Xu Chen almost broke down when he listened to their conversation.

“Your Majesty, Grand Duke, what the Young General meant was to…”

Lu Hetian shot him a sharp look.

Xu Chen shut his mouth blankly, but this whole situation still did not seem right to him.

Why would His Majesty and the Grand Duke not allow the Grand Duchess to be sent to the frontier?

It was understandable for the Empress not to go as she was about to give birth. She would be unable to travel somewhere as far as the frontier. The Grand Duchess, meanwhile, was highly skilled in medicine. If she agreed to head to the frontier, there would be hope for a cure for those sick soldiers.

Even so, the outcome of their discussion was to…

If the Grand Duchess was not dispatched and the situation at the frontier went out of control, those sick soldiers would end up…

A chill ran through Xu Chen.

He clenched his teeth and kneeled before Long Yang.

“Please reconsider, Your Majesty! Our soldiers protecting the frontiers are sacrificing their sweat and blood for Great Shang. They shouldn’t be abandoned, Your Majesty, or this will destroy the morale of our soldiers. Who would still be willing to serve the Great Shang after that?”

The look on Zhao Qian’s face changed as he immediately said sharply, “What nonsense are you talking about? When did His Majesty say anything about abandoning them?”

Xu Chen was no longer afraid now that he had started talking about this. He took the risk and continued, “This is an emergency at the frontier and the army physicians have their hands full, but His Majesty is determined not to send the Grand Duchess there. Isn’t that equivalent to abandoning the lives of our soldiers? To think that we have been risking our lives to guard the frontiers for Your Majesty and this is how our soldiers are repaid.”

Zhao Qian did not dare to look at his Master and the Grand Duke when he heard the conversation turning ugly. “How dare you, Xu Chen?! What do you know? Chief Physician Lin is the best imperial physician here. He has great medical skills and with his presence at the frontier, our soldiers’ condition would soon be under control.”

Xu Chen sniggered. “The Grand Duchess has better medical skills. This plague swept through us in a vicious wave and even Heir Presumptive Lu said that only the Grand Duchess or Her Highness would be able to handle it. It’s understandable that Her Highness isn’t able to go, but why isn’t Your Majesty allowing the Grand Duchess there? Are you aware of what sort of torment the sick soldiers are going through every day?”

“Their skin is breaking apart inch by inch all over their bodies. Dark blood is oozing out of them, which is highly contagious. One touch of it on your skin and you will immediately be infected.”

“Many soldiers are getting infected at the frontier every single day and Heir Presumptive Lu had no choice but to order all infected soldiers to be quarantined in a designated area. Only death awaits them if there is no cure. They have been guarding the frontiers for Great Shang all this while and do not deserve to die this way! Please reconsider this for the sake of your soldiers, Your Majesty!”

Zhao Qian could not bear to berate him further when he heard those words.

He turned to look at his Master.

Long Yang sat behind the imperial table, his dark eyes lowered slightly. There was an unfathomable, grim expression on his face. His fist was clenched under the table—a sign of his mixed emotions.

If it were all possible, he would not abandon his soldiers and turn away from their life and death situation.

However, Weiwei was about to give birth and her belly was massive. What would he do if he sent Ling Lihua to the frontier and something happened to Weiwei while she suffered a difficult labor?

It was a risk he could not take.

When he compared Weiwei’s life to the lives of the soldiers protecting the frontier at this moment, he did not even hesitate to pick Weiwei.

He had let his soldiers down, but he could not afford to put Weiwei’s life at risk.

It took him quite a while before replying in a hoarse voice, “Even if the Grand Duchess was sent to the frontier, it is no guarantee that she would be able to help with the sickness the soldiers are suffering from. I have my own plans for this. You may all leave first.”

Xu Chen was so frustrated that his face and neck flushed red. He wanted to say more but this time, he did not have the opportunity. Zhao Qian and Chu Qi had stepped forward to drag him out of the imperial study.

Deathly silence suddenly filled the entire imperial study.

Lu Hetian was feeling just as grim.