The Emperor was kissed by the Regent and cried again

Damn! How did he catch up?

The little boy suddenly felt something was wrong and wanted to run, but he was frightened by the dagger in Shozukuri's hand and dared not act rashly.

Shen Jingli arrived slowly, holding the lunch box. She was out of breath after running all the way, going around in circles. Fortunately, Songzhu was there, otherwise it would not have been so easy to catch the little thief.

"Are you a rabbit? You run so fast."

Seeing the little boy who was a head shorter than him, Shen Jingli couldn't help teasing him: "So you're still a little kid. Give me back my purse and apologize to me. I can consider whether to forgive you."

The little boy grabbed the purse tightly and refused to let go: "You will let me go? Humph, I don't believe it, you can kill me or cut me up as you like!"

"Hey, hey, hey...you're quite arrogant, please make it clear that it was you...who stole the money. Don't act like we're bullying you."

There was some dirt on the little boy's face, and his stubborn eyes were full of defiance and unwillingness.

"Sir, arrest him and take him to the government office. He must be a habitual thief."

When the little boy heard about going to the government office, his face turned pale. He thought that going to the government office would be worse than being killed with a sword.

"Why did you steal my purse?"

The little boy was unwilling to say more, and Shen Jingli lost his patience. "Then I'll send you to the government. They have plenty of ways to make you tell the truth. Since you're so young, your parents will probably be called to the police station."

Shochiku looked confused: "What do you mean by parents?"

“Just call your parents or relatives to come.”

As soon as he heard his family, the little boy surrendered immediately and explained the reason for stealing: "I said, I was trying to save someone, and I'm not a habitual thief, this is my first time."

Shen Jingli looked at the little boy carefully. His clothes were shabby, but his eyes were firm. "Is there someone in your family who is sick and you have no money to treat him?"

The little boy shook his head

"Is it because there is a funeral in the family and there is no money for the burial?"

The little boy shook his head again

"Is there a baby crying for food at home? Or is there no rice to cook?"

The little boy still shook his head...

Should I trust these two strangers in front of me?

Shochiku: "Then tell me, what is the matter? If you dare to lie, I will arrest you and take you to the government immediately."

The little boy said in a hoarse voice, "Everyone in the village is sick. There are no children left in our village..."

After these words came out, Shen Jingli's expression changed: "...How could this happen?"

The little boy continued, "Two months ago, someone in our village suddenly started to feel dizzy, accompanied by a low-grade fever and diarrhea. Once the fever started, it wouldn't go away. The doctor prescribed medicine but it didn't help. Over time, more and more villagers had these symptoms. It was said that there was a plague in the village, so the doctor didn't dare to come to see patients anymore."

Shen Jingli: "Why don't you ask the government for help? Generally, when there is a plague in a place, the local officials will report it to the court and provide assistance."

The little boy smiled sarcastically: "Government? The imperial court? Humph, they are all a bunch of rotten fish and shrimps, will they care about our life or death?"

The little boy's eyes turned red. What he had experienced during this period made him completely lose trust in the court and the government.

"It's not that the village chief didn't report it. After explaining the situation, not only did he not get help, but he put everyone in the village under house arrest. The line ahead is the boundary, and villagers are not allowed to step out. Outsiders can only enter but not leave."

The little boy looked forward and wiped away his tears. Not far away, there was indeed a group of soldiers wearing veils guarding the village and preventing the villagers from leaving.

“Is this what you mean by providing assistance?” The little boy’s voice was very soft, with a helpless feeling of being unable to change the current situation and having to compromise.

"Uh...this...I..." A feeling of guilt arose, and Shen Jingli blamed himself very much.

As a nominal emperor, she knew nothing about this matter, but this solution was indeed disheartening.

"The current emperor doesn't care about state affairs and is timid. How could he know the suffering of the common people? It's ridiculous. What government, what court? I never believe in these wolves and tigers who eat people without leaving any bones."

The little boy was so excited that tears welled up in his eyes.

