Even women who travel through time can become prime ministers and nobles.

Chapter 401 Disaster Relief Matters

Turning around, he saw Doctor Sun, carrying a medicine chest on his back, his white beard damp with rain: "This old minister dares to request permission to take the medicine boy out of the city to collect herbs."

“There is a plant called ‘Water Sprout’ in the mountain valley outside Chuzhou City. It can cure colds and malaria, but it has been raining heavily recently and the mountain roads are difficult to travel.”

Shi Wanxia's eyes lit up, then she frowned again: "It's not safe outside the city, besides..."

"Is the master worried that the disaster victims will be left unattended?"

Doctor Sun stroked his beard. "This old minister has an idea—let Guard Lin go among the disaster victims to recruit people to come with me to collect herbs. Firstly, we can collect more, and secondly..."

He gave the men who were working a meaningful look, "When there's something to do, no one will have any wild thoughts."

"it is good!

Shi Wanxia immediately made the decision, "Your Highness, go and select fifty strong and healthy men to go with Doctor Sun."

"Be careful, and bring your weapons."

Lin Yiyu accepted the order and left. Shi Wanxia watched his retreating figure and suddenly felt that the rain seemed to have lessened a bit.

She turned and walked towards the government office. Just as she reached the street corner, a dark figure darted out from under the eaves, a short knife in his hand aimed straight at her back!

"careful!"

Cui Zhihao roared and lunged forward, using his body to block the attack. The dagger pierced Cui Zhihao's shoulder blade, and the splattered blood dripped onto Shi Wanxia's skirt.

Seeing that he had failed, the shadowy figure turned and ran, but was kicked to the ground by Lin Yiyu who had arrived at the scene.

Lin Yiyu stepped on his back, tore open his clothes, revealing a jade pendant at his waist—the mark of the Yuan family.

“Yuan Xiaomiao’s people.”

Lin Yiyu's voice was icy cold, "Sister Shi, shall we raid the Yuan residence now?"

Shi Wanxia supported the injured Cui Zhihao, her nails digging deeply into her palms.

She shook her head: "It's not the right time yet."

She crouched down, looking at the assassin. "Who sent you? Yuan Xiaomiao, or Wang Qinian?"

The assassin gritted his teeth, and suddenly black blood spilled from the corner of his mouth as he bit off the poison hidden in his mouth.

Lin Yiyu slammed his fist on the wall: "Another suicide squad!"

Shi Wanxia stood up, her hair damp from the rain, but her eyes shone with an astonishing light: "They're in a panic."

She looked in the direction of the government office and said, "Send a message to His Majesty's men and tell them to speed things up."

"In addition, we will send more people to protect Dr. Sun and the disaster victims who are collecting medicinal herbs."

"I'll leave this to you. I'll take Brother Cui to get his wound bandaged!"

"Don't worry, Sister Shi!"

Lin Yiyu patted his chest, the armor plates clanging together with a crisp sound. His eyes still held a touch of childishness, yet he insisted on putting on a mature demeanor.

“I’m keeping an eye on things here. Whether they’re Yuan Xiaomiao’s remnants or Wang Qinian’s old subordinates, if they dare to show their faces, I’ll cut them down one by one. I’ll make sure they know who’s in charge in Chuzhou now!”

As he spoke, his chin was slightly raised, and the setting sun fell precisely on his straight nose, casting a golden-red halo, giving him a truly dashing air of a young general.

Looking at his arrogant appearance, Shi Wanxia couldn't help but smile and reach out to pat his shoulder—she used to do this all the time, like patting her own younger brother's head. But just as her fingertips were about to touch the fabric, she realized that she had to stand on tiptoe to reach it.

Her hand froze in mid-air. Lin Yiyu noticed it too, her eyes suddenly brightened, and she subconsciously wanted to bend over, but then she straightened her back abruptly, her ears turning slightly red.

Shi Wanxia coughed lightly, casually withdrew her hand, and adjusted her sleeves: "You've grown up, you're different now."

"That's natural!"

Lin Yiyu stiffened his neck, his smugness barely concealed, but his eyes secretly glanced at her hand. When he saw her fingertips brush against the dark pattern on her sleeve as she withdrew her hand, his Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.

