Shang Ruyi looked at him, hesitated to speak, and her expression grew increasingly heavy.

As for Mu Xian, it was as if he sensed something.

His breath suddenly caught, and his whole body involuntarily shivered, his voice hoarse when he spoke again: "Could it be, could it be because of that night—"

"..."

Shang Ruyi remained silent, sighing softly.

Mu Xian’s face instantly turned pale.

He was Yu Wenye’s trusted guard, sometimes even closer to Yu Wenye than Shang Ruyi, his wife. Therefore, he clearly remembered that after Yu Wenye arrived in Fufeng and before he fell ill, his eating and drinking were the same as the others, with nothing unusual.

Except for—

On their way, he fetched a bag of water from the river and gave Yu Wenye a sip to drink.

"It really was, it really was because of me..."

Mu Xian’s heart was filled with both remorse and guilt, his eyes reddening in an instant. Shang Ruyi stepped forward and said sternly: "Mu Xian, this matter is not yet conclusive. I’m just suspicious."

"..."

"Moreover, even if it really was because of that bag of water, it has nothing to do with you."

"..."

"No one knew what would happen upstream. You were just fulfilling your duty, so you are not at fault, do you understand?!"

Her low voice carried an indescribable sense of authority, making everyone in the hall fall silent. Mu Xian was finally awakened by these words, he lifted his head to look at Shang Ruyi, his throat tightening, and finally said, "I, understand."

"..."

"Thank you, Young Madam."

Shang Ruyi nodded, then turned to look at everyone and said, "I’ve been investigating the General’s illness these days, but after he arrived here, his meals and lifestyle had no issues. The only possibility is that the capital mound has contaminated the water source. So, under no circumstances should water be fetched from downstream."

"..."

"If the water source is indeed plagued, then even without Xue Xian attacking the city, all of Fufeng would crumble on its own."

At this point, even Song Yu and Ma Xu closed their mouths.

One must know, an epidemic is different from a military upheaval. They, occupying high positions, even if a war breaks out, would have soldiers to protect them; but once a plague spreads, it spares no rank, and none of them wish to succumb to such an illness.

However, though the hall quieted down, a low voice softly echoed—

"Plague..."

Shang Ruyi felt a stir in her heart and turned her head, only to see Yu Wenqian standing behind, a hint of seriousness in his gaze.

As if feeling the other’s gaze, he also looked up at Shang Ruyi and said solemnly, "If as my younger sister-in-law said, the water source has indeed been contaminated, then—"

"...!"

Shang Ruyi’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.

Indeed, she had not thought of this.

If Yu Wenye had contracted the plague from just a sip, then wouldn’t the villages and towns downstream connected to the Little Forest River all be infected by the plague?

Next to him, Dai Junliang thought for a moment and said, "There are actually other rivers merging into the Little Forest River downstream, so it shouldn’t affect others, right?"

Yu Wenqian and Shang Ruyi exchanged a glance.

After a long pause, he said, "Well, so be it."

Yin Changyue said, "Let’s discuss our immediate problem. Since Young Madam is worried that the water source is polluted and we can’t fetch from downstream, yet Xue Xian has sent people to monitor the upstream along the riverbanks, and every time we send someone, they’re repelled, what should we do now?"

Ma Xu let out a cold laugh.

Indeed, upon talking to this point, there was not much else to say.

In the case of abundant supplies, holding the fortress is fine, but without water, no one can continue to hold on, so the way forward becomes clear—

Shang Ruyi looked at Ma Xu, then at Song Yu.

Although she had something to say, she also knew that continuing the discussion would involve military affairs. As the General’s wife, while she could inquire about what was happening in the city and uphold the sixteen-word military order given by Yu Wenye before he fell unconscious, she could not arbitrarily meddle in military affairs.

Just as she hesitated, feeling a wave of anxiety rising in her heart, Yu Wenqian’s voice sounded from behind her again.

He said, "Sister-in-law, what do you think?"

"...?"

Shang Ruyi was taken aback, and everyone in the hall was left astonished.

This was, after all, a military matter, and whether to dispatch troops should be discussed among the men, so why did the Princely Heir of the Duke directly ask a woman?

Facing the curious gazes of all, Yu Wenqian simply smiled calmly.

He said, "Since before Feng Chen fell unconscious, he had already instructed about fetching water, it’s possible he also discussed with you the countermeasures if fetching water was obstructed, right?"

"..."

"If so, you might as well tell everyone."

"..."

At this, not only Shang Ruyi but even Mu Xian could not help but reveal a stunned expression at this distinguished young master.

His words practically allowed Shang Ruyi to take charge of military decisions?

