Gao Qing had been stationed in Jiangxi for quite some time now, so he naturally knew that Jinxian County was close to Hongdu, no more than half a day’s journey.
But what puzzled him was this, The Imperial Grandson had been urging them to hasten their pace the whole way, as if fearing any mishap along the road.
So why, now that they had already reached Xunyang, was he suddenly being told to take Qi Yuan to Jinxian County first?
He couldn’t help but ask the messenger, “Did His Highness give a reason?”
The messenger shook his head. “His Highness didn’t explain. Just follow orders.”
Gao Qing was silent for a moment, then finally nodded. He lifted the carriage curtain instinctively and glanced inside at Qi Yuan.
From the moment they’d begun this southbound journey, Qi Yuan had shown no signs of movement.
Even someone as suspicious as Gao Qing had dropped all doubts by now.
Several times, he’d even deliberately instructed his subordinates to jostle her when moving her, nearly throwing her to the ground or into water.
Yet Qi Yuan never reacted.
As someone trained as a death warrior, Gao Qing understood well, many things could be faked or endured, but certain instincts could not be suppressed.
For someone highly skilled in martial arts, self-preservation was a reflex. If she had even a shred of consciousness left, she would never stay still under such danger.
But Qi Yuan lay quietly, asleep in the carriage. Gao Qing glanced at the nervous little maid, and asked coldly: “Any unusual signs?”
The maid quickly shook her head: “No, no. This young lady hasn’t even twitched a finger.”
Gao Qing grunted, then ordered the group to change course and head to Jinxian County.
—
When Qi Yuan woke up, it was already deep into the night.
As usual, she tapped the pressure point on the maid to keep her unconscious.
After all the tests along the journey, Gao Qing had finally let his guard down.
She sat up quietly and had just started to get out of bed when she suddenly heard cries and shouts coming from outside.
Something had happened.
Her heart tightened. She quickly lay back down and lifted the pressure point on the maid.
But this time, it wasn’t Gao Qing coming in the middle of the night to test her.
Instead, he rushed in and gave the drowsy maid an urgent command: “Hurry! Get ready, we’re leaving!”
The maid yelped in confusion and panic: “Sir? But why so suddenly? We just settled in…”
Indeed, they had only been inside the courier station for barely a quarter of an hour. Why leave now?
Gao Qing was always meticulous and precise, but now his face was full of urgency: “No time for questions. Move!”
The girl scrambled to obey, quickly packing up. She took the cloak from the screen and wrapped it around Qi Yuan.
Just then, a few older servant women also entered. As before, they hoisted Qi Yuan onto one of their backs to carry her to the carriage.
But just as they were about to descend the stairs, They heard a guard from outside shout: “Lord Gao, don’t come down! We’re surrounded!”
The scene outside was utter chaos, Torches, shouting, crying everywhere.
Even when Qi Yuan opened her eyes for a second, no one noticed.
And Gao Qing, consumed by the emergency, had no time to notice if Qi Yuan reacted or not.
He immediately shouted to the women: “Quick! Take her back to the room!”
Then he stormed downstairs himself.
The women laid Qi Yuan back on the bed and were about to leave.
The maid, still flustered, asked anxiously: “Mama, what’s going on out there? Is something terrible happening?”
The old women looked grim, clearly also shaken.
One of them snapped impatiently: “We’ve entered a cursed place, stop asking! It’s none of your business. Just take care of the girl. You need to understand, she’s the most important person here!”
“Cursed place?”
The little maid was confused, but she understood enough to realize they were in serious trouble, and quickly agreed.
Qi Yuan, however, felt a chill run down her spine.
The old woman said “a cursed place”, Was that just an exaggeration for big trouble? Or had an actual plague broken out?
She knew, after a natural disaster, the greatest fear is disease.
This flood in Jiangxi had dragged on for too long.
It had started in mid-summer, and even now, with autumn approaching, it still wasn’t resolved.
The number of refugees was only increasing.
The situation was spiraling out of control.
If a plague really had broken out, it would make sense.
But if so, the ones who would suffer most… were the common people.
She frowned. Once the older women left, she waited for the maid to turn her back, and quickly tapped her pressure point.
Then she crept to the window. After confirming there were no guards outside, she opened the window and slipped out.
The moment she did, she heard Gao Qing shouting from outside: “Let’s see who dares to stop me!”
Gao Qing was a close bodyguard of Qi Wang. For him to invoke his status, clearly, he was in serious trouble.
And all this in Jiangxi?
Like a bat in the night, Qi Yuan slid down the wall and landed in a dark corner of the yard.
From the shadows, she could see Gao Qing’s expression in the torchlight. His face was livid. “We’re only passing through. We’re leaving right now! Whatever you’re doing, it’s your own business. But if anyone dares block my way tonight, that means you’re going against Qi Wang’s household! Think it through!”
A voice from outside responded coldly: “Lord Gao, we’re only acting on orders. The route to Gaojia Town in Jinxian County is sealed. No matter how urgent your matter is, you’ll have to wait a few days.”
Gao Qing’s voice twisted in fury: “Wait a few days? Gaojia Town has a plague outbreak! In Xujiagou, there’s barely one person alive out of ten! And you’re telling me to stay here?!?”
At the same time, he felt a growing sense of dread.
What the h*ll was going on?!
He’d never planned to stop in Jinxian County at all.
Yet just as they were about to leave Xunyang, Qi Wang suddenly sent a letter ordering them to come here.
Something was wrong.
He knew Qi Wang’s controlling nature over Qi Yuan.
Ever since learning that Gao Qing had captured her, Qi Wang had been urging him to move faster.
There’s no way Qi Wang would send them to a plague-infested town.
Someone else must have intervened.
That letter wasn’t from Qi Wang.
Gao Qing knew now, he’d been tricked.
His heart was pounding with anxiety. If they were trapped here, he knew what would happen.
The way local officials dealt with plague-stricken villages after floods had always been simple and brutal.
Now that the town was sealed off, next would come…
He roared in fury: “Get out of the way! I want to see your superior! Don’t make me say it twice, this matter is too big to delay!”
