On the other side, at the city gate.
Because of the urgency of the matter, Jiang Qingwan did not take a carriage, but rode a horse.
Just as they stepped out of the city gate, they encountered a group of people preparing to enter the city.
Her skills were never good to begin with.
I almost fell off the horse.
Zheng Qing stood in front, ready to clear a path.
Suddenly, a man in the crowd pointed at Xiao Zhuang and shouted, "Isn't this Xiao Zhuang from Xiahe Village? Let's go ask him what's going on."
A large group of people blocked their way.
The man stood a few steps away and asked Xiao Zhuang, "What's going on in your Xiahe Village? Is there a plague? Are you taking this group of people back to the village? What are you doing? If you're sick, report it to the authorities and surround the area. Don't let it affect our village."
Jiang Qingwan frowned.
"Xiao Zhuang, who are they?"
Xiao Zhuang quickly bowed.
"Your Excellency, they are people from the villages surrounding Xiahe Village. I will go and explain."
He jogged forward.
The villagers all stepped back in unison.
They pointed at him and started yelling at him without even asking what happened.
"Are you trying to kill us? Stand there and say what you have to say."
"That's right, we've all heard that there's a plague raging in your village. How dare you run out? Are you trying to hide your illness?"
"That's outrageous! We're going to the officials right now to file a complaint and have your village sealed off. Nobody can escape."
The situation was becoming increasingly tense.
Zheng Qing immediately raised his hand.
A dozen or so guards in armor surrounded them.
The villagers were both afraid and angry when they saw this.
"What are you trying to do? This is the gate of the capital city! Are you going to kill someone?"
"That's right, we haven't done anything wrong!"
“It’s Xiahe Village that’s afflicted with the plague. Go and besiege Xiahe Village. We’ve come to the capital to file a complaint, not to cause trouble.”
The villagers became more and more excited as they spoke.
Zheng Qing was speechless.
He just wanted to maintain order and didn't intend to do anything. It makes it sound like he's trying to bully others.
He was now in a difficult situation.
Feeling embarrassed in front of the younger generation, his face turned bright red.
Jiang Qingwan loosened the reins and dismounted.
"Uncle, let me do it."
Qinghui and Lidou immediately dismounted and stood on either side to protect him.
Be on high alert.
Jiang Qingwan's expression remained largely unchanged.
His gaze was gentle yet distant as he looked at the villagers who had surrounded him.
"You are not infected."
One sentence calmed the restless villagers down.
A rather feisty woman said, "Of course we're not infected; it's the people from Xiahe Village who are infected. If the soldiers don't take control, we'll all be in trouble."
Immediately, a chorus of agreement arose from those around him.
Jiang Qingwan nodded.
"Big sister, you're right."
The woman was stunned.
He looked at Jiang Qingwan with suspicion.
Jiang Qingwan wore a moon-shadow gauze dress, which seemed to be bathed in a holy glow under the sunlight.
Her face was absolutely stunning, like a fairy.
But she affectionately called her eldest sister and warmly agreed with what they said.
This instantly won the villagers' favor.
The tense atmosphere subsided.
The woman asked again.
"So you're going to seal off Xiahe Village? Which one is the doctor? Will they treat anyone?"
Jiang Qingwan smiled, her lips curving upwards like a gentle spring breeze.
"The doctor is already in Xiahe Village, but this illness is a bit strange, and the doctor alone won't be enough."
She took out four talismans from her pouch, drew plague-avoiding talismans with her fingertips, and handed them to the woman.
"Place this in the four corners of your village, in the east, west, south, and north, under a stone, and it will protect your village from the plague."
The woman was a believer in such things.
He happily accepted it immediately.
Several people from the same village gathered around.
"Can this thing really keep us safe?"
Jiang Qingwan said, "Sure, I have the imperial city behind me and soldiers by my side. Isn't this what you came into the city for?"
Some people disagree.
"You're not trying to fool us with these things, are you?"
"A few talismans can protect the village? That's ridiculous. I think we should go to the city and complain to the authorities."
"Yes, let's not be fooled by her."
Li Dou and Qing Sui both tensed up.
When dealing with unarmed civilians, some things are even more difficult to handle.
Zheng Qing also dismounted.
"Or we should try to control the situation first, to prevent it from getting too out of hand."
Jiang Qingwan waved her hand.
"Why should we control it? The gates of the imperial city should be open to all the people. Our going to Xiahe Village to deal with the plague will not delay other villages from reporting to the authorities. Given the level of preparedness for the plague, other officials and soldiers should soon lead people to surround these villages. Now that the Empress Dowager is in mourning, the Emperor will never allow these matters to escalate."
She misplaced her lower body after she finished speaking.
"Make way, let them in."
The villagers, however, dared not take any action.
The woman who took the talisman said, "We're not going to Hongxiu Village. We're not sick. Going there would be like walking into a trap. If we get shut down, even if they can't find anything wrong, they'll still put a label on us."
“Yes, let’s put up the talismans first. Aren’t these people going to Xiahe Village to deal with this? Let’s see how things go first.”
People from other villages also thought it made sense.
They all crowded around Jiang Qingwan, asking for talismans.
Jiang Qingwan distributed the gifts to each village one by one.
"This talisman is very powerful. It must be kept within the village. Anyone who selfishly keeps it at home will bring disaster upon themselves."
This dispelled the thoughts of those who wanted to take advantage of the situation.
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