As the carriages and horses ventured deeper into the grasslands, Yan Guan increasingly felt the chill in the air.
It was too quiet.
It wasn't until the soldiers dragged a body out of the hunter's house that the stillness was broken.
"Sovereign, there are blood spots and bruises on the face. It appears to be typhoid fever..."
"Put on masks and go investigate immediately," Chao Ge's expression instantly turned cold. The people from the Medical Bureau quickly took out preventive pills and distributed them.
The worst fear had come true. Chao Ge's only consolation was that he had come personally. Otherwise, with the local officials’ indecisiveness, the casualties would have been much greater.
Now that they had reached the border, the population was sparse and people lived scattered. So the situation was slightly better than expected. Most people infected with typhoid had mild symptoms, though the old hunter who had died was just too old.
A physician hurriedly walked towards Wuritu's tent. "Master, there's a girl whose fever hasn't gone down even after taking medicine. Instead, it's gotten more serious."
Who would have thought that Wuritu wasn't in the tent at this moment? Only a few green-robed attendants were there, boiling the medicine. Upon hearing this, Yan Guan immediately stood up from behind the stove, "Master Wu is seeing another patient elsewhere. Take me to her first!"
The physician recognized Yan Guan and didn’t refuse his help. As the two hurried along, Yan Guan asked worriedly, "Have you already diagnosed her?"
"I have. She has chills and nausea, which are indeed symptoms of typhoid fever. She was given Guizhi Decoction earlier, which should have been correct, but her vomiting worsened."
When they arrived at the girl’s tent, to his surprise, Daxi was there as well, holding the girl’s hand, muttering anxiously, and even crying. Yan Guan didn’t have time to think about it and quickly stepped forward to examine her.
"The illness has penetrated the muscles, blocking the effectiveness of the medicine," Yan Guan placed the girl's hand back under the blanket. "Acupuncture at Fengchi and Fengfu points, then give Guizhi Decoction again."
Yan Guan pulled out silver needles from a cloth bag, sterilized them with liquor, and prepared to administer the acupuncture. "The acupuncture points are at the back of the head. It’ll be quick and painless."
Daxi supported Cao Du to sit up. The young man in front of them still had a bit of youthful innocence, but his gentle yet firm words inexplicably put people at ease.
Yan Guan's needlework was swift and precise. Cao Du, already feverish and drowsy, barely felt anything, but Daxi kept his eyes fixed on Yan Guan. After all, Liangzhou was a nomadic region, and its medical practices were not as well-established as in the Liang Dynasty. Techniques like acupuncture were rare.
After administering medicine to Cao Du, Yan Guan stood up to leave, as there were many more patients to care for. Daxi, worried about Cao Du, only murmured a soft thank you and didn’t get up to see him off.
Seeing him like this, Yan Guan couldn’t help but feel a tinge of envy. So, this is Daxi’s beloved? They truly seem to share a deep bond.
The patients from the surrounding locations had all been gathered at this location, and the officers of the Medical Bureau were so busy that they lost track of time. Yan Guan, who had been practicing health preservation [a healthy lifestyle] since childhood, had never stayed up this late. Being at an age where one grows and gets sleepy easily, he was exhausted to the point of passing out. Though he appeared to still be sitting in front of the pot, his eyes had long glazed over.
When Chao Ge entered the tent, he immediately saw this scene, and a rare smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
"Yan Guan," Chao Ge called out. After a few seconds, the person in front of him finally pulled his dazed gaze away from the pot, and responded blankly, "Huh?" He even forgot to address him as "Master."
Chao Ge couldn’t hold it in any longer and let out a soft laugh. This time, Yan Guan snapped fully awake and quickly stood to bow. Chao Ge waved him off, "Forget it. I’ve come to ask for some medicine."
Realizing what he meant, Yan Guan hurried to fetch the medicine for him. For several days now, Chao Ge had been leading patrols around the area - searching for any missing patients, setting up quarantines, and distributing medicine. He probably hadn’t had a full night’s sleep for a few days either. Given his constant contact with patients, drinking some preventive medicine was indeed necessary.
Chao Ge downed the medicine in one gulp, but the dim candlelight couldn’t hide the bluish-black exhaustion beneath his eyes. "How are the patients here?" he asked.
"Most have mild symptoms and have shown improvement after taking the medicine. The more severe cases have been specially arranged for care in separate tents."
Chao Ge nodded. "Good. You’ve worked hard. Once the situation here stabilizes, you should return to the capital," he said, his tone a bit stiff.
What did he mean by that? How could he ask him to leave alone? "No," Yan Guan refused without thinking, "There aren’t enough doctors here. Many are still young and lack experience in treating plagues. I have to stay."
