Accidentally dressed as an empress

In the temple, Zhong Lu was leading the army and directing the soldiers to carry out the dead people and burn them according to the order of the prefect.

The patients' families were like crazy, rushing towards the soldiers with red eyes.

An old woman threw herself on a corpse, shielding it tightly with her body, and cried miserably: "You can't burn it! This is my daughter. She's gone, and her body can't be gone!" Tears crisscrossed her wrinkled face.

The young men clung to the soldiers' legs and begged desperately, their eyes filled with fear and despair, their voices hoarse: "Sir, please, let her go. She has suffered enough. This cannot continue!"

The soldiers looked troubled, the torches in their hands were shaking and sparks were flying.

Some soldiers tried to pry the family members' hands apart, but they couldn't pull them apart no matter how hard they pulled, and the soldiers became hesitant in their attempts to use force.

The two sides pushed each other in the chaos, some people fell, some shouted, and the scene was a mess.

The soldiers had no choice but to carry out the cruel task of burning the bodies.

"Sir, do we really have to do this? This... this is too cruel." A young soldier looked at the corpses in front of him with an expression of pity and said to the captain Zhong Lu who led the team.

Zhong Lu frowned, his face full of pain but incomparably determined: "We must do this!

Look here, the plague is raging now.

Doctor Su said that if these corpses are not handled, they will become a breeding ground for the plague. Evil spirits will gather in the corpses and then spread faster through the air and water, causing more lives to be lost.

"But those families... they won't agree." The young soldier's eyes were full of worry.

"I know!" Zhong Lu punched the wall, "But too many people in the city have been infected, and the death toll is rising every day. If the bodies are allowed to pile up, the entire city will be completely engulfed by the plague. By then, there will be devastation, corpses everywhere, and no hope for life.

In order to curb the spread of the plague as much as possible and to protect those citizens in the city who have not yet been infected, we can only harden our hearts and carry out this cruel task."

A soldier looked at the grief-stricken old woman, his lips trembling as he said, "Auntie, I'm sorry. We didn't want this to happen. Your daughter is gone, but we have to think about the living. I... I will pray for her, hoping she will be reborn in a healthy and healthy next life."

After saying this, he bowed deeply to the corpse, tears in his eyes.

The old woman cried and beat him: "You are all executioners, executioners!" The soldier endured it silently and did not dodge.

There was also a young soldier who was muttering something while lighting the torch.

A family member nearby shouted angrily, "What are you talking about?" The young soldier replied with red eyes, "I am chanting the mantra for the deceased, hoping that these deceased souls can rest in peace. They are gone, and we cannot let them be entangled by the plague again."

In the distance, a soldier took out his few dry rations and handed them to the deceased's child. He gently touched the child's head and said softly, "Child, eat something. Your mother's spirit in heaven would surely wish you well."

The child, with tears and fear on his face, looked at the soldier in front of him. With trembling hands, he took the dry food and said in a sobbing voice, "I want my mother..."

When the soldier heard this, tears welled up in his eyes. She choked up and said, "My child, your mother is watching you in heaven. She must want you to live well. You must be healthy after this disaster is over."

Zhong Lu shouted loudly: "Everyone, let's move these people away quickly to make them suffer less and end this plague soon." The other soldiers responded in unison, speeding up their actions, their eyes filled with complex emotions.

Nearby, an old man held the belongings of a family member who had died of illness and murmured to himself, "Go, go, don't linger in this miserable world. May you rest in peace. Don't blame these soldiers, they are doing this for everyone."

His voice was hoarse and sad. When the people around him heard it, some shed tears silently, while others began to comfort each other softly.

The gray sky was like a heavy lead plate, weighing heavily on the devastated city.

The strong wind howled through the streets and alleys, making the doors and windows rattle.

The streets were deserted, the usual bustle had long since disappeared. Only the withered yellow leaves were blown around by the wind, making a rustling sound, like a sad song for the dead.

The soldiers stood in front of the temporary pile of firewood where the bodies were placed. Zhong Lu held up a torch and threw it into the pile.

At this time, the pile of burning corpses swayed with a faint flame in the wind, and then the fire grew bigger, and thick smoke rose into the sky, merging with the gray sky, ruthlessly devouring everything.

In the distance, a few crows were crying miserably on the dead branches.

The entire Yunyin City was shrouded in a haze of fear, and the streets and alleys were empty.

