When Divine Physician Huang heard she would leave her blood, his eyes widened, “What kind of tribe are you? Why are you even more brutal than those from barbarian land?! Let’s not talk about feeding him regularly. Let’s talk about how long is the interval between each time, and how much is given each time. You’ll be gone for at least two months, right? How do you preserve the blood?”

As he spoke, he suddenly paused.

“Wait a minute … you’re not thinking about sending him blood regularly when you reach Huainan, right? Are you crazy? There’s a plague there, if you lose so much blood every time, how can you resist it?”

It was evident that the old man was genuinely worried.

Bai Su curled her lips, “Just once will be enough. I’ve thought about all the problems you mentioned. I asked the Imperial Astronomical Bureau and Miss Feng Yao said they have an ice cellar. When the time comes, the blood can be stored there, so preservation is not a problem. And I’m not crazy, of course, I won’t go to Huainan and bleed myself. Besides, if I’m infected with the plague without knowing it, won’t my blood become poison? By then, if the plague isn’t solved and was brought by me to the imperial city … Wouldn’t that be the biggest joke in the world?”

She received a big eye roll, “This joke isn’t funny at all.”

“Then let’s take the blood.”

As Bai Su spoke, she rolled her sleeves and pointed three fingers at him.

“Three …? Three spoonfuls?”

Bai Su, “… Three bowls.”

The old man immediately slammed the table, “I won’t do it. Say whatever you want but I won’t do it. Either you don’t go and let this old man go instead, or you give half a bowl the most. There’s no room for negotiation. Can a living person give three bowls of blood? That’s the amount given by a dead person.”

Bai Su was amused by him, her beautiful eyes curved as she said, “The blood of a dead person has congealed. You can’t even get half a bowl.”

Divine Physician Huang, “…”

He was so angry that he kept pacing around the room, “Good heavens. You girl, how can you still laugh?! Three bowls of blood, ah. After you give it, you still have to go to Huainan immediately. After the arduous journey, there’s still the risk of contracting the disease! This is crazy, truly madness!”

After walking around for a long time, he finally sighed loudly … He stood before her and advised her earnestly, “Girl, let me tell you … Our Datong had experienced the plague thirty years ago. At that time, Old Man Sun was in charge and it ended within two years. Now, with me and Old Man Sun together, plus the experience you mentioned, it’ll probably take no more than a year. You don’t need to risk your life like this. Besides, it’s not like you’re indispensable for this, don’t you think so?”

Losing blood in ancient times was no small matter. Moreover, she had to lose 1500 milliliters at once. The limit of blood loss for a person was about 2000 milliliters. The amount that Bai Su had chosen was very dangerous.

Besides … as Senior Huang had said, she couldn’t rest well after losing so much blood. She had to travel to Huainan. If she were lucky and took proper precautions, she wouldn’t be infected with any diseases after arriving. But in the face of the plague, how could it be so easy to escape unscathed? This was an ancient era where disinfection facilities and protective materials were scarce to almost nonexistent.

At that time, her body would be weak and her immunity would be insufficient. She would also have to fight against the virus. Bai Su knew all this, but …

“But he wanted to end it sooner. I promised him I would suppress the plague within three months and return within two months.”

‘What do you mean by return? After draining three bowls of blood, you’ll rush to the center of the pandemic. Do you think you can come back alive? Are you rushing to prevent a pandemic, or are you tired of living and eager to reincarnate? And your wrist, do you feel these two scars are too small? Are you just looking for an excuse to die? You … you’re abandoning your wife and child, do you know that?!”

Imperial Physician Huang was on the verge of exploding from anger.

Yes, in the past, a plague was calculated by the years, and under the prevalence of the plague, each additional day meant more lives lost. With Bai Su taking charge of the situation, it would only take a few months. How many lives would be saved …

But were other people’s lives important, but Bai Su’s life was not?

Besides, she had a pregnant “wife” at home …

He felt that she was unreasonable, but on the other hand, he was full of admiration.

Why did she have to be so righteous? Couldn’t she be a little selfish? As long as she didn’t go, who could force her?

The old man was so distressed that his eyes were about to turn red. He even wanted to send someone to call Duan Changchuan over right now and let him discipline his empress.

Just as he felt uncomfortable, a figure in a bright red dress suddenly stepped forward and knelt before him.

The woman’s noble aura was overwhelming. Even if she was kneeling, her back was still straight. Her long and narrow eyes looked at him solemnly.

“Senior, please grant my wish. Only by suppressing the plague as quickly as possible can His Majesty win the hearts of the people, and only by winning them can he secure the world.”

