Chapter 140 [VIP]
The magistrate was so frightened that his heart was pounding wildly, as if it were about to jump out of his throat.
He wished he could go back a few moments and slap himself hard for talking nonsense.
He shouldn't have mentioned the Prince of Jin!
"Your humble servant will go open the granary immediately."
On a sweltering evening during the hottest part of summer, the magistrate was drenched in sweat, not from the heat, but from bursts of cold sweat that made him shiver uncontrollably.
Gu Zhizhuo: "Chongjiu, you go with him."
Chongjiu silently looked at Gu Zhizhuo's profile, wanting to advise her to take it easy.
Qi Fu and the Thousand Machine Battalion haven't arrived yet, Qingmei is on her way, and Qin Chen is at the West Gate. In other words, right now, there are really only the two of them here.
He could understand that the situation was urgent and he had no choice but to take action, and that Miss Gu had played a brilliant bluffing game, so it was alright.
If he leaves now, she will truly be all alone.
Three thousand refugees.
The Prince of Jin had over a hundred personal guards.
She, one.
Chongjiu really wanted to have a serious talk with her, but sigh, talking is such a hassle, never mind.
"Go quickly."
Gu Zhizhuo winked at him, and Chongjiu obediently clasped his hands in response.
Gu Zhizhuo did not follow.
Not only Gu Zhizhuo, but also all the yamen runners and the soldiers brought by Fang Zhe, she forcibly kept them all.
Although these armed soldiers remaining outside posed a risk, their prolonged contact with the refugees made them highly likely to have contracted the epidemic.
As for Chongjiu, he carried a talisman to ward off illness, and someone needed to keep a close eye on the county magistrate to prevent any mistakes.
The refugees stared in disbelief at the entire scene. The girl truly had no intention of making things difficult for them; on the contrary, she had genuinely helped them.
Their wariness lessened considerably.
Seeing the magistrate go back inside, a young man licked his dry lips and asked cautiously, "Has the magistrate promised to release grain for us?"
"Yes, yes. I heard you."
“I heard it too.”
"There's porridge and steamed buns."
A young boy's face lit up with unbelievable joy: "We have food!"
His stomach rumbled, and he clutched it sheepishly, asking expectantly, "Miss General, can we enter the city now?"
Gu Zhizhuo's gaze swept over the refugees, and looking into their weathered eyes, she shook her head and refused, "You are not allowed to enter the city for the time being."
"Why?" Zhang Zinan was the first to question. "Why won't you let us into the city?"
He gripped the machete tightly, pointing it at Gu Zhizhuo. His eyes were bloodshot, with even more blood vessels at the corners of his eyes, and the entire white of his eyes looked as if it had been stained red with blood.
He was caught between sudden shocks and joys, moments of worry and anxiety, and prolonged hunger, pushing him to the brink of collapse.
Zhang Zinan shouted and urged, "Don't let her fool you."
“The officials are all the same; they just want to appease us, one playing the good cop and the other the bad cop.”
"Porridge, steamed buns, nothing at all. If we keep waiting, they'll turn on us when we're too hungry to move. Haven't you suffered enough from this kind of loss? You're being grateful before you've even gotten a taste of the good things! It's too early!"
"Brother Nan, calm down." Someone pulled him back. "The general saved your life, please don't be like this."
However, some people became nervous again after hearing his words, their eyes showing vigilance.
"Sigh," Gu Zhizhuo sighed inwardly. Before they left, the young master had said that Zhang Zinan was a troublemaker, quite good at stirring things up, and had some prestige among the refugees.
If we let him continue making a scene, another conflict will break out.
“You are not allowed to enter the city,” Gu Zhizhuo said with a snort, leaving no room for argument. “Sit down, all of you.”
Her tone was completely calm, but the aura of someone accustomed to high positions inspired awe.
Don't listen to her!
Zhang Zinan turned around and roared, staring unblinkingly at Gu Zhizhuo, just as he had stared at Fang Zhe earlier, his eyes filled with hostility: "Let us into the city, and we'll trust you."
He pretended to be having a good talk with her, but actually took two steps forward and suddenly lunged forward.
