Fang Er propped his chin and after a moment of thought, gave the order.
"Have the brothers from Yixing find a way to infiltrate the Xuanwen Bookstore and see if anything can be discovered."
"At least, from the procurement of Mingzhou ink, there's something wrong with this bookstore!"
The telegram was sent, and all that remained was to wait.
Fang Er detested waiting. He preferred a direct approach, the kind of decisive action where if you didn't agree, you fought.
But now, his opponent was hiding in the shadows, and without concrete evidence, he didn't know who to vent his anger on!
It was incredibly frustrating!
The intricate web of conspiracy was driving him mad.
By dawn, there was still no news from Yixing.
However, Changsun Ling'er came to find him.
"Husband, my sisters and I gained a lot yesterday. We wish to enter the city again to perform pulse diagnostics for the common folk."
The Liu family had been dealt with, but whether there were still assassins in the city was something no one could guarantee, so Fang Er was a bit uneasy.
"Can't you not go?"
"Those afflicted with the plague didn't develop symptoms on the day they were infected. It's been three days since we last entered the city. I fear there might be infected individuals who are being delayed."
Changsun Ling'er's reasoning was righteous, but it was precisely this that put Fang Er in a dilemma.
"Then adjust the team!"
"You will be in groups of three, with seven students assisting you. Twenty Shenqiang Army soldiers will escort you."
"Thirty people per team. Under no circumstances are you to act alone!"
Qingxue and Yang Luoyue were switched because the assassins had targeted a specific weakness.
The physicians were all women!
And the male students sent by Shenyang Academy and Lanxiang Vocational School were all men.
Everyone has urgent needs. When Qingxue and the others left the team to relieve themselves, they became the perfect targets for the assassins.
After speaking, Fang Er casually unbuckled his belt, along with his holster, and fastened it around Changsun Ling'er's waist.
"Take this for self-defense. Better to kill the wrong person than let the wrong person go!"
Changsun Ling'er held up her hands, letting him do as he pleased with her waist, and said with a smile.
"To hear you say that, it doesn't sound like the Duke of Anguo who loves his people like his own children."
Fang Er rolled his eyes. "Compared to you, I couldn't care less if they lived or died!"
"They all have children. You're still missing one!"
"Who said that? Sister Bao'er hasn't yet..."
"She has. Wang Xuance told me Bao'er is pregnant!"
Changsun Ling'er covered her mouth in surprise. "Ah, why didn't husband say so earlier!"
"I need to send a message to Sister Yue'er tonight to ask. No more talk, I'm going to inform the sisters to assemble."
With that, she scurried away.
Fang Er watched her retreating figure, rubbed his nose, and turned to Lai Yifa.
"Go, tell that donkey, he and Meng Zhong to lead the teams personally!"
"If there's any mishap this time, I will hold them accountable!"
Lai Yifa turned and left.
But when Changsun Ling'er and the others departed, Fang Er accompanied them into the city.
His wife was his own. If anything were to happen, it would be too late to assign blame.
In Yangzhou City, apart from the street in front of the Liu Clan Pharmacy, pedestrians were virtually non-existent.
Upon entering the city, each team split up according to their assigned areas.
Fang Er and Changsun Ling'er proceeded for a short distance before reaching their destination.
Yanchun Ward, West Third Alley.
As soon as they entered the ward, they saw several small children squatting in the alley, urinating and playing with mud.
"Bang!"
One of them, holding a mud bowl, inverted it onto the ground. With a crisp sound, a large hole instantly appeared in the bowl.
He excitedly pointed to the hole and shouted to his companions.
"Mine is broken, hurry up and fix it for me!"
"No, yours is made with urine, it's smelly!"
"Nonsense, I made this with the tea my father drank, it's fragrant, believe it or not..."
As the child was speaking, he heard footsteps approaching and turned to see a group of "White Lady" figures standing behind them.
The child's expression instantly turned fearful. He forgot about the mud bowl on the ground and bolted.
As he ran, he shouted loudly.
"The White Lady is here to kill again..."
"Everyone run, if you're slow, the White Lady will break your necks!"
"Run..."
Changsun Ling'er, who had been smiling and intending to greet the children, froze upon hearing these shouts.
"They, they, how could they..."
Fang Er, however, quickly understood why the children had said such things.
A few days prior, the physicians had been replaced, and assassins had committed murders under the guise of the "White Lady." Although a notice had been issued to clarify the matter, the common folk who had witnessed it firsthand, along with the fake newspapers, had left them with lingering fear.
This was troublesome!
For a moment, he had no good ideas.
"Damn it all, how dare they slander my Shuang'er!"
Zhang Gongjin's voice rang out from the team.
Fang Er looked back in astonishment. When had this guy joined them?
Zhang Gongjin continued to roar.
"Issue my military order!"
"All common folk must cooperate with the pulse diagnostic screening without condition!"
"You donkey, go to the Marquis of Tsundere and get the household registration records. Count according to the records, and anyone who doesn't show up will be fined five taels of silver!"
"Damn their ancestors, I'll see if they dare to hide in their houses!"
Fang Er: ...
You are truly a scoundrel!
He quickly intervened. "No!"
"Fines will only make the people more resistant to the 'White Lady' title. I'll find a way."
"Laizi!"
"My Lord."
"Go to the granary and get the megaphones, and distribute them to each team."
"Anyone who voluntarily comes out for a pulse diagnosis will receive two eggs and one jin of refined flour per day."
"Yes!"
The dynasty had changed, and the era of constant warfare had only just passed a few years ago. The common folk were still accustomed to storing some surplus grain at home for emergencies.
Therefore, at the beginning of the plague, the people had not appeared overly panicked.
But now that Yangzhou had been sealed for about ten days, even if they had surplus grain, people were likely starting to worry.
Half an hour later, megaphones could be heard throughout the city.
"Pulse diagnostics are here..."
"Two eggs per person, one jin of flour. Limited quantities, first come, first served..."
"The Medicine Sect's Sun Simiao is personally attending. Whether you have chronic leg pain or are born with a twisted spleen, it will be cured upon treatment!"
"Also, those with infertility, uncircumcised, come on over..."
When shouting, they deliberately avoided mentioning the plague, which greatly reduced the people's wariness.
Coupled with the tractors that entered the city carrying a full load of supplies.
The offer of rewards for pulse diagnostics was quickly believed by some.
They opened their doors, came out, and lined up obediently before the "White Ladies."
"Can we really get things?" an old man wearing a mask asked Changsun Ling'er.
"You donkey, load them up!"
"Yes!"
Zhang Gongjin shouted, and the donkey took out two eggs and a bag of flour, handing them over.
"Hahaha, good, good!"
"I knew it, how could the White Lady kill people? You are the Nine Heavens Profound Women, bodhisattvas come to save the world."
The old man was overjoyed as he took the items, laughing, and several nose hairs protruded from the gap in his mask.
"Elder, please don't laugh so much, put on your mask properly!"
Changsun Ling'er smiled faintly as she saw that she had finally been accepted.
She leaned forward over the table and helped him readjust his mask before starting the pulse diagnosis.
In a corner, several sly eyes watched all this, gnashing their teeth in hatred.