After rebirth, the Queen of Madness has gone against the will of Heaven

As for Yu Qingli and the others, Xu Dong had no internal strength to begin with, and after forcibly breaking through the acupuncture points, he caused considerable damage to his body. Fortunately, Yu Qingli had the relevant medicinal materials with her, and although Xu Dong was a little thin, he was in good health and recovered a lot quickly.

After Yu Qingli and Xiluo sent the mother and son home, Xu Dong was filled with gratitude. He knew very well that without Yu Qingli's help, he alone would not be able to rescue his mother.

Yu Qingli began to treat Xu Dong's mother. After taking her pulse, Yu Qingli frowned. This disease was really strange. Judging from the pulse, apart from physical weakness, there were no common symptoms of plague. It really made people at a loss as to where to start. The condition of this old woman was slightly different from the one she had encountered outside the city before, but it was also a typical disease here.

He was thin, his eyes were slightly bulging, and he looked more like a corpse.

"Young Master, thank you so much today. If it weren't for you, my mother would have been burned to death by now." Xu Dong thanked him very sincerely. He could see that these young masters in ordinary clothes were definitely not ordinary people!

Xu Dong had some thoughts in his mind. He had heard that the court had sent more senior officials to investigate the plague. If he could tell these people what he knew, maybe everyone could be saved.

This is an opportunity. Even if he guesses wrong or says something wrong, it doesn't matter.

"Brother Xu, there's something I don't understand. Why are all the people here so poor? Logically speaking, Jiangnan is a rich land, and Pei County is well-connected, so there should be many merchants traveling here. But as locals, why do you all look so malnourished, so pale and thin?"

"Young Master, you don't know. This harsh government is more ferocious than a tiger! Even if you have a lot of money, you can't afford it. Although our county is well located, the county magistrate is not an easy person to deal with. All kinds of taxes are heavier than other places. In addition, the prices of various commodities have skyrocketed in recent years. The two grains of rice you earn are not enough to buy food. People like us living in the county may seem glamorous, but in fact, we are not as good as those who own an acre of land."

"Aren't prices uniform? If they're only going up here, won't the people be upset?"

"What's the point in making a fuss? The government has already issued a document saying it's the will of the higher-ups. Plus, during the border war last year, a lot of food and supplies were requisitioned from us, so it's only natural that these things are expensive."

The more Yu Qingli listened, the more confused she became. She didn't know anything else, but she was very clear about the military supplies. Not a single cent of these things were taken from Jiangnan. It seemed that someone was making money in the name of war, and concealing it without anyone knowing.

Xu Dong saw Yu Qingli frowning and sighed, "Sir, to be honest, my mother is not ill at all. She will be fine if she eats a little salt."

Yu Qingli was stunned. "What does this mean?"

Xu Dong lowered his voice and said, "I see you're not from here, so I'm telling you that the people in this county aren't sick at all, they're just short of salt!"

"Salt shortage? How did Brother Xu know?"

"I also heard about it. I have a childhood friend who used to work as a waiter at Shan De Tang in the city. Oh, that Shan De Tang is a medical clinic. The owner of this clinic is really a kind-hearted person. Their family has inherited the craft from their ancestors and has been treating illnesses and saving lives. They are also very famous in our county."

Seeing that Yu Qingli was interested, Xu Dong simply moved a chair and sat down to explain in detail.

"Ever since the plague broke out, the owner of Shan De Tang has been staying indoors, carefully researching the cause of the disease. He later discovered that the sick people were suffering from a lack of salt. After staying at Shan De Tang for over a month, they all recovered."

"Oh, if that's the case, then this plague issue can be easily resolved, right?"

"How could it be that simple? Not long after, the people who had been treated at Shan De Tang developed new illnesses, even more severe than before. They all became emaciated, their eyes bulging, looking neither human nor ghost. It was terrifying to see them. So some people said that Shan De Tang's reckless prescriptions had worsened their conditions."

Xu Dong sighed deeply. "Dr. Su of Shan De Tang has been a doctor his entire life and has never prescribed the wrong medicine. His son, though young, is far more skilled than his father. Logically, he shouldn't make such a mistake."

Xiluo, who was standing by, interjected, "As the saying goes, every man makes a mistake, and every horse stumbles. Perhaps Shan De Tang really prescribed the wrong medicine?"

Xu Dong shook his head and said, "It would be great if that were the case, but later on, those who hadn't been to Shan De Tang for treatment began to lose weight and develop bulging eyes. This can't be said to be the fault of Shan De Tang, right?"

"That's very strange indeed."

"What's even more bizarre is that after this, Shan De Hall was sealed off, and Doctor Su's family was imprisoned, and no one was allowed to visit them. The doctors in the city fled, and most of them left. The remaining ones were taken care of by the county magistrate in his mansion. This county magistrate was very concerned about his life, but I don't know why he imprisoned the highly skilled Doctor Su and kept the less outstanding doctors."

