Zhao Tongsheng appeared a bit flustered. “Princess Consort, have you come into contact with them?”
Gao Yuexing nodded. “Yes, which is why you must stay away from me.”
Zhao Tongsheng protested, “No, you are the Princess Consort. I must ensure your safety.”
Gao Yuexing replied, “I am not only your Princess Consort; I am also a healer. The city’s medical hall has been abandoned, and I am currently the only one with the ability to do something about it. Listen to me, and make sure to station people at every critical checkpoint.”
Zhao Tongsheng bowed and complied. “As you command, Princess Consort.”
Gao Yuexing said no more and rode her horse back to the inn. The city’s medical hall had fallen into disuse, but the medicines inside remained. The owner of the medical hall had treated himself like a testing vessel, trying various remedies while sick, but none had worked.
Gao Yuexing requisitioned the medical hall, going door to door, instructing those who could still move to pack their belongings and move into the hall.
As for those bedridden, she ordered the neighbors to carry them over, even if it meant dragging them.
At such a critical juncture, no one wished to give up on survival. The young and able-bodied men in each household silently carried their families to the medical hall.
Many had already died.
Most were the elderly and children.
At first, coffins were used for burial. Later, even that was impossible. Bodies were wrapped in straw mats and left in the courtyard, attracting flies and insects, while the stench of decay permeated the air.
Both the living and the dead shared the same lifeless, desolate appearance.
“There’s no hope left.” A man pulling a cart with his sick wife on it, along with two skinny children, spoke despondently. “The doctors at the medical hall are all sick. Even the officials at the inn have caught the plague. What can we common folk do but wait for death?”
His words carried through the bamboo curtain and reached Gao Yuexing, who was boiling medicine in a large pot. She heard them but had no response.
The number of infected people was overwhelming.
For years, Gao Yuexing had been mentally preparing for this day. Her heart had always felt like it was carrying a heavy weight, suspended in mid-air, swaying back and forth.
Finally, the rope holding the weight snapped. It crashed onto her heart, once steadfast as stone, with a muffled thud—a sound only she could hear.
The brewed medicine was brought out, one bowl per person.
The people quietly accepted the bowls, asked no questions, and tipped the contents into their mouths in one gulp, not leaving a single drop.
Afterward, Gao Yuexing settled down to carefully study their symptoms and pulses.
Among all the infected, Kong Rangchen’s condition was the most severe.
After drinking the medicine, Kong Rangchen regained a bit of clarity. He opened his eyes, saw Gao Yuexing, and asked weakly, “Princess Consort, what did you give us to drink?”
Gao Yuexing replied, “It’s an ordinary medicine for cooling the blood and detoxifying. Use it for now. A specific remedy will take some time to prepare.”
Xue Shanhui, whose condition was slightly less severe, climbed off his cot and made his way to Gao Yuexing’s side. “Princess Consort, when I saw you at the inn, for a moment, I thought I was dreaming and witnessing a Bodhisattva descending to earth.”
Gao Yuexing responded expressionlessly, “Save your meaningless words. They are of no benefit to the current situation.”
Xue Shanhui said earnestly, “I mean it.”
Kong Rangchen spoke weakly, “Yes, we all thought we were going to be buried right here by the riverbank.”
Gao Yuexing pressed down on Kong Rangchen’s shoulder to keep him still and calmly said, “No, there must be a way.”
When she finally had a moment to calm down and think carefully, a vague doubt in her mind began to take shape.
Something was amiss.
In her previous life, the plague outbreak in the Jiangnan region was fundamentally caused by a flood that left numerous casualties. Later investigations revealed that the source of the plague was the rotting corpses left unattended along the roadsides.
But this time, the Jiangnan flood, thanks to Gao Yuexing’s early preparations, had not led to such catastrophic consequences.
The exact death toll was yet to be calculated, but the state officials likely had their own estimates.
So, where did this illness originate?
The medical hall was insufficient to house all the citizens, so Gao Yuexing moved some people to the inn to live alongside the afflicted officials. She tirelessly traveled back and forth between the two locations every day.
In a day and a half, Gao Yuexing recorded the symptoms and pulse readings of all the patients. Just then, a letter arrived from the Medicine Valley, stating their team would arrive in two days.
On the eve of Medicine Valley’s arrival, Gao Yuexing, while reviewing the medical cases spread out before her, suddenly slammed both fists heavily on the desk.
Hearing the commotion, Xue Shanhui rushed over and knocked on the door. “Princess Consort, are you all right? Princess Consort, if you do not respond, I will have no choice but to intrude! Princess Consort? I’m coming in!”
Receiving no response, Xue Shanhui disregarded the consequences and pushed the door open, only to find Gao Yuexing staring at him with a cold, menacing gaze. His heart quivered in fear. “Princess Consort?”
His condition was the mildest, and he had recovered the fastest. After a few doses of medicine, he was already lively and active again.
Gao Yuexing looked at him intently. “Steward Xue, you rarely go into the water, do you?”
Xue Shanhui nodded. “That’s right. Among all my colleagues, I’m the one who goes into the water the least.”
It wasn’t because he avoided hard work or shirked responsibilities. Before leaving, Gao Yuexing had entrusted him with all the affairs of the area. He sat at the center, overseeing everything. The local magistrate was unreliable, so every detail, big or small, had to be presented to Xue Shanhui for decisions—borrowing grain, settling refugees, mobilizing labor to dig canals. Even without going into the water, he was so busy that he barely had time to rest.
However, Gao Yuexing’s question wasn’t an accusation.
