Transmigration: Of Mysteries and Songs Chapter 176 Resonance: Epidemic

Following this incident, the extremely idle commoners in Chang'an City spread this matter out in multiple versions for everyone to appreciate.

The version which spread the furthest was that after the beauty had saved the hero, the hero wanted to offer his everything to her.

Clank!

Xue Yiqi was zoning out and the teacup which was just placed on the table fell onto the ground, smashing into smithereens.

“Commander?”

The soldier, who was reporting the situation, was trembling in fear as he looked at Xue Yiqi. He had a feeling that the usual gentle Xue Yiqi was different today.

Xue Yiqi's expression remained undecipherable as he waved his hand and dismissed the soldier.

When he was finally the only one left in his tent, his face contorted with vexation and he grabbed his hair while in agony.

That day, Shangguan Yan had arrived ahead of the others and eliminated more than half of the assassins on her own while sustaining minor injuries. Soon after, the other Imperial Army soldiers and the Duke of Anping's soldiers rushed to the scene. They encircled and annihilated the remaining assassins. To date, he still had no news regarding the mastermind behind this incident.

But, all these weren't the main point. Thinking up to here, the embarrassment on Xue Yiqi's visage deepened. That day, after Shangguan Yan rescued him, she actually declared aggressively in front of everyone.

“Xue Yiqi is mine. I will definitely eradicate all who wants to harm him.”

She instantly gained the support and applause of countless people.

A red robe, a peerlessly beautiful visage, eyes that carried a killing intent and red silk that danced in the air became a tale that spread far and wide.

While recalling his embarrassing moments, Xue Yiqi saw Gan Qingjia rush over with Qi Jianqiu tailing behind him.

The multifarious and mixed emotions in his heart made his blood upsurge, and he nearly collapsed in front of everyone.

Following this incident, Shangguan Yan continued to pay him numerous visits while he faced her with complex feelings, his countenance filled with cold rejection every time.

That person ought to have given up by now, right?

Xue Yiqi took out a topographic map of Chang'an City and gave it a few cursory glances before he put it down again.

She must've certainly given up on him. She hadn't visited him for three days already…

The First Prince, Situ and Gan Qingjia sat facing each other in the secret underground passage with solemn expressions.

“They move really swiftly. They dug out a tunnel the size of three estates in three days.”

The First Prince was astounded. What those people were capable of was truly an eye-opener.

Gan Qingjia's complexion turned somewhat pale as he said, “Based on The Villa of Mount Baicha's ability, they would need at least ten days. What exactly is the Xiaoyao Sect, wait no, the Demonic Sect's origin?”

Situ's expression eased a bit. He reached out a hand and knocked on the table as he profoundly said, “The founder of the Sect had left the Wei Kingdom's Imperial Palace to establish the Demonic Sect.”

The Xuan's Kingdom predecessor was the Wei Kingdom, which was already a dynasty from two hundred years ago. That was to say that the Demonic Sect had been founded two hundred years ago. They could be considered the most senior sect in the Central Plains' Martial Arts Community. It was just that they remained low-key all those years and didn't garnish much fame.

“I concede defeat.” Gan Qingjia nodded his head fervently. “Anyway, let's talk about something else instead. About the recent assassination attempts, from what I know, Xue Yiqi wasn't the only one targeted. His two elder brothers, the Western Army's General-in-Chief and Young General, as well as General-in-Chief Ji, who was on his way back to Chang'an, had encountered assassins too.”

The First Prince propped his chin in one hand and narrowed his eyes slightly, his quiet voice echoing in the elegantly furnished underground passage, “From the surface, it appears as if someone had deliberately plotted to murder those with military power in their hands, but Xue Yiqi's military power isn't that much to begin with. He's commanding an Imperial Army troop of mere 5,000 soldiers. However, the number of assassins dispatched to kill him was the highest.”

“That's because this place is the Imperial City.”

Situ's voice was like a frigid breeze that brushed past. “The mastermind behind the scenes is related to the Imperial City.”

Gan Qingjia contemplated and unhurriedly spoke, “Could it be…the Eighth Prince? Or the Eleventh Prince…?”

