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墨書 Inktalez
It is a long story about Mu Changqing, his mother, and the previous dynasty.
When Yin Luo asked him how his face was ruined, his gaze dimmed for a moment before he finally answered her.
It was on his fifth birthday. He had always been the favorite of the Former Emperor, simply because Consort Ling was the most favored concubine in the Harem at that time. As Consort Ling's son, he naturally became the most favored prince.
Little did he know that this favoritism was both his fortune and misfortune.
Out of jealousy, he was lured by his own elder brother into a room filled with gifts. He was lost in the joy of the presents, unaware that a fire had already been set in the backyard, and all those gifts were packed in wooden boxes filled with oil.
The fire ignited suddenly, and the door was locked. Fortunately, they discovered it in time to save his life, but his face was forever ruined.
The Emperor summoned many renowned doctors to treat him. The lighter burns healed gradually as he grew up, but the severe injuries on his face remained permanently.
Because of this, fire became a shadow in his heart. Moreover, ugliness turned into the most humble wound within him.
He feared others discussing his appearance and resented anyone who did; it was a taboo for him that no one could touch!
After listening to him, Yin Luo fell into a long silence. The powerful Jin Wang could also feel inferior and had vulnerabilities; it seemed unbelievable to anyone. Yet, that was the truth.
The two talked for most of the night and eventually fell asleep unknowingly.
Yin Luo woke up in the middle of the night and realized that she had somehow fallen asleep in his arms. Up close, without the mask covering his face, there were hardly any flaws to be found. Judging from the looks of his brothers, Yin Luo concluded that if he had not been disfigured, the face beneath that mask would undoubtedly be handsome—perhaps even more so than any of his brothers.
What a pity...
She lowered her gaze, and at such a close distance, their bodies pressed together, Yin Luo could hear his steady heartbeat, thumping against her heart.
She looked up at the starry sky, her heart wavering once again. For a moment, she didn't know whether she should exert all her strength to escape from him, to flee from the Jin Wangfu, or stay and share a life with him, standing shoulder to shoulder.
As soon as this thought ignited, Yin Luo immediately denied it in her heart.
She had already lived a life filled with fighting and killing; now that heaven had given her a chance for rebirth, she was determined to choose a different way of life—one far from violence, living peacefully and quietly.
She closed her eyes and decided not to move anymore, leaning against him and falling into a deep sleep.
The next morning, because he had to attend court early, Mu Changqing hurried down the mountain, leaving He Xin behind to wait for her to wake up so they could return to the residence together.
When Yin Luo woke up, there was naturally no one by her side. By the time she returned to the Wangfu, Mu Changqing had not yet come back.
After having breakfast and handling some recent affairs with the steward, it was close to noon when Mu Changqing finally rushed back.
His eyes were dark, and He Ren following behind him also wore an unusually serious expression.
He Xin clearly sensed that something bad had happened and hurriedly followed them to the study.
Before long, He Ren and He Xin emerged from the study and directly instructed the steward to arrange for someone to pack Mu Changqing's simple belongings. The two didn't even have time to greet Yin Luo before they hurriedly left the Wangfu.
Mu Changqing came out of the study, and Yin Luo quickly approached him. "What happened?"
Mu Changqing paused his steps and looked at her with deep-set eyes. "Something has happened in Fenghua. Over a thousand citizens have died mysteriously, and it's spreading at a rate of hundreds each day. They have spent seven days there without finding the cause. I must go personally to investigate and put an end to this disaster."
Such a significant incident had occurred? No wonder today's court session took so long.
"When do we set off?"
"Tomorrow morning."
As Mu Changqing walked ahead, he instructed the butler, "Arrange for someone to invite Lord Eleven to set off with me tomorrow."
The butler acknowledged and went to carry out the order. Mu Changqing then stopped and looked at Yin Luo, saying, "I leave the matters of the residence in your hands while I am away."
Yin Luo nodded. "How long will you be gone?"
"I don't know. It could be as short as ten days or half a month, or as long as two to three months."
"Then should I help the servants pack your belongings?"
Mu Changqing gave her a deep look and nodded.
Just as Yin Luo was about to leave, she suddenly remembered something and turned back to Mu Changqing. "My lord, you previously arranged for someone to investigate Ruoling's whereabouts. Where was the last trace found?"
She recalled that Fenghua belonged to Jiangnan!
