MCSCPM -Chapter 169 A Clever Response

In the disaster refugee area.

“Everyone, listen to me first. The bodies here must be cremated to cut off the source of infection. Also, the air must be kept flowing!” Yin Qingyue said word by word, her tone commanding and authoritative.

“Alright!”

Under Yin Qingyue’s leadership, the refugee area was quickly cleaned up, and all the corpses were cremated.

She nodded in satisfaction. “I heard there’s a batch of medicinal herbs meant to treat the refugees. They should arrive in the disaster area tomorrow.”

“Then we can be saved!” the refugees said happily, hope for survival rekindled.

“Don’t be happy too soon. As far as I know, these herbs are not of high quality—they’re all inferior goods. If anything goes wrong, the plague could spread even further.”

“Aren’t these the herbs sent by the Third Prince? How could they be inferior?” the refugees asked in disbelief.

Although the flood control had failed, they all believed the Third Prince wouldn’t deliberately harm the people of Jiangnan.

“Believe it or not, you’ll see for yourselves in time.” With that, Yin Qingyue turned and left, leaving behind a group of stunned refugees.

She had to seize the time to find the source of the plague. Everything has a cause—by all logic, the Jiangnan plague shouldn’t be this severe.

If the root cause wasn’t found early, even she could become infected.

Although plagues are treatable, the source of the disease must be identified before it can be cured.

The Jiangnan region was a key economic area of Xize, with heavy traffic and many people potentially carrying illnesses.

But Yin Qingyue realized that the plague arose after the flood.

In ancient times, most people didn’t understand how diseases spread, and water was an excellent medium for transmission.

“Could it be the water?” Yin Qingyue slowly walked toward a small river.

The water looked crystal clear, with nothing unusual. However, something at the riverbed caught her attention.

Under the sunlight, several tiny worms were swimming freely in the water.

They were hard to notice unless one looked closely.

Yin Qingyue remembered that this kind of worm only grew on rotting corpses. With the water so clear, how could they exist here?

She decided to head upstream.

After walking for half an hour, a stench of decay hit her head-on.

“Just as I suspected,” Yin Qingyue said, staring at the corpse ahead, half of its body soaked in the water.

The upstream water was already polluted; downstream was even worse.

Since rivers interconnected, a sudden outbreak of plague was hardly surprising.

Next, as long as Yin Qingyue found the right medicinal herbs, everything could be resolved.

Not far away, a child ran over anxiously. “Sister Yin, my mother is dying—please hurry and save her!”

“Does your mother have the plague?”

“Yes! Please come with me!” The child’s eyes were filled with tears.

“Alright.”

A woman lay on a pile of straw, her face pale. Every visible part of her skin was covered with red spots.

“Everyone listen to me. The nearby rivers can no longer be used for drinking. You got the plague because you drank contaminated water, which is why your conditions have worsened!” Yin Qingyue said sternly. If this dragged on any longer, everyone here would die.

“Save my mother!”

“Don’t panic. Sister will find a way to cure her!”

“Miss Yin, all the medicinal herbs sent by the Third Prince have been delivered to the city gates. We must leave the city to obtain them!”

“In that case, we leave the city immediately!” Yin Qingyue said with a cold smile.

The city was not a place to stay long. If these patients remained here, they would infect others. As for the polluted rivers, she had to resolve that quickly to ensure everyone’s safety.

“This absolutely won’t do! Once we leave, food becomes a problem. Isn’t this driving us to extinction?” a man said helplessly.

Outside the city, even with medicine, it would be useless. Without food, the refugees would still die.

“Everyone, listen to me. The city’s water sources are already polluted—many people probably don’t know this yet. If we evacuate first and use those medicines to treat the plague, it won’t be too late,” Yin Qingyue said calmly. This was the only way to deal with the urgent crisis.

“So you mean, we cure the illness first and then come back?” someone asked.

“Exactly. Don’t waste any more time. We can’t delay further. Although those medicines are inferior, I believe they can still cure everyone.” A determined light shone in Yin Qingyue’s eyes.

Wherever there is plague, medicinal herbs are bound to grow nearby. With patient searching outside the city, everything could be solved.

“There’s no time to lose. Let’s set off at once.”

Soon, a large group of refugees followed Yin Qingyue out of the city.

The reason the Third Prince sent the medicines outside the city was to lure all the refugees out. First, the plague patients would be far away from him; second, it would display his so-called benevolence.

Little did he know that this actually created an opportunity to control the plague.

At the city gate.

“After taking the medicine, you must leave the city. Anyone who disobeys will be killed on the spot!” a guard shouted loudly.

“Sir Guard, we’ll leave as soon as we receive it. We won’t disobey your orders.”

The guard sneered. “Remember this well—the great kindness of the Third Prince is something you couldn’t repay in several lifetimes!”

“Thanks to the Third Prince, we can get medicine to treat our illness. His great kindness will be forever remembered!” Yin Qingyue said with a smile.

“Young lady, why are you covering your face?” the guard asked suspiciously.

“I’ve contracted the plague. My face is covered in red spots—it’s unsightly.”

“Hurry up and go. Stay away from me!” the guard said with disgust.

