From cute to empress

Chapter 150 Sword of Dawn

Coroner Zhao left, taking his secrets and final loyalty with him, leaving forever. The drug dealer Wu, whom he had accused, the seemingly kind businessman on weekdays, now became my deepest suspicion.

"Come here! Seal off the medicine shop in the west of the city. No one is allowed to enter or leave!" My voice echoed in the empty hall with unquestionable majesty.

The guard took his orders and left. Soon, Wu Yaoshang was brought before me. He pretended to be calm, but his eyes flickered and he didn't dare to look me in the eye.

"Boss Wu, do you know why I summoned you here?" My tone was calm, but there was a hidden sharpness in it.

"I don't know, Your Majesty, please tell me clearly." Wu Yaoshang knelt on the ground with his forehead against the ground. His tone was respectful, but he couldn't hide a hint of panic.

I threw the note left by Coroner Zhao in front of him and said coldly, "Read it for yourself!"

Wu Yaoshang opened the note with trembling hands, his face turned pale in an instant, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.

"Your Majesty, please spare my life! I was just confused for a moment. Please have mercy on me!" He kowtowed and begged for mercy, but he could not hide the fear in his heart.

"Were you confused for a moment? For your own selfish gain, you actually poisoned the water source, causing the people of the capital to be infected with the plague and countless people to die! Where is your conscience?!" I could no longer suppress my anger and slammed the table.

The crimes of Wu the Medicine Merchant are too numerous to list. I ordered a thorough investigation of all his shops and warehouses, ultimately seizing a large amount of counterfeit medicine and poison, as well as evidence of his years of bribery. I also ordered the confiscation of all his property to purchase medicinal materials to treat the people.

Wu Yaoshang was brought to justice, giving the people an explanation and temporarily calming my anger. However, the shadow of this plague still looms over the entire capital, and I know that I have more important things to do.

"Pass the order down, I will go to the epidemic area in person!" I said resolutely.

"Your Majesty, you absolutely cannot do this! The epidemic area is dangerous, and your health is more important!" The ministers tried to dissuade me, but I was determined.

I led the imperial physicians and guards to the epidemic area outside the capital. The scene before me was shocking: patients were everywhere, groaning and crying were endless, and the air was filled with a sickening smell.

"Your Majesty, General Zhen is here!" a guard's voice came. I looked up and saw Zhen Youcai, dressed in armor, riding a tall horse, walking towards me, exhausted...

"You're talented!" I hurried over and shook his dusty hand. "You've lost weight."

"I'm fine, Your Majesty, I'm sorry to have worried you." Zhen Youcai's eyes were filled with worry. "But you, a precious person, how could you easily take such a risk?"

I ignored his dissuasion and glanced at the soldiers behind him. Although they were exhausted, their eyes were determined, clearly inspired by Zhen Youcai. "Soldiers, you have worked hard. On behalf of the people of the capital, I thank you!"

I spoke solemnly and bowed deeply to them. The soldiers were flattered and knelt on one knee. "We swear to defend Your Majesty and the Great Wei to the death!"

Zhen Youcai did not stop me. He knew that what I cared about was every citizen who was suffering in this land.

The situation in the epidemic area was even worse than I had imagined. Many patients lay in shabby sheds, lacking medical care and medicine, and could only groan in pain. My heart felt like it was being tightly grasped by an invisible hand, and the pain was unbearable.

"Doctor Sun, what's the situation?" I suppressed the grief in my heart and asked Doctor Sun beside me.

Doctor Sun had a worried look on his face. "Your Majesty, I have developed some prescriptions for treatment, but the medicinal materials are in short supply, and..." He hesitated to speak, as if he had something to hide.

"Doctor Sun, please feel free to speak." I encouraged him.

Divine Doctor Sun sighed, "Your Majesty, based on the clues left by Coroner Zhao, I discovered a contaminated well upstream of the river outside the city. The plague is likely to have spread from there."

"What?!" I was shocked and immediately thought of Wu the drug dealer's crime. Could there be any connection between them?

"Youcai, send someone to seal the well immediately and no one is allowed to get close to it!" I made a prompt decision and gave the order.

"Yes!" Zhen Youcai took the order and left, with a determined light flashing in his eyes. I knew that he would find out the truth and give an explanation to the people.

In the days that followed, Zhen Youcai and I fought side by side. He toiled day and night on the front lines, personally caring for patients and distributing medicine. His bravery and determination inspired everyone around him. I, on the other hand, mobilized resources, transferring medicinal materials and doctors from across the country to the capital, doing everything possible to treat the patients.

"Your Majesty, you haven't slept for a whole day and night. Take some rest." The personal maid brought me ginseng tea and looked at me with concern.

I shook my head and pointed to the tents being set up in the distance. "As long as the people are not healed, I will not rest."

At this moment, a soldier came running over in a hurry, "Report! General Zhen, Dr. Sun wants to see you for something important!"

My heart tightened. Could it be... I immediately stood up and said, "Quick, bring them in!"

