Opposite the entrance hall

Chilling and silence, people's hearts are different.

The corpse lying on the ground was still twitching unconsciously, the blood flowing from the corner of his mouth fell down to the socket of his neck, his pupils were dilated, his eyes seemed to bulge out, he stared at the crowd on one side, his lips moved, and he said something silently.

The people around were far away, with terrified expressions on their faces, as if they didn't expect things to turn out like this, and they were a little scared for a while.

The blood on Ji Si's forehead didn't stop and was still coming out of the wound. He raised his hand and wiped it with the back of his hand. The blood was rubbed away and covered his face.

Cen Yulou quickly took out the white cloth from his pocket, and walked up to him in a panic, wanting to stop Ji Si's bleeding.

The latter gently pushed him aside, and took another step forward.

The group of foolish people who made trouble were a little afraid of him, and they all backed away.

Ji Si stared at the crowd and sneered, "Who else wants to leave the city?"

Everyone looked at each other in blank dismay, not daring to speak out.

"I was ordered to inspect Xiangzhou, which represents the current emperor! You gather people to make troubles and incite the people again and again. If you confuse people's hearts, you are disobedient to the emperor and Dajin. If you have a different heart, you should be punished!"

His voice was hoarse, and he spoke slowly, but loudly, with undeniable majesty and courage.

"Floods in Xiangzhou, frequent epidemics, how many people were displaced and lost their loved ones, still grateful and obeyed the government's arrangements; the officials in the city stayed up all day and night, cooking porridge for you, dispelling the plague, and there was not a moment of leisure; a hundred doctors Standing in front of the isolation shed all day long, seeing illnesses and taking the pulse, disregarding life and death. Which one of them is not afraid of death, which one is a diamond body, which one is not a member of the Great Jin Dynasty, but none of them gather here to seek meaning like you Make trouble, fight against the government!"

Ji Si shouted sharply: "I will ask again, who wants to leave the city!"

The troublemakers hung their heads and hesitated, and another voice came out of the crowd: "Don't listen to this dog official bewitching people's hearts, he is not the only one who has the final say on the closure of the city, and now he is putting pressure on the emperor. Seeing the thick smoke from the fire in Yizhuang, the government burned everyone to death, we can't sit still, let alone such a commotion today, the dog official will definitely hate us, the dog official will report to the city government very deeply, just wait Waiting for the fall to settle accounts, anyway sooner or later you will die, why not give it a go, there is still a glimmer of life, the people of the government are in the isolation shed, they will not be able to catch up in a while, we have so many people, what are we afraid of! Get out!"

"That's right! We have a lot of people! Go out and fight them!"

"Anyway, it's death, so there's nothing to be afraid of!"

Ji Si's eyes were stained red with anger, and his brows were filled with gloom. He raised his hand and ordered in a loud voice: "Pass down the order, anyone who steps out of the city gate today will be regarded as a traitor,"

"Kill on the spot!"

The sound resounded through the sky and reached everyone's ears. Those who made trouble were either active or passive, and were pushed forward. Although the officials in the government had weapons in their hands, they couldn't beat four hands with fists, and were beaten by various sticks. Hoes and sickles siege, the scene is very chaotic, various sounds are loud and deafening, and various weapons collide with each other.

He hid a few people in the crowd, all dressed in common clothes, with a white cloth tied on his face, carefully covering the man in the middle.

"Second Master, what should we do next?" one of them asked.

The man narrowed his eyes, and the voice was clearly that of Mr. Zhong, "Kill Ji Si while looking for opportunities."

"Yes."

The situation became more and more chaotic, and the people in the government were powerless to fight back. They all suffered large and small injuries, and even more seriously, their throats were cut by a sickle and they died immediately. To protect Cen Yulou, he had to be careful of other people.

There are four or five people in this group of people who are very strange. They only shoot at him, like Lian Jiazi, every move is with the ruthlessness to kill him, just like the person who threw the iron ball, not like ordinary people , rather like a well-trained guard.

