Saibei

The situation on the battlefield could change in an instant; a hairsbreadth's difference could lead to a catastrophic failure. Jiang Xun packed his belongings that very night and had Wang An select a few adaptable and loyal men from the guards to escort him north.

Jiang Xun used the identity of "Master Xun", so these guards did not recognize him, treating it as an ordinary escort mission. Only Wang An secretly wiped his sweat, anxious enough to jump.

He pulled Jiang Xun aside, the wrinkles on his face squeezing together: "Your Majesty, everything is fine, why are you heading to the Northern Border?"

Jiang Xun merely said, "For these next few days, I will claim to be ill and not attend court. If anyone comes to ask you, just say the Emperor is gravely ill and cannot receive guests."

Wang An rubbed his hands repeatedly, "With Your Majesty taking such a risk, shouldn't you consult with the Grand Secretaries in the outer court?"

Jiang Xun: "No need."

A man of precious worth does not place himself in danger by sitting under precarious eaves. The Grand Secretaries in the court would definitely not allow Jiang Xun to head to Saibei alone. Otherwise, if the Emperor died there, who would the Great Wei's empire be passed on to?

But Jiang Xun had a reason he had to go.

He had the System by his side, so he wouldn't die. But if he was even a day late, what Qingping Pass would become, Jiang Xun dared not imagine.

He immediately pushed Wang An away. "No need to ask further. Just help me cover it up, and you'll be rewarded when I return."

Wang An put on a bitter face, not daring to speak his mind.

—With your body's condition, can you even return?

However, as the emperor's close attendant, Wang An's honor, disgrace, wealth, and rank all depended on a single word from Jiang Xun. Since Jiang Xun insisted on going, even if Wang An was jumping with anxiety, he couldn't say much more, and could only watch the emperor board the carriage.

Jiang Xun had specifically instructed that this carriage would not be the jade chariot drawn by six horses commonly used for an emperor's travel. Instead, it was a commoner's carriage, with a cabin less than four feet wide, covered in cyan cloth and silk.

It was nearly dusk, the western sky reflecting a faint purple. A guard cracked his whip, and several white horses eagerly stepped forward, kicking up a cloud of dust. Wang An watched the emperor depart, disappearing into the thin mist of the Capital City.

Jiang Xun was pressed for time, so the carriage did not stop, galloping day and night. The guards took turns driving. When they passed by official relay stations on the way, they would change horses. They only paused briefly on the road when eating or drinking.

At dusk on the second day, the guards handed dry rations to Jiang Xun inside the carriage, their faces filled with concern. "Are you alright, sir?"

The carriage lacked the stabilizers of modern cars and bumped severely, making it impossible to eat or sleep well. And this guest inside the cabin had already thrown up many times along the way. He would barely manage to eat a little, only to vomit it all back up. When standing, he had to hold onto tree trunks for support. Although he wore a veiled hat, his haggardness was visible to the naked eye.

They looked at each other in dismay. Although the group didn't know Jiang Xun's identity, judging from Wang An's attitude, Jiang Xun was definitely an important figure in the palace. If this person vomited to death on the road, whose responsibility would it be?

A guard said, "There's a village ahead. Would you like to rest for a day and recover a bit?"

Jiang Xun shook his head. "The situation is urgent, we cannot delay a moment."

After hurrying like this for another few days, System 55 spent all day long on Jiang Xun's shoulder. The little system felt rather depressed watching its host suffer so much.

"...Host, you really need to be careful over the next few years. Otherwise, once the mission is completed and I leave, Shen Que can just come and collect your corpse."

Jiang Xun smiled. "No need to mind."

A few years was so long; why would he need to mind?

With such rushing, Jiang Xun finally arrived beneath Qingping Pass at dusk on the third day.

Qingping Pass was established in the previous dynasty and had stood for over a hundred years. The towering, majestic pass loomed in the twilight, its wall crevices covered in climbing moss, and the edges of its bricks and stones full of marks from peeling and weathering.

The guards stopped Jiang Xun. Since he brought so many guards with him and was wearing a veiled hat, his identity was suspicious. Jiang Xun handed over a letter stamped with Xue Jin's personal seal. "Please inform General Xue that an old friend requests an audience."

