The wicked imperial concubine is courting death again; the comments section teaches her how to win w

Qi Yitang handed over the five million taels that Lu Linbai had sent, along with several hundred thousand taels that he had scraped together, to Li Degui, who then passed them on to Xie Ling.

Although her father was a Grand Tutor, his salary was only average. He gave her a considerable dowry, but not an excessive one.

The title of Grand Tutor still held some prestige a hundred years ago.

Not only did he instruct the emperor, but he also participated in decision-making on major military and national affairs, making him one of the highest regents.

In recent decades, it has basically become an honorary title, with little real power in its hands.

In addition, her father was an upright man who did not accept bribes or have any illicit income, even though he was the emperor's father-in-law.

These hundreds of thousands of taels were all the cash Qi Yitang had on hand; the rest were jewelry and artifacts that couldn't be sold off immediately.

Despite the pain in her heart, she still paid.

Never mind, she's the empress anyway, and her emperor husband is still alive. How could he possibly impoverish her?

However, after Li Degui sent her belongings over, they were returned intact.

Qi Yitang: "Huh? He doesn't want it?"

Xie Ling sighed. He knew that Tangtang cared about the people and was kind-hearted, but he was, after all, an emperor, and not so poor that he had to eat his wife's dowry.

However, Xie Ling accepted the five million taels that Lu Linbai sent without any hesitation.

How could a junior like me refuse my great-uncle's kind offer?

……

In the following days, Xie Ling was indeed extremely busy, practically living and eating in the Imperial Study.

This allows ministers and subordinates to report at any time.

Even though they were both in the palace, he wasn't by her side. She ate alone and slept alone, and Qi Yitang felt empty inside.

"Your Majesty, it's already past midnight. You should go to bed and rest," Yun Ying gently reminded her.

Qi Yitang couldn't sleep.

It's hard to go from extravagance to frugality. In the past, I disliked Xie Ling's hot body in the summer because we would stick together and sweat.

Now that the room is empty, she can toss and turn however she wants, but Qi Yitang has lost her sleep.

So annoying.

Why did Xie Ling have to become the emperor? Why couldn't he be with her all the time?

If Xie Ling were a leisurely and wealthy prince like Lu Linbai, without so many official duties to attend to, they might also be able to go out to sea to collect pearls and catch fish and shrimp...

But there was no one to comfort her when she was being sentimental, so Qi Yitang could only force herself to close her eyes.

sleep!

Yun Ying lit a calming incense stick and gently fanned Qi Yitang with a round fan. Once Qi Yitang's breathing had gradually calmed down, she quietly withdrew.

At the second quarter of midnight, a tall figure appeared inside Yaotang Palace.

Mei Shu, who was on duty at the entrance of the bedchamber, immediately stood up straight. "Your Majesty."

Xie Ling raised her hand, "Go down first."

"Yes."

Of course, the guards being told to "go down" doesn't mean they should go and rest, but rather that they should find a place far away to stay so as not to get in their master's way.

The palace doors were gently pushed open and then closed again.

Qi Yitang prefers a dimly lit environment to sleep; she can't fall asleep if the candlelight is too bright and dazzling.

But Xie Ling wasn't there, and the darkness made her even more afraid, so she lit two small lamps by the bedside.

Xie Ling walked to the bedside and saw Qi Yitang sleeping on her side, her body slightly curled up, one hand on her lower abdomen and the other touching the pillow, as if subconsciously looking for something.

It looked so lonely and pitiful.

Xie Ling watched quietly for a while, and felt that the restlessness and depression in her heart caused by the urgent report and the idiot had dissipated a lot.

But he still couldn't hide his rage, wishing he could dig out the damned magistrate who had been tortured to death and whip his corpse on the spot!

They just created a bunch of problems for him, forcing him to leave his wife and kids to fend for themselves.

If this accident hadn't happened, they would have already been staying at the summer palace to escape the heat.

Xie Ling had taken a shower and changed into dry undergarments before coming, so as not to bring in the summer heat and dust from outside.

