General, you should rest now; the lady is even more ruthless.

Jiang Qiqi had already gone to bed when she turned her head and saw Shen Luo still sitting in his wheelchair, lost in thought.

"What are you standing there for? Go to sleep." She patted the bed next to her.

Shen Luo's ears turned red instantly.

"okay."

What to do? After realizing some of the problems, he was no longer able to wholeheartedly share a bed with her.

……

They ended up in bed together.

Shen Luo turned his head and looked at Jiang Qiqi lying perfectly still beside him, feeling as if his heart had suddenly been filled.

He is probably the happiest person in the world because the person he loves is his wife.

Should I confess my feelings to her?

After confirming her feelings, Shen Luo couldn't help but think about it.

Does she like herself?

If she likes him, can he really protect her for the rest of his life with his current physical condition?

If she didn't like him, the way the Third Prince looked at her at the spring banquet that day... would she like the Third Prince?

Lost in thought, unable to reach a conclusion, Shen Luo sighed softly.

You're usually a very decisive person, so why are you hesitating now?

Jiang Qiqi closed her eyes and heard the sighs beside her. She thought to herself: "With both plague and rebels, Shen Luo must be under too much pressure lately. I should help him if I have the chance."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

the other side.

Upon returning to his residence, Cui Zhi immediately sought out Cui Ling and shared his thoughts with her.

"As long as you follow the general, you, your father, and our whole family will enjoy wealth and prosperity."

Cui Zhimei said with a smug look on her face.

His thoughts coincided with Cui Ling's.

"Father, that's what I thought too, so as soon as I heard that the General Zhenguo had arrived, I rushed back. I'm not even afraid of the plague anymore."

Cui Ling said with a hint of pride.

"I think the general's wife is nothing special. If it weren't for the emperor's decree, the general might not have wanted to marry her at all."

She felt that her appearance was in no way inferior to that of the general's wife.

“But Father, the General Zhenguo won’t see me.” Cui Ling suddenly remembered this important matter.

"It's alright, I've already thought of a solution for you," Cui Zhi said.

"I spoke with the General's wife tonight, and I'll take you to apologize to her tomorrow."

"what?!"

Cui Ling became anxious upon hearing this.

She was already beaten and forced to kneel down today, and she still has to go and apologize tomorrow?

She glared at him, her face contorted with resentment: "No way! I'm not going to apologize!"

"..."

Cui Zhi reflected again, wondering where things had gone wrong and why he had such a stupid daughter.

He could only patiently explain, "My dear daughter, your apology is fake; your real intention is to take this opportunity to see the General Zhenguo. Don't you want to see the General anymore?"

Cui Ling certainly wanted to, as she loved reading stories about generals and her lifelong dream was to marry a general who protected the country.

"But...is there really no other way?"

"Nothing."

"Fine." Cui Ling gritted her teeth; for the sake of the general, she endured it.

"Father, do you think the general would like me?"

"Silly girl, you're so beautiful, of course the general will like you. Besides, no man dislikes novelty. No matter how beautiful the general's wife is, the general will get tired of being with her every day. When you appear, the general's gaze will be unconsciously drawn to you."

"Then I'll dress up nicely tomorrow."

A small flame of hope rekindled in her heart.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The next day, after breakfast, Jiang Qiqi sat drinking tea while Shen Luo read the memorials.

The tranquility gave one a sense of being back in the general's mansion.

However, I remembered that someone was sighing before going to bed last night.

Jiang Qiqi leaned closer: "What are you looking at?"

Shen Luo was looking at the memorial that Shijiu had just brought this morning.

It wasn't a secret, and upon hearing this, he handed it directly to Jiang Qiqi.

"This is the number of critically ill plague patients in Longcheng and the remaining amount of disaster relief medicines, as compiled by the 19th team."

"Oh, how is it?" Jiang Qiqi took the folded document and glanced at it.

"The memorial mentioned that more than 12,000 doses of medicine sent by the imperial court were sold in Longcheng, and correspondingly, the number of seriously ill plague patients was gradually decreasing."

"There are still many patients who cannot afford medicine. The 19th will send people to verify their cases one by one, and then the government will deliver the medicine to them."

Jiang Qiqi looked at the document, and Shen Luo spoke beside her.

"I don't quite agree," Jiang Qiqi said after reading through the memorial.

"Huh? What?" Shen Luo looked at her with slight surprise.

“Those who can’t afford the medicine shouldn’t be given it for free,” she said.

Shen Luo was puzzled: "The imperial court's medicine is free, and it's not that they don't want to buy it, it's that they really can't afford it. Why make things difficult for them?"

He felt that Qiqi was not the kind of person who would make things difficult for the poor, but her statement was really puzzling.

Jiang Qiqi patiently explained to him, "The medicine was originally free, but the government added a price to prevent people from taking the medicine indiscriminately, right?"

Shen Luo nodded.

He didn't tell her why the medicine, which was originally free, was now being sold for ten coins per dose, because he thought Qiqi would understand.

Sure enough, she remained as intelligent as ever.

“But Shen Luo, have you ever thought about this?” Jiang Qiqi closed the folded document.

"Those infected with the plague need three to five doses of medicine for mild cases and seven to ten doses for severe cases to recover. For ordinary people, the difference between one hundred coins and not spending any money seems quite significant. The government is giving away medicine that others have paid for for free, but what do those who paid for it think?"

Shen Luo hadn't expected there to be this layer.

The normal line of thinking is that if ordinary people can't afford the medicine, they won't get treatment and will leave their fate to fate.

But he couldn't bear to do it, so he told Nineteen to send them some medicine.

"We can't send them, but they can't afford them either. Are we just going to... let them fend for themselves?"

Shen Luo frowned as she looked at Jiang Qiqi, disagreeing with her opinion for the first time.

Jiang Qiqi found Shen Luo's expression amusing and couldn't help but laugh, "Who said they can't afford it?"

Shen Luo: "?"

"They can buy on credit."

Shen Luo: "?"

"Borrowing money from the government?"

“That’s right.” Jiang Qiqi stood up and strolled around with her hands behind her back like a scholar.

"Isn't there a list for the Nineteenth? This afternoon, have someone deliver the medicine, and also send a contract."

"It was written that a certain commoner could not afford the medicine to treat the plague, and volunteered to work for the government for several days after recovering."

"So that's how it is!" Shen Luo's brows relaxed.

He knew that Qi Qi wasn't the kind of cold-hearted person.

He cared for the people, but he never thought of making them feel that "everyone is treated equally".

Qiqi is so smart and meticulous that she can always think of many details that he overlooks.

“Okay, let’s do it your way.” Shen Luo readily agreed to her suggestion.

"But what should we ask them to do? Don't you have a plan?"

Qi Qi is always thoughtful and meticulous. Based on his understanding, if she has put forward such an idea, she must have considered everything carefully.

Sure enough, Jiang Qiqi grinned.

"Shen Luoluo understands me best."

“It seems like no one in this city cleans the roadsides,” Jiang Qiqi said.

What does Qiqi call him? Shen Luoluo? Is it a term of endearment?