Did The Young Prince’s Kingdom Get Destroyed Today? Chapter 176

With Shui Shui in charge, the conditions of the sick greatly improved.

At first, when Ling Rui didn’t know it was an infectious disease, he hadn’t taken any precautions when examining the first body. Not only him, but Coroner Wang had also failed to take any precautions.

Luckily, after discovering the first body, Coroner Wang followed Ling Rui’s instructions and disinfected himself.

All the townspeople who had passed by the corpse were also disinfected that same day, though it caused a small commotion among the public.

At Guan Shan Residence, hygiene classes were a crucial part of exams.

As one of the top students in this subject, Ling Rui was known for scoring full marks in hygiene!

He did everything he could when it came to sanitation and safety.

“Little Seven.”

Ling Rui was still looking up, waiting for carrier pigeons, when an urgent voice suddenly called out—it was Chen Zhou again.

He strode quickly to Ling Rui, steadied his voice a little, and reported, “There’s trouble again. The people at the gate are hard to hold back. Do you want to take a look?”

“Yes.”

Ling Rui immediately walked out.

When he reached the gate, he saw that the open space in front had descended into chaos. Several people were sitting on the ground, crying and wailing, “We are innocent people! We haven’t committed any crimes! It’s just an illness, but the government took our family members and won’t return them. Is there no justice in this world?!”

The cries were intense. Ling Rui glanced at them and tilted his head slightly, asking softly, “Whose family members are they?”

Chen Zhou quietly listed the names.

Upon hearing them, Ling Rui’s brows furrowed.

The families were asking for their relatives, all of whom were gravely ill. If these severely ill people were released and cared for by their families, the situation would only worsen.

“Aunt Wang, please get up. It’s not that we don’t want to let you take your son home. Your son is ill, and the government is providing him with free treatment.”

“Don’t think I don’t know! Your government is just deceiving people! You’ll let him die, and then burn his body! I don’t want your treatment! Give me back my son.”

“Aunt Wang, this disease is contagious. Even if you take your son home, you won’t be able to save him.”

“I don’t care, stop making excuses.”

The relatives were adamant about taking their loved ones home. The officials who had been trying to persuade them were at their wits’ end.

“Your Highness.”

Aunt Wang, who had been crying the loudest, looked up and saw the prince standing a few steps away. She wasn’t familiar with the prince, as she had never seen his face before today. But she had heard that the Seventh Prince was of extraordinary beauty. And now, seeing his face, she finally believed it.

There was likely no one else in the world who could match the Seventh Prince’s looks.

Aunt Wang was stunned for a few seconds, mesmerized by the prince’s appearance. When she snapped out of it, she opened her mouth but couldn’t find her voice for a while.

“Your Highness, I am Wang Yong’s mother. I’ve come to take him home.”

“Aunt Wang, Wang Yong is sick and is being treated here.”

Ling Rui patiently explained to her, “Don’t worry. We are doing our best to save him.”

Listening to the prince’s voice, Aunt Wang felt as though she was hearing a heavenly melody.

But no matter how handsome the prince was or how soothing his voice sounded, it couldn’t shake her determination to save her son.

“No, I must take him home,” Aunt Wang insisted stubbornly. “Your Highness, if you don’t give him back to me, I will die right here today!”

The resolve in her eyes made it clear that she truly meant it.

Ling Rui locked eyes with her, and after a moment, he said, “Your son’s illness is contagious.”

Though it wasn’t a plague, the disease was still infectious.

“I’m not afraid,” Aunt Wang declared, banging her head against the ground. Her forehead was bruised and bleeding when Ling Rui intervened to stop her.

“I must take my son home today, even if it costs me my life!”

Faced with Aunt Wang’s threat, Chen Zhou didn’t know what to do. He looked anxiously at Ling Rui.

Ling Rui stared at Aunt Wang for a long time before finally speaking. “You can take your son home, but you need to think carefully about the consequences. If you take him away and get infected, you’ll both die.”

“I’ve already considered that,” Aunt Wang replied, her attitude unchanged. “My mind is made up!”

Ling Rui: “…”

Ling Rui took a deep breath, trying to calm his emotions.

He remembered his teacher’s words: not everyone can be saved. If someone is determined to throw their life away, no matter how hard others try, it’s nearly impossible to save them.

“I’ll ask your son for his opinion. If he feels the same way and insists on going home, I won’t stop you.”

“But if he disagrees, don’t hold it against me.”

After speaking, Ling Rui asked the other families present.

Like Aunt Wang, they were resolute, stating that if their relatives weren’t returned, they would die here as well.

Seeing their determination, Ling Rui decided to have all their sick family members asked at once.

The critically ill patients had weak bodies but sound minds.

