Chapter 268: Entering the Tiger's Den

The plague in Dunhuang has begun to approach its end.

A large number of Yinzhou troops have begun working on the streets, performing disinfection—as for what disinfection is, they do not understand it either. They are simply following Liu Zheng's instructions, using water mixed with Artemisia annua to wash the city.

A plague is like a bitter winter snow; it sweeps away everything, freezing to death many demons, monsters, and evil spirits. Of course, there were many more innocent people as well...

When this winter snow passes, no one knows how many families have been shattered.

When Spring Returns to the Earth, those who have passed away are already gone.

The people of Dunhuang, some joyful, some wailing—the myriad states of human life are being vividly played out in Dunhuang city at this moment.

A masked woman in red runs from one house to another, back and forth, helping this family tidy up their things, helping that family lift someone who has just returned from being cured, never resting for a single moment.

Many Dunhuang commoners feel heartache watching her. These people of Dunhuang have given her a nickname: Red-clothed Fairy. She is one of the people who came to Dunhuang to provide aid from across the entire Longyan Dynasty.

"Little girl, take a rest!"

"Why work yourself to death like this!"

"Quick, quick, quick, little girl, come over and drink some water!"

The woman smiles lightly, turns around, and goes back to work.

"Have you heard? This plague was deliberately released by Chen Ping and Wen Yang! These two traitorous dogs, their hearts deserve to be punished!"

"Indeed... you say, why doesn't the imperial court manage this matter?"

"Both of them deserve to die! Exterminate their nine generations!"

Hearing these discussions, the woman in red's delicate body trembles, and the medicine she had just picked up, intending to feed to an old man, nearly spills out.

That is correct.

This woman is Chen Ruoshi, the daughter of Inspector Chen Ping, who ran all the way from Liangzhou to provide aid. These past few days, hearing these discussions, her heart has felt as if it were being pricked by needles.

Before, she was merely a pampered, carefree young lady who grew up in Liangzhou Prefecture.

She didn't even know how to do needlework...

Every day was just poetry, songs, and Zither Chess Calligraphy and Painting.

However, after she arrived in Dunhuang and saw so many days of this living Hell, the impact on her spirit was undoubtedly enormous. She has seen those people shivering, trembling, burning with fever, in pain, wailing, and slowly dying...

These few days of rescue work.

She seems to have become a completely different person.

She is no longer a young lady; she can help people empty chamber pots, she can help people take medicine, she can endure her fear to help lift dead bodies and send them to be cremated...

Calluses have already formed on her hands.

Her legs are already aching to the point of not obeying her.

She does not know why she is doing this.

Is it for redemption?

Is it because she was the first to know that this plague was deliberately released by her own father?

These past few days, she has not slept well, living in torment every day; thus, the more she suffers, the more she wants to work hard at the rescue. She wants to make her conscience feel better, more at peace.

Dunhuang.

People die every day.

Every corpse is a violent shock to her worldview.

Exterminate the nine generations?

She smiles lightly and continues feeding the medicine.

Before she came, she actually didn't care anymore, did she?

She sees Dunhuang, under Liu Zheng's governance, gradually improving, changing from a living Hell to Spring Returns to the Earth. Several times, she has been able to see Liu Zheng's busy back... How she longed to call out to him, but she held back.

Herself...

Is about to be the daughter of a criminal official.

And him?

He is the world-renowned Liu, the Prefect, the dream lover of countless daughters of Powerful Clans, known as the Contemporary Sage.

She feels that all of this is truly too surreal.

Thinking back to the beginning...

He was still the number one playboy of Liangzhou, who secretly touched her... at a Poetry Gathering, was beaten half to death, and nearly died.

Yet now...

"Ah ah ah ah..."

The patient drinks the medicine in pain.

Chen Ruoshi smiles lightly, shakes her head, pulls her thoughts back, and says softly: "Is it bitter? It's right that it's bitter. Prefect Liu said that good medicine tastes bitter; whether it is treating people or governing the world, the principle is the same."

The old man, hearing the three words "Prefect Liu," immediately smiles like a child, nods hurriedly, and gulps it down.

Three days of forced marching.

Thirty thousand Crown Prince Army troops finally arrive outside Changzhou city.

The Crown Prince wants to enter the city, but Jiang Xuan makes the excuse that the plague is severe and the state is at war, so he does not allow it. The Crown Prince is furious, and a violent conflict nearly breaks out that very day.

But at this time, Qin Zhangfeng's reinforcements have already arrived in Changzhou, and the Crown Prince dares not clash with them head-on.

The Crown Prince gives an order to set up camp ten miles outside the city.

"The Yinzhou army shows no respect for the Eastern Palace and deserves to be executed! Wait for Chen Ping's great army to arrive, then attack and enter the city!"

The Crown Prince has made up his mind.

