"Better to kill a hundred innocent people than let one guilty person go free! You know how dangerous this epidemic is, Lord Shen. If Lord Siyan really gets infected, we're all doomed!"

The officials chimed in, "That's right! Lord Shen, you can't joke with our lives!"

"The best solution now is to send Lord Siyan to the west of the city for centralized quarantine. Only in this way can we all be safe."

Safety?

Shen Huaixu couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.

The matter is not yet settled, and they are already so eager to take Shen Jintang's life. Aren't they too impatient?

"This matter is not yet certain, how can we draw conclusions rashly? If it is a misjudgment, wouldn't we be needlessly harming a life?" Shen Huaixu's voice was cold and devoid of any emotion.

"Put yourself in their shoes. If you had put in so much effort for disaster relief, and now you've only caught a cold, and before the situation is even confirmed, you're about to be discarded like a used tool? How would you feel?"

"If this matter gets out, who will dare to think about the people's interests? Who will act as the people's guardian official?"

Shen Huaixu's face grew increasingly grim; he knew all too well what these officials were thinking.

They were afraid of death, and even more so, they wanted to take the opportunity to take revenge on Shen Jintang.

Shen Jintang is usually tough and has offended many people.

Now that they have this opportunity, they naturally won't let it slip by.

“We know that Lord Siyan is always loyal to his duties, and we have never denied it, but one thing is one thing.”

The Yanzhou official showed no sign of yielding and said bluntly, "We both know very well what an epidemic is. I am afraid of the epidemic, and even more afraid of death. If I cannot even save my life in the government office, then I would rather not be an official."

"Are you threatening me?" Shen Huaixu gripped the wheelchair handles tightly, his voice cold.

"I wouldn't dare! I'm only thinking of my own life. Even if Lord Shen takes this to the imperial court, I'll still say the same thing: if it can't be proven that Shen Siyan isn't suffering from the plague, then she has to be sent to the west of the city! Otherwise, I'll give up this official position. Lord Shen, you can handle the matter of Yanzhou yourself!"

Another official stood up, his tone laced with a hint of threat: "Lord Shen, that's what I mean too. Everyone here has a family to support. This disease is so contagious; once you're infected, there's no cure. Who dares to take that risk?"

The council chamber was in an uproar, with officials shouting incessantly.

Shen Huaixu sat in his wheelchair, his face growing increasingly gloomy.

He knew in his heart that once Shen Jintang was sent to the west of the city, it would be too chaotic there, and he would not be able to take full care of her.

By then, Shen Jintang will either be infected with the epidemic or not.

However, if he does not agree to these officials' demands, he will lose all his manpower, and the prevention and control of the epidemic will come to a standstill.

His gaze swept across the faces of the crowd, and the fear, greed, and selfishness in their eyes filled him with disgust.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, but his heart was filled with helplessness and anger.

What should he choose?

Should we save Shen Jintang's life, or sacrifice her for the greater good?

Shen Huaixu was torn between his conscience and his conscience, caught in a dilemma.

"Lord Shen, please don't disappoint us," an official said sarcastically, with a hint of schadenfreude in his voice. "If you don't send Lord Siyan to the west of the city, we'll have to protect ourselves. How can you handle this whole city full of plague all by yourself?"

Shen Huaixu's face instantly turned ashen. He coldly swept his gaze across the crowd, his eyes piercing like sharp arrows at those gloating faces.

He spoke slowly, his voice deep and powerful: "Gentlemen, I understand your concerns, but this is no trivial matter. It is not yet certain whether Shen Jintang is infected with the disease. Sending her to the west of the city rashly would be unreasonable and illogical."

“Common sense?” an official sneered. “Lord Shen, you certainly know how to talk about common sense. But this epidemic is merciless. If it spreads, we will all be buried with it! If you really care about the bigger picture, you should immediately send her to the west of the city for quarantine!”

“That’s right! We don’t want to die with someone who might be infected!” Another official chimed in, his tone full of fear and selfishness.

Shen Huaixu knew perfectly well that these officials were blinded by fear and would not listen to any reason.

He felt a sense of powerlessness, but he couldn't give up.

He took a deep breath, softened his tone, and said, “Gentlemen, I understand your concerns. But Shen Jintang has been busy on the front lines. If she really is sick, it must be because of her work. We can’t just give up on her like this. We should at least wait for the doctor to make a diagnosis before making a decision.”

"Confirmed?" The officials shook their heads. "Lord Shen, you are truly out of touch. This epidemic is spreading so rapidly, how can we wait for a confirmed diagnosis? We don't want to gamble with our lives!"

“Yes! We can’t afford to gamble! Lord Shen, if you don’t agree, we’ll stop doing everything!” a tall official said loudly, his tone laced with threat.

Chaos reigned in the council chamber, with officials echoing each other and a cacophony of noise rising and falling.

Shen Huaixu sat in his wheelchair, his heart filled with coldness.

He looked at these officials who were usually so respectable, but now were willing to sacrifice others to protect themselves, and his heart was filled with disappointment and anger.

"Fine, fine, fine." Shen Huaixu sneered, his gaze sweeping over the crowd like ice. "You all know how to scheme. Better to kill a hundred innocent people than let one guilty person go free, is that your 'big picture'?"

The officials felt a little guilty under Shen Huaixu's gaze, but they still forced themselves to say, "Lord Shen, please don't blame us for being heartless. This epidemic is no joke, and we have no choice."

Shen Huaixu clenched his hands tightly, oblivious to the fact that his nails were digging into his flesh, and his expression was extremely unpleasant.

He raised his head, exhaled a breath of stale air, and said, "One day. Give me one day. If Shen Jintang's fever hasn't subsided by this time tomorrow, I will personally take her to the west of the city."

On the other side.

Liu Huo spurred his horse and galloped wildly towards Kyoto.

At this moment, he had only one thought in his mind: only Gu Zhixing could save his master, and only Gu Zhixing would step in to save him.

He had to hurry, much faster, to find Gu Zhixing before things got out of control!