Liu Mi looked somewhat tired. “The wounds are sutured. Fortunately, they weren’t fatal. But he lost a lot of blood, and the wounds are infected. I had my medicine boy prepare some herbs to see if we can bring down the fever first.”
Wei Qingran quickly expressed her gratitude. “Thank you, Liu Ciren.”
Liu Mi shook her head. “Just call me by name or Liu Langzhong. What’s past is past.”
Wei Qingran bit her lip and replied softly, “Alright, then I’ll call you Liu Langzhong.”
Liu Mi hesitated for a moment before asking, “Is the injured person Captain Meng Chong?”
While cleaning the wounded man, the more she looked, the more familiar he seemed. It took her a while before she realized that the man Wei Qingran called Meng Langjun was indeed the former palace guard captain, Meng Chong.
Wei Qingran looked a bit uncomfortable, but nodded anyway. “Yes, it’s him.”
Liu Mi’s expression was complicated, but she didn’t dwell on it. She changed the subject. “Then you should stay here for a few days. We’ll figure out the arrangements later.”
Wei Qingran nodded quickly. “Good, thank you very much.”
“Is Sixth Sister really in Gofeng?” Jiang Li looked up at Liu Mi with wide eyes.
Liu Mi looked at the dirty Ten Princess. “That’s right. How did you know?”
Wei Qingran explained, “Meng Langjun told us. I don’t know the exact details.”
She observed Liu Mi, who seemed somewhat different from before. “How did you end up here? And how did you become a doctor?”
Liu Mi’s expression grew wistful. “Back then, I was forced to be sent to Liangcheng. On the way, I was saved by my lord, and then I arrived in Gofeng. What about you?”
Wei Qingran had no idea the lord she referred to was Jiang Jin. She said quietly, “We escaped the city that day but were captured by Qushao soldiers on the road, then taken to Zhou County.”
“The day before yesterday, we found a chance to escape. Meng Langjun was wounded while protecting us. The journey…”
The journey had been truly arduous. Meng Chong was injured and unconscious, and the mother and daughter were weak, one too young and one too frail—they could barely carry him.
They made a simple stretcher out of vines, dragged Meng Chong onto it, and pulled him along.
They dared not take the main roads and could only struggle through trails and mountains. Fortunately, Meng Chong had prepared some supplies before leaving and brought a bit of dry food; otherwise, they would never have made it to Gofeng.
The distance from Zhou County to Gofeng was not long, but it took them a grueling two days.
It was also fortunate that Meng Chong was a warrior with a strong physique, holding on through two days. An ordinary person probably wouldn’t have survived.
Liu Mi sighed softly and comforted her. “It’ll be better from now on. Once you’re inside Gofeng, things will improve.”
“But you can’t expect things to return to how they were. In Gofeng, both men and women can work. We’ll see how the lord arranges things later,” she couldn’t help but remind her.
Wei Qingran came from a branch of the Wei family, raised in luxury. After entering the palace, she was deeply favored by Emperor Yan and gave birth to the Ten Princess, earning some status among the imperial consorts.
Although she didn’t say what she had done in Zhou County, her silk clothing hinted at something. In times of war, isn’t a beautiful woman’s fate often such?
Liu Mi silently sighed. She had followed her lord through battles the whole way and had no resistance to women serving as officials, soldiers, or laborers. She even found it natural. But that might not be the case for Wei Qingran.
Wei Qingran was a woman raised entirely as a noble lady of a prestigious clan. She was well-versed in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting—completely different from Liu Mi, who came from a modest background.
Wei Qingran froze for a moment, then understood that Liu Mi meant well. She gave a bitter smile. “In these chaotic times, having a place to settle and survive is already something to be grateful for. I dare not ask for more.”
She looked at Liu Mi seriously. “Rest assured. What others can do, I can do too.”
Liu Mi nodded, pointing to a distant area. “That area over there is where the plague-infected people are staying. Remember not to go there.”
Wei Qingran’s heart skipped a beat. “Plague? There’s plague here?”