Sure enough, Mu Changqing paused, his brows furrowing. "It was Fenghua."
Yin Luo's expression changed instantly as she grasped his sleeve. "I want to go with you!"
Mu Changqing shook his head, firmly refusing. "No, it's not safe yet; we haven't determined the cause of death among the people. Fenghua is a dangerous area. Moreover, if we cannot find the source of the illness, to prevent the citizens of Fenghua from spreading it elsewhere, I must act quickly and adopt a strategy of sealing the city gates and destroying the city. You absolutely cannot go!"
Yin Luo's face was resolute. "If that's the case, I must go even more. I don't care how you treat others; if Ruoling is really in Fenghua, I will not stand by and watch you destroy the city!"
Mu Changqing immediately lowered his gaze and said, "You are not allowed to go; this is my command!"
Yin Luo looked at his angry expression, her eyes instantly turning cold, just like when she used to confront him. She took a step back, met his gaze, and said, "Take me there, or I will go myself. You choose."
Mu Changqing pressed his lips tightly together, clearly furious. "For her, are you willing to give up your life?"
"I promised her that I would treat her like a sister in this life and take good care of her!"
Mu Changqing stared at her for a long while. The two stood outside the study in a standoff. Yin Luo showed no signs of backing down. In the end, Mu Changqing was forced to relent and said, "You can go, but you must obey my orders. If I tell you to go east, you absolutely cannot go west; otherwise, I will immediately send someone to bring you back!"
As long as she could go, she naturally agreed to anything. "Alright."
She immediately turned around and went back to gather her things with Yingxia.
The recent epidemic had come fiercely. Early the next morning, before dawn, the team was already prepared to set off. Since they needed to travel quickly, everyone rode horses. Fenghua was in Jiangnan, far from the capital in the north; thus, it would take four or five days of riding to reach their destination.
Yin Luo was still a girl. If it were her previous body, she could endure the fatigue of travel; however, her current body was that of a weak woman who not only tired easily but also had developed bleeding sores on the inner thighs after days of riding.
To avoid delaying the journey, she stubbornly kept silent and only asked Mu Li for some medicine to apply herself.
However, the moment she applied the medicine, she had to endure the pain of riding again. The wounds that had just begun to heal reopened, causing her so much pain that she could barely walk steadily.
Mu Li was the first to notice something was off with her and called Mu Changqing over, thinking it was just a matter of her monthly cycle.
Mu Changqing initially thought so too but realized what was happening after asking her. His eyes clearly flickered with concern; evidently, he had never encountered such a situation in all his years.
Since they could not afford to delay their journey, he directly pulled Yin Luo onto his horse. This way, they shared one mount and spared Yin Luo from further embarrassment.
A group of people hurriedly arrived outside Fenghua City on the evening of the fourth day.
Officials came out to greet them, and upon seeing Mu Changqing in person, they were so frightened that they could barely speak, remaining in a state of fear and trepidation.
After Mu Changqing listened to their report, he said with a fierce gaze, "How are you managing as the County Magistrate? From today onwards, immediately isolate an area and put all infected citizens inside for quarantine. As for the remaining people, they must be thoroughly checked. If any abnormalities occur, they must be isolated immediately without any delay."
The County Magistrate wiped the sweat from his forehead and repeatedly agreed.
As the orders were dispatched, the atmosphere in the city grew increasingly tense.
That night, everyone had no time to rest. The group rushed to set up quarantine points, with Mu Li being the first to check on the patients.
The situation seemed quite tricky. After taking the patients' pulses, Mu Li's expression turned grave. When Mu Changqing saw him come out, he approached and asked anxiously. Mu Li looked at him deeply and shook his head, saying, "I can't determine anything for now. From their pulse readings, it appears to be both poisoning and an epidemic. It seems we need to investigate their daily lives; we must examine what they have been exposed to and what they have eaten."
Mu Changqing nodded and placed his hand on Mu Li's shoulder. "Eleven, this matter can only rely on you."
Mu Li smiled slightly, a gentle smile like a soft breeze, and playfully struck Mu Changqing's chest. "Third Brother is still being polite with me?"
Mu Changqing pressed his lips together as Mu Li smiled at him before taking his medical kit and leaving.
The situation became increasingly complicated; more and more people were dying while many others fell ill. Moreover, not everyone had been in contact with the infected; some clearly had not interacted with any patients yet still became ill. This led to the conclusion that something must have gone wrong.
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