After Lü Baiwei returned to the Snow Bamboo Residence in the Western Third Compound, Maid Mei couldn't wait to ask:
"Your Ladyship, do you really intend to assist the Crown Prince, or do you have other plans?"
Lü Baiwei sat in front of the bronze mirror. Looking at her beautiful face in the mirror, she curled her lips into a smile:
"Is Song Chengyuan really worth my help?"
Maid Mei said, "So you have other plans. But this old servant can't figure out what Your Ladyship is up to."
Lü Baiwei picked up a jade comb and gently combed her hair. Her red lips, as delicate as water chestnuts in the mirror, curled up:
"The Crown Prince is stupid. He thinks he can regain the Emperor's trust and favor by suppressing the plague. But this plague is a natural disaster. This year, the capital and its surrounding areas have enjoyed favorable weather. Where did the plague come from?"
Maid Mei was stunned. "Then... then..."
Suddenly, her eyes widened in disbelief. "The Crown Prince wouldn't be planning to create a plague himself, would he?"
"Why not?" Lü Baiwei replied with a smile.
Maid Mei was shocked. "Playing with the lives of the common people like this. The Emperor..."
"The Emperor may not take his life, nor will he depose him. After all, that fool has done more than one stupid thing, and the Emperor has never considered deposing the Crown Prince. Moreover, the Empress Dowager is seriously ill. Even if the Crown Prince does something bad and the Emperor is disappointed, even if he really wants to depose the Crown Prince, he will have to wait until the Empress passes away."
"Then what is Your Ladyship's purpose in all this?"
Lü Baiwei sighed. "It's for Xuan Yao! When the Crown Prince makes a mistake, Xuan Yao will clean up the mess. The hearts of the people in the capital will soon belong to Xuan Yao. Moreover..."
She paused for a moment, recalling the scene when Song Yinghuai lovingly held Caiyu's hand and went to the He Feng Tower. A look of malice flashed across her charming face.
This time, she not only wanted Xuan Yao to see that she could help him in the court, but also wanted to break the unity between Caiyu and Xuan Yao!
...
Half a month before the Tartar envoys were due to arrive in the capital, just before the Mid - Autumn Festival in August, a plague suddenly broke out in several villages at the foot of Qixia Mountain.
The plague not only affected the villages at the foot of Qixia Mountain, but also spread to the thousand - year - old Qixia Temple on the mountain because the monks there were helping the victims. The temple became a severely affected area.
The court quickly sent people to block all the passages up and down Qixia Mountain. The whole area became an isolated island.
Surprisingly, Lü Baiwei, the concubine of the Crown Prince, happened to be in the temple praying for Empress Ma that day. As a result, she was also trapped in the epidemic area.
The Crown Princess had passed away. There were two concubines in the Crown Prince's mansion. The other concubine, Concubine Xu, rarely left the mansion and had a three - year - old child. So in everyone's eyes, Concubine Lü was actually the most likely candidate to be the new Crown Princess.
But only Lü Baiwei knew that Song Chengyuan would rather let that three - year - old child inherit his position than make Song Xiuzhu the heir.
However, the royal family was anxious because Lü Baiwei was trapped on Qixia Mountain.
So, Sheng Jiangli, who had been imprisoned for a month, was released at the Crown Prince's suggestion and was about to lead troops to Qixia Mountain to suppress the plague.
As for the Crown Prince, he originally wanted to "be the first to charge" and go up the mountain immediately. But Emperor Guangwu and Empress Ma were worried that he might catch the plague, so they didn't allow him to go during the peak of the epidemic.
Emperor Guangwu's intention was to let Song Chengyuan go up the mountain when the epidemic was almost under control to claim credit, so as to explain to the ministers.
This shows that although Emperor Guangwu was disappointed in Song Chengyuan, he hadn't given up on him. This made the people on Prince Yan's side even more determined to push Song Yinghuai to go to Qixia Mountain to suppress the plague.
Everyone knew this was a game. Whoever could stop the spread of the epidemic and make it disappear would gain more bargaining chips.
It was well - known that the last time a plague broke out in Lingbi under the jurisdiction of the capital due to a flood in the Wei River, the junior official of the Ministry of Revenue at that time was promoted four levels in a row for his meritorious service in suppressing the plague and was promoted to the position of Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, in charge of all foreign affairs of the Great Ye.
Even further back, a plague broke out in the eastern capital due to a rat infestation. A young female doctor in Xinzhou formulated a folk recipe, which stopped the spread of the disaster and saved tens of thousands of people.
