The Princess and Her Rough-Rider Khan
Chapter 501 - 500 If we as husband and wife die, we must die together (Part 1)

Chapter 501: 500 If we as husband and wife die, we must die together (Part 1)

Yelu Yan had no choice but to take a step back, put his finger to his lips, and let out a loud whistle.

The chestnut Flame Horse, hearing its master’s call, galloped furiously from not far away.

Jinwu and the others also turned and gathered around.

Yelu Yan left only a few guards for himself; all the other guards and Hidden Guard were left to Li Xianyun.

Even Jinwu was left with Li Xianyun.

Jinwu looked at Youlan with delight, thrilled to be in the company of his beloved girl day and night once again.

"My lord, I’m leaving."

Yelu Yan looked at her foolishly and finally nodded slightly.

The party moved towards the direction of the Southeast Checkpoint.

As the carriage moved further away and slowly became less visible, Yelu Yan finally mounted his horse, glanced in the direction where Li Xianyun had gone, spurred the horse’s back, and galloped towards Shangjing.

He needed to take care of the matters in Shangjing as quickly as possible to find Li Xianyun.

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Shuozhou was a border prefecture of the Khitan, and Li Rui’s group could no longer proceed after entering.

Li Rui and Qiu Qianyun had both contracted a coughing disease; Li Rui was so severe that he coughed up blood and could no longer endure the fatigue of travel.

Tuoba Che promptly sent news to Shangjing at top speed while arranging for their company to stay at the Shuozhou post station, searching for renowned physicians to treat Li Rui and Qiu Qianyun.

However, after the physicians in the city examined them, they were clueless about what disease Li Rui and Qiu Qianyun had contracted.

Moreover, a more serious situation arose.

The coughing disease spread the next day, starting with the people at the post station falling ill one after another, followed soon by the nearby locals who began to cough as well.

Tuoba Che, with his vast experience, felt that this was no ordinary sickness but rather a plague.

If it really were a plague spreading so rapidly, it wouldn’t just be them at risk, but people in the nearby provinces and counties as well.

Seeing that all the physicians in the city were at a loss, Tuoba Che couldn’t help feeling wistful inside—if only the princess were here. With her superb medical skills, there was no disease she couldn’t cure.

Inside the room, Qiu Qianyun had a headache from coughing, and her throat was burning with pain; she leaned against the soft couch, hoping that falling asleep would make it less unbearable.

In a state between sleep and wakefulness, an increasingly urgent cough came from the bed. Qiu Qianyun suddenly opened her eyes to see Li Rui sprawled at the bed’s edge, coughing heart-wrenchingly, the ground by the bed splattered with mottled bloodstains.

She quickly struggled to her feet and rushed to the bedside to support Li Rui, speaking urgently, "Prince, please let the physician come in to look at your illness."

Li Rui’s face was red with coughing, and his neck was engorged, dotted with tiny red marks.

Even so, he still stubbornly shook his head repeatedly.

His coughing illness grew worse by the day, and people around him began catching it too, leading him to the same suspicion as Tuoba Che.

Thus, he chose to shut himself in, not allowing anyone to enter to prevent spreading the contagion to others.

Seeing him refuse, Qiu Qianyun’s tears fell in desperation.

After a long bout of coughing, Li Rui finally eased a bit, leaned heavily against the headboard, and wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, he looked at Qiu Qianyun and said, "Qianyun, I think I’ve contracted the plague. You should go and stay elsewhere; don’t keep me company anymore."

As soon as he had this suspicion, he asked Qiu Qianyun to move out, but she insisted on staying, refusing to leave no matter what.

Qiu Qianyun cried and shook her head, "As husband and wife, we should die together."

"Qianyun, being able to marry you is the greatest fortune of my life," Li Rui’s eyes reddened, "but you have to think about the children. Junjun is only thirteen and has not yet established himself, Nannan is just eleven, so young. What would they do without their parents? And Xianxian... cough, cough..."