The guard took the letter. Xue Jin's name was stamped on it with vermilion ink paste, which couldn't be faked. He then led Jiang Xun into the city. "Please rest here for a moment, I will notify the general right away."

Since Jiang Xun came from the Capital City, he was arranged to stay at the best relay station in the city. However, the war situation was currently urgent, and all the residents who could flee had already fled. The rooms hadn't been cleaned in a long time. When Jiang Xun wiped the table, a layer of floating dust stained his hand, and the carpets and curtains were frightfully dirty.

The guards he brought fetched brooms to clean. Jiang Xun didn't mind; he leaned against the wall to take a short nap. He suffered from insomnia and frequent dreams, so normally he wouldn't be able to sleep under such conditions. But after tossing and turning for three days straight, he was already thoroughly exhausted and actually fell asleep leaning against the wall.

When Xue Jin entered, this was the sight he saw.

The young man wearing a veiled hat leaned against the corner of the wall. The pure white veil draped down, covering half his body, faintly revealing the azurite-colored robe underneath the veiled hat. He used only a thin string tied around his waist as a belt, hanging from which was a jade tassel of excellent quality. Other than that, there were no other decorations.

At this moment, he was propping his forehead up with one hand against the desk, his head tilted as he napped, looking extremely exhausted.

Xue Jin lightened his footsteps, walked to Jiang Xun's side, and nudged his shoulder. "Master Xun?"

Jiang Xun jolted awake.

The enlarged face of Heir Xue was right in front of his eyes. Jiang Xun defensively grabbed his veiled hat, concealing his face even more tightly.

Xue Jin said, "Sir, why have you come? I wrote you a letter and you haven't replied for days; I was worried sick."

Jiang Xun had spent these past few days on the road. Xue Jin's letter had been sent to the Capital City. He hadn't received it, so naturally, he couldn't reply.

He pressed against the desk and stood up. "How is Shen Xiu's condition? Take me to see him."

Xue Jin: "This epidemic is quite severe; nine out of ten people who have come into contact with the patients will be infected. Your body is weak, it's better if you don't see him."

Jiang Xun shook his head. "I am not here to visit the sick, I am here to treat the sick. You don't need to worry about me, I won't get infected either."

With the System present, the host's personal safety could still be guaranteed.

Xue Jin paused. "You know how to treat illnesses?"

Jiang Xun: "No, but I might have a way."

Xue Jin seemed to understand but not fully, not comprehending "how one could have a way without knowing how to treat illnesses." But having known Jiang Xun for so long, he knew Master Xun was not someone who spoke carelessly; he definitely had confidence in what he did. Thus, he said, "Please follow me."

Shen Xiu was settled in the Zhenbei Marquis Manor. As the only marquis in the northern lands, the Zhenbei Marquis Manor adopted Jiangnan landscaping, with layers of small hills and lotus ponds stacked upon each other. As Jiang Xun followed Xue Jin through numerous courtyards and passed a certain corridor, Jiang Xun suddenly asked, "Where is Shen Que?"

Xue Jin had said Shen Xiu's condition was more severe, so Jiang Xun asked about Shen Xiu first, but hesitated for a long time to ask about Shen Que's condition. Now, right at Shen Xiu's door, he finally brought it up.

Xue Jin: "His condition is better. When you arrived, I sent him a message, and he is rushing over immediately."

He smiled and said, "Speaking of which, Master Shen has always lived in the Imperial Palace before. This is your first time meeting Master Shen, right? The first time I met you, I felt you shared many similarities with Master Shen. You two will surely have a very pleasant conversation."

Jiang Xun lowered his eyes and said vaguely, "Perhaps."

They walked to Shen Xiu's room. Before even going in, they heard fits of coughing coming from inside. Shen Xiu's voice was already hoarse and very muffled, sounding like the friction of an old drawer's bearings.

Xue Jin pushed the door open first, leading Jiang Xun into the room. Jiang Xun stepped up to the bed. Three thick layers of blankets formed a large bulge. Shen Xiu lay languidly inside, unable to even open his eyes.

The impression Shen Xiu always gave Jiang Xun was one of radiating vitality, charging around recklessly everywhere. Jiang Xun had really never seen him in such a state.

Xue Jin: "For the past week, he has been coughing continuously. His skin is swollen and ulcerated, with some parts inflamed, and his body is feverish. The accompanying military doctor couldn't figure out the cause. He prescribed two doses of medicine, but they had no effect."