Ji Si's eyes sank, and he felt that the things behind him were getting more complicated, but he didn't have time to distract himself from thinking about it. Just avoiding these people's killing moves was already very difficult, and the right hand holding the handle of the knife began to tremble a little. The blood-scabbed wound was torn open again due to the force, and the bleeding flowed down his eyes, blurring his vision.

The scene in front of him was a little unclear, Ji Si was beaten back again and again, and he used the tip of the knife to prop himself up in the soil to breathe a sigh of relief.

Suddenly, a person appeared from behind, holding a dagger high, and stabbing it straight at the back of Ji Si's neck.

At this critical moment, Cen Yulou rushed forward, grabbed a handful of white powder from the belt around his waist, and sprinkled it on the person who was attacking him.

Hearing the sound, Ji Si turned his head, swung the knife with his wrist, killed him with one blow, then kicked the man hard, and the man fell to the ground in response.

"Thank you." He said humanely.

Cen Yulou raised his eyebrows, and said a little arrogantly: "I don't like to owe others."

The scene was chaotic and uncontrollable, and the people in the government suffered heavy casualties. Cui Hao's arm was cut with a sickle, and he couldn't stop bleeding, and shouted at the people behind him: "Didn't someone transfer people? People! Why haven't you come yet!"

What they didn't know was that the soldiers sent to the suburbs and isolation sheds to transfer people had already been dealt with by Mr. Zhong's men.

The crowd rushed up and pulled out the bolts that fastened the city gate as if they were crazy. Each of them had blood on their faces, their faces were full of murderous intent, their eyes were red, and they were fierce and fierce. The appearance, looks creepy tight.

The bolts of the city gate were thrown on the ground, and they pushed the city gate to both sides with all their strength, making a heavy sound, and the gap in the door gradually widened, revealing the scene outside the city. They bowed down and got out, as if the world behind the door was life, hope, and everything they had desperately fought for.

In the city, swords clashed, and all kinds of roars continued. Standing in the crowd, Mr. Zhong panicked, his ears trembled slightly, his brows knit together, and he said in a deep and anxious voice, "Get out!"

The people around him looked at each other in blank dismay.

"The situation has changed, get out of here quickly."

Several people nodded, turned around and hid in the crowd, and disappeared in a blink of an eye.

Cen Yulou's hair was disheveled and his face was stained with blood. Looking at the people rushing out, he frowned and said, "Master Ji, the city gate is open."

Ji Si didn't make a sound, his lips were tightly pursed, he raised his foot and kicked the rushing people to the ground, squinted his eyes at the crowd, threw the bloody knife man aside, and said sharply: "They can't get out of."

The man's tone was full of confidence, as if everything was not flustered, Cen Yulou raised his eyes to look at him, was infected by him, and the feeling of irritability in his heart gradually dissipated.

The city gate was wide open, and the rioting people rushed out one after another. When they first stepped out of the city gate, they seemed to have a new life, as if they had left the poisonous field, and they were far away from the epidemic. The smile on their faces froze .

The sky was full of smoke and dust ahead, and the sound of horseshoes was approaching. When everyone looked up, they saw a line of soldiers and horses walking in the dust.

The soldiers in the uniforms of the Jin Dynasty came through the smoke and dust in the sky, and the horses were panting, and their hooves stepped on the ground, leaving shallow marks.

The smoke and dust were gradually blown away by the wind. Du Heng rode his horse forward, tightened the reins, lowered his eyes on the horse, raised the imperial decree in his hand, and shouted sharply: "By the emperor's order! The epidemic is raging in Xiangzhou. In order to prevent the spread of the epidemic, Longxi Commander Si heavy troops are guarding Xiangzhou. From now on, the city of Xiangzhou will be closed and closed until the epidemic is resolved. Before that, the people in the city are not allowed to enter and leave without permission. Anyone who violates the order! Kill!"

