clothing and utensils used by the patients must be burned separately or boiled in water." Su Zhenzhen grabbed a physician's arm, stopping him from tossing an unwashed bowl directly into the basin.
"They must be separated."
Just as Su Zhenzhen finished speaking, she saw soldiers carrying someone out.
The person was wrapped in a straw mat and placed directly in the courtyard.
"Another one died." The physician held the bowl in his hand. Even through the mask, Su Zhenzhen could sense the ashen pallor of his face. "Things are already like this. What is the point of separating them?"
"Take some men and bury these bodies. They cannot be left out in the open." Su Zhenzhen spoke calmly to the soldier carrying the corpse. Then, she tossed a handful of mugwort and atractylodes into the burning charcoal basin used for heating in the courtyard to dispel the foul air.
The courtyard was filled with a deathly stillness.
Su Zhenzhen clutched the mugwort in her hand. Her gaze swept past the corpses, and she finally looked up at the soldier, her voice trembling. "Where is he?"
The soldier led Su Zhenzhen to the deepest part of the compound.
It was an isolated small courtyard with tightly shut doors and windows. A faint smell of medicine drifted out from within.
Su Zhenzhen stood at the door of the room and slowly raised her hand to push it open.
The room was dim and devoid of light. A man lay on the bed, covered by a thin quilt, coughing.
Lu Hexu hunched over and coughed for a while, his throat feeling dry and scratchy.
Someone beside him handed him some water.
Lu Hexu raised his hand to take it. As the warm water slid down his throat, the itchiness subsided significantly, though the severe lethargy and dizziness caused by his high fever still lingered.
"You should leave," Lu Hexu said, covering his mouth. "Do not come back in."
"I am a physician here to treat you. How can I leave?"
A familiar voice reached him. Lu Hexu abruptly turned his head. Through the veiled hat and two layers of masks, he met a pair of clear, striking eyes.
Jinling and Xuanfu were thousands of miles apart.
Lu Hexu thought he was hallucinating from the high fever.