Just as Xue Shanhui was about to explain, Gao Yuexing raised her hand to interrupt him. “This isn’t a plague at all. You’ve all been poisoned.”
Her words were shocking.
Xue Shanhui’s expression changed drastically. “What?!”
Gao Yuexing shook her head with a complex expression. “This isn’t a plague, so it’s not contagious. I’ve spent so many days and nights with all of you, yet I’ve experienced no discomfort.”
Xue Shanhui countered, “But so many of us…”
Gao Yuexing explained, “Almost everyone fell ill simultaneously, likely because the poison was introduced into the water. A few days ago, Kong Rangchen led the officials and citizens to dig canals day and night, spending half the day immersed in the water. Kong Rangchen worked the hardest—while others rested, he never left the water. That’s why he’s the most severely poisoned.”
Her reasoning was logical and convincing.
Xue Shanhui glanced around but saw no suspicious individuals. He stepped closer, lowered his voice, and asked, “I trust Your Highness’s judgment, but who, in your view, could be so ruthless as to harm the citizens of our dynasty?”
Gao Yuexing turned her gaze westward.
Who, indeed?
It was, of course, inhuman beasts!
—
Since Li Fuxiang’s arrival, Xumo’er’s tribe had retreated twenty li, hiding deep within the Hucha Sea. Neither side had engaged in battle since. The soldiers remained on high alert daily, but they hadn’t even seen a single signal fire. It was as if the border had returned to the peaceful days of old.
Zheng Xiao, accompanied by his two younger brothers, went out of the city to patrol. After riding for half a day, they spotted Guifeng Pass in the distance. The burnt, charred smell on the sand dunes at its entrance still lingered.
Zheng Yan commented, “That night, Xumo’er’s main forces retreated into Guifeng Pass but left a trap behind. They filled the empty campsite with explosives and sent an envoy to make arrogant proclamations, hoping to lure us in to investigate. Then their remaining troops would act and blow us sky-high. But His Highness didn’t fall for it. From a distance, he used fire arrows to ignite their camp, blasting their remaining men into the sky. Big Brother, do you think His Highness foresaw Xumo’er’s ploy?”
Zheng Xiao scoffed mercilessly, “How old are you to still be so naive? If His Highness truly had the power to foresee everything, wouldn’t it be quicker for him to march straight into the Hucha Sea, find Xumo’er’s prince, and kill him with a single stroke?”
Zheng Yan rubbed the back of his head. “Hey, Brother, why take it so seriously? I was just rambling.”
They were all adults now; who didn’t already understand the truth?
As they rode closer, they noticed a unit of the Xiaoqi Battalion patrolling outside Guifeng Pass.
The Zheng brothers weren’t surprised.
That morning, before dawn, they had heard that Li Fuxiang had led troops out of the city. The formation was small, indicating there wasn’t much planned action.
Zheng Xiao spurred his horse forward, greeted a few friends in the Xiaoqi Battalion, and found Li Fuxiang among the group.
Li Fuxiang had evidently entered the Hucha Sea and was just now returning.
Zheng Xiao disapproved of his actions, believing it was highly inappropriate for a military commander to take such risks. However, he instinctively trusted this young, exceptionally talented commander and kept his advice to himself. Instead, he discussed the situation earnestly. “Xumo’er’s retreat and refusal to engage is likely not a good sign. What could they be planning now?”
Li Fuxiang replied, “They’re waiting.”
Zheng Xiao asked, “Waiting for what?”
Li Fuxiang teased, “Yes, waiting for what? Care to guess?”
His lighthearted tone and relaxed demeanor were precisely what the troops needed to soothe their anxieties.
Zheng Xiao, serious as always, said, “The only thing I can think of is one word—attrition. They’re trying to wear us down. Our dynasty faces internal and external troubles. The south is dealing with floods. War requires supplies, and disaster relief needs grain. Our granaries are nearly empty. They’re likely waiting for us to run out of resources so they can return with little effort to crush us.”
Li Fuxiang shook his head, unconcerned. “You’re underestimating the results of twenty years of recovery and development. I’m not exaggerating—before I left the capital, I took a stroll through the national treasury. The money and grain we have aren’t just enough for one war or one disaster relief effort. Even if we wanted to expand westward and annex territory equivalent to another Great Xu Dynasty, we’d still have plenty.”
Zheng Xiao’s expression shifted several times.
Li Fuxiang added, “I’m serious.”
Zheng Xiao replied, “I believe you, Your Highness, but such thoughts are dangerous. You must abandon them.”
To expand westward and annex another Great Xu Dynasty’s worth of land—it sounded like an ambition to conquer the Western seas. Such an idea was utterly unacceptable. He believed Li Fuxiang had genuinely considered it, which made it all the more alarming.
Li Fuxiang reassured him, “Don’t worry. I was just speaking casually. Don’t take it seriously. That said, Xumo’er’s intentions are far from simple.”
What exactly were they waiting for? Only they knew.
Everyone in Xi Territory, including Li Fuxiang, couldn’t accurately discern Xumo’er’s motives. They had no leads in hand.
Zheng Xiao asked, “Are we just going to let them drag this out?”
Li Fuxiang replied, “Their purpose in stalling like this is nothing more than to deplete our forces and energy. Both sides understand this clearly. The most elite Zheng Family Army of the Great Xu Dynasty is stationed here. Xumo’er, that wild child raised on sand, is no match for us. He’ll shift his focus and attack from another direction, but that’s a place I cannot spare the attention to deal with for now.”