After seizing Minzhou, Ezhou, and several surrounding cities, Chu Chengji ordered rewards for the three armies.

The land of Wuyue had always been prosperous.

The favorable climate conditions made it more suitable for agriculture than other places.

The passage of the Yuan River promoted the development of agriculture and mulberry cultivation.

Shipbuilding and maritime trade were also unique to the territory of Great Chu.

Silk and porcelain produced in places like Suzhou were sold to distant countries like Java and Persia through these seafaring vessels.

The exotic treasures presented to the royal family were also brought back on these ships from foreign lands.

After Li Xin rebelled from Qixian County, Prince Huaiyang first annexed the land of Wuyue.

Guarding such a treasure trove, as long as Prince Huaiyang still breathed, he would remain a threat.

In the past, compared to Li Xin’s unscrupulous army, the land of Wuyue was much more difficult to conquer.

But this epidemic had brought fame to the Chu army.

Prince Huaiyang abandoned Qingxi County, which chilled the hearts of many people in Wuyue.

After Chu Chengji stationed his troops in Minzhou and Ezhou, in addition to taking over the original government industries, he still adhered to the principle of not harming the common people, strict control over the soldiers, and successfully restored the loyalty of the people in the cities.

As Chu Chengji, along with Lin Yao, inventoried the items in the government warehouse, Lin Yao looked at the warehouse full of grain and silk and could hardly walk straight. “It is said that the land of Wuyue is rich, and it’s really true!”

On the empty ground ahead, there were dozens of wooden boxes piled up, with golden bars and silver ingots shining dimly in the dark warehouse.

Lin Yao touched one of the boxes of gold bars with his hand, swallowed hard several times, and finally spoke without stumbling, “W-We…we have money to pay the army!”

His mind racing, and with Minzhou and Ezhou adjacent to the stronghold of Prince Huaiyang in Wujun, it was probably not easy to defend.

He hurriedly said to Chu Chengji, “Your Highness, let’s mix these treasures into medicinal herbs and transport them back to Qingzhou together!”

Chu Chengji stopped in front of a wooden box filled with large dragon eye pearls, picked one up casually, and said, “Once we obtain Yingzhou, Wujun will be isolated and vulnerable. The land of Wuyue will already be within our grasp.”

Although Yingzhou was currently under the control of Prince Huaiyang, with a trusted general stationed there, the influence of the Lu family in Yingzhou was considerable.

As long as the Lu family in Yingzhou was willing to completely turn against them, they could take Yingzhou without expending a single soldier.

Chu Chengji’s words were mild and calm, but Lin Yao’s mind was in turmoil.

His Highness intended to directly swallow up the power of Prince Huaiyang.

After the shock passed, he looked at Chu Chengji’s back as he held the dragon eye pearl, standing with his hands behind his back.

Moonlight shone through the window lattice onto him, and the night was silent and clear.

Lin Yao felt as if the figure before him overlapped with the one who had discussed the world’s affairs with him in the simple wooden house on Liangyan Mountain:

“Master Cheng, surely you must know where your aspirations lie.”

“Is it just a small western stronghold, or the leader of the bandits in Qingzhou, or…being appointed as a marquis and leaving a mark in history?”

Impressed by his boldness back then, Lin Yao’s heart was now filled with excitement because of a single sentence.

Lin Yao immediately saluted and volunteered, “Your Highness, I am willing to lead the troops to attack Yingzhou!”

Upon entering the room with the checked account book, Lu Ze heard this and cleared his throat. “Your Highness, I am willing to go to Yingzhou as a mediator. If persuasion fails, we can resort to force later.”

Lin Yao suddenly remembered that Yingzhou was Lu Ze’s hometown and awkwardly coughed a few times. “Lord Lu makes sense.”

Lu Ze didn’t seem to hold a grudge at all.

Instead, he nodded and smiled warmly at Lin Yao, making him even more embarrassed.

Chu Chengji placed the large dragon eye pearl back into the iron-lined wooden box and looked at Lu Ze. “As you say.”

Then he pointed to another box of treasures. “Take this one with you to Yingzhou as well, as a gift from me to your uncle.”

Lu Ze hurriedly thanked him and withdrew.

After Lu Ze left, Chu Chengji turned to Lin Yao. “This box is for General Lin.”

“A…a box?” Lin Yao looked at the golden bars, almost swallowing his own tongue.

Chu Chengji said, “General Lin is loyal and hardworking, deserving of this reward.”

