After becoming pregnant, the cold-hearted nobles all went mad.

This person has a fever; people who have contracted the plague will experience high fever.

Posuo's pale face is because, so far, there is no cure.

The government had only one way of dealing with those infected: arrest them all and imprison them separately, which was just waiting for them to die.

Shen Lingyi hesitated.

After the villagers dispersed, she deliberately bypassed Pei Heng and found Po Suo, then took out the prescription she always carried with her.

"I have a prescription here, written by a divine physician himself. Get some medicine according to the instructions and see if it can save him."

Shen Lingyi originally intended to keep the prescription secret until the time was right, so that the villagers would surely thank him.

In the end, she still couldn't do it. She watched others die right before her eyes. She was never satisfied; she wanted too many things, and she could never get them all. But there were some things that were her bottom line.

Upon hearing this, Posuo was overjoyed, her face beaming with excitement: "I'll go right now."

"If you can save this person, you will be a great benefactor to Iwamura."

When Shen Lingyi returned, she saw a man squatting in front of Pei Heng, holding a knife. He looked rather disheveled, with bloodstains on several parts of his body, clearly having just escaped from a fight.

One second ago, the guards were still whispering, but when they saw her come in, Pei Heng raised his hand, and the guards, sensing the danger, shut their mouths and stood aside. Then the man looked at her and said, "Your mother has successfully entered the city and asked my men to tell you to go to your maternal grandfather's house in a little while."

He paused, turning the ring on his little finger. "If I remember correctly, your maternal grandfather was Jiang Wenhai?"

"My maternal grandfather was just a businessman without much ambition."

Pei Heng noticed her wariness and said no more. He took a letter from his pocket and handed it to her, saying in a low voice, "If you are going to see your maternal grandfather, take this letter to him. Remember, before you hand it to him, you must not let anyone open it, including yourself."

"If it's something so important, why did Young Master Pei entrust it to me instead of going himself?"

Shen Lingyi felt a hidden worry in her heart.

Liangzhou had been under lockdown for half a month, and even government troops could not move freely in and out. Most of the troops dispatched outside the city were stationed in the surrounding area, in addition to the previous attack.

She clenched her fists, meeting the man's deep gaze.

"If Young Master Pei truly wants to ask someone for a favor, he should at least show some sincerity. The situation has been changing ever since we were on the ship, and I only learned about the lockdown of Liangzhou from Miss Posuo. You clearly know something, yet you say nothing. How can I trust you enough to entrust my life to you?"

The guard drew his sword and shouted coldly, "How dare you disrespect the young master!"

"Don't point the knife at Miss Shen."

Pei Heng abruptly interrupted the guard's attack, his dark eyes rippled with emotion at her words, "You said you're willing to tie your life to mine, even if it means dying?"

"Yes!" Shen Lingyi gritted her teeth. "If you don't believe me, young master, I can prove it to you right now."

The dagger flashed with a cold light, and in the blink of an eye, bright red blood flowed from her palm.

"Xiao Sha".

Pei Heng called out, took a sword from a guard, and tore off a corner of his robe to bandage the wound, while instructing, "You will go with the Second Miss in a while. Take my pass and escort her into the city. Do not let her fail."

"Young master, you mustn't!"

Xiao Sha knelt on one knee. He was a guard specifically tasked with protecting His Majesty's safety; how could he leave his master to protect others?

Pei Heng's expression remained completely unchanged, contrasting sharply with his meticulous hand movements: "Do I have to repeat myself again?"

The guards could only nod in agreement.

Before leaving, Shen Lingyi glanced back at the direction of the wooden house.

She asked the silent guard beside her, "Guard Xiao, those bandits are actually remnants of the Wan family, aren't they? Leaving His Majesty here alone like this, what if they come to Yan Village? Wouldn't that put His Majesty in danger?"

Xiao Sha snorted coldly, but his expression softened slightly upon hearing her concern for His Majesty. "Second Miss, you should leave quickly. His Majesty won't change his mind..."

Shen Lingyi had no choice but to suppress her complicated thoughts. The only thing she could do now was to hurry into the city and inform the prefect that Pei Heng was there.

She lost her pass when she fell into the water, but fortunately, Pei Heng's pass would work just as well. When the city gate guards checked the pass, they gave the particularly young Shen Lingyi a complicated look, and hesitated several times before speaking.

But in the end, he said nothing, only feigning impatience while subtly reminding her when returning the pass:

"Since you're here to visit relatives, leave as soon as you're done. Liangzhou City is already chaotic enough, and you people are coming to join in the fun. Do you think not enough people have died from the plague? Go away! You're just causing trouble for our Prefect. Don't get too close after you enter the city, or you might disturb the Prefect."

"Yes, thank you for letting me in, guard."

Shen Lingyi rubbed her eyes cooperatively, her eyes filled with gratitude, looking exactly like someone eager to see their loved ones, and no one would doubt it.

After entering the city, he turned to Xiao Sha and said,

"Guard Xiao, I can go to my maternal grandfather's house by myself. I will also deliver the letter your master gave me to my maternal grandfather safely. Please keep an eye on Prefect Zhao. The guard's words just now must be suspicious."

"But it's the young master's order..."

Shen Lingyi interrupted him, her tone surprisingly assertive, "You still don't understand why the young master asked you to accompany him into the city?"

"Please take good care of yourself, Second Miss. I will go ahead first."

Xiao Sha bowed respectfully, then turned and disappeared into the crowd behind him.

The street vendors and laborers were still working diligently, and the noodle stall that Shen Lingyi frequented was also open. A spoonful of hot scallion oil poured over the noodles emitted a fragrance that could be smelled for miles.

however,

Many things are different now.

Shen Lingyi could sense the exhaustion in the people, the lifelessness, as if something had stolen the vitality from the city overnight.

She was recognized by a servant sweeping the gate of the Jiang residence and shouted that Miss Shen had arrived.

Jiang ran out from inside with disheveled hair, grabbed her and pulled her into a tight embrace, her hands trembling slightly. "You're finally back."

"Yi'er, you scared your mother to death!"

"Mother, I'm sorry."

Shen Lingyi had never seen Jiang Shi, who always cherished her appearance, in such a disheveled state, and her heart ached. "I fell into the river with Young Master Pei. Later, I was rescued and brought ashore. As soon as I woke up, I came to the city to find you."

Mrs. Jiang was heartbroken; just hearing about it made her feel miserable.

Her Yi'er had been pampered since childhood and was the apple of her parents' eye. If she hadn't come back to her parents' home with her this time, she would never have suffered like this.

"It's good that you're alright. Your maternal grandfather sent a group of people to find the prefect to leave the city. I'll go and have him bring them back right now. You should go in too; he's worried about you."

Upon hearing this, Shen Lingyi remained silent for a moment, then took her hand and said, "Don't call them back yet."