In the early morning, the sun shines on the streets of Qingzhou, bringing a hint of warmth to this city that has been tortured by the plague.
Many people gathered in front of the governor's mansion, and they knelt quietly, with solemnity and dignity.
There was a thin layer of morning mist on the ground at the gate of the mansion, as if the earth was silently telling the sufferings of the past.
These people looked haggard and their eyes revealed deep self-blame and regret.
Cheng Yu slowly walked out of the governor's mansion, and his figure looked particularly tall in the sun.
He looked at the people in front of him quietly.
"What are you doing?"
An old man spoke first.
"Mr. Cheng, we used to put all the blame on you, but it was really not worth it. We knew we were wrong and hope you can forgive us."
Cheng Yu smiled slightly and said, "My fellow villagers, everyone had resentment at that time, which was also human nature. I have never blamed everyone."
At this time, a young woman stood up.
Her voice trembled a little.
"Mr. Cheng, we will never forget your kindness. We will never be anxious when we encounter any problems in the future."
Cheng Yu nodded and continued, "This time the plague was solved, not my own contribution, but the Prime Minister's strategy and reasonable arrangements so that the plague was controlled. I was just executing his orders."
A middle-aged man said excitedly: "Mr. Cheng, you and Prime Minister Xi are our benefactors. We will always remember this kindness."
Cheng Yu smiled and said, "Everyone, get up quickly and go back and live a good life. As long as we are united, there are no difficulties that cannot be overcome."
The people stood up one after another.
There is a market in Qingzhou, which is very lively.
The people gathered together and excitedly discussed the construction of a temple for Xi Yu.
Among the crowd, an old man whispered: "We should build a sanctuary for Prime Minister of the Moscow to express our gratitude!"
Everyone responded and began to raise funds enthusiastically.
At the same time, Xi Yu learned about the news in the governor's mansion.
He sat in the study, frowning slightly, but his heart was filled with thoughts.
He asked Cheng Yu to send someone to pass on messages to the people and prohibited this.
Cheng Yu sent someone to convey the meaning of Xi Yu.
"My fellow villagers, the Prime Minister asked us to pass on the message. He did not need to live in the temple. He understood everyone's feelings."
Xi Yu remembered the infamous Wei Zhongxian, and had many temples.
But so what?
He knew the illusion of power and reputation, and did not want himself to fall into such a vortex.
He did not do things for fame and fortune. He only hoped to do things for the people.
At night, the bright moon hangs high, sprinkling a cool light.
Xi Yu stood in front of the window and stared into the distance.
Cheng Yu hurried over with helplessness in his tone.
"Master Prime Minister, although his subordinates have ordered to stop him, the people still secretly build your temple."
Xi Yu frowned slightly, and after a moment of silence, he said, "Well, I have to issue a law that explicitly prohibits anyone from building a temple for living officials. If there are any violations, they must be punished."
At the foot of a mountain outside the city, the people were busy building Xi Yu's temple.
Suddenly, an official came with a group of soldiers and read out the newly issued law.
The people looked at each other and finally stopped building helplessly.
An old man sighed: "The Prime Minister is so noble! He does not seek fame and fortune, but only wants to seek welfare for us."
The other person also echoed: "Yes, we admire and praise Lord Xi Yu even more!"
The next day, Xi Yu said to Cheng Yu slowly: "It's time for me to leave Qingzhou. I'm going to go to Quanzhou to take a look."
However, what Xi Yu did not expect was that when he stepped out of the city gate, many people sent their own trips.
The people surrounded Xi Yu.
An old man said excitedly: "Sir, we remember your kindness in our hearts. May you be safe all the way." His eyes were full of gratitude and reluctance.
Xi Yu was moved. He bowed deeply and said gratefully: "Thank you all the villagers. I will definitely remember this deep friendship."
Cheng Yu stood aside and looked at this touching scene, his heart was filled with emotion and admiration.
Two days later, Xi Yu came to Quanzhou.
