So, he could only stay by her side, helping with what he could.
It wasn't until sunset that everything was arranged in an orderly manner, meeting Ye Qingcheng's expectations.
At this point, the two returned to the Luo Manor.
After a hasty dinner, Ye Qingcheng took a refreshing bath and lay on the bed to rest.
"Oh dear, I didn't feel it before, but now that I'm lying down, I find my back and legs are sore and cramping."
She lay on the bed, weakly pounding her legs, sighing.
As Xiao Wangye entered the room, he couldn't help but smile and walked over.
"Our Princess Consort has indeed worked hard and tired herself out all day. How about I personally give you a shoulder rub and a back massage?"
Hearing Xiao Wangye's words, Ye Qingcheng's face flushed, and she quickly tried to sit up.
But the former, with quick hands, grabbed her ankle and sat on the edge of the bed, placing one of her legs on his own.
Xiao Wangye massaged her intermittently, with just the right amount of pressure and a few skillful touches.
Ye Qingcheng, already exhausted, felt even more comfortable and unable to move her feet. She stopped struggling and lay there obediently, allowing him to serve her.
The room door was not opened again that night.
The next morning, the two went out together and first visited the newly established sick ward.
Xiao Wangye continued to arrange for people to distribute porridge and relief to the disaster-stricken populace, while Ye Qingcheng entered the disaster area to check on the patients.
After a night, new patients were still being brought in continuously, admitted to the ward.
Ye Qingcheng was not worried about this situation.
She knew in her heart that she had only just begun to implement isolation measures, and one day's results were not yet visible.
After disinfecting the items in the ward according to requirements, she prescribed some simple formulas for calming the mind and reducing fever, and instructed people to prepare them for the patients to drink.
Afterwards, she went alone to the residences where the doctors were staying.
Although the two sides were completely separated for the strategic game, Ye Qingcheng did not intend to force the doctors in the residence to follow her requirements, but she still had to go for regular consultations.
This was also to prevent other changes, as pathogens could easily mutate, especially in harsh environments.
After a round of inspections, a group of doctors was gathered in the hall, seeking solutions.
When Ye Qingcheng walked in, the atmosphere suddenly froze, and silence fell instantly.
All eyes were on her, most filled with malice.
"Three new patients have arrived here today, all falling ill suddenly."
It was unclear which doctor spoke this sentence out of the blue, but the meaning seemed to be directed at someone.
Although all the patients in the city had been admitted to the sick ward by Xiao Wangye's men, some local dignitaries clearly trusted the doctors in this residence more.
If someone in their family fell ill, they would still be sent here as usual.
As everyone's gazes shifted uncertainly towards Ye Qingcheng, there was a hint of contempt in their eyes.
Dr. Qi, as the leader, stepped forward, leaning on his cane with one hand and stroking his goatee with the other, his eyes revealing disdain.
He smiled at Ye Qingcheng and taunted her:
"The number of patients is still increasing today. I'm afraid you won't be able to fulfill your bet. In my opinion, you might as well kneel and kowtow now, apologize, and admit your mistakes, to avoid embarrassing yourself later!"
Upon hearing this, the doctors around him chimed in, their gazes towards Ye Qingcheng filled with distrust.
Ye Qingcheng rolled her eyes internally at such dismissive words, but outwardly ignored them.
She pulled out two sheets of paper from her sleeve, placed them on the table in the hall, and said in a nonchalant tone:
"This is a fever-reducing formula I developed last night, and it's quite effective. You can use it if you wish, or not, as you please."
After saying this, Ye Qingcheng left without waiting for any reaction from them.
She knew that reasoning with some people was useless. She had done her best, and the rest was up to fate!
Meanwhile, Xiao Wangye on the other side also encountered a difficult problem that gave him a headache.
"How could the grain be gone after distributing such a small amount?"
At the intersection of several major streets in Fengdu City, Xiao Wangye had specially set up stalls for distributing porridge and grain. Since the second day of their arrival, they had been providing relief to the city's residents.
However, in just two days, the soldiers sent to the granary to transport grain had returned empty-handed, informing him that the granary was in short supply!
Xiao Wangye stood by the roadside, his face frighteningly dark with anger.
The other guards and soldiers dared not approach, lowering their heads and sweating nervously on the side.
How could the grain supply be cut off at such a critical juncture?
Moreover, how could a city as large as Fengdu, with its stored grain, only sustain the entire population for two days?
According to the laws of the current dynasty, only fifty percent of the taxes collected from each city were remitted to the imperial court, entering the national treasury. The remaining fifty percent was stored in the local government offices to be used in case of natural disasters or calamities for timely relief.
Furthermore, this was Xiao Wangye's fiefdom. According to regulations, for a city in a prince's fiefdom, eighty percent of the stored grain tax was retained locally, with only twenty percent transported to the capital annually.
Although he had been submitting memorials over the years, subtly complaining about the poor harvest in Fengdu City,
the taxes due were still collected without fail.
The account books presented to the Prince's Manor also showed no discrepancies.
By all rights, there should have been more grain in the granary of Fengdu City!
Just as Xiao Wangye was about to fly into a rage and question Luo Qin Quan, the latter himself slowly arrived.
By the time he stood still, Xiao Wangye had already suppressed his emotions, his face stern as he questioned him:
"Why is the granary in short supply so quickly? Where is the grain in the granary?"
The grain distributed these past few days was accounted for. Compared to the amount of grain stored as recorded in the account books, it was less than one-twentieth.
However, Luo Qin Quan was prepared and immediately put on a pitiable expression, using the excuse he had rehearsed beforehand.
"Your Highness, you are unaware! Since the strange illness appeared in the city, the people have been in a state of panic, and many refugees have emerged. I have tried to appease them many times, but to no avail. Those refugees, both inside and outside the city, have banded together and robbed the granary of its grain!"
This explanation sounded rather unconvincing.
Putting aside the vast amount of grain in the granary, how those refugees managed to rob and transport it, and where they took it, the number of refugees itself was also questionable!
The population of Fengdu City was all registered. Those who had died of illness already accounted for a large portion, not to mention the refugees currently trapped in the city due to the lockdown.
Where did such a large group come from that they could snatch grain from the soldiers?
Moreover, Xiao Wangye and his party had encountered a group of refugees on their way, and their accounts were completely different.
Compared to the hypocritical Luo Qin Quan before him, Xiao Wangye placed more trust in those homeless refugees!