"Then what about your mother's lack of salt?"

"It's not necessarily a salt shortage. We had a salt shortage here before, and the price of salt was incredibly high, so many families simply stopped eating it. But soon everyone found that if they didn't eat it, their necks would get thicker and they would feel less energetic. Later, the government reopened the warehouses and distributed official salt, and after that, everyone became even thinner. Anyway, I heard from my childhood that Doctor Su once went to the government to complain, and it seemed that there was something wrong with the current official salt. I don't know the details, but of course I know the details too well. If you want to know, it's best to ask Doctor Su himself."

After Xu Dong finished speaking, he turned and left. Yu Qingli and Xiluo exchanged a glance. They both noticed that Xu Dong's attitude towards them had changed. Perhaps he had guessed something. Sometimes, the ordinary people were more sensitive than those in the government.

"Miss, this is a surprise!"

"Indeed! Xiluo, let's go back first. We still need to make some arrangements for this matter."

Xiluo nodded, said goodbye and left with Yu Qingli. Looking at their departing figures, Xu Dong said in his heart: Boss, I hope these people can clear your name.

That's right, in fact, what Xu Dong knew was not what his childhood friends told him, but his personal experience. He used to be a waiter in Shan De Tang, but when Shan De Tang was closed, he was lucky enough to be at home taking care of his mother, and his mother was one of the people who received treatment at that time.

Yu Qingli and Xiluo returned to the courtyard and heard Murong Yuan's mocking voice as soon as they entered the door.

"What have you gained from wandering around all day? When my brother asks about it, I'll have something to explain, right?"

Yu Qingli didn't bother to pay attention to her. She simply ignored Murong Yuan's provocation and walked towards the inner hall. She had to report the news she got today to Murong Yan as soon as possible to discuss it with them. She didn't expect that salt was involved in a plague. This was simply unbelievable.

Over the years, the imperial court has always strictly controlled salt mines, iron mines, and the like, and there seemed to be no problems. However, from what Xu Dong said today, things did not seem as simple as imagined.

What had gone wrong? She had no recollection of such a thing happening. Jiangnan was experiencing a salt famine, and the imperial court was completely unaware of it. How much skill did it take to conceal this?

Or maybe there is a bigger conspiracy behind this!

I can't believe it!

Yu Qingli's intuition told her that Xu Dong was not lying, and judging from what they had investigated after entering the city, there was a lot going on in Pei County.

Yu Qingli hurriedly walked into the inner room. Seeing that Yu Qingli ignored her, Murong Yuan felt very depressed. She walked to Yu Qingli in two or three steps and blocked her way.

"Are you deaf? Didn't you hear me asking you a question?"

Yu Qingli frowned, "A good dog doesn't block the road! I don't have time to talk to you!"

"you!"

"how do I?"

Yu Qingli's face was stern and unstoppable, which made the unreasonable Murong Yuan shrink back. She was secretly surprised in her heart, why is the aura of this woman so frightening?

Murong Yuan involuntarily took two steps back. When she came to her senses, she felt a little embarrassed and stepped forward again, saying, "You dare to call me a dog? You! You..."

Yu Qingli's eyes were as cold as ice, and the coldness in her eyes made Murong Yuan feel like she was falling into an ice cellar. The warmth of the sunset had not yet faded, but she only felt the hairs on her body standing on end!

"Murong Yuan, if you have nothing to do, you can go to the night market. The night view of Jiangnan is much more beautiful than that of the capital." Murong Yanhui's timely appearance made Murong Yuan breathe a sigh of relief, and it also helped Yu Qingli out of trouble.

However, Murong Yuan still felt a little embarrassed. She was about to say something when she looked up and saw Murong Yanhui's eyes were deep and cold, like a dead sea without any emotion, and vaguely contained a warning and impatience.

Murong Yuan could almost conclude that if she continued to pester him, the young uncle would definitely list her as someone with whom he should not have any dealings.

"Okay, but I want Lin Yutang to go with me."

Murong Yanhui's expression brightened a little. "It's up to you who you choose to accompany you, but first, please make it clear that you should try not to reveal your identity when you go out!"

"I see."

Murong Yuan was unusually well-behaved, which surprised Yu Qingli. She glanced at Murong Yan with some curiosity. Is this what they call "evil will be punished by evil"?

After Murong Yuan left, Murong Yanhui put on a smile again, "Lili, are you in such a hurry to find me?"

Yu Qingli didn't answer this boring question, but just gave him a look, "Just follow me!"

Murong Yanhui touched his nose and followed Yu Qingli in. Changkong, who was not far away, clicked his tongue. This was not the arrogant and cold prince at all, this was clearly a true wife slave!