“Physician Hong, you are advanced in years and must not disregard your health. With grandfather gone… You are an elder to us siblings and should watch over us in your grandfather’s place. How can you leave us to go to Yan? If something goes wrong, neither my elder sister nor I could explain to the family elders!” Bai Qingjue comforted Physician Hong into sitting down, then gestured for Yinshuang to bring tea, “Yinshuang, chrysanthemum tea—to clear heat and reduce fire!”

“Oh my… Seventh Young Master!” Physician Hong was forcibly seated by Bai Qingjue’s assistance and simply looked directly at Bai Qingyan, “Miss, the Bai family is all military generals, so when the nation has war, Bai descendants must charge ahead! I am a physician, so when the nation has an epidemic, I should naturally take the lead. How is it that the misses and young masters can all come to this battlefield, yet I cannot go to that plague-stricken land? What reasoning is this? What reasoning?”

Physician Hong was anxious, after all… the sooner he could contact patients, the sooner he could develop remedies to combat this epidemic.

After a moment of silence, Bai Qingyan said, “If that’s the case, then I’ll go together with Physician Hong!”

“Elder sister?!” Bai Jinzhi’s eyes widened, “How can elder sister go! What if… no! Absolutely not!”

“Yes, elder sister, that Empress Dowager of Yan is mad. If the elder sister goes to the cities in Yan territory assigned to the Great Zhou, wouldn’t that be dangerous?” Bai Jinse also disagreed.

“Exactly! Miss is the ruler of a nation, the foundation of the country! How can you casually risk danger like this old man?” Physician Hong also disagreed.

“Before coming to see you just now, I read the memorial sent from Shen Tianzhi’s side. Yan’s epidemic is fierce and swift. Shen Tianzhi chose to seal the city, but medicinal supplies are short and cannot be replenished. The people’s hearts are unstable, which will inevitably trigger civil unrest.” Bai Qingyan looked steadily at Physician Hong, “Physician Hong, you say you are a physician… when the nation has an epidemic, you should take the lead. But I am also a nation’s ruler, and those are my Zhou people. As their emperor, wherever there is disaster and difficulty, I should naturally share hardships with the people! I trust your medical skills, so let’s go together!”

Although the cities in Yan’s Zhou territories already had the epidemic, and Bai Qingyan going there now carried risks, it was… a good opportunity to win the hearts of Yan’s people.

Bai Qingyan was confident that after the country’s wager, the Great Zhou would achieve a great victory. When the two countries became one, what if the people whose hearts were in Yan were unwilling and repeatedly caused trouble? Could they send troops to suppress them every time?

Bai Qingyan considered this the lowest strategy.

The best strategy should be to prevent problems from the beginning by taking advantage of this natural disaster to win people’s hearts.

Moreover, Shen Tianzhi was now sending patients to treatment centers and sealing city gates. The people were panic-stricken, fearing that the government would seal them to death in the city. If this epidemic couldn’t be controlled in the end, they would be killed. After all… There were such precedents in ancient times, so it was understandable that the people would resist so violently. Add to that people with ulterior motives stirring up public sentiment—it would be strange if there wasn’t chaos.

But if Bai Qingyan, the Emperor of Great Zhou, was willing to stay with the people, they should feel much more at ease.

“I understand my elder sister’s meaning. With the city sealed, people are panic-stricken. Elder sister is going at this time to stabilize people’s hearts.” Bai Jinzhi clenched her fists. “If so, let me go instead! I am the elder sister’s younger sister, Great Zhou’s Duke Gaoyi. I can go!”

“Elder sister going is to stabilize people’s hearts, and even more to win the hearts of Yan’s people, right?” Bai Jinse looked up with bright eyes, “Initially, it was Yan that began having the epidemic, but Yan’s royal family probably avoided it desperately, hiding within Yan Capital. Meanwhile, our Great Zhou’s emperor personally goes to the cities in Yan’s Zhou territories to share hardships with the people. The superiority is immediately apparent, and it can make those Yan people more cooperative with Minister Shen’s implementation of new policies! Moreover, when the two countries become one in the future, Yan people, knowing this, will not reject the Great Zhou!”

An emperor who would risk her noble body in dangerous places for the people, an emperor who wouldn’t abandon any of her people—when everyone wanted to flee, she arrived there to stabilize people’s hearts. What kind of encouragement would that be for the people?

Although Bai Jinse was young, when she went to train in the southern frontier and passed through Feng County and Feng City, hearing those people regard the Bai Family Army as saviors and their elder sister and the Bai family as divine beings, she understood this principle.

So this time, Bai Jinse supported her elder sister to go.

“Little Seven is willing to go with elder sister and Physician Hong!” Bai Jinse said, “Elder sister alone can only be in one city. I can go to another city to stabilize people’s hearts!”

“Little Seven is too young, and her constitution can’t compare to mine. I should go instead!” Bai Jinzhi said hurriedly.

“You two little ones shouldn’t worry the family elders. I’ll accompany my elder sister!” Bai Qingjue said, then looked at Bai Qingyan, “If I’m not mistaken, Fifth Brother leading troops to escort medicinal herbs and physicians to Yan’s border will surely think the same as elder sister—entering epidemic cities to stabilize people’s hearts.”

Bai Qingyan nodded. Based on her understanding of A’Yu, he would go.

Regardless of whether the people in those cities still considered themselves Yan people, in their eyes, since they were designated as Great Zhou cities, they were Great Zhou people. Great Zhou… wouldn’t abandon a single one.

“Since it’s decided, then don’t delay. Physician Hong, make a list of the medicinal herbs you can use. A’Jue, Little Four—you two immediately begin collecting medicinal herbs! Then Little Four, Little Seven, and Cheng Yuanzhi will accompany Princess Hancheng to bury Prince Hancheng in the imperial mausoleum, then lead the army back to the capital. Take half of Dongyi’s reparations back and tell your third brother, Marshal Lu, and Wei Bugong that this half should all be used for epidemic prevention and treatment. We absolutely cannot let the epidemic spread into Great Zhou territory!”

“Yes! Little Seven receives the command!” Bai Jinse straightened her back and clasped her fists in response.

“This old man will go back and write the list immediately!” Physician Hong rose and gave a formal salute to Bai Qingyan before going to the side room to write his needed medicinal materials.

Bai Qingyan nodded.

“I’ll go tell General Cheng and the others to make early arrangements for returning to the capital, but…” Bai Qingjue looked up at Bai Qingyan, “This time, elder sister is going to Yan, bringing only the Anping Army, not the Bai Family Army?”

Since Bai Qingyan hadn’t mentioned Liu Pinggao, Bai Qingjue knew his elder sister intended to bring Liu Pinggao’s Great Zhou Anping Army to Yan territory.

“They all say the Bai Family Army is our Bai family’s direct lineage, and wherever I, as emperor, go, I would naturally bring the Bai Family Army. This time… I’ll bring the Anping Army, meaning to let the soldiers understand that in my eyes they are all the same—all Great Zhou soldiers are direct lineage!” Bai Qingyan placed her fingers on the desk, thought for a moment, then said, “You needn’t hurry to tell General Cheng. Gather the commanders together and let them choose for themselves whether to follow me to Yan. If Liu Pinggao and the others choose to follow like Cheng Yuanzhi, then convey my words to them.”