With a sound of "ding", the sickle fell to the ground, and everyone in front of the city disarmed and knelt down.

When the wind blows, it is a foregone conclusion who wins and who loses.

When Cen Yulou was treating Ji Si's forehead wound in the main hall, Du Heng led a man in and nodded at Cen Yulou before looking at Ji Si and saying, "Master Ji, this is Longxi Capital Commander Zhao Tongzhi."

The man behind him nodded slightly, let go of his hand holding the saber at his waist, and saluted Ji Si with fists.

Although the commanders and envoys of various provinces are the same as the three local divisions, the commanders and envoys of all provinces are in charge of military power, and their powers are very different. Although the post of Commander Tongzhi is a deputy, he is on the same rank as the servants of the six departments, and no one has a higher official position than the other.

The man saluted, and Ji Si quickly got up and returned the salute, and said in a hoarse voice, "It's a long journey, thank you Tongzhi Zhao for your hard work."

"It's all for the emperor and for the Jin Dynasty, it's not hard work," Zhao Tongzhi said in a calm tone, "The soldiers outside the city haven't made arrangements, so don't bother Ji Shilang, and leave first."

"Thank you Tongzhi Zhao."

After people left the yard, Ji Si fell back to the chair.

"Master Ji healed from his injury?" Du Heng was a little surprised when he heard him speak, so he asked one more question.

Ji Si touched the wound on his neck and waved his hands, "It's okay, how is the matter at the gate of the city going? Can the injured officials seek medical treatment? Are all the common people arrested for causing trouble? Don't let any of them go away." !"

"My lord, don't worry, Liu Canzheng is dealing with it, and nothing will happen," Du Heng sighed, "The situation today is too dangerous. If it is a little later, they will really run out, and the consequences will be disastrous."

"This group of people are being played around like dogs by the people behind them, and they can't even distinguish right from wrong, black and white. If they really obey that sentence, troublesome people come out of poor mountains and rivers."

"Who is behind the scenes instigating the people and bewitching people's hearts? Is there anyone in Master Ji's mind?" Du Heng asked.

Ji Si smiled and said: "This person knows so many things about the government, and every time a crowd gathers to make trouble, the timing is right, and the purpose has always been very clear, that is, to use the people's panic about the epidemic to make the people of Xiangzhou riot first , it’s best to start a quarrel with the government, so that they can benefit from it, and it’s not hard to guess these points. I called all the officials from Xiangzhou yesterday, and deliberately said that I wanted to hide the truth from the people Burning the corpses piled up in Yizhuang, try to see if this person can get in, I threw out the bait just to see who is that mouse."

"Have you found it?"

Hearing the question, Ji Si smiled and said nothing.

Du Heng thought for a while and continued: "Therefore, we have no choice but to burn the corpses of the common people."

"No," Ji Si shook his head, "Dr. Cen said that these corpses are sick and cannot be kept or buried. They can only be burned cleanly to avoid hidden dangers. I won't burn them this time." I will also find a reason to burn it. After death, there are a few bones and a few taels of rotten flesh. What is the meaning of those vain rituals?

Hearing this, Du Heng was a little shocked. He had learned the ways of Confucius and Mencius since he was a child, read the doctrine of the mean, and learned about universities. He really felt that these words were a bit outrageous and unreasonable.

Du Heng smiled and was about to open his mouth. Cui Hao dragged his bandaged arm and walked over with an ugly face. Before anyone could ask him, he said first, "Qian Duo is dead."

Ji Si frowned, "How did he die?"

"There is no injury on the body, it should be poisoned," Cui Hao said, "The specific poison has to be seen by a doctor to know."

The clues were broken, and the only mouse that could be caught was dead without evidence. The person behind him ran away without a trace. Ji Si was a little annoyed. He tapped his index finger on the table and pondered for a while, "Is there anything else wrong?"

"No," Cui Hao said directly without thinking, "When we arrived, the door was locked, and he was already out of breath when he slammed the door in. He searched the room and found nothing abnormal."