Out of the five patients, three chose to stay for treatment. Another hesitated, saying he needed more time to think.

The last, Wang Yong, whether due to filial piety or some other reason, was the only one who insisted on going home.

Before sending them home, Ling Rui set three conditions:

First, they would be escorted home by government officials and would not be allowed to move freely during the journey.

Second, after returning home, they must not leave, visit others, or come into contact with anyone.

Third, if they violated the first two conditions, the government would arrest both of them.

Both Aunt Wang and Wang Yong pressed their handprints on the agreement.

As they were being escorted home, Ling Rui’s men beat gongs and shouted along the way, warning people to keep their distance.

“There’s a sick person here! Stay away!”

The clanging of the gongs made Aunt Wang’s face flush with embarrassment. She pleaded with the official, “Please, sir, can you stop shouting? Now everyone knows my son is sick.”

“Aunt Wang, since you’re taking him home, the people in your village have to know. If they don’t and come to your house or pass by, they might get infected too.”

Aunt Wang and Wang Yong were sent back in a grand manner.

Aunt Wang refused to take precautions, but the sedan chair they were sitting in was enclosed.

The people escorting them had also covered themselves tightly.

Before long, Aunt Wang and Wang Yong arrived home. The moment they stepped inside, the door behind them was sealed shut.

“Mother, are we trapped here to die?”

Wang Yong, who had been ill for a long time, looked pale.

He stared at the closed door, unsure if returning home was the right decision.

“Ah Yong, mother brought you back. How could this harm you?”

Aunt Wang held her son’s hand, her heart aching: “Mother has a way to save you!”

“At the government office, there are imperial doctors making medicine for us. Mother, how can you save me?”

“If the imperial doctors could really cure this illness, they would have done it by now. Why would it have dragged on so long?”

Aunt Wang’s words showed her distrust in the imperial doctors.

She lowered her voice, speaking softly so only Wang Yong could hear, “Tonight, I’ll take you away.”

“Mother has met someone powerful who can cure your illness.”

“Someone powerful? Can they be trusted?” Wang Yong was doubtful.

Aunt Wang tightened her grip on her son’s hand. In a low voice, she said, “Trustworthy. This person is very reliable. He will definitely save you, as long as we do what he says…”

The person who could save her son had given her a task.

As long as she completed the task, her son would have a chance to live.

While the two of them whispered inside the house, back at the government office, Ling Rui received replies to the letters he had sent earlier.

The medicinal herbs that Shui Shui asked him to find had mostly been gathered in a short time.

His friends brought cartloads of herbs, and by the end, Ling Rui was only missing one last herb.

“We’re still missing Long Xing Grass,” Shui Shui said, checking the herbs.

“The Long Xing Grass is in an uninhabited valley.”

“Do you have an exact location?” Ling Rui asked.

“No,” Shui Shui replied. He had combed through countless books to find this information: “The uninhabited valley, also known as the Divine Doctor Valley, is a place that very few know about. The books say it’s forbidden for outsiders to enter.”

Ling Rui: “…”

Listening to Shui Shui’s explanation, Ling Rui couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

An uninhabited valley that forbids outsiders from entering? That implies people are there—maybe even the divine doctor.

“What a strange name,” Ling Rui muttered to himself as he prepared to issue a public notice to gather information and quickly locate the Divine Doctor Valley.

Before he could send out the notice, a new letter arrived in his hands.

To his surprise, the envelope bore the words “Divine Doctor Valley.”

This was a letter from the valley itself, and the handwriting on it made Ling Rui’s eyes widen in shock.

“It’s Uncle Lian Qing!”

Recognizing the familiar handwriting, Ling Rui rubbed his eyes, confirming he wasn’t mistaken.

Overjoyed, Ling Rui called out, “I’ve finally found Uncle Lian Qing!”

His wanted notice had been effective after all.

At the very least, it had helped him track down Lian Qing.

In the letter, Lian Qing included his address, even drawing a map, inviting Ling Rui to visit.

Looking at the three characters for “Divine Doctor Valley,” Ling Rui felt a surge of joy for reuniting with his long-lost Uncle Lian Qing.

Uncle Lian Qing had come to his rescue at the perfect time, solving a huge problem.

“Shui Shui, wait here. I’m going to the Divine Doctor Valley!” Ling Rui excitedly bid farewell to Shui Shui. He left the matters of the government office to others and instructed Chen Zhou to stay behind and protect Shui Shui.

Finally, in a secluded corner where no one was watching, Ling Rui quickly transformed and set off.

Following the map provided by Lian Qing, the route would take him through Great Qing.

A small white creature darted along the path, planning in his mind to visit Ah Wu.

Ah Wu was faster than him; they could go to the Divine Doctor Valley together!