From cute to empress

Chapter 149 Retrograde Light

Dark clouds hung low, and the air was filled with the lingering smell of herbs and decay. I opened the curtains of my car, and the sight before me shuddered. Sickly people lay lining the streets, their faces sallow, their breaths weak. Their groans and cries mingled, piercing my heart like sharp blades.

"Your Majesty, please take care of your health!" County Magistrate Li beside me looked terrified and tried to dissuade me from going any deeper.

I shook my head and resolutely stepped off the imperial chariot. "Since I'm here, I want to see the suffering of the people with my own eyes and hear their demands with my own ears."

I walked over to a sick old woman, gently held her withered hand, and asked softly, "Old lady, how are you feeling?"

The old woman struggled to open her eyes, a glimmer of light flashing in her cloudy eyes: "Is it... Is it Her Majesty? I... I am dying soon. I only beg Your Majesty... to save my grandson... He is still young..."

My nose felt sore, and I fought back my tears as I said, "Don't worry, old man. I will do my best to treat all the patients. You should also take care of yourself and watch your grandson get better."

As I walked, I inquired about the people's conditions and needs, calming their panic. Looking at their weathered yet hopeful faces, I vowed to lead them to victory over this plague.

"Your Majesty, some illegal drug dealers have appeared in the city recently. They have taken the opportunity to hoard drugs, drive up drug prices, and disrupt order. Please give us your instructions!" Zhen Youcai, dressed in military uniform, came quickly and knelt on one knee, his tone filled with anxiety and anger.

"Outrageous!" I cried angrily. "These people are completely devoid of conscience! Pass the order! Anyone caught jacking up drug prices or hoarding them will be severely punished! General Zhen, lead your soldiers to strengthen patrols in the city and ensure the safety of the people and public order!"

"I obey your command!" Zhen Youcai stood up and left. His tall figure was like an indestructible city wall, guarding the people behind him.

As night fell, I dragged my exhausted body back to the temporary palace. "Dr. Sun, how's the situation?" I rubbed my brows and looked at Dr. Sun, who was immersed in studying medicinal herbs.

Divine Doctor Sun raised his head, a trace of fatigue on his face, but more of a glimmer of hope: "Your Majesty, after days and nights of research, I have finally developed a preliminary treatment plan..." He paused, a hint of embarrassment in his tone, "But..."

"Just what? Doctor Sun, please feel free to tell me." I looked at Doctor Sun's hesitant look and felt a little uneasy.

Divine Doctor Sun sighed and said in a heavy tone, "Your Majesty, although this prescription is effective, it requires a large amount of precious medicinal herbs, especially purple golden vine and ambergris. These two herbs are already scarce. Now that the epidemic is raging, I'm afraid..."

I understand what he means. Since the outbreak of the epidemic, the demand for medicinal herbs has skyrocketed, and some unscrupulous merchants have taken advantage of the opportunity to hoard them and drive up prices, making the already scarce herbs even more difficult to obtain.

"Don't worry, Doctor Sun. I will definitely find a way to collect the medicinal materials and will never let your efforts go to waste." I said in a firm tone, with an unquestionable light in my eyes.

Just then, County Magistrate Li hurried in, with a hint of panic on his face and beads of sweat on his forehead.

"Your Majesty, the city's largest supplier of medicinal herbs, Wu Yaoshang, requests an audience. He says he has something important to report."

My mind moved. Could it be about medicinal herbs?

"Xuan!"

After a while, a middle-aged man with a bloated figure and a greasy face walked in. He was none other than Wu Yaoshang. He was hunched over, with a flattering smile on his face.

"I, Wu Liang, pay my respects to Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor!"

"Excuse me, what do you want to report?" I asked calmly, but stared at him sharply, trying to find some clues from his expression.

Pharmacist Wu rolled his eyes, a look of embarrassment on his face, "Your Majesty, I heard that Dr. Sun has developed a good remedy for the plague, which requires a large amount of purple vine and ambergris, but..." He paused deliberately, observing my reaction.

"Just what? Just tell me directly." I had already guessed something in my mind, but still asked calmly.

"It's just that these two medicinal herbs are now extremely scarce in the market. There are only a few left in the hands of ordinary people, and the price..." He looked at me cautiously and didn't continue, but the meaning was self-evident.

I sneered in my heart. As expected, this Wu medicine merchant came to take advantage of the situation!

"Boss Wu, you should know that this is a special period. You are hoarding drugs, driving up drug prices, and disregarding the lives of ordinary people. Aren't you afraid of divine punishment?" My tone was cold, as if it came from the Nine Nether Hell, making Wu the drug dealer shudder.

"Your Majesty, please spare me! Your Majesty, please spare me! I have no other choice!" Pharmacist Wu was so frightened that he fell to his knees and kowtowed repeatedly, begging for mercy. "It's just that the purchase price of these medicinal herbs has also risen sharply. If I sell them at a low price, I will lose everything!"

"You mean, for your own selfish interests, you can disregard the lives of ordinary people?" I slammed the table and said angrily.

"I am guilty! I deserve to die!" County Magistrate Li was also frightened by my anger and quickly knelt down to apologize.

I took a deep breath, trying to suppress the anger in my heart, and said coldly, "Sir Li, as a fatherly official, is this how you protect the people?"

County Magistrate Li was so frightened that his face turned pale and his body kept shaking. "Your Majesty, please forgive me! I know my crime! I will go to collect medicinal materials right away and will never let Your Majesty down!" After he said that, he crawled out.