Liu Mi gave a soft “mm.” “It’s under control. We have the medicine to treat it.”
The Daqinglong and Xiaoqinglong decoctions provided by Jiang Jin were highly effective. The disease hadn’t spread widely before it was contained. This was also one of the reasons Gofeng dared to continue accepting refugees.
Of course, infected people had to be quarantined for longer to ensure absolute safety.
Wei Qingran was stunned. “You have the medicine?”
Since ancient times, people have always dreaded the plague because it usually meant mass death.
Liu Mi smiled with pride. “The lord provided the prescription.”
For most of the day, Jiang Jin and Zhou Sui rode horseback through the central area of her three counties, surveying the land and drawing a simple map.
Yun Chengxuan had already gone to work with Xie Nanxiao.
As soon as Zhou Sui returned to Shanguan County, he began planning military defenses with Yao Ji, preparing to repel the Qushao army at any moment.
Jiang Jin returned to the county office.
“Lord, you’re back,” Dongzhi said happily upon seeing her.
Jiang Jin nodded. “Where is Magistrate Luo?”
“Magistrate Luo has gone to inspect the construction of the wells in the city. These are the documents she compiled about the county.”
Dongzhi placed a stack of records neatly on the table. “Lord, besides Magistrate Luo, there are also reports from Lord Dong and Commander Yao for you.”
Jiang Jin would be staying in Shanguan County for a while, so Dongzhi, Liqiu, and He Qiuchi had all come here.
Jiang Jin first picked up Yao Ji’s casualty report. Casualties were inevitable in war, but fortunately, the Jinyang Army had very few losses.
Then she picked up Luo Qingci’s records. They contained the population statistics of Shanguan County, resident zoning details, and various issues requiring her decisions.
She focused on the population data gathered over the past two days—about twenty thousand people.
These weren’t just from the villages in the central area of the three counties; they also included people from the eastern parts of Chunrong County and Shanguan County. In short, everyone they could “grab” had been brought back.
She did a quick calculation. Originally, Gofeng had about twenty thousand people. Adding these twenty thousand plus the populations of Shanguan and Chunrong counties, the total rose to over fifty thousand.
On top of that, over the past month, refugees trickled in from various places, adding about ten thousand more. Some had already entered Gofeng, while others would eventually be settled in Chunrong or Shanguan counties.
All together, her jurisdiction now had around sixty thousand people. Once the Qushao army was dealt with, she could recruit more soldiers.
Just as Jiang Jin was about to pick up Dong Si’s records, Dong Si strode in excitedly. “Lord, you’re back?”
Jiang Jin looked up. “What’s this?”
Dong Si patted the bits of straw and chaff clinging to him. “Nothing, nothing—I just went to check out the newly harvested wheat.”
His face showed regret. “It’s a pity they planted the old seeds. The yield is too low, and many ears are empty. If it weren’t for that, with the amount of land cultivated, our granaries would be overflowing.”
Jiang Jin smiled. “We’ll plant our own next year. I toured the central area of the three counties today. There should be about two to three hundred thousand mu of arable land.”
Dong Si’s eyes lit up. “That much?”
Jiang Jin shook her head. “Not really that much.”
Then, thinking of something, Dong Si’s smile faded. “If next year’s drought is as bad as this year, we might not be able to plant anything.”
Jiang Jin reminded him, “Don’t forget the Liu River.”
Dong Si frowned. "No, the terrain in Shanguan County is much higher. Not to mention how low the Liu River's water level is now—even in the past, it couldn't have flowed up there."
Otherwise, Qu Zhaoren would have long forced the people to dig irrigation channels. But because of the higher elevation, building channels would be useless.
Jiang Jin kept him in suspense. "I say it can be done, so it can be done. You'll see when the time comes."
In fact, the solution was simple: just build a large waterwheel. If one wasn't enough, they could build ten.
Dong Si's eyes lit up. He had absolute trust in Jiang Jin—if she said it could be done, then it surely could.
Just as they were talking, He Qiuchi hurried in. "My lord, there's a letter from Ge Feng."
