Chapter 190: Hidden Difficulties?

The servant acknowledged and hurried out.

Chi Nan Yi turned to look at Xie Yuwei; had she not stopped him just now, he would likely have already headed toward the Ge residence.

"Has Your Excellency still not grown accustomed to your current official post?"

Xie Yuwei chuckled twice. "Indeed."

"Your position as Investigating Censor of the Ministry of Revenue was personally conferred by His Majesty. Since it was a personal appointment by His Majesty, how can you still feel ill at ease?"

Xie Yuwei gave a bitter laugh and said with considerable helplessness, "So what if it was personally conferred by His Majesty? Though it is a Third Rank post, everyone knows that being appointed at a time like this is nothing more than a face-saving gesture from the Emperor. If the epidemic can be brought under control, then it is a merit; if it cannot, then it means betraying His Majesty's trust. What Third Rank official post—it is nothing but a flash in the pan."

"Why does Your Excellency belittle yourself so? The fact that you hold a Third Rank position shows that you have qualities that set you apart in the Emperor's eyes. Furthermore, who said that coming here means walking to your death?" Chi Nan Yi familiarly patted Xie Yuwei on the shoulder. "This time, you just wait for the court's rewards!"

Xie Yuwei looked at her hand resting on his shoulder, his gaze freezing slightly.

"I will help Your Excellency."

Qingzhuo noticed the shifting expression on their lord's face and understood in his heart—it seemed His Excellency had taken a fancy to Miss Chi.

Before long, the guard announced another visitor; this time, it was Lord Ge himself who had come.

Ge Linquan walked briskly to stand before Xie Yuwei and Chi Nan Yi and performed a proper bow, his attitude even more respectful than when they had first met.

Especially when facing Chi Nan Yi.

"Southern First Young Master, I wonder about the young master's pills..."

"Have they been working well for Lord Ge?"

"Naturally they are good. Not long after the pill was taken, the fever on my daughter's body receded, and even the red rash showed improvement. Many thanks, Southern First Young Master."

"Verbal thanks are something I have no need for."

"How much silver does the young master require? No matter the amount, I am willing to..."

"Lord Ge, do you still insist that the epidemic in the city is smallpox?" Chi Nan Yi looked at Ge Linquan with a cool gaze. "Or, let me put it another way—Lord Ge, who exactly gave you the audacity to knowingly call the epidemic in the city plague yet claim it was smallpox?"

Ge Linquan could not help but shudder at these words.

He kept his head down and said nothing, but the slight trembling of his body already confirmed that what Chi Nan Yi said was true.

"Lord Ge, why do you not answer?" Xie Yuwei said coldly. "Will you still not confess the truth? As the Prefect of Liangzhou, the parent official of the people of Liangzhou, to secretly commit such deeds—can you face the tens of thousands of common people of Liangzhou? Can you face the court's trust in you? Even now you refuse to speak; do you expect this official to interrogate you in person?"

"Your Excellency!" Ge Linquan slowly raised his head, his eyes slightly red, his voice carrying a faint tremor. "This humble official has wronged the people of Liangzhou. Southern First Young Master spoke correctly—this humble official did indeed know long ago that the epidemic in the city was plague."

"Then why did you claim it was smallpox? Why did you not report it truthfully?"

"This humble official... this humble official did not dare, Your Excellency!" Ge Linquan pulled a slip of paper from his breast; Xie Yuwei looked at the contents of the note and frowned deeply.

"Some days ago, when this humble official was in the study, a dagger suddenly shot in through the window, and along with the dagger flew in this slip of paper. This humble official does not know who did it, but the note stated very clearly that this humble official was to describe the imminent epidemic as smallpox. If this humble official did not do as they said, they would kill our entire family. This humble official was afraid, so... so..."

"So you did as the letter said?"

Ge Linquan nodded and said with great remorse, "It is this humble official's fault. This humble official was cowardly and clung to life, and now has brought harm to all the common people of the entire city of Liangzhou. This humble official deserves death, this humble official deserves death!"

Xie Yuwei and Chi Nan Yi exchanged a glance—they had guessed correctly after all.

"Was Lord Ge not unwilling to admit it? Why are you now willing to tell the truth?"

"My daughter... my daughter has also contracted the plague. Previously they gave this humble official some antidote to prevent plague, promising that as long as it was taken there would be no problem, and furthermore..."

Seeing him stammer, Chi Nan Yi simply finished the sentence for him: "Furthermore, this medicine was not only for your own family to take, but also to be given to other nobles and officials in Liangzhou City. Am I correct?"

Ge Linquan nodded. "Exactly."

"So in this man-made epidemic of deliberate poisoning, those who died were all innocent common people." Xie Yuwei slammed his hand on the table. "Lord Ge, you have truly done well!"

"Your Excellency! This humble official knows his wrongs, this humble official knows his wrongs! This humble official is willing to confess and submit to the law—this humble official only begs Your Excellency and Southern First Young Master to save this humble official's daughter. She is still young, she has done no wrong!"

"Your daughter is young, but what of others' children? Is it only your daughter who is a human being, while others' children are all beasts?" Xie Yuwei said angrily. "This matter, this official will report in full to His Majesty. However His Majesty rules, Lord Ge can wait in prison!"

"Then this humble official's daughter..."

Chi Nan Yi said softly, "Your daughter, I can save."

"Many thanks, Southern First Young Master."

Qingzhuo led Ge Linquan away. Chi Nan Yi arrived at the Ge residence; by now, everyone in the residence wore face coverings and stood outside a courtyard as if facing a great enemy.

Arriving at Ge Ling'er's room, in the empty and spacious room there was only a small, frail figure lying on the bed—was she really this small?

Chi Nan Yi had looked at Ge Linquan's age and assumed that the daughter he spoke of must be at least in her teens; she had not expected her to still be a babe in swaddling clothes.

The steward stood behind her, sighed, and said, "Our young miss has a hard lot in life. The master and madam had a child late in life, and the madam passed away after giving birth to her. Now the master..." The steward wiped away tears and said, weeping, "I do not know what is to become of the young miss in the future."

Chi Nan Yi said nothing. She took out Spirit Spring Water and fed it to the child to drink; before long, the patches on her body slowly disappeared.

Seeing this, the steward could not help but exclaim, "She is... cured?"

"Mm."

A mere plague was utterly worthless before Spirit Spring Water.

"Southern First Young Master." The steward knelt beside her, voice choked with tears. "I beg Southern First Young Master, please save our master!"

"He brought this upon himself and has no one else to blame. Were it not for him, Liangzhou City would not have ended up like this. Your young miss is innocent, but are others not innocent as well?"

"Southern First Young Master, there is something you do not know. The reason our master did this was because he had compelling difficulties he could not avoid!"

"What compelling difficulties?"

The steward rose from the ground and, trembling, took out a ledger from his breast.

"What are you giving me this for?"

"You will understand once you look."

Chi Nan Yi opened the ledger and flipped through a few pages; upon seeing the entries recorded within, she could not help but freeze slightly.

The large quantities of medicinal materials shown purchased here were all related to the treatment of plague.

"What are you trying to say?"