novelraw Chapter 218
Chapter 218
"Achoo!"
Waiting for news in Lai County, Zhao Chengyu sneezed, a bad premonition rising in his heart.
After being stripped of his position as the Crown Prince, he was ostensibly confined to his estate. In reality, he had long since left the capital and was secretly plotting the "city burning" incident.
Zhao Chengyu rubbed his itchy nose and frowned as he asked his subordinate.
"According to the exile procession's itinerary, they should have entered Dayang Town by now. Why is there no news yet?"
"Young Master Zhao, Dayang Town is quite far from Lai County. News won't travel that fast."
"That's true. Are all our men in place? Once we burn the town, leave none of the soldiers guarding Dayang Town alive!"
A cold murderous intent surged in the depths of Zhao Chengyu's eyes.
Only the dead can keep secrets!
"Everything is arranged. The message received by the garrison in Bingzhou is that the soldiers guarding Dayang Town have all contracted an epidemic. They are required to shoot them on sight, burn the bodies, and then bury them."
As long as the plan goes smoothly, no one will know that the Qi family didn't die from a natural disaster, but from a calculated plot!
As for the magistrate of Lai County who knew the truth...
Zhao Chengyu nodded. "Keep a close eye on things. There cannot be any accidents."
After saying this, he went over the plan in his mind.
Even after confirming there were no omissions, the panic in his heart did not diminish in the slightest.
He couldn't be blamed for worrying. The body double plan in Liangzhou City was supposed to be foolproof, but the Qi family had managed to turn the tables on him.
Just as his subordinate was about to reply, the magistrate of Lai County hurried over.
He immediately knelt and bowed to Zhao Chengyu.
"This humble official greets the First Prince!"
Although Zhao Chengyu had been demoted to a commoner, he was still a prince.
A minor official like the magistrate naturally had to bow respectfully.
"Rise. Get to the point."
The magistrate immediately stood up and said, "First Prince, news has come from Dayang Town. The exiled procession has fully entered the town. The garrison soldiers released rats infected with the plague into the town and successfully besieged it, but there was a slight accident."
The word "accident" made Zhao Chengyu's brow twitch, and his tone turned cold.
"What accident?"
"Ye Chutang injured Peng Bin. Poisoned and terrified of dying, he entered Dayang Town and his fate is currently unknown."
Zhao Chengyu felt this was a trivial matter and waved his hand dismissively.
"Then just assume he is dead."
With that said, he asked, "How is the news of the epidemic spreading?"
He wanted to strike tonight to avoid any unforeseen complications.
The magistrate knew Zhao Chengyu wanted a quick resolution, and a look of difficulty appeared on his fleshy face.
"First Prince, we cannot spread the news too deliberately, or it will be easy for people to find evidence against us. Therefore, for the news of the epidemic to spread, it will probably take until tomorrow."
Zhao Chengyu didn't want to wait any longer and said, "Find two people to fake an illness. I want to act tonight!"
The magistrate's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
"If we do that, Lai County will probably have to be sealed off as well. If afterwards..."
Zhao Chengyu looked at the magistrate coldly, the corner of his lips curling into a wicked smile.
"There is no afterwards. If anyone is found to be ill, dig a hole and bury them on the spot."
The magistrate was speechless.
"What are you standing there for? Do as I say!"
"First Prince, won't this unnecessary move cause needless trouble?"
After all, finding two people to "fake an illness" wasn't easy.
They had to have actually been to Dayang Town and couldn't have had contact with too many people, otherwise they would be exposed as soon as someone investigated.
Zhao Chengyu slammed his palm on the table, his words full of anger.
"If it brings trouble, I'll have the lives of your entire family. Get out!"
"This humble official obeys."
The magistrate didn't dare to anger Zhao Chengyu and hurriedly retreated to find suitable people to "fall ill."
Zhao Chengyu's subordinate shared the magistrate's concerns.
"Master, the more we do, the more mistakes we might make. Should we perhaps wait until tomorrow to make our move?"
"I cannot wait. Qi Yanzhou is too cunning; he must be killed as soon as possible."
"Master, Qi Yanzhou has the 'Ghost Thief' helping him. Will this scheme really succeed?"
Zhao Chengyu coldly snorted and said with certainty, "Even if the 'Ghost Thief' can move heaven and earth, he cannot make an epidemic disappear!"
