Chapter 95 Two in One: He's a traitor! We can't have his child! ...
In an instant, the world fell silent, the background blurred, and the bustling crowds continued to throng. She turned around, her blank gaze fixed on the man in front of her.
She was stunned, and remained stunned for a long time.
A tall, muscular man's figure was reflected in his pupils.
He grabbed her tightly, pushed through the crowd, and carefully escorted her to safety, keeping everyone at bay.
She was watching his sweaty profile from behind.
Tick-tock, tick-tock, it fell to the ground, amplified in her ears.
After the man had settled her in, he turned around, waved a hand in front of her eyes, and a hurried voice rang out:
"Fu'er, Fu'er, are you alright?"
The voice was rough and weathered. She shook her head and slowly smiled.
"Second Uncle, I'm fine. The situation is bad right now. You should go and stop those people."
It is Jiangjun Jade.
The person who saved her in time was her uncle.
Jiang Shuifu didn't know why she felt a little indescribable.
The surrounding sounds exploded in her ears again, one angry roar and scream after another filling the streets and alleys, the town and the foot of the mountain, making her throat congested with blood:
"Charge! Charge! We must break through the city gate! We're going to be saved!"
"Charge! We must save ourselves! We must live!"
"Charge together! Kill together!"
The murderous aura emanating from the crowd immediately made Jiang Shuifu look up sharply, searching for that figure.
However, it has long since disappeared without a trace.
The city gate was deserted; there wasn't a single person in sight.
He's gone?
Where did they go?
But these people will not give up easily; their anger will only grow stronger.
Does he want to throw away the reputation he's built up over the years?
The riot ultimately could not withstand the suppression of the government troops. Jiang Junyu and Jiang Junyan took the lead in suppressing it, and it took a great deal of effort to quell it.
To be precise, it was forced to stop temporarily. The officers and soldiers guarded the city gates strictly, and anyone who approached was killed without mercy.
The consequence of using such force was that, within a day, people's hatred for Shen Jizhao multiplied several times over.
The farmers on the mountain also fled down, kneeling and bowing to the gods, begging for forgiveness, and at the same time reporting Shen Jizhao's behavior to the heavens, requesting that he be punished.
Jiang Shuifu could hear insults and curses directed at him wherever she went.
She lowered her head; without the medicinal ingredient, the days ahead would likely be filled with unease.
As expected, we are now facing not only internal troubles, but also more serious external threats.
For some unknown reason, a plague also broke out in Suyang City.
In just a few days, the plague spread to all parts of Suyang, big and small. Now, Suyang, which occupies a corner of the south, is a plague-ridden city on the verge of collapse.
The people in the town wanted to escape, and the people in the city wanted to escape. They fled back and forth, and the city gates were no longer useful. People from both places gathered together and shouted every day for them to be released from Suyang and let them go out to save themselves!
At the same time, Shen Jizhao was criticized.
"You have no conscience! You don't know, do you? The Crown Prince you once revered actually abandoned the city and fled, betraying the gods. We were about to be saved, but he destroyed our antidote in front of everyone! It's an insult to human rights! Utterly inhuman! The dark clouds that filled the sky and the red clouds that clashed were the punishment sent down by the gods!"
Su Yang's men naturally knew about the unusual situation that day, and now that they know the inside story, they are chilled to the bone.
So Shen Jizhao is such a devil.
At this moment, verbal and written attacks against him are people's only motivation and their only priority.
"Yes, he's a terrible person. He even saved the culprit who spread the plague several times. That filthy bastard killed so many people. Even being torn to pieces wouldn't be enough to atone for the hundreds of lives lost unjustly. Yet he just stood by and didn't care, preventing us from taking revenge!"
"Not only that, he even personally cooked candied hawthorns for the culprit, fulfilling the culprit's wish. But what about all of us? He turned a blind eye to the deaths of so many of us. Shouldn't we have killed the culprit to vent our anger? Couldn't we have opened the city gates and escaped from here? Now it seems we were blind! He is clearly in cahoots with the culprit! They are in cahoots!"
Once these words were spoken, the endless slander officially began.
The collapse of the high platform could happen in an instant.
Whoever builds it, can overthrow it!
Demolish it exactly as it was built!
Moreover, the person who built it knows best where the weak points are and where they are easiest to attack!
The people withdrew all the praise they had given him, replacing it with ruthless trampling and crushing.
