Just as Li Chengfeng was stirring up a storm in the Divine Capital, a plague broke out without any warning in the faraway Taiyang City.
Early in the morning, the east gate of Taiyang City was opened. Carriages came out from the gate one after another. The guards all stayed far away from them as if they were avoiding ghosts. They didn't even dare to take a glance at the carriages.
Inside the carriage sat a coachman who was completely wrapped up. Only his eyes were exposed. Behind the coachman, the carriage was dragging a flatbed cart. On top of the cart, there were corpses piled up like a small hill. They were piled up haphazardly without any order or dignity.
When they died, not only did they not get a coffin or a cemetery, they did not even get a piece of burial cloth. They could only be dragged by horse carriages one by one and buried in a huge mass grave three miles away from Taiyang City.
Almost no one knew why the plague, which had been suppressed, suddenly broke out again. The patients who were supposed to be cured quickly fell ill. Some even vomited and had diarrhea within a day. Some even had blisters and pus oozing out of their bodies. They died of a rotten stench.
This terrifying plague was even more violent than the plague that Jue Wuji had spread. Everyone in Taiyang City was in a state of panic. The citizens wanted to escape in a frenzy.
The city turned into a terrifying ghost city at a speed that could be seen with the naked eye!
"What should we do?!
What should we do?! "
Prefect Li Tian paced back and forth in the main hall of the Prefect Residence. His expression was anxious and fearful. He had heard about the situation outside, but he did not even have the courage to go out and take a look.
"Grand Master, say something!!"
Li Tian suddenly stopped and stomped his feet as he shouted at Jichen, who was standing next to him with his hands behind his back.
Jichen lowered his head. His expression was also filled with pain, anger, and resentment.
As the person involved, he could vaguely guess what was going on with this sudden plague …
It seemed like the plague had suddenly broken out after the demon disappeared!
He initially thought that … he could capture the demon and earn some merit. Now, not only did he not manage to catch the fish, he even got himself into trouble!
Why was his life so full of misfortune?
Why did the heavens treat him so unfairly?
Just as Ji Chen was crying out in grief and indignation in his heart, he suddenly noticed a fat figure stomping his feet in front of him. Ji Chen's fingers were almost poking into his eyes. That was when he snapped back to his senses and Li Tian's cries became clearer in his ears.
"Say something!
Grand Master, what should we do now? "
"Why don't we run?
The plague broke out in the city, and more than a thousand people died in one day!
If this drags on, everyone in the city will die in a few days!! "
Upon hearing the word "escape," Jichen immediately turned pale with fright. He cupped his hands and said, "Sir, you can't! You absolutely can't!!"
Li Tian raged, "Are we just going to sit here and wait for death?!"
Ji Chen said, "Sir, if you abandon the city and flee, there will be no place for you in this world!
Not only will the Crown Prince not be able to protect you, even if Milord wants to rely on the Fourth Prince, the Fourth Prince will not be able to protect you! "
Li Tianbei sat on the ground and burst into tears. "I can't do this, I can't do that. Doesn't that mean the heavens want me dead?"
With that, he said with grief and indignation, "If I can't live, none of you can!!"
"Men! Men!!" Li Tian jumped up and roared angrily.
Fortunately, after the Crown Prince reorganized Taiyang City, the administrative power of the entire government was greatly increased. The deterrence and cohesiveness left by the Crown Prince had not dissipated. Otherwise, with Governor Li Tian's prestige and character, all the officials in Taiyang City would have run away by now!
Soon, a servant came in. Li Tian waved his arms and roared, "Pass down my order, seal off Taiyang City, no one is allowed to escape!!"
The servant was shocked. He quickly and carefully glanced at Jichen. Seeing that Jichen didn't say anything, he turned around and ran away.
Jichen quickly said, "Wait, I'll go with you!"
Jichen quickly found an opportunity to run away. He didn't want to stay in the Governor's Mansion for even a second. Although the Governor's Mansion was the safest place, Jichen quickly said.
Staying there, Jichen felt like he was in a coffin.
It was obvious that Tai Yang had become a dead end. Even he himself had fallen into a trap, unable to advance or retreat!
Staying here was obviously a dead end. Even if he didn't get infected by the plague, if everyone in the city died, Governor Li Tian would be held responsible, and they wouldn't be able to get away with it.
But if he ran away, he would be held responsible!
Neglecting his duty, treating human life like grass, abandoning the city and running away, any one of them was a capital offense!
This was a hopeless situation where he could neither advance nor retreat!
Jichen's heart was heavy. He looked up at the sky and felt that although the world was big, there was no place for him. He wanted to leave Li Tian, but he didn't know where to go!
It wasn't easy for him to climb to this position. If he left Li Tian alone, not only would his reputation be ruined, but he would also have to start from scratch …
This was no different from destroying Jichen's political life!
Jichen's footsteps were heavy. Just as he walked to the corner of the street, he suddenly saw a person standing in front of him. He looked up and saw that the person was dressed in black with his hands clasped behind his back. The person was sizing him up.
Jichen's eyes were very sharp. He could tell that this person was definitely not from Taiyang City.
Firstly, he had been here for many years, so he knew all the officials and merchants in Taiyang City. Secondly … he could see fear and confusion in the eyes of almost everyone in Taiyang City.
Only the person in front of him didn't have any fear in his eyes. Instead, he was scrutinizing him.
Who was this person?
The only thing Jichen could be sure of was that this person was most likely an official, or at least someone related to the city. Moreover, this person was coming for him. Otherwise, he wouldn't be scrutinizing him like this.
Why would this person … come for him at this time?
No, the most important thing was, who was interested in him? Why was he coming for him?
If he had evil intentions, there was no need to scrutinize him like this!
First of all, the Crown Prince could be ruled out. He had just left not long ago, so if he wanted to use him to recruit him, then the most likely person was …
Jichen was a person who dared to think and act. Previously, he dared to bring a few bailiffs to catch a demon, which showed how daring he was!
Jichen tidied up his clothes, stepped forward, and bowed deeply to the person. "Jichen greets Your Highness!"
The person was a middle-aged man in his forties. When he heard Jichen's words, his expression changed drastically. He blurted out in shock, "How do you know that I'm His Highness's man?"
Jichen smiled. "At this time, those who dare to enter Taiyang City and are interested in it are either the Crown Prince or the Fourth Prince's men, unless they're here to interrogate someone.
If you wanted to interrogate me, you would've done so long ago. Why are you looking at me like this?
When the Crown Prince was in Taiyang, I was fortunate enough to follow him for a period of time. If the Crown Prince wanted to recruit me, he would've done so long ago. Why wait until today?
Therefore, you can only be His Highness's man! "
The middle-aged man was shocked. He stared at Jichen and slowly nodded. "That's right. Greetings, Your Highness.
Come with me. This is not the place to talk! "
Jichen was excited. He realized that it was time for him to change his fate!
Moreover, he had already guessed the reason why the Fourth Prince had come here and looked for him!
There was no other reason than to betray Li Tian and make the Crown Prince a scapegoat!