This long journey was indeed a long one.

It turned out that Qingjiang had suffered flooding, and Ji Fengli was going to manage the disaster relief. Hua Zhuyu couldn’t understand why Ji Fengli, who now held great power, needed to personally handle such matters as flood control when he could simply assign other officials to do it.

Along the way, they received reports from scouts that Xuanzhou had suffered the most severe flooding. Ji Fengli immediately ordered the coachman to drive toward Xuanzhou. Upon reaching Xuanzhou, Hua Zhuyu was amazed to discover that this flood was so massive it had actually collapsed the Qingjiang dam. If not dealt with promptly, three downstream market towns would soon be submerged.

The carriage traveled along the official road to high ground at the foot of the mountain, where Ji Fengli, wearing a black waterproof cloak, stepped out.

Xuanzhou City was shrouded in continuous rain. Ji Fengli stood on the high ground, gazing forward. His jade-like profile was somewhat hazy in the gentle rain curtain, but his narrow phoenix eyes were dark and bright, flashing with sharpness. Such an expression Hua Zhuyu had never seen on the elegant and gentle Ji Fengli’s face.

The situation in Xuanzhou City was unclear, so Ji Fengli sent guards skilled in swimming to dive into the city and investigate. Two hours later, the dispatched guards returned to report: “The water level is still rising, having reached over four feet high. The elderly, weak, women, children, and those who cannot swim have all climbed onto rooftops and trees to escape the water. After days of heavy rain, many disaster victims have fallen ill, yet the city has no medicine or food. Some good swimmers have already swum out of the city and are sheltering from rain in a broken temple outside Xuanzhou City.”

“Did you discover why the flooding spread so extensively? Is there a place upstream where water can be diverted?”

The guard replied: “According to the common people, Prefect Wang Fugui embezzled the government silver allocated over the years for dam construction. The dam was hastily built, otherwise it wouldn’t have collapsed so easily! There is indeed a place upstream without market towns where water could be diverted, but when the people petitioned the prefect, he delayed responding because that place is the Qingcheng Traveling Palace.”

The Qingcheng Traveling Palace was a royal summer retreat. Since the Qingjiang Traveling Palace had been built on Green Mountain, this place had been completely abandoned. Even so, ordinary officials wouldn’t dare arbitrarily flood a palace without requesting imperial permission.

However, Ji Fengli couldn’t afford to wait for imperial permission. He immediately dispatched Tong Shou with three hundred Imperial Guards to the Qingcheng Traveling Palace to dig dams and divert the flood.

A day later, the water level in Xuanzhou City finally stopped rising, and disaster relief grain and medicine from the court arrived. Ji Fengli ordered the construction of many disaster victim tents near the broken temple outside the city and sent people into the city continuously to rescue people. At the same time, Ji Fengli had Prefect Wang Fugui immediately executed, to the great satisfaction of the people.

Though Xuanzhou’s flooding was alleviated, Hua Zhuyu’s heart harbored a new concern.

“Prime Minister, since Wang Fugui escaped from Xuanzhou City early on, he certainly didn’t handle the corpses of people who died in the city. Dead bodies soaking in water will likely cause epidemic disease.”

Hua Zhuyu had experienced an epidemic once during a war with Western Liang that lasted half a month. As the dead soldiers increased daily, they were too busy with warfare to attend to them properly, so they hastily buried the fallen soldiers on the spot, planning to deal with them properly after the war. But it was summer then, and after several days of rain, the corpses soaked in water decomposed faster, triggering a serious epidemic. That time, Hua Zhuyu also contracted the disease and was quarantined with many infected soldiers. Later, thanks to her father sending people to find medicinal herbs and taking them for several consecutive days, she might have already met the King of Hell. If an epidemic occurred this time, not only would these surviving disaster victims be infected, but it would also spread to nearby prefectures and counties.

Hearing this, Ji Fengli’s expression changed slightly. He rose and walked outside the tent, ordering soldiers to handle the corpses. The soldiers departed upon receiving orders. Ji Fengli turned back into the tent and put on his waterproof cloak. He glanced at Hua Zhuyu, a trace of surprise flickering in his eyes.

