My father ordered me to kill the emperor, but His Majesty bestowed a princess upon me instead.

Sealing the medicine sheds at the south porridge stalls is much more difficult than sealing the rice bags at the west porridge stalls.

Food supplies can be temporarily suspended.

Medicine cannot.

Even if there's a problem with the medication, the patient must not stop taking it.

That's the most disgusting part.

The other party hides dirty things in their life-saving items. If you investigate, it's like cutting off your lifeline; if you don't investigate, it continues to harm you.

Chief Jiang was clearly aware of this as well.

He knelt on the ground, his voice trembling, but he stuck to one sentence.

"Lord Shen, the medicine sheds cannot be closed. There are still sick people among the disaster victims in Shimen Prefecture. If medicine is cut off and the epidemic spreads, who can bear the responsibility?"

I looked at him.

"Do you now know that the disease will spread?"

Jiang, the person in charge, twitched his face.

"This humble official is merely acting on orders from the Ministry of Revenue."

"On whose orders?"

He stopped talking.

It's always like this.

Those who are given orders always know they are given orders, but they never know whose orders they are given.

I squatted down and picked up a packet of calming soup mix.

"What will happen to the person if this medication continues to be administered?"

Chief Jiang bowed his head.

"To calm the mind and recuperate."

I turned to ask the young medicine boy.

The young apprentice turned pale with fright, but still whispered, "They drank too much... few of them are awake, and those with fevers aren't calling out anymore."

"Were any dead?"

The young apprentice shuddered.

Chief Clerk Jiang suddenly looked up: "Lord Shen!"

I didn't even look at him, I only looked at the medicine boy.

"explain."

The young apprentice's eyes reddened.

"There are two. The person in charge said it's a serious epidemic, not related to medicine."

The coughing continued outside the shed.

Upon hearing this, even Ah Liu stopped trembling.

He looked at Chief Jiang, a rare hint of anger in his eyes.

"The person is dead, and you're still talking about calming the mind and recuperating?"

Chief Jiang retorted angrily, "What do you know, you mere servant!"

Ah Liu shrank back at the shout.

I stood up.

"He doesn't understand medicine, but he understands that people only feel pain when they are awake."

Chief Jiang's face turned ashen.

I said to Ah Liu, "Remember this."

Ah Liu immediately lowered his head and wrote.

"The medicine was supplied by the children at the southern soup kitchen. After taking the calming soup, the patients became drowsy. Two people died and were recorded as having been severely affected by the epidemic."

I then instructed the constables: "Go and fetch at least three doctors from the city's traditional Chinese medicine clinic. If you can't find any, bring them here with the Censorate's warrant. Also, send someone back to the Censorate to ask Lord Zhao to temporarily transfer a medical officer from the Imperial Medical Bureau."

The constable was taken aback.

"The Imperial Medical Academy?"

"It should be stated that the epidemic in Shimen Prefecture is out of control, and the Ministry of Revenue's medical records are suspected of being concealed. If the Imperial Medical Bureau does not come, and the epidemic spreads in the future, let them explain to His Majesty themselves."

The constable immediately ran away.

Jiang, the official in charge, turned completely pale.

He didn't expect that I would actually dare to drag the Imperial Medical Academy into this mess.

I don't want to either.

But this case can't be solved by me just by smelling the dregs of medicine.

It needs to be examined by someone knowledgeable in medicine.

Auditing should be done in a simple and straightforward manner, but the evidence must be solid.

I then ordered that the administration of the calming decoction be temporarily suspended, and that only water and a small amount of ordinary antipyretics be given. As for the seriously ill, they were to be separated and not allowed to be given the same pot of medicine again.

Ah Liu asked in a low voice, "Young master, what if they really start making a scene?"

I looked at the patients in the thatched shed.

"They don't even have the energy to make a fuss now."

After saying that, I felt a lump in my throat.

The disaster victims in the western soup kitchen could still shout.

The people at the South Soup Dishes Shelter were fed to sleep even when called out.

The Ministry of Revenue has kept these accounts very clean.

So clean that even public grievances are suppressed and buried in medicine.

Not long after, two doctors from the city's traditional Chinese medicine clinic arrived.

One's surname is He, and the other's surname is Lu.

They were all quite old, and the constables were urging them on until they were breathless.

Dr. He felt the pulse of several patients, and his expression grew increasingly grim.

"This is not just simple fear."

I asked, "What is it?"

"Damp heat has penetrated deep into the body, causing alternating chills and fever. If left untreated, it will progress to a more serious condition. Medicines that clear heat, dispel dampness, and relieve exterior symptoms should be used. Sedatives should not be used in this way."

Doctor Lu looked at the dregs of the medicine and immediately cursed.

