As Vice Minister Zhao prepared to jump from the city wall, his attendants held him back tightly: “My Lord, you can’t jump! The wall is nearly twenty feet high—your legs would break!”

Vice Minister Zhao looked down, his face turning pale as he came to his senses.

Prince Yan had battlefield experience from the southern frontier, but he was just an aging civil official—what business did he have trying such things?

Having regained his rationality, Vice Minister Zhao ordered people to bring a ladder, which he used to climb down.

“Who else is in your household?” Yu Jin asked.

The woman replied: “I have a daughter, she… she has a fever—”

The crowd fell silent, unconsciously moving away.

Fever was often a sign of the epidemic. If the woman’s daughter had fallen ill, perhaps the woman herself was infected…

These refugees rushing to leave the city were mostly from the West District, believing themselves to be healthy and not wanting to stay in the city waiting to die.

They feared being infected by the woman.

The woman seemed to understand the situation. She suddenly knelt before Yu Jin and kowtowed three times: “Your Highness, I leave Hutou in your care.”

She cast one last longing look at the boy in Long Dan’s arms, then turned and ran.

No one called out to stop her. Only the boy’s loud crying could be heard: “Mother—”

The crying was heartbreaking, but for the refugees who had seen so much death, it was just another sad moment.

They were all living day to day—what could they do? Should they tell the woman to abandon her dying daughter?

After a moment of silence, Yu Jin said to Long Dan: “Let’s take the child away first.”

“Your Highness, you must not!” Vice Minister Zhao rushed over in alarm.

Yu Jin looked at him.

Vice Minister Zhao earnestly advised: “Your Highness mustn’t act on emotion. This child’s family is infected with the plague—he might already be carrying it, just waiting for symptoms to appear. If we take him out of the city and the disease spreads, it would be an uncontrollable disaster. We couldn’t answer to His Majesty or the people…”

He understood the young prince’s kindness, but such situations couldn’t be handled with kindness alone—kindness often led to greater disasters.

History had many such lessons. The best approach was to follow precedent: observe the epidemic first, and if it truly became uncontrollable, sacrifice the few to prevent greater harm.

Vice Minister Zhao’s words touched a raw nerve among the refugees.

“We’re not sick, our families aren’t sick—why won’t you let us leave?”

Seeing Vice Minister Zhao had come down, the Qianhe County Magistrate followed, saying sternly: “Whether you’re sick or not isn’t for you to decide. Nobody thinks they’re sick, but what happens if you leave the city and spread the disease?”

Someone in the crowd spat: “If that’s the case, Magistrate, you’re from the city too—how come you can come and go as you please?”

Another person added: “That’s right! And what about those soldiers entering the city for disaster relief? Why can they move freely?”

The County Magistrate’s face turned liver-colored, unable to respond.

Yu Jin glanced at the County Magistrate, thinking silently: How did such an idiot become a county magistrate?

“Everyone, please remain calm.” Yu Jin raised his hand.

The crowd quieted down.

They were willing to listen to this young prince who had rung the bell to save women and children.

“You question why the County Magistrate and relief soldiers can enter and leave the city. Let Vice Minister Zhao answer this.”

Though reluctant to be put on the spot by Yu Jin, Vice Minister Zhao remembered the refugees’ collective crying earlier. He sighed internally and said: “As you can see when we enter the city, we must change into clothes fumigated with herbs. When leaving, we must take repeated medicinal baths and drink medicine… The soldiers must do all this and more. They can only stay in designated areas outside the city, and even after relief work ends, they must be observed for at least half a month before being allowed to leave…”

Listening to Vice Minister Zhao’s explanation, someone shouted: “We can do that too, just let us leave!”

Vice Minister Zhao smiled bitterly: “With tens of thousands of people in the city, how can we keep everyone in designated areas for a month or more once they leave? If just one person carrying the disease escapes, it could bring disaster to an entire city or country. Who could bear such responsibility?”

After a long silence, someone muttered: “So we should just wait to die?”

Vice Minister Zhao couldn’t say that, of course, and quickly replied: “His Majesty and the court are concerned for everyone—how could we let you wait for death? Hasn’t the city been divided into East and West Districts? Stay in the West District for now, and once there are no new cases, you’ll be allowed to leave…”

“What about this child?” someone pointed to the young boy in Long Dan’s arms.

The child, only a few years old, had tired himself out crying and was dozing on Long Dan’s shoulder.

Though Long Dan was a grown man, he felt sympathy for holding the small, soft child and held him tighter, looking anxiously at Yu Jin.

No matter how much he pitied the child, he would ultimately follow his master’s orders.

The drowsy child didn’t know he had suddenly become the focus of so many people’s attention as he slept with his tiny fists clenched.

“The prince just said he would take this child out of the city…”

People worry not about scarcity but about unequal distribution—when it comes to matters of life and death, sympathy for a strange child means little.

Yu Jin nodded slightly: “I did say that.”

Vice Minister Zhao kept making eye signals to Yu Jin: “Your Highness, don’t let one child cause chaos in the entire city—”

Yu Jin replied seriously: “Vice Minister Zhao is mistaken. The chaos in the city isn’t caused by one child. Moreover, if I break my word even to a child, wouldn’t I be failing His Majesty’s trust?”

Vice Minister Zhao’s face twitched.

Prince Yan was stretching things—it was the Crown Prince who had His Majesty’s trust; Prince Yan was just accompanying him.

Speaking of which, where was the Crown Prince?

Thinking of how the Crown Prince had already fled, Vice Minister Zhao suddenly felt Prince Yan was more likable.

Though he showed some youthful impetuosity, his character was good.

Whether kindness led to mistakes or not, kindness was still kindness—always better than cold-heartedness.

“Everyone, please hear me out.” Yu Jin bowed slightly to the refugees and spoke clearly: “Since I promised that woman I would take her child out of the city, I must keep my word—”

“Aren’t you afraid the child carries the disease? If he can leave, we should be able to leave too!” The crowd grew agitated.

Yu Jin gestured downward with his hand, and the crowd quieted again.

After enduring such torment and despair for so long, this was the first time a noble had said someone could leave the city. Even if it was just one child, it gave these people infinite hope.

They naturally showed more patience and respect to the person who gave them hope.

“This child will be quarantined and observed after leaving. Whatever the outcome, I will inform everyone. He has just lost his father, and now can’t see his mother,” Yu Jin sighed. “Surely you won’t hold it against a young child?”

“What about us?” After hearing Yu Jin’s words, many refugees felt ashamed and softened their tone.