"Miss Biao, are you really going to distribute porridge in the western suburbs yourself? There are all sick people there!" Chun Tao was a bit worried.
After all, contracting the epidemic could be fatal if one wasn't careful.
Ruan Jiu comforted her, "Don't worry. Now there are plenty of medicinal herbs in Shuozhou. Moreover, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will also go today."
Since Xiao Wang dared to go, why shouldn't she?
"But you don't have to go yourself. Let me and Uncle Fu go," Chun Tao still looked worried.
However, Ruan Jiu's trip to the western suburbs today was not just about distributing porridge.
Both Xie Jingchu and Xiao Wang suspected that Liang Jingzhuo was up to something, yet the person the Noble Consort Shu asked them to find was exactly Liang Jingzhuo.
She had to figure out whether Liang Jingzhuo was a friend or a foe.
"Don't worry. I'm the most afraid of death," Ruan Jiu patted Chun Tao on the shoulder.
What she meant was that she wouldn't be so heroic as to ignore her own life.
This time when Xiao Wang came to Shuozhou, he brought many imperial physicians from the palace.
Even if she accidentally contracted the epidemic, at most she would feel uncomfortable for a few days and wouldn't lose her life.
-
In the western suburbs,
The air was filled with a putrid smell. Even though Ruan Jiu was wearing a veil, the pungent odor still penetrated her nostrils.
It seemed that there were quite a few sick people quarantined here.
"What are you doing!"
Several soldiers glared at Ruan Jiu and her companions with scowling faces.
They drew their swords and blocked their way.
Seeing this, Ruan Jiu immediately explained her intention, "Gentlemen, we're here to set up a shed and distribute porridge for these people."
After hearing this, the soldiers put away their swords one by one, but they didn't step aside.
"Don't you know you're not allowed to go in?" the leading soldier commander said seriously.
Ruan Jiu glanced at the fence behind the soldiers.
It should be that Liang Jingzhuo didn't allow people to enter in order to prevent the spread of the epidemic.
So Ruan Jiu said, "We'll just set up the shed here. Only one person needs to be sent to deliver the porridge inside. We definitely won't cause any trouble for you gentlemen."
The soldier commander looked at Ruan Jiu contemptuously. "Those are all dying people. Why do you bother?"
Ruan Jiu didn't expect these soldiers to be so cold - blooded, regarding human lives as worthless.
She frowned tightly and said coldly, "Now His Majesty has sent medicinal herbs. It won't be long before they recover."
"What a joke. Those medicinal herbs are for the wealthy. Do these commoners deserve them?"
Ruan Jiu was greatly shocked.
So those medicinal herbs were not meant to treat the common people!
Wasn't Liang Jingzhuo the great benefactor of Shuozhou?
How could he disregard human lives like this!
She shouted angrily, "Is this how Lord Liang ordered you to do things?!"
The soldier commander didn't expect this young girl to have such a strong presence.
Although her face was covered by the veil, judging from her clothes, she should be the daughter of a wealthy family.
So he didn't want to argue with her too much. He said impatiently, "Get out of here. Don't get in the way!"
During the shoving, suddenly a woman staggered out from inside, holding a dying child in her arms.
The woman didn't dare to get close. She knelt three meters away and cried, "Please, sir, save my son. He's about to starve to death!"
Seeing this, a flash of panic crossed the soldier commander's eyes.
Then he looked at the woman with disgust and said coldly, "Anyway, he won't live long with the epidemic. It's less painful to starve to death than to die of illness."
Ruan Jiu frowned. How could anyone say such a thing?
Then the soldier commander immediately turned around and scolded his subordinates, "Hurry up and lock her back up!"
"Sir, my son is not sick! He's really not sick!" the woman kept crying.
This made Ruan Jiu frown even deeper.
What did she mean by not being sick?
Weren't all the people locked up here those who had contracted the epidemic?
"If you dare to talk nonsense again, do you believe I'll cut out your tongue!"
Hearing the soldier commander say this, Ruan Jiu became even more suspicious.
After all, only those with a guilty conscience were afraid of others telling the truth.
Seeing the soldier commander draw his sword to threaten, Ruan Jiu immediately said, "Sir, there's no need to get angry. I happen to have porridge here. How about giving them a bowl?"
Hearing this, hope flared up again in the woman's eyes. She put the child on the ground and choked out, "Huzi, did you hear that? We have porridge!"
Then she knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Ruan Jiu continuously. "Thank you, noble one! Thank you, noble one!"
The bloodstains on her forehead were shocking.
Just as Ruan Jiu was about to order someone to serve the porridge, the soldier commander said coldly again, "Noble one, I advise you not to meddle in other people's business. If you contract the epidemic, it won't be worth it."
The woman said anxiously, "Noble one, we're not sick! We definitely won't let you contract the epidemic! I just need a bowl of porridge. Please give us a bowl of porridge!"
Ruan Jiu frowned tightly. "Sir, since she says she's not sick, why not find a doctor to check? In case of a misdiagnosis."
After hearing this, the soldiers' expressions tightened. "She's delirious. Her words can't be trusted."
Then he glared at his subordinates beside him. "Hurry! Take her back. Don't offend the noble one!"
As soon as he finished speaking, several soldiers immediately stepped forward, grabbed the woman and were about to take her inside.
Ruan Jiu squinted her eyes slightly and squeezed her fingers.
Wasn't it said that the epidemic was easily contagious?
But these soldiers seemed not afraid at all.
It seemed that there was really something fishy about this epidemic in Shuozhou.
The woman looked at her dying son lying on the ground with great grief in her eyes.
At the moment, her only hope was this noble person in gorgeous clothes.
So she struggled desperately to break free from the soldiers' restraint and ran towards Ruan Jiu regardless.
Just as she was about to reach Ruan Jiu, the soldier commander drew his sword and stabbed at the woman.
The woman covered her abdomen and slowly fell to the ground, staring wide - eyed with hatred and unwillingness in her eyes.
As blood spilled from the corner of her mouth, the woman summoned her last bit of strength and said to Ruan Jiu, "Liang Jingzhuo will never come to a good end..."
A living life was extinguished right in front of Ruan Jiu.
She looked at the bloodstains of the woman on her skirt. They were so glaring.
What did the woman's words mean?
Were they silencing witnesses?
Ruan Jiu's eyes were red. She shouted at the soldier commander, "This is a human life!"
The soldier commander ignored Ruan Jiu's anger.
He wiped the blood off his sword and then put it back into its scabbard.
"Lord Liang said that those who have contracted the epidemic must not escape privately. Those who violate this order will be killed without mercy."
The soldier's cold tone made it seem as if the person he had just killed was just an insignificant ant.
Ruan Jiu clenched her fists and scolded, "She said she wasn't sick!"
The soldier smiled. "Noble one, have you ever seen a sick person admit that they're sick?"
"But you shouldn't have killed her like this!" Ruan Jiu said indignantly.
"I'm just following orders. If the epidemic spreads because of this, who can take the responsibility!"
Seeing the soldier being so self - justified, Ruan Jiu got even angrier.
Just as she was about to continue arguing with him, she heard Xiao Wang's voice in the distance.
"What are you arguing about?"