Rebirth: Phoenix Riding the Ninth Heaven

After hearing the news from the middle-aged man, the Fourth Prince fell into deep thought. His brow furrowed, his gaze fixed on the distance, his mind reeling over the potential impact of this information. The more he thought about it, the more apprehensive he became.

If this plan were truly successful, the consequences would be unimaginable! Without even deploying a single soldier, the northwest region of Dashun would be thrown into chaos and chaos. This method is truly insidious and cunning! I had originally thought that the Xiongnu had been behaving themselves for the past few months, but who could have imagined that they would set such a vicious trap here, waiting for me to fall into it! These guys are truly wolfish and their ambition to invade Dashun has not diminished in the slightest!

At this thought, the Fourth Prince was furious. He suddenly reached out and slammed his hand down on the table in front of him. There was a loud bang, so loud that it seemed to shake the entire room. Zhu Qi and the middle-aged man were startled by this sudden action. Their legs gave way and they involuntarily knelt, their heads lowered, not daring to breathe, fearing to anger the extremely angry Fourth Prince.

The Fourth Prince stood still, his brow furrowed slightly, his gaze gazing deeply into the distance, as if lost in thought. After a moment, he took a deep breath, slowly suppressing his inner rage. He turned and stared intently at Zhu Qi and the middle-aged man, as if trying to penetrate their outer appearances to their innermost thoughts.

Then, the Fourth Prince gently inched his way to a chair and slowly sat down. He adjusted his posture, trying to relax his body, but his eyes remained sharp and focused. After a brief silence, he finally spoke, his voice as calm as a windless lake: "Regarding this matter, you must ascertain the truth as quickly as possible. If the situation is true, you must do everything you can to control the spread of this disease. We must not allow it to rage and endanger the people of Dashun!"

At this point, the Fourth Prince couldn't help but sigh slightly, a trace of worry on his face. "The people of Dashun already live in poverty, almost destitute. If this epidemic were to break out, it would undoubtedly deal a heavy blow to them, possibly even causing mass deaths. Think about last year's terrible drought, which claimed countless lives. It was only after struggling to survive until this spring that the situation began to improve slightly. Now, we cannot allow such a tragedy to happen again!"

Zhu Qi and the burly middle-aged man respectfully accepted the order and hurried away. The Fourth Prince was now alone in the spacious and quiet study. He sat quietly at his desk, brow furrowed, his gaze fixed on the sky outside the window, ablaze with the setting sun's rays. He wondered if this sudden disaster could be successfully averted.

As time ticked by, the Fourth Prince pondered various countermeasures, but could not find a satisfactory answer. Helplessly, he sighed softly, then raised his head and shouted at the closed door, "Come in!" His voice was soft, but it carried an undeniable authority.

The guard at the door heard the summons and quickly slipped into the study. He knelt on one knee, bowed his head, and clasped his fists. He respectfully asked, "What are your orders, Your Highness?" The Fourth Prince narrowed his eyes slightly and said in a deep voice, "Go and fetch Baili Xi immediately. I have something important to discuss with him." The guard, not wanting to be inconsiderate, quickly agreed and left the study. Then, like an arrow from a bow, he sprinted towards Baili Xi's residence. Along the way, he walked with the swiftness of the wind, silently praying that he could complete his mission as quickly as possible and live up to the Fourth Prince's trust.

The Fourth Prince sat quietly in his chair, his gaze fixed on the distance, as if lost in his own thoughts. At this moment, his emotions, which had been surging with anger, had gradually calmed down, no longer as raging as before.

At that moment, the door was gently pushed open, and Baili Xi walked in with steady steps. When he saw the Fourth Prince, he was slightly startled. He saw the Fourth Prince sitting upright in a chair, his face as calm as water, his eyes staring straight ahead, and his whole body as motionless as a statue.

Baili Xi thought to himself: Judging by this situation, something truly significant must be happening. You know, the Fourth Prince is usually the kind of person who remains calm, even in the face of the greatest storms, never showing any emotion. What shocking secrets are hidden beneath this calm exterior? Thinking of this, Baili Xi couldn't help but scrutinize the Fourth Prince a few more times, but his expression remained completely calm, and it was impossible to discern a single clue from his face.

He can hide his emotions very well. People who are familiar with him know that this kind of hiding of emotions may be a necessary skill for the royal family. People can't see your joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness. They will guess your thoughts by looking at your expression.