A soldier guarding the city came up and said respectfully: "Sir, you are here."
Xi Yu nodded with a smile and asked, "How is the situation here?"
The soldier replied: "Sir, the whole province has restored its usual order, as if nothing has happened."
A happy smile appeared on Xi Yu's face.
There was a glimmer of excitement in his eyes, and he couldn't help but mutter to himself: "That's great, it's great."
The soldier smiled and said, "Sir, you have always cared about the people. Now that you are safe and sound in the whole province, I believe you are very happy."
"This is my duty. I feel at ease when the people live and work in peace."
When Xi Yu stepped into the county government, Ma Lin immediately knelt on his knees and greeted respectfully: "Welcome to the Lord!"
His face was filled with awe.
Xi Yu smiled and stepped forward, helped Malin up, and said gently: "Malin, there is no need to be so polite. This time, you did a good job. You have made great contributions to the whole province being able to restore order so quickly this time." Xi Yu praised.
Ma Lin shook his head in panic and said humbly: "My lord is a mistake. Everything is planned and Dr. Song Shuwen has excellent medical skills. The villain really dares not take credit."
At this time, Song Shuwen and Guan Yu also came over and saluted Xi Yu.
After a while, Xi Yu exchanged greetings with Guan Yu and Song Shuwen, he decided to say, "We will leave here tomorrow, let's have a drink together to celebrate tonight."
Everyone nodded, with an excited look on their faces.
On the other side, Liu Bei was lying on the bed and continued to pretend to be sick.
This day, he was not attacked by the Xianbei and Liu Maohai again.
He breathed a sigh of relief, a hint of relaxation revealed in his eyes.
The servant beside him asked with concern: "Master, do you feel better?"
Liu Bei nodded slightly and said softly: "It's much better, but this war is worrying."
His eyes looked into the distance, as if he was thinking about something.
Suddenly, Liu Bei sat up and made up his mind to say, "Get the paper and pen quickly, I want to write a letter to the Prime Minister."
The attendant quickly prepared the paper and pen. Liu Bei held the pen and pondered for a moment, and began to write.
His brushstrokes are firm and powerful.
After writing the letter, Liu Bei sighed with relief, handed the letter to the servant, and instructed: "Be sure to send this letter to the Prime Minister as soon as possible."
The next day, the sun was shining, and Xi Yu, Guan Yu and Song Shuwen walked side by side, with joyful smiles on their faces, which was completely different from the dull mood when they came.
At noon, they came to a teahouse and were about to rest. Xi Yu was looking around, but suddenly, his eyes were frozen on a familiar figure.
It's Tuoba Yu,
Xi Yu was secretly surprised.
Tuoba Yu also saw them, with a look of surprise on his face, and quickly walked towards Xi Yu.
Tuoba Yu came to Xi Yu and said excitedly: "Brother, I really thank you so much! That night, thank you to you sent me drunk to the inn, otherwise I wouldn't know what would happen."
Xi Yu responded with a smile: "A small matter, as long as you're fine."
Tuoba Yu's face was full of gratitude, and a light flashed in her eyes.
"I have always wanted to find an opportunity to thank you, but I didn't expect to meet you here."
Xi Yu waved his hand.
"Don't be so polite. When you go out, you are all friends."
Guan Yu and Song Shuwen watched this scene from the side and smiled with relief.
Tuoba Yu and Xi Yu exchanged a few more greetings, and the teahouse was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
Tuoba Yu suddenly said anxiously: "Brother, I want to follow you."
Xi Yu was slightly stunned, with a look of surprise on his face. He looked at Tuoba Yu and asked in confusion: "Follow me?"
Tuoba Yu bit her lip, and a trace of pain and helplessness flashed across her face. She slowly said: "I know, but I really have nowhere to go now, and..."
She paused, and her eyes showed sincere emotions, "I treat you as a true friend, and I believe you can understand me."
Xi Yu frowned slightly, looked at Tuoba Yu in confusion and said, "Why do you want to follow me?"
