Chapter 325 Kill them all (Seeking monthly votes)
Two days is enough to change a lot of things.
The grain stores in the East and West markets closed down, initially rumored to be disregarding the lives of the people, which angered many who rushed to protest.
No food was found.
The shop was indeed smashed to pieces, along with the employees, accountant, and manager inside.
After assessing the situation and realizing there was no hope of arresting the person, the officials made an excuse that they had other matters to attend to, while subtly cursing that the person deserved it.
However, the people of the prefectural city could not go without food, and the disaster victims outside the city could not be ignored.
The provincial administration and the prefectural government eventually opened the granaries and released the grain, some of which was distributed into the grain market and sold at a price of one tael of silver per shi (a unit of dry measure).
A larger portion was used for disaster relief.
However, after discovering that there was already a kind family outside the city, they distributed one shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain to each disaster victim.
The officials then changed their minds and sent the grain directly to Guang'an County and other areas downstream of the Chishui River.
A two-pronged approach.
The people inside and outside the city were praising Liu Hong, the Left Provincial Governor, saying he was an upright and just official.
As a result, Prefect Liu Si also received a lot of praise, which made him act swiftly and decisively in the past two days.
After all, every time he does something well, he gets an extra grade on his year-end achievement list.
Disaster relief, prevention of the spread of epidemics, investigation of the murderers of Lin Zhenghong and others, and the murderers who plundered millions of bushels of grain, etc.
certainly.
Several commanders of the Criminal Investigation Department also secretly received some ambiguous orders.
"The deaths of those people at the grain store are suspicious, and the disappearance of the grain is also suspicious. There must be something going on. The investigation is too difficult, so we might as well put it on hold for now."
Those who could rise to the rank of commander in the Provincial Judicial Commission were all shrewd and naturally understood the prefect's intentions. So they all went to help the yamen runners deal with the epidemic.
What is the reason?
There are quite a few fools in the Criminal Investigation Department who ask this question, such as the stubborn Fang Hongxiu.
Left with no other choice, the commanders could only point to the east.
“A million bushels of grain were just lost in the west, while the disaster victims in the east received 100,000 bushels of grain in a single day. Guess who took it?”
Fang Hongxiu and the others realized that the government was being generous with other people's money, planning to send the disaster victims away first and then arrest the murderer.
"Aren't you afraid they'll run away, sir?"
"So you ran away... Commander Fang, you know that quite a few martial arts practitioners have died in the city recently, right?"
"I've heard about it. It's said to be the Five Poisons Sect... Your Excellency means that the mountain tribes kidnapped them..."
"I didn't say anything, just go do whatever you need to do."
Fang Hongxiu understood; if it was a mountain tribe, the Criminal Investigation Department would indeed have difficulty continuing its investigation.
Even if all the million bushels of grain went into Wumeng Mountain, the government could only turn a blind eye.
After all, while the mountain tribes were robbing the grain, they didn't forget to help the disaster victims and resolve the crisis for the government.
Who would be so tired of living as to go and cause trouble for the mountain tribes in the Wumeng Mountains?
Besides, this whole affair is a mess.
Grain merchants hoarded grain, waiting for a higher price to sell it, which caused widespread public resentment. It was their own fault that the grain was stolen.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that you did a great job.
Fang Hongxiu relaxed and led her people to the Xiao family.
"The Xiao family has really been plagued by bad luck lately."
"The eldest daughter of the Xiao family has just escaped from danger and is still in shock. That son-in-law also got into trouble and, by sheer coincidence, contracted the plague."
"That's true, sigh..."
After careful investigation, only about a hundred people in and around the city were found to have contracted the virus.
Apart from Yuan Hao, everyone else was also given medicinal soup and was strictly forbidden from going out.
Because Chen Yi "fell ill," the entire Marquis's mansion was also affected.
Not only were Xiao Wuge and Xiao Die from Chunhe Garden forbidden from going out, but Xiao Wan'er and others from Jiaxing Garden who had been outside the city were also ordered to stay at home.
The Marquis's residence was in a state of panic.
Even though the old master repeatedly assured that the plague could be cured, before Chen Yi recovered, everyone else in the other houses turned pale at the mention of Chunhe Garden.