Mu Xian immediately turned his head cautiously towards the Young Madam, who, at this moment, perhaps with a single word, could decide the fate of the entire city’s people. Evidently, Shang Ruyi was also taken aback, but she did not speak immediately. She contemplated for a moment in silence before raising her head again, her face composed.

She said, "No."

"..."

"Before Feng Chen fell into a coma, he only gave the order to firmly defend the city and said nothing else."

"..."

"However, the method of defending a city should be adapted to the situation and the time. Now the situation is different from before, and exactly what should be done might require all of you to give it more thought."

After speaking, she nodded and said, "In that case, I’ll head back first."

Mu Xian was taken aback. Watching her actually nod to everyone and then turn to leave, he could only follow her.

Shortly after, the two of them followed the path they came from and entered the second gate.

Mu Xian was full of confusion and anxiety, but he could only hold it in. Along the way, even his breathing became heavy until they were almost back at the courtyard. He finally couldn’t hold back and softly asked, "Young Madam, why didn’t you say anything earlier?"

Shang Ruyi didn’t stop walking, only slowing a little.

She asked, "Say what?"

"The Eldest Young Master wanted you to offer a suggestion just now. If you have a plan, why didn’t you bring it up?"

"..."

"I believe the Young Madam must have a solution."

Shang Ruyi turned to look at him, with a half-smile and said, "Do you have a solution in mind?"

Mu Xian frowned and thought for a while, then said, "I’m dull-witted. The only solution I can think of right now is to go out and fetch water. Since the people across keep watching upstream to ambush us, we can only send more men because, regardless of anything, the city’s water supply cannot be interrupted. If it is, people will panic. If the people panic, there’s no need for outside enemies to attack; Fufeng will fall apart on its own."

"..."

"Moreover, the longer the delay in fetching water, the worse it is for us."

Shang Ruyi nodded, "This is not you being dull-witted. Right now, it’s not just me; even the people in the hall just now could only think of this one method."

Mu Xian said, "Then—"

"Why must I be the one to speak up if there’s only one method?"

"..."

"If I speak up, it’s tantamount to the General speaking up."

"..."

"If this method successfully defends the city, the General is currently in a coma; the credit goes to those who go out for water. If it fails, the responsibility falls on the one who proposed the method."

"..."

"Therefore, this matter is not necessarily beneficial to us at the moment but mostly harmful."

"..."

"I cannot let Feng Chen’s two previous battles to defend Fufeng be in vain because of a single sentence from me. Those were results he fought for with his life."

"I see, that’s how it is."

Mu Xian suddenly understood and recalled how the people in the hall just now seemed to have a thought in their eyes but didn’t say a word, each acting like a mute. He couldn’t help but feel a chill down his spine.

These people, how deep their schemes are.

Especially—

Fortunately, Shang Ruyi wasn’t swayed by flattering words and recklessly stood out. Instead, at this moment, she could see through others’ thoughts and stay temporarily uninvolved.

After all, Yu Wenye had been in a coma for several days, and for now, they could only stay uninvolved.

As they spoke, the two of them had arrived at the courtyard gate. Just then, Cheng Qiao was leading a team past them. Seeing Shang Ruyi, he hurriedly saluted. Mu Xian gave him a look and then glanced at Shang Ruyi, nodding lightly.

Although he didn’t know what they discussed earlier, seeing Mu Xian’s reaction, Cheng Qiao relaxed his heart.

Mu Xian continued to follow Shang Ruyi inward.

Reaching the center of the courtyard, he thought of something and softly asked, "So, will Young Madam not handle this matter?"

"..."

Shang Ruyi stopped walking.

"Who said I’m not handling it."

"Then—"

"If I’m not mistaken, they should be deciding who will lead the troops out of the city to fetch water now."

"..."

"Moreover, to avoid being ambushed again and ensure the successful retrieval of water this time, they will definitely send a large troop with a major leader."

Mu Xian asked, "Ma Xu?"

Shang Ruyi gently nodded, "He has always wanted to redeem his previous defeat by gaining merit through battle, so this time, he will certainly fight to go to battle."

"Then—"

"But, surely he won’t be the only one."

"...?"

"Given Ma Xu’s previous significant defeat, neither Yin Changyue nor Dai Junliang, not even elder brother, will easily trust him with an army again. As for assisting Ma Xu in leading the expedition, there’s only one—"

Mu Xian’s eyes flickered, "Song Yu?!"

At this moment, they had just reached the door.

Shang Ruyi took out the piece of cotton cloth she had just removed and slowly tied the strings around her ears, revealing only her bright eyes. At this moment, a cold light suddenly flashed in her usually clear eyes.

"This is the outcome I want!"