“The imperial physician spoke these words personally—how could there be any mistake? Rest assured, you’ll recover soon.” After the two had calmed down, Liu Hongji glanced at the bandages wrapped around their bodies and asked, “You were wounded during the siege, weren’t you?”

“Yes, we were both injured by stones hurled from catapults. Fortunately, we didn’t lose any limbs—just need a few days of recovery. Li Jiancheng, that despicable villain, poisoned the river water to harm us. We must help His Majesty capture Luoyang and leave him with nowhere to hide.”

Liu Hongji nodded, asking casually, “Before and after the siege, did you ever leave the military camp or come into contact with any strangers or unusual objects?”

The two exchanged glances, puzzled. “Ever since arriving outside Luoyang, we’ve remained in the military camp according to His Majesty’s orders and never left. As for strangers or unusual objects, there were none. Sir, why do you ask?”

Liu Hongji replied offhandedly, “Nothing much. I was just wondering if Li Jiancheng might have sent spies to our camp. Think carefully again, won’t you?”

After thorough recollection, both men still shook their heads, indicating that nothing unusual had occurred. The only lead had been severed, and the matter reached another deadlock.

Without finding the source, the plague could not be controlled—unless Physician Jiang and Physician Qi could develop medicine to treat the epidemic, but this hope was slim indeed.

The two emerged from the tent in silence. Throughout the camp, squads of uninfected soldiers patrolled with spears in hand. This sight brought Du Ruhui some small comfort, but despair quickly filled him again. While this situation could barely be maintained for now, what about tomorrow? The day after? As more and more fell ill, soon there might not even be enough people for patrols. And he… could only watch helplessly as everything unfolded, powerless to act.

“Ruhui, don’t you find this matter very strange?” Liu Hongji’s voice pulled Du Ruhui from his contemplation. “What do you mean, sir?”

“Whether His Majesty or these soldiers, their movements over the past several days have been confined to the military camp, and each person claims to have had no contact with strangers or unusual objects. In other words, the source of the disease is very likely within the military camp itself.”

“The military camp…” Du Ruhui lowered his head in thought for a moment. “Everything used here was brought from Chang’an, so logically there shouldn’t be any problems. The only thing we obtain locally is water. Could the problem still lie with the water source?”

Liu Hongji harbored the same suspicion and immediately summoned the soldier responsible for fetching water, ordering him to lead them to the water source. It was a small river—not as mighty as the Qi River, but exceptionally clean and clear. They followed it upstream but found no problems. They did encounter several villagers washing clothes and drawing water. Upon inquiry, no one in their village had developed symptoms similar to those affecting the soldiers in camp. In other words, the water source was not the problem.

After dismissing the guide, Du Ruhui shook his head. “If it’s neither the water source nor anything else unusual, this matter is truly bewildering.”

Liu Hongji remained silent. He had always been meticulous and careful in his thinking, skilled at perceiving subtle details that others missed. But this time, everything that could be investigated or considered had been investigated and considered, yet still no clues emerged. He was truly at his wit’s end.

Over the following days, as more and more soldiers fell ill and their conditions grew increasingly severe, the situation began spiraling out of control. Particularly troubling was that after waiting many days, no one had delivered the promised medicinal soup, causing those afflicted to develop a panicked sense of abandonment. People continuously attempted to rush out of the tents, only to be repeatedly driven back, in an endless cycle.

As for Li Shimin’s illness, Liu Hongji and the others maintained strict secrecy, revealing not a word. Otherwise, the situation would have become even more chaotic. However, Li Shimin’s prolonged absence from public view aroused the soldiers’ suspicions, leading them to speculate whether he too had contracted the disease.

Meanwhile, Physician Jiang and Physician Qi had been working day and night to develop a cure ever since the plague appeared. Everyone understood that once Li Shimin died, not only the military camp but the entire Tang Dynasty would descend into chaos!

The only consolation was that the soldiers previously stationed along the Qi River had recovered and, under Yuchi Jingde’s leadership, had come to join them.

In Luoyang, Li Jiancheng sat with closed eyes in the palace hall, listening to his spy’s report. Every night for the past several days, he had secretly dispatched scouts beyond the city to gather intelligence on the Tang army. Though they couldn’t approach too closely, they could still obtain some information—like what was being discussed now.

“Your subordinate has learned that starting three days ago, Li Shimin has been hiding in his tent without showing himself. The Tang soldiers are all speculating whether Li Shimin has also contracted that strange disease.”

Li Yuanji was also present. Upon hearing this, he clapped his hands in delight. “Heaven has finally opened its eyes! Excellent! Excellent!”

Li Jiancheng glanced at him sideways and said calmly, “The matter isn’t confirmed yet—what are you celebrating? This might be Li Shimin’s diversionary tactic.” Saying this, he addressed the scout still standing nearby: “How is the Tang army’s situation?”

“Not good. Your subordinate overheard their conversations and learned that more and more people in the Tang army are contracting this strange disease. Though they have imperial physicians, they seem helpless against this illness and haven’t even prescribed a single dose of medicine. The entire military camp is now in a state of panic.” At this point, he glanced at Li Jiancheng and asked quietly, “Does Your Highness know what disease they’ve contracted?”

Li Jiancheng stared at him with a half-smile. “When did it become your turn to question me?”

The scout, being quite shrewd, immediately knelt on one knee upon hearing this, saying fearfully, “This subordinate deserves death! Please forgive me, Your Highness!”

“Remember your position well and don’t ask questions you shouldn’t ask.” As the scout repeatedly acknowledged his words, Li Jiancheng continued, “What else did you learn?”

“Yuchi Jingde brought some soldiers from the Qi River to rendezvous with them. As for why they had remained at the Qi River previously, that remains unknown.” Speaking thus, the scout said ingratiatingly, “This subordinate believes that the Tang army now lacks fighting spirit—this is an excellent opportunity for us to counterattack.”

Li Jiancheng made no comment on his words, merely saying, “I understand. You may withdraw.”

After the scout departed, Li Yuanji slapped the armrest and stood up. “Big brother, I’ll go assemble our forces right now and slaughter Li Shimin’s army completely, then capture him alive!”

“Now is not yet their weakest moment. Let’s wait a bit longer.” After stopping Li Yuanji, Li Jiancheng stroked the jade thumb ring on his finger. “How are those three doing?”

“Following big brother’s instructions, they were killed and buried on the spot. Digging that pit ten feet deep took considerable effort.” On the second day after repelling the Tang army, Li Yuanji had managed to lure those three men to a secluded location. He had already positioned archers who immediately shot them from a distance upon their arrival, then dug a pit to bury them, accomplishing everything without anyone knowing.