Dad, open the door. I'll bring your mistress back for you.

After Shen Chuning returned home safely, all the people in the Shen family gradually learned the news.

Everyone asked for leave and returned home.

Shen Chuning followed Shen Huaizhong all the way to the study.

As soon as he entered the room, Shen Huaizhong couldn't wait to ask, "Has there been any epidemic in Shandong?"

Shen Chuning shook her head slightly and replied, "As far as I know, most of those who are sick come from the northwest and are heading to the capital. They don't pass through Shandong. Therefore, when we left, there were no sick people in Shandong."

Hearing this, Shen Huaizhong couldn't help but frown, with a look of reproach on his face, saying: "In that case, if you saw a patient on the road, you should have turned back immediately. Why did you continue to rush to the capital? Isn't this adding to the danger for no reason?"

However, facing her grandfather's questioning, Shen Chuning responded with a firm face: "The reason why An Ning returned to the capital this time is precisely because of this epidemic. How can I turn back so easily?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Huaizhong's face suddenly showed a hint of surprise. He asked in disbelief, "So, did you already know about the epidemic before you set out on this journey?"

Shen Chuning nodded gently and said slowly, "There's a Linwei County next to Changye. Coincidentally, I have some connections with the county magistrate there. So, when the symptoms first appeared there, I knew about it. Now that the situation outside the city is so chaotic, and the people in the capital are even more panicked, will Your Majesty just ignore this?"

Speaking of this, Shen Chuning couldn't help but frowned, with a worried look on her face.

Shen Huaizhong sighed heavily, shook his head helplessly, and said, "Manage? Easier said than done! We've already sent several groups of imperial physicians to treat the disease, but none of them have been able to successfully cure it. Two of them were even infected. Now, even the doctors are avoiding these patients; no one dares to get close. Not only that, His Majesty has also sent personnel from the Dali Temple to investigate the source of the disease. Sigh... your fifth brother went with them, too. I'm worried all day long, really worried that he'll encounter something unexpected along the way."

Hearing this, Shen Chuning's heart instantly rose to her throat. She hurriedly asked, "Is there any way to get in touch with Fifth Brother now?"

Shen Huaizhong frowned tightly and replied slowly, "Your Majesty's order this time is to conduct a secret investigation, so no one knows where they are."

For a moment, the room fell into silence and the atmosphere was particularly solemn.

After a moment's silence, Shen Chuning took a deep breath, gathered himself, and said, "Since we can't get in touch with Fifth Brother for the time being, the most urgent thing right now is to try to resolve this epidemic."

After saying that, she reached into her sleeve and carefully took out a yellowed piece of paper, which was densely written with words.

Seeing this, Shen Huaizhong quickly took the piece of paper and glanced at it eagerly. After a while, he looked up, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, and asked excitedly, "Could this be a prescription that can cure the epidemic?"

"I have people from the Valley of Divine Doctors around me. For those patients whose conditions are not too serious, taking this prescription, they can fully recover in just three days; even for those whose conditions are slightly more serious, the symptoms can be effectively relieved in five days at most." Shen Chuning carefully explained to Shen Huaizhong in detail how to use this medicine.

In her previous life, Shen Jingwan earned the status of county lord by relying on her prescriptions for treating epidemics.

At first, Shen Chuning also considered presenting the prescription to Emperor Jing in person, but after careful consideration, she changed her mind.

After all, considering Emperor Jing's usual temperament and the current difficult situation of an empty treasury, even if he offered this prescription, it would probably be difficult to get much substantial reward.

What's more, for Shen Chuning herself, the identity of a county lord is not of much practical use.

Instead of doing this, it would be better to pass this prescription to grandfather, perhaps it can be used to gain more favorable political resources for the Shen family.

At this time, Shen Huaizhong was holding the thin prescription tightly in his hand, and his hands were shaking slightly with excitement.

He stared at his granddaughter with a sharp gaze and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "If this recipe is really effective, it will definitely save the lives of tens of millions of innocent people!"

Shen Chuning smiled and nodded slightly, responding, "Grandfather, you're absolutely right. Furthermore, I've already sent the same prescription to Linwei and Weinan. If they can successfully use it to treat patients there, I'm sure the pressure on the capital will be lessened. However, it will take some time for us to get definitive news of the treatment results. In the meantime, Grandfather, why don't you think about how to use this time difference to gain more tangible benefits for our Shen family?"

For the Shen family, this should have been a happy event, but surprisingly, Shen Huaizhong actually sighed deeply: "Although this prescription can save other people's lives, it may also bring disaster to our Shen family!"

Hearing this, Shen Chuning couldn't help but look surprised and asked quickly: "Where did you get this from?"

Shen Huaizhong frowned, explaining worriedly, "According to convention, the next chief examiner for the imperial examination should have been your uncle, but the list submitted by the Ministry of Rites was rejected. It seems to me that the Shen family's rapid growth in recent years has aroused His Majesty's suspicion."

It was fate that played such a trick on her. In her previous life, Shen Chuning did not live to see the next imperial examination, so naturally she had no idea who would be the final examiner.

However, there was one thing she knew very well - in her previous life, Shen Huaizhong had only become prime minister this year, and his position was far less solid than it is now.

Not only that, even her father was only a third-rank assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice at the time.

Even in such a situation, when she was dying, Shen Jingwan told her that the Shen family had already fallen into decline.

At first, she always thought that all this was due to the conspiracy of Shen Jingwan and Xiao Yuanlang. Just because she felt that the Shen family had lost its value, she kicked them away without mercy.

But now that I think about it carefully, if it is true as Shen Huaizhong said, then was the demise of the Shen family in the previous life the work of Emperor Jing?