Hearing this, Mei Qingxue frowned and tried to recall, but she couldn't remember anything about that plague. "Did the plague break out in the place where the beggars were taken in?" Although the court had built houses for them to settle down, no one cared about the beggars when they got sick. Maybe that's how the plague broke out.
"Yes. It was already winter then. Normally, the plague wouldn't break out at that time. But, alas... I heard that all the people in the house were burned to death in a big fire. It was so tragic." The beggar shook his head with a sigh.
As soon as the beggar mentioned the word "fire", Mei Qingxue felt a sudden tightness in her heart. Her chest felt so stuffy that she couldn't speak. She could only open her eyes wide and gasp for air. The raging fire in her dream appeared in her mind again.
Could this incident have something to do with the scene in her dream?
"Sir, sir, what's wrong with you? What's wrong with you?" Yue Ru was the first to notice Mei Qingxue's pale face. She was even more worried. She shouldn't have let her young lady come to this place just now.
Mei Qingxue gave a weak smile and gently patted Yue Ru, indicating that she was okay. "Huff, I'm fine. Maybe I'm a bit tired after walking such a long way today." The strange reaction came and went quickly. Soon, her breathing became much smoother.
"Seeing that the benefactor doesn't look well, this little beggar will lead the benefactor back first." Mei Qingxue's kindness touched the beggars deeply, and they couldn't help but feel inclined towards her.
Mei Qingxue thought that she had achieved her purpose of coming here, and there was no need to stay any longer, so she nodded and left.
"Sir, don't wander around anymore in the future. You really scared Yue Ru just now!"
"Yes, benefactor. You'd better not come to this kind of place where beggars live. If you really pity us, just give us a few copper coins or a bun in the city, and we beggars will be extremely grateful."
"I will find a way to help you. Don't worry." The beggars here were not very old, and they still had high potential.
The word "tavern" flashed through Mei Qingxue's mind again involuntarily.
"This is the northernmost part of the capital. Ordinary poor people won't choose to live here..." The beggar was muttering in front, and Mei Qingxue and the others were following slowly behind.
Just as they walked through a long alley, not far ahead in the alley, there was a "thud" sound, and a black object fell from the sky, smashing the woven basket placed outside the alley to pieces.
All three of them were startled! There really could be things falling from the sky!
"Sir, what, what is that thing? It's so dark. Let's, let's take another way." Yue Ru was very scared, but she still stood in front of Mei Qingxue to protect her.
"Two benefactors, this is the only way back. How about you benefactors wait here, and this beggar will go and have a look." He was a beggar, a man with nothing and no attachments. Even if it was really something deadly, he wasn't afraid.
Mei Qingxue admired the beggar's courage. If she hadn't misseen just now, the thing that fell from the sky should be a man.
A thought flashed through her mind. A man falling from the sky. Could it be that he was also a time - traveler!
Thinking of this, Mei Qingxue was extremely happy. Just thinking that she was about to have a fellow time - traveler made her excited! Fellow traveler, sister is coming to save you! You must hold on!
"I'll go and have a look with you." After saying that, she walked ahead first.
Yue Ru had no choice but to follow as she couldn't stop her.
The three of them walked closer slowly and gently pushed aside the smashed bamboo basket. They were surprised to find a man covered in black cloth lying on the ground. His face was also covered with a black cloth, so his appearance couldn't be seen clearly.
It really was a man! But why did he look more like a masked assassin than a time - traveler? Could it be that he, like her, had his soul time - traveled?
"So it's a man. But he seems to be injured." The beggar stepped forward, pulled off the man's mask, and gently felt his breath. He found that the man was still alive.
"Hey, hey, wake up, wake up."
"Benefactor, this man should be in a coma. He won't wake up for a while."
"Really...?" Mei Qingxue frowned. If he didn't wake up, how could she ask him if he was a time - traveler?
"This man must have suffered very serious internal injuries. On the surface, there doesn't seem to be any big problem, but if he's not treated in time, he probably won't live long." The beggar said faintly after feeling the black - clothed man's pulse.
"So you can also treat illnesses?" Were the beggars here all so versatile?
"Oh, before I became a beggar, I learned a little bit of medical knowledge in my hometown."
"What's your name?"
"I don't have a name. Please give me a name, benefactor."
"From now on, your name will be Yu Yi." Mei Qingxue said proudly after seriously considering for a while.
"Yu Yi, Yu Yi. Thank you, benefactor, for giving me a name." The beggar seemed very happy.
Mei Qingxue looked very self - satisfied and completely forgot about the dying man beside her.
"Sir, that man seems to be dying!"
