Chapter 117: I Have a Serious Illness

Li Zhe's white robe had been stained by the soil and had lost its original color. He covered his mouth and nose with a towel soaked in white vinegar. In the huge pit in front of him, several corpses were stacked layer by layer, and they seemed to have been dead for some time. The coroners and soldiers who had been recruited beside him were vomiting profusely. Li Zhe frowned and looked at Pan Yueqing and the others who were riding towards him.

As soon as Pan Yueqing dismounted her horse, without having time for pleasantries, she blurted out, "What's going on?"

The gloom in Li Zhe's eyes didn't dissipate at all. He threw her a towel and pointed into the pit. "Take a look for yourself."

Pan Yueqing covered her mouth and nose and peeked into the pit. Just one glance made her take several steps back.

Those people were dead, and their death conditions were not just terrifying. There was not much obvious decay. Their skin had turned blue-purple, and their flesh and blood vessels had been gnawed by ants and insects and were exposed under the skin because they were buried in the soil. What was even more terrifying was that there were snowflake-like marks on the skin of all the corpses.

"This..." Pan Yueqing turned around. Before she could say anything, Qi Si'an grabbed her hand and pulled her back. Qi Si'an was quick-eyed and quick-handed. He drew his sword and made a neat slash at the ground beside Pan Yueqing's foot. Following the light of the sword, a centipede that had been cut into two pieces was wriggling on the ground. It was still persistently moving towards them.

"Step back!" Li Zhe stood up. He sprinkled a handful of cyan powder. Seeing the centipede turn into a puddle of purple water, he raised his eyes and said seriously to Pan Yueqing, "The thing I was most worried about has still happened."

The plague.

Pan Yueqing took a deep breath. The air was so quiet that it made people feel cold inside. The sound of water was particularly obvious. She cursed loudly without caring about her image. She raised her eyes and said to the soldiers who had recovered their breath beside her, "Where is the water source nearby?!"

That son of a bitch, Qian Cheng! He actually buried all the corpses in areas with valleys and rivers. The water was continuously flowing into the places where the common people lived. If a plague broke out, the consequences would be unimaginable. Sure enough, it was too lenient to execute him by lingchi!

"Most of the water sources here are underground rivers. There is one not far beneath your feet," Li Zhe looked at the pit of corpses. "This is what bothers me the most. When did the plague start, and how many people have drunk this water?"

"It's the Western City District!" Pan Yueqing quickly unfolded the sheepskin map around her waist, identified the location, and raised her head. "I'll go and control the situation now!" She couldn't let the common people who had drunk this water leave casually. After saying that, she quickly mounted her horse and rode away without waiting for Qi Si'an to react.

When the two of them arrived at the Western City District, the common people were gathered around the only well, chatting casually with Pan Haiyun and Lin Shuzhi, who happened to be patrolling there. Moreover, since the court's supplies had arrived and they had been given wheat cakes, everyone was holding the cakes and drawing water from the well, chatting as usual. The atmosphere was harmonious. "Sir, try this water. It's really sweet!"

"Okay, okay." The two of them held a bowl of freshly drawn water in their hands. Seeing the hospitable appearance of the common people, they were delighted and were about to take a sip of the water in their hands.

"Father! Uncle Lin! Don't..." Pan Yueqing saw the actions of Pan Haiyun and the other from a distance and immediately shouted. This water must have flowed from that place! Although she shouted, it was still difficult to stop them. Pan Yueqing gritted her teeth and rushed towards Pan Haiyun in a panic.

Suddenly, two sharp sounds of weapons cutting through the air were heard. Two shurikens flew past Pan Yueqing and directly broke the bowls in Pan Haiyun's and Lin Shuzhi's hands. The water in the bowls splashed all over Pan Haiyun when the bowls shattered. Pan Yueqing instinctively turned around. It was Qi Si'an who had pulled the reins of the horse, and his hand was still in the posture of throwing the shuriken. His pale face was flushed unhealthily. As he gasped for breath and gradually calmed down, he said, "You go ahead. Don't worry about me."

The common people looked at each other in surprise. Pan Yueqing saw Grandma Sun, who was drawing water from the well and chatting with others beside her. She snatched the water from Grandma Sun's hand and threw it on the ground. "Don't drink it!"

"Everyone, don't drink it!" Pan Yueqing shouted anxiously. Seeing everyone's stunned expressions, she became anxious and pointed at the well and ordered the soldiers behind her, "Come on, fill this well! Digging wells is not allowed in the Western City District!"

"Why?" Although they understood that this young man had been working hard for the common people of Suoyue City and had also heard that the conviction of the corrupt official Qian Cheng was a plan set by the young master of Prime Minister Pan's family, for the people of Suoyue City who relied on the government for their livelihood and food supplies, cutting off the water supply in any place was simply a matter of life and death!

Hearing the various questions from the common people, Pan Yueqing gritted her back teeth. She couldn't tell them the whole truth about the plague. If she did, these common people who had just settled down would immediately fall into a panic, which was something she didn't want to see even more.

"There's no reason." Before Pan Yueqing could speak, Qi Si'an said in a solemn voice. He stood with his hands behind his back. Seeing that the common people unconsciously made way for him because of his imposing manner, he stood upright, and every word he said was beyond doubt.

"We pay our respects to His Highness, the Prince of Xiangyang!" Pan Haiyun suppressed the strange feeling in his heart. Looking at Qi Si'an with a serious expression, he cupped his hands and bowed. After Pan Haiyun's action, Lin Shuzhi and Pan Yueqing also knelt on one knee.

The common people subconsciously followed Prime Minister Pan and the others to bow. Then, when they heard who it was, they realized that it was the Prince of Xiangyang! He was the future crown prince!

Qi Si'an's face was still pale. He softened his tone. "Get up, everyone."

Seeing that everyone had stood up, Qi Si'an didn't wait for the common people to speak and said, "I and Qing... Young Master Pan have discovered that someone has buried poison outside the city. The underground river flows directly to the Western City District. Please rest assured that the government will definitely ensure your daily water supply. This is for your own good." "Of course, if any of you feel unwell, please tell me as soon as possible. I will definitely protect you all. You are all subjects of the Northern Qi. I won't give up on any subject of the Northern Qi," Qi Si'an paused.

Since witnessing the execution of the corrupt official Qian Cheng, the common people of Suoyue City had an extremely good impression of the officials from the capital. These people also understood what this young man, who didn't seem to be in good health, represented. They all knelt down again and shouted "Long live".

Pan Yueqing met Pan Haiyun's gaze. "Father, I have something important to report."

"Let's go inside and talk." Pan Haiyun naturally understood that what Pan Yueqing was going to say next should not be a trivial matter. He took a deep look at the common people around him and slightly shook his head. "Don't cause a panic."

Unexpectedly, when the four of them lifted the tent beside them and walked in, Qi Si'an, who was walking in front of Pan Yueqing, suddenly staggered and put his hand on Pan Yueqing's hand, deliberately or not. The force was so great that Pan Yueqing almost couldn't support him.

"I'll be fine in a while..." There was a hint of helplessness and a bit of a coquettish tone in Qi Si'an's voice.

"Your Highness!" Pan Haiyun quickly reached out his hand when he saw this. "Let me help you, Your Highness."

Qi Si'an closed his eyes and held Pan Yueqing's hand even tighter.

"Father, it's okay," Pan Yueqing smiled. When Pan Haiyun left, looking completely confused, Pan Yueqing reached out and pinched Qi Si'an's wrist and lowered her voice. "Stop pretending. Your pulse is strong!"

"I have a serious illness," Qi Si'an closed his eyes and said lazily in a low voice. "It's true."