Chapter 1556 - 1403: The Fake Commandery Princess 13
The government officer who went out to scout the road returned with an extremely unpleasant expression. He walked up to the head government officer and whispered a few words, causing the head government officer’s face to become equally grim.
After that, the head government officer turned around in place twice, hesitated for a moment, and then still approached Ye Shuangshuang: "Miss Ye, there’s an epidemic in the county ahead of us, and it’s said to have spread to two neighboring counties.
Right now, all three of those counties have been completely sealed off, not allowing anyone to enter. However, we can’t wait for the lockdown to be lifted, so we need to take a detour to get past.
But by doing so, our journey will take at least another half month. With this weather, in half a month winter will start, and by then the weather will be colder, and the blankets we’ve brought won’t be enough.
Here’s what I’m thinking, I plan to send someone back to the county we previously passed through to buy a few blankets. We can also help bring two blankets for you. What do you think, Miss Ye?"
Ye Shuangshuang: "I have no objection. Coincidentally, the blankets we brought this time are not warm, and we have no way to buy any. Thank you, officer, for your trouble and willingness to help."
The reason the head government officer came to say these words to Ye Shuangshuang was actually to curry favor with her. Previously, Ye Shuangshuang had treated a government officer who had become ill with acclimatization issues, easing his symptoms completely with just two doses of medicine.
It was already known that Ye Shuangshuang’s medical skills were good, and this only further proved that her skills were not just good, but extraordinary.
Although he was currently in good health, on this journey, no one could guarantee they wouldn’t fall sick themselves. It’s always better to be prepared.
There have been cases on such escort missions where government officers died from acclimatization issues or other illnesses along the way, though not many, but they do happen. Having someone with good medical skills along is naturally reassuring.
Of course, the money for the blankets would still need to come from Ye Shuangshuang herself. Though exiled criminals are generally penniless, criminals from noble families like the Ye Family, who have relatives with them, would surely carry some money.
Since he wouldn’t have to put in much effort, then having his subordinates do a favor for Ye Shuangshuang for him was worthwhile.
And Ye Shuangshuang naturally appreciated the gesture. She was worried about the lack of blankets, and the blankets that Bai Menghan’s family had prepared were all old.
At first, they claimed the old blankets wouldn’t attract attention, as the fabric on the outside was enough. But even the cotton inside was old, making the blankets not warm anymore.
Ye Shuangshuang didn’t even know what to say about it. If it weren’t for knowing that Bai Menghan’s family had prepared a lot of money, she would have thought they actually harbored resentment towards Bai Menghan.
Now she took the opportunity to buy a few soft new blankets, though the money for the blankets would still have to come from the Ye Family. Naturally, Ye Shuangshuang had no money herself.
When she left the Prince Nan Mansion, she only took two sets of clothes to change into and hadn’t taken even a single copper coin from Prince Nan Mansion.
Ye Shuangshuang still remembered that after the past-life Ye Shuangshuang left Prince Nan Mansion, Qin Muchen spread rumors that Prince Nan Mansion had been as kind as possible to her, giving her an unknown amount of dowry and private savings.
These rumors kept the past-life Ye Shuangshuang under the name of a greed for a long time. In this life, Ye Shuangshuang was not going to make this mistake again.
So she left cleanly, making sure everyone knew she didn’t take a penny when she left Prince Nan Mansion.
Ye Shuangshuang got the money from Bai Menghan, who took a small silver ingot out of her small personal pouch—one of those one-tael small silver ingots.
A blanket costs about two hundred to three hundred copper coins, typically those used by common people, not the ones used by the wealthy.
One tael of silver could buy at least three blankets with some to spare. Ye Shuangshuang handed the silver to the government officer in charge of the errand: "Thank you, officer, for making this trip. Please help us buy three blankets, and the extra is for you to buy some tea."
The government officer also replied politely: "Miss Ye, there’s no need for that. All along the way, all of us have received a lot of your care. Helping a bit is the least we can do. Rest assured, I will choose the best blankets for you."
Since buying blankets couldn’t be done on foot, everyone worked together quickly to empty a cart for the officer going to buy the blankets, while the others waited on site.
Because of the epidemic ahead and waiting for the blankets to return, it was clear they couldn’t leave today. Unable to go to the county ahead, there was no staying at inns or hostels.
Exiled criminals were not allowed to backtrack either, so everyone had no choice but to find a flat spot, set up tents, and camp in the wilderness for the night.
A few days ago, Ye Shuangshuang wove some straw mats out of dry grass, which could now be placed on the tents for insulation, making them warmer.
After setting up the tents, unlike the past few days where she was always busy preparing various things, Ye Shuangshuang sat on a rock, staring blankly ahead.
Bai Menghan approached Ye Shuangshuang with a coat and draped it over her: "It’s cold, even though you’re healthy, you must be careful not to catch a cold."
Ye Shuangshuang adjusted the coat Bai Menghan placed on her and smiled: "Thank you, mother. I’m fine. I’ve never been afraid of the cold since I was a child. But Mother, you must be careful. Please don’t catch a cold."
Bai Menghan sat down beside Ye Shuangshuang, rubbing her cold hands together: "Mother is okay. With you taking care of me along this journey, I haven’t suffered a bit of hardship. How could anything happen?
But you seem to have a lot on your mind. Is there anything troubling you? If so, don’t keep it bottled up. Talk to me."
Ye Shuangshuang raised her hand to rub her forehead, looked a long breath out ahead, then turned to look at Bai Menghan, who was watching her with a face full of concern, speaking with some hesitation.
"Mother, I want to go to the place where the epidemic is happening in front and see if I can try to cure this epidemic."
After hearing there was an epidemic ahead, Ye Shuangshuang had this thought. It was partly out of habit; in her past life, Ye Shuangshuang’s medical skills were extraordinary, and she would always take the initiative to help where there was an epidemic.
Most of Ye Shuangshuang’s reputation in her past life came from this. Her fame among the people was especially high, to the point that even the Emperor came to know of her reputation, giving her the opportunity to become a world-renowned nun.
This time, if she wanted to protect the Ye Family and give them a chance to rise again, reputation was indispensable, so taking the path of the previous life wasn’t bad.
Healing the sick and gaining worldwide recognition, though in this era, a woman gaining worldwide fame might be criticized as being unorthodox and unmarriageable, but Ye Shuangshuang had no plans to marry, which was not important.
The negative aspects of fame couldn’t compare to the positive needs, so this was something that could be done. Given the trust these government officers had in her, if Ye Shuangshuang asked a few officers to escort her to the epidemic-stricken county to treat the epidemic, it shouldn’t be difficult.