I Rely on the Collapse of the Character Setting to Survive in the Hands of the Male Lead Chapter 154

Chapter 154

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Lin Qingyang suddenly jolted awake, feeling someone gently touching his face and ears. Soon after, he heard an unfamiliar male voice in the room.

“Lu Shi has already gathered information. Those three individuals are all eager to go to Wu Xin Mountain to make achievements. Prime Minister Li has been summoned to the palace in advance, and the plan is proceeding smoothly.”

Chu Lishu responded with a thoughtful sound, while his hands continued to linger on Lin Qingyang’s face as if caressing a beloved pet.

“Wu Xin Mountain is too dangerous; I think it’s not advisable to take risks again…”

“If I won’t go in person. If some unexpected changes occur, you both won’t know how to handle them.”

“The subodinate… will definitely protect the master and prevent you from getting hurt again.”

“No need to worry, you…” Chu Lishu paused halfway through his sentence, lowering his head to look at the person lying beside him.

In an instant, Lu Yi vanished from the room.

Lin Qingyang was actually awake but didn’t dare to open his eyes, thinking that the male lead was quite careless. Why discuss confidential matters with Lu Yi in the same place? He wasn’t a dead man.

The room was too quiet, and Lin Qingyang couldn’t bear it. Suddenly, his nose was pinched.

Lin Qingyang struggled to open his eyes, looking at Chu Lishu in surprise.

Chu Lishu smiled and said, “Pretending to sleep?”

“No… I was just half-awake.” Lin Qingyang quickly brushed off Chu Lishu’s hand and said, “It seems like I had a dream, I heard you talking, but couldn’t make out the words.”

Lin Qingyang tried to play it down.

“Indeed, someone came just now. It was a messenger sent by Prime Minister Li,” Chu Lishu explained casually, making it sound perfectly reasonable.

Admiring the male lead’s cleverness, Lin Qingyang instinctively glanced at Chu Lishu’s wound to make sure everything was fine. He then got up, a bit puzzled. However, Chu Lishu, with a hint of a smile, spoke, “I saw you were about to fall, so I had to help you get up to sleep. Look, the wound wasn’t touched, right?”

Lin Qingyang, seemingly numb to such occurrences, got up and began to dress. “If Prime Minister Li sends someone at this hour, there must be urgent matters. Do you have some plans again?”

Although he asked this, Lin Qingyang already had an idea of the related plot, considering the significant events that had taken place during this period.

“I do have arrangements. I’ll tell you the details later. Can you… help me change the dressing first?” Chu Lishu smiled gently.

Wu Xin Mountain is the closest mountain range to the capital city, situated between two major cities. Years ago, it gave rise to Wu Xin Fort, which harbored a group of bandits. These mountain bandits were quite cunning, always staying within the limits set by the court when engaging in their activities. They wouldn’t create major disturbances, only occasionally descending from the mountains to rob some wealth, kidnap people for ransom, and so on.

In the eyes of the court, these were minor incidents that only required local officials to handle. However, every time there was an attempt to suppress them, these bandits would disappear like mice into their holes. They were exceptionally difficult to locate, and it seemed like there were individuals among them with knowledge of formations and the Five Elements. Coupled with the terrain, up until now, the authorities didn’t even know the exact location of their main stronghold in the mountains.

At most, attempts were made to apprehend them during their robberies. However, even if some of the bandits were willing to cooperate and act as guides, they would be arranged to be killed by traps set by nearby agencies along the way. This led to years of fruitless efforts, causing both loss of manpower and financial resources. Since these activities didn’t cross certain boundaries, the authorities could only strengthen patrols, advising merchants to hire escorts and be more cautious.

However, recently, Wu Xin Fort had become bolder. Taking advantage of the flooding disaster, they openly looted the relief supplies sent by the court for the disaster victims. The quantity of supplies was considerable, especially in the most recent incident. As soon as the emperor received donations, he immediately allocated a significant amount of relief materials to the severely affected areas. However, they were still intercepted and robbed.

During that particular incident, they discovered that Wu Xin Fort was not an ordinary stronghold but had a well-trained force of over two thousand people. They had been completely unaware of such a significant threat on the outskirts of the capital, consistently thinking it was just a small hill with at most several dozen or a hundred people. This highlighted how well the bandits had concealed themselves.

If they hadn’t timely resolved the situation, it would have delayed disaster relief, leading to more deaths from starvation and disease, which would undoubtedly result in widespread public discontent.

Moreover, the periodic looting of relief supplies, which had been concealed from both the emperor and the public, angered the emperor deeply. Prompted by the advice of their behind-the-scenes counselors, all three imperial princes demanded to lead troops to eliminate Wu Xin Fort and reclaim the supplies.

They had never been on the battlefield, lacked the opportunity to earn military merits, and held no military authority. Whoever could distinguish themselves in this anti-bandit operation would undoubtedly become renowned. There was also a chance to gain some military authority. Wasn’t this much safer than a real battlefield at the border?

So, for them as imperial princes, this was the best opportunity to achieve military merits, it was imperative to seize it.