"Are you saying they're young, and you're not?" Chao Ge retorted with a hint of anger. At first, Yan Guan had followed him here of his own accord, but now that things had stabilized, he still refused to leave.
The atmosphere grew tense. Chao Ge took a step forward, his tall figure completely overshadowing Yan Guan, his voice lowered, "You're smart. You can’t possibly be unaware of the reason."
Yan Guan recalled that night. Of course, he knew, but he couldn't believe that Chao Ge would truly regard him so highly.
Romantic feelings would become his weakness.
"Don’t make things difficult for me." Chao Ge leaned in closer to Yan Guan, his hand gently stroking his face, carrying a hint of tenderness. Yan Guan's face, chilled by the cold wind, felt the warmth of Chao Ge's hand.
It shouldn’t be like this. A ruler of a nation shouldn't treat someone who was either a plaything or a male concubine in this way. Yan Guan’s eyelashes trembled slightly, the answer was clear, but he didn’t dare face it.
"Why are you so stubborn," Chao Ge sighed helplessly. "The court is full of tangled power struggles. I don't know what will happen. I can’t make promises to you, nor can I keep you by my side day and night, carrying you in my pocket or hanging you at my waist." Chao Ge paused, and Yan Guan felt the pressure around him intensify.
His cheek was rubbed gently, a gesture full of disappointment. Finally, Yan Guan spoke, "There will be danger... I'm afraid someone will use me to threaten you."
"I won’t betray the people of Wugan."
Chao Ge’s meaning was clear. He couldn’t bear to part with Yan Guan, but as the ruler of a nation, his responsibilities were far greater. If it truly came to a dilemma, Yan Guan would be the one sacrificed. Therefore, Yan Guan had to return to the capital, where someone could protect him.
In fact, using Yan Guan to hurt and slander Chao Ge was a childish plan, but Chao Ge didn’t dare to take the risk.
A few days later, Daxi came to find Yan Guan, looking quite relaxed. It seemed the girl had recovered.
"Cao Du has fully recovered, and I have to thank you," Daxi placed a bracelet in Yan Guan's palm. "She strung this jade herself. It's not worth much, just a little token of appreciation."
Since Daxi said that, Yan Guan didn’t refuse and accepted it. "It's quite beautiful. Why does it look like water?" The jade was smooth and glossy. The beads on the bracelet weren’t large, but each one was clear and pure, clearly requiring a lot of effort to make.
"Yes," Daxi said, a little proud, "Cao Du is quite skillful, just like her name."
"Cao Du? Does her name mean 'clever'?"
"Exactly," Daxi’s eyes sparkled with joy. "I plan to propose in the spring and take her to the capital."
Yan Guan hummed in response, then suddenly asked, "What does the master’s name mean?"
"Majesty."
Yan Guan smiled, "It truly fits."
Speaking of this, Daxi remembered his earlier idle chat with Geqi. "I heard you're about to return to the capital soon? It's the master's order."
Yan Guan sighed, "Yes, the master insists I leave. Once the patients have stabilized and the physicians from the Medical Bureau are able to manage, I'll be on my way."
Daxi stared at Yan Guan for a long while, then suddenly clicked his tongue, "So? You understand the master's feelings now?"
Yan Guan touched the jade bracelet, smiled, but said nothing.
Daxi, never one to hold back, blurted out, "Have you slept together?" [Da…Xi!]
Yan Guan froze, then his face flushed bright red. "W-What are you saying? Daxi, you... you'd better go back and take care of Cao Du..."
Daxi smacked his lips, thinking to himself, ‘I thought something had happened between them.’
Yan Guan, mortified to the core, scolded lightly, "Does Brother Daxi treat Cao Du like this too, so recklessly?"
"Hey, don’t say that!" Daxi immediately became anxious, "Cao Du and I follow proper conduct. Our feelings are pure! Alright, alright, I’ll stop teasing you."
Yan Guan hadn’t seen Chao Ge for a few days, but he had heard that he went to the border. Yan Guan started preparing to head back to the capital. The team had more than a dozen messengers, led by Dai Qing.
"Little Doctor Yan, have you packed your things?"
"Yes, yes," Yan Guan hastily slung his bag over his back and mounted his horse, following Dai Qing.
"We've met before, do you remember?"
Yan Guan nodded, "We had a brief encounter at the temple. I didn't catch your name back then."
"Dai Qing. But don’t go telling unrelated people about me."
Yan Guan was startled. If his name was so important, why had he casually told him? He quickly swore not to say a word.
Dai Qing laughed heartily, amused by how nervous Yan Guan became.
"Oh, by the way, there's something I need you to take care of. When we return to the capital, please inform the Second Prince of my arrival, and also deliver some official documents to him."
Yan Guan naturally agreed.
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