Except for me, all my enemies have been reborn.

"Squeak."

When the door opened, a strong smell of medicine hit me in the face.

"Sir, please come in."

The girl was wearing a blue dress and had a white silk cloth wrapped around her face. She nodded and lowered her eyes, performing a standard bow.

Shang Shixu stretched out his hand and helped her up. After some polite exchanges, they went into the room.

"My surname is Shang. May I ask if you are the head of Lushan Village?"

The bandit raised his head with great effort, his eyes half-closed, and uttered a breathy sound: "Hmm."

The girl in the blue dress helped him up with concern and leaned him against the back of the bed.

"Sir Shang, my father is too ill to answer.

If you have anything you want to know, just come and ask me."

Shang Shixu glanced at the two people, the people with the highest status in the village,

Why are they living such a miserable life? Is it just because of the plague? No, it must be Fang Li who is causing trouble.

Shang Shixu hesitated for a moment, but decided to ask indirectly.

"Girl, why are the people in the village infected with the plague?"

The girl in the blue dress had red eyes, as if she was remembering something sad.

"Master Shang, we were originally in the mountains, so it was impossible for us to be infected with the plague.

However, just a few days ago, a strange man broke into Lushan Village.

I don't know what I said to my second uncle, but he insisted on going down the mountain.

His father really couldn't persuade him, so he allowed nearly 60 of his brothers to go down the mountain.

Woo woo woo, in the end, none of them came back,

But the strange man, although he lost an arm, still managed to survive."

Shang Shixu stroked his injured arm and thought to himself, Fang Li was the one who instigated this.

But what method did he use to make the second uncle mentioned by the woman come to help him?

"Girl, I wonder if your second uncle is doing well now?"

The girl in the blue dress shook her head and took out a letter from the cabinet.

"My second uncle said he was speechless in front of the men, women and children in the village. He committed suicide the day before yesterday, leaving only this letter.

My father and I have read it several times, but we still cannot comprehend its profound meaning. I hope Mr. Shang can take a look and help me to resolve my doubts. "

Shang Shixu looked up at the girl in the blue skirt. She was obviously the daughter of a bandit.

Her conversation is better than some of the daughters of wealthy merchants.

The girl in the blue skirt handed the letter to Shang Shixu with both hands.

The letter was wrapped in animal skin. When the thick cloth was removed, only a few words were revealed on the paper.

"Benefit, spring, cheat, save."

Shang Shixu rubbed the animal hide, his eyes full of confusion.

The character "Li" may refer to Fang Li, but what about the other characters?

Does "Spring" refer to a season or a person's name? Does "Cheat" mean that someone cheated him? "Save"? He has already committed suicide, who should he save?

Shang Shixu shook her head. She couldn’t understand the meaning of this.

The girl in the blue dress lowered her head, sat on the edge of the bed and held her father's hand.

The bandit suddenly became excited and stood up with all his might.

Kneel down in front of Shang Shixu and Wushe.

Shang Shixu quickly dodged. She believed that one should not accept rewards without merit. She could not bear to have an old man kneeling down to her for no reason.

"Your surname is Shang. I would like to ask if you are the Prime Minister who is here to deal with the plague?"

Shang Shixu frowned. This bandit had actually heard of her.

He suddenly knelt down in front of me, he must have something to ask for, otherwise why don't I take Wushe away first.

Shang Shixu and Wushe exchanged glances.

They used their peripheral vision to observe the location of the door, ready to escape at any time, but now they had to keep the bandit steady.

"So what if it is, so what if it isn't."

The bandit grabbed his daughter and forced the girl to kneel down as well.

He bent his waist so low that his head was almost buried in the ground.

"Mr. Prime Minister, I have long heard of your reputation and I admire you for your decisiveness.

Now that I am dying, I beg the Prime Minister to take my daughter as a concubine."

Shang Shixu retreated again and again, wondering why so many people wanted to be her woman.

"Father, I don't want to. I just want to be with you. Please don't chase me away..."

The bandit propped himself up on the ground and raised his head, gently stroking his daughter's hair, his eyes full of reluctance.

"Good boy, your father is no longer able to survive. Your only hope is to follow the Prime Minister."

Shang Shixu crossed his arms and looked helplessly at their father-daughter love.

He hasn't agreed to take her as a concubine yet, so there's no need for them, father and daughter, to be so sad.

"You two, since you have heard of me, you should understand that not everyone can stay by my side."

The bandit was stunned, looked at Shang Shixu at a loss, and knocked his head hard on the ground.

"Mr. Prime Minister, although my daughter is the daughter of a bandit, I pay great attention to her upbringing.

She had been taught by a teacher since she was young, and she had read all the Four Books and Five Classics.

Please accept her, sir. Even if she doesn't want to be your concubine, she can be your slave."

The girl in the blue dress shook her head and cried, pulling her father's hand.

"Father, please don't chase your daughter away."

Shang Shixu covered her head. Their father-daughter relationship was very touching, but the quarrel gave her a headache.

Although she also wanted to take the girl in, the Prime Minister's Mansion was not a shelter and she could not just take anyone in.

"Old sir, please stand up. I will not accept anyone casually."

Seeing Shang Shixu being so heartless, the bandits turned their gaze to Wushe.

Wushe looked at him and pointed at himself.

"You're not going to turn your attention to me, are you?"

The bandit nodded slowly and kowtowed to Wushe again.

Frightened, Wushe hid behind Shang Shixu.

"Sir, please save me. I don't want to get married too young!"

Shang Shixu held down the screaming Wushe, his eyes full of helplessness.

Why do you have to marry your daughter off?

The woman in the blue skirt broke free from her father, slowly stood up, and saluted Shang Shixu.

"Mr. Prime Minister, my father is old and confused, I hope you can forgive me.

I am an educated woman, and I do not want to live in the backyard.

But now, I am really dying.

I beg the Prime Minister to help me. When I succeed in my career, I will definitely repay you for your kindness!"

Shang Shixu turned around and looked at her straight in the eye. This girl was a man of integrity.

She admired this spirit of not wanting to be inferior to others.

Even if the girl didn't repay her, she was willing to help her.

Because Shang Shixu saw his own shadow in her,

Back then, in order to protect everything he loved, he plunged into the vortex of power without hesitation, which led to the current Prime Minister Shang Shixu.

"Okay, I admire you very much. How do you want me to help you?"

The girl in the blue skirt knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times to Shang Shixu.

"Sir, I want some silver and to be able to leave Lingnan safely."

Shang Shixu nodded. He basically met all her requirements, except...

"Girl, it doesn't matter how much silver you are given, as long as you can get out of Lingnan safely.

I cannot guarantee this, after all, there is a plague raging in Lingnan, and there are countless refugees, unless…"