The clamor in the courtyard instantly dispersed.
Feng Yinwan re-latched the door, then twirled her long sword, casually slinging it over her back.
"Alright, let's go rest."
Upon hearing this, Yuping tightened her grip on the broom, her small face falling, her eyes welling up with tears.
Feng Yinwan was taken aback by her reaction and quickly raised a hand to wipe away her tears.
"What's wrong? Why are you crying out of the blue?"
Yuping sobbed, her voice slightly choked, "Miss, did you really mean it when you said you'd treat the second young lady's malaria today?"
She looked at Feng Yinwan with red-rimmed eyes, her expression clearly showing concern.
Feng Yinwan's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
"Oh no, I was so focused on confronting Madam Yu and the others that I forgot this girl was nearby."
"Ahem, this..."
"Miss!"
Yuping pouted, "Did you go out with the Prince today precisely for this matter?"
No wonder Miss had asked Qi Xuan to stay and keep her company; she was clearly afraid Yuping would worry, and that was why she didn't want her to know!
Feng Yinwan felt guilty under Yuping's gaze, pursed her lips, and hesitantly nodded.
"It's like this..."
Hearing this, Yuping's shoulders trembled, and tears immediately began to stream down her face like a broken string of pearls.
"How could you do this, Miss! Knowing how dangerous malaria is, you still insisted on disregarding your own safety!"
"Master and young master are not even in the manor. If anything were to happen to you, how could I explain it to them, and with what face would I see Madam!"
As she spoke, she cried even more bitterly.
Feng Yinwan stood uneasily, feeling like an utter sinner.
"Alright, alright, I'm perfectly fine... Please don't cry anymore."
"It's fortunate that Miss is unharmed. If there had been even the slightest mishap, I wouldn't be standing here now!"
As if angered, she slammed the broom to the ground.
"The second young lady has committed many wicked deeds. Catching malaria is her just desserts. Why must Miss put herself in danger and personally go to save her!"
From the scene just now, Madam Yu clearly knew about it.
But knowing didn't mean she was grateful. If she had an ounce of decency, she wouldn't have come with people to cause trouble so late at night.
Yuping genuinely felt it was a waste for Miss.
Feng Yinwan, knowing she was in the wrong, dared not argue, "Yes, yes, you're right. If anything like this happens again, I'll be the first to run far away!"
She glanced at the sky and feigned sleepiness, yawning.
"Alright Yuping, it's getting late. Can we go back to rest now?"
Yuping still cared for her and nodded immediately, regaining her usual attentive and well-behaved demeanor.
"Mmm-hmm, Miss, please go back and rest. I'll come after I clean up here."
Madam Yu and the others had arrived so suddenly, and Yuping hadn't had time to clean up the scattered supplements and broken porcelain.
This should have been a joyous occasion, but after the commotion, she had no idea where she had hidden.
Feng Yinwan understood and, seeing Yuping about to tidy up, pulled her back.
"Leave it. We'll have her clean it up herself tomorrow."
"Miss?"
Yuping sniffled blankly, her body already being pulled forward by Feng Yinwan.
Her ears finally found some peace, and as Feng Yinwan collapsed onto the bed, sleepiness once again washed over her.
Half-asleep, she suddenly realized she seemed to have forgotten something, but after thinking for a moment, she couldn't recall what it was. With a flick of her head, she fell into a deep sleep.
When she awoke the next morning, the mess outside her door had been cleaned. Feng Yinwan stretched lazily as she emerged from her room, but Yuping came running back from outside.
Upon seeing her, Yuping visibly paused for a moment, pursed her lips, and hesitated before stepping forward.
"Miss, the constables from Jingzhao Prefecture have arrived again. They say there's an urgent matter that requires your presence."
Jingzhao Prefecture again?
Feng Yinwan's stretching motion halted, her delicate eyebrows raising slightly.
Feng Yiyi had already been sent out of the city for quarantine yesterday, so she no longer had any dealings with Jingzhao Prefecture. Now Zhao Yong was urgently seeking her out; what was his intention?
"Where are they?"
"They are waiting at the manor gate."
Feng Yinwan nodded, about to head out when she heard Yuping hesitantly speak.
"Miss, Lord Zhao said this matter is extremely urgent. Could it be... related to yesterday's malaria?"
Miss had treated Feng Yiyi in prison, and Zhao Yong naturally knew about this matter.
Feng Yinwan pondered for a moment. When she went out of the manor and met the constable, it was indeed as Yuping had said, they were there regarding the malaria.
However, the situation was clearly more serious than they had anticipated.
"Greetings, Princess Mo."
The constable bowed hastily and then spoke, "Last night, five malaria-infected individuals appeared consecutively in the Jingzhao Prefecture prison. Zhao is at a loss and has specially sent me to invite you to take a look!"
"Five?"
Feng Yinwan was also surprised by this.
Yesterday, when she had gone, aside from the first person who had fallen ill and died, there was only Feng Yiyi infected in the prison.
How had it become like this overnight?
Her beautiful eyes narrowed, and she immediately pressed for details, "The prescription I left yesterday, did you follow it to boil the medicine and give it to them?"
The constable nodded, "After the guards on duty discovered something was wrong last night, Lord Zhao immediately ordered us to boil the medicinal soup. However, after two doses, the patients vomited and had diarrhea, seeming to have no effect!"
Hearing his description, the symptoms were even more severe than Feng Yiyi's yesterday.
Without daring to delay, Feng Yinwan immediately strode forward. "Let's go quickly."
When they arrived at Jingzhao Prefecture, Zhao Yong was pacing anxiously at the manor gate. The moment he saw Feng Yinwan alight from the carriage, he seemed to see a savior.
"Your Highness, you've finally arrived! This subordinate..."
Before he could finish speaking, Feng Yinwan interrupted him with a raised hand. She walked forward directly, her expression quite grave.
"I already know about the situation. Where are the patients? Lead the way."
"Yes, yes, yes."
Zhao Yong nodded repeatedly and hurried to the front.
Zhao Yong was not stupid. Having learned from yesterday's lesson, after discovering the infected individuals, he had transferred everyone out of the prison and quarantined them in the side rooms of the second courtyard of Jingzhao Prefecture.
When Feng Yinwan entered, the guards were force-feeding the patients. However, before the medicinal soup could be completely administered, the patients began to vomit violently.
The medicinal soup they had drunk was thus all vomited out, leaving the medicine completely ineffective.
Zhao Yong cried out in dismay, "Oh, Your Highness, please look! It's exactly like this!"
The floor was covered with the patients' vomit, and the smell in the room was quite unpleasant. Feng Yinwan covered her nose and mouth, turned, and retreated.
"Have all the prisoners in the jail been checked? Have any others shown signs of infection?"
Zhao Yong's face froze. "The matter arose suddenly, this subordinate has not yet..."
Feng Yinwan's delicate eyebrows furrowed in response.
"How can such a major issue be handled carelessly! Immediately order people to find all the doctors in the city. All prisoners must be checked, not a single one can be missed!"