That night, neither the soldiers Ji Fengli brought nor the young civilians who had escaped from the city were idle. Ji Fengli personally directed the soldiers in digging ditches, trying to channel the accumulated water in the city toward lower ground.

Three days later, Tong Shou returned with his men from the Qingcheng Traveling Palace, and the water level in Xuanzhou City began slowly receding. The disaster victims cheered joyfully, but new worries quietly approached. Among the people, some began coughing, then developing fever and breathing difficulties, then dying. These symptoms were identical to those of the epidemic Hua Zhuyu had experienced in Liangzhou – epidemic disease was indeed impossible to prevent completely.

After hearing the soldiers’ report, Ji Fengli knew the situation was grave. Xuanzhou City had a relatively dense population, and if the epidemic couldn’t be controlled promptly, it would spread extremely quickly with unimaginable consequences. Ji Fengli immediately ordered his subordinate soldiers to urgently search among the people, and once they discovered infected persons, to take them to a nearby village for quarantine. This time for flood control, Ji Fengli had brought two thousand Imperial Guards. Now that the flooding was no longer severe, he deployed the main forces to surround the village and blockade information, preventing any infected person from escaping the village and prohibiting news from spreading. Once anyone was found dead, they were immediately cremated. At the same time, he ordered the accompanying imperial physician to prepare medicine for treatment.

The accompanying Imperial Physician Zhang clearly had never encountered epidemic patients. He covered his head and face, went into the village to examine the conditions, came out, and prescribed a medicine formula, but patients showed no improvement after drinking it.

Hua Zhuyu felt this epidemic’s symptoms were identical to those of the epidemic she had contracted, and she vaguely remembered the prescription. She came to Imperial Physician Zhang’s tent: “Imperial Physician Zhang, I heard of a formula for treating epidemic disease. Listen and see if it might treat this epidemic?”

After hearing Hua Zhuyu’s prescription, Imperial Physician Zhang said dismissively: “How could the prescription you mentioned possibly treat epidemic disease?” Imperial physicians from the palace always felt superior and didn’t regard prescriptions from traveling doctors at all.

“Whether this prescription is right or wrong, wouldn’t trying it tell us?” Hua Zhuyu said coldly. At such a time, this old imperial physician still had time to look down on others’ prescriptions?

“Medicine cannot be taken carelessly. If someone dies from it, who will bear this responsibility?” Imperial Physician Zhang said aggressively.

Hua Zhuyu raised an eyebrow, narrowed her clear eyes, sharpness flashing through them: “I’ll bear it. How about that?”

“You?” Imperial Physician Zhang frowned, looking Hua Zhuyu up and down: “Can you bear such great responsibility? Who do you think you are?”

“Can this Prime Minister bear this responsibility?” The tent curtain suddenly opened as Ji Fengli strode in, coldly glancing at Imperial Physician Zhang before turning to Hua Zhuyu: “Yuan Bao, write out your prescription and have Lan Bing quickly gather the medicine!”

Hua Zhuyu agreed, wrote out the prescription, and handed it to Lan Bing: “The patients in quarantine need treatment, while those not infected with the epidemic should drink medicine water boiled with mugwort to prevent the disease.”

Lan Bing listened attentively, then turned to dispatch people to gather medicine. In less than half an hour, they returned with the medicine. Seeing the medicine the guards brought back, Imperial Physician Zhang remained very disdainful.

Hua Zhuyu drank two bowls of epidemic-prevention medicine, then led guards to the quarantined village. Having had the epidemic before, the traveling doctor who treated her had said that having had it once, she wouldn’t get it again. So Hua Zhuyu covered her head and face and went directly into the village. This matter could no longer be delayed – if the right medicine wasn’t used immediately, who knew how many would die.

The village was full of patients. When Hua Zhuyu entered, she happened to see several soldiers cremating a dead patient on the spot. Her heart felt desolate – though this was a natural disaster, human factors were also involved. If Wang Fugui had promptly handled the dead civilians, such events wouldn’t have occurred. Led by guards, she found a small kitchen and personally boiled medicine.