"Who was the scoundrel who prescribed this formula? The patient is feverish and delirious, yet they gave such a strong calming decoction. Are they trying to make sure the patient is in the way when they're awake?"

Chief Jiang looked ashen-faced.

I really like Dr. Lu.

Speaks in a simple and colloquial manner.

Suitable for writing folded paper.

I had Ah Liu write down every word the two doctors said.

As Ah Liu wrote, he muttered to himself, "Young master, it turns out that doctors can be quite good at cursing."

I said, "Everyone has their own expertise."

"Then what kind of swearing do you use?"

"The audit is incidental."

Ah Liu almost burst out laughing, but then held it back.

Dr. He prescribed several new emergency formulas, and first prepared the medicine for the seriously ill patients.

Doctor Lu then picked out a few ingredients from the dregs of the calming decoction and put them into a paper bag.

"Keep these. They can be used in the future."

I glanced at him.

"Does Doctor Lu often come to the hall?"

He sighed.

"Which clinic owner hasn't been sued by people who owe money for medicine? It's a common occurrence."

well.

He's someone with a story to tell.

By the time the Imperial Medical Bureau's on-duty physician arrived, it was already past noon.

The one who arrived was a young physician named Song.

He was initially unhappy, feeling that the Censorate was interfering in pharmaceutical matters, but his expression gradually changed when he saw the patients and medicine residue in the shed.

"This prescription is wrong."

I asked, "Could you write an inspection report?"

Physician Song hesitated.

I looked at him.

"Can't I write it?"

"It's not that it can't be done," he said in a low voice, "but it involves the Ministry of Revenue, so the Imperial Medical Bureau can't make a hasty conclusion."

I nodded.

"Then write what you see, not what you guess. The patient's fever hasn't subsided, the medication contained an excessive amount of sedatives, and there wasn't enough medicine to treat the epidemic. As for whose responsibility it is, you don't need to decide."

After thinking for a moment, Physician Song finally nodded.

"That's fine."

Half an hour later, all three medical records were in hand.

Doctor He, Doctor Lu, and Physician Song each wrote a copy.

Finally, it wasn't just me who said there was a problem with the medicine account at the South Soup Porridge Stall.

I looked at Chief Jiang.

"Now, half of the medicine shed can be sealed off."

Chief Jiang was too exhausted to argue.

I had people seal up the calming incense, calming soup ingredients, medicine packets, the supplementary ledger, and the records of fumigating old disaster clothes with medicine.

We kept the regular antipyretics and the new prescription from the doctor to continue saving lives.

This is called investigating a case without neglecting to save a life.

Ah Liu whispered from the side, "Young master, you're becoming more and more like someone who knows how to manage a household."

"Are you trying to say I'm stingy?"

"No, no, it's about distinguishing between what can be blocked and what cannot."

I glanced at him.

"That's something you can say."

Ah Liu breathed a sigh of relief.

While I was busy, a patient suddenly woke up and grabbed my clothes.

He was in his thirties, his face was so thin it was almost unrecognizable, and his eyes were red.

"Sir."

I squatted down.

"you say."

"My family...my family isn't sick."

"What?"

"There aren't that many sick people in Shimen Prefecture. They collapsed because they drank porridge and took medicine on the way."

My eyes darkened.

"Where did you drink it?"

"Qinghe Sheng."

What kind of place is Qinghepeng?

He was breathing heavily.

"There were people setting up tents along the way, saying that the government had distributed medicine in advance, and that drinking it would prevent disease. After drinking it, you would feel sleepy, and when you woke up, the wooden sign would be gone. When we arrived in the capital, they said we were not the disaster victims listed in the Shimen register."

Qinghe shed.

Qinghe Yicang.

Clear and transfer.

This "Qinghe" (清和) began to move from the tent to the road.

I asked, "What do the people who set up the tents look like?"

The patient tried hard to think.

"There was a gentleman in blue."

My heart sank.

"A mole on your left eyebrow?"

The patient opened his eyes wide.

"Have you seen the official?"

I did not answer.

It's Du Heng again.

This person is like a thread that connects all the places in Yong'an County: Liugou Village, the wooden sign of the West Soup Porridge Shed, the sleeve of the Ministry of Rites, the medicine tent of the South Soup Porridge Shed, and the pre-dispensed medicine of Qinghe.

Ah Liu gritted his teeth in anger.

"This guy surnamed Du is too busy. Is he a clerk in the Ministry of Rites or a devil among the disaster victims?"

I said, "Neither."

"What is that?"

"Needle."

"Needle?"

"Someone used him to thread a needle."

Ah Liu looked at me.

"Who is the person holding the needle?"

I looked at Chief Jiang.

Chief Jiang avoided my gaze.

