From cannon fodder villain to beloved heroine

Amidst the billowing dust, the horse came to a sudden stop.

The knight dismounted, revealing a weathered face, his expression as solemn as solidified iron.

He strode up to Yan Ruyu and Xu Nanzhu, clasped his hands in greeting, and reported, "Miss Yan, Young Master Xu, His Majesty has heard of the epidemic in the city and has specially dispatched this humble servant to deliver urgently needed medicines and imperial physicians. Furthermore, an imperial edict has been read." He paused, his gaze sweeping over the gathered crowd around him, and said in a heavy tone, "Panic is gripping the city, and rumors are rampant. His Majesty has ordered the two of you to immediately enter the palace to meet with the Emperor and discuss countermeasures."

The flames of hope that had been ignited among the surrounding people were instantly extinguished by the knight's words, and their worried gazes were all turned to Yan Ruyu and the male protagonist Xu.

Yan Ruyu frowned slightly, thinking to herself: "Indeed, good fortune never comes in pairs, and misfortunes never come singly."

The male protagonist, Xu, calmly took her hand and gave her a reassuring look.

The two followed the messenger back to the mansion, where they saw several carriages loaded with medicinal herbs parked at the gate, and several imperial physicians waiting anxiously.

Inside the mansion, Steward Wu was directing his servants to move supplies, but chaos ensued due to their fear of the epidemic.

"Mine! This is mine! I have to save some for my family first!" Butler Wu clutched a medicine box tightly, his face ashen. His usual meticulous demeanor was gone, and he looked like a wild beast guarding its food.

Seeing this, the other servants also began to scramble for the loot, creating a chaotic scene.

"Stop!" Yan Ruyu shouted sharply, her voice booming like thunder in everyone's ears.

She strode forward and snatched the medicine box from Butler Wu's hands. "Butler Wu, what are you doing? What time is it? How can you still be thinking about lining your own pockets?!"

Steward Wu trembled with fright and stammered, "Miss, this old servant... this old servant was confused for a moment..."

"A moment of confusion?" Yan Ruyu sneered. "I think you've been blinded by fear! Have you forgotten what I said before? All supplies will be distributed uniformly to ensure everyone gets a share!" She looked around at everyone, her gaze sharp. "Anyone who dares to hoard or steal again will be severely punished!" The servants fell silent, retreating and daring not to cause any more trouble.

Yan Ruyu handed the medicine box to a royal physician and said in a deep voice, "Please check the medicinal herbs and prepare the medicine as soon as possible." The royal physician took the medicine box and was about to open it when he noticed something hidden at the bottom...

Yan Ruyu's eyes sharpened. "What's wrong?"

Yan Ruyu took the medicine box, and with her slender fingers, she gently touched the bottom of the box and found a strangely shaped piece of wood.

She calmly took out the wooden block and hid it in her sleeve before speaking, "It's nothing, perhaps the herbs got a little scattered from the bumpy journey." She turned to the imperial physicians and said, "My lords, I have some medical knowledge; perhaps I can be of some help." The imperial physicians exchanged glances, their eyes filled with doubt.

After all, although this Miss Yan came from a prestigious family, I had never heard of her being proficient in medicine.

Yan Ruyu didn't say much, and went straight to the pile of medicinal herbs, rummaging through her system inventory.

"System, I want to exchange for the Ancient Plague Treatment Guide and Advanced Medicine Recipes." "Ding! Exchange successful, 500 points deducted." A large amount of information flooded into Yan Ruyu's mind instantly. She quickly browsed through it and made a plan.

Under her direction, people categorized the medicinal herbs and began to prepare new medicines according to the formulas provided by the system.

At first, the servants were somewhat skeptical, after all, they had never heard of such a prescription.

But seeing Yan Ruyu's skillful movements and confident expression, they gradually calmed down and did as she instructed.

As the medicine was prepared, a strange medicinal fragrance spread, and the initially panicked crowd gradually calmed down, as if the fragrance contained some kind of magical power.

Yan Ruyu distributed the prepared medicine to the servants who were infected with the epidemic and carefully instructed them on how to take it.

Several hours later, a miracle happened!

The servants, who had been sickly, began to show signs of improvement; their coughs lessened and their breathing became easier.

Steward Wu was so moved that tears streamed down his face. He knelt down before Yan Ruyu with a thud, exclaiming, "Miss! You are truly a miracle doctor!" The other servants also knelt down in unison.

Xu, the male protagonist, stood aside, watching Yan Ruyu's busy figure, his eyes filled with love and pride.

When Yan Ruyu finally stopped and wearily rubbed her temples, he silently draped a cloak over her shoulders.

Yan Ruyu felt the warmth behind her, turned around and met Xu's gentle gaze, a warm feeling welling up in her heart.

The servants around them looked on with envy at the sight. This perfect couple was truly the envy of everyone!

As night deepened, the mansion gradually returned to calm.

Yan Ruyu leaned against the window, stroking the piece of wood she had taken from the medicine box in her hand. "Hu San..." she murmured softly, a meaningful smile playing on her lips.

Instead of publicizing Hu San's spreading of rumors, Yan Ruyu took the initiative to find him and proposed cooperation.

Hu San was so shocked that his eyes almost popped out, as if he had seen a ghost.

"Miss Yan, what... what do you mean by this?" he stammered, his expression more painful than tears.

Yan Ruyu said sincerely, "Hu San, with the epidemic raging and lives at stake, we should put aside our personal grudges and work together to overcome this difficult time." Her words stunned everyone around her, who cast questioning glances at her. Was this still the same vengeful Miss Yan they knew?

The following day, in the quarantine area, medicinal herbs were piled up like mountains, and a rich aroma of herbs filled the air.

Yan Ruyu directed everyone to distribute medicinal herbs and brew the medicine, keeping them extremely busy.

The imperial physicians sent by the court and Hu San also joined the rescue team, and the originally chaotic isolation area became orderly.

Yan Ruyu's firm and confident gaze swept over each patient, as if it contained boundless power.

The people outside the quarantine zone, watching this scene, gradually felt a glimmer of hope in their initially fearful eyes. Some even began to whisper among themselves, their opinions of Yan Ruyu seemingly changing.

However, just when Yan Ruyu thought everything was getting better, she discovered that things were far from that simple.

She noticed that Dr. Chen had been appearing absent-minded and evasive lately, as if he had something he couldn't say.

One day, she witnessed a man in black secretly slipping a note to Doctor Chen. After reading it, Doctor Chen's face turned deathly pale, and he began to tremble.

Yan Ruyu's heart sank, and an ominous premonition surged into her mind.

As night fell, the mansion was silent. Yan Ruyu stood alone by the window, looking at the dark night sky outside, her heart filled with doubts.

Suddenly, a cold wind blew by, causing the shadows of the trees to rustle and whisper like ghostly whispers...

Yan Ruyu turned around abruptly and saw a dark figure flash by and disappear into the night.

She hurried to the door and grabbed Butler Wu, who was passing by in a hurry. "Butler Wu, have you seen anyone?" Butler Wu was pale and his eyes were darting around. "No...no, Miss, it's the middle of the night, there's no one here..." He sounded flustered and hesitated.