“Your Majesty, the people do want to leave the city, but this is a reason. Because… there are no medicinal herbs in the city, and Minister Shen departed three days ago for Liuxiang City, where the epidemic is most severe. The people learned that Minister Shen had left and thought this city was abandoned. Fearing they couldn’t preserve their lives in the end, they were unwilling to wait for death in the city and intended to force their way out. Please, Your Majesty, forgive their offense!”

Although Qian Yongzhong had just been calling these people unruly citizens, when truly before his emperor, he couldn’t help but speak a word for these people, fearing His Majesty might redirect his anger toward them.

Bai Qingjue, her face covered with a cloth soaked in medicinal solution, pulled her reins forward and said to Bai Qingyan: “Elder sister, let’s enter the city first!”

Bai Qingyan nodded, then instructed: “Have Liu Pinggao escort the physicians and medicinal herbs into the city and go to the treatment center first! Have Lu Ping protect Physician Hong well.”

“Yes!” Bai Qingjue responded and accepted the order.

“Qian Yongzhong, you may rise!”

Hearing this, Qian Yongzhong quickly kowtowed: “Thank you, Your Majesty!”

He stood and stepped aside, calling out loudly: “Respectfully welcome Your Majesty into the city!”

“Respectfully welcome Your Majesty into the city!”

The defending soldiers knelt in orderly formation to welcome her.

Only now did the people in the city truly believe that the Great Zhou Emperor had come…

“The Great Zhou Emperor came!”

“Why did he come at this time? Is he really… here to bring us medicinal herbs and physicians?”

Bai Qingyan rode her pure white steed slowly into the city. Even the boldest people didn’t dare look anymore, hurriedly lowering their heads with foreheads pressed tightly to the ground, not daring to lift them.

Bai Qingyan sat high upon her horse without dismounting. She pulled the reins, surveyed her surroundings, looked at the kneeling people, and spoke slowly: “Now Yan suffers from a rampant epidemic disease. Yan’s cities can barely take care of themselves. I… led the great army from the Great Zhou, escorting physicians and medicinal herbs. All city gates along the way were tightly closed, with plague-stricken people blocked outside the city gates. Countless corpses lined the route! Great Zhou has the heart to save them, but Great Zhou… must first prioritize the safety of our people!”

Bai Qingyan’s warhorse beneath her pawed the ground, its breath snorting out thick white mist, the white horse’s extremely long eyelashes seeming covered with a layer of water vapor.

“Therefore, today… Any people who step out of Great Zhou’s city territories will no longer be citizens under Great Zhou’s protection! Their life and death will no longer concern the Great Zhou!” Bai Qingyan looked at the people who dared not even breathe heavily, her voice resounding: “Those willing to remain in the city with me and join hands to resist the epidemic together must obey arrangements and commands without disobedience! When a thousand people share one heart, they gain the strength of a thousand. When ten thousand people have different hearts, they have not even one person’s usefulness. As long as all the city’s people unite as one, Great Zhou… will certainly overcome this natural disaster! In times of crisis, strict laws must be enforced. Those who resist orders and refuse compliance—kill without mercy!”

Bai Qingyan’s speech was both steady and rapid, containing both comfort and intimidation, making clear that she was treating the people in the city as her own people, which was why she had risked coming here!

Just these few sentences… not to mention the people, even these defending soldiers all felt their spirits lifted, as if they had direction and strength, no longer fearing anything.

“Qian Yongzhong!” Bai Qingyan called out.

Qian Yongzhong, whose emotions were running high from Bai Qingyan’s words, quickly ran forward and solemnly knelt to one side: “Your subject is here!”

Qian Yongzhong looked up at that young emperor sitting high upon the fine horse, feeling as if he had taken a stabilizing pill.

“If there are still those who wish to leave the city, don’t obstruct them! From today forth… Great Zhou’s cities, except for those bearing tokens, may only exit but not enter! Those who force entry… will all be treated as spies and killed on the spot!” After Bai Qingyan finished speaking, she instructed Weizhong behind her: “Have the great army enter the city!”

