Emperors who could disregard their safety, abandon the comfortable and plague-free imperial capital to personally set foot in plague-ravaged cities, and inspire the people with their presence were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns. Not only had Their Majesty come, but they had even entered this medical station.

His Majesty’s entry into the medical station today had already made these enemy nation’s citizens feel fortunate to have become Great Zhou subjects – this was truly remarkable. Not every emperor possessed such courage.

Even if this was merely the Emperor’s method of winning people’s hearts, Qian Yongzhong still admired it. This popular support rightfully belonged to their Great Zhou Emperor!

Qian Yongzhong’s throat felt sore and choked, his eyes reddening as he watched the people who had now swept away the previous gloom of death’s shadow, swept away their previous hostility and despair, and seemed to have developed vigorous vitality. A fierce and surging emotion churned in his chest.

He believed… after this epidemic was eliminated, the people would surely sing praises and extol the virtues of their Great Zhou Emperor. What commoner wouldn’t hope for an emperor who kept these grass-like common people in his heart? When these Yan people spread the word, the Great Zhou would become what the people’s hearts yearned for.

The powerful force of united popular support – Qian Yongzhong truly experienced it today.

No wonder when His Majesty had rebelled against the Jin Dynasty and ascended the throne as Emperor in a woman’s body, many citizens in Great Zhou’s cities had clapped and cheered, never feeling that His Majesty couldn’t become a ruler because she was a woman.

After comforting the plague-infected people, Bai Qingyan still needed to visit medical stations in neighboring cities. Before leaving, she instructed Physician Hong not to overexert himself – after all, Physician Hong was elderly. While treating the people was important, Physician Hong’s health was also very important. Physician Hong could be considered the spiritual pillar of these physicians; if he collapsed, it would surely make these physicians anxious. If the physicians were all uneasy in their hearts, how could they properly treat patients?

“Yinshuang, take good care of Physician Hong!” Bai Qingyan instructed Yinshuang. “Don’t be greedy for food here either, and listen to Physician Hong in everything, understand?”

Yinshuang nodded repeatedly: “I understand!”

After leaving the medical station, Bai Qingyan spoke to Qian Yongzhong again: “I still need to visit nearby cities to assess the situation. I estimate that after dark today, many citizens will leave the city. If any citizens want to leave, you needn’t stop them – give them travel money according to headcount and let them go. But… before they leave, you must repeatedly warn them that along my journey here, I’ve seen Yan cities with gates tightly shut, not allowing refugees to enter! Moreover, once they leave Great Zhou’s cities, they will no longer be Great Zhou citizens – their household registrations will be canceled, and they’ll never be permitted to enter the cities again! And if they leave… the entire family must leave together – no one can be left in the city!”

This was a regulation Bai Qingyan had established based on her previous experience in Xiliang. Previously in Xiliang cities, many citizens wanted to leave, but it was the young, able-bodied men who left, leaving behind their women and children. They thought that if they received protection from Xiliang’s army, they would then have their family members leave, but if Xiliang’s army didn’t protect them, they could still return, since their family members were in the city and could plead for them.

Later, Bai Qingyan had issued a death order. Although this had intimidated those Xiliang people remaining in the city, those citizens whose family members died outside the city still harbored resentment toward the Great Zhou.

This time, Bai Qingyan would not leave such hidden troubles.

Qian Yongzhong looked at Bai Qingyan with confusion: “Your Majesty, this subordinate will speak presumptuously – didn’t you risk danger to come here precisely to stabilize people’s hearts and make citizens feel secure staying within Great Zhou’s cities in Yan territory? If citizens see that they’re even given travel money and still leave… if others follow their example, wouldn’t our Great Zhou cities become empty? This… population numbers are also part of the competition, and this would be too disadvantageous for our Great Zhou!”

He had thought that when the Great Zhou’s Emperor came, it was to prevent citizens from causing trouble and to obediently remain in the Great Zhou’s cities!

“Moreover, we don’t know how many citizens want to leave. If the numbers are large… after giving citizens silver as travel money, what will we do about the city? Qian Yongzhong worried that there wouldn’t be enough silver later, since fighting this epidemic required silver most of all. If they couldn’t pay military wages later, the soldiers probably wouldn’t fight so desperately!

Bai Qingyan’s expression was gentle as she spoke: “Just follow my instructions! You needn’t worry about the silver. I’ve already had someone send word back to the capital, instructing Minister of Revenue Wei Bugong to gather silver and supplies to be sent continuously. There will be no shortage of materials needed to fight the epidemic, nor of the soldiers’ wages.”

Seeing that he had been seen through by Bai Qingyan, who knew he was worried about military wages, Qian Yongzhong felt rather embarrassed.

Although Qian Yongzhong didn’t understand, since the Emperor had given the order, there was no reason not to comply. He clasped his fists and agreed: “This subordinate receives the command!”

In one day, Bai Qingyan visited two medical stations and two cities. At every medical station and city Bai Qingyan visited, the citizens were all grateful to the point of tears, crying aloud and shouting “Long live!”

Many Yan scholars were now completely convinced by this Great Zhou Emperor. The phrase “All citizens of my Great Zhou… receive Great Zhou’s protection. No matter how far, we will rescue” – how could it not move the Yan people to grateful tears?

There were teaching masters who said: “To prosper a nation, one must first pacify the people. We originally considered ourselves Yan people, but the Great Zhou’s Emperor treats us equally, regarding us as Great Zhou citizens! If Great Zhou does not prosper… Heaven will not allow it.”

When Bai Qingyan returned, heavy snow had begun falling and it was already deep night. After bathing and changing clothes, she had Weizhong send for Qian Yongzhong and his deputy general. While dining, she asked Qian Yongzhong whether any citizens had left the city today, how many had departed, and what the situation was like.

The deputy general bowed to Bai Qingyan and said, “At first, when Your Majesty arrived, no one left. Later… when Your Majesty went to the medical station and then to other cities, the citizens suspected Your Majesty had left, upon seeing that the epidemic situation was quite severe here. So when dusk was approaching, quite a few citizens packed their belongings and left with their families! General Qian was present at the time…”

Qian Yongzhong nodded and continued speaking to Bai Qingyan: “Following Your Majesty’s instructions, these citizens were given travel money when they left. Perhaps seeing that there was silver involved, quite a few people were tempted to move. But there were also citizens who, when receiving travel money, heard that leaving Great Zhou’s cities meant canceling their household registration and never being allowed to enter Great Zhou cities again, so they gave up the idea and led their families back home.”

Qian Yongzhong’s deputy general nodded and continued to supplement: “Naturally, there were also those clever-by-half types who thought Your Majesty’s claim about seeing Yan cities along the way, not allowing refugees to enter, was nonsense. They were citizens who had suffered together with Yan, and Yan’s court trusted these citizens, which was why they had been included in the cities ceded to the Great Zhou for governance! So they took the travel money and left.”

Bai Qingyan hadn’t witnessed the situation at the city gates today – it had been quite lively indeed.

However, because Bai Qingyan, this Great Zhou Emperor, had personally come to Yan’s cities, she had reassured many citizens’ hearts, and most people had still chosen to stay.