The cruel little princess

An Er gritted his teeth and shouted to his brothers behind him, "Princess! We will go to Tongniu County with you!"

Everyone responded and expressed their willingness to follow the princess.

An Er remembered that the princess had just asked the brothers to escort her to Tongniu County. It seemed that she wanted to send all the brothers back when they were almost there, and take the risk alone!

However, the princess was indeed overthinking this. As secret guards, they were determined and aware that they were ready to die for their masters at any time. Therefore, it was impossible for the princess to go alone!

The princess has great ambitions! Even their secret guards should risk their lives to protect her!

So, the five men and five riders finally arrived at the checkpoint set up by County Magistrate Liu at dawn.

However, what is puzzling is that the yamen runners in front of the checkpoint did not ask any questions or persuade them, but simply waved their hands and let them go on.

Just as Shen Youyou and An Er were riding by, Shen Youyou seemed to hear their laughter and said, "It's hard to persuade a ghost who wants to die with good words! Our county magistrate said that people are allowed in but not out! Even if the Jade Emperor comes, we will just let them in! Then..." There was something else she wanted to say, but she didn't say it anymore as it was drowned out by a burst of laughter.

From what he said, he seemed to be certain that they would not come out again.

Shen Youyou didn't seem to be listening very clearly. She turned around to ask An Er, but saw that he was furious and gnashed his teeth as he said, "Princess! If it weren't for the urgent business, I would like to ask for your permission to beat up those bastards!"

Shen Youyou repeated what she had just heard and asked An Er and the others if that was what they said.

An Er responded angrily. "These yamen runners are so irresponsible! Doesn't County Magistrate Liu care about this? Or is he unaware of this?" An Er said nothing more, only feeling that his admiration for County Magistrate Liu had diminished after his investigation.

Shen Youyou remained silent, still thinking about what Magistrate Liu had said and what An Er had investigated. She didn't know what was wrong, but she trusted her sixth sense.

"Let's go! Let's go find Doctor Xu and the others first!" Shen Youyou urged. Originally, she'd called herself "Princess" in the early morning, hoping to put some pressure on An Er and the others so they'd come to her aid. Now that their goal had been achieved and they'd reached Tongniu County, Princess Jin had returned to her peaceful and approachable self.

The five of them rode forward, following the only entrance and exit. From afar, they could see two distinct fortified areas. It was early morning, time for breakfast. Smoke rose from one side of the area, and there were more houses, but few people were out and about. Every door was closed. There was a faint hint of life.

The other place was basically deserted and no one was walking around.

Shen Youyou rode her horse to the place where no one was walking around. It was obvious that was the quarantine point where the plague was most severe.

"Princess! Be careful!" An Er stopped in front of Shen Youyou's horse.

"I guess Xu Yuanpan and his men already have someone there. Let's go to the villagers first to find out what's going on!" An Er suggested.

Shen Youyou thought about it and decided that since they had already entered Tongniu County, there was no need to rush.

"We must not take off the masks we wear. When eating or drinking, find a place upwind where there is no one and take off the masks. It is forbidden to take them off at other times. Do you understand?" Shen Youyou warned again seriously.

Before entering Wutong County, the princess had instructed them not to remove their masks, saying it would protect them from the plague. Since then, they have obeyed orders. Although the masks are a bit painful on their ears, they insist on doing so for safety.

Under the protection of the secret guards, Shen Youyou cautiously approached the village.

At this moment, the sun was shining through the clouds, illuminating this forgotten corner.

As soon as they reached the entrance of the village, they saw an old woman with a hunched back sweeping the yard.

Her figure looked lonely and desolate, as if she was the only one left in the world.

"Auntie!" An Er raised his voice slightly, trying to attract the old woman's attention.

His eyes were filled with curiosity and doubt, hoping for some answers. "Do you know where those doctors from the capital live?" An Er's tone was a little anxious, as if he had special expectations for these doctors.

Hearing An Er's question, the old woman slowly turned around. Her gray hair fluttered gently in the breeze, and her face was full of traces of time.

Her face was thin, with prominent cheekbones and deep sunken cheeks, which made her eyes look bigger but lost their former luster.

"Young man! How did you get in here?!" The old woman's voice trembled, revealing endless fear and despair. "Alas! No matter how you got in, you shouldn't have come here! Here... you're dead!" Her tears rolled down her cheeks, as if expressing endless sorrow.

"Before you step into the village, go back quickly! Beg the officials and yamen runners! See if they can let you out! Go away quickly! This is not the place you should come!" The old woman's lips kept moving as she spoke these words tremblingly.

Her eyes were full of helplessness and despair, as if she had already seen her own tragic fate.

"Aunt! We are doctors! When His Majesty heard that a plague broke out here, he sent us here to treat illnesses and provide disaster relief! Can you tell us about the situation here?" Shen Youyou looked at the trembling old woman in front of her, feeling very sorry for her, so she stepped forward and spoke to her kindly.

"Don't come over! Don't come over!" When the old woman saw someone approaching, she was so scared that she stepped back repeatedly, and said in a trembling voice: "Our Tongniu County has been infected with the plague! You outsiders should not have too much contact with us! Otherwise, you will die!" The old woman's face was full of horror, and there was a glimmer of despair in her eyes.

"You guys hurry up and leave!" the old woman said without answering. She turned around, slammed the gate shut, and walked back into the room.

"Hey, you..." An Er couldn't help but feel angry when he saw the old woman being so rude, but just as he was about to speak, he automatically silenced himself under Shen Youyou's gaze.

"She means well and doesn't want to have too much contact with us. Let's go and take a look ahead!" Shen Youyou said thoughtfully as she looked at the old woman's closed gate.

She knew that this plague might be more serious than they imagined, and if a solution was not found quickly, the consequences would be disastrous. Thinking of this, she couldn't help but quicken her pace.

There weren't many houses here originally. Shen Youyou and the others dismounted and looked around as they walked, basically confirming that all the villagers here were not infected with the plague.

"You...Princess Jin?! Is it Princess Jin?" A familiar voice was heard from afar.

Shen Youyou looked in the direction of the voice and saw a young man in navy blue clothes in the rising red sun. It was the Xu Yuanpan they were looking for - the imperial physician Xu Weizhen!

"Brother Xu!" Shen Youyou took a few quick steps forward in surprise. "How is Brother Xu these days?"

"Your humble servant pays his respects to Princess Jin!" Imperial Physician Xu bowed hurriedly.

"Brother Xu, there are no outsiders here, no need to be polite!" Shen Youyou waved her hand nonchalantly.

"Why are you the only one here? Where are the other doctors?" Shen Youyou asked anxiously. After all, they had built a friendship during the past six months at the border, where they had learned from and improved with Shen Youyou. Therefore, Shen Youyou treated the doctors as if they were her own brothers.

"Please ask Princess Jin to come with me!" As early as when Imperial Physician Xu wrote the secret letter and sent it back to the capital, he knew that if the capital did not care much about the lives of the people in this small county, then they, the imperial physicians, would be helpless and could only stay here with them and wait for death.

If His Majesty still cares about the safety of the people, then among those sent would be Princess Jin—Shen Youyou! Because a miracle doctor is hard to find, but the miracle doctor's closed disciple is within reach!

Clearly, the current emperor is a wise ruler! He never gave up on the lives of his people! And Princess Jin is even more righteous! Judging from her expression, she must have come here voluntarily, not under duress! The Golden Dragon Nation is truly fortunate to have such a remarkable woman!

Counting the days until the secret letter is delivered, it's about time someone is sent over in the next two days.

So Doctor Xu was not at all surprised by Princess Jin's arrival.

"Brother Xu, what are the symptoms of this plague? How many villagers have been infected now? What measures have you taken after arriving? What prescription are you using now? Is it effective? The emperor said that he sent more than ten imperial doctors here before. Are you all okay?" Shen Youyou asked a series of questions, which made Doctor Xu laugh.

"Princess, we are all fine! Our lives are not in danger for the time being!" Her question meant that she was still concerned about these friends.