Manbao and the others each got their own room and settled in, bringing their luggage inside. Only then did Steward Li come to report, "Young Master, Miss Man, the shopkeeper here, Shopkeeper Zhang, is under Master Zhang, who is General Meng’s brother-in-law. It seems that several military adjutants and sub-commanders have shares in this place."

Manbao was curious, "Are they competing against someone? Who? Is it Governor He of Shazhou?"

Bai Shan asked, "Was the inn across the street here first, or was it the one next door?"

Steward Li was taken aback for a moment, evidently not having asked that question. Bai Shan then told him to inquire, "Also, find out when this inn was established and how long Governor He has been in Shazhou."

Steward Li acknowledged the request, went out to make inquiries, and then returned, "Young Master, the inn across the street came first, followed by Laike Inn, which has been open for seven years. Governor He only arrived in Shazhou three years ago."

Bai Shan and the others understood that Governor He was an outsider, at least from the perspective of the upcoming year. It was uncertain where his loyalties lay.

Yin Huo yawned and asked them, "Do you want to vent some frustration?"

Bai Shan hesitated and went to ask Mr. Zhuang, who waved his hand dismissively, "There’s no need for such agitation. We’re just passing through, staying for a maximum of two days. There’s no need to make enemies over such matters. But it might make for good humor in front of Governor He."

He removed his shoes and socks to soak his feet, and said to Bai Shan, "Take Manbao’s visiting card and send it to the Governor’s residence. Tomorrow we will pay a visit, and after meeting the local officials, request an introduction to General Meng to obtain the travel documents."

Bai Shan agreed and only after he finished washing and drying Mr. Zhuang’s feet did he carry the foot basin out.

Mr. Zhuang sighed comfortably and reclined against the bed, motionless.

The old arms and legs—traveling long distances certainly isn’t easy.

Manbao then took out the remaining fifty taels of silver and handed it to heavy rain, "How many days will you stay in Shazhou? Let me treat you to dinner tonight."

The silver was too heavy to fit in his pocket, so heavy rain carried it in his hand, grinning, "It’s hard to resist Doctor Zhou’s enthusiasm, so we’ve decided to stay a few extra days."

Since she was covering room and board, they might as well buy more things to take back. Although there weren’t many merchants passing through the small town, some coarse cloth and ceramics were consumed locally and could still be profitable, albeit modestly so.

Manbao didn’t mind them taking advantage of her hospitality, she simply reminded them, "We might only stay here for two days."

Heavy rain was actually curious, "Doctor Zhou, isn’t Shazhou more interesting than our small town? You stayed in our town for twenty days, why not stay longer here?"

Manbao responded earnestly, "Am I someone who’s here for leisure? Your small town has many medicinal herbs I’ve never seen before, and I came to observe them."

Heavy rain scoffed—who was he kidding? She had been in their town for twenty days, eating fish, sand rats, and even scorpions from the desert and poisonous round thorns. He thought she was there more for the food than for the herbs.

Manbao, not entirely convincing even to herself, added, "Major cities around the world are quite similar. Shazhou is unique because of Yumen Pass, but that’s a military zone we can’t enter, so just catching a distant glimpse of its majesty is sufficient."

Heavy rain pondered this, realizing she was subtly saying their small town was different.

He felt a sense of pride and told her, "Indeed, our small town is extraordinarily beautiful, unlike anywhere else. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been captivated by it at first sight back then."

Having accepted the money, their transactional relationship was completed, yet Manbao generously allowed Shopkeeper Zhang to charge their meal costs to her account as well.

They came from the capital, not very prominent, but meeting Governor He wasn’t too difficult. A guard delivered the visiting card to the Governor’s residence and returned with a response after waiting outside the official office for a short time, "Governor He said he’d be available tomorrow at the third quarter of late morning."

Manbao remarked, "Then there’s just a little while before lunchtime; we’ll be chatting until it’s lunchtime. Perhaps he plans to invite us to dine?"

Mr. Zhuang tapped her head lightly and jestingly reprimanded, "Always thinking about food."

Heavy rain at the dining table nodded in agreement.

Nevertheless, Mr. Zhuang took note of this, so when they set out the next day, he brought along all six children, resembling villagers heading to a wedding feast.

Bai Shan and the others spruced up, dressed in finer attire, accessorizing their outfits, and followed Mr. Zhuang, who was in high spirits as they set off.

Having traversed the desert for over ten days, they were quite eager to explore Shazhou’s local cuisine.

Governor He met them at the official residence. Upon entering the main gate, Manbao led the group inside.

Upon seeing her, Governor He’s eyes gleamed, and he immediately rose smiling, exchanging courteous greetings with Zhou Man before they sat down according to rank.

He knew Zhou Man’s background, as well as her mission to the Western Regions.

He had already received official documents and communications from the capital earlier. Considering she was a renowned figure in the capital known for healing the Crown Prince’s illness, granting the dynasty its first grandson, and resolving the smallpox outbreak in Xiazhou—what an ordeal it was last winter!

Fortunately, the prescription they provided was effective, and the smallpox cases here were limited. Patients carrying the disease were contained upon arrival and isolated outside the town...

He had firsthand witnessed the effectiveness of that prescription, vastly reducing the mortality rate compared to what he saw with smallpox during his childhood.

Forgot to mention, he had also contracted smallpox as a child, albeit protected by his family in the inner residence, yet the experience of hanging between life and death remained unforgettable.

They said the prescription was developed by Imperial Hospital doctors, improved based on Imperial Doctor Lu’s formula, with Doctor Zhou playing a significant role.

This time Zhou Man heading to the Western Regions aimed to acquire a prevention prescription for smallpox. Despite not knowing why such a crucial formula exists in those backward small countries, it didn’t matter; what mattered was its existence.

Thus, Governor He didn’t obstruct their departure, and warmly suggested, "Yesterday I informed General Meng, fortuitously arranging to dine at Anning Restaurant. Doctor Zhou, why not accompany me there to discuss the travel documents?"

Manbao agreed delightedly, then curiously inquired, "Is it difficult to obtain travel documents now?"

Governor He sighed, "Doctor Zhou, on your journey from Xiazhou, was the travel smooth?"

Manbao paused before responding, "Not too bad, though many stations along the way are deserted or lack facilities, making it inconvenient."

Governor He: "...I meant, did you encounter bandits or horse thieves on the way?"

"Oh, we did run into a group," Manbao laughed indifferently, "but they’ve been eliminated."