He took off his coat, tiptoed onto the bed, and slowly leaned over from behind, pulling Qi Yitang and the children into his arms.

Qi Yitang was still half asleep, but she still sensed it. "Hmm, Yanzhi?"

Xie Ling moved even more gently, "Did I wake you up?"

"No..." Qi Yitang snuggled closer to him, her voice still nasal and sleepy, "I can't sleep soundly when you're not here."

Her fingers gently traced the faint dark circles under Xie Ling's eyes, and she whispered, "You've lost weight... and you have dark circles too?"

Xie Ling took her finger and gently touched it to her lips. "Did it look ugly?"

Qi Yitang smiled slightly, her voice soft, "No, my husband is still as handsome as ever."

"I thought Tangtang was disgusted with her husband."

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder; he's not ugly at all." Qi Yitang felt sorry for him. "It's so late; you should get some sleep... I'm fine, and the baby is fine too, so don't worry."

Xie Ling buried his head in the crook of her neck. "Let's sleep together."

He was indeed extremely exhausted. The disaster situation was changing rapidly, and he had to remain clear-headed and make decisions at any time. His mind was constantly on edge.

But Qi Yitang didn't want to fall asleep so quickly, because when she woke up, he would be gone.

He should have come back a couple of nights ago, but she was fast asleep and didn't see him. She didn't even know when he came or when he left.

After they opened up to each other, Xie Ling would sneak up on her almost every night, never letting her sleep alone.

Qi Yitang was not used to it.

"By the way, have all the medicinal herbs I asked Fourth Brother to get delivered to Xushui County?" Qi Yitang asked. "And Mingzhu, she said she'd contact her maternal grandparents' family to raise funds..."

With this epidemic raging so badly, whether people genuinely care about the people or are worried that the disease might spread to the capital if not controlled properly, everyone wants to do their part.

Some dared not go directly to the emperor, so they sought help from Qi Yitang indirectly.

Even Cui Zhiyin and Yue Mingzhu, who were living in a villa on the outskirts of Beijing, and Bai Ruichu, with whom she had a past conflict, sent her gifts through intermediaries.

There was silver, clothing, and food...

After receiving them, Qi Yitang registered them all and had Xie Ling allocate them in a unified manner.

Fourth Brother usually makes friends everywhere and has a wide network of connections, so Qi Yitang asked him to contact his friends in the pharmaceutical industry to purchase medicinal materials at cost price.

It saved money and got things done.

"It's delivered." Xie Ling kissed the top of her head. "Thanks to Tangtang's thoughtfulness, it saved me a lot of trouble."

Qi Yitang felt happy to be able to help him.

"That's good. Don't talk anymore, just get some sleep."

……

The couple embraced and slept peacefully through the night.

When Qi Yitang woke up the next day, Xie Ling was indeed gone, but she felt much better.

Four or five days had passed since the urgent report, which traveled 800 li (approximately 400 kilometers) to be delivered to the Emperor.

People sent by the Imperial Medical Academy have arrived in the epidemic area by fast horse and are doing their best to study the prescriptions for treating the epidemic.

But the incompetent magistrate of Xushui County did nothing but conceal and lie about the actual number of deaths and illnesses, which was nearly double the number initially reported.

It will probably take a lot of effort to completely control the epidemic.

During this period, people in the capital were filled with fear. The common people and nobles were also afraid that the epidemic would spread to Shengjing. If even one or two patients managed to sneak into the city gates, the entire capital would be thrown into chaos.

Fortunately, Xie Ling had already dispatched the Imperial Guards to Xushui County from the day the urgent report arrived.

Anyone exhibiting symptoms such as fever, cough, vomiting, or diarrhea must be isolated.

Strict checks were also conducted at checkpoints in Shengjing and various prefectures and counties to prevent the spread of the epidemic.

The epidemic had already kept Xie Ling busy, but at this critical moment, an absurd rumor arose among the people.

It is said that the plague was caused by a demon queen.