248: Chapter 0248 Short of Money

"Husband, do not be sad. No matter what the people of the Northern Border say about you or how they look at you, I will always stay by your side."

Xiao Qingxuan looked at the man with heartache.

She understood very well what kind of pain it was to be wronged and misunderstood.

Because of her heterochromia, her experiences within the Great Gan borders were etched deeply into her soul.

Therefore, seeing Lin Xiao being slandered, she was instantly consumed with uncontrollable rage!

If Prince Bai were before her, she would surely tear that scoundrel apart with her bare hands!

To be with her man the moment the coming storm hit, she hurriedly left some instructions for Leng Bingyan and galloped thousands of miles to find her husband.

"My husband is skilled in both the pen and the sword, possessing extraordinary intelligence. He could have ignored this chaotic world and lived a carefree life beyond it."

"The bloody battles, the defense against foreign enemies, and the removal of corrupt officials—it was all so the common people of the Northern Border could live good lives."

Xiao Qingxuan's eyes were red as she choked out, "What is that Prince Bai? He isn't worthy of spreading rumors to slander my husband. He deserves to be cut into a thousand pieces..."

Lin Xiao was somewhat surprised to see the woman so agitated.

Actually, while he was annoyed when he saw the manifesto, he wasn't exactly furious.

Perhaps because he came from a world where rumors flew everywhere, he took such things rather lightly.

If you can smear others, others can naturally smear you. Everyone hurts each other; if you can't handle it, don't play!

But Xiao Qingxuan was different. In her eyes, how could someone speak recklessly without evidence?

This kind of insidious and despicable rumor-mongering was simply unacceptable!

Of course, part of it was that she loved him too much to allow anyone to disparage him like that.

"Wife, there's no need to worry. I don't give a damn about Prince Bai's petty tricks."

"As for this plague, I already have a miraculous medicine to cure it, so there's no need for concern at all!"

Lin Xiao pulled the woman into his arms and smiled comfortingly.

"Really? Husband has found a medicine for the plague!?"

Xiao Qingxuan looked incredulous. "How is it that I've never heard of this?"

"Haha, your husband has tinkered with many good things. How many of them have you heard of?" Lin Xiao teased.

Xiao Qingxuan puffed out her cheeks with a look of pure innocence. "That's true... since meeting Husband, I feel like a frog at the bottom of a well."

"If the frogs in this world were as beautiful as my wife, then men would all go to the fields to find frogs. Who would bother marrying women?"

"Pfft... Husband always knows how to tease me!"

Xiao Qingxuan wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, her emotions calming down significantly.

"Husband, since we have the medicine, Prince Bai has truly shot himself in the foot this time!"

"As long as we cure the plague, the rumors will be debunked, and it will greatly boost Husband's prestige!"

Xiao Qingxuan immediately switched into military advisor mode.

Lin Xiao nodded. "Indeed. However, my current supply of medicine is only enough to save a few hundred people. To truly overcome this crisis, it's not enough."

"So, I need your help, Wife, to take charge of the overall situation and buy me time to 'manufacture the medicine'."

Xiao Qingxuan blinked. "What materials are needed for this medicine? Are they difficult to find?"

Lin Xiao sighed inwardly, unable to explain that he needed cultivation power and prestige.

"A major difficulty with this medicine is that only I can produce it. Therefore... I must take a long trip alone."

"During this time, E Prefecture and Cang Province need strict isolation and control to prevent the epidemic from spreading as much as possible."

Lin Xiao helped Xiao Qingxuan onto her horse. As they hurried toward Hanyang, he explained to her how to implement scientific controls.

Xiao Qingxuan was extremely intelligent and understood everything instantly, learning even faster than Zhao Caiwei.

However, the way she looked at Lin Xiao became increasingly filled with admiration.

She couldn't understand how her man could even know about invisible bacteria.

She had never heard the imperial physicians in the palace mention such medical knowledge.

Her husband truly knew everything from astronomy to geography; there was nothing he didn't master!

"If I had my husband by my side back then, Western Shu might not have been destroyed..."

As soon as this thought arose, Xiao Qingxuan immediately dismissed it.

No, if it weren't for her downfall, she never would have met Lin Xiao, let alone married him.

A blessing in disguise—Lin Xiao was the best destiny heaven could have given her!

Every day now was happier than the past. She should be satisfied...

Lin Xiao had no idea that by explaining some basic medical protection knowledge, he had completely captivated his wife's heart.

He only felt that the look she gave him was so tender it could melt.

What was going on? Could it be that he hadn't 'transferred funds' to her in a while and she was short on gold?

If time weren't so tight, they could have found a secluded spot nearby for a 'round'. What a pity!

At noon.

The two arrived at Hanyang City, which was now surrounded by large tents.

At a rough glance, over a thousand refugees had gathered there.

Although Feng Yuzhang had arranged for the refugees to stay warm and receive congee at fixed locations,

the epidemic was as fierce as a tiger, and many people were already bedridden and unable to rise.

Some commoners spontaneously moved the corpses to the mass graves in the north for burial.

The weather-beaten faces were filled with helplessness and indignation, but even more so with despair and numbness.

Lin Xiao reached the city gate and produced Feng Yuzhang's warrant. The captain of the guard looked surprised and hurriedly let them through.

As soon as they reached the Inspectors Office, they saw hundreds of people gathered at the entrance—a motley crew of all sorts.

Their faces were filled with righteous indignation as they continuously shouted slogans.

Looking at the banners they unfurled, several of them read:

"Unless the villain Lin dies, the plague will not be cured!"

"Execute the villain Lin to pacify the natural disaster!"

"The evil villain Lin Xiao is heavily burdened with sin; everyone has the right to execute him..."

When Xiao Qingxuan saw this, an icy chill instantly radiated from her body. She wished she could freeze them all into ice pops!

Lin Xiao grabbed her hand and comforted her:

"They are just a bunch of small fries being used. Attacking them will only play into Prince Bai's hands."

"Mhm..." Xiao Qingxuan naturally understood this as well, so she held back.

Since they couldn't enter through the front gate, Lin Xiao and Xiao Qingxuan directly slipped into the Inspectors Office.

After some searching, they found people arguing in the backyard.

"Feng Yuzhang! Are you even human!? Are you worthy of my sister!?"

Hu Wengui, the richest man in E Prefecture, pointed at his haggard brother-in-law, the inspector general, and cursed loudly.

"My sister has had a fever for a whole night! She's so hot now she can't even recognize Xinyi, and you still won't bring her back?!"

"Back then, you were so poor you couldn't even put food on the table. You had no money for a doctor when you were sick. If my sister hadn't cared for you at your bedside, would you have lived to reach the capital? Could you have become the inspector general?!"

Feng Yuzhang slammed the table, tears streaming down his face. "Shut up!! Do you think I don't want to bring my wife back!?"

"If it weren't for the people of this prefecture, I would have rushed in to live and die with my wife!!"

"But would bringing her back be of any use!? The best doctors have already gone in... they say all we can do is wait and leave it to fate. What else can I do?!"

Hu Wengui's lip trembled, and he was on the verge of tears. "But you can't just let my sister lie in a place like that... it's full of dead people. How can she get better there!?"

Lin Xiao walked into the study with Xiao Qingxuan.

"Lord Feng, I can cure your wife."