Every household kept their doors tightly closed, as if only the thick door panels could keep the disease out.

People who were not yet sick hid indoors, not daring to go out, for fear that they would be invaded by evil spirits and infected with the disease as soon as they went out.

It has been seven days since Zhong Yi fell ill. Gradually, the number of new patients has decreased, and the epidemic in the city has been gradually brought under control.

Although the streets and alleys were still filled with a tense atmosphere, most people were not affected by the epidemic and were still living safely in their homes. They just followed the arrangements of the government, reduced going out, closed the doors and windows, and silently waited for the disaster to completely pass.

The water source had been disinfected with quicklime, but Yunxiu was still worried. She instructed everyone in the prefectural governor's mansion: "Everyone must remember that after drawing water from the well, you must boil it over high heat. Only drink it after it is completely boiling."

The subordinates nodded one after another, keeping Yunxiu's instructions in mind.

Su Da is now in better condition. As soon as he recovered, he took over the shift of Su Er, who had been working around the clock.

However, Zhong Yi's condition did not improve.

Yunxiu sat quietly beside the bed, looking at Zhong Yi gently.

At this time, Zhong Yi looked a little haggard, his eyes were closed, his brows were slightly wrinkled, and he was in a dazed state, as if he was struggling in a chaotic dream and could not wake up completely.

Yunxiu's heart was filled with helplessness and heartache. As the ruler of a city, she shouldered too many responsibilities at this critical moment when the epidemic was raging.

During the day, complicated affairs came to her like a tide. She needed to coordinate resources from all parties to deal with the epidemic, deploy doctors in the clinic, arrange the purchase of medicinal materials, organize personnel to screen patients, comfort the frightened people, and deal with various emergencies caused by the epidemic. Therefore, she did not have enough time to stay by Zhong Yi's side and take care of him.

During this period, it was the guard Su Shiyi who silently took on the responsibility of taking care of Zhong Yi. Su Shiyi was serious and responsible, paying attention to every subtle change of Zhong Yi, and reporting the situation to Yunxiu in a timely manner, so that Yunxiu could feel a little relieved after being busy.

Only at night did Yun Xiu rush back to Zhong Yi.

She dragged her exhausted body, forced herself to cheer up, and slowly walked towards the bed step by step.

After a busy day, her eyes were already bloodshot.

She gently picked up a wet cloth and gently wiped Zhong Yi's forehead, neck, and palms. Feeling his slightly hot body temperature, Yunxiu frowned even more tightly. As she wiped, she whispered, "Ayi, you must hold on. The children and I are waiting for you to get better. We are a family together. You can't just collapse like this."

Afterwards, Yunxiu slowly picked up the medicinal soup placed aside. The soup gave off a bitter smell and wisps of hot steam rose up.

She blew on it gently to cool it down, carefully helped Zhong Yi up, let him lean on her arms, and fed him the medicine spoonful by spoonful.

He opened his eyes and saw his wife Yunxiu. Yunxiu was sitting on the edge of the bed. Although she was tired, she was still straight, her eyes full of concern and love.

Seeing Zhong Yi wake up, Yun Xiu's eyes flashed with surprise. She hurriedly held his hand and said in a hoarse voice: "Ayi, you are finally awake."

At this moment, Zhong Yi felt a sharp pain in his heart as he looked at Yunxiu's haggard face. He wanted to speak, but found his throat dry and difficult to speak.

Yunxiu quickly brought some warm water and fed it to him.

Zhong Yi looked at Yun Xiu, smiled weakly, and said softly, "I'm sorry to have worried Ah Xiu."

Yunxiu hugged him and said, "Your illness scared me so much. My heart is broken. I just hope you can get better soon."

Zhong Yi felt a little embarrassed. "I look so embarrassed, I'm afraid my wife will laugh at me."

Yunxiu shook her head slightly and gently held Zhong Yi's hand. "What nonsense are you talking about? In my eyes, you are good no matter what. As long as you can get better, I am willing to pay any price."

Zhong Yi was filled with emotion and guilt. "During this illness, I troubled my wife to take care of me day and night, but I could only lie in bed and do nothing."

Yunxiu scolded, "There's no need to talk about this between you and me. Just focus on recuperating and don't worry about anything else."

At this moment, warm sunlight poured in through the gaps in the window, weaving golden light and shadows on the ground.