Du Gu Luanyue stood outside the door. No one came to open it for her. She pricked up her ears and listened carefully to the movement inside. It was completely quiet.
Aunt Mei Jiang pursed her lips and whispered behind her, "The eldest son of the Sheng family is really a headache, and now even the Prince of Yuzhang is giving Her Majesty trouble. Your Majesty has been tired all day. You should go back and rest first. These men are so careless. Don't give them any more face."
Du Gu Luanyue thought it made sense and nodded slightly. "Yes. Now I'll go and see Military Advisor Shen first and ask in detail how much longer it will take to distribute the medicine throughout the city."
She had only taken a few steps when the door of Huo Wei's room creaked open. Du Gu Luanyue also stopped in her tracks.
Huo Wei stepped out of the room. "Old maid, who are you calling a headache? Who are you calling careless?"
Aunt Mei Jiang shrugged and whispered, "This old servant is hard of hearing. I don't know what Your Highness is talking about. Her Majesty the Queen is tired today. This old servant will escort Her Majesty back first."
Du Gu Luanyue paused for a moment, then turned back. Looking at him calmly, she said, "Sheng Yunqi came to deliver coptis to Danyang City. Don't make things difficult for him. He'll be leaving in a few days. I'm here because..."
Before she could finish saying the word "coptis", Huo Wei's face darkened. He slammed the door shut with a bang. The wind from the door fluttered the hair beside her temples.
She stood outside the door for a while, hesitating whether she should coax Huo Wei. In the end, she decided not to. She wasn't going to spoil his bad temper.
The summer rain had been falling since the night and continued until the next morning.
The moss marks under the eaves were full of the footprints of the coming and going military officers.
Du Gu Luanyue was standing in the main hall of the government office, wearing a long light - colored dress with simple patterns. She looked a bit like she used to be in the Eastern Palace, less charming and more capable like a crown prince handling affairs.
She was discussing official business with the coming and going officials and was coping with them with ease.
The burly vice - general, Wang Huyang, came to report. "Your Majesty the Queen, last night Military Advisor Shen finished boiling the first batch of medicine and it has been sent to the resettlement points in the city. But the number of sick civilians in the city is still increasing rapidly. Last night, some strong men caused trouble. They said to open the city gates. If not the south gate, then the north gate. Anyway, they demanded the gates to be opened. Damn it, they wouldn't listen to anything!"
Du Gu Luanyue tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Her expression was as cold as a glacier, giving an unattainable feeling. Her voice was firm and calm. "The number of people infected with the plague in the city is still increasing. We must never open the city gates. Those who try to break through the gates should be directly thrown into prison. There's no need to report it to me again. Military Advisor Shen and the doctors under him are already speeding up the production of the antidote, but Danyang City is so big and the amount of medicine needed is huge. If each person needs to drink three bowls of medicine a day, then Military Advisor Shen would have to boil tens of thousands of bowls a day. That's not realistic."
She was extremely worried. Even the maids she brought had gone to help, but the speed still couldn't keep up. Once the production of the antidote slowed down, more and more civilians in the city would fall ill. But no matter how worried she was, she wouldn't show it in front of her subordinates.
Huo Wei rushed back after deploying troops at each city gate. He took off his mask and held it in his hand. His voice was cold. "Military Advisor Shen has been working day and night for several days. He's about to collapse."
At this moment, Shen Guilan walked in. His eyes were black - circled. He said anxiously, "I've come up with a way. We can seal the city and use medicinal smoke. The reason this plague is spreading so fast might be related to the flowing air. I discussed with several imperial doctors and the doctors from Southern Chu all night. We've found several medicinal herbs that can dispel the plague poison. If we crush these herbs and mix them with plant ash and burn them throughout the city, using the smoke to dispel some of the toxicity, it should work."
Du Gu Luanyue asked, "Military Advisor Shen, what do you need me to do?"
Hearing this, Shen Guilan thought that indeed the crown prince personally trained by the emperor of Southern Chu was different in the way she spoke. Sometimes he even felt a bit embarrassed to try to make things difficult for her. He rolled up his cloth sleeves, took a big gulp of tea, looking extremely tired. "I need Your Majesty the Queen and Your Highness the Prince to lead the healthy people out of the city first. This medicinal smoke will burn for three days and three nights. It's extremely pungent. You don't need to stay in the city."
Huo Wei lifted his eyelids and asked seriously, "When will we start this operation?"