As she spoke, she folded her hands in front of her chest and bowed deeply, saying, “He wants to save more people, overthrow the Regent, sit in that position legitimately, and no longer be controlled by others in the future. Bai Su doesn’t have any great ambitions. What he wants is what Bai Su wants.”

Her heartfelt words left the old man speechless.

The two of them were in a stalemate for a long time, one standing, one kneeling …

After a long time, there was a loud clap of thunder outside. The heavy rain poured down.

In an instant, the whole room darkened …

The person kneeling on the ground turned her head to look out the window and said calmly, “Senior, let’s begin. It’s getting dark. His Majesty is still waiting for me to pick him up in the Feng Xi Palace.”

“Sigh …”

The old man heaved a deep sigh and shook his head, “You foolish child … I don’t know if it’s good or bad … Forget it, come with me …”

Bai Su calmly got up and bowed solemnly to him again, saying, “Thank you, senior.”

–

The wind and rain raged outside … The pomegranate flowers courtyard trembled in the storm. The bright red flowers rustled and fell to the ground.

“Sister Jin’er, do you want to come over here? The rain is too heavy, it’s so cold! Master made ginger soup for everyone to drink. You should drink some too!”

Nangong Jin’er stood outside the door with an umbrella. When she heard the little dumpling shouting from the other side, she smiled and shook her head, “No, Her Highness will be worried if she doesn’t see anyone when she comes out. I’m not cold. I’ll wait and return to the palace with Her Highness later.”

The little dumpling waved his hand, “Alright then! Then if you feel cold, remember to come in!”

“Okay! Go in quickly, it’s raining heavily outside.”

“Mm!”

–

The heavy rain poured down from the eaves, gradually lessening. The wind was still blowing, but the raindrops falling on the umbrella were obviously much sparser than before, and the sound wasn’t as loud as before.

The splashes of water on the ground slowly dissipated. The sound of rain and water splashing echoed in the quiet courtyard.

Nangong Jin’er stamped her somewhat stiff and cold feet. And the door behind her opened.

A person dressed in bright red stepped out. She didn’t know if it was an illusion, but the woman’s complexion looked like someone who had been seriously ill for many days. Her face was as pale as paper, and only the rouge on her lips showed a blood-like red.

“Support her quick.”

After the woman went out, the old man followed closely behind and anxiously reminded her.

Nangong Jin’er hurriedly stepped forward and supported the woman, “Your Highness, what’s wrong with you …”

The woman slowly straightened her body and slowly said, “It’s nothing. Prepare the carriage, let’s go to Feng Xi Palace.”

“Ah … yes.”

–

On the other side, in Feng Xi Palace.

Duan Changchuan and the Empress Dowager sat on opposite sides of the table. He was looking at the girl in a light-yellow dress across from them and feeling annoyed.

He thought the Empress Dowager called him over because she really cared about him and wanted to chat with him. Unexpectedly, upon hearing that her son had recovered, she hurriedly summoned Duan Qinxue, the most favored legitimate daughter of the Duan Family.

It seemed that she was going to continue the plan of “winning over Duan Qinxue and making her devoted to you” she mentioned to him last time, eager to sell her son.

“My son, come and try this snack. Xiao Xue brought it from your uncle’s residence. I’ve found it delicious and specially called you over to have a taste.”

The woman said, pushing a plate of pastries in front of him.

The pastries were a beautiful light pink in the shape of a peach blossom. There were even a few petals on the plate. The fragrance of peach blossoms wafted over.

But for some reason, Duan Changchuan suddenly felt very sick of it …

Nauseous and disgusted.

He took a few deep breaths and finally suppressed the discomfort. He said in a low voice, “My appetite hasn’t been very good these days. I don’t want to eat sweet things.”

“Ah, this is not sweet. You know how much I don’t like to eat sweet things. I even ate two pieces in a row just now. Why don’t you try it? Maybe you’ll like it after one bite.”

The empress dowager smiled and pushed the plate in front of him again. Her voice was loving and gentle.

Anyone who saw this would probably say: What a good mother.

But Duan Changchuan felt extremely tired …

It was always like this, every time … If he refused something, she would insist on persuading him over and over again, or forcibly stuff it to him until he accepted it completely, and then she would say: See, isn’t it good?

Regardless of whether he really liked it or wanted it.

The young man sighed deeply …

He picked up a piece and swallowed it in a few bites.

The woman’s lips curled up high. She couldn’t hide her happiness when she spoke, “How do you know if it’s good or not when you eat so fast? Did you taste it just now? Is it good?”

The conversation between “a loving mother and a filial son” made Duan Qinxue feel awkward.

She hurriedly tried to smooth things over, “Ah, don’t force Brother Emperor if he doesn’t want to eat it. Moreover, Brother Emperor was bedridden three days ago. His stomach may still be weak. My mother said pastries are not easy to digest, so it’s better to eat less.”

