"The city is locked down, locked down, no one is allowed in or out."

The heavy city gate was lowered, separating the inside and outside into two worlds.

"Let me out, I want to get out!"

After the news of the city lockdown spread, many wealthy families immediately attempted to escape with their families.

But they were mercilessly stopped at the city gate.

One person yelled, and everyone yelled; in an instant, there was a vast sea of heads.

They heard the news: the city is locked down, the whole city will die here.

The hopeless citizens lying in bed could only shed tears, while those with the means managed to procure carriages to try and rush out of the city.

In the end, they were still a step too late.

"What you’re doing is wrong; we will file a petition to the Emperor."

"We want out; we don’t want to die here."

"Whoever prevents us from living will not live either."

"This was all ordered by that wicked official Zhao Minglang; let’s find him."

"Yes, let’s go to the Governor Mansion to find him."

"Let’s go, anyone who wants to survive, fight with me to kill the wicked official Zhao Minglang."

On the city gate, Zhao Minglang, wearing a simple soldier’s outfit and a white cloth mask, looked on coldly.

"As expected, the troublemakers are causing trouble."

Zhao Minglang had been on guard for this.

Those making the loudest noise were Governor Sun’s dogs!

Governor Sun was being escorted to the capital for trial, while his entire family awaited judgment in prison.

His minions likely wanted to use this opportunity to stir up trouble, prepared to go down fighting.

"Sir, let me take some men to arrest him."

"Not now."

At this critical juncture, inciting the people against the Imperial Envoy was exceedingly harmful.

And unfortunately, many ignorant citizens believed it.

Sending people to capture him now would fall into their trap.

"But sir, this cannot go on."

"Deal with it discreetly."

Killing such scum directly is too light a punishment.

"Yes, sir."

Watching Zhao Minglang step forward, the guard was very concerned.

"Sir..."

"I’ll say a few words."

"Sir, it’s dangerous."

"It’s alright; I’m wearing armor. I’m just here to explain the reasons for locking down the city and shutting the gates."

"Sir..."

In the end, the guard couldn’t persuade him.

Zhao Minglang stood above the city gate, looking at the surging crowd of distressed citizens. Seeing the flow of people crying and screaming made his heart feel heavy.

Chun Ning was right; this, too, was a form of danger.

"My fellow townsmen, please return home. Go back and cooperate by staying indoors. We’re battling an epidemic here. What good will it do even if you leave the city?"

"Who do you plan to turn to? Who would risk their life to help you? Once they know you’ve come from this city, they will only shun, resent, and beat you to death, because you’d bring the plague to them and harm them..."

"If you have relatives or friends outside the city, you’d take the plague to them. Isn’t that harming them?"

As soon as Zhao Minglang finished speaking, the initially chattering crowd really quieted down.

"We must save ourselves by locking down the city, shutting the gates, and staying indoors."

Zhao Minglang said, "There’s another Imperial Envoy, Lord Xiao, the direct grandson of Doctor Xiao, who possesses the Xiao family’s ancestral remedy. It will cure this disease. We must trust the Emperor and the court."

"This white cloth mask was specially requested from the Emperor by Lord Xiao. According to Doctor Xiao’s medical notes, where there’s disaster, there is plague, and one must wear a mask for it. It’s because you haven’t used them that the epidemic spread so widely."

"Lord Xiao also requested many anti-epidemic materials from the Emperor, which are on their way."

"Folks, please heed the advice, stay indoors for seven days, after which the situation in the city will certainly improve."

The crowd pondered and agreed the soldier made sense.

Then some people began to make their way back.

At least here, there’s still a home; even the shelters provided by the government are home.

Moreover, the government has provided wasteland for families to cultivate, exempting them from taxes for three years—where else can you find such good fortune?

The government even purchased many vegetable seeds for them to plant, which have already sprouted green leaves in the fields and will be ready to eat in about ten days or half a month.

Here, doctors have medicine to provide; outside the city, they would have to pay for medicine with silver.

They barely have enough to eat, let alone buy medicine?

Thinking it over, and of course seeing the gate really can’t be opened, they decided to return home.

People are like that; motivated by crowd mentality—someone wanting to leave, everyone wants to leave; someone willing to return, everyone follows suit.

Seeing the crowd surging back toward the city, those few started to incite again.

"Don’t listen to him; he’s a lackey of the Zhao family, he’s lying. Only by breaking through the gates will we have a chance to survive."

"Yes, everyone don’t be misled, if we don’t go out, we’ll die here."

"I don’t want to die."

"If we don’t leave the city, we’ll all die."

"Exactly, exactly, we must leave the city."

On the city wall, the guard angrily drew his sword.

"Sir, let me deal with him."

"Don’t act rashly."

Executing him in front of the populace now would only cause greater panic.

"Folks, look around you. Whoever is urging you to leave the city, capture him. Stick with him; he must have plenty of food outside the city, and if you follow him, you won’t go hungry."

Right, he must have food; if we leave the city, we’ll survive. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

We depend on the government for food rations; how will we live if we leave?

"Right, right, it’s him telling us to leave the city; capture him, follow him outside, eat his food..."

Who doesn’t want to survive? Hearing this idea, the crowd naturally captured those who were the loudest.

"Ha ha, capturing him is useless."

An elder laughed at the captured young man, "You want to leave the city, go ahead. I’m not planning on leaving; I’m just here for the spectacle."

"Elder, why do you say capturing him is useless?"

"He’s Qu Sangou, a lazy and poor troublemaker from our village. Whoever gives him benefits, he speaks for them," the elder said, "He’ll serve whoever feeds him; today he’s loudly urging you to leave the city. If you really leave the city, what do you think will happen?"

"So that’s how it is. I knew it; they’ve been calling to leave the city because they received benefits."

"What a scoundrel."

"Beat them, beat these scoundrels to death."

No one could stop the angry crowd.

The few agitators were captured and beaten by the citizens.

Initially planning to leave, it turned directly into beating people.

Even the onlookers joined in, each shouting "Beat him to death; he’s harming us."

"Sir..."

"Excellent."

The world’s quickest way to kill is to borrow a knife and borrow others; without tainting themselves with blood.

"Sir, truly brilliant."

"I only hope these citizens will return and truly follow orders to lock down the city, shut the gates, and stay indoors."

In this surge of people, who knows how many more will catch the plague—just hope that Chun Ning’s ancestral remedy will be effective.