Shen Guilan was dressed in simple cloth clothes. The headband on his head was just a gray cloth strip. He looked like a simple - dressed scholar. He frowned tightly. "Early in the morning three days from now, we'll start sealing the city and using the medicinal smoke. Your Majesty the Queen and Your Highness the Prince are of noble status. Please evacuate outside the city the day before. The smoke will be too thick. I'm afraid some villains might cause trouble."
Du Gu Luanyue also gave him an appreciative look. She had to admit that this military advisor beside Huo Wei was really meticulous and thoughtful.
Huo Wei paced back and forth in the room. Suddenly, he stopped. "I have another way. It can greatly reduce the time and cost of delivering the antidote."
Shen Guilan gritted his teeth. "Hurry up and say it. Don't keep us in suspense!"
Huo Wei's deep black eyes were full of pride, just like a black eagle in the sky. He said calmly, "Boil the antidote into a paste and pour it into the wells in the city. Let the civilians get the medicine by themselves."
Du Gu Luanyue's eyelashes fluttered. Her red and sexy lips curved slightly. "It's really a good idea. Do it immediately."
There was a bit of coldness and sternness in Huo Wei's black eyes. He turned around and left the main hall with Shen Guilan.
Du Gu Luanyue noticed that he was really being cold to her. This coldness had even lasted overnight. She wondered if the situation was getting a bit serious. But she hadn't done anything with Sheng Yunqi. Why was Huo Wei so angry?
As they walked, Shen Guilan asked, "Why did you glare at the Queen just now?"
Huo Wei said coldly, "You should treat your own eyes."
As they walked, Shen Guilan suddenly laughed. "Oh, I forgot. The Queen's former fiancé from Southern Chu, her childhood sweetheart, is here. You're unhappy. Huo Wei, don't I know you?"
Huo Wei drew out his long sword. "Do you think this sword is sharp enough to cut you?"
Shen Guilan shook his head. "I know why you're like this. Sheng Yunqi is the Queen's childhood sweetheart. Even though she's involved with you, Sheng Yunqi still has a place in her heart. You're the kind of person who is possessive and jealous. Naturally, you feel like ten thousand ants are biting your heart."
Huo Wei's narrow eyes became more fierce. A cold light flashed in them. "I'm just having fun with her."
Shen Guilan glanced at him sideways. His expression was teasing and he looked like a rascal. "Just have fun. Anyway, when we go back to the palace in a while, you'll still have to watch the Queen and His Majesty being lovey - dovey. You'll still have to watch His Majesty come out of the Queen's palace. You'll also know that she will serve His Majesty in bed sooner or later. The Queen is so favored. Maybe she'll even give birth to a prince or princess for His Majesty in the future. Oh dear, Huo Wei, you've been pushed to the third place. Let go earlier. Don't love someone you shouldn't. You're just making things difficult for yourself."
Huo Wei pressed his tongue against his back teeth. The veins on his forehead bulged.
He kicked Shen Guilan behind the knee. Shen Guilan stumbled and sat down in the wet ground after the rain.
Huo Wei looked down at him from above. His long eyes were full of hostility. He smiled coldly. "With my status, it won't be difficult for me to marry a noble lady who has never been married and has never had a fiancé, a woman who will whole - heartedly devote herself to me in the future. She's Murong Min's woman. She's been married before and she's a woman from a foreign race. She's not worthy of me at all."
He said these cold words so easily, but the fist behind his back was clenched so tightly that it turned white.
Shen Guilan picked up his wet cloth clothes, extremely angry. "Are you crazy, Huo A'man? Why did you kick me? You're clearly flustered. You're afraid that you can't compare to Sheng Yunqi. Why are you taking it out on me? He sent coptis to help in an emergency. You're afraid that the Queen..."
Huo Wei stood in a puddle of rainwater. He suddenly stepped on it forcefully. Naturally, he didn't care because he was wearing military uniform and boots, but Shen Guilan was dressed in cloth clothes. Now he was completely soaked. There was a fierce cold light in his eyes. "I've already told you. I'm just having fun with her. I don't even bother to look at her in my heart."
When he looked up again, he saw Sheng Yunqi holding a plain white umbrella. Under the umbrella stood a charming figure.
His jade - like eyes trembled slightly, then became cold again.
Du Gu Luanyue's heart was filled with jealousy at this moment. But she tried hard to push it back and told herself that she didn't care at all.