***
Dayang Town.
Han Chong had already separated the commoners suffering from the three different epidemics and settled them into the cellars of the shops along the street.
Because the ventilation in the cellars wasn't very good, not many people were placed in each one.
It took a full ten cellars to settle everyone.
The people in the town were in a state of panic. An aura of death permeated the air, and fearful, low weeping filled the ears.
The intermittent sobbing was enough to make one's hair stand on end.
Ye Chutang sat at the consultation desk in the pharmacy, her delicate brows slightly furrowed as she watched the sky gradually darken outside.
Sun Chu walked up to her and asked curiously, "Is the 'Ghost Thief' a human or a ghost? Male or female? Can they really move heaven and earth and do anything?"
Earlier, he had seen the rats running on the ground suddenly disappear, which gave him a huge fright.
And then, the pharmacy originally had no herbs.
But not long after Ye Chutang entered, herbs piled up on the consultation desk, and they were all for treating epidemics.
Unable to figure it out, he learned from the Protectorate Army that the "Ghost Thief" had taken action.
Sun Chu was extremely curious about this omnipotent "Ghost Thief" who could supposedly move heaven and earth.
Ye Chutang looked up at Sun Chu, whose face practically had "I'm interested in the Ghost Thief" written all over it, and the corners of her mouth curled up.
"Do you want to meet the 'Ghost Thief'?"
Sun Chu's scalp tingled from Ye Chutang's smile, and he coughed lightly.
"I do, but if it's inconvenient for him, forget it."
He was brimming with a desire to survive.
"It's convenient, but everyone who has seen his face is dead."
"I don't want to die yet. I'll pass!"
After saying this, Sun Chu sat down opposite Ye Chutang and praised her with feigned casualness, "Madam Qi's medical skills are truly formidable to be able to treat three different epidemics."
Whether it was pestilence, bubonic plague, or smallpox, they were all epidemics with extremely high mortality rates in ancient times.
But for the technologically advanced modern era, they were trivial matters.
Was the stunning woman before him truly a master of medicine, or did she come from the same world as him?
Ye Chutang could hear Sun Chu's probing.
She knew she couldn't hide her identity as a modern person from Sun Chu.
After all, once they reached Tianshan Commandery and started doing business, it would involve many modern items and concepts.
But there was no need for her to admit it now and bring trouble upon herself.
"It's alright. I can be considered one of the best."
Seeing that he couldn't get anything out of her, Sun Chu dropped his probing thoughts.
"The mastermind will likely make a move tonight. Can Qi Yanzhou find them before they strike?"
Ye Chutang had a lot of confidence in Qi Yanzhou.
"He can. If he didn't even have this bit of ability, he wouldn't have survived until now."
Just as she finished speaking, her stomach growled.
Dayang Town was currently in chaos. The eateries and inns were closed, and there wasn't even a place to buy food.
They either had to cook for themselves or eat coarse black flour buns.
Ye Chutang didn't want to eat coarse grains that scratched her throat, so she said to the fearful and uneasy Qi Jingyao, "It's getting dark. Let's cook."
Qi Jingyao, who was huddled in the corner, stood up, her eyes filled with fear.
"Madam, is it safe outside?"
This was her first time being so close to death; it would be a lie to say she wasn't afraid.
"Don't worry, no one is going to die."
The mastermind was worried that poisoning the town too early would cause the news of the epidemic to spread, leading the exile procession to bypass Dayang Town entirely.
Therefore, the poison was introduced very recently.
The most severely ill people in Dayang Town were the waiter at the teahouse and the woman selling cloth shoes.
They had only just started showing symptoms, so whether it was controlling or treating the disease, it wouldn't be difficult.
Concubine Xu trusted Ye Chutang. She stood up and said, "Yao'er, get the cooking utensils ready first. I will go out and buy some food."
Sun Chu volunteered, "Let me go."
Being a man of formidable martial arts skills, he naturally would not let a frail woman venture out into danger.
Ye Chutang tossed Sun Chu a cloth mask soaked in a medicinal solution.
"Be careful."
On his way out, Sun Chu nearly collided with Qi Yanzhou, who was just returning.
He handed the letter he had just received to Ye Chutang.
"The mastermind has been found."