Doctor Sun and Zhen Youcai walked into the tent one after another. There was a solemn look on their faces, and my heart was lifted up as well.

"Your Majesty..." Divine Doctor Sun spoke first, his tone heavy, "I have found it, it is..."

"Your Majesty..." Divine Doctor Sun spoke first, his tone heavy. "I have found the culprit. It was the medicine merchant Wu! To make huge profits, he secretly poured a large amount of inferior medicinal materials into the well outside the city, contaminating the water source and causing the outbreak of the plague!"

"What?!" I slammed the table and stood up, raging. "This heartless thing!"

Zhen Youcai's expression was also terribly gloomy. "I have already sent people to arrest Wu Yaoshang. Your Majesty, please rest assured that he will definitely pay the price for his crimes!"

"Alright!" I took a deep breath and suppressed the anger in my heart. "We must bring him to justice and comfort those innocent people who died!"

"Your Majesty is wise!" Doctor Sun and Zhen Youcai said in unison.

I immediately ordered the public to know of Wu the Medicine Merchant's crimes, and dispatched Li Jun, the prefect, to lead the people in cleaning the wells and strengthening sanitation management. At the same time, to prevent rumors from spreading, I also ordered the arrest of Taoist Zhou.

After his arrest, Taoist Zhou confessed to spreading rumors and misleading the public. Perhaps his conscience had awakened, and he deeply repented in prison, actively admitting his mistakes and expressing his willingness to assist in anti-epidemic efforts, using his actions to atone for his mistakes.

I agreed to his request, ordered his release, and sent him to the epidemic area to assist Dr. Sun in treating the patients.

Thanks to the concerted efforts of everyone, the epidemic in the capital was finally under effective control. The number of new patients gradually decreased, and the number of cured people increased. Smiles appeared on the faces of the people again, and they spontaneously organized themselves to contribute their own strength to the fight against the epidemic.

Looking at all this, my heart is filled with relief. I know that this disaster will eventually pass and the dawn of hope has illuminated the earth.

"Your Majesty, look!" The personal maid pointed to the distance and shouted in surprise.

I looked in her direction and saw Zhen Youcai riding a horse, galloping towards us. His figure looked particularly tall and majestic in the afterglow of the setting sun.

"He's back..." I murmured to myself, my heart full of anticipation and joy.

However, when Zhen Youcai approached, I found that his face was unusually pale and his steps were a little unsteady.

"Youcai, what's wrong with you?" I had a bad feeling and hurried forward to support him.

Zhen Youcai forced a smile and said, "I'm fine, it's just..."

Before he could finish his words, his body softened and he fell straight towards me...

"Talent!" I exclaimed, quickly supporting his shaky body. His armor was cold and heavy, but the skin I touched was burning hot.

"Your Majesty..." He called out weakly, trying to stand up straight, but leaning weakly on my shoulder. His body, usually as straight as a pine tree, now seemed particularly frail, as if it would fall down at the slightest breeze.

My heart tightened, and I quickly ordered the maid, "Quickly call Dr. Sun!"

Doctor Sun arrived quickly and took Zhen Youcai's pulse, his brow furrowing ever tighter. "Doctor Sun, how is he?" I asked anxiously, a barely perceptible tremor in my voice.

Divine Doctor Sun pondered for a moment, his tone solemn, "Your Majesty, General Zhen... has been overworked and infected with the disease. He is now at the end of his strength and urgently needs rest and treatment."

My heart sank, like it was plunging into an icy cave. Infected with the disease... How could this happen? He had been so cautious!

I suppressed the grief and worry in my heart, and ordered the palace maids to help Zhen Youcai to the bedroom to rest. I personally changed his clothes and fed him the medicine prescribed by Doctor Sun.

He lay on my bed, his face pale, his lips chapped, his breathing rapid. I wiped the sweat from his forehead with a wet towel, my heart filled with self-blame and heartache.

"Your Majesty... I'm fine..." He struggled to open his eyes, his voice so hoarse it was almost inaudible, "Don't worry about me..."

"Shut up!" I couldn't help but interrupt him, my eyes reddened. "Have a good rest and stop talking!"

He was slightly stunned, then revealed a weak smile and slowly closed his eyes.

I held his hand, feeling the warmth of his palm, and prayed silently in my heart: He will definitely get better, definitely...

However, things went against his wishes. Over the next few days, Zhen Youcai's condition not only did not improve, but worsened. He began to have a high fever, fell into a coma, spoke nonsense, and sometimes coughed violently, even coughing up blood...

Every time I saw him in pain, my heart felt like it was being cut by a knife. I was in so much pain that I wanted to die. I stayed by his side all the time, praying for him day and night, hoping for a miracle to happen.

However, Dr. Sun's expression became increasingly serious, and his medical skills were no longer effective.

"Your Majesty...you...please accept my condolences..." Doctor Sun knelt in front of me, his voice trembling, unable to utter a complete sentence.

I stood up suddenly, grabbed his collar, and asked sternly, "What did you say? Say it again!"