Fortunately, the Xiao family had a high enough threshold to avoid being guarded outside by government officials every day like other people infected with the plague.
The only requirement was to report Chen Yi's condition every hour, whether his illness had improved or worsened, and whether other people in the mansion had been infected.
Therefore, Xiaodie has become the busiest person these past two days.
She had to serve Xiao Wuge, take care of Chen Yi, and frequently walk through the courtyard to relay information about the situation to people outside the garden.
It exhausted her.
Xiao Wan'er saw this and felt annoyed.
She didn't believe Chen Yi could be infected with any plague. Even if hundreds of people in the entire Marquis's mansion were infected, Chen Yi wouldn't be.
On the contrary, he is very likely to cure everyone before they are infected with the virus.
"That bad guy always does 'unexpected' things. Second Sister saw through him clearly and put him under house arrest back then..."
Fortunately, Xiao Wan'er knew that Chen Yi must have had a reason for doing this, so she stayed in Jiaxing Garden with peace of mind.
While comforting Xie Tingyun, Shen Huatang, and others, he kept an eye on the situation at Chunhe Garden.
Therefore, as soon as Xiao Die called out a few times, Xiao Wan'er couldn't wait to bring her people to Chunhe Garden.
Xiao Wuge, who had come out of another wooden building first, saw her and grinned with delight, saying:
"Big sister, brother-in-law is awake. Can I leave the wooden building now?"
Xiao Wan'er gave a gentle "hmm," feigning delight as she took his hand and led him toward Chen Yi's room.
When she pushed open the door to the room, she saw Chen Yi's sickly appearance and immediately covered her mouth and smiled.
It is appropriate to be happy or angry.
The laughter was ethereal.
Chen Yi leaned against the bed, turned his head to look at her, and knew that she knew he was faking his illness, so he coughed and asked:
Why is the eldest sister laughing?
Xiao Wan'er's smile froze for a moment. She gave him a reproachful look and then sat down by his bedside.
"My brother-in-law has finally woken up. I'm so happy for... my second sister."
Xiao Wuge, without a second thought, rushed over and threw himself onto the bed, exclaiming, "Brother-in-law, you're finally awake!"
"That scared me to death."
"Scared to death? You were scared to tears, weren't you?"
"No, no, it wasn't me. It was Sister Xiaodie who cried and said that her husband was dying."
Xiaodie exclaimed, her face flushed, and explained, "That day I went to the study and saw that the young master was unconscious. Yes, I was a little worried..."
Chen Yi was aware of all this, and waved his hand, saying, "It's alright."
Then he gave Xiao Wan'er a look.
Xiao Wan'er understood and sent the others away. She then asked Xiao Wuge to take the message to the old master, and wrote a few words on his hand.
[What's the reason this time?]
Chen Yi glanced at Xie Tingyun and Shen Huatang who were guarding outside the door, first said thank you with a smile, and then opened her palm.
With a few light strokes of the finger, the words are clearly visible.
[I've sorted out some things and want to rest for a couple of days.]
[You...you could have just told me you wanted to rest, why pretend to be sick and make people worry?]
[A bit rushed...]
Perhaps because she had had similar experiences several times before, Xiao Wan'er became increasingly adept at cooperating.
While talking about the situation in the city, the two whispered secrets to each other by writing on their palms.
The gentle afternoon sun of autumn shone down, illuminating the two of them brightly.
The sickly scholar and the delicate, beautiful woman complement each other perfectly, creating a unique and picturesque scene.
Xie Tingyun listened to the soft whispers inside, but didn't detect anything unusual, so he and Shen Huatang had a silent conversation.
He opened and closed his lips a few times before finally asking, "Junior sister, do you think it's necessary for us to stand guard outside for things like this?"
Unfortunately, she wasn't very well-educated and couldn't bring herself to say something like "I'm hiding something," so she could only ask more directly.
Shen Huatang stood quietly by the door, glanced at her, then looked at the side room behind her, and silently replied:
"The eldest daughter and the second son-in-law are not what you think."
"Why not? They were..."
"If that's the case, then you and I will be the first to suffer."
After understanding, Xie Tingyun fell into deep thought, stroking the long sword at his waist and silently saying:
"Junior sister, if we tell General Jinghong about this, can we atone for our crimes by performing meritorious service?"
