amaotonovel Chapter 1116 Blocking the Canal!
Chapter 1116 Blocking the Canal!
Block the canal!
This supreme decree from the capital, from the Empress herself, was like a bolt from the blue, instantly causing a huge uproar throughout the entire Jiangnan region.
Panic began to spread like a plague.
"Have you heard? Someone has poisoned the canal! Anyone who drinks the water will die within three days, their intestines will rupture and their body will rot!"
"Really? That's terrifying?!"
"It's absolutely true! My second uncle's neighbor's cousin works in the government office, and he said it himself! The government is in complete chaos right now!"
"Oh my god! What will we drink from now on? How can we survive without water?!"
Various rumors, mixed with the people's most genuine fears, are fermenting in every corner of the city.
Rice and water prices began to soar at an incredible rate.
Some unscrupulous merchants began hoarding goods and profiting from the national crisis.
Some thugs even took advantage of the chaos to loot, and small-scale riots and conflicts occurred from time to time.
The entire Jiangnan region is like a giant powder keg, ready to explode at the slightest spark.
However, just when everyone thought that Jiangnan was about to fall into an unprecedented chaos, the second and third imperial edicts arrived one after another with overwhelming force!
Open the granaries and distribute the grain!
When the gates of the government granary were suddenly opened before the people, and when the sacks of snow-white rice, piled high, were distributed free of charge to every hungry person, everyone was stunned.
They originally thought the imperial court would take the opportunity to raise grain prices, but to their surprise, they received free grain!
What followed was something even more unbelievable.
The government posted a notice announcing that any unscrupulous merchants who take advantage of the situation to inflate prices and hoard goods will be executed along with their entire families and their property confiscated once verified!
That afternoon, several rice shop owners who were usually the most arrogant and domineering were dragged out of their warm beds by the ruthless soldiers. In front of the crowd, their crimes were verified, and they were beheaded on the spot!
The bloody human head instantly stunned all those with ill intentions!
Soaring prices immediately plummeted.
Then came larger-scale operations.
Countless soldiers, yamen runners, and laborers, led by officials, took to the streets and began digging deep wells throughout the city!
"Fellow villagers! His Majesty has decreed that the court will never abandon any of its citizens! Until a new, clean water source is found, all drinking water will be supplied by the government! Don't panic! Don't be chaotic! The court is here for you!"
Li Deming, the prefect of Yangzhou, who was nearly sixty years old, personally took a copper megaphone and stood on the well-digging site, shouting at the top of his lungs to the onlookers.
His official robes were covered in mud, his voice was hoarse, and his face was full of fatigue, but his eyes shone with an astonishing brightness.
When the people saw this prefect, who was usually pampered and privileged, standing in the mud just like them, running around and shouting for their livelihood, the resentment they felt due to fear and rumors instantly vanished, replaced by deep emotion and trust.
"The imperial court did not lie to us! His Majesty has not abandoned us!"
"Lord Li is a good official!"
"We...we'll help too! The sooner we find water, the sooner we can have peace of mind!"
It's unclear who first shouted it out, but soon after, countless people spontaneously joined the well-digging team.
Some of them went home to get tools, while others dug with their bare hands. Men, women, young and old, all worked together.
A powerful force, born from the collective will of the people, is rising across the entire Jiangnan region!
Suzhou, inn.
Murong Yan sat at the table, wearing a phoenix descending to earth dress, with a five-foot trailing train that was messily spread on the ground behind her.
She listened quietly to the latest reports sent back by Du Ruhui and officials from various regions through the "Night Owl" channel.
Her face still showed signs of fatigue, but her phoenix eyes shone with a light of relief and pride.
She knew that she had already won half the battle in this war with people's hearts.
She did not rely on military suppression or bloody massacres.
What she relied on was the credibility of imperial power, the responsibility of the court, and the most basic determination to share the same breath and destiny with her people.
"Your Majesty is wise!" Du Ruhui looked at the young empress before him, his heart filled with sincere admiration.
He now truly understood why she had insisted on coming to Jiangnan in person.
Because only she, only this empress who cared for all the people, could have such a powerful appeal at this most critical moment, and could reunite the people who were on the verge of collapse!
"Prime Minister Du, now is not the time to be happy." Murong Yan's face showed no sign of relaxation. "Although the people's hearts have been stabilized for the time being, the real crisis has not yet been resolved. Has there been any news from my husband yet?"
When Lin Zhen was mentioned, a hint of worry appeared on Du Ruhui's face.
"Your Majesty, not yet. After the Prince and his entourage entered the deep mountains where the Kong family's ancestral home is located, they lost contact with us. It seems that the complex terrain in the mountains hindered the 'Night Owl's' communication method."
Murong Yan's heart clenched once again.
She knew that sometimes, no news was more agonizing than bad news.
She walked to the window, gazing at the distant, rolling, dark green mountains, and silently prayed.
My husband, you must come back safely.
Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away from Suzhou, in a desolate, uninhabited mountain area.
Lin Zhen is facing an unprecedented crisis.
The Kong family's ancestral home wasn't hard to find. But when Lin Zhen led "Night Owl" to the location, they discovered it was completely deserted. The entire house had been set up as a massive, interconnected trap!
Poison gas, quicksand, trapdoors, crossbow bolts...
Various insidious and vicious mechanisms are constantly emerging, making them impossible to guard against.
Even though the Night Owl's assassins were seasoned veterans, they still paid a heavy price during the mission.
When Lin Zhen finally led the remaining few dozen men to the ancestral hall deep within the ancestral home, he realized that the real test had only just begun.
In the center of the ancestral hall stood a massive octagonal stone platform. The platform was covered with densely packed, strange characters resembling tadpoles. The antidote was hidden within a mechanism on the platform.
To obtain the prescription, one must unravel this age-old, intractable trap set by the art of Qimen Dunjia!
Even more alarming, they discovered a already cold corpse in a corner of the ancestral hall.
—It was Zhao Si, the assassin sent by Kong Zhiqian to poison the body.
He is dead.
Beside his body, there was a line of words written in blood:
"Lin Zhen, the game has only just begun."