He didn't wait for an answer and immediately growled in frustration, “Those assassins were too tight-lipped. They were still unwilling to speak even when dealt with according to military laws. It's so infuriating!”

The First Prince shook his head faintly.

“They're all people who went into exile. They're naturally not scared of anything when they don't care about their lives. What I find strange is the fact that Imperial Father had actually remained indifferent about this matter. He merely let the Imperial Guards collaborate with the magistrate and concluded the case with just a perfunctory investigation. It really doesn't fit Imperial Father's temperament in handling matters concerning his military officials.”

The First Prince originally wanted to enlighten Gan Qingjia about the matter, but as soon as his words fell, he noticed that the latter's complexion had turned even more ghastly. As such, he cast Situ a doubtful glance.

The profound look in Situ's eyes made it hard for others to fathom his thoughts clearly. He said, “From how things look at the moment, there's only one thing we can do now. That is to make the Emperor issue a decree before the Eighth Prince returns to Chang'an.”

“What decree?”

Gan Qingjia was already unable to analyse the whole picture clear-headedly due to the recent happenings and the shock he'd experienced in the past few days. He inwardly admired Situ's demeanour and his ability to stay composed in the face of imminent danger. His disposition wasn't something that could be cultivated overnight.

On the other hand, the First Prince had on an indescribable expression as a glint flashed in his eyes.

A rarely-seen smile tugged at Situ's lips as he indifferently replied, “A degree to crown His Highness as the Heir.”

So speaking, the First Prince and Gan Qingjia's gazes landed on him.

As for the Xuan Kingdom, the days to come were still plagued with many misfortunes.

First, there was a drought and flood in the southern regions. Immediately after that was the break out of an epidemic. The citizens' complaints could be heard everywhere.

As for the northern regions, there were insurrections in various places, making it hard for the citizens to eke out a living.

These were the circumstances in places very distant from Chang'an. The officials were in Chang'an and naturally thought that the Xuan Kingdom was wealthy and flourishing, the soldiers robust and the people living peaceful and contented lives. They didn't survey the situation on-site and simply made empty promises.

Only the First Prince was willing to get close to the people and take some highly talented officials with lower ranks along to travel all over the place to investigate the situation on-site. This made the initially infuriated Emperor calm down a bit. He was extremely satisfied with the First Prince's deportment.

Thus, he issued a decree to let the First Prince supervise the nation.

This was the third time an imperial prince was appointed to supervise the nation while the Xuan Kingdom's Emperor was still on the throne. Logically speaking, only the Heir had the qualifications to supervise the nation, but the Heir was dead and the Eighth Prince's power to supervise the nation was revoked. Now, it was the First Prince's turn.

Many officials were surmising that the Emperor had the intention to select the next Heir between the First Prince and the Eighth Prince. The Eleventh Prince who was originally in the limelight gradually faded out of everyone's field of view.

Everyone had their own opinions.

The First Prince's ability in supervising the nation was apparent and he also had many officials assisting him. However, problems still frequently befell the Xuan Kingdom. After the various provinces and counties met with mishaps, it was Chang'an's turn.

At the very beginning, only the small counties outside of Chang'an City had large groups of people fall ill and die mysteriously. After that, it gradually extended to within Chang'an City and spread all the way to the Imperial Palace.

The heresy that the First Prince was a Star of Calamity rapidly spread among the people. There were some who believed the story, some who were enraged at the mention of it and others who were unclear about the truth.

“This kind of epidemic may not even happen in a hundred years. It's really a strange phenomenon.”

In the Imperial Physician Bureau, a few veteran imperial physicians gathered to discuss the issue at hand.

One of the imperial physicians unhurriedly stated, “This type of illness is unheard of. I think that we should follow the conventional approach where we migrate the commoners elsewhere to avoid the epidemic and protect them properly. Then, we can thoroughly investigate the origin and cause of the disease in order to come up with ways of treatment.”

“I don't agree with this idea. His Majesty is already extremely enraged. What we should do now is to quarantine those who are ill so that they can no longer infect the others.”

“No no, there are so many commoners. How are you going to quarantine them all? In my opinion…”

The imperial physicians were in a heated debate while Imperial Physician Zhou was standing at one side, deep in thought as he apportioned the various herbs.

