Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 286 Epidemic
After thinking about the several clinics around the street, Jiu Que pointed them out one by one.

"Mingxin Pharmacy, Anxin Pharmacy, Jicitang... do all these surrounding clinics have patients like this?"

"Yes, and I noticed that some of the young apprentices who help dispense the medicine have also started coughing. Sir, could this be an epidemic?"

Epidemic.

Just hearing those two words sent chills down Jiu Que's spine. Even in later generations with greatly improved technology and medicine, once an epidemic breaks out, it is difficult to control in a short time, let alone in ancient times when there was a lack of medical care and medicine.

But she managed to remain relatively calm, and after a moment's hesitation, she decided to go out and investigate.

"Sir, the situation outside is still unclear. What if you get infected if you go out now?"

"It's okay, I'll just take a look from afar and come right back. But you guys are still young and your immune systems aren't strong, so don't go out to play for now, just stay home. You can go out again when we're sure you're all okay."

After calming the younger children down, Jiu Que hurriedly went out. The streets outside seemed normal, except there were fewer pedestrians, but not to a particularly noticeable degree. It was only because the children were observant that they noticed the unusual situation.

Jiu Que strolled through several streets, his mood gradually becoming heavy. He then turned towards a well-known medical clinic. When he discovered that most of the patients coming and going looked haggard, some clutching their heads in pain, and a few others with red spots on their bodies, his expression changed drastically.

Just to be on the safe side, she went directly to Xie Mingchen. Xie Mingchen had been besieged by the Xie family for the past few days and was extremely annoyed. He had been staying in his own residence for a long time and was therefore unaware of the situation outside. He was quite surprised to see Jiu Que suddenly, but when he saw her serious expression, he immediately understood that something must have happened.

Even though Xie Mingchen was prepared, he was still shocked when he heard the word "epidemic" with his own ears. This was no joke; throughout history, which epidemic didn't kill tens of thousands of people? Moreover, there have been many times in human history when there was no cure for epidemics, and they did eventually stop because all the infected people had died!
"Are you sure?"

Even knowing that Ying Jiuque wasn't one to exaggerate, Xie Mingchen couldn't help but ask again. He secretly longed for a negative answer, but when he saw Jiuque nod, he closed his eyes.

His lips trembled as he inquired about the symptoms of the patients in Jiuque. When he heard that some had headaches, nausea, high fever, and even a few had developed red spots on their bodies, Xie Mingchen staggered violently. These symptoms... how could they sound so much like the answer he least wanted to believe?
No! Hearing is believing; he has to see for himself!

"I'll go take a look! I need to see the patients in person to determine what disease they have. Luckily, it was discovered early, there's still time, there's definitely time!"

Seeing that the other person was about to fall to the ground, Jiu Que had a bad feeling, but he didn't say anything. He just pulled Xie Mingchen up and rode quickly to the clinic.

Xie Mingchen didn't care about anything else and rushed into the clinic. He carefully examined the patient in the crowded queue before walking out with a livid face.

Upon seeing Jiu Que waiting outside the door, his expression turned quite grim, but he refused to come any closer. Jiu Que was taken aback and was about to step forward when he saw the other man forcefully waving his hand away.

"No, no, no, don't come any closer!"

He had already been in close contact with those patients, and who knows if he might have contracted the disease. Although Jiu Que had also visited the clinic, he had only seen it from afar, so there should be no problem.

At this point, everything must be treated with the highest level of vigilance.

Xie Mingchen quickly returned to the clinic, and a moment later took out a piece of paper and threw it to Jiu Que from a distance.

After glancing at the document, Jiu Que's expression darkened, but she nodded nonetheless and rode off quickly. She soon arrived at the Capital Prefecture. The Prefect of the Capital Prefecture, surnamed Zheng, had only taken office this year and had naturally heard of Jiu Que, this rising star of the court. Upon hearing of Lord Ying's arrival, he hurriedly came forward. At the same time, he mentally prepared himself, as Lord Ying was known for his aversion to socializing. Unless invited by His Majesty or attending court assemblies, he spent all his time either at the affiliated middle school or strolling the streets—a rare man of few desires and a tranquil disposition.

Even though he had prepared himself mentally, he never expected to hear from the other party about such a shocking event as the possibility of an epidemic in the capital!

Prefect Zheng's body trembled uncontrollably. He subconsciously wanted to deny such a thing, but after all, he had been a person who had become the prefect of the capital after many years of experience. He quickly forced himself to calm down, listened carefully to Jiu Que's discovery of the epidemic, quickly gave orders, and then complained to Jiu Que with a bitter expression.

"Well, Lord Ying, you know I only took office this year and have many shortcomings. I'm truly at a loss right now and don't know what to do. Do you think we should tell His Majesty?"

"This matter must naturally be informed of His Majesty. However, His Majesty is probably too busy right now."

The prefect of Kyoto was taken aback for a moment, then quickly realized what had happened. How could he have forgotten? The steppe delegation had arrived in the capital three days ago and was staying at the post station. Today was the day to pay their respects to His Majesty, and the palace banquet was probably about to begin.

Normally, Jiu Que would have been invited to such an occasion, but the envoy attending the palace banquet today had a special status. Although she hadn't done anything wrong, her identity as the daughter of General Ying Chongming was enough to make the other party extremely wary of her. Especially since Ying Jiu Que had a very good relationship with the 20-strong army in the Northern Frontier. In the past, they were only separated by a grassland, so they naturally knew how hard the Northern General's life was, but recently, the Northern General, who was originally so poor that he was almost starving, was living a more and more comfortable life!
Upon inquiring, I discovered that they not only had a wool factory capable of spinning warm clothing, but also a chicken and duck farm, and their lives were thriving. They no longer had to eat coarse grains and wild vegetables like before, and could even afford meat. How can you argue with that? We were all equally poor before, and I was even better off than you, but after just a few days, you're eating meat and drinking soup!

Upon further inquiry into why this change had occurred, well, the culprit was no ordinary person—the only daughter of the esteemed General Ying. It was said that this woman was not only exceptionally skilled at officialdom but also remarkably adept at making money. The rare and precious items displayed in the shops specializing in exotic goods in the capital were all incredibly valuable and unusual. Of course, the prices were also quite exorbitant.

A few broken mirrors and transparent stones can actually sell for a fortune!
It wasn't just the people of the grasslands who were envious. The major families in the capital had long been green with envy, but who would dare to risk His Majesty's wrath to seize Ying Jiuque's assets? No matter how envious they were, they had to keep quiet.

(End of this chapter)