Shen Huatang glared at her with a hint of helplessness, "Shut up!"
Xie Tingyun shut his mouth sheepishly. "It was just a joke, why are you taking it so seriously?"
As she muttered to herself, her curiosity grew day by day.
At the same time, there is also a question.
If the eldest daughter and the second son-in-law really had an affair, what would the second daughter do?
I reckon, just like my junior sister said, she'll kill them all...
Chen Yi naturally didn't see the veiled exchanges between the female disciples outside the door.
During their casual conversation, he learned about the situation in the prefectural city from Xiao Wan'er. His expression remained unchanged, but he frowned inwardly.
—Liu Hong's reaction is wrong!
Logically speaking, with Yan Jingchen and the Five Poisons Sect members missing, Liu Hong should be like an ant on a hot pan right now.
Listening to Xiao Wan'er's words, Liu Hong not only remained calm and composed, but also handled the current affairs in Shu Prefecture exceptionally well.
Disaster relief, epidemic prevention and control, and comforting the people, etc.
In just two days, the situation in Shu Prefecture underwent a dramatic change.
It was as if nothing had happened.
Old Master Xiao's response was equally strange; he stayed inside the mansion, never venturing out.
Contrary to Chen Yi's expectations, Liu Hong was not taken directly and executed without prior notification.
He really couldn't figure it out.
Could there have been some unexpected turn of events?
Xiao Wan'er didn't understand any of this. Seeing that he remained silent, she took his hand and wrote down a few words, asking:
[Is everything alright?]
She couldn't get involved in everything, but she hoped to do her part in whatever small way she could.
Chen Yi shook his head slightly, holding her hand and carefully choosing his words, their palms unconsciously rubbing against each other.
Xiao Wan'er's pretty face grew even redder. After enduring it for a moment, seeing that he was still like this, she couldn't help but pat him.
Chen Yi snapped out of his daze and smiled at her reproachful gaze.
[It seems everything has been resolved.]
Chen Yi pondered carefully and had some guesses in his mind.
The old man has probably already taken action, but he's waiting for the final decision.
Liu Hong's reaction seemed to be one of resignation.
It's unclear whether it was the White Tiger Guards who made the move, or...
Chen Yi put those aside, thinking he would ask someone later, and said with a smile, "Is there any news from Madam?"
Xiao Wan'er withdrew her hand, her head slightly lowered, "There is still no news about my second sister."
Seeing her expression, Chen Yi guessed what she was thinking and took her hand without saying a word.
Xiao Wan'er struggled a couple of times but couldn't break free, so she let him pull her along, though her face couldn't help but show some complicated emotions.
However, after seeing the few words Chen Yi wrote on his hand, her expression immediately turned to one of embarrassment and anxiety.
She exclaimed "Ah!" and then reached out and pinched Chen Yi a few times.
This made Chen Yi laugh out loud, and he even winked mischievously.
Xiao Wan'er blushed, glared at him reproachfully, and spoke silently:
"That sentence... is not allowed to be said again, never again."
Chen Yi nodded without hesitation, still gazing at her face.
Xiao Wan'er couldn't help but pat him gently again, "You, you should rest well, I'll go back to Jiaxing Garden first."
After saying that, she hurriedly got up and walked out without waiting for Chen Yi's reply.
Chen Yi chuckled, probably realizing that he could be quite mischievous at times, always coming up with crooked ideas to make people happy.
However, he didn't actually say anything offensive.
Only one sentence.
Jade steps and jade trees, as beautiful as you, so rare in the mortal world.
...
Two more days have passed.
After confirming that the epidemic had not spread and that all infected people had recovered, the government posted a notice.
The people in the city then resumed their normal lives.
However, because grain prices have stabilized, those who bought grain earlier are filled with regret, while those who didn't buy it are naturally quite pleased.
They had completely forgotten how disheveled they had been a few days ago.
Some are happy, some are sad.
Chen Yi was one of the happy ones.
Wang Ji came by once in the last two days and brought him a lot of news.
He had concluded that Liu Hong had resigned himself to his fate, and it was said that his hair turned white overnight.