The emperor naturally saw this as an opportunity to allow his sons to gain experience. However, the question remained: whom to send?

The three of them argued intensely over this anti-banditry operation. The Emperor had no choice but to convene a cabinet meeting.

“So your plan is to have all three of them participate in the anti-banditry operation? Prime Minister Li’s suggestion is reasonable, allocating some troops to each person, seeing who can break the mountain stronghold first, creating competition, achieving speed, and recovering supplies sooner to aid disaster victims. However, even you mentioned that Wu Xin Mountain is difficult to deal with.”

“In these few days, I went to investigate Wu Xin Mountain. Not only is the fighting force there formidable, but the trap mechanisms are also intricate. That’s why I returned injured. Prime Minister Li sent some experts with me, but they all perished there. It’s mentioned that if the total number of troops dispatched by the court is less than ten thousand, it’s certain that we won’t be able to take down Wu Xin Fort. However, attacking from three different routes is indeed the best approach. Prime Minister Li and I have already discussed it. This time, we must ensure that the eldest prince achieves merit and decisively outperforms the other two.”

Lin Qingyang nodded in agreement. The plot follows the original storyline and his assigned missions. After this battle, the eldest prince’s reputation would undoubtedly soar among both the military and the common people, but the ensuing conflicts would become even more intense.

After Chu Lishu finished speaking, he continued, “If someone is to be assigned to guard the princes, General Zhao will undoubtedly be the Emperor’s first choice. At that time… I will go to Wu Xin Mountain with Xu Wenze. You will stay in the capital.”

Lin Qingyang, who was initially listening with great interest, was suddenly dumbfounded. “What?”

“Even if we’re being stationed at the foot of the mountain, there are still dangers involved, so you cannot go.”

“You’re capable, I won’t say anything more. Even Xu Wenze can go, why can’t I?” Lin Qingyang became anxious. This was a crucial mission, and the size of the mission usually correlates with the points earned. In case of failure, he could end up back in the pre-liberation period. How could he be at ease? Even though he didn’t know how to fight, he had various trump cards up his sleeve.

Chu Lishu’s expression turned stern, “Because I don’t care about his life or death.”

Lin Qingyang’s heart skipped a beat, understanding that Chu Lishu was concerned about him. He decided not to argue further.

But Chu Lishu knew him well. Even if he didn’t say it, it didn’t mean he wouldn’t act.

So, on the second day, when the emperor issued orders to send troops, following Chu Lishu’s planned actions, Chu Lishu left. Lin Qingyang, who hadn’t managed to follow secretly, was intercepted by Cousin Liu.

Cousin Liu and Aunt Liu were going to the refugee camp to distribute porridge, also to accumulate merits for Yawen. Therefore, they insisted on bringing Lin Qinglan and Lin Qingyang along.

Every excuse Lin Qingyang tried to find was dismantled one by one by Liu Jingchen.

Lin Qingyang looked at Liu Jingchen, who was preparing the porridge tent, with a serious expression. “Cousin, are you deliberately keeping an eye on me?”

Liu Jingchen didn’t hide it either. “Chu Lishu said, for your safety, he asked me to watch over you until he returns.”

Lin Qingyang sighed, “Are you my cousin or his cousin?”

Liu Jingchen thought for a moment and said awkwardly, “Seems like there’s no difference, and knowing that he’s doing it for your good is enough. He’s very smart and can take care of himself.”

Lin Qingyang gritted his teeth in frustration. Without any martial arts skills, it was difficult for him to escape even with guards watching over him. He endured this torment for a whole day.

On the second day, as they were about to start distributing porridge again, they saw people rushing in and out of the refugee camp, carrying someone.

Just as they were approaching, someone appeared and blocked their way.

“Don’t go in, it’s dysentery,” the person was none other than Pei Jin.

With these words, everyone in the group was frightened. Stressed, Lüe Jingchen quickly reassured the female relatives, asking his mother to return to the carriage first. He decided to stay and complete the porridge distribution himself. Lin Qinglan offered to help, and though he was reluctant due to her frail health, he allowed her to bring some medicine to the refugees.

Lin Qingyang stayed behind to inquire about the situation. Seeing Pei Jin covering half of her face with a white linen cloth and wearing gloves, he could tell that the epidemic prevention measures were already in progress.

“Yesterday, there was nothing like this,” Lin Qingyang said.

“In fact, it has been there for a while. However, this area was managed by Cheng Yi before. He didn’t want any issues in the places under his management, as it would be difficult to explain to the Crown Prince. So, he blocked the information, kept all the people with dysentery together, and waited for them to die. After that, they were cremated. Although some physicians were allowed in, the effect was minimal. The epidemic has already erupted on a large scale,” Pei Jin explained with a frown. “Meanwhile, that fellow has accompanied the Crown Prince to Wu Xin Mountain, completely neglecting this place.”

Lin Qingyang clenched his teeth upon hearing this. In such a critical situation, how could face be more important?

