mtl008 Chapter 428 Poison Scheme
Chapter 428 Poison Scheme
Within half an hour, the main street of Chuzhou City was packed with people.
An elderly man with white hair, leaning on a cane and supported by his grandchildren, moved to the side of the street.
The woman holding the baby was holding freshly steamed cornbread, her eyes filled with anxious anticipation.
The flood victims who had lost their homes in the flood spontaneously emerged from the resettlement sheds. Their clothes still smelled musty, but they stood neatly by the roadside, clutching wild daisies they had picked from the riverbank.
"I heard that Lord Shi was swept away by the flood for three days and three nights while trying to reinforce the structure."
"That's right. At that time, more than a dozen villages downstream were about to be swallowed up. It was then that Lady Shi personally led people to reinforce the dike. She was still directing the work on the dike when the waves came down!"
"The physician said her injuries were severe; she was unconscious for a long time on the way back. If it weren't for His Highness Crown Prince Shen sending people to take care of her day and night, I'm afraid..."
The murmurs were choked with sobs, but most people simply stared silently at the end of the street.
The sun gradually rose overhead, its heat making people's backs burn, yet no one moved an inch.
One child couldn't wait to ask his grandmother, "Grandma, what does Master Shi look like?"
Tears welled up in the cloudy eyes of the white-haired old woman: "She is a fairy sent from heaven to save us, a bodhisattva who loves us more than her own children."
As the carriage slowly approached amidst the crowd's anticipation, the bustling street suddenly fell silent.
The carriage curtain was gently lifted by a slender but pale hand. Shi Wanxia sat up straight against the carriage wall, her blue clothes were washed and faded, and her left arm was wrapped in a thick bandage.
With a bandage on his forehead, his face looked particularly haggard due to blood loss, but his eyes remained clear and bright as autumn water as he looked at the dense crowd of people on the street.
She instinctively tried to stand up and bow, but Choi Ji-ho pressed her shoulder down.
"Lord Shi!"
Someone shouted first, followed by a thunderous response.
"thump--"
With a muffled thud, the white-haired old woman in the front row was the first to kneel down, and the people behind her knelt down in an instant, like wheat waves being blown down by the wind.
In the dense crowd, the screams of children and the sobs of women mingled together, but could not drown out the deafening cry of "Thank you, Lord Xie Shi, for saving my life!"
Shi Wanxia's heart tightened, and she struggled to get out of the car, but Shen Yanzhou's voice came from beside her: "Don't move, you can't move your wound."
The Crown Prince, dressed in a bright yellow casual robe, was steadily supporting her arm. His gaze swept over the kneeling people on the street, and a complex emotion flickered in his eyes.
Cui Zhihao followed closely behind and got out of the car. He cupped his hands in greeting to the crowd and said, "Fellow villagers, please rise. It is only natural for Lord Shi to be working hard for the safety of the people of Chuzhou."
But the people were unwilling to get up.
An old man with a limp crawled a few steps, holding something wrapped in coarse cloth, and cried out, "Lord Shi, this is the last bag of food for my family! You must accept it! If it weren't for your order to distribute the food, my whole family would have starved to death long ago!"
Several more women held their babies high in the air, saying, "This child was rescued from the flood by the adults. Our family will always be grateful for their kindness!"
Looking at the weathered yet sincere faces, Shi Wanxia's eyes welled up with tears.
She leaned forward with difficulty, her voice, though soft, carried clearly through the street: "Chuzhou was able to overcome the difficulties thanks to the support of the imperial court and the mutual assistance of all the villagers. I, Shi Wanxia, have only done what I should have done."
"The floodwaters have receded. The most important thing now is to rebuild our homes. The government will distribute food and medicine as soon as possible. Everyone, get up quickly and let's work together to make our lives better."
Her words were gentle yet powerful, and the people, with the help of guards and yamen runners, slowly rose to their feet.
But his gaze remained fixed on the thin figure in the carriage until it slowly drove into the villa next to the main street.
The crowds on the street had not yet dispersed, and many people spontaneously stood in two rows outside the villa, as if they were guarding their savior.
In the shadows behind the prefectural government office, Yuan Xiaomiao toyed with the jade pendant in his hand, coldly watching the surging crowds on the street, a mocking smile curving his lips.
"Wang Qinian, look at this scene. She is just a young woman, yet she has won the hearts of the people of Chuzhou so completely. She is truly capable."
Wang Qinian, dressed in a blue long robe, appeared refined and cultured, but his eyes concealed a sinister glint: "Lord Yuan, don't forget that the grain and fodder in Chuzhou are prepared for His Highness Prince Rongyang."
"Now that Shi Wanxia has opened the granaries and released most of the supplies, the disaster victims are at ease, but our job is going to be much more difficult."
He paused, lowering his voice even further, "Crown Prince Shen Yanzhou is also here. He trusts Shi Wanxia implicitly. If they find out about the embezzlement of provisions..."
"Investigate? They'd be lucky to find out."
Yuan Xiaomiao sneered, "Shi Wanxia was swept away during the flood relief efforts. It was a golden opportunity, but I didn't expect her to be so lucky and actually get rescued."
“Now she has become a living bodhisattva to the people of Chuzhou, and Shen Yanzhou is protecting her in every way. It’s definitely not going to work if we force her.”
The two exchanged a glance, both seeing ruthlessness in each other's eyes.
Prince Rongyang, plotting a grand scheme, had already laid out his plans in the Jianghuai region. The grain and medicinal herbs of Chuzhou were of paramount importance. He intended to use the charge of "ineffective disaster relief" to bring down the local officials after the flood and then seize the supplies for himself.
However, the arrival of late summer disrupted all plans. She not only successfully organized flood control efforts but also forcibly opened granaries to distribute grain, winning the hearts of the people and making Shen Yanzhou regard her as his right-hand woman.
"Keeping these disaster victims around will only cause trouble in the long run."
Wang Qinian said ominously, "They are grateful for Shi Wanxia's kindness, so they will naturally resent those who withheld the grain and fodder."
"Now that Shi Wanxia is injured and Shen Yanzhou is busy appeasing the people, it is the perfect time for us to make our move."
Yuan Xiaomiao raised an eyebrow: "What do you mean?"
"Create a plague."
Wang Qinian's voice was like a venomous snake spitting its tongue: "Diseases are prone to spread after a flood, and we just need to add fuel to the fire."
“The resettlement sheds in the south of the city are the most crowded. I have already had someone secretly send strips of cloth stained with the plague inside. In a few days, someone will definitely contract the strange disease.”
"Then we'll spread rumors that Shi Wanxia's flood control efforts were divine retribution, that she opened the granaries and released grain, disturbing the earth's energy. In the panic, how could the people remember her kindness?"
"Excellent."
Yuan Xiaomiao clapped his hands, "Once the epidemic spreads, Shen Yanzhou will definitely be in a mess. Then we can 'kindly' offer him the 'special medicine' that only the Prince of Rongyang has, on the condition that he hand over the jurisdiction of Chuzhou."
"If he doesn't hand it over, countless people will die of illness, and he will be held responsible."
“If he hands it over, the Prince of Rongyang will be able to rightfully take over Chuzhou and bring all the grain, herbs and medicinal materials into his possession.”
"As for those troublesome disaster victims... they will naturally be 'resolved' after a plague."
The two discussed the details in hushed tones: how to control the spread of the epidemic, how to frame Shi Wanxia, and how to force Shen Yanzhou to comply.
The shadows fragmented their faces, a stark contrast to the grateful faces of the people standing before the government office not far away.