Tuoba Yu gently bit his lower lip, and a trace of firmness and helplessness appeared in his eyes.
She said slowly, "Yes, you know my identity, my brother... He drove away my beloved man, and now I feel bored in everything I do. If you treat me as a friend, take me away."
Tuoba Yu's voice was filled with a hint of pleading.
Xi Yu looked at Tuoba Yu's firm eyes and felt a little moved in his heart. He sighed and said, "Okay, since you trust me so much, I'll take you with you."
A joyful smile suddenly appeared on Tuoba Yu's face.
She grabbed Xi Yu's hand excitedly and said, "Thank you!"
The reason why Xi Yu agreed was that he remembered the dream he had that day.
On that day, Tuoba Lu brought a mighty army into the inn. He saw a serious face and a cold look between his eyebrows.
The inn shopkeeper saw that several iron cages were carried by the soldiers, and his heart was full of doubts.
He walked up and asked carefully: "Sir, what are the things in these cages?"
Tuoba Lu turned his head suddenly, and a trace of ferocity flashed in his eyes.
He glared and rebuked sternly: "Don't ask if you shouldn't! Just do your own thing!"
The shopkeeper was frightened by his reprimand and trembled all over, with a terrified expression on his face. He quickly took a few steps back and did not dare to speak anymore.
Tuoba Lu shook his sleeves and turned around to continue commanding the soldiers to do things, with his face still showing his cold and ruthless appearance.
This scene was seen by two customers in the corner.
They narrowed their eyes slightly, stared at the iron cages, and secretly guessed in their hearts.
One of the customers frowned slightly and thought to themselves.
Judging from this attitude, there must be valuable treasures in the iron cage. It is really tempting to bring so many treasures to these people.
Another customer's eyes flashed with a greed light and he was thinking.
It must be treasure. Maybe we can take the opportunity to make a fortune.
They looked at each other, and the moment their eyes met, they understood each other’s thoughts.
The first customer lowered his voice and said, "Let's do it tonight, don't miss this opportunity."
Another customer raised his lips and showed a sinister smile.
OK, just tonight, you must succeed.
Their heartbeats couldn't help but speed up.
They are cousins, one is Shen Tianqiang and the other is Dou Youde.
Shen Tianqiang took a deep breath and said, "We should have left after dinner, but now it seems we have to change our plans."
Dou Youde nodded and said, "Yes, we have to stay here, we will do it tonight."
His heart was full of desire for treasures, as if he had seen the treasures waving to him.
In the evening, the moon was dark and the wind was high. Shen Tianqiang and Dou Youde sneaked into a remote corner to start conspiring.
Shen Tianqiang lowered his voice, his eyes flashed with excitement and nervousness, and he said, "Cousin, we will act according to the plan later. Be careful and must not make any mistakes."
Dou Youde nodded, his face was grim, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Don't worry, cousin, I know it in my heart."
It was late at night and everything was silent. They quietly came to the backyard, and the footsteps were so light that they could hardly be heard. When they came to several iron cages, they stood nervously in front of one iron cage.
At this moment, several soldiers suddenly appeared in the darkness.
They appeared like ghosts.
One of the soldiers shouted: "What are you two doing?"
Shen Tianqiang and Dou Youde were frightened by the sudden sound, and their faces instantly turned pale as paper.
Shen Tianqiang widened his eyes in horror, his eyes full of despair and fear, and he stammered: "I...we... didn't, nothing did you do!"
Dou Youde trembled all over, his teeth kept fighting, and said tremblingly: "Yes...yes, we are just passing by, passing by..." Their hearts seemed to jump out of their throats, and they were scared to the ground.
The soldiers came up and surrounded them.
One of the soldiers looked gloomy and accused him: "Do you still dare to lie with your eyes open? Do you think we are fools?"
His eyes were full of anger, as if he wanted to swallow them alive.
Chen Tianqiang and Dou Youde's face were as beautiful as earth, and their bodies could not stop trembling.
