After I got into the drama, I led the plot astray

Master Lu slapped the bed and said loudly, "Great! A good man should have such courage!"

Fan Chunlai's face turned even redder. He was an honest man to begin with, and it was a normal human reaction to retreat in the face of danger. But now that he was elevated to the level of a good man, he had no chance to retreat even if he wanted to.

Seeing that Fan Chunlai had agreed, I said, "Doctor Fan, time is of the essence and we have to rush to Xishan today. You should go home and pack your things, keep a low profile, and don't tell anyone anything about smallpox."

Fan Chunlai thought about it and understood that the country had not issued an order on this matter, and if he disclosed it, it would be a capital crime.

Fan Chunlai quickly said, "Yes, I understand. I will never reveal it."

I nodded and said, "I won't say any more to you. It's time for me to leave, too. Doctor Fan, you should leave as soon as possible, because it gets dark early and it's hard to walk on the West Mountain. If you get lost in the West Mountain, you'll freeze to death on the mountain."

Fan Chunlai quickly replied: "Yes, I will go back and give instructions and leave right away."

I bowed to Master Lu and turned to leave.

After leaving Changlu Academy, I have to go to Minister Du’s residence.

Now that Yiping is living in the Shishilang Mansion, it is reasonable for me to go there and ask Madam Du to make preparations for storing grain.

I rode my horse and quickly arrived at the Minister's residence.

The guards in the Minister's Mansion all recognized me. When they saw me dismount from the horse, they hurried over to hold the horse reins. I didn't need anyone to introduce me and walked straight into the house.

When I walked into the main room, I could hear Yiping reading aloud from afar.

After reading a paragraph, Mrs. Du praised: "Not bad, the reading is very accurate, there is not a single typo."

Then came the sound of Yiping reading again.

As I listened to the sound of reading aloud, I felt an infinite sense of beauty in the peaceful days.

I listened for a while, then walked in.

When Mrs. Du and Yiping saw someone coming in, they both looked up at me. When Yiping saw that it was me, the book in his hand fell on the table. Then he burst into tears and rushed towards me, hugging me.

I touched Yiping's head and said with a smile, "Silly girl, why are you crying?"

Yi Ping cried breathlessly and said, "You haven't come to see me for so many days. Don't you want me anymore?"

I laughed and said, "You live well in the Du Mansion, and Mrs. Du treats you well, so why do you always think about me?"

After hearing this, Yi Ping pushed me away and said angrily, "You really don't want me anymore."

Mrs. Du hurried forward and said, "Ping'er, this silly girl, thinks about you every day. She misses you so much that she even sheds tears secretly."

My heart ached when I heard that. I pulled Yi Ping over, hugged her, and said, "My dear sister, I'm very busy recently. When I'm done, I'll move into the Du residence and stay with you every day."

Yi Ping was very good at grasping the key points. He pushed me away again and asked with wide eyes, "Are you going to tell me again that you can't come to see me for a long time?"

The Zhao family is too smart and it’s impossible to fool them.

I had no choice but to say, "You're right. I'm going to be away for a while. I'll be back in half a month at the slowest and a month at the fastest."

Yiping looked at me in disbelief and said, "What important matter has you got that requires you to be away for so long?"

Then she covered her mouth with her hands, looked at me in surprise, and said, "You're not going back to that home?"

Of course I knew that the home Yiping was talking about was her modern home, but she was so panicked because she was afraid that I would leave and never come back.

I walked up to her with a smile and touched Yiping's head. This girl eats well, sleeps well, and is almost as tall as me.

I said, "What are you thinking about? Is it so easy to go back home? Something big happened in the capital, and I have to go and help."

"What's the big deal?" Yiping and Mrs. Du looked at me nervously and asked at the same time.

I glanced around, and Madam Du understood immediately and said to the servants, "All of you go down, and don't come near without my order."

"Yes." The servants retreated one after another.

I held Yi Ping with one hand and Mrs. Du with the other and said, "Sit down first and listen to me."

The three of us sat down and I said, "Mrs. Du, can you please do me a favor?"

Mrs. Du smiled and said, "Ah Man, if you have anything to say, just say it directly. There's no need to be polite with me."

I also smiled and said, "I have two guards still in my house. Could you please ask Madam Du to send someone to call them over here for me?"

When Mrs. Du heard this, she said, "Oh, I thought it was something else. Of course you can."

After Mrs. Du finished speaking, she shouted and a servant came running over. Mrs. Du gave some instructions and the servant left.

I saw that Madam Du had made all the arrangements, so I said, "Two imperial doctors were infected with smallpox without knowing it and returned to the capital. I don't know how many people were infected along the way. Anyway, it's very dangerous outside now. You should try to go out less. The mansion should also stock up more rice, meat and vegetables. When the smallpox virus breaks out, the price of rice and grain will definitely increase."

Yiping had also heard of smallpox, but he didn't know how powerful it was. Mrs. Du knew about it. I was so shocked that I opened my mouth wide for a long time before I could say, "Is this true?"

I said, "It must be true. I am going on a long journey just for this matter. During this time, please help me take care of my younger sister, Mrs. Du."

Mrs. Du finally realized what was happening and said, "Ah Man, you are too polite. Ping'er is my daughter now. How can I not take good care of her? Besides, Ping'er is very studious. She asks me to teach her how to read and do math every day. Now she can even read simple account books."

When I heard this, I was very happy and said, "I knew Du Fu was a good person and would definitely not treat my little sister badly."

Yiping tugged at my sleeve with tears in her eyes and shook it, saying, "Is it dangerous for you to go on this long journey?"

I touched Yiping's hair again. This girl's hair was shiny, black and thick, and felt really good.

I said, "Don't worry, I won't be in danger, but you must protect yourself. I don't want to find out that something happened to you when I come back. I will be so sad that I will die."

Before Yi Ping could say anything, Madam Du rushed to say, "Don't worry, Ah Man. From today on, our house will be closed to visitors. I will ask the housekeeper to make a list and buy all the food. We will stock up on rice, grain, meat and vegetables. We will never let Ping'er get into trouble."

Mrs. Du is a smart person, I believe she knows what to do.

So I smiled and nodded, and said to Madam Du: "The state has not issued an order yet. Madam Du, please do not publicize this matter, so as not to cause panic. Then His Majesty will punish us."

Mrs. Du said quickly, "Of course I know this. Don't worry, Ah Man. I will never reveal a single bit of it to anyone before the state issues an order."