A guard led her to a sealed room, pointing at the door: “There’s a patient inside.” Having said this, he hurriedly retreated.

Hua Zhuyu pushed open the door and saw a young woman lying unconscious on the bed. She went over, helped her up, and fed her the medicine drop by drop. Perhaps because her condition was too severe, she vomited it up shortly after drinking. Hua Zhuyu had to boil more and feed her again. This continued until evening, when the woman’s high fever somewhat subsided, her vomiting finally lessened, and she lay on the bed sleeping very peacefully.

Hua Zhuyu slowly withdrew from the room. At this point, she could almost confirm that this epidemic was exactly the same as the one she had experienced. If this woman’s condition improved tomorrow, she could have Ji Fengli purchase large quantities of medicinal materials to treat the other patients.

Night fell, and the continuous rain of several days finally stopped. The bright moon broke through the clouds, hanging in the clear sky, casting myriad rays of clear light upon the earth. For the people of Xuanzhou who hadn’t seen moonlight for many days, this bright moon was so beautiful.

Hazy moonlight fell on Hua Zhuyu, as if draping her in a layer of gauze. Hua Zhuyu felt somewhat cold and sleepy. Tonight, she still didn’t know where she would sleep.

Footsteps sounded as a guard with his head and face completely wrapped hurried over: “Lord Yuan Bao, the Prime Minister orders you to return quickly.”

Hua Zhuyu yawned: “I’ll stay here and watch. If this woman’s condition improves, tomorrow all the other patients can use the medicine.”

The guard’s expression changed drastically: “Lord Yuan Bao, please don’t make things difficult for me. The Prime Minister insists you must return. If you stay here too long, you’ll contract the epidemic. Please hurry back, or I’ll be punished.”

Hua Zhuyu suddenly found this very amusing. She beckoned to the guard with a smile: “Come here, I’ll tell you what to say so the Prime Minister won’t punish you.”

The guard walked forward two steps in trepidation. Hua Zhuyu smiled: “Just tell the Prime Minister that I’m coughing now. If I return to share a tent with the Prime Minister, he’ll definitely contract the epidemic. Say that Yuan Bao, for the Prime Minister’s sake, would rather die than return to sleep!” These past days she had been sleeping in the same tent as Ji Fengli. Though their beds were far apart, she was still on edge. She feared nothing else except Ji Fengli discovering her female identity. Tonight she could finally sleep peacefully.

After hearing Hua Zhuyu’s words, the guard turned and ran toward the village entrance. Watching the guard’s panicked retreating figure, Hua Zhuyu couldn’t help but smile.

“What did you say? Say it again!” After hearing the soldier’s report, Ji Fengli suddenly turned around. His beautiful phoenix eyes slightly narrowed, gleaming with dark light.

The small soldier was startled. He didn’t dare lie and repeated truthfully: “This subordinate went to request Lord Yuan Bao to return, but he said he still needed to care for patients at night. He said if that patient’s condition improved tomorrow, medicine could be given to all patients. Lord Yuan Bao also said he’s coughing now, and if it’s the epidemic, he fears returning and infecting the Prime Minister. So for the Prime Minister’s sake, he absolutely won’t return tonight.”

The tent fell silent. In Ji Fengli’s ink-dark pupils, a glimmer of dark light flashed.

Lan Bing and Tong Shou on the side listened with gaping mouths, truly not knowing whether this Yuan Bao was crazy or stupid – not being a physician yet rushing into the quarantine zone to care for patients!

Ji Fengli turned coldly, his white robes fluttering, indescribably noble and elegant. He strode to the soft couch and sat down gracefully: “If he wants to seek death, this Prime Minister will let him! Tong Shou, tonight you personally lead men to guard the village well – don’t let even a fly escape!”

“Yes!” Tong Shou agreed and left.

Ji Fengli sat on the soft couch, tapping the table with his fingers. His deep black eyes slightly narrowed, complex emotions gleaming within them.