“Yes!” Weizhong responded and turned to relay the order…

Soon, the great army entered the city. Qian Yongzhong also hurriedly led Bai Qingyan to a prepared residence, requesting that Bai Qingyan stay there.

“Your Majesty, rest assured. This place is entirely guarded by our own Great Zhou soldiers! Due to the rampant epidemic, I took the liberty of releasing half the servants from this courtyard, also to reduce Your Majesty’s risk of contracting the disease.” Qian Yongzhong explained as he led Bai Qingyan into the courtyard.

“Have someone prepare some simple hot soup. On this journey… I traveled urgently and haven’t yet dined. You should join me and Prince Zhongguo for a meal and tell us about the situation in Yan Zhou Territory cities!” Bai Qingyan, walking with her hands behind her back, glanced at Qian Yongzhong.

“Yes! Your subject accepts the order!” Qian Yongzhong quickly turned to instruct someone to prepare the meal, then hurried to catch up with Bai Qingyan, telling her about the epidemic situation in Great Zhou’s cities within Yan territory.

After generally describing the current conditions of several cities, Qian Yongzhong couldn’t help but say a few more words.

“First, the epidemic appeared in Yan lands, and Minister Shen began taking precautions. But unexpectedly… despite our strict defenses, news still came one after another from Great Zhou cities in Yan lands about people contracting the epidemic. So Minister Shen suspected this might be a Yan scheme. Later, when people in Liuxiang City caused trouble, Minister Shen couldn’t stay here personally to welcome Your Majesty and hurriedly rushed to Liuxiang City to stabilize people’s hearts!” After Qian Yongzhong finished, he cupped his hands to Bai Qingyan again: “If Your Majesty hadn’t arrived timely this time, the soldiers would have inevitably come into conflict with the people, and bloodshed and sacrifice would have been unavoidable.”

As soon as Qian Yongzhong finished speaking, he quickly stepped forward to personally hold the curtain for Bai Qingyan, requesting her to enter the main hall.

Having probably heard that Bai Qingyan had a weak constitution and, after being injured on the battlefield in earlier years and barely surviving, had developed chronic ailments that made her very sensitive to cold, Qian Yongzhong had estimated that Bai Qingyan would arrive in three days at the earliest and had someone start the underfloor heating system in advance to warm the house. He hadn’t expected that just this morning, when they had started the heating, Bai Qingyan would arrive this very morning.

Qian Yongzhong praised himself in his heart for being quick-witted.

As soon as Bai Qingyan stepped across the threshold, warm air rushed toward her. Even Bai Qingjue couldn’t help but sigh that it was truly warm…

Seeing that Weizhong had also stepped across the threshold, Qian Yongzhong quickly had someone bring in a brazier, deeply afraid that Bai Qingyan might catch a cold, before following them inside.

Bai Qingyan frowned slightly, untied her cloak’s ties, casually handed the cloak to Weizhong, and, feeling the spring-like warmth inside the room, asked Qian Yongzhong: “Are there sufficient charcoal fires at the treatment center?”

Looking at the weather, it would probably snow soon. The patients in the treatment center were already weaker than ordinary people, so charcoal fires couldn’t be in short supply.

Qian Yongzhong quickly said, “Your Majesty, rest assured. Before Minister Shen left, he repeatedly instructed that it would probably snow soon, and the charcoal fires at the treatment center must be sufficient!”

She nodded and sat in the main seat. The brazier had already been brought in. Weizhong stepped outside the threshold, took hot tea from a servant standing outside the door, tested it, then brought it in and placed it beside Bai Qingyan. After similarly testing for poison, he served tea to Bai Qingjue.

Qian Yongzhong hadn’t dared hope that Weizhong would serve him tea, considering this was the head eunuch beside the emperor. Unexpectedly, Weizhong personally served him tea as well.