Ji Si frowned and remained silent.

"By the way, there is something," Cui Hao said suddenly, took out a white cloth from his pocket, and slowly unfolded it. Inside was a few pieces of tea leaves, and he continued: "I am at the corner of the table in Qianduo's room. I saw it, because I accidentally dropped it on the ground because I was making tea, but the teapot on the table was empty, I thought it was a bit strange, so I picked it up."

He handed over the white cloth, and Ji Si took a look at it with downcast eyes, and then sniffed it with the tip of his nose. The dead leaves had no special smell, and they looked no different from ordinary tea leaves.

Cen Yulou stood aside, took a look with his head, frowned, and said uncertainly, "I should know this thing."

As soon as the words came out, the other three people cast their eyes on him one after another, and Ji Si handed over the white cloth directly. Cen Yulou took it and flicked it with his fingertips, smelled it again, and after confirming again and again, he said: " This is tea, which is different from Dajin tea. It is a kind of herbal tea. The tea tree is a vine like a creeper. Because the root is light yellow, this tea is called Huangteng grass. It is mostly used to nourish the inner body and remove disease. , itself is non-toxic, but if it smells the smell of white vines and Qingwei flowers, it will become highly poisonous in the body, this herb is mostly used in making incense, does that person have an incense burner in his house?"

"Yes," Cui Hao quickly replied, "There is a copper incense burner on the table."

"That's right, it's likely that this person drank tea and lit incense afterwards. The two medicines had conflicting properties and poisoned him to death, but it's a bit strange..."

"What's so strange?" Ji Si asked.

Cen Yulou said: "These kinds of medicinal herbs have extremely high requirements on the soil. They like dry soil and avoid wet soil. The soil in Dajin is not suitable for growth, so they grow more than Xiqiang, especially Huangteng grass, which is almost invisible in Dajin. And if you are not familiar with it, no one will use it to make tea."

After saying this, the riddles in their minds came to a conclusion, and they suddenly became enlightened.

Ji Si curled his lips and smiled, "It turns out that this mouse came from Xiqiang."

After they understood Qian Duo's identity, some unclear problems were also solved.

The Xiqiang wolf was ambitious, and this matter became more complicated. They could not intervene. After a long discussion, they decided to put it on the back of their minds. After dealing with the flood and epidemic, it would not be too late to report back to the capital.

Let's just say this matter has fallen to the ground, Ji Si breathed a sigh of relief with the Commander of Longxi Metropolis.

Qi Ran woke up in the middle of the night. He had been in a coma for three days, but he didn't have any perception at all. Although he couldn't open his eyes or open his mouth, he could hear some voices and feel that someone was wiping his sweat, changing his clothes, and feeding him medicine. Feeding porridge, no matter how big or small, everything is done by myself.

He also knew that the man was Ji Si.

Because he slept for too long, when he opened his eyes, Qi Ran was a little dazed, his throat was thirsty, and his sight gradually became clear after a long time, and Ji Si leaned against the bed rail, his head bit by bit, his eyes were blue It's dark, and the lips are dead skin.

Qi Ran stared at the person next to him for a while, then moved his body carefully, Ji Si seemed to feel something, and suddenly opened his eyes, and when he saw Qi Ran, he was stunned, not even daring to blink.

"You..." Ji Si opened his mouth, his throat was a little hoarse, he cleared his throat and said, "Are you thirsty, I'll get you a glass of water."

As he spoke, he got up quickly, and just as he turned around and took a step, Qi Ran said in a hoarse voice: "Ji Si, do you like me?"

Ji Si froze, then turned around, smiled, and said firmly, "Yes."

He likes mountains, rivers and galaxies, and everything in the world, but in front of Qi Ran, the mountains and rivers are flat, the galaxies are dark, and everything is dust.

Yes.

He was delighted with Qi Ran.

Nothing to dare to admit.

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