In Liu Hall.
Hua Zirong was clad in a black changshan, sitting on a chair as he perused the urgent reports sent from Meng County. The more he read, the deeper the furrow in his brows, and the colder his sneer.
“Is this the result of your secret investigation?”
The soldier knelt before him. “Your Majesty, Meng County’s county magistrate is extremely bold to have hidden news of the plague outbreak. If not for this subordinate accidentally stumbling across it during my investigation, I’m afraid this matter might have continued to be deeply buried.”
Hua Zirong’s eyes turned icy cold. “What is the situation in Meng County?”
“Just as the emergency reports have stated, the plague is running rampant across Meng County. If this persists, Meng County may very well become a dead city soon.” Worry etched itself on the soldier’s face.
Hua Zirong’s gaze became solemn. “Pass down this Monarch’s edict: Meng County’s County Magistrate is to stay in Meng County forever.”
A mocking look flashed past the soldier’s eyes. It seems like the fate of this Meng County County Magistrate has been sealed.
“You may withdraw, but continue to monitor Meng County.” Hua Zirong paused, hesitating before his next statement. “As for those infected with the plague… you can clear them when necessary.”
The soldier couldn’t help but sigh inwardly before he withdrew.
“You’re here. You heard that?” Hua Zirong asked softly.
A man dressed in a bright red changshan walked in. “As a monarch, you did no wrong.”
“You’re the only one who would say that. If she were here, she would definitely have said that I am too cruel.” Gentleness painted Hua Zirong’s expression as he recalled the peerless woman.
The man in red smiled faintly. “If she really didn’t care about you, she wouldn’t have found trouble with Hua Ziqing for your sake.”
“She always likes to force herself more than she should, and she can also be reckless.” Hua Zirong reminisced.
The other man’s eyes turned solemn. “In any case, you already know that the plague is no laughing matter. A small misstep will result in disaster.”
“This Monarch is well aware, and it is precisely so that I issued such an order.”
“How do you plan on handling the refugees in the army barracks?” This was one of the man in red’s objectives in coming here.
“It’s not the fault of the civilians that they have lost their homes and have to wander around; we’ll settle them in the army barracks for now.”
“But I heard from the soldiers that the situation with the plague has exacerbated. Have you ever considered that this may not be a natural disaster, but a man-made one instead?” The man in the red changshan tried to give a hint.
Hua Zirong’s eyes turned cold. “Do you know something?”
“Mmm, but according to the rules, I can only observe;I’m not allowed to tell you anything explicitly.” Helplessness flickered in the man’s eyes.
Hua Zirong immediately connected some of the dots.
“As expected, it’s him again.”
To think that his obsession with the throne has gone so far.
The man in red said cooly, “You can’t touch him yet, even if he is the perpetrator. The time isn’t right.”
“I have already finished reading all of the Xiliu’s imperial secret scrolls in my possession, but I still haven’t found the one mentioned back then.” Hua Zirong was perplexed.
The man in the red changshan had a brief internal struggle, but in the end, he still kept quiet.
“Are there things where even I, the Monarch, don’t know?” A self-deprecating smile hung on Hua Zirong’s mouth.