After receiving the medicine one by one, the refugees left the city gate.

“Find a place nearby to settle down and store the medicines properly. I’ll be back shortly,” Yin Qingyue said, then headed toward the river.

All things in nature restrain and complement each other. Since the plague spread through the river, the cure must be found near it.

The Third Prince’s medicines couldn’t cure it completely at best—they could only restore strength.

“Miss Yin, I’ll go with you!” a man volunteered.

“Don’t worry. I’m just going to find the cure—I won’t run away,” Yin Qingyue said with a smile. She understood their feelings; all their hope for survival rested on her.

Once they left the city, food would soon become a major problem.

“I just want to help. You’re a weak woman yet so kind, helping us control the plague. We don’t even know how to thank you,” the man said awkwardly.

Yin Qingyue snorted softly. “Controlling the plague isn’t my true intention. I just want to throw Nangong Chen into chaos and ruin his bid for the throne.”

Whatever Nangong Chen had done to her, she would repay him double.

“Can you tell me how this flood happened?” she asked.

“Why does Miss Yin ask that?” the man asked in confusion.

“Yesterday, I saw that the river upstream wasn’t showing signs of rising. If a flood had occurred, it wouldn’t be like this.”

“At first, there was no flood here—only rising water levels, but no one managed it. Over time, the water kept rising. When the heavy rains came, the river embankment broke, and that’s what caused this,” the man said sorrowfully.

Thinking of how his entire family had died because of the flood filled him with rage.

“If the Third Prince had managed it properly, the plague wouldn’t have happened. This is all his fault!”

“In that case, only by solving the plague can we fight back against him,” Yin Qingyue said with a smile.

In ancient times, once a ruler lost the people’s support, the nation wouldn’t last long.

Now, in Jiangnan, the Third Prince had already lost the people’s hearts.

Inside the city.

“Third Prince, all the refugees and plague patients in the city have already evacuated!” a servant said fawningly.

Nangong Chen snorted coldly. “This is only the beginning!”

When Nangong Xiao arrived later, he would push all the responsibility onto him.

“Where is Yin Qingyue?”

“Reporting to the Third Prince, she’s in the warehouse. Absolutely secure!”

“Give the order to guard her carefully. If anything goes wrong, you’ll all die!”

Not far away, a guard ran over in panic.

“Third Prince, something’s wrong—Yin Qingyue is gone!”

“What?” Nangong Chen’s gaze turned icy.

“Didn’t you guarantee everything was foolproof? How could she disappear?”

“I personally stuffed her into a sack and tied it tightly. How could she escape?” the servant hurriedly explained.

“Then explain to me how she vanished!” Nangong Chen’s eyes turned red as he slapped the servant hard across the face.

“Useless trash—can’t even keep watch over a woman!”

“I’ll go look for her right away!” The servant knelt down hurriedly.

Nangong Chen sneered. “No need. I made it clear yesterday—even if she escapes this place, she can’t get away. Outside the city are all plague patients. If she goes out, it’s a dead end!”

“The Third Prince is wise!” the servant flattered.

“Get lost, all of you!” Nangong Chen snapped.

“Yes, Third Prince.”

Staring into the distance, Nangong Chen thought that in a few days he would return to the capital. Nangong Xiao would sooner or later die by his hand.

Meanwhile, Yin Qingyue had already led the tribal chief out of the city.

“Miss Yin, is this what you’re looking for?” the tribal chief asked in disbelief, frowning slightly.

By the riverbank, a few lonely little plants grew, while everything else had already been submerged.

With his extensive knowledge of medicinal herbs, he could tell these were bitter herbs—just somewhat mutated, likely because they had endured the plague. That meant this kind of bitter herb could already resist the plague.

Yin Qingyue suddenly understood. “Do you know where else such plants might be found?”

“There used to be similar ones nearby, but now I’m afraid they’re all gone,” the tribal chief said uncertainly.

“It’s fine. If they can grow by the river, there must be more nearby. Let’s search together,” she said, a hint of excitement in her eyes.

“Could this really cure the plague?” the tribal chief asked doubtfully.

“This is bitter herb. After enduring the plague and still growing, it must have mutated. Such mutated bitter herb surely has the effect of treating the plague,” Yin Qingyue said calmly.

“Miss, are you joking?” the man asked skeptically.

He stared at her in disbelief. Bitter herb was an essential part of their daily diet. If it could cure the plague, they would have recovered long ago.

“If you don’t believe it, eat the bitter herb in my hand. You’re already half-dead anyway,” Yin Qingyue said, seeing through his doubts.

Most people wouldn’t believe in the medicinal power of bitter herb—especially those who ate it every day.

“Fine, I’ll try.”

The man swallowed the mutated bitter herb directly.

“There won’t be any immediate reaction. When we return, we’ll boil today’s medicines into a decoction and have everyone drink it. Your illnesses will be cured.”

“Really? That simple?”

“I stake my life on it. If there’s any falsehood, I’ll contract the plague as well,” Yin Qingyue said lightly. Treating incurable diseases wasn’t as hard as people imagined—the true masters were those who could use the simplest herbs to bring out the greatest medicinal effect.