Yue Ru's exclamation brought Mei Qingxue's sanity back.
"Yu Yi, this is your chance to show your worth. Help me carry this man to the nearest medical clinic. I will surely reuse you in the future!" She didn't dare to consider herself as someone's benefactor.
Without saying more, Yu Yi stepped forward carefully, picked up the man lying straight on the ground on his back, and walked out first.
In the Tianzi No. 1 Medical Clinic on Wuyi Street in the capital, an old doctor with gray hair frowned tightly as he felt the pulse of the patient on the bed.
Mei Qingxue beside him frowned even more tightly than the old doctor. She was really afraid that the doctor would say that the man was hopeless and they should prepare for his funeral! This man might very well be her fellow time - traveler. How could he die so soon?
"Doctor, how is he?"
"Sigh..." The doctor let out a sigh.
This medium - length sigh made Mei Qingxue's heart skip a beat. She thought, old man, just say what you want to say directly. It's very immoral to scare people like this!
Mei Qingxue stepped forward with a look of grief, grabbed the old doctor's hand, and said with a choked voice, "Doctor, just tell me the truth. I can take it!"
The doctor was startled by her appearance. He broke free from her grasp and said, "What I mean is, although he has suffered serious internal injuries, he can recover after a period of recuperation! But..."
Mei Qingxue, who had just calmed down, felt her heart skip a beat again. She thought, old man, can you just finish what you want to say at once! Doesn't he know that she gets easily excited? Although she was secretly angry in her heart, her face still showed a look of great concern.
"But what, doctor? Just say it."
"The internal injuries of this patient are very serious. To fully recover, it will cost a lot of high - quality medicinal herbs. Moreover, there are several kinds of medicinal herbs that are hard to buy even with money. An ordinary family probably..."
So he was worried about this aspect! Her father was the prime minister of the current dynasty. There were all kinds of high - quality medicinal herbs in the warehouse. She wasn't worried about this at all. What she was thinking about now was where to arrange this man who might be her fellow time - traveler.
If she left him outside, she was afraid that he would leave as soon as he woke up. But if she took him back to the mansion...
"Sir, what are you going to do with this man?"
"Let me think for a while." Mei Qingxue frowned with a bit of difficulty. If she took this man back to the mansion, she didn't know how her parents and brothers would react. After all, she was still an unmarried young lady. Taking a strange man back to the mansion might make them think that it was a kind of hint.
"Let him stay in the medical clinic for now. We'll decide what to do when it's time for us to go back to the mansion later. During this period, I'll trouble the doctor to take good care of him." Mei Qingxue said after thinking for a while. She still wanted to go to another place today, so she would see if there was a good way later.
"Yu Yi, don't go begging today. Take this silver, go and take a bath, buy a set of clothes, and then come back to the medical clinic to take care of this man. If he wakes up in the middle, send someone to look for Young Master Luofan in the most famous red - light district in the capital." Mei Qingxue deliberately lowered her voice when she said the last part. After all, going to that kind of place during the day really didn't give people a good impression.
Yu Yi was slightly surprised, then nodded in agreement.
"Sir, are you just going to ignore that man?"
"I'm going to take care of him, but I'm just thinking of a proper way."
"Then where does the sir want to go now? It's almost noon. Does the sir want to go for a meal?" She was so hungry that her stomach was growling after walking such a long way just now.
Mei Qingxue gave a bright smile. "Why are you in such a hurry? Later, your sir will take you to a good place to have fun!"
Hearing Mei Qingxue say this, Yue Ru's eyes lit up. She really thought that her young lady would take her to a good place. But when she got there, she really regretted it to the core!
"Yo, two young masters are so handsome. Is this your first time coming to our Xiangxiao Courtyard?" In front of them was a woman in her thirties who claimed to be the madam. She was dressed gaudily, with heavy makeup on her face and bright red lips. The shiny gold hairpin on her head dazzled Mei Qingxue's eyes.
That's right. Since she knew about the fascinating world outside the mansion, she had always wanted to visit a brothel in ancient times to see if this place, which was said to be the most favorite entertainment place for ancient men, was really as attractive as it was described in books and on TV! Wow, finally, her wish came true today!
She deliberately chose the most high - class Xiangxiao Courtyard in the capital. She wanted to know how good the best one could be and how the girls here made all the important people in the capital linger on.
"Prepare a high - class private room for this young master. This young master is here for the first time. Madam, you should take good care of me." Mei Qingxue said while shaking her jade - bone fan and pretending to be a romantic figure. After saying that, she motioned for Yue Ru to give the madam some tip.