The Emperor and the Empress summoned her. Her father was originally sentenced to be beheaded in autumn for causing a death. To reward the young female doctor, Emperor Guangwu pardoned her father's death penalty and allowed him to return home. He also rewarded them with fifty mu of fertile land and three properties. All the officials in Xinzhou were promoted because of this.
So, the merit of suppressing the plague was worth fighting for.
In the prison of the Ministry of Justice.
Xu Ziyi ordered someone to open the prison door. Looking at Sheng Jiangli, who was lying lazily on the straw with a straw in his mouth, he said with a gentle smile:
"Congratulations, General Sheng, on your release from prison. You're about to have the opportunity to make a great contribution. Don't forget our friendship in the future."
Sheng Jiangli flipped up from the straw with a quick movement and also smiled:
"Congratulations to you too. I thought I'd have to mooch off your prison food for another half a month, but I didn't expect the Emperor and the Crown Prince to miss me so soon... Thank you for your care during this time. You've sent me cockroaches, mice, and sparrows. I'll never forget your great kindness."
Xu Ziyi curled his lips. "This is the environment of the Ministry of Justice prison. I've done my best. Cockroaches and mice can't be avoided... But where did the sparrow come from?"
Sheng Jiangli tilted his mouth towards a corner where a girl was standing. He said with a headache:
"Don't tell me the guards in the prison of the Ministry of Justice are blind. This girl has been prying open my prison door every now and then and staying for half a day. None of you noticed?"
Qingqing stared at them stubbornly with her big round eyes.
She had been imprisoned for nearly a month, but the girl seemed more energetic. She didn't look like someone in prison, but rather like a guest.
Xu Ziyi forced a laugh. "We knew about it, but a gentleman should help others achieve their good intentions. This little girl came to the prison for love. You and I are colleagues, and she's also from Prince Yan's mansion. We couldn't make things difficult for her, could we?"
Sheng Jiangli patted him on the shoulder. "Then thank you for your kindness, Second Master Xu. I'll take my leave first?"
Only then did a look of surprise appear on Qingqing's face. She chased after him a few steps and shouted, "Brother Sheng! Aren't you going to rescue me?"
Sheng Jiangli stopped and looked back at her in surprise. "You had the ability to get in, but you didn't think about how to get out?"
Qingqing was blocked in the cell by several yamen servants and shouted anxiously, "No! I didn't think that much. I just wanted to see you. How could I know you'd be released?"
Sheng Jiangli said regretfully, "Then... I'm afraid I can't help you. The Ministry of Justice isn't my family business. Don't you have a good relationship with Second Master Xu? He was willing to give you medicine to avoid mice and insects. I think if you talk to him nicely, maybe he'll release you when he's in a good mood."
"No, when did I have a good relationship with him... Hey hey hey, Brother Sheng, don't leave!"
Qingqing watched Sheng Jiangli leave without looking back. She stamped her feet in anger. "Stupid wood! Stupid wood!"
"He is indeed stupid wood." Xu Ziyi walked up to her at some point and said with a half - smile. "He remained unmoved with a beautiful girl by his side. I don't know what he's thinking. Everyone says that Prince Yan has been practicing Buddhism for seven years and has lost all his earthly desires..."
"But in my opinion, Prince Yan is still involved in worldly affairs and can't escape the mortal world. Instead, this stupid wood is more like a monk, isn't he?"
"You're the stupid wood! Who allowed you to call Brother Sheng that?" Qingqing glared angrily at Xu Ziyi. "Only I can call him stupid wood!"
Xu Ziyi stopped smiling and asked with a straight face, "Do you still want to get out if you're so rude to me?"
Qingqing looked at him warily. "What do you want to do?"
"Smart!" Xu Ziyi smiled. "I knew you were a troublemaker the first time I saw you. Do you want to get out and continue chasing your Brother Sheng?"
Qingqing didn't say a word. Xu Ziyi didn't mind and continued:
"Don't worry. I don't need you to do anything bad. Sheng Jiangli is going to Qixia Mountain to suppress the plague, and Prince Yan is also going. I'm going to send my sister up the mountain too."
Qingqing suddenly understood. "You want to create opportunities for the princess and Prince Yan to get along!"
Xu Ziyi nodded. "That's right... But don't worry. My sister is a good girl. She also likes Caiyu and won't pose a threat to your Sister Caiyu. But a daughter of the Xu family must become the Princess of Yan. In the future, when she becomes the Princess of Yan, she will surely treat you and Caiyu well. So..."
"All you need to do is find a way to stick to Sheng Jiangli and go into the epidemic area with him, and create more opportunities for my sister to get along with Prince Yan!"
His sister was a bit single - minded. When it came to the art of a persistent woman chasing a man, this Qingqing was an expert!