Jiang Xun sat on the edge of Shen Xiu's bed. "I understand."

Shen Xiu's consciousness was groggy; he already had no idea who the visitor was. Xue Jin reminded, "Be careful of infection."

Jiang Xun didn't speak. He just reached into the blankets, grabbed Shen Xiu's hand, closed his eyes slightly, and made a show of taking his pulse.

The one truly doing the work was System 55, but Jiang Xun had to put on an act, otherwise he couldn't explain how he was treating the illness.

In a place Xue Jin couldn't see, the System quickly scanned Shen Xiu's entire body, collecting physical characteristics and vital signs, and then mobilized its neural network to start matching them in its database.

System 55's database was overly complex; it contained every illness imaginable, such as space radiation sickness from the interstellar era or gland diseases from an ABO world. Running the comparisons took quite a bit of time, so Jiang Xun maintained his posture of taking the pulse with closed eyes, remaining frozen like that for a long while.

It was so long that footsteps sounded behind him.

The footsteps were extremely light, likely from someone wearing soft-soled cloth shoes. There was the sound of jade pendants colliding at the waist—it was a refined scholar wearing jade.

Xue Jin stood up. "Master Shen."

Shen Que said, "I came to take a look, no need to get up."

Xue Jin sat back down.

Jiang Xun thought to himself, 'This is truly a bit unfair.'

Both Shen Que and Shen Xiu were sick. Shen Xiu's voice had become a broken gong, while Shen Que's was still gentle and calm, as pleasant to listen to as ever.

Just like during the most unbearable times in his past life, when he had tried every position, Shen Que's voice had remained just as pleasant to listen to.

The chair behind him moved slightly. Shen Que had also sat down beside the desk. He was examining Jiang Xun, an inquiring gaze falling upon him with an extreme presence, as if piercing right through the veiled hat and burning directly onto his back.

Jiang Xun broke out in goosebumps all over his back.

Shen Que looked for a long time before speaking softly, "I have long admired the great name of Master Xun; it turns out you also know medicine."

It was merely an exclamation. If Jiang Xun's attention hadn't been entirely focused on him, he wouldn't even have heard this murmur.

"..."

Jiang Xun moved his lips but said nothing.

He had come in such a hurry. It was only when he saw Shen Que that Jiang Xun realized he actually didn't dare to speak in front of Shen Que.

Shen Que was different from Shen Xiu and Xue Jin. Shen Xiu and Xue Jin had only seen the Emperor a few times and probably couldn't even recognize his face, let alone his voice.

But Shen Que and Jiang Xun were like a master but not a master, like a friend but not a friend. He and the emperor faced each other day and night—presenting memorials together in court during the day, and sleeping in the same bed at night. Jiang Xun had rolled into his arms on countless nights. The emperor's voice was something Shen Que couldn't be more familiar with.

The silence lasted too long. Xue Jin couldn't help but stand up. "Master Xun, this is Master Shen. He serves as the Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion and the Vice Minister of Rites. He is the most erudite figure in the Great Wei Dynasty today..."

The veins on Jiang Xun's forehead throbbed.

—Nonsense.

Could he possibly not know what position Shen Que held? This official post was granted by him, and the imperial seal was stamped by him. Didn't he know better than Xue Jin?

Jiang Xun coughed and replied coldly, suppressing his voice: "Mhm."

The tone was overly casual. Xue Jin was taken aback. "Sir, this... do you want to greet him..."

Shen Que held him down. "Wait for the Master to finish taking the pulse."

Fortunately at this moment, System 55 had completed its scan.

The little system wiped the electronic cold sweat off its screen. "It's not severe. It's a respiratory infection disease caused by bacteria. Due to the patient's immune issues, it has led to a series of complications. There is specific medicine for it; it can be treated."

Jiang Xun: "Is there specific medicine in this era?"

System 55: "There are substitutes. The parts of medicines that take effect are usually specific molecular components. Certain active ingredients are widely distributed in plants and just need to be extracted. Host, I will display the prescription on the screen, and you can copy it down."

Jiang Xun nodded and lowered his voice again. "Xue Jin, please bring some pen and ink."

As he spoke, Shen Que's gaze remained constantly upon him, not shifting an inch.