I watched County Magistrate Li's frantic back, a mixture of emotions welling up in my chest. On ordinary days, he always appeared righteous and pleading for the people, but at crucial moments, his cowardly nature was exposed. Perhaps this epidemic, too, is a test, a test of everyone's conscience and bottom line.

"Boss Wu, do you have anything else to say?" I asked coldly, my eyes as sharp as a knife, staring straight into his fat and greasy face.

Wu Yaoshang was so frightened that he was completely terrified. He knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly, breaking his forehead and causing blood to flow down his cheeks. "Your Majesty, please spare my life! I know I was wrong! I am willing to give all my purple gold vines and ambergris to you, just for your mercy!"

"Do you think you can atone for your sins by doing this?" I snorted coldly, "Come here, take him away and keep him under strict supervision! We'll deal with him after the epidemic is over!"

"As you wish!" Several guards stepped forward and dragged Wu Yaoshang away.

"Doctor Sun, now the problem of the medicinal materials has been resolved. You see..." I turned to Doctor Sun with a hint of apology in my tone.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I will prepare the prescription right away." Doctor Sun nodded, turned and walked into the inner room.

"Your Majesty, a demon who spread rumors was caught outside the city. He claimed that he was instructed by the gods and said that this plague was a punishment from heaven. Only sincere prayers can avert the disaster." Zhen Youcai walked into the hall and reported to me.

"Nonsense!" I was furious when I heard this. It was obvious that someone was deliberately creating panic and disturbing people! "Bring that demon here!"

After a while, an old man in a Taoist robe and holding a whisk was brought up. When he saw me, he showed no fear at all, but instead smiled strangely.

"You bold demon! You refuse to kneel when you see His Majesty!" Zhen Youcai shouted harshly.

"Hmph! I was sent by heaven to save the people. How can you mortals offend me!" Taoist Zhou snorted coldly, looking fearless.

"You are spreading rumors to confuse the people! Come, slap him in the face!" I couldn't hold back the anger in my heart any longer and gave the order.

Several guards came forward and began to beat and kick Taoist Zhou. Even though his face was bruised and swollen, he still refused to surrender, muttering, "When Heaven is about to bestow a great responsibility upon a man, it will first test his mind and will, and make him work hard..."

"That's enough!" I couldn't bear to watch any longer. "Tell me, who ordered you to do this?"

Taoist Zhou suddenly stopped struggling. He raised his head, stared at me with resentment, and a weird smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. "Want to know the truth? Unfortunately, you have no chance! Hahahaha..." He suddenly laughed wildly, and his laughter became louder and harsher.

"Oh no! He committed suicide by taking poison!" Zhen Youcai exclaimed.

I quickly asked Dr. Sun to come forward and check, but it was too late. Taoist Zhou had already died.

"Your Majesty, we found a letter on him." Zhen Youcai searched a letter from Taoist Zhou and handed it to me.

I took the letter, opened it, and my face instantly darkened. It contained only a few words, yet it sent a chill down my spine. It was signed... Zhao the Coroner! Zhao the Coroner?! How could it be him? Wasn't he responsible for performing autopsies and confirming the cause of death from the plague? How could he be connected to the sorcerer who spread rumors, and even implicated in this incident? My heart was in turmoil, and a sense of foreboding washed over me.

"General Zhen, where is Coroner Zhao now?" I tried to calm myself down and asked in a deep voice.

"Your Majesty, Coroner Zhao also contracted the plague a few days ago and is now receiving treatment in a medical shed outside the city." Zhen Youcai replied with a bow.

"Take me to see him immediately!" I no longer cared about the etiquette between the emperor and his subjects. I pulled up the hem of my skirt and walked quickly out of the hall.

The medical tent outside the city was filled with the strong smell of medicine and the painful groans of patients. I suppressed my discomfort and followed the medical officer to the bedside of Zhao the coroner.

He looked pale and his breathing was weak, clearly terminally ill. My heart tightened, and I quickly stepped forward, shook his hand, and anxiously asked, "Mr. Zhao, how are you? Hang in there, Dr. Sun will heal you soon!"

Perhaps my calling startled him, as Coroner Zhao slowly opened his eyes, a hint of clarity emerging from his cloudy gaze. He struggled to open his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but no sound came out.

"Your Majesty, Coroner Zhao's throat is seriously damaged. I'm afraid..." the medical officer beside him whispered.

I was so anxious that I quickly signaled him to bring me some writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. With trembling hands, Coroner Zhao wrote a few crooked words on the paper: Water... Source...

Water source? Could it be that the source of this plague is the water source? I was shocked and immediately realized the seriousness of the matter.

"Your Majesty, Coroner Zhao seems to have something to say..." The medical officer pointed at Coroner Zhao. He used up his last bit of strength to point at the envelope in my hand, his eyes filled with fear and unwillingness. Then, he tilted his head and completely lost his voice.

I opened the envelope and found only a small piece of paper with an address on it: West City... Herbal Medicine Shop... Backyard...

West City Herbal Medicine Shop? Isn't that Wu the Pharmacist's shop? Could it be that... A terrifying thought flashed through my mind. I stood up suddenly, a cold light flashing in my eyes.

"General Zhen!" I said in an icy tone, carrying an unprecedented majesty and determination. "Pass the order down. Immediately seal off the city's western herbal medicine shop. No one is allowed to enter or leave! Bring the medicine merchant Wu back to me. I want to interrogate him personally!"