"Liu Zhaoxue has disappeared, the Five Poisons Sect in Xinglinzhai has been wiped out, and Liu Hong's eldest and second sons have also vanished without a trace."
"In addition, the old fox's recent behavior indicates that something big has happened on his side."
Although Chen Yi didn't know who it was, based on his understanding of Liu Hong, he knew that there was more to this than met the eye.
Imagine someone with such deep cunning; how could they possibly do nothing in the face of the current situation?
Something unusual must be going on.
Chen Yi was thinking about all this, but he sat calmly by the pond, fishing with his newly bought fishing rod.
There's no other way.
Thanks to that "epidemic", he was ordered by his grandfather to stay at home and rest.
Chen Yi was enjoying a peaceful and leisurely life.
Especially when Xiao Wuge was practicing martial arts in the training ground, no one was around to catch a few fish every now and then.
But these good days came to an abrupt end with the arrival of Li Huaigu.
"Brother Qingzhou."
"Brother Huaigu."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Chen Yi noticed Li Huaigu's haggard appearance and couldn't help but ask with a smile:
"Brother Huaigu, what brings you here despite your busy schedule?"
Li Huaigu smiled wryly and cupped his hands, saying, "I can't hide it from Brother Qingzhou."
He sighed and said, "I don't know what's wrong, but Lord Liu has hardly been involved in any affairs of the yamen these past two days."
"Lord Yang went to ask several times, but he couldn't get any answers."
"But the Provincial Administration Commission has a lot of work to do, and someone has to do it."
Li Huaigu rambled on for a while before explaining his purpose.
"I wonder if Brother Qingzhou has been in contact with Brother Yunfan recently?"
Chen Yi was slightly taken aback. "Brother?"
Li Huaigu nodded helplessly, "Brother Yunfan hasn't been to the yamen for several days."
“I went to Tingyuxuan to ask, and they said that Brother Yunfan is unwell and is not receiving guests.”
"I think Brother Qingzhou and Brother Yunfan have a close relationship..."
Chen Yi understood.
After a moment's thought, he had a rough idea.
Having obtained evidence of Commander Zhu Hao's crimes, Chen Yunfan's absence at this time suggests he is no longer in the prefectural city.
Chen Yi, however, had no idea where Chen Yunfan would go or how he would bring down Zhu Hao.
Thinking it over, Chen Yi shook his head and said, "I don't know either."
He paused for a moment, then continued, "However, I will send someone over to inquire. Brother Huaigu, just wait for news."
Li Huaigu bowed in thanks, then left in a hurry without lingering.
Chen Yi watched him walk away, losing his interest in continuing to fish, so he called Xiao Die to brew a pot of tea.
He drank his drink while gazing at the clouds in the sky, and couldn't help but drift off into a daze.
The White Tiger Guards also had their own plans regarding Chen Yunfan...
Judging from the current situation, Chen Yunfan is valued by the White Tiger Guards even more than he, the "young bird".
“I seem to have overlooked something all along.”
"Chen Yunfan is not only the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Shu Prefecture, but also the eldest son of the Chen family in Jiangnan Prefecture."
"So, he was chosen by the White Tiger Guard... will the Chen family just let it go?"
Chen Yi didn't think the Chen family of Jiangnan Prefecture would treat Chen Yunfan the same way they treated him.
Especially the status and position of Chen Xuanji and Chen Xuandu in the imperial court.
Thinking deeper, could this "young bird" also be tacitly approved by the Chen family of Jiangnan Prefecture?
"White Tiger Guard, Chen Family... Imperial Court... Me, Chen Yunfan..."
The chessboard in Chen Yi's mind changed silently, making him feel like a god sitting in the heavens, overlooking the land of the Great Wei Dynasty.
"If the Chen family tacitly approves, then there might be other hidden reasons behind the original owner's marriage into the Xiao family..."
Thinking of this.
On the right corner of the chessboard, on the vertical and horizontal lines representing Jiangnan Prefecture, several black pieces quietly appeared.
Several names vaguely appeared.
Chen Xuanji, Chen Xuandu, Cui Yu, Lin Zhong...
Chen Yi looked north toward Guangyuan County, as if he could see the location of the Commandery Headquarters across thousands of miles.
"It seems necessary to spend more time with my brother."
(End of this chapter)
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