Chapter 51 Suspicion and Departure
“What’s going on here?” A clear and light voice came from behind.
As soon as Su Muge turned around, she saw Xia Houkun in a dark blue robe patterned with auspicious clouds standing outside the door.
At the sight of Xia Houkun, the chief soldier walked over quickly, greeting, “Second Prince.”
Xia Houkun glanced at the patients on the ground and then at Su Muge, with a flicker of doubts deep in his eyes.
“What’s wrong?” Xia Houkun asked.
The chief soldier secretly gave a glare at Su Muge and answered, “Second Prince, these people are infected with the plague. I was to take them away, but Lord Su hindered us. I wonder what his purpose is!”
Xia Houkun had been informed in the morning of a group of people here who were infected with the same disease. None of the imperial doctors he brought here could tell the cause after diagnosis.
However, due to the large number of people infected at the same time, it was very likely to be an epidemic.
Therefore, Xia Houkun ordered to kill the infected somewhere deserted.
Su Muge stepped forward and said in a deep voice, “Second Prince, these people are not infected with an epidemic.”
On hearing her voice, Xia Houkun set his sight back on Su Muge again, feeling the “Su Lun” in front of him somehow different from the one he saw in the morning.
Feeling strange when first meeting this “Lord Su”, he subconsciously paid more attention to him afterward. Looking closely at him now, he had a lot of clues; the man in front of him was indeed much thinner than the one he saw in the morning.
Xia Houkun frowned quietly. “So many people are sick at the same time, with the same symptoms. Lord Su, what do you say if it is not an epidemic?”
Su Muge looked at Xia Houkun gravely. “They have a lung problem, and I have already found a cure.”
Xia Houkun narrowed his eyes. “You mean you can cure the epidemic?”
Su Muge nodded surely. “Yes, but it is not an epidemic.”
Xia Houkun chuckled noncommittally, asking, “Why should I believe you?”
“I believe you. Rest a.s.sured and go ahead.” This was a different voice.
As soon as Xia Houkun finished speaking, a slender figure came with deliberate steps.
Su Muge looked up and met Xia Houmo’s dark-colored eyes.
No matter where he went, this man seemed to have an aura that could show his powerful strengths, making it difficult for others to ignore him.
A flicker of hostility flashed in Xia Houkun’s slightly upturned eyes, however, when he looked up, all appeared normal. “Xia … Lord Xia is questioning my decision?”
With an alienated and indifferent look, Xia Houmo glanced at Xia Houkun’s face from the corner of his eyes; he walked to Su Muge and stood beside her like her most solid backing.
“Second Prince is a newcomer, so he is forgivable for not knowing the situation.”
Xia Houkun’s raised lips trembled. “Well, since Lord Xia trusts Lord Su so much, I’d like to see how excellent Lord Su’s medical skills are to cure these patients, who have daunted the imperial doctors.”
Getting Xia Houmo’s approving glance, Su Muge nodded and had all the patients sent back.
In the courtyard, Xia Houmo and Xia Houkun stood opposite each other, one with a gloomy look and the other a firm expression, forming a sharp contrast.
“When did ninth brother become so meddlesome?” Xia Houkun hated the feeling of being overwhelmed by Xia Houmo just now. Little b.a.s.t.a.r.d, how dare he?
“I am just following the orders.” Appointed by the Emperor to relieve the people in disaster, of course, he would not ignore the people’s lives.
He stood out not because of his hot temper when seeing Su Muge suppressed by Xia Houkun!
Su Muge came to the child on whom she had operated first. These days, he had been groggy. He had woken up several times, but his condition had little improvement.
Su Muge took out the pills with Xia Houmo’s blood as the guiding drug and fed one into his mouth.
Yesterday, she stayed up all night and finally found that the insects seemed to have died suddenly after consuming something from Xia Houmo’s blood.
Taking it as a breakthrough in research, she finally dispensed the medicine before dawn.
However, she had only tested this medicine on rats; she did not know what would happen if it was taken by people.
To her surprise, the effect of this medicine was stronger than she had expected.
Within a quarter of an hour, the dizzy and sleepy child began to vomit violently.
Su Muge took the copper basin to collect his vomit and observed the vomit after he was almost finished.
These days, the child had been in a semi-comatose state, and had hardly had any food, but his vomit contained a lot of small and broken things, which were most likely to be dead insects.
It worked!
Su Muge couldn’t hide the joy in her eyes.
She took the prepared pills to a few patients who had rather serious symptoms.
Similarly, it didn’t take long before they all began to vomit.
Xia Houkun, already being impatient, had left the hospital early. And it was dark when Su Muge finished her work.
As time was limited, she couldn’t prepare the medicines for all patients. So she had to hurry back to continue dispensing the medication.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she returned to the county yamen, she was stopped by Xia Houkun’s followers.
“Lord Su, you are invited by Second Prince.”
Su Muge paused slightly. “Why does Second Prince ask to meet me?”
“You will know after seeing him, Lord Su.”
Su Muge didn’t want to go, but the people in front of her were Kung Fu masters. It was obvious that Xia Houkun did not leave her any room for refusion.