Previously, when funds were tight in Qingzhou, Lin Yao had only focused on helping his subordinates collect their pay and had never taken his own share of the military pay.

This was his first reward, and it was such a large one.

Lin Yao glanced over the open boxes and finally fixed his gaze on the box of pearls. With a thick skin, he asked, “Your Highness, can I exchange ten gold bars for one pearl?”

Each pearl in that box was the size of a dragon eye, shining with a lustrous glow, obviously valuable.

Chu Chengji thought Lin Yao wanted to ask for one for Lin Zhao. “Feel free to take it, no need to exchange.”

Lin Yao thanked him and unceremoniously picked up the largest pearl from the box and pocketed it.

After inventorying the warehouse, two cargo ships loaded with medicinal herbs sailed upriver towards Qingzhou that night, and the recruitment notice for renowned physicians to treat the epidemic was also issued the next day.

At the celebration banquet in the evening, Lin Yao sat with Han Xiu at a table.

After a few cups of alcohol, Lin Yao was fine, but Han Xiu seemed a bit intoxicated.

He kept pulling Lin Yao close and talking incoherently, his face turning as red as a monkey’s bottom:

“Little brother, haven’t you married yet?”

Lin Yao was overwhelmed by his alcohol breath and tried to move away.

He replied casually, “The great cause is not yet accomplished, how can I marry?”

Han Xiu seemed to have found a kindred spirit and patted Lin Yao’s shoulder vigorously, but then accidentally patted him back, hiccuping, “Little brother, your temper suits me. My youngest daughter will be of age soon…”

Lin Yao sensed that the conversation was going in the wrong direction and quickly poured him another cup of wine, interrupting him, “General Han, come, let’s continue drinking!”

Already quite drunk, Han Xiu fell asleep on the table directly after one more cup.

Just as Lin Yao breathed a sigh of relief, Lu Ze sat down opposite him with a smile. “General Lin, care for a drink?”

Lin Yao found it strange but still raised his cup to toast with Lu Ze.

After a couple of coughs, Lu Ze said, “I wonder what kind of girl General Lin likes. I have many sisters at home…”

“Pfft—”

Caught off guard by this topic, Lin Yao sprayed the wine he was drinking, remembering Lu Ze’s mention of having many sisters.

His expression became a bit odd. “What’s going on today? Everyone’s asking about my marriage. Even General Lu here, who is still a bachelor himself?”

Lu Ze was surprised. “General Lin, don’t you know?”

Lin Yao looked puzzled. “Know what?”

Lu Ze smiled and said, “It’s nothing, just that all the families with eligible daughters are looking for virtuous and talented ministers and generals under His Highness’s command who are still unmarried.

General Lin, along with Lord Cen, Lord Qin, and Junior General Dong, are all sought-after candidates for marriage.”

Upon hearing that Cen Daoxi was also involved, Lin Yao’s face darkened. “That old man with the surname Cen is quite old. Are there really families rushing to marry their daughters to him? Don’t ruin their daughters’ lives!”

Lu Ze sensed Lin Yao’s displeasure towards Cen Daoxi and asked in confusion, “Does General Lin have a grudge against Lord Cen?”

Lin Yao replied bluntly, “No!”

The person surnamed Cen had a feud with his sister.

Seeing that Lin Yao didn’t want to elaborate further, Lu Ze didn’t press the matter and instead expressed some regret. “General Lin is a young talent, and my sisters are all gifted…”

An Yuanqing, who had long been drunk and passed out on the table, heard the words “gifted” and half-awake, blurted out, “My daughter excels in music, chess, poetry, and painting!”

Lu Ze was perhaps a bit tipsy himself, as he engaged in a debate with the drunken An Yuanqing about whose daughter was more talented.

Lin Yao: “…”

He finished the last sip of wine in his bowl, got up, and decided to go outside for some fresh air.

The pearl he had put in his pocket rolled out, and he bent down to pick it up, catching the sight of Lu Ze beside him.

Lu Ze, with an innocent scholar-like face, made a light “tsk” sound with a hint of alcohol on his breath. “General Lin, who is this pearl for?”

Lin Yao stuffed the pearl back into his pocket. “It’s for my sister.”

He stood up to leave. “I need to sober up outside.”

He said he needed to sober up, but he didn’t go far.

Lin Yao found a small hill, lay down with his arms as a pillow, and felt the slight chill of late autumn in Wuyue.