“How about your side…”

“I and Wang Tong’en are doing fine. Occasionally, there are a few cases, but we have isolated and treated them separately, so there is no major issue for now. Who asked Cheng Yi to be so foolish and not look…” Pei Jin stopped abruptly, her expression turning somewhat strange.

The unfinished words probably referred to the regulations compiled by Yuan Ran, including some experience in preparing for the aftermath of the flood, particularly regarding preventing the spread of diseases. Both Pei Jin and Wang Tong’en made careful preparations, but Cheng Yi, as a family member, completely ignored Yuan Ran’s efforts and arranged the management of the refugees on his own.

Pei Jin sighed, “Anyway, both he and Wang Tong’en have left. If there are problems here, it will be my trouble to handle.”

“By the way, why didn’t you go?” Lin Qingyang asked in confusion. Pei Jin was supposed to be the trusted aide of the Third Prince.

However, as soon as the question was asked, Lin Qingyang saw Pei Jin’s face darken.

“I heard that Xu Wenze and Chu Lishu both went there. Why didn’t you go?” Pei Jin retorted directly, it seemed she was quite upset.

Last time, Chu Lishu mentioned that there were internal issues within the Pei family, and their way of doing things had changed. It seemed to be true. Pei Jin was actually left behind to handle these miscellaneous tasks.

Seeing Lin Qingyang staring at him, Pei Jin immediately expressed dissatisfaction, “What are you looking at?”

Lin Qingyang raised an eyebrow and said directly, “You can just change sides.”

Pei Jin’s expression became even more unpleasant, and she glared fiercely at Lin Qingyang, turning around to leave. However, Lin Qingyang had a sudden inspiration and quickly stepped forward, saying, “I’ll help you. It’s too much for you alone.”

Pei Jin looked at him suspiciously, “Most of them inside are patients.”

“I’ll take proper protective measures,” Lin Qingyang said before Pei Jin could finish, and he quickly called out to inform to Liu Jingchen.

Liu Jingchen was about to stop him, but Lin Qingyang had already entered eagerly.

Liu Jingchen could only leave someone to guard the door to prevent Lin Qingyang from escaping under the pretext of something else.

In fact, Liu Jingchen guessed it right; Lin Qingyang wanted an excuse to leave. However, he also knew it wouldn’t be so easy and could only wait for an opportunity.

Moreover, after entering the refugee camp, the situation inside was indeed dire. While many tasks didn’t require Lin Qingyang and Pei Jin to personally handle, the coordination, arrangement, and problem-solving all depended on them.

The two of them discussed and strategized, working together to maximize the survival rate for these people, making for a temporarily pleasant cooperation.

Suddenly, someone came to report, “Lord Pei, that wandering physician said these people are not just suffering from dysentery; they’ve also been poisoned. He is currently studying it and advised us not to use medicines for dysentery on the patients for now.”

Pei Jin immediately said, “Nonsense! What else could it be if not dysentery? None of the other physicians have spoken up. Why is this wandering physician causing trouble? Let him cooperate and treat the patients. Why does he always stir up trouble? Doesn’t he know how busy we are here?”

“Wait a moment.” Suddenly, Lin Qingyang spoke up to stop them. “What if he has really discovered something? At times like this, we cannot dismiss any possibility.”

Just as Lin Qingyang remembered, during the period when the male lead dealt with the mountain bandits, there was a section of the plot that mentioned all the refugees outside the capital died. This led to negative rumors, suggesting that the court intended to eliminate all refugees and had abandoned them. However, due to the swift elimination of the bandits and timely delivery of supplies to the disaster-stricken areas, these rumors faded away.

And according to common dysentery cases, with enough medication, there shouldn’t be so many deaths. Moreover, the refugees here, being used for positive publicity, receive good care, making it even more unlikely for a 100% mortality rate. Therefore, poisoning is indeed a possibility.

“You don’t know. That wandering physician is just a teenager, careless in his speech and unpredictable. If it weren’t for his knowledge of some herbs and basic medical skills, and our shortage of physicians, I would have driven him away long ago.”

After Pei Jin finished speaking, Lin Qingyang’s eyes lit up. He then put on a mysterious and profound expression, saying, “You don’t understand. Usually, people like him are extraordinary beings from another world!” This is all part of the plot! The newcomer must be someone special.

So, under Lin Qingyang’s half-forced persuasion, Pei Jin was taken to meet this ‘master’ physician.

Outside a tent, they indeed heard a somewhat youthful voice exclaiming, “Ah, I’ve been saying this is wrong, wrong! How could you give them this medicine? People will die! It’s really poisoning! Otherwise, let me examine a few corpses for you. This kind of poison is too subtle; you can’t see it while they’re alive, but you can when they’re dead.”

“Do you want to touch the corpses of dysentery patients? Are you asking for death? I think you’re just here to freeload. If you’re not going to help, don’t cause trouble.”

“I am a future divine physician! Don’t you believe in my medical skills? Do you know that you almost contracted dysentery before? It was me who treated you with acupuncture while you were asleep and cured you!”

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