Is he honest?
Ha! He's even capable of abducting a woman, locking her up for months! Torturing her for months! Forcing her to serve him like a slave! Then he abandoned her, dumped her, and left, pretending they were even! Not only does he knowingly break the law and despise the law, but he's also heartless and irresponsible, refusing to take responsibility. He doesn't even deserve to be a man!
Is he virtuous?
Ha! He's the best at pretending; it's all an act! In reality, he's the most treacherous, deceiving the people, the gods, and everyone who once trusted him!
Does he love the people?
Pshaw! He stood by and watched people die, selfish and utterly wicked! He only loved the adoration of others, only loved having people kneel and worship him. Deep down, he was extremely cold-hearted, arrogant, and looked down on everyone. These people who had supported him for years, simply because they were powerless commoners, he abandoned them without a second thought, watching them die and relishing their ant-like expressions as they breathed their last! How satisfying!
Kind? Ha! He's the source of this plague, the very cause of it all. He was the first to approach the infected child when he first appeared in town, his aim being to infect everyone. And not long ago, he gave them hope only to destroy it himself, driving everyone to despair! Every single thing he did was his doing! His schemes! His plots!
Everything has come to light, and all the dust has settled.
Shen Jizhao is a demon!
Every word and phrase was like a sharp blade, capable of killing in one blow, aimed at the Crown Prince, whom they had once loved and respected, who had done so much for them and brought them so much good.
Right in the center of the forehead.
The title "Crown Prince" is now a thing of the past. In the hearts of the people, he is now a rat that everyone wants to kill, a wicked devil!
The news spread extremely quickly, and it was presented with reason, evidence, and detail. These are undeniable facts that everyone has witnessed, and as a result, the entire Suzhou and Yangzhou were in an uproar.
Scalding hot, burning flesh and bones!
No one defended him!
Jiang Shuifu was completely confused and her head was spinning. Was it all a conspiracy?
If she had never seen him reviewing documents late into the night, never seen him working day and night, never seen him with a furrowed brow, never seen him return injured while investigating the people's plight, never noticed the sympathy and sorrow hidden beneath his indifferent exterior, never noticed the subtle smile that would appear on his face when the people lived in peace and prosperity.
Perhaps she would believe it without hesitation!
However, these were all things she had seen and experienced firsthand.
She had been completely devoted to him, and perhaps he didn't even know that she had already engraved his every word and action into her heart and regarded it as the most important thing.
Therefore, she could see it clearly, and she wished he would not be so busy with official duties, but instead spend time with her and hug her. However, he always left her behind and abandoned her, all for the sake of people's livelihood.
If all of this can be denied, then wouldn't her previous perseverance be a joke?
She's made enough jokes already, many of them because of him.
She admitted that he was not a good husband, but he was by no means a bad prince.
But Jiang Shuifu knew that people's minds were made up, and it was difficult to change them. No matter how much she talked, it would be useless.
Instead of dwelling on this, we should focus on researching the antidote.
On her way back, a smirk played on her lips as she secretly chuckled. What had these people said after the truth about him kidnapping her came out? They said she shouldn't be angry, she should feel honored! They said she was the one who went there for wealth and status! They defended him at every turn, always finding excuses. Now that he's fallen from grace, everyone's turning against him, completely retracting their initial statements!
This is human nature!
Shen Jizhao probably never imagined that one day he would be devoured by fame and fortune! And so fiercely at that!
Soon, she returned to the Jiang residence, and fortunately, the Jiang family members were all safe and sound.
Grandparents held her and examined her carefully, checking if their precious granddaughter was hurt or upset. After checking, the grandmother stomped her foot angrily and glanced at the old man beside her.
"Do you even need to ask? Of course she suffered! Who wouldn't cry for days and nights after such an injustice! A perfectly good young woman was kidnapped and locked up, and then bullied and humiliated by a disgusting man. How could she not feel wronged? Look at her, she's lost so much weight!"
As she spoke, Grandmother wiped away her tears again, and Grandfather sighed incessantly, his teeth itching with hatred at the mere mention of the matter, grinding them incessantly.
"It's all because my Jiang family is powerless and weak, unable to even protect our granddaughter!"
Listening to their worried and self-blaming words, Jiang Shuifu touched herself. She had lost weight, but not from being abused. It was because of the plague; she couldn't eat or sleep well. How could she not lose weight?
