My reborn husband and son are thinking about how to kill me every day.

General Yao also felt humiliated.

He was also unwilling to grant Ji Yunshuang's request.

But now, forced by circumstances, what other choice do we have but to agree? Are we to let the plague spread throughout the Great Zhou? To let our soldiers be devoured by insects and turn into those inhuman, ghostly creatures?

But faced with King Jing of Qi's face, which was contorted with rage, he dared not utter these words.

The king's series of questions were merely an attempt to vent his anger.

Moreover, he clearly did not believe what he was saying.

His advice to compromise would only make him more suspicious that he was a traitor and had been bought off by the Ji family. His persuasion would not only be ineffective, but might also further enrage him.

He was dead, but he couldn't let his family suffer as well. Although he chose to remain silent, it did little to lessen King Qi Jing's anger.

On the contrary, General Yao's silence only fueled his anger to its peak. He drew his sword and slashed at General Yao.

General Yao neither dodged nor avoided the situation, but he did say, "Your Majesty, I am not afraid to die, but I was infected with the plague in the army. The clothes I am wearing are specially designed to prevent the spread of the disease. It is a small matter for Your Majesty to kill me. I am only worried that if the clothes are torn, the disease will spread and endanger Your Majesty."

As early as when General Yao returned, everyone noticed his special attire.

However, because he first presented King Jing of Qi with the extremely humiliating unequal treaty and then explained the current situation in the army, King Jing of Qi was too angry to care about the strange clothes he was wearing.

Hearing him speak of it now, King Qi Jing hesitated somewhat before taking action. Meanwