The Emperor's heart is won, she sits on the Phoenix Throne! The Divine Physician's Eldest

With Emperor Changlong's order, the victory celebration banquet came to an end, and the attendees gradually left.

Emperor Changlong kept Song Siyao behind and gave her instructions before letting her go.

Song Siyao left the palace and went straight back to her residence.

She took Hongshao and Cangyue with her to Fengyan, leaving behind fish fragrance and listening to Han watch over the house.

She arrived at the city gate, where Shen Pei and the others were already waiting.

Upon seeing her, everyone immediately surrounded her to greet her, "Miss Song the Second."

Song Siyao glanced at them and said, "Everyone is here. Before we set off, there is something I need to tell you. Going to the epidemic area is fraught with danger. If anyone wants to back out now, they can choose to stay. I won't blame you."

“I won’t back down. Wherever Miss Song goes, I will go.” Huo Ye raised his hand, stood at the front, and was the first to speak.

He looked at Song Siyao with a smile on his face, as if he knew Song Siyao very well.

How could he not want to go?

He finally found an opportunity to openly and legitimately approach Song Siyao.

This time, he must seize the opportunity to perform well, make up for his previous mistakes, and make Song Siyao look at him with new eyes.

Shen Pei looked at Huo Ye and saw through his little scheme at a glance.

He frowned slightly, his voice icy, "Young Master Huo, this is a trip to an epidemic area, not a sightseeing trip."

Huo Ye looked at Shen Pei, unconvinced, "Of course I know. If the prince can go, then of course I can go too. I promise I won't cause any trouble for anyone."

He had realized long ago that Shen Pei liked Song Siyao.

If he doesn't take the initiative soon, Song Siyao will belong to someone else.

“Young Master Huo, once you arrive in the epidemic area, you cannot act on your own. You must obey my orders in everything you do. Can you do that?” Song Siyao asked in a serious tone.

Emperor Changlong decreed that Song Siyao would be in charge of all decisions regarding this trip to the epidemic area, and everyone, including Shen Pei, must obey her orders.

Seeing that Song Siyao took the initiative to speak to him, Huo Ye was overjoyed and happily replied, "Yes, of course I can do it, I promise I can."

“If no one drops out, then we’ll set off. Time is of the essence. I’ll take Yan Wei first, and you can come later,” Song Siyao said.

"Miss Song, why is Mr. Yan with you? I can go with you first." Huo Ye asked expectantly.

Song Siyao said calmly, "I have my own plans. Didn't I just say I would follow orders?"

Huo Ye immediately became obedient, "Yes, Miss Song."

Song Siyao looked at Shen Pei and said, "Take care, I'll wait for you in the epidemic area."

Shen Pei nodded, "Okay, you be careful too."

What Song Siyao and Shen Pei were giving each other normal instructions seemed to Huo Ye like they were exchanging flirtatious glances.

He immediately smelled a sour odor and said, "Miss Song, please be careful. We'll be there soon. Don't go to any dangerous places. Wait for me."

Song Siyao looked at Huo Ye and said very sincerely, "Thank you."

Huo Ye was overjoyed, thinking that Song Siyao was very happy.

However, that was an epidemic area, the most dangerous place. If Song Siyao didn't dare to go there, how could anyone else dare to go?

Song Siyao mounted his horse and, with Yan Wei, Cang Yue, and Hong Shao in tow, galloped towards the epidemic area.

At normal speeds, it would take twenty days to travel from the capital to Fengyan City.

Song Siyao and his group traveled day and night, and in less than ten days, they had already reached the territory of Fengyan City.

Fengyan City is a county under Anzhou.

He Hua, the prefect of Anzhou, had received the imperial edict and was waiting there early.

Song Si shook the carriage, and He Hua immediately came forward, politely asking, "Are you the famous Ghost Doctor, Miss Song the Second?"

"Yes, it's me." Song Siyao didn't waste any time with pleasantries and went straight to the point, "Lord He, what's the situation in Fengyan City right now?"

"Ashes." He Hua's expression was solemn.

"Ashes? What do you mean by that?" A bad feeling was rising in Song Siyao's heart.

He Hua's mind flashed back to those days, his face turning pale. "The local people said that Fengyan City was the source of the plague, so they spontaneously gathered and burned Fengyan City. The fire burned for five days and five nights, and everything in Fengyan City was burned to the ground."

"When the people burned the city, not all the people in Fengyan City were infected with the plague. Many people were still alive."

Upon hearing this, Song Siyao's heart trembled. The urgent message from 800 li away stated that the entire army of Fengyan City had been annihilated, but she had not expected it to be in this way.

She asked, "Is no one organizing firefighting?"

He Hua looked heartbroken. “We couldn’t organize it. When I heard the news of the incident, I immediately brought people over, but the entire Fengyan City was surrounded by the people. When we tried to rush into the city, they desperately blocked us, and the people inside couldn’t get out either. In the end, we could only watch helplessly as the city was engulfed in flames.”

The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion's intelligence network spans the Great Zhou Dynasty, yet this time, it failed to discover the events in Fengyan City beforehand.

Song Siyao received the intelligence from Tianji Pavilion that night when she returned to the Zhenbei Marquis's residence after attending the victory celebration banquet in the palace.

The intelligence report mentioned that this plague is suspicious and doesn't seem like a natural disaster; the specifics are currently unknown.

"Lord He, how are the other cities in Anzhou doing now?"

“Anzhou has a total of twenty counties. Excluding Fengyan City, there are nineteen remaining counties. So far, ten of them have been found to be infected with the plague.”

He Hua asked Song Siyao, "Miss Song, what should we do now?"

"Which county is the most severely affected?" Song Siyao asked.

"Mu County".

"Let's go, first to Mu County!" Song Siyao said.

Kiku Prefecture and Toyogan Castle are the closest to each other, so they are currently the most severely affected by the infection.

Song Siyao followed He Hua to the gate of Mu County. The gate was closed and guards were standing on the city tower.

The guards recognized He Hua and, after verifying his identity, let Song Siyao and the others in.

"Summon your Magistrate Lou here. Miss Song, sent by the imperial court, has arrived," He Hua instructed the guards on duty.

"Yes, my lord."

Song Siyao looked around. The streets were quiet and deserted, with no one in sight and every household's doors tightly shut.

The entire county was shrouded in a bleak, desolate, and somber atmosphere.

"Lord He, I'll go take a look over there." Song Siyao pointed to a house not far away, where smoke was rising, indicating that someone was there.

“Miss Song, you are not familiar with the situation here. Let Magistrate Lou take us there when he arrives.”

When He Hua received the imperial edict, he also received a secret edict, which ordered him to unconditionally protect Song Siyao's safety.

"It's alright. I came here to treat patients. I'll go wherever there are patients."

After finishing her sentence, Song Siyao walked straight towards the source of the smoke.

Seeing that he couldn't argue with Song Siyao, He Hua had no choice but to follow with his men.

They arrived at the gate of the courtyard, and He Hua's men knocked on the door for a long time before someone answered.

Song Siyao entered the courtyard and went into the house.

She was instantly stunned by the scene inside the room.