Baili Xi walked slowly into the room with steady steps. After scanning the room, his eyes finally landed on the Fourth Prince sitting at the table. He asked, "Your Highness, I wonder why you have summoned me here?" The Fourth Prince had been staring thoughtfully out the window. Upon hearing the voice, he quickly regained his composure, turned to look at Baili Xi, and replied solemnly, "Baili Xi, a truly catastrophic event has occurred this time! That's why I specifically asked you to come here to see if you have any advice on how to deal with it."

Baili Xi's face lit up with confusion as he heard this. He wondered what kind of event could have caused the Fourth Prince to be so worried. He subconsciously shook his head, indicating his complete ignorance. He then pressed on, "Fourth Prince, I haven't heard of anything recent that could be considered significant. I hope you can clarify."

Seeing Baili Xi's attitude, the Fourth Prince no longer held back and directly recounted the details of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak reported by Zhu Qi and the middle-aged man. Baili Xi's heart was shaken as he instantly understood the Fourth Prince's concerns. They had always feared the emergence of this disease, but they hadn't expected this terrible thing to finally happen.

With a solemn expression, Baili Xi recounted to the Fourth Prince the concerns he and Li Ruoyue had shared, as well as the details of their in-depth discussion that day. The Fourth Prince felt a sense of relief upon hearing this. He knew Li Ruoyue's extraordinary ability to manage people, but he had never imagined she could even effectively treat animals. This thought intensified the Fourth Prince's curiosity about Li Ruoyue, and he enthusiastically engaged in further discussion with Baili Xi.

The Fourth Prince frowned slightly and asked, "Does Miss Li have any effective medicine for this disease?" Baili Xi answered honestly, "Since meeting Miss Li that day, I haven't visited her again, so I don't know if she has successfully prepared the right medicine. However..." Baili Xi paused briefly and continued, "How about this? I will go to Miss Li myself to check and see if there is any new progress on this matter?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the First Prince, who had been listening, suddenly interrupted and said, "This prince has also developed a strong interest in this matter. First, there was the previous fierce plague, and now there is this troublesome foot-and-mouth disease. I thought that since Miss Li came with me to the town, we should meet often, but unfortunately we don't get together often, and most of the time it is you, Baili Xi, who passes on the news!" His words revealed that the First Prince felt a little regretful for not being able to communicate directly with Li Ruoyue.

Upon hearing this, Baili Xi hesitated for a moment and then hurriedly said, "Your Highness, as a fourth prince, you are a member of the royal family. You have to deal with many military and national affairs every day. How can you have the time to pay attention to such trivial matters? I can go there by myself. I dare not trouble Your Highness." After saying this, Baili Xi still felt a little uneasy.

However, the Fourth Prince waved his hand nonchalantly at Baili Xi, and replied with a relaxed expression, "It's all right! It's true that I haven't seen Miss Li for a long time. This is a good opportunity for us to have a meal together and reminisce about the past. We can also go out for a walk and relax."

Upon hearing this, Baili Xi couldn't help but groan inwardly. Though he was extremely reluctant, facing the Fourth Prince, who held such sway over the government and controlled the entire empire, how could he easily disobey his will? Helplessly, he forced a smile and bravely led the Fourth Prince forward.

When the Fourth Prince and Baili Xi arrived, Li Ruoyue was inside the pharmacy, engrossed in preparing medicine. She wore a plain dress with her sleeves slightly rolled up, revealing her fair, slender wrists. In her hands, she held various herbs and instruments, her movements deft and efficient.

Luzhu led the two into the pharmacy, where the faint aroma of herbs filled the air. Li Ruoyue seemed oblivious to their arrival, still absorbed in her work. She occasionally lowered her head to carefully identify herbs, then gently stirred the liquid in the jar. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead, but she paid no heed, simply wiping them away with her sleeve.

Baili Xi stood quietly by, gazing at Li Ruoyue as she worked diligently. Her beautiful face, radiating a unique charm through her concentration, instilled in Baili Xi a strong fondness. His once-hardened defenses seemed to melt away, becoming incredibly soft.

However, at this moment, Baili Xi suddenly noticed the Fourth Prince standing beside him. He was also staring intently at Li Ruoyue, his eyes revealing undisguised admiration. This made Baili Xi's heart tighten, and a thought suddenly flooded his mind: Could it be that he, too, has fallen for Li Ruoyue? No, no! How could it be possible? They had only met a few times! Surely the heavens wouldn't play such a trick on him... Thinking of this, Baili Xi quickly consoled himself, telling himself not to let his imagination run wild and lose his composure.