She went up to them, took their hands, shook her head, and told them she was fine.
“Grandparents, Fu’er is alright. You don’t need to blame yourselves. What happened back then was a staged performance by others who deliberately deceived us. Even I didn’t know it, so how could you have predicted it?”
After comforting them, several more figures appeared in the courtyard.
Mei Bao, Hu Ge'er, and Dou Jie'er came up and surrounded her, hugging her tightly and comforting her:
"Sister, don't be afraid, we'll protect you. You're safe now. Don't cry. Your husband is that savage man who forced himself on you! Sister, did he hit or scold you? He's so fierce, he couldn't find a wife, so he took you instead. You've suffered so much!"
The little children kept chattering away, but she didn't cry. Instead, they started crying as they talked. She comforted them and promised to make them snacks, and only then did they quiet down.
However, this concern and inquiry did not end there.
Finally, the grandmother gave her two aunts a look, and the aunts pulled her aside, looking embarrassed, their eyes darting around, hesitant to speak, unable to utter a word for a long time, their faces turning red.
Jiang Shuifu was extremely puzzled and took the initiative to ask them what they wanted to ask.
Looking at their niece, who had been imprisoned by the man for months and lived with him for a long time, they grew increasingly angry.
Finally, the second aunt made the first move. With a hardened heart and a stomp of her foot, she touched her stomach, cautiously yet restraining her resentment, as if if it were confirmed, her resentment would roar to the heavens:
"Is there any movement here?"
?
!!
What are they saying?
What's going on?
What kind of movement could there be in her belly?
What are they thinking?
What are you thinking!
You're overthinking it!
But as expected of her aunt, her mind was so delicate that she was completely stumped by the question, and she subconsciously touched it as well.
Seeing her actions and expression, her aunts felt their hearts sink. That damned man! He actually let her get pregnant without any status or recognition! And that was when his reputation was ruined and everyone was against him!
Wouldn't that make this child the target of everyone's criticism?
But the next moment, Jiang Shuifu removed her hand and shook her head:
“He didn’t touch me; there was only food in here.”
The two aunts breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. But what else could they have gone to such lengths to abduct her if not for that kind of thing?
If he won't touch her, then he'll enslave her, make her his servant, and have her wash his feet and put on his shoes. In that remote rural area, she might even have to feed the pigs!
That's terrible! That's inhuman!
Their expressions turned ugly again, and they were so angry that they wrung out their handkerchiefs.
"Fortunately! His true colors have been exposed, and his reputation is ruined! Everyone is condemning him! At least we can vent our anger! Bah! You lecherous devil, go to hell!"
Jiang Shuifu was in a daze again. Just a few days ago, he was still the Crown Prince whom everyone respected and flattered, but in just a few days, everyone called him a devil. But he was clearly not. She said the same thing.
As she drifted in and out of consciousness, a voice suddenly echoed in her ears, seemingly close at hand yet also far away:
"You actually came, hahaha! This is the first time, I really didn't expect you to..."
She couldn't hear what was said after that, and then she fainted.
In the days that followed, she continued to research the antidote as always. As she researched, her head started to ache, and she looked at the ancient book beside her that recorded the Nine Immortal Fish Scale Flower.
She suddenly wondered, where did this book come from?
She had searched through all the books before, but couldn't find a way to make the antidote. How come this book appeared so timely?
The issue of attacking the city gates was not completely resolved. The people adopted a strategy of taking turns fighting, allowing themselves to rest for a period of time. During this period, people continued to die, which they were happy to see. It was much better to have one less sick person than one more threat. Afterward, they formed groups to go out and cause trouble, marching and protesting, trying to force their way out.
In every neighborhood, people are protesting and fighting hard, and every time this happens, they drag Shen Jizhao out to be whipped.
Today, he has been accused of yet another crime, a heinous and unforgivable crime, a crime that will forever condemn him to the pillar of shame.
"He is not only a devil, but also a traitor!"
Many people turned their heads upon hearing this, staring at the man who had spoken. Even those hiding in their homes couldn't help but stick their heads out, waiting for him to continue.
The man got straight to the point:
"As everyone knows, he captured a nine-tailed fox a few days ago and presented it to the Emperor, right?"
