Having received the imperial decree, Lu Yunqi certainly wouldn't personally head to the northern lands; he watched as a team of Jinyiwei followed by the eunuch who delivered the decree, along with the Inspector holding the Imperial Sword, galloped out of the capital.
Passersby within and outside the city gates hurriedly made way.
After this group had gone, more horsemen sped in from the outside.
There had been many courier horses delivering messages recently, after all, something had happened in the northern lands; the pedestrians who stepped aside whispered among themselves.
"It won't be a battle reaching the capital again like that year, will it?" an elderly person said, full of worry.
But many others simply scoffed.
"How could that happen? The capital is no longer in Henan Province now."
"Besides, back then we didn't have the Duke of Chengguo."
"With the Duke of Chengguo here, there will absolutely be no problem."
"Honestly, it was only breached for one day, and the Duke of Chengguo recaptured it the next day."
"Besides, you can't blame the Duke of Chengguo. He wasn't stationed at Hejian Prefecture; if anyone is to be blamed, it should be the officials there."
Hearing the discussions of the pedestrians on the streets, Hundred-man Commander Jiang snorted.
"A breach is still a breach," he said. "He wasn't guarding Hejian Prefecture, but when the entire northern lands look up to him for leadership, should he not be blamed if something goes awry?"
"These people don't talk just to defend him," Lu Yunqi said. "It's for their own comfort."
Yes, would they really admit that the Duke of Chengguo is incapable, that the Jin thieves could attack, and that everyone would be scared witless and live in fear?
Hundred-man Commander Jiang laughed.
"The Duke of Chengguo's heir has indeed obediently gone to the Pasture Supervision," he said.
"Obediently?" Lu Yunqi said.
Zhu Zan has never had anything to do with the word 'obedient' as he grew up; how could one expect him to be obedient?
It's likely he's plotting something secretly.
Hundred-man Commander Jiang coughed lightly.
"This subordinate will keep a close eye on him, ensuring he does not escape," he said solemnly.
"Right now, our main task is to monitor him," Lu Yunqi said. "Concerning the Duke of Chengguo and the northern issues, we need not worry."
Currently, the whole court is keeping an eye on the Duke of Chengguo. Whether for ill or good, they have their own designs.
As for Zhu Zan, at this time the emperor would absolutely not allow him to return to the northern lands, otherwise there would be no way to control the Duke of Chengguo.
Hundred-man Commander Jiang's eyes shifted, and he affirmed the statement once more.
On the official road outside the capital, another fast rider came. Seeing this one, Hundred-man Commander Jiang's eyes brightened.
"It's Old Jin's man from Shanxi," he said, and he stepped out from the city gate tower.
Only then did the people near the city gate notice the Jinyiwei here; seeing Lu Yunqi concealed in the shadows inside the gate, they immediately quieted down, scattering like frightened birds and beasts.
The messenger had already dismounted and quickly stepped forward, kneeling on one knee in front of Lu Yunqi and holding up a letter.
Due to many enemies, Lu Yunqi was very cautious in his actions, rarely accepting things from others directly to avoid being poisoned or attacked surreptitiously.
As usual, Hundred-man Commander Jiang was to receive and open the letter first, but Lu Yunqi had already taken it in hand.
Eighteenth Jin is the most trusted person; there's no issue with this.
Hundred-man Commander Jiang withdrew his hand.
"Are they still in Yangcheng?" he asked.
Lu Yunqi had already skimmed the letter.
"They're already nearing the western frontier of Hebei now," he said.
The speed is indeed fast, Hundred-man Commander Jiang smirked.
"I hope Miss Jun achieves her goal swiftly," he said.
If so, Eighteenth Jin could also arrest the suspect and get this over with. Actually, he was somewhat puzzled by Lu Yunqi's thoughts; why wait for Miss Jun to resolve the vaccine issue before acting?
Could it be a concern that Miss Jun's reputation may be damaged if there's an issue with the smallpox vaccine?
If the person is to be arrested and then disappears without a trace, what's the concern about reputation? Besides, when has Lu Yunqi ever cared about Miss Jun's reputation?
He had asked before, and indeed, Lu Yunqi didn't say he was worried about Miss Jun's reputation; he only said three words.
Inconvenient.
Inconvenient for what? He couldn't understand.
But when Princess Jiuli learned of it, she somewhat understood.
She directly asked Lu Yunqi what he was going to do to Miss Jun, and Lu Yunqi also gave a straightforward reply: to capture her.