The machete was gripped in his hand.
He learned from his previous experience and acted without the slightest hesitation, thinking that he had to subdue her in one fell swoop.
"careful."
"Brother Nan, stop!"
A heart-wrenching cry of distress rose from among the refugees.
No matter how strong he is, he's not a trained fighter.
No matter how fast he moved, it was by no means difficult for Gu Zhizhuo to catch.
Want to be a troublemaker? Then shave your head bald.
"court death."
Gu Zhizhuo swiftly grabbed Zhang Zinan's arm, which was holding the machete, and decisively pinched the acupoint on his wrist. In just one moment, Zhang Zinan felt a sudden wave of numbness and weakness, and he couldn't muster any strength at all. The burly man instantly became as limp as a puddle of mud.
The next moment, he suddenly lost his balance and was slammed to the ground.
"Hmm."
Zhang Zinan was in excruciating pain. He reached out to grab the cleaver, but his arm was stepped on.
He turned around and saw Fang Zhe's pained face; the two lay face to face. Fang Zhe's smile looked like a cry.
"Brother Nan!"
The refugees shouted as they came over, and Gu Zhizhuo raised his hand and shouted, "Stop."
Everyone instinctively stopped in their tracks.
"sit down."
"I counted to three... one, two."
"Don't listen to her..."
Gu Zhizhuo kicked him in the face, forcing back the words he hadn't said.
How fierce!
"three."
As soon as the word "three" was uttered, the refugees all sat down in a flurry.
"And you too," Gu Zhizhuo said to the soldiers and constables.
Now, without even needing to count, another batch sat down in a flurry.
Gu Zhizhuo stood in the middle of the crowd, glanced around, and said loudly, "You all have sons and daughters, and you worry about your children. Don't forget, there are children in the county town too."
Do I need to make it clear? You are infected with the plague and are not allowed to enter the city.
An epidemic?!
That could kill someone! The constable's lips trembled with fear.
The refugees looked away, some lowering their heads in shame. Only Zhang Zinan continued to struggle desperately, his eyes bloodshot, shouting irrationally, "What are you all standing there for? When we're too sick to move, we'll be at the mercy of others."
"Listen to me, take her hostage..."
"Father."
A child's voice suddenly rang out, very soft, with a kind of weakness after recovering from a serious illness.
Ironically, this sound, which might have been easily overlooked, suddenly silenced Zhang Zinan, who was on the verge of mania, and he looked incredulously in the direction of the sound.
He was still lying on the ground, his neck stretched out.
Kong Xiulan, carrying Hu Niu, ran over unsteadily, crying tears of joy, and called out to him, "Brother Nan, Niu Niu is awake!"
"Nanzi, stop fooling around. The little fairy has cured your daughter." The old woman followed Kong Xiulan, panting, and gave Gu Zhizhuo a fawning smile.
Zhang Zinan was dumbfounded. He desperately reached out his hand to her, crying, "Tiger Girl? Girl, girl!"
Tiger Girl leaned weakly against Kong Xiulan, wanting to give him her little hand: "Daddy, I'm not feeling bad anymore."
Gu Zhizhuo released his foot from under the old woman's foot and smiled slightly at her: "In a little while, I'll show it to your grandson first."
"Hey hey."
The old woman rubbed her hands together with delight.
When they arrived, the place was in complete chaos. The fairy maiden told her to go back and fetch Tiger Girl and her mother, then took out a strange crossbow from the cloth bag she was carrying. She was genuinely startled, thinking the fairy maiden was from the government and had come to kill them. Thankfully, she obeyed.
The fairy maiden will be able to cure her little grandson next.
Zhang Zinan got up. He had fallen quite hard and stumbled towards the mother and daughter. Soon after, he burst into tears.
Kong Xiulan tugged at his arm: "Brother Nan, it's this girl. She saved Niu Niu."
Zhang Zinan hugged his daughter, touching her forehead and squeezing her little hands, asking her questions like "Are you hungry?", "Are you feeling unwell?", and "Daddy will find you something to eat." Hearing this, he suddenly turned around and met Gu Zhizhuo's calm and unwavering gaze.