He is the Crown Prince of the current dynasty, yet they have defied him like this! His strategists have no way to persuade him either. Thus, under the Crown Prince's order, the newly camped Crown Prince Army begins to beat war drums loudly outside the city, clamoring and cursing Changzhou, making a show of intending to attack the city.

The people in the city are in a state of panic.

With the plague in Changzhou still in a state of emergency, now comes the scourge of war?

Who could withstand this?

Jiang Xuan sat alone in the Changzhou prefectural office, eyes closed to steady his mind.

From time to time, soldiers would come in to report the situation outside the city.

How they clamored, and what kind of insults they hurled.

Those foul words made Jiang Xuan nearly lose his restraint several times, wanting to lead the army out of the city to fight a great battle against the Crown Prince Army!

But he still held back.

Endure!

It must be said that the current Jiang Xuan, under the tutelage of Liu Zheng and Qingyang Shuo, had truly grown quite a bit. He knew that no matter how the Crown Prince Army cursed, they were still outside the city; if he did not let them in, they could not easily enter, and his anti-epidemic work could proceed smoothly. But if he opened the city gates to attack, the nature of the situation would change...

He would be the one striking the Crown Prince first!

No matter where one took this, there would be no place to argue his case!

Therefore.

He could only endure.

Even if the Crown Prince sent people to curse Prefect Liu as the son of a merchant, to curse Jiang Xuan as a base-born man without father or mother, to curse Qin Zhangfeng as a mere Knight-errant, to curse Yinzhou this and Yinzhou army that, and even had people dress in women's clothing to impersonate Jiang Xuan and perform plays outside the city... he still endured.

The big picture is what matters!

Since the Young Master had entrusted the anti-epidemic work of Changzhou to him, he should treat the anti-epidemic work as the big picture!

While enduring the insults from outside the city, he presided over the anti-epidemic work.

Jiang Xuan felt that, at the same time, he was also tempering his own temperament.

Therefore.

Qin Zhangfeng could not help himself several times and wanted to go out of the city to challenge a few of the Crown Prince Army's generals to a duel, but was stopped by Jiang Xuan every time.

He smiled and said to Qin Zhangfeng: "Brother Zhangfeng, blocking the Crown Prince outside the city is already a great crime; the world will surely condemn us. If we were to stir up more trouble, I fear it would not align with the Young Master's big picture."

"If the city does not fall, we hold our ground!"

"Wait for the Young Master to decide the outcome!"

Jiang Xuan felt that with his and Qin Zhangfeng's status, clashing head-on with the Crown Prince would always result in a loss, regardless of the outcome.

The current situation in Liangzhou is intricate and complex.

But when the Young Master comes to confront the Crown Prince head-on, that will be the day the outcome can be decided.

Sure enough.

Two days after the Crown Prince besieged the city, Liu Zheng rushed to Changzhou.

Seeing that the two sides had not engaged in a fierce conflict, Liu Zheng finally breathed a sigh of relief. He climbed the city tower, and upon seeing the Crown Prince's formation, he gave a bitter smile: "The Crown Prince truly wants to fight, but alas, his forces are insufficient..."

Jiang Xuan and Qin Zhangfeng's expressions changed.

"Young Master, what should be done about this?"

"If the Liangzhou troops come to reinforce, what will happen then?"

Liu Zheng smiled bitterly: "I fear he will have no chance to come. Follow me to see the Crown Prince!"

Everyone's expression changed.

"Young Master, absolutely not!"

"That Crown Prince, right now he wishes he could..."

The generals were startled.

If the current Crown Prince saw Liu Zheng, wouldn't he want to tear him to pieces? The Crown Prince's hatred for Liu Zheng was not a matter of a day or two. More importantly, if Liu Zheng went to see the Crown Prince, would he take troops or not?

If he took troops, were they going to fight?

If he didn't take them...

If the Crown Prince casually found a charge against Liu Zheng and executed him on the spot, it would be removing a thorn in his side. By then, even if the Emperor blamed him, he was his own son after all; once it was a fait accompli, what could anyone do?

Liu Zheng, however, smiled: "With Qianyun here, what is there to fear among ten thousand troops? Besides, I am going to give him a gift and negotiate. If he is not a fool, he will not kill me..."

Seeing that they could not persuade him again, everyone gave up.

They began to organize the troops.

If the Crown Prince dared to do anything to Liu Zheng, the thirty thousand Yinzhou troops would surely pour out in full force! Regardless of whether you are the Crown Prince, even if you were the current Emperor, we would kill you to avenge Prefect Liu!

Liu Zheng and Pei Qianyun, each riding a horse, emerged from Changzhou city.

That group of Crown Prince Army soldiers who were still posturing and performing plays were instantly dumbfounded.

【Author's Note】

Thanks to Shen Xiansen for the reward for the explosive update and flowers, thank you, thank you. Thanks to Dagonren for the "Urge to Update" talisman... There will definitely be an explosive update today!