The moon hung like a silver plate in the starry sky, clear and cold, reminiscent of the girl’s gaze when she lifted the carriage curtain.

Her slender phoenix eyes, her faint gaze.

Just one glance made him feel the world of difference, yet that gaze seemed to hook onto his heart like a barb.

Whenever he thought about it, it was an unbearable itch in his heart.

He took out the pearl and looked at it through the moonlight. For a moment, the pearl also seemed to turn into a bright moon.

He clenched the pearl tightly in his hand and closed his eyes.

Three days later, the medicinal herbs transported by water arrived in Qingzhou, along with a box of pearls and a letter.

In this past year, the two of them had always been separated more than together.

The newly established Chu dynasty had become accustomed to the days when Chu Chengji was absent, and all matters were decided by Qin Zheng.

However, this epidemic had left Qin Zheng somewhat helpless.

The government could only control the source and prevent its spread.

Physicians tried various remedies, but could only temporarily alleviate the suffering of the patients without curing them.

The first batch of refugees infected with the epidemic not only had high fever, chills, vomiting, and diarrhea but also developed rashes all over their bodies, which later turned into ulcers.

Many refugees died in agony at this stage.

Qin Zheng was not a physician and could only provide support in terms of medicinal herbs, allowing the physicians to explore methods of treatment.

In addition to being mentally exhausted, she received even more worrying news: there was a riot in Qingxi County.

After the county magistrate of Qingxi surrendered to Chu Chengji, Chu Chengji led his troops southward, leaving Qin Zheng to stabilize the situation in Qingzhou.

She transferred the officials who had previously served in Wucheng to Qingxi County, instructing them to follow the management model of Wucheng and guide the county magistrate in treating the epidemic, segregating the sick from the healthy.

However, the county magistrate of Qingxi felt that his authority was being undermined when he saw his subordinates obeying the officials sent by Chu Chengji, so he attempted to regain control, which led to a major outbreak of the epidemic in Qingxi County.

The people, believing that the Chu army had enclosed them in Qingxi County under the pretense of treating them, accused the government of pretending to be benevolent.

If left unchecked, these rumors would severely damage Chu Chengji’s reputation and undermine the efforts of the government to treat the refugees, earning them a false reputation for benevolence.

Song Heqing knew this well and, when Qin Zheng convened the ministers to discuss countermeasures, volunteered, “Your Highness, let me go to Qingxi County. I oversaw the construction of the disaster relief sheds and Wucheng. If I go, things will be more organized.”

Qin Zheng shook her head. “Minister Song, you have just recovered from a serious illness, and the journey is long. Moreover, there are riots. It is not safe.”

As a solution was yet to be found, the rioting people of Qingxi County had already begun to occupy the territories of other areas, seizing food from the people of other counties.

Unlike the epidemic-disguised refugees under Chu Chengji’s command, most of these people were truly infected with the plague.

If they came into contact with others, they could easily spread the disease.

Therefore, Qin Zheng ordered all the suburban residents adjacent to Qingxi County to move into the city.

The infected people of Qingxi County, deprived of food and medicine, took advantage of others’ fear of contacting them and launched retaliatory attacks on nearby cities.

Fortunately, they were mostly ordinary people without training and didn’t understand the tactics of attacking a city.

They didn’t even have many ladders.

When the defenders poured oil and set it on fire during the siege, they blocked their access to the city wall.

Qin Zheng knew that this situation couldn’t continue.

The epidemic would only spread faster and faster.

After careful consideration, she personally led a detachment of soldiers to suppress the riots in Qingxi County.

She also hoped to dispel misunderstandings and persuade the people of Qingxi County not to attack other cities out of revenge, thus saving the healthy people among them.

But sometimes, even the best-laid plans can go awry.

…

Chu Chengji had struck directly at the heart of Prince Huainan from the rear, so how could the Prince Huainan stay outside the walls of Xuzhou? He immediately withdrew his troops and rushed back.

On the way, they encountered a group of refugees.

Seeing that this was a well-equipped army of tens of thousands, the leader of the refugees was somewhat frightened and didn’t dare to confront them head-on, only saying, “We are the people of Qingxi County!”

Hearing them shouting about being the plague victims of Qingxi County, Prince Huainan sneered with cold laughter, “Is the Chu brat treating me like a monkey? He used such despicable methods to capture several cities from me. Today, meeting us, he still wants to play the same tricks again!”