"You also know how significant the contribution of the vaccination is; it won't be easy to capture her, she won't just let herself be caught so easily, and you can't do whatever you want like that," Princess Jiuli said.
"It's not so," Lu Yunqi said, "It has nothing to do with the contribution, it's just that she still has her uses. Until the vaccine issue is resolved, concerning personal interests, many people will not let it go. Once the vaccine issue is resolved, no one will need her anymore, and there won't be so many troubles."
He said this and then gave a faint smile.
"Of course, I am not afraid of trouble, but less trouble and more peace are preferable," he added.
Princess Jiuli looked at him and sighed softly.
"Lord Lu, not everyone in this world is as ruthless and unprincipled as you," she said, "The things she has done won't be forgotten by people just like that, and not everyone is afraid of you."
Lu Yunqi hummed in response.
"Is that so?" he said indifferently, "Then this world is quite wonderful."
..........
"I knew that with Miss Jun taking action, there would definitely be no problems."
When a heavy rain had dissipated the sultry heat of the scorching summer, Seventh Chen also arrived in the capital with his mother, and along with them came news of Miss Jun in the western part of Hebei.
Doctor Feng, excitedly speaking in Jiuling Hall, said.
Fang Jinxiu looked at Doctor Feng, who had clearly lost weight, with his red-rimmed eyes from staying up, and smiled.
"It doesn't show," she said.
Doctor Feng gave an embarrassed laugh. Meanwhile, Seventh Chen couldn't help but think of Fang Chengyu again.
"Jinxiu, your brother really can speak. He makes people bloom with joy," he said.
"Don't flatter yourself. He wasn't trying to please you," Fang Jinxiu gave him a sideways glance as she spoke.
Seventh Chen also felt somewhat embarrassed.
"What exactly is going on? Is it about the vaccine?" he asked, remembering the important issue.
Doctor Feng nodded.
"Indeed, it's about the vaccine," he said.
Seventh Chen's expression tensed slightly. If it was really because of the vaccine, then...
"But the vaccine was fake," Doctor Feng continued.
Seventh Chen gasped and stared at him wide-eyed.
"In Xiangzhou, some doctors, coveting the huge profits from vaccination and knowing the principles behind it, privately extracted the vaccine from vaccinated people and posed as official vaccinators, deceiving some of the people. The result was that the vaccine they extracted wasn't rigorous enough and was excessively toxic, leading to problems," Fang Jinxiu explained.
Like Doctor Feng, Fang Jinxiu had also learned the specifics of the matter, and even knew two days earlier than Doctor Feng.
Hearing this, Seventh Chen patted his chest and heaved a sigh of relief.
"Doctor Feng, you scared me to death," he said.
Doctor Feng laughed heartily, with a hint of sentiment as well.
"Actually, our people also suspected it was because of the fake vaccines, but unfortunately, the people didn't believe us," he said, "It wasn't until Miss Jun arrived and explained that they finally believed."
Seventh Chen clapped his hands.
"Regardless, as long as the problem is solved, that's what matters," he said, then looked towards Fang Jinxiu, "So is Miss Jun coming directly to the capital, or is she going back to Yangcheng?"
Fang Jinxiu slightly furrowed her brows.
"Who knows with her," she said, "There's no definite news."
No definite news? What does that mean? Doesn't know where to go?
After the heavy rain, the roads had turned muddy, and the progress of the caravan slowed down, with the hustle and confusion of man and beast becoming a bit more chaotic.
Lei Zhonglian urged his horse towards Miss Jun's carriage.
At this point, they had already left Xiangzhou and were heading deeper along the western route of Hebei, the heat of summer receding even more, and the coolness after the rain was quite refreshing.
The carriage curtain was lifted; Liu'er was leaning against the window humming a tune and shaking a wildflower, while Miss Jun watched the verdant scenery outside with an indifferent expression, appearing comfortable and at ease.
It was just unfortunate that their current situation was neither comfortable nor at ease.
"The Jinyiwei are following us again," Lei Zhonglian said in a low voice.
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Thank you, Ling Xue Ai, for rewarding Xianpa Yuan, much appreciated, Little Ai.
Thanks also to Jing San Shao, ?The Last Shot?, old-bird, Liangcha O Gouren, The Ice Of the South for rewarding He's Bi, I am grateful for everyone's generous support.
A bow of gratitude.