"Sister, go to the inn without worry. I've arranged all the patrols here. They'll come to report every half hour, I guarantee it..."

"Okay, I believe you."

Shi Wanxia interrupted him to prevent the boy from going further and further astray.

She turned to look at Choi Ji-ho, who was being supported by two guards, her eyes filled with heartache.

"Send Lord Cui back to his room in the back courtyard of the inn, send someone to treat him, and tell Lord Cui that we are here and that no one else should come near."

"My subordinate understands."

The guard responded and helped Cui Zhihao walk towards the carriage parked at the alley entrance.

The wheels rolled over puddles, splashing mud that hit the shafts and left dark marks, much like the indelible filth on the person.

Lin Yiyu watched the carriage disappear into the alleyway, then suddenly took a step closer and lowered his voice: "Sister, do you suspect that someone in this government office knows the whereabouts of the grain?"

"Yuan Xiaomiao hid the account books more tightly than his own life, yet he left Wang Qinian in charge of everything. What else could this be but a cover-up?"

Shi Wanxia's gaze swept over the half-open side door at the end of the alley. She had just seen a dark figure slip inside, but hadn't made a sound. "I'm going to the inn to meet him. You stay here..."

"I know!"

Lin Yiyu immediately straightened his back. "I'll go keep an eye on that door. That dark figure just now is definitely suspicious. Maybe it's one of Yuan Xiaomiao's remnants trying to sneak out and report!"

Shi Wanxia nodded and was about to turn around when he grabbed her sleeve.

The boy's fingertips, calloused from martial arts training, felt like tiny sparks when they touched her wrist. She instinctively tried to pull away, but Lin Yiyu had already let go. She hurriedly took a half-step back and said, "Sister... it's chilly at night, you should wear a cloak."

As he spoke, he took off his cloak from his waist. It was a moon-white brocade cloak with dark gold cloud patterns embroidered on the edges. It was a gift from His Highness the Crown Prince, which he treasured and rarely wore.

At that moment, he casually put his hand on Shi Wanxia's shoulder, his fingertips accidentally touching the skin on the side of her neck. Both of them withdrew their hands as if they had been burned.

"I'm not cold."

Shi Wanxia stuffed the cloak into his arms, saying, "You should wear this. Be careful on patrol at night."

"Sister, take this!"

Lin Yiyu shoved the cloak into her arms, turned and ran towards the end of the alley, his muffled voice coming from ahead, "I'm strong, I'm not afraid of the cold!"

Shi Wanxia clutched the cloak that still held the boy's warmth, watching his figure disappear behind the side gate, before noticing that the cloak's lining was embroidered with a small eagle, the stitches a little crooked, as if he had secretly embroidered it himself.

She couldn't help but smile, draped the cloak over her arm, and turned to walk in another direction.

The waters of Chuzhou City were deeper than she had imagined.

Yuan Xiaomiao fell ill, and Wang Qinian, being cunning and scheming, still found the whereabouts of the grain and medicine a mystery.

Instead of going to the inn, she went around to the slums in the south of the city.

The houses here are low and dilapidated, with fishing nets dripping water from the eaves, and the air is filled with the smell of fish and mildew.

As summer drew near, she turned into a narrow alley and stopped in front of a weathered wooden door. She knocked three times and then tapped twice more.

The door creaked open a crack, revealing half a wrinkled face—it was Little Stone, the bodyguard the Crown Prince had sent to her.

"Lord Shi."

Little Stone pulled her inside. The herbs drying in the yard were still dripping water. Doctor Sun was sitting at the stone table grinding herbs, the sound of the pestle striking the mortar ringing out dully. "What you wanted, I found."

Doctor Sun looked up and pushed a yellowed piece of paper over: "This was found in the hidden compartment of the medicine chest in Wang Qinian's residence. It looks to me like a map of the distribution of the suburban granaries."

Shi Wanxia picked up the slip of paper, on which were several blurry marks drawn with charcoal pencil, and the words "Bing San" and "Ding Qi" written next to them.

As her fingertips traced the paper, she suddenly remembered the words Wang Qinian shouted as he was being dragged away—"The grain from the granary outside the city."