With this turn of events, the First Prince remained extremely busy. Meanwhile, Situ and the rest didn't have it easy either.

The Feng Residence's son, Feng Fuyou, had just passed his first birthday celebration when he was afflicted with the epidemic.

Second Madam desperately made a scene and didn't let anyone take Feng Fuyou away. Chamberlain Feng was also anxious. He specifically emptied out a courtyard and sent people over there to take care of Feng Fuyou. He then isolated the courtyard and invited many doctors from all over the place to check on his son. Yet, his son's illness didn't take a turn for the better.

Feng Fuyou was young. Only a few days had passed yet his ruddy cheeks had already become gaunt. It was so serious that he could pass away at any time.

Chamberlain Feng was worried that Second Madam would be overly grieved and didn't allow her to visit Feng Fuyou. Second Madam was relentless in insisting that she wanted to take care of Feng Fuyou herself. Eldest Madam was also extremely worried, so she wanted to go take care of him as well. As such, Feng Luodi who was concerned about her mother's health also followed along to the courtyard.

In the face of this situation, Chamberlain Feng got anxious and invited Situ over to their residence.

Situ was swift and decisive in handling things. He exhorted Feng Luodi, held her mother back and asked Imperial Physician Zhou to treat Feng Fuyou so that Second Madam would calm down.

This action allowed Situ to instantly win the heart of everyone from the Feng Residence.

After Imperial Physician Zhou was done treating Feng Fuyou, he went into details with Situ at the side courtyard.

“Your Grace, I can only stabilise the Young Master's illness for the time being; I haven't found a method to treat it yet. I have experimented and came up with a few prescriptions but the medicine could at most stabilise the condition for a while. If I'm still unable to find a cure soon, I'm afraid that Chang'an will be in turmoil.”

Imperial Physician Zhou's hair was already grizzled. These past few days, he had exhausted all his energy in experimenting and finding a cure, causing him to appear even more fatigued and haggard.

When Situ caught the helplessness and worry in the recesses of Imperial Physician Zhou's eyes, he instantly understood the predicament the Imperial Physician Bureau was in. The people who were supposed to be saving lives were currently locked in a power struggle. Looks like the Imperial Palace is a lost cause.

All of these stemmed from the Emperor. He chose to neglect this matter and continuously pressured the First Prince. The Eleventh Prince was watching a good show from the sidelines while the Eighth Prince was stirring up trouble in the deserts of the North. So many issues follow one after another…simply because the Emperor wants him dead.

“Don't worry, the Eldritch Physician from the Xiaoyao Sect is also researching for a cure. The epidemic this time will be resolved very soon.”

“Eldritch Physician?” Imperial Physician Zhou muttered under his breath, but he soon revealed a gratified smile.

“That's good then. I'm already old, the younger generation will certainly surpass me.”

Only after sending Imperial Physician Zhou off did Situ see Feng Luodi walking in. The few strands of loose hair made her appear more haggard while her current mood was written all over her face.

“Luodi!”

Situ hastily walked over and looked at her from top to bottom carefully, and anxiously asked, “What happened?”

“Situ.”

As soon as Feng Luodi spoke, tears streamed down uncontrollably. She reached out her hand to pull at the corner of Situ's sleeves. When she raised her head, her expression was wreathed in helplessness and uneasiness.

“Situ, Jianqiu…she…she also got infected.”

Despite the disorders in Chang'an, His Majesty ignored it all. He wasn't benevolent and congenial as he was in the past. The First Prince was the one in charge of the situation.

The epidemic spread so quickly that only the sounds of people weeping in despair and ire could be heard all day long.

The First Prince had already mobilised all the officials he could deploy, from medical care to public security and from nursing to safeguarding the city. He was doing his utmost to stabilise the overall situation in Chang'an.

Even so, there were still many things out of his control.

Many helpless commoners from villages outside of Chang'an City swarmed into the city, resulting in greater chaos. Everyone felt insecure and many people became destitute and homeless. Even food became a scarcity.

It was right then that the Villa of Mount Baicha opened a charitable congee store. As Qi Jianqiu's mood was greatly affected by the recent events, she often went to the charitable store to help out and consequently caught the illness.

As expected, the Heavens never distinguished between good and evil…

Chapter end