Those people still wanted to argue with Yan Qingqing, but they were all scared into shutting their mouths when they saw Mu Xidao about to draw his sword.
Yan Qingqing snorted coldly and said, "In the face of this great disaster, as citizens of Great Yan, we should not talk about sharing the burden and getting through this difficult time together."
However, they specialize in petty scheming and deliberately fabricate rumors to mislead the people; their intentions are despicable.
"Mu Xi, kill them as a warning to others!"
Upon hearing this, Mu Xi did not hesitate at all; a flash of blood streaked across the blade.
The people in front of Yan Qingqing widened their eyes instantly, and then collapsed to the ground.
They lost their lives before they even realized what was happening.
Even Ling Ziyuan didn't expect that Yan Qingqing would actually let Mu Xi kill them.
Actually, he also wanted to kill these people.
Because these individuals have been instigating these disaster victims to cause trouble.
The disaster victims were initially startled, but once they realized what was happening, they felt a sense of relief.
These people often bullied them, and they dared not speak out against it.
Several young women among these disaster victims were abused by them.
It's unclear who spoke first, but someone said, "Thank you, Lord Mingzhao, for ridding the people of this scourge and standing up for us."
Immediately following this was a shout: "Thank you, Lord Mingzhao, for ridding the people of this scourge and standing up for us!"
This was the first time Yan Qingqing had killed someone since arriving in ancient times. Although she didn't do it herself, she gave the order.
To be honest, she was a little nervous.
She is, after all, a person who has received higher education in the 21st century.
It's quite a bit of pressure for her to handle several lives so casually.
But her current situation doesn't allow her to be pretentious.
She knew she would have to take this step sooner or later, so it was good to practice with them beforehand.
Besides, these people are truly despicable; letting them live will only allow them to continue harming others.
Thinking of this, Yan Qingqing looked at the disaster victims and said, "Everyone, I don't need your thanks."
As a lady-in-waiting of the imperial court, these are my duties.
If you are truly disaster victims, it is fate that you have come to our Chengyang County. Magistrate Ling and I will naturally help you overcome the difficulties and rebuild your homes.
If you are not disaster victims and are deliberately causing trouble here, I will not show you any mercy.
Today's events are a prime example; we will show absolutely no mercy to anyone harboring malicious intentions in the future.
Yan Qingqing's words were powerful and persuasive, which convinced the disaster victims.
After the disaster passed, the story of Yan Qingqing eliminating a scourge for the people and angrily beheading a local tyrant outside the city gate spread throughout the Great Yan.
This is also why many people dared not provoke Yan Qingqing after she went to Beijing.
Ling Ziyuan gave a wink to the officers beside him. They quickly and efficiently took the bodies of the troublemakers away and disposed of them.
After calming the disaster victims down, Yan Qingqing had people distribute supplies to them.
Inspired by Yan Qingqing's earlier threat, the disaster victims lined up on their own, each one expressing their gratitude.
Soon, all the supplies they brought, except for rice and grain, were distributed.
Yan Qingqing then instructed the people in charge of distributing the porridge: "When you cook the porridge, be sure to put in plenty of rice. Don't worry about the food supply."
Also, give an extra bowl to those with children and pregnant women.
With the more than 200,000 dan of grain intercepted by Xiao Mochen, Yan Qingqing spoke with great confidence.
Those responsible for distributing porridge had just witnessed Yan Qingqing's formidable power—she was the type to kill without a second thought—so they naturally agreed quickly upon hearing this.
After dealing with matters outside the city, Yan Qingqing and Ling Ziyuan returned to the county town.
On the way, Ling Ziyuan teased Yan Qingqing, "Ming Zhaoshuo is indeed imposing; he just scared me half to death."
Yan Qingqing looked at him helplessly and said, "You know what kind of people these are. It would be better to deal with them sooner rather than later."
For the past few days, Yan Qingqing and Ling Ziyuan have been sending people to keep an eye on these refugees.
They were naturally aware of the usual actions of these troublemakers.
That's why Yan Qingqing handled this matter so decisively today.
Ling Ziyuan sighed and said, "You did the right thing, but you don't want to expose the people behind the scenes."
"At least leave one of your men alive so we can interrogate him."
After finishing speaking, Magistrate Ling secretly glanced at Mu Xi.
He only knew that Mu Xi was Yan Qingqing's bodyguard, but he never knew that Mu Xi was so good at martial arts.
Moreover, Mu Xi's martial arts style looked somewhat familiar to him, but he couldn't quite place where he had seen it before.
Yan Qingqing had no idea what Ling Ziyuan was thinking, and simply replied, "Even if we leave them alive, do you think we can get anything useful out of them?"
Upon hearing this, Ling Ziyuan touched his nose. Yan Qingqing was right; these people were just small fry.
Even if they left someone alive, they wouldn't be able to extract any useful information from them.
Moreover, it's possible that these kinds of people exist wherever these disaster victims go.
Yan Qingqing then changed the subject, asking, "What are your thoughts on this plague?"
Ling Ziyuan glanced at her but didn't answer directly. Instead, he asked, "Did you notice something wrong?"
Yan Qingqing nodded and said, "Don't you think this plague isn't that terrible?"
Ling Ziyuan nodded and said, "I can feel it. Although many people have been infected, not many people have died."
There were only a few elderly people..."
At this point, Zi Ling and Zi Yuan seemed to realize something and looked at Yan Qingqing, asking, "You mean this isn't a plague at all?"
Yan Qingqing nodded and said, "I don't think so. It's more like a contagious cold."
However, as they fled, they suffered from hunger and cold, and some of them died because they did not receive timely medical treatment when they fell ill.
Furthermore, some people with ulterior motives fanned the flames, making everyone believe it was a plague, and they avoided them like the plague.
Upon hearing this, Ling Ziyuan took a deep breath and said, "If that's the case, then it's a conspiracy. Who is so malicious as to manipulate this behind the scenes?"
Yan Qingqing didn't say anything more. She didn't know who the mastermind was, but this matter was definitely related to the court.
If Yan Qingqing were to insist on analyzing this, then, at present, whoever benefits the most is the mastermind behind this matter.
Then it must be one of the emperor's sons.
According to Xiao Mochen, the current emperor has a total of thirteen children.
There are four princes: the eldest prince, the fourth prince, the fifth prince, and the ninth prince, Xiao Mochen.
The fourth and fifth princes were born to low-ranking concubines and did not have the support of powerful maternal families, so they had little say in court.
Although the Ninth Prince Xiao Mochen is the legitimate son, he is still young and his whereabouts are currently unknown.
Only the eldest prince, Xiao Moyan, was the son of Consort Yu, and he was raised by Empress Yuan from a young age.
Moreover, the Yu and Qian families are related by marriage, and the Yu family also holds military power over the capital's garrison.
If an emperor is forced to abdicate due to his lack of virtue, then the eldest prince is the most likely successor to the throne.
Therefore, this situation was most likely orchestrated by the eldest prince.
If that's the case, then Xiao Mochen has probably met his match.
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