At such a critical time, Su Muge didn’t want to make any trouble and followed the two men to Xia Houkun’s door.
“Second Prince, Lord Su is here.”
“Come in.”
“Yes, My Lord.”
The guard pushed the door open. “Lord Su, please.”
Xia Houkun stood in the room, seeming to be especially waiting for her.
“Pay my respects to you, Second Prince.” Su Muge stood closer to the door on purpose, in case of anything unexpected.
Xia Houkun walked toward the back of Su Muge and moved around her.
“Lord Su, do you know why I invited you?”
Su Muge looked down with a flicker of alert. “Please let me know, Second Prince.”
“I have had several contacts with Lord Su, and I always feel something strange about you.”
Su Muge didn’t answer, her heart jumping violently.
Xia Houkun suddenly walked toward the back of her again, swiftly approached her neck and sniffed.
Su Muge clenched her fists in her sleeves and turned around to push Xia Houkun away.
“Second Prince, I am not interested in gay affairs. If you have nothing else to do with me, I’m leaving.”
Xia Houkun didn’t expect the shove and staggered backward. Before he could react, Su Muge had opened the door and run away.
“Your Highness, are you okay?”
Xia Houkun pushed away the guard who came to support him, and looked with a gloomy face towards the direction in which Su Muge departed. “Sure enough, he has some secrets! Bring him to me!”
“Yes.”
Su Muge knew that Xia Houkun must have become suspicious. After all, he had already met Su Lun. Comparing her with him, any careful person would find the clue.
If she were caught by Xia Houkun’s followers, she would be doomed!
She rushed back to her room, packed all the medicines into the medical kit, and rushed to Xia Houmo’s door.
“Is Lord Xia here?”
“Lord Su, Lord Xia is out now.” Looking at Su Muge’s hurrying face, Donglin was a little confused.
No, she was running out of time!
Su Muge pushed the medical kit into Donglin’s arms. “Here’s the prescription for the disease. Please help me hand it to Lord Xi.”
After that, she turned around and left; her figure soon disappeared in the darkness.
No matter how scheming Xia Houmo was, she believed that he would not ignore the sick people. As for the future, it was out of her control.
Donglin looked doubtfully at the medical kit in his hands and frowned.
Su Muge ran all the way to the inn mentioned by Su Lun and found him according to the contact information he left.
Su Lun was in the room, but he did not expect Su Muge to come at this time.
“Is there something wrong?”
Su Muge nodded with a grave look. “Second Prince has been suspecting me. Father, put on my clothes and go back now. Let me tell you the things in detail in the past two days.”
Fortunately, after meeting Su Lun, she had been deliberately imitating his gestures and expressions for disguise. At first glance, the two faces still looked alike.
In the inn, the bean lamp was flickering. Within an hour, a figure rapidly left the inn through the back door.
As soon as Su Lun entered the county yamen, he was surrounded by Xia Houkun’s followers.
Su Lun glanced at them, then followed them to Xia Houkun’s room without giving any argument.
Xia Houkun looked at the person in front of him, feeling that he must have been tricked!
“Who the h.e.l.l are you?”
After all, having been in the officialdom for many years, Su Lun soon calmed down. “I am Su Lun, Chief of Shunyang prefecture. Pay my respects to you, Second Prince.”
Xia Houkun frowned, thinking that his bureaucratic tone and manner were more reasonable for a person who had been in the officialdom for many years!
Xia Houkun observed Su Lun up and down, feeling even more confident that he was not the one who just ran out!
But without catching him on the spot, he couldn’t take any measure.
“Lord Su must have been tired today. Go back and take a good rest.”
“Yes, Second Prince. Please excuse my departure.”
Su Lun bowed and retreated. Walking in the courtyard, he felt the night breeze and began to feel the chill from his back.
After Su Lun left, Han Yu walked into the room.
“Your Highness.”
“Uh-huh.”
Han Yu glanced at Xia Houkun, walked to his side and lowered his voice, “Your Highness, the King of Jin went to the mountain.”
Hearing this, Xia Houkun’s breath paused for a second. “What? Why did he go to the mountain? !”
“I have no idea. I only knew that the King of Jin has dispatched troops from Yanxia pa.s.s and sent them there.”
“Send troops to …” Xia Houkun was extremely angry. Did Xia Houmo also know the gold mine in the mountain? !
“Yes.”
“Keep on checking and find out what they are doing!”
“Yes.”
The night was as cold as the icy water, with howling mountain wind.
On the mountain behind Daw.a.n.g village, Xia Houmo stood in the forest, wearing a black brocade robe.
Zuoqiu stepped forward and whispered, “Your Royal Highness, Second Prince sent someone here.”
Xia Houmo coldly raised the corners of his lips. “No need to worry.”
Xia Houmo came here at this time due to Zuoqiu’s discovery that there were traces of human exploration on this mountain.
Plenty of gold mines had been mined excessively in the previous dynasty of Chu; as a result, it was difficult to find large and quality gold mines for many years.
Since traces of gold exploration had appeared in this mountain, he certainly would not miss this opportunity.
As for whether Xia Houkun came for the tunnel or the gold mine, he could achieve neither of them but to fulfill his work of disaster relief in the end!