It was a bit of usual advice, but it sounded ironic in Duan Changchuan’s ears.

A woman who was almost a stranger knew that he was bedridden for three full days. He shouldn’t eat such sweet things no matter what …

Other people’s mothers told them about things that were bad for the body and things not to do. His mother told him since he was young that he had to learn to endure hardship to be an adult. How can people not suffer grievances? It would be over if he endured it.

And this person’s voice was still nagging in his ears.

“Look at you, you’re protecting him like this, hmm? Alright, alright, you’re right. If His Majesty doesn’t want to eat it, I won’t force him … I only saw that you brought it here from the Prince’s Mansion, a kind gesture.”

“Yes, yes, I know that Your Highness cares about me! It’s not any kind of gesture. It’s just that I don’t pick the right time. When Brother Emperor’s stomach is better, I’ll ask our cook to make it.”

“Okay, then I’ll thank you and your chef on behalf of His Majesty. Bian Zhi, spread the word. I think the cook in Duan lass’s residence is not bad. I want to reward them well.”

“Yes.”

The two of them were feigning civility. Out of ten sentences, not even one was sincere.

The more Duan Changchuan listened, the more disgusted he felt. He couldn’t suppress the nausea in his throat … The lump of food he had just eaten seemed stuck in his throat, and he couldn’t suppress it.

“My son, say something. It’s just us two women chattering here. Are you looking down on our conversation?”

“Hahaha, men have lofty ambitions. Brother Emperor is also the Emperor of Datong. It’s normal that he doesn’t enjoy chatting about these things with us.”

“From what I see, he is a taciturn person. He had a way with words in the imperial court, but now that he was out of the imperial court, no one could pry open his mouth. Xiao Xue, you should spend more time with him in the future. I heard that you two even fed the horses together. My son is good at horse riding and archery. You can practice together when you have time.”

“Your Highness sure is well-informed! That’s right, His Majesty and I happened to meet at the horse stables last time and had a chat.”

“What a coincidence, this must be fate … Don’t you think so, my son?”

They didn’t forget to bring him along as they chatted. Out of ten sentences from the empress dowager, nine were tried to match them.

Duan Changchuan felt the sweetness in his throat become more unbearable. After hearing the empress dowager say “This must be fate”, he finally couldn’t hold it anymore and hurriedly walked out.

Chang Le, who was standing guard outside, was startled by the sudden opening of the door. He quickly followed behind and shouted, “Your Majesty, Your Majesty! Slow down a bit! It’s raining outside! Don’t catch a cold!”

As he shouted, he hurriedly ran out with an umbrella.

How could Duan Changchuan care about that? He just wanted to go back to Ming Sheng Hall and throw up.

But his stomach was already churning uncomfortably, and the wind and rain outside made him want to throw up even more.

He hadn’t walked a few steps when he stopped on the road, leaning against a tree, and started vomiting.

“Aiyo, Your Majesty! What’s wrong? Why are you vomiting again? Did you eat something wrong? However the food in the imperial kitchen is prepared according to Imperial Physician Huang’s instructions. What’s wrong?” As he spoke, he patted his back.

Duan Changchuan spat out that piece of pastry and finally felt that his stomach was much better.

When he got up, his body was weak.

He weakly waved his hand, “It’s okay, I’m fine.”

“This servant will go and call Imperial Physician Fang. Coincidentally the empress also went to the Imperial Hospital and can come along.”

“It’s okay, there’s no need to trouble the imperial physician … Bai Su said she would come and pick me up.”

As they spoke, Yi Man had already asked someone to bring a carriage over.

A girl in yellow rushed out of Feng Xi Palace with a cup of tea, “I said His Majesty has just recovered from a serious illness, so his stomach must be in a bad condition. He can’t eat this kind of thing … Le Gonggong, quickly bring some tea for Brother Emperor to rinse his mouth.”

Chang Le looked at Yi Man, who had already prepared the spittoon and a teapot, then looked at the Duan Family’s legitimate daughter who was already in front of her … He hesitated for a moment, then took Duan Qinxue’s teacup and said, “Thank you, Princess.”

The girl’s eyes curved, “Hurry up serve Brother Emperor rinse his mouth. He just vomited and his mouth must feel uncomfortable.”

As she spoke, she looked earnestly at the luxuriously dressed young man standing next to the carriage.

But she didn’t notice …

None of them noticed …

A group of people hurriedly approached from the road ahead.

Leading the group was the empress, dressed in bright red. Her shoes were stained with mud and her skirt was wet from the rain, but she still walked over quickly.