Late at night, Taiyang City.
"The wind is dry and everything is dry. Be careful of the candles!" The night watchman's voice reverberated throughout Taiyang City, which was shrouded in darkness.
If it were not for the light in the city, it would seem as if the entire city was dead. The thick, ink-like black fog that could not be dispersed made the city, which had just gone through a terrible catastrophe, appear lifeless.
Although more than half a month had passed, every family in the city was still in mourning, and flags were hung on their doors.
After the catastrophe, the Crown Prince had quickly calculated the casualties in Taiyang City. This city, which had a population of about one hundred thousand, had lost nearly one-fifth of its population in this catastrophe. About twenty thousand people had lost their lives, and more than thirty thousand people were injured or seriously ill. They were screaming miserably as they waited for death to embrace them.
The entire city had lost half of its population, and about ten thousand people had died in battle. The number of people killed by the plague had reached eighty percent of the total number of casualties.
With the death of Jue Wuji, the infection rate of the plague had decreased rapidly, and the infected people had been effectively controlled. However, the loss of half of the population had caused the entire city to sink into extreme sorrow and paralysis.
When the Crown Prince was still around, he could still rely on his powerful prestige and administrative skills to forcefully push the officials to govern the ruined city.
However, when the Crown Prince had launched an attack on the capital city due to the Fourth Prince, the Crown Prince had been forced to leave Taiyang City. The entire city had lost its backbone.
The governor, Li Tian, whom the people hated the most, had been reinstated to his position. This news had caused the entire city to fall silent out of fear.
The officials were afraid that Li Tian would seek revenge for their betrayal. The people were even more afraid that Li Tian would take revenge on them for their betrayal.
The governor, Li Tian, was also terrified. He was afraid that he would infuriate the Crown Prince again and lose his position. If that happened, he would be doomed eternally.
After he had been reinstated, Li Tian was at a loss for a long time. He had always been an idiot. The governor's position had been bought with money. He had not even recouped the cost of bribing before he had encountered such a situation. If he had any brains and skills, he would not have done such a crazy and stupid thing.
How could such a person govern a city?
After thinking about it, Li Tian did not dare to trust his colleagues who had added insult to injury after his fall. He had no choice but to find his old advisor. Unfortunately, the middle-aged advisor had died from the plague. Jichen, on the other hand, was alive and well. It was as if good people did not live long, but evil people lived for thousands of years.
"Court Bulletin. On the morning of the nineteenth, after the court meeting, the Left Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Pei Rengui, resigned due to the impeachment. The former Taizhou Governor Qian Shanyue was transferred to the capital to take over …"
In the study of the prefect's mansion, Li Tian's eyes widened as he listened to Jichen read the court bulletin to him. When he heard this, his expression instantly changed to one of fear. "What should we do?
Why couldn't the Crown Prince protect the Left Assistant Minister? "
"Assistant minister," Li "Pei" was "." Li, "Li" Prince, "Li", "Li Pei" was ".". Li Li Li "Pei" was "."
"Moreover, Pei Rengui's impeachment is a political wind vane that will shake the officialdom."
"Although Pei Rengui's position was not very high, he had a bright future ahead of him. He had always been the standard-bearer for the Crown Prince's officials. If he were to fall, it would mean that none of the officials under the Crown Prince's wing would be safe!"
"Moreover, this also meant that the Emperor was slightly displeased with the Crown Prince's actions. Otherwise, he would not have tacitly allowed Pei Rengui to resign after the Emperor was assassinated.
Jichen raised his head and said with a smile, "Boss, don't worry. This storm should end here."
Governor Li Tian blinked his sesame-sized eyes and asked in puzzlement, "What do you mean?"
Jichen spoke frankly with assurance, "Pei Rengui's stepping down is the Crown Prince's way of sacrificing a rook to save the king. Moreover, Pei Rengui has only stepped down and has not been pursued for his crimes. Moreover, he has been transferred to Hanlin Academy as a lecturer and has not been far from the Divine Capital. This can be considered as the Crown Prince's protection for him. It's only a matter of time before he makes a comeback."
However, in Governor Li Tian's opinion, being transferred to Hanlin Academy as a lecturer meant that he had been exiled. What was there to live in such a bitter and cold place that did not have any benefits?
Li Tian's countenance turned bitter as he asked, "What about me?
Will I really not be pursued? "
Jichen said, "If Old Sir can help the Crown Prince solve his problems, then you'll definitely be able to sleep peacefully!"
Li Tian's spirit stirred as he asked, "Oh?
How can I help the Crown Prince solve his problems? "
Jichen said, "Of course, I'll be loyal to the Crown Prince. I'll be anxious and worried about the Crown Prince's worries!"
Li Tian immediately knelt down and kowtowed in the direction of the Divine Capital. "I'm loyal to the Crown Prince. I'll do anything for him!" He then raised his head and looked anxiously at Jichen, saying, "What should I do?
Advisor, please show me the right path. I'll definitely thank you handsomely in the future! "
A hint of disdain quickly flashed in Jichen's eyes, but he quickly hid it and said, "Old Sir, you just need to think about what His Highness hopes to see the most and what he doesn't."
Li Tian's face was filled with confusion as if he had fallen into a cloud. He opened his mouth but could not say a word.
The disdain in Jichen's eyes intensified. He lowered his head and said respectfully, "Right now, what the Crown Prince hopes to see the most is that Taiyang's matter will no longer disturb him. What he fears the most is that the matter in Taiyang City will once again spread and become something that the Fourth Prince can use against him!
"Therefore, Old Sir only needs to manage Taiyang well, and you'll be able to share the Crown Prince's worries. You'll be able to make up for your mistakes!"
Li Tian was overjoyed. He quickly got up and bowed deeply to Jichen. "I'm slow-witted. I'll have to trouble Advisor then!"
Jichen smiled and nodded. He returned the bow and said, "I'll do my best until my last breath!"
The two of them chatted for a while more before Jichen got up to bid farewell. Li Tian reluctantly held Jichen's hand and sent him to the door before leaving.
However, Jichen was not moved at all. He had long seen through this stupid, cold-blooded, and selfish governor. Previously, when his colleague's advisor was infected with a plague, Li Tian did not care about him at all. Even after knowing that the advisor had died, Li Tian did not pay him a single copper coin for his funeral and treated him like a pair of worn out shoes.
This naturally made Ji Chen grieve for the death of a rabbit. Creatures grieve for their own kind.
"But if I don't do something for this stupid pig, where will I find a chance to stand up for myself?"
Jichen stood on the empty, pitch-black street. He was at a loss. There was a ball of fire burning in his heart, but he did not know where it should go.
At this moment, a shrill scream suddenly rang out in the darkness of Taiyang City. Soon after, a commotion broke out in the eastern corner of the city.
"Monster, there's a monster!"
Even though he was far away, Jichen could still hear it clearly.
For Taiyang City, which had just suffered a catastrophe, to be attacked by a monster again, it was truly a case of when it rains, when it pours, it pours again. Misfortune never comes alone!