Everyone nodded in agreement. The news spread like wildfire at the time. It was a mythical beast, and after it was presented to the emperor, the emperor held a banquet and a prayer ceremony to celebrate obtaining it.
His eyes hardened, and he continued:
"This mythical beast is from ancient legends. It is an animal that can pray for good weather and a prosperous country. The emperor calls it auspicious. With auspiciousness, the country will become more and more prosperous, the people will be blessed by the gods, and they will be free from all diseases. Their lives will become better and better. Don't you think this auspicious beast is a treasure? Shouldn't it be kept in the most prosperous and wealthy palace in the world?"
Without a second thought, the people immediately nodded, saying, "That's right, it's only right. Everything that benefits the country and its people and allows them to live a good life should be done."
The man was very satisfied with the atmosphere of public approval; he had laid the groundwork thoroughly. Then, his tone shifted, and his eyes turned completely ruthless:
"If someone were to drive auspicious omens out of the palace, throw them away, abandon them, or even kill them, what would that person's intention be?"
Someone answered quickly:
"Then he is the enemy of all the people of Dabei. How dare he harm the auspicious omen? How dare he drive it away? That is the fate and destiny of all the people of Dabei!"
"Yes! Anyone who dares to release it should be despised and condemned by the people. This concerns the fate of the nation; how can he treat it so lightly for his own selfish reasons? If the country is not a country, how can the people survive?"
Releasing auspicious omens is tantamount to treason; only someone who is disloyal to the country would disrespect auspicious omens.
The people pressed for details about who this traitor was, their eyes revealing undisguised disgust and hatred for him.
Traitors deserve to die a thousand or ten thousand times over.
Hearing the commotion, Jiang Shuifu also ran out. She stared in disbelief at the scene before her, and listened in disbelief as the person deliberately incited public anger. Her fists clenched so tightly that her nails almost dug into her flesh. She felt dizzy again and staggered.
Auspicious omen? How did this come up with auspicious omen? Treason? How could it be treason?
Her eyelids twitched. She hadn't expected that one of the charges against him was one she had added herself!
In that short time, Shen Jizhao's name was shouted out with resounding force.
"He is the mastermind behind this plague, vying for power and forcing the abdication of the emperor! He is already the crown prince, but he is not satisfied. He created this turmoil in order to seize the opportunity to become the second-highest position in the country. Such treasonous acts may have already led him to collude with foreign enemies, just waiting to change the country's name after ascending the throne! At that time, even if we are not killed by the plague, we will all be sold to the enemy country and enslaved for life!"
These words caused an uproar among the crowd, who were terrified. Although they could not be completely convinced, the possibility had already sent chills down their spines.
Jiang Shuifu steadied herself, resolutely pushed through the crowd, and stood in front of everyone, angrily rebuking them word by word:
"Nonsense! You're in Suyang, thousands of miles away. None of us know about these things, yet you do? You liar! In my opinion, you're the one who's treasonous, sent by the enemy to sow discord and mislead everyone. You have neither physical evidence nor witnesses, yet you speak so confidently and recklessly. Your motives are as clear as day! You're the mastermind behind all this!"
Her words were not entirely without reason. Shen Jizhao was already the crown prince, and the emperor's favor towards him was unmatched by any other prince. Why would he need to usurp the throne?
However, the man's next words instantly and completely swayed the crowd to his side:
"This matter has been known to everyone in the capital for a long time, but it has only now reached Su Yang, causing the Emperor to be furious! His actions perfectly explain why he didn't perform the sacrificial rites during the ceremony. Gods and auspicious omens are the people's faith and the hope of the nation, yet he shows no respect for the gods and no care for the auspicious omens. The celestial phenomena have already shown this. Aren't all these things evidence? And what about his personal destruction of the antidote? All of this is evidence of his treason! Weren't you also kidnapped by him? He is such a ruthless, black-hearted, disloyal, and unjust person!"
His remarks involved deities and touched upon the people's deepest resentment; how could the people not believe him?
In an instant, people started talking all at once, but they all agreed that Shen Jizhao was guilty of a capital offense:
"Yes! All of this is evidence! He created the plague! He let the auspicious omen escape! He didn't worship the gods! He used the excuse of picking flowers to escape! He didn't want to die, but then he broke the agreement himself, causing us to die! It's terrifying that this traitorous crown prince could be in power for over a decade! What deep scheming he is!"