He knows a little.

But I dare not say it.

I ordered the guards to keep an eye on him, and then separated the medicine boy and the patient from the stone gate who had woken up for protection.

The South Soup Dishes cannot simply be sealed off like the West Soup Dishes.

Someone will die here.

They may die from illness, or they may be silenced.

In the afternoon, Yan Xiaoyi returned.

He was covered in dust, as if he had just traveled a long way.

"Found it."

"Du Heng?"

"Hmm." He handed me a small piece of paper. "After leaving his residence last night, he went to Qinghe Lane."

I looked at him.

Where is Qinghe Lane?

"In the east of the city, near several banks and old grain shops, there is a house with an old sign that reads 'charitable granary'."

My heart skipped a beat.

Qinghe Yicang also had some branches in the capital.

Yan Xiaoyi continued, "Du Heng went in and didn't come out. At Chenshi (7-9 AM), a sedan chair from the Ministry of Rites took a box from the back door and delivered it to the Ministry of Rites' Ceremonial Office."

box.

Three boxes of old disaster relief clothing.

One of the boxes was not stored in the open warehouse.

Now another box is being sent from Qinghe Lane to the Ministry of Rites' Ceremonial Office.

I asked, "How big is the suitcase?"

Yan Xiaoyi compared them.

"It can hold clothes, and it can also hold short knives."

Ah Liu's face turned pale.

"A short sword?"

Yan Xiaoyi looked at my cuff.

"Or place a wedding dress stained with blood."

I fell silent.

If they're going to set something up in my wedding dress, then the next step is to have the Ministry of Rites approve the wedding attire for Shen Shi Tong.

I must return home.

But we can't put it here at the Nan soup kitchen either.

I immediately wrote two briefings.

A letter to Zhao Guanlan, enclosed with the South Soup Porridge Shed Medicine Account, Medical Records, Du Heng Line, and Qinghe Lane.

A letter addressed to Princess Zhaoning was even shorter.

Du Heng Lian Qing He, medicine tent sees old disaster clothes.

At Shenshi (3-5 PM), the nuclear service is in effect, and the protective box is being prepared.

I handed it over to Yan Xiaoyi.

"You will personally deliver the letter to the Princess's residence."

Yan Xiaoyi raised an eyebrow.

"You're getting better and better at ordering me around."

"Please hurry up and save my life."

"You still know it's trouble?"

He said it, but after receiving the letter, he left.

I took Ah Liu and prepared to return to Chengpingfang.

Before I left, the patient from Shimen who had just woken up grabbed me again.

"Sir, can...can we still be registered?"

That was a very light question.

It's even less than crying out for justice.

I looked at him.

He wasn't asking if there was any porridge.

It wasn't a question about whether there was any medicine.

He asked if he could be included in the register.

Living in Daliang, he ultimately had to ask to be written on a piece of paper first.

I said, "Yes."

A glimmer of light appeared in his eyes.

"real?"

I nodded.

"I will include you in my writing."

Even I felt a weight was on my shoulders when I said those words.

Write it in.

Seemingly simple.

However, some people, in an attempt to erase them, tampered with the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Rites, the public granaries, the medicine sheds, the wooden plaques, and the old clothes.

If I want to write them back, I have to tear this net apart.

Ah Liu remained silent as the carriage returned to the city.

After a long while, he whispered, "Young master, I used to think that being an official meant sitting in a hall and drinking tea."

"And now?"

"Now I realize that it's really tough to be an official if you're not blind."

I glanced at him.

This kid can occasionally say something that sounds like a normal person.

I leaned against the car wall, a short blade pressed against my wrist bone from my sleeve.

The smell of medicine from the southern soup kitchen still lingers on your clothes.

Calming incense.

Old clothes worn during disasters.

Qinghe Lane.

The Ministry of Rites' Ceremonial Affairs Office.

The verification was completed at Shenshi (3-5 PM).

All the threads have come full circle back to my wedding dress.

The sun gradually began to set in the west.

There was less than an hour left until Shen Shi (3-5 PM).

As soon as I returned to Chengpingfang, the gatekeeper rushed up to greet me in a panic.

"Young master, the people from the Ministry of Rites have arrived."

My heart sank.

"Zhou Xian?"

"Yes. And people from the Princess's residence as well."

"Your Highness has arrived?"

"It's not Your Highness, it's Miss Qiutang."

The doorman swallowed hard and added another sentence.

"The Ministry of Rites also brought over a box, saying it contained a newly mended wedding inner robe."

Ah Liu and I exchanged a glance.

The color drained from Ah Liu's face little by little.

The box that was sent from Qinghe Lane to the Ministry of Rites' Ceremonial Office has finally arrived at my residence.