Shen Guilan was changing the dressing for Huo Wei. Hearing this, she quickly looked up at him. "Don't be impatient. Let A Jue go for you."
Although Huo Wei didn't say a word, his expression revealed his nervousness. He propped his elbows on the bed and sat up.
"A Jue is still young. On the battlefield, he's always used to hiding behind me.
This time it's a plague. If there's the slightest carelessness, A Jue will also get involved."
As he spoke, he threw off the quilt, which hung on the floor. Then he strode to the clothes rack and began to get dressed.
Shen Guilan got up and walked over, grabbing Huo Wei's arm.
"A Jue is important, but aren't you important? I didn't want you to get involved in this mess from the very beginning.
Huo Wei, your most important task is to take revenge. Other than that, nothing else matters to you! The city is already in chaos. What are you going there for?"
Huo Wei took his bow from the copper rack where the bows and arrows were placed. The bow was quite heavy. Usually, he could lift it easily, but today he couldn't even pick it up on the first try.
His dark eyes were calm. "Now, there are two important tasks in my life. Taking revenge, and her."
Huo Wei led a group of people from the camp and rushed to the south end of Danyang City at full speed. When Mu Rongjue saw this, his eyes widened in surprise. "Hey, bro, where are you going?"
When Shen Guilan came out of Huo Wei's tent, her sleeves were still rolled up and she was still holding the medicinal materials on a wooden tray. She sighed and shook her head.
"He's gone to the south city gate to save the queen."
She always knew in her heart that the emperor had never intended for the Empress Dugu to return alive when he sent her here.
The plague in Danyang City was the best opportunity to disrupt Southern Chu, and also the best time for Huo Wei to start an uprising in Southern Chu.
"I can't stop this senior brother of mine anymore."
Shen Guilan turned around and walked away, continuing to study the medicinal prescriptions.
However, she also understood that although starting an uprising in Southern Chu was the best opportunity at the moment, in the long run, Huo Wei might very likely be regarded as a person who had achieved too much merit and overshadowed the lord after he returned from the uprising in Southern Chu.
Now, the master had begun to put pressure on Huo Wei, ordering him to firmly grasp the military power and start the army to go south. But as a military advisor, looking at the court situation, she had to admit that the strategy of the Empress Dugu was correct.
Going a little slower was to seek stability and long - term development, rather than giving up everything just for revenge.
Therefore, Shen Guilan, half obstructing and half agreeing, had come to Danyang City with him.
There was another neighing of horses. After Mu Rongjue put on his mask, he led a small team of people and set off for Danyang City, following closely in Huo Wei's footsteps and disappearing into the dust.
It was the end of spring. Danyang City was in the south, and there was already a feeling of early summer heat.
The grass and trees had become lush and green. The wind that blew carried a trace of dry heat, as if it was going to curl the tips of the green grass leaves.
Huo Wei was dressed in a tight - fitting black robe with cloud patterns. His face was covered with a black mask. He entered the city fully armed.
The sun shone on him. His deep and dark eyes squinted slightly. The tragedy in Danyang City was much more serious than when he entered the city a few days ago.
Huo Wei asked, "Were the officials in Danyang City taken to the south city gate by the queen?"
The deputy general replied, "Your Highness, they weren't.
Her Majesty the Queen said that she was from Southern Chu. She was afraid that forcing these officials to do something on the border between Northern Yan and Southern Chu might cause other upheavals.
So Her Majesty only took some of the guards in Danyang City to the south city gate to block the people. But..."
Huo Wei's cold voice came from above. "But what? Speak!"
The deputy general sighed. "I don't know who incited the emotions of the common people in the city, saying that the queen from Southern Chu was determined to seal off Danyang City and didn't care about the lives of the people of Northern Yan. Now the public sentiment has become indignant again.
The situation of Her Majesty the Queen at the south city gate has now been cut off.
But actually, Her Majesty has already set up treatment points in the city. These common people just want to rush out of the city. If this plague spreads, more people will suffer."
Huo Wei turned his horse around and gave an order. "You lead a team of people to the south city gate first to support the queen. I'll go to another place first."
The deputy general didn't dare to delay and quickly led the team away.
Mu Rongjue galloped into the city on his horse. He shouted behind Huo Wei, "Bro, where are you turning your horse to? I'll go with you!"
Huo Wei frowned slightly. "A Jue, what are you doing here? Go back quickly."
Mu Rongjue wasn't going to leave. He followed closely behind Huo Wei and couldn't be shaken off no matter what.
At the south end of Danyang City, the common people gathered under the city tower, condemning loudly and throwing vegetables and eggs.
The strong and young men had already started to pull people together. They were holding shovels or other iron tools and had begun to ram the city gate.
Behind the city gate, Dugu Luanyue had ordered people to prop it up firmly with wood, but it seemed that it wouldn't hold for much longer.
Aunt Mei Jiang and the deputy general Wang Huyang looked down with solemn expressions. Wang Huyang roared at the people below.
"Are you out of your minds? There's food, drink, and doctors at the treatment points in the city. Instead of going to get food, you're all bent on breaking through the pass to Southern Chu. What on earth do you mean?"
Dugu Luanyue stood in the wind in a long black dress. At the collar, the bright red fabric was dotted with gold - threaded phoenix patterns. There was a double - tailed phoenix gemstone and gold hairpin in her coiled hair, symbolizing her identity as a member of the royal family.
The astonishingly beautiful woman's charming face was now covered with a frost - like coldness between her eyebrows. Dugu Luanyue put one hand behind her back and said in a low voice.
"The treatment points have been deliberately destroyed, and there are also people spreading rumors in the city. It seems that there's someone behind this who doesn't want this plague to end soon.
This person behind the scenes first hid the supplies distributed by the court in the mountains, making the common people disappointed in the court. Then they incited public indignation, destroyed the treatment of the plague, and incited the common people to gather at the south city gate to break through the pass.
It seems that there really is someone who wants the plague to spread to Southern Chu so that my mother country will suffer from the plague!"
In the past few days in the city, she had already revealed her identity as the queen, trying to make the common people trust the court and giving them a few more days to find a prescription for the plague. But these common people didn't seem to believe her at all.
As more and more people gathered under the south city gate, more and more infected people were also among them.
"Open the city gate! Open the city gate!"
"The queen is from Southern Chu. Naturally, she won't care about the lives of us Northern Yan people. Someone said that there's a way to solve the plague in Southern Chu, but the queen just won't let us go there!"
"Yes, the heart of this Southern Chu princess is really despicable!"
"Now the other city gates have been blocked by the officials. The defense of this south city gate is the weakest. Let's work harder!"
Sweat oozed from Aunt Mei Jiang's forehead. She ran up from below the city tower.
"Your Majesty the Queen, it's bad. The city gate has been rammed continuously for three days and is about to collapse!
Once these people rush into Southern Chu, what will happen to our people in Southern Chu?"
Dugu Luanyue clenched her fist behind her waist. Her knuckles turned white from the tension.
"If it were in normal times, I would have already raised my long sword and killed those few people who deliberately incited the people below!
But Aunt, both you and I are from Southern Chu. If we kill the people of Northern Yan in such a situation, it will surely lead to an irreparable disaster.
By then, I will surely be labeled as someone who failed to treat the plague and even massacred the people of Northern Yan. Not only will I lose my position as the queen, but a great war between the north and the south will surely break out."
Aunt Mei Jiang's heart tightened.
"We never expected such things to happen when we set off! We originally thought it was just a plague, but we didn't expect it to be a conspiracy!"
The people below the city tower shouted again. "Your Majesty the Queen, the city gate can't hold much longer. Please make a decision quickly!"