That day, as soon as they entered the town, they went to find the village head, showed him the official documents, and asked him to cooperate.
The village head was a slightly overweight old man in his sixties. His squinty eyes gleamed with a sharp light. After taking the document and reading it with great effort, he said very tactfully, "Since it is an order from the prefect, I will do my best to cooperate. The plague is no small matter and cannot be delayed."
The person who can become the village head must have his own abilities and wisdom. This village head is quite capable. He managed to gather everyone in the town within half a day and even invited the village chiefs from the surrounding villages.
Zhu Chumo said that since these village chiefs had come into contact with people in their villages after arriving in the town, they could not go back immediately. They should stay in the town until the epidemic situation there was resolved before returning to their villages.
Of course, Zhu Chumo and his group would also check each village they were in to prevent any from slipping through the net.
Only after confirming that everyone in the town had taken the medicine, that all the town's wells had been doused with the antidote, and that the well water had been changed several times, did Zhu Chumo and his group leave.
After leaving the town, they changed out of their clothes, burned them, and only returned to Qingyang City after confirming that they had not been contaminated with the plague.
"When can we leave?" Zhu Lin asked.
Zhu Chumo slowly said, "Those infected with the disease will develop symptoms within three to half a month. If no symptoms appear within this period, it means that you are safe. However, it is not absolute. To ensure safety, it would be more appropriate for us to observe for another month before leaving."
"Let's do as Fourth Senior Brother said and leave in a month," Zhu Lin decided immediately.
Xingxing counted on her fingers how long a month was. Thirty days! It was so long. They had been trapped in Qingyang Prefecture for more than a month before they could leave. The road ahead was long and arduous.
A few days later, Zhang Xiantao found Zhao Mingyue in a remote village. The village was quite large, with many villagers and a wide area. Most importantly, there was a swamp a few miles away from the village.
Zhao Mingyue, relying on his intuition from years of living in swamps, quickly found the place. He brought Jin Chang over, tied a rope around his waist, and then put him in the swamp, watching him sink into the mud.
When the swamp reached his chin, he stopped sinking and was secured with a rope. Zhao Mingyue wanted Jin Chang to experience the fear of being trapped in a swamp and facing death.
When Zhang Xiantao arrived, Jin Chang had been soaking in the swamp for seven days. His face was now pale and he was so weak that he could not make a sound or even open his eyes.
"Mingyue, let's go back. That old bastard is about to die. Let's leave him alone." Zhang Xiantao was heartbroken. She saw that Zhao Mingyue had obviously lost a lot of weight. Her eyes were sunken and her baby fat had disappeared.
That idiot must stay here every day, never even going out to eat.
"You've already tormented him, why did you have to get yourself into this state? Is it worth it?" Zhang Xiantao hurriedly pulled out a few delicate pastries from her small cloth bag and held them to his mouth, urging him to eat them quickly.
"Don't be like this, eat something quickly, you'll get hungry. There's water here, be careful not to choke," Zhang Xiantao coaxed him gently.
"I'm not hungry. I'm not deliberately not eating. I just can't eat. It hurts here." Zhao Mingyue placed her hand over her heart.
Zhang Xiantao hugged his head tightly, hoping to give him some strength. "It's all in the past. Jin Chang is dead. The Fang and Zhao families have avenged themselves. Don't dwell on hatred. Think about the future. Live well from now on."
It's estimated that Zhao Mingyue didn't rest much or eat anything during the seven days she spent in the swamp. Now that her tense nerves relaxed, she fainted again after letting out a sigh of relief.
Zhang Xiantao had Dazhuang carry Zhao Mingyue to the carriage and ordered the guards to cut the rope suspending Jin Chang. The man was already dead; let such a villain be forever trapped in the swamp.
Time flies, and a month has passed quickly. Everything is fine in Qingyang Prefecture. The epidemic in that small village and town has not spread further. It's time to leave.
When the city gates of Qingyang City opened, the newly appointed prefect sent by the imperial court also arrived. With the new prefect in charge, Qingyang Prefecture should not cause any more trouble.
However, some things happened during this time. Some people did not want to leave Qingyang Prefecture and wanted to stay there until the flood receded.
During this period, it has been drizzling, which has prevented the floodwaters from rising further, but it has also kept the water level from receding.
Xiyancheng is estimated to have been devastated by the flood. The houses that did not collapse due to the torrential rain will also disintegrate in the flood. Even if you go back, there will be nothing left. Reconstruction will be a matter for the second half of the year. Moreover, how easy is it to rebuild a prefecture city?
All refugees must leave Qingyang Prefecture. If one is allowed to stay, there will be a second and a third. Countless people will want to stay. Now that a city has been destroyed, Qingyang Prefecture cannot be allowed to fall into chaos again. Everyone must leave.
Anyone who dares to cause trouble or disturb public order will be killed without exception.
Under the iron fist of the government, the people who wanted to cause trouble immediately became obedient. More than 100,000 people left Qingyang City in a grand procession. During this time, they had nothing to do and made straw hats and raincoats every day.
As they continued their journey, everyone now had tools to shield themselves from the rain.
After traveling for ten days, they finally arrived at their destination, a small county that had been abandoned for many years. There had been an earthquake here, followed by an outbreak of disease, and the townspeople had all fled.
When a disaster is too severe, not only can a county be abandoned, but even a town can become a dead city. This abandoned small county town is now hidden in the mountains and forests. Perhaps it was once bustling and prosperous, but after an earthquake decades ago, many houses were destroyed, and it has become increasingly dilapidated over the years.
The houses and streets used to be overgrown with towering trees and all kinds of vines and weeds, not to mention the fields and low slopes. If the stars didn't have the ability to foresee things, who would have been able to find this small county town hidden in the forest?
"This small county town was abandoned long ago. Disasters occurred here even before my father ascended the throne." Xingxing solemnly declared, defending the emperor, stating that natural disasters also occurred in various places before her father became emperor.
Natural disasters are the will of Heaven and have nothing to do with people. We can't blame every disaster on her father.
Zhu Lin smiled and replied softly, "Yes, your father was a good emperor, and you are a good princess."
"Of course, I hope that the people will remember the good things the court and my father have done for them after receiving help, and stop cursing him." Xingxing heard the people talking about the emperor in private, saying that the emperor was a sinner and should not have been emperor, so he was punished by heaven and made the people live in misery. Whenever this happened, Xingxing felt very sad and heartbroken for her father.
“The houses here are all destroyed. I’ve heard the old folks talk about this small county town. I know there’s such a place, but few people know where it is. I never thought the government would find us here. But this town was destroyed thirty years ago. How can we settle down here? We have no houses, no land. How can we survive? It would be better to go to other prefectures. If each prefecture can accommodate a few people, there will be room for everyone.” Someone voiced their dissatisfaction and raised a question.
Zhong Beiqiang was then sent out to speak on behalf of the government. His voice was loud, so everyone could hear what he was saying.
"Shut up, all of you! Do you think natural disasters only happen in the Northwest? Things aren't peaceful elsewhere either. Let me tell you, don't try to take advantage of us. Everyone has to rely on themselves."
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