"He has such a deep and terrifying cunning mind, otherwise how could he have sat firmly on the throne of the crown prince for more than ten years! Otherwise, you and me, and millions of ordinary people, would not have been deceived by him for so long, praising him and worshipping him as the savior every day!"
"It's pitiful that we only now learn the truth. The Chi You banner and the opposing black-red cloud formation—this was the divine revelation! The divine punishment! Punishment for our blindness, punishment for mistaking a traitor for a god! We were terribly wrong, utterly foolish!"
······
In an instant, the entire Suyang was filled with such indignant and condemnatory words.
Jiang Shuifu frowned deeply. Why was the hardworking Crown Prince being slandered as a traitor? How did all this begin?
She shook her head vigorously: "No, that's not it, he's not a traitor! He didn't release Xiangrui, it was me..."
She spoke up for him without any personal feelings involved, and from an outsider's perspective. Undeniably, she knew him better than any of them combined!
But the one thing she absolutely had to stand up for was that it was her request that he let Xiangrui go; this boomerang was too powerful and too ruthless! No one could withstand it!
But before she could refute, chaos erupted again in the crowd, and a scream rang out, terrifying everyone.
Everyone's attention was instantly drawn to it. The next moment, everyone's mouths gaped open, and their eyes seemed to pop out. This scene was extremely bizarre and terrifying.
Was that strange person, covered in black veins, baring sharp teeth, and biting the neck of a commoner, even human?
He used all his strength in that bite, almost breaking the man's neck. Two rows of skull marks appeared on the neck, and blood spurted out from there, spraying everywhere.
A moment later, the bitten person's body was covered in black veins, their eyes went blank, their pupils shrank, and their eyes were surrounded by black circles. They then lunged to bite the next person.
This sight terrified everyone, and they ran while shouting, "Run! The zombie is biting people!"
The crowd disappeared in the blink of an eye, and Jiang Shuifu ran back after seeing this.
Her brow never relaxed. Where did this zombie come from? How did it turn into a zombie?
As soon as the zombies appeared, the government troops quickly launched an attack, capturing and imprisoning several of them. They continued to pursue the rest.
The doctors quickly began to study the case, and Jiang Shuifu also stood aside to observe.
Finally, they came to the following conclusion:
The zombies that can be subdued are only rudimentary zombies. If left unchecked, they may eventually evolve into invincible zombies, constantly biting people until they have drunk enough blood that does not belong to them and cannot be integrated with them. Their ultimate fate is to explode and die.
This news is shocking!
Jiang Shuifu got goosebumps.
It turns out that this plague was not a plague at all, but a prelude to evolving into zombies!
Those with weak bodies are eliminated, while those with strong bodies survive. The zombie seed within their bodies constantly changes and upgrades until it completely devours their will, ultimately turning them into zombies!
This was all premeditated!
After experiencing today's events, Jiang Shuifu can conclude that...
It's all a setup!
Shen Jizhao is a crucial link in this scheme; he is the target!
After that, she followed the doctors around, studying the zombies and trying to find a way to save them. However, no one had ever encountered this situation before and they were at a loss for what to do!
Relying on them is far from enough; we must seek help from highly skilled and knowledgeable physicians, or even poison masters. We must head to the capital.
When Jiang Shuifu returned home, she was dejected, followed by the guards sent by the Jiang family to protect her.
As soon as she entered the door, her eldest uncle tenderly handed her a box and whispered:
"Although this year has been a bit special and difficult, that doesn't stop us from finding joy amidst the hardship, and the gifts are still a must! Open them and see if you like them?"
A gift? Today isn't my aunt's birthday!
His aunt smiled shyly, took his hand, and led him into the house; her voice still echoed:
"I've also prepared a gift for you; I'll give it to you on the day!"
Jiang Shuifu remembered that Qixi Festival was approaching, which meant her birthday was not far away.
Will everything return to normal on my birthday?
How many people have to die before the people behind them will finally stop?
Time flies, and on Qixi Festival, she was very surprised to receive a "gift"!
What gift?
Her portrait!
Portraits in the streets and alleys!
Various expressions!
Various positions!
Playful, laughing, angry, and irritable!
A painting drifted by on the wind, and she caught it, her eyes widening instantly!
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Author's Note: The romance will be in the next chapter; the next chapter is the focus of our recent activities. [Eating popcorn emoji]
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