Shochiku: "How dare you insult the present emperor."

Shen Jingli felt guilty, "Songzhu, he is right, put down the dagger first."

Songzhu reluctantly put down the dagger. He hated to see anyone slandering the emperor, especially in front of the emperor.

Songzhu brought all the food boxes over, and Shen Jingli took out a handkerchief from his arms and handed it to the little boy.

He didn't take it and continued wiping his tears with his hands.

"Sorry…"

"What does this have to do with you?"

"Can you take me to the village? I happen to know some medical skills."

Shen Jingli's grandfather was known as a master of traditional Chinese medicine. She lived with her grandfather since she was a child and read many Chinese medicine classics, pharmaceutical principles, and records of exotic flowers and herbs. When she had nothing to do, she followed her grandfather to identify medicinal herbs and plant rare flowers.

Regarding the plague that the little boy mentioned, she wanted to go and investigate the situation and then prescribe the right medicine.

"Sir, you must not do that. The plague is contagious. If anything happens to you, there will be chaos!"

Song Zhu whispered in Shen Jingli's ear: "When did you learn medical skills? Don't let it get you into trouble and get infected."

Shen Jingli was quite confident in his medical skills, and his words were also a bit firmer: "Don't worry, I have all my skills, but I'm worried about where to display them."

Song Zhu met Shen Jingli's confident eyes and felt embarrassed to pour cold water on him. He was increasingly unable to understand his master.

He doesn't have much ability, but he speaks quite arrogantly.

Shen Jingli: "It's not too late now, take me to see the current situation of the villagers. Songzhu, wait for me here."

When Song Zhu heard that Shen Jingli was going alone, he naturally refused: "I want to go with you too."

What if this little boy is a liar? The little emperor doesn’t know martial arts, so he will definitely suffer.

"Do you really want to go? I can't be responsible if you get infected."

When the little boy heard Shen Jingli say that he knew medical skills, his eyes lit up. He thought that maybe he could help his godmother check her condition.

But...if it gets infected, wouldn't that mean there will be one more poor person?

Seeing the little boy looking embarrassed, Shen Jingli patted his shoulder and said, "I'm not afraid. Take me into the village. What's your name, kid?"

The little boy was stunned the moment Shen Jingli looked at each other. What a handsome little brother! If it weren't for that deep voice, he would have suspected that this brother was a girl.

"My name is Ding... Ding Yuanji"

Shen Jingli put his arm around Ding Yuanji's shoulders and walked forward, "Then I'll call you Xiaojuzi. Take your brother to the village quickly."

Ding Yuanji was a little uncomfortable with Shen Jingli's familiarity: "Let's take the side road. Those soldiers are difficult to deal with."

The path was overgrown with weeds, and the soil on the ground was moist. After a while, my shoes and pants were dirty. "Xiaojuzi, do you stay in the village every night?"

Ding Yuanji nodded, "Hmm..."

"Then why are you okay? Isn't the plague contagious?" Songzhu was very puzzled and became more alert.

"I don't know. I've been in good health since I was a child and rarely get sick."

As soon as he entered the village, Shen Jingli smelled a piercing, extremely unpleasant smell...

Damn... above!

"It stinks, right? There's nothing we can do. The villagers can't go out, and no one dares to collect the night incense. All the feces are placed in the back mountain. Whenever the wind blows late at night, the smell becomes stronger..."

"Why is there no sound in the village and no one is seen?" Songzhu suddenly felt an ominous premonition. Could this be a trap?

"Most people in the village have passed away. There are only about a hundred people left. They are all gathered in the village chief's house so that everyone can take care of them."

Ding Yuanji pointed to the bright spot ahead. On the plaque were written the words "Li Mansion". Perhaps because no one had maintained it, one of the nails had fallen off and the plaque was unstable and wobbly.

"The villagers all live in this house."

Songzhu held the food box in one hand and the dagger in the other. He looked around vigilantly with a serious expression.