In the capital, the crown prince went to the palace to greet the emperor as usual. Unexpectedly, the atmosphere in the palace was very gloomy, prompting him to quickly grab a young eunuch to inquire about the situation.

“What’s happening today?” the crown prince asked.

The little eunuch, filled with fear, replied, “Your Highness, the Emperor suddenly developed a fever this morning for some unknown reason. Now the imperial doctor is examining him.”

“A fever?” The crown prince was confused, glancing at the main hall and saying, “You continue to guard here. The emperor is unwell, and as a son, I should go and have a look.”

“Yes.”

As the crown prince passed by, he noticed that the emperor’s mental condition was not very good. Without saying much, he left.

Observing the crown prince’s departure, the emperor commented to the trusted eunuch beside him, “The crown prince has finally been obedient in these years.”

The eldest eunuch nodded with a smile.

.

A flying pigeon soared out of the crown prince’s residence and flew into the sky.

.

Linxian had finally found a cure.

The military doctors hadn’t had proper sleep these days, yet they were extremely satisfied with the results achieved through their hard work.

“Now that the prescription has been formulated, let’s invite everyone in the county to have a bowl to prevent the occurrence before it happens,” Liao Tingyu generously suggested.

“Sir, this must not be done. Each person’s condition is different, and the dosage varies. This is a medicine with three components of poison. I hope you will think twice,” the military doctor quickly intervened.

Liao Tingyu, as if just remembering, humbly said, “It was all thanks to the military doctor’s warning; otherwise, I might have made a big mistake. To celebrate the success of the prescription, I have arranged for a banquet at the county government office. I also invite you to join and enjoy a good meal and drink on my behalf.”

“The county magistrate is too kind, I am grateful.” The other doctors were pleased, and being invited to dine at the county government office was a significant honor.

As the patients were cured one by one, the courtyard, which had been guarded by the whole family, opened its long-closed door.

People emerged one after another, looking at the same sky outside and breathing the same air, yet with different moods.

Those who spontaneously came to greet them were also joyous to have survived.

Liao Tingyu, observing the commotion outside, said to Huang Zilan, “Now we should deal with those people in the prison.”

Huang Zilan nodded, “The time is indeed almost up, and we have kept them locked up for a long time.”

“It has indeed been a long time. People have been very tense these days, and there are very few sellers. They have been eating the grain stored in our county government. If we let them continue like this, we’ll be impoverished. Fortunately, this incident is over; otherwise, we don’t know how long we can last.” When Liao Tingyu thought of those people eating voraciously, he suspected they were retaliating against him after being locked up.

“By the way, Zhao Han, that Master Tang, has he returned to the capital now?” Liao Tingyu suddenly remembered that noble.

“They went back a month ago, taking a different route, not our way,” Zhao Han informed.

“Oh, that’s right. I’ve been occupied with this disease and haven’t paid attention to that man. But it doesn’t concern us. By the way, have you caught that spy?” Liao Tingyu inquired about the individual he had detained.

“Little brother, I’ve held him for several days. Initially, I thought he might know something after following Master Tang for so long, but it turns out he’s just a blank slate and knows nothing,” Liao Shi contemptuously remarked.

“After starving him for several days, he finally revealed something meaningful. He resents you for not giving him enough money, which prevented him from rescuing his sister in time. So, he wanted to use Master Tang’s influence for revenge,” Liao Shi added.

Liao Tingyu nodded, acknowledging that he expected this, “If he had been a bit considerate and knew we were here, he could have quietly informed us. It was that innkeeper who had a keen eye and could see through this person at a glance, revealing the true nature of the situation. At that time, we were not deeply involved in worldly affairs, so we couldn’t see his true nature.”

“Who says it’s not the case? We got such a reward for our kindness,” Huang Zilan said with a sense of frustration.

“Big brother, just handle this person as you see fit. He doesn’t hold much value. Such individuals will never gain favor with the upper class. Those people have a much clearer vision than us. How could someone like him ever be considered for important roles?”

“Alright, I understand. I’ll make sure to punish him good,” Liao Shi declared firmly.

After giving all the instructions, everyone returned to their duties, and it was time for Zhao Han to return to the military camp.