"Miss?"
Snap!
He slapped himself hard across the face; the sound was loud and muffled, making one's face sting.
He deserved it. Gu Zhizhuo didn't stop him, letting him slap himself a few times before saying, "Sit down."
Okay, okay. Zhang Zinan didn't dare to be stubborn at all now. He held his daughter as if she were a lost treasure that had been found again, and took his wife's hand, and they obediently sat down together.
Kong Xiulan took out the half-eaten pancake from her bosom: "Brother Nan, you eat this. It was given to you by the fairy maiden."
"You eat it yourself."
"Niu Niu and I have already eaten."
Hearing that she could cure it, the constables and others who were originally terrified calmed down and obediently placed their hands on their knees. Despite having so many people together, they didn't make a sound.
They've all behaved themselves.
Very good.
Gu Zhizhuo was very satisfied.
Why don't they just sit down and talk it out? This whole fuss is giving her a headache.
Gu Zhizhuo stood there for a while, and Qin Chen, who was going to the west gate, rushed over.
When he heard that there was trouble at the East Gate, he ran so fast his legs almost gave out, afraid that the young lady would be taken advantage of. But when he looked, well, there was a whole bunch of people kneeling... oh, no, sitting, all as obedient as quails.
He immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness.
Gu Zhizhuo turned to look at him: "You stay here, the city will send out porridge in a while."
Upon hearing the word "porridge," a chorus of swallowing sounds immediately arose.
Gu Zhizhuo glanced around and said, "If anyone is making a fuss, it means they're not hungry yet and don't need to eat later."
No, no, I wouldn't dare.
She's so fierce.
"I'll go check on the children first."
She's so nice!
Even the gods in heaven are no better than this.
Gu Zhizhu called over the old woman, keeping his word: "Take me to your grandson's place first."
"Alright!" The old woman eagerly led the way.
Her grandson was also quite ill, with a high fever that made his body burn, and he was delirious and talking incoherently. After Gu Zhizhuo gave him a few acupuncture treatments, the fever immediately subsided, and the child fell into a deep sleep with steady breathing.
"Let him fall asleep first, and feed him some porridge when it's ready."
The old woman burst into tears, leaving Gu Zhizhu somewhat bewildered. Her rough hands gripped her tightly, she cried and laughed incoherently. At that moment, Gu Zhizhu would gladly give her her life.
"Don't worry, I'm here."
"None of the children will die."
Gu Zhizhuo's smile was gentle and had a comforting power.
Gu Zhizhuo asked her to stay and take care of the children. Then, he walked among the refugees and used acupuncture on several children who were particularly ill, stabilizing their conditions temporarily.
Most of the refugees had heard about what had happened in front of the city gate, and no one dared to move around recklessly. But when they saw the children "come back to life," their attitude towards Gu Zhizhuo immediately changed from fear to awe, and they called him "little immortal" one after another.
Not long after, Qingmei brought Qi Fu and the others.
They arrived at an astonishingly fast speed, beyond Gu Zhizhuo's comprehension.
Of the three hundred men in the Thousand Machine Battalion, Qi Fu personally led one hundred to guard the west gate, while the rest were stationed at the east gate.
Having finished her errand, Qingmei followed closely behind Gu Zhizhuo and said earnestly, "This servant is not going anywhere."
"well."
Gu Zhizhuo smiled and agreed.
She looked after several more children, working tirelessly from dusk till dawn without a moment's rest.
Suddenly, a burst of wild, jubilant shouts erupted from the city gate, almost lifting the sky.
Immediately afterward, a young boy ran back, cupping his hands to his mouth and shouting, "Quick, quick! The government is distributing porridge! Hurry up and grab your bowls to line up! There are also steamed buns, big white steamed buns! Hurry up!"
"Is there really porridge?"
"Yes, yes! Several buckets, the official said they're still cooking in the city, there will be more after we finish eating."
Gu Zhizhuo glanced back, stood up from beside a child. She had been squatting for a while, and when she suddenly stood up, her blood rushed to her head, and she almost fell. Fortunately, Qingmei caught her in time.
"Let her sleep, you go get the porridge first, and feed her some later."
