Facing Li Minzhi’s direct question, Shen Yun did not take offense. Instead, he answered his question with ease.
“Although my wife is but a woman, I cannot do without her on this journey,” Shen Yun explained that Su Xiaoqi possessed miraculous medical skills, and most of the epidemic in Tongzhou had been treated by her.
Li Minzhi looked at the woman with a delicate and charming face before him, and he could no longer control his expression. A mere frail woman possessed such power. He had heard that Shen Yun was accompanied by Lu Mingyang, the Director of the Imperial Academy. He had always assumed that the complete cure of illnesses was the work of Director Lu. To his surprise, it was the woman before him who was responsible.
Upon seeing the various medicinal herbs laid out on the table where they were seated and knowing that Director Lu had already arrived in the capital, he chose to believe. He stood up and respectfully cupped his hands in a bow towards Su Xiaoqi, expressing his admiration. Su Xiaoqi had initially thought him to be a pedantic man who looked down on women based on his attitude. She had intended to ignore him, but seeing his swift change in demeanor, she decided not to dwell on it. She nodded and smiled at him in response.
With that said, Shen Yun asked Li Minzhi the purpose of his visit.
“His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived,” Li Minzhi replied.
Shen Yun’s eyebrows rose slightly, and he remained silent, waiting for Li Minzhi to continue.
“Someone reported that Zhao Village, Wang Village, and Li Family Village were all engulfed by flames. Not only were the sick individuals burned to death within, but even some of their family members were executed together…” Li Minzhi’s voice was heavy. He knew the severity of the epidemic in Bazhou. As the prefect of this region, he had emptied the granaries of the prefectural office. He had led the people of his prefecture to escape the drought, using the grain stored in the prefectural office to save most of the lives. At this point, he deeply felt his inadequacy to lead them out of the epidemic’s danger, and felt immense guilt towards them. Therefore, when he heard that the imperial court had sent the Crown Prince along with imperial physicians, he was overjoyed and immediately made preparations, awaiting the Crown Prince’s display of power.
It was a pity that he had thought too much. The Crown Prince did arrive and was quite proactive. He immediately dispatched his subordinates from the Eastern Palace to investigate. The conclusion was that the epidemic in Bazhou prefectural city was not a major concern. However, the situation in the three villages of Liu County, adjacent to Tongzhou, was the most severe. They immediately rushed to that location. He thought he would soon hear good news.
However, what he received was that the Crown Prince’s subordinates had dispatched troops to surround the three villages, confined all the sick individuals within, and then set them ablaze. By the time he knew, it was too late. He had tried to send people to stop them. But what could the humble yamen runners in his prefectural office do against the formidable guards of the Crown Prince’s Eastern Palace? Not only did their efforts fail, but they were also suppressed, insulted, and even forced to become laborers for moving corpses and cleaning up the aftermath. Li Minzhi was so enraged that he nearly choked and fainted.
As soon as he regained consciousness, he heard that Shen Yun had sent someone for help. After carefully listening to the details of the situation, combined with the aura of Mr. Gu surrounding Shen Yun, he immediately agreed. He even dispatched his trusted confidants to personally cover for Shen Yun and his group. However, he had been thoroughly demoralized by the Crown Prince’s entourage at the time, so he did not have any expectations for Shen Yun’s group. He only had people closely monitoring the situation, reporting to him at the slightest disturbance.
These past few days, he had finally heard good news. Although Shen Yun himself had remained indoors, he had sent his trusted subordinates to rescue people everywhere. Now, the large courtyard house where they were staying had accommodated over a hundred people. Furthermore, those who were originally infected with the epidemic and were housed there quickly recovered after receiving their aid. He had personally inspected it; a patient who was reportedly on the verge of death from the epidemic had left after treatment, now full of vigor.
Such actions were entirely incomparable to the Crown Prince’s group who only rounded up the sick, confined them to await death, or even directly burned them to death. Therefore, he had come in person today. Before coming, he had learned much about Shen Yun’s deeds and was extremely satisfied with him, which was why he had acted so familiarly upon his arrival. Upon hearing Shen Yun specifically introduce his wife, Su Xiaoqi, as the one responsible, Li Minzhi exclaimed that there was always someone better, and his wife was actually so formidable. The illnesses that left everyone helpless were easily cured by her. He praised Su Xiaoqi profusely. Even Su Xiaoqi, with her thick skin, was somewhat overwhelmed by the praise and kept glancing at Shen Yun for help with her clear, bright peach blossom eyes.
Shen Yun chuckled, interrupted Li Minzhi with a cupped hand, and asked where the Crown Prince and his party were now.
“Still in Liu County. However, a subordinate official of the Eastern Palace, surnamed Su, along with a small team of guards, is heading towards the prefectural city under the guise of pursuing those who fled due to the epidemic.”
Shen Yun stated that he was aware of this matter. Without a doubt, they must have apprehended Cao Daman and his group, causing them to lose contact. Upon noticing something was amiss, they had tracked them down. It had already been three days, and they were only now reacting. Shen Yun mused that they were much slower than he had anticipated. He had originally given himself and Xiaoqi only one day. Now that an extra two days had passed, it was more than enough.
Nine-tenths of the patients housed in the courtyard had already recovered. Over the past two days, they had been gradually leaving. He had previously inquired, and when the Crown Prince’s subordinates apprehended people, they did so based solely on symptoms such as fever, cough, or runny nose, without registering their household information. Now, as long as these people no longer exhibited any symptoms of illness, they would be considered normal individuals and would no longer have to fear being captured and burned to death. With one more dose of medicine, the last thirty people in the district would also recover, and they could be released by tomorrow afternoon.
In fact, even if Li Minzhi had not come to find Shen Yun, Shen Yun intended to seek him out personally. After all, he was the prefect of this region, and Shen Yun was merely passing through. The real resolution of the problem still lay with the local officials. Thus, Shen Yun took Li Minzhi aside for a lengthy discussion. First, he assured him not to worry about the Crown Prince; he had his own ways of dealing with him. He even hoped that Li Minzhi would concentrate the infected individuals together, just as they had done, and summon all the physicians in the city. He should instruct them to wear the masks and gloves prepared by his wife to prevent infection. Then, they should administer the decoction from the prepared medicine packets. If they persisted in this manner, this epidemic would surely be eradicated just like in Tongzhou.
Li Minzhi was overjoyed and quickly agreed, stating that he would do anything to eradicate the epidemic. Such a heroic spirit indeed marked him as someone capable of practical matters. Shen Yun now also felt a sense of admiration for Li Minzhi. At the same time, he was most impressed with Mr. Gu. Although Li Minzhi did not outwardly show it, his ideas proved why Mr. Gu had listed him on the roster; he truly lived up to his reputation for fairness and loyalty.
After their discussion, Su Xiaoqi finally finished preparing all the medicine packets. Feeling somewhat weary, she attempted to stand up but swayed, experiencing a wave of dizziness. Fortunately, Shen Yun was by her side and caught her in time. He apologized to Li Minzhi, saying, "My wife has been toiling day and night and is truly exhausted. Please excuse us."
Upon hearing of Su Xiaoqi’s arduous efforts to treat the sick, Li Minzhi’s respect for her grew even more. Who said women were inferior to men? In this matter, no one had surpassed her in dedication and contribution.