Chen Tianqiang stammered: "I...we really just... we just want to see those treasures." His eyes were full of begging, hoping to get a little tolerance.
Dou Youde quickly agreed and said, "Yes, we have no malice, we are really just confused for a moment." His face was filled with fear, and tears were circling in his eyes.
The soldiers heard their words and looked disdainful.
A soldier sneered: "Do you think you can get away with it this way? If you don't honestly explain, the consequences will be very serious!"
Chen Tianqiang and Dou Youde looked at each other in despair, knowing that they could no longer hide it, so they had to say helplessly: "We...we want to steal treasures."
When the soldiers heard this, their faces became even more gloomy. One of the soldiers roared: "What a courage! How dare you make a decision!"
As he said that, he raised the weapon in his hand and was about to chop them.
Chen Tianqiang and Dou Youde collapsed to the ground in fear, their eyes full of despair and fear.
I watched the soldiers' butcher swords fall down and eventually died.
The next morning, the sun shone in the yard, and the shopkeeper came to the backyard as usual.
When he saw the tragic scene, his whole body felt as if he was struck by lightning, and his face instantly turned pale as paper.
His eyes widened in horror, his eyes almost popped out of his sockets, his mouth widened, but he couldn't make a sound, but a low "hoho" sound came from his throat.
His legs were weak and he couldn't help but tremble, and he walked towards the two corpses step by step, as if he had used all his strength in his body every step.
The shopkeeper's heart was filled with fear and despair. He kept asking himself in his heart: "What's going on? Why is this happening?"
In the hall, the shopkeeper was sitting in a daze on the chair, looking at the front with empty eyes, unable to come back to his senses for a long time.
After a while, several soldiers walked into the hall with heavy steps.
The shopkeeper was still in extreme horror, his eyes wandered and his body trembled slightly.
One of the soldiers looked at the shopkeeper and said, "Don't be afraid, we will get rid of the body in a while."
The shopkeeper swallowed, and asked with a trembling voice: "Then... how did those two people die?"
The soldiers looked at each other.
One of the soldiers frowned and said seriously: "Don't inquire so much. Some things are not good for you if you know them. Be careful to cause trouble."
The shopkeeper was in a panic.
He opened his mouth and wanted to ask something more, but when he saw the soldiers' cold expressions, he swallowed the words back.
He sighed helplessly, lowered his head, his heart full of doubts and uneasiness.
Tuoba Lu walked out of the room very late and heard a report about what happened last night.
A sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth.
Someone actually had the idea of ​​striking an iron cage. Isn’t that just asking for death?
He said, "Hmph, don't forget to feed the dog."
When the soldiers heard this, they immediately understood that he was talking about Liu Maohai.
So, several soldiers took some food and prepared to feed Liu Maohai.
The shopkeeper was shocked when he heard their conversation aside, and then he realized that one of the iron cages was actually a human being.
He thought to himself, "So that's it, no wonder those people are so nervous."
The shopkeeper hesitated for a moment, and thought that this matter seemed to have nothing to do with him, so it would be better not to meddle in other people's business.
The soldiers came to the iron cage where Liu Maohai was imprisoned with food.
One of the soldiers said, "Liu Maohai, it's time to eat!"
There was a hint of contempt in his tone.
Liu Maohai's eyes were staring at the food in the hands of the soldiers, and a low grunt sound came from his throat.
The soldiers opened the iron cage door and threw the food in.
Liu Maohai, who had been hungry for a long time, pounced on him like a hungry wolf.
He grabbed the food frantically with both hands and stuffed it directly into his mouth, not caring about chewing it, just swallowing it desperately.
His mouth was wide open, and the food was almost tucked into his throat.
His throat kept squirming up and down, making a "gudong gudong" sound.
At this moment, he was like an extremely hungry beast.
Tuoba Lu looked at the entrance of the inn.
He suddenly saw a woman rushing on her way.
Isn’t this his sister Tuoba Yu?
Chapter completed!