After giving his instructions, Gu Zhizhuo went back to the city gate to take a look.
Huge wooden barrels filled with porridge were carried out of the city one by one and piled up at the city gate.
The refugees kept swallowing hard, none of them daring to move. Especially when they saw Gu Zhizhuo come out, they became even more obedient and showed the most honest and simple expression.
Gu Zhizhuo said to the constables who were carrying out the porridge, "Put everything here and don't come any closer. Go back directly."
"Qin Chen, call a few people over to help distribute the porridge."
yes!
Everyone in the Qianji Battalion knew there was an epidemic here, but with the young woman there, none of the soldiers were afraid.
Qin Chen quickly mobilized twenty people, two to a group, and temporarily set up ten stalls.
Zhang Zinan took the initiative to call over a few young men to help maintain order. The refugees obediently lined up in a long queue, and each person was given a bowl of porridge and two fist-sized steamed buns.
The porridge was thick, not the thin, watery kind, and the steamed buns were more substantial.
As soon as they got their hands on it, they couldn't wait to stuff it into their mouths, taking bites of steamed buns and porridge, scalding hot but not putting it down, which made people feel a pang of sadness.
Gu Zhizhuo withdrew his gaze.
When the question fell on the county magistrate, he shuddered and quickly said, "General Gu, the porridge is still cooking. Everyone will have some. It will be served as soon as it's done."
Now that things have come to this, we'll get things done first and then hold people accountable. Gu Zhizhuo nodded and said, "I need some medicinal herbs to treat the epidemic. Go to the pharmacies in the city and requisition some. It's requisition, not free, understand?"
While she was giving the children acupuncture, she was also slowly drafting prescriptions in her mind.
Having examined the pulses of so many people and felt their conditions with silver needles, this prescription is at least effective.
Upon hearing that it was for the sake of the epidemic, the county magistrate readily agreed.
The epidemic can be a big deal or a small deal. If it breaks out and affects the county, not only will he lose his official position and his head, but he may not even be able to save the lives of his entire family.
Now, he no longer cared about protecting himself and would do whatever Gu Zhizhuo said.
Gu Zhizhu read out a prescription. With the mind of a county magistrate who had passed the imperial examinations all the way to the rank of Jinshi, he memorized it after hearing it once. After repeating it without error, he personally went back to the pharmacy to requisition the medicinal materials.
He had just turned to go inside when a black carriage suddenly appeared in his pupils.
This is?
All the guards and yamen runners at the county government office were reassigned to cook meat and carry rice, and the people of the county town were ordered to stay at home. The area around the city gate was deserted, and the carriage suddenly sped out without anyone stopping it.
The carriage recklessly rammed into the county magistrate.
The magistrate couldn't dodge in time and was pulled under the carriage. However, the carriage didn't stop; as they approached the city gate, the coachman lashed the horse's rump with his whip. The horse, in pain and fright, neighed and galloped forward wildly.
A brown horse followed closely behind the carriage, catching up the moment the black carriage sped out of the city gate.
The young man, sitting on the back of a brown horse, hooked one hand on the horse compartment of the carriage, leaped into the air, jumped onto the carriage, and then kicked the coachman away. This series of movements was as smooth as flowing water.
The young man pulled on the reins, changed the direction of the carriage, and uttered a soft, reassuring sound.
The carriage narrowly avoided the refugees who were collecting porridge. The horse raised its forelegs high, causing the entire carriage to tilt to the left, and a man tumbled out of the carriage.
The man was wearing a veiled hat and was very thin.
"Young Master".
The coachman who had been kicked off scrambled over, only to be stopped by Qin Chen.
Crown Prince?
Is Xie Qiyun, the heir apparent of the Prince of Jin?
Surely they weren't scared off by their own harsh words and were planning to run away?
Gu Zhizhu strode over and yanked off his veil.
Her pupils contracted, and she gasped.
Under the veil was a young man whose left side of his face was completely devoid of skin, leaving only bright red flesh and blood.
The other half of his face was completely unharmed.
Gu Zhizhuo recognized half of the face and exclaimed in surprise, "Xie Qiyun!?"
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