Report to the Empress and the Eldest Princess: They're using the system to poach your men.

How far is that abandoned garden from here?

Wen Yuening had put on her veil again and walked out from the shadows, sitting down in the chair next to Shen Sangwan.

"It will take half an hour for the carriage to get there."

The officer slightly raised his head, carefully examining the woman before him.

Wen Yuening turned to the side, her brow twitching slightly. "In that case, how about we go again tomorrow, Your Highness?"

"You've had a long journey these past few days. It's not too late to go tomorrow. You should rest well today."

After Shen Sangwan finished speaking, she waved to Ruoxin, signaling her to take the officer away.

Ruo Xin bowed and withdrew.

After everyone had gone, Wen Yuening stood up. "It's late and the dew is heavy. Your Highness should go back to your room to rest as soon as possible."

Shen Sangwan had the same idea, and before leaving, she turned back to Qingque and instructed, "Take good care of the Empress."

After leaving the house, I went to the next room, washed up, and rested.

The two of them had no dreams that night.

The next morning, just as Shen Sangwan woke up, there was a knock on the door. "Your Highness, are you awake?"

It is the sound of a book.

"come in."

Shuyi walked in carrying a copper basin. Seeing Shen Sangwan getting dressed, she placed the basin on the shelf. "Your Highness doesn't look well. Did you not sleep well last night?"

"It's alright, I'm just a little worried about the people in the city."

Shen Sangwan lowered her eyes.

Avoiding Shuyi's gaze, he casually asked, "What's all the noise outside?"

As Shuyi picked up a handkerchief, dampened it with water, and wiped Shen Sangwan's face, she replied, "Although we entered the city late last night, some people still saw us. They are all waiting at the government office gate now, partly to see Your Highness, and partly for the grain."

Shen Sangwan rubbed her temples.

After washing up, Shuyi went to the kitchen again and brought back a food box containing porridge that she and Qingque had cooked that morning.

"This servant is not very familiar with this either. I only cooked some porridge with Sister Qingque earlier. Please have some first."

"Ah."

Shen Sangwan nodded, took a bite, and asked, "Are there any troublemakers?"

"The people only knew that a noble person had come to Zhongdu to provide disaster relief, but they did not know who he was. They gathered outside to wait for the distribution of food, and there were no troublemakers."

"Have the Right Assistant General disperse the crowd. With the plague raging, if they huddle together, it will inevitably increase the risk of infection. If they refuse to leave, tell them that the soldiers will distribute the food to each household. If they have not received it by the end of the day, they should come to the government office to check."

"Furthermore, post a notice saying that I am recruiting doctors in Wuzhou City. The salary is one tael of silver per day, and an additional two liters of rice will be added to the daily rations. Those who are interested can register at the government office at any time. After the plague is over, each person will be rewarded according to their work."

"This servant will go and deliver the message immediately." Shuyi bowed and withdrew.

"Wait, is the medicine I brewed last night ready?"

“I stayed up half the night yesterday, and I’m keeping it warm over a low flame to prevent any mistakes. I’ve asked Sister Ruoxin to watch over it.”

Shen Sangwan didn't say anything more and buried her head to finish the white porridge and side dishes on the table.

As she stepped out of the room, Wen Yuening came out from next door. The two looked at each other and greeted each other.

After everything was properly packed, he left the government office with his assistant.

The disaster victims outside had all dispersed, and the Right Assistant Minister would orderly distribute rice to the soldiers according to the household registration information, with each soldier receiving five liters of rice per day.

"Due to the special circumstances, the soldiers will have to make extra trips back and forth. Once the matter is settled, I will personally go to His Majesty to request a commendation for you."

"This humble general thanks General for his kindness."

"Right Lieutenant General, order all soldiers to cover their mouths and noses with gauze and to avoid contact with people in the city as much as possible. Food can be placed at residents' doorsteps to reduce the risk of infection."

"If any soldier develops fever, diarrhea, vomiting, or other symptoms, he or she must report it immediately. Anyone who conceals such symptoms will be dealt with according to military law."

"The last general takes orders."

After giving his instructions, he assigned a small team of fifteen men to follow the carriage to the deserted garden.

The carriage wasn't very big, and it felt a bit cramped to seat five people at the same time.

Wen Yuening and Shen Sangwan sat on the same side, while Shuyi, Qingque, and Zuoguan sat on the other side.

The past two days they had been traveling face-to-face, but now that she was next to Wen Yue Ning, Shen Sangwan felt a little uncomfortable.

The other person had a very pleasant fragrance. She didn't know much about fragrances or what they were called, but she felt that the scent calmed her mind and made her feel much more relaxed.

As they smelled it, they unconsciously moved closer to Wen Yuening.

【master!】

Xiao Tong's untimely scream brought Shen Sangwan back to her senses.

"Phew! That was close!"

Shen Sangwan slightly twisted her body to cover up her actions.

"Waaaah, Xiaotong, does the Empress have some kind of demonic power? She keeps trying to seduce me!"

"seduce?"

Wen Yuening frowned slightly, silently lowering her eyes to examine herself.

【Master, how can this be called seduction? This should be called attraction!】

〖......〗

She doesn't see much difference between the two words.

Guided by the officer, the carriage arrived at the deserted garden without incident.

It was an abandoned housing area, temporarily separated from this safe zone by a wall.

Shu Yi and the other two went down first, followed by Shen Sangwan and Wen Yuening.

The two servants guarding the gate greeted the assistant officer with formalities.

"This is Her Highness the Eldest Princess from Zhongdu, who has come to provide disaster relief."

"Greetings, Your Highness the Princess, may you live a thousand years!"

"Get up and talk."

"How are the people inside?"

"Your Highness, more than thirty corpses were taken out for cremation yesterday. This morning, we heard two more wails from inside. We estimate that a few more have died. We will go in tonight to check and then take them away to be burned."

"Open the door."

"Your Highness, the place is full of people infected with the plague. You must not go in."

“I brought doctors with me, and they shouldn’t just be trapped inside and waiting to die.”

The servants all glanced at their assistant officer simultaneously.

"Since His Highness has instructed you to open it, then please open it."

"Yes Yes Yes."

One of the servants took out a key and slowly opened the heavy iron lock.

Pushing open the heavy wooden door, one finds only ruins and broken walls, overgrown weeds, and faint spiderwebs hanging from the eaves, with few intact roofs.

Fortunately, it hasn't rained these days, otherwise these people wouldn't even have a place to shelter from the rain.

The creaking of the wooden door startled the crows on the nearby branches, who let out a series of hoarse cries, spread their wings, and disappeared into the garden.

"I will have someone guard this place. You two have also worked hard. Go back and rest well. If you have symptoms such as abdominal pain or fever, report to the government office immediately."

"Your Highness, we thank you." The two knelt down and bowed deeply.

From the moment the prefect abandoned the people and fled, it was his assistants and the government officials who were fighting the epidemic. In just half a month, one by one, the brothers around him were infected and died, and now there are less than ten left.

They had doubted whether their persistence was right or wrong, but after putting on these uniforms, they firmly believed in their original intention to protect the people and their belief in bringing benefits to the people.

Now that they had finally held on until someone came to rescue the people of the city, they were overwhelmed with mixed feelings of gratitude, fear, and worry.

Fear is merely a formality for those in power; the worry is that one's arduous efforts will ultimately become a joke.