Chapter 263 Um...wait a minute!

Jin Zhi did not dare to delay for even a second and immediately ordered his men to bring the beggar over.

The beggar was dressed in rags, holding a bowl that had been broken into two pieces in his hand. There were some medicine residues at the bottom of the bowl. They were the medicine he had just begged from the pharmacy. If it weren't for the medicine, he would have died long ago.

Meeting a big shot like Jin Zhi for the first time, the beggar was filled with fear and felt uneasy. He didn't even dare to raise his head. He knelt on the ground and kowtowed continuously.

"General, I am a commoner, a commoner..."

His voice was trembling and he was so nervous that he was incoherent.

"You don't have to be afraid, just look up at me."

After hearing Jin Zhi's words, the beggar finally mustered up the courage and slowly raised his head.

"Tell me everything you saw that day, from beginning to end, without leaving out any details. If there are some parts that you can't remember clearly, it's okay. I can give you some time to think about it."

The beggar was so nervous that he accidentally bit his tongue just after uttering two words. The pain made him burst into tears instantly.

Jin Zhi turned around and told the servant next to him, "Go get a pot of hot tea, and prepare some dry food and food, and get more meat."

"yes."

The servant took the order and retreated quickly.

After a while, the steaming food was served on the table.

The beggar looked at the table full of food and drooled with greed.

"Eat, these are for you."

The beggar seemed a little reserved at first, with his hands trembling slightly, but when a piece of meat was actually stuffed into his mouth, the delicious taste instantly blossomed on his tongue.

He no longer cared about anything else and began to eat ravenously, as if he had never had a full meal in several lives.

After eating and drinking, the beggar burped loudly. He was no longer as nervous as before and felt much more relaxed.

"General, you are such a good man!"

Jin Zhi nodded calmly, "Well, you can start talking now. Don't worry, we won't make things difficult for you."

The beggar tried hard to recall and told everything that happened that day in detail.

"Ordinary people would just give me half a steamed bun or half a cake out of pity for me, but he gave me a piece of beef. I saw that he didn't look like a rich man in terms of his attire, so I was particularly impressed."

"When the kids were playing, they almost bumped into him, so he called them over, gave each of them a piece of beef, and told them to eat it quickly."

Jin Zhi listened carefully and asked, "Do you still remember what that person looks like?"

"He was wearing a linen shirt with patches on the cuffs. As for his appearance... he had a pointed face and monkey cheeks. He didn't look like a good person at first glance."

Not like a good person...

Those should be the idle people in the capital.

This type of people do nothing all day long except eating, drinking, sleeping, and wandering around the streets.

They had no money to eat out, so they could only smell the aroma of food outside the restaurant. A few people gathered together to discuss what the dish was and how it was made.

"I'll find an artist and you describe the man's appearance carefully. If there's anything wrong with the drawing, feel free to point it out."

Soon, the painter arrived.

The beggar first gave a general description, and then began to communicate with the painter.

After a full hour, a portrait was finally completed.

Jin Zhi took the portrait and saw a man with a pointed chin and monkey cheeks.

He looked to be in his early thirties, with small eyes, single eyelids, and a pointed, thin chin.

However, because the tip of his nose is round and fleshy, it somewhat reduces the shifty feeling.

Jin Zhi ordered the painter to make several copies of the portrait and handed them to the soldiers outside, asking them to distribute them and start a search throughout the city.

Time passes quietly without us noticing.

In a blink of an eye, the sun slowly sank to the west, and the sky was covered by gorgeous red clouds.

A soldier said hurriedly, "General Jin, we found the person!"

Jin Zhi quickly raised his sword and decisively ordered, "Go, take me there!"

In a dilapidated house on West Street in Beijing.

A thin man was lying on the ground, breathing weakly and dying.

He hadn't eaten much for several days, and his face looked haggard and pale as paper.

Unfortunately, both of his parents died in the plague, and he was the only one who survived.

Perhaps because he was young, he survived the initial difficult days, and later he got some medicinal soup, which prevented his condition from worsening further.

But he was already thin, and after this serious illness, he became even weaker. He was out of breath even after walking a few steps, let alone going out to work and earn money.

But why would he leave home and come to this remote place?

If no one had seen him before, it would be difficult to find his trace.

And if Jin Zhi didn't come today, he would probably starve to death in a few days.

Jin Zhi stood beside the man, looking down at him, "Although your parents have passed away, there is still food left at home, why don't you go home?"

The man looked at Jin Zhi in horror and stammered, "I..."

"Because you know in your heart that you are the source of the epidemic in the capital, and you feel guilty and afraid, so you dare not go home. At the same time, you are also worried that if you survive, you will be killed, right?"

Jin Zhi stared at the man with sharp eyes and a firm tone.

The man stood up with difficulty and knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face. "General Jin... General Jin! I... I really didn't know the disease would be so serious! The person who came to see me only said that this disease was just an ordinary cold, at most a little more severe than a cold. As long as I take the medicine they gave me, I will be fine."

"I thought... I thought they just wanted to deal with a few people, but I didn't expect it would cause such a large-scale epidemic! Please, don't kill me! I don't want to die!"

After hearing what the man said, Jin Zhi did not express his opinion immediately. Instead, he ordered his men to secretly put him into a sack and take him back to his house.

As for how to deal with this person, we have to ask the emperor's opinion first.

After all, this person was carrying an epidemic disease, and if he was to be sent to the palace, he had to get the emperor's approval.

"General, shall we send a message to the Emperor now?"

"Hmm...wait a minute." This was told to me by Concubine Zhao. If the emperor noticed anything, it would be troublesome...

At this moment, the voice of the subordinates came from outside, "Report, the emperor has an order!"

"Quick, bring it in."

Jin Zhi unfolded the letter written by Zhang Chengyan and saw that it listed many investigation directions densely.

The content of the investigation based on the clue of the child is at the very bottom!

Jin Zhi breathed a sigh of relief. "We will increase patrols tonight. Anyone who is seen behaving suspiciously will be arrested immediately. As for this news, we will deliver it to the palace tomorrow."

Just treat it as a clue he got from a thorough search tonight. This way, the emperor should not have any suspicion.

Since this matter involves the source of the epidemic, Jin Zhi has been conducting a secret investigation. Not many people know about it, and they are all his confidants, so there is no need to worry about the news leaking out.

That night, the capital city was brightly lit as if it were daytime.

The soldiers stayed up all night, patrolling around.

During this period, they arrested a number of people with suspicious behavior, but after investigation, they found that there was no problem with the identities of these people, and they might just want to steal something in the middle of the night.

Early the next morning, Jin Zhi rode a fast horse and personally delivered the news to the palace gate.

The soldiers on the city wall fumigated the letter with mugwort several times, and only after ensuring its safety did they hand it to another person.

The other party entered the dark room next door and read it out word by word.

Five meters away from him, there was a man sitting, copying down word for word what the other person had written.

Only in this way can we ensure that the epidemic will not spread into the inner courtyard of the imperial palace.

Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"A man was arrested yesterday. He is very likely the source of the disease..."

Zhang Chengyan stood up abruptly when he saw the contents of the letter and asked anxiously, "Wang Decai, is Jin Zhi still at the palace gate?"

"He's still here. He said he's waiting for news from your Majesty."

"Okay, tell Jin Zhi to send the person in! Take him directly to the imperial prison! Every member of the imperial guards who go to guard the prison must be given medicine soup every day, and they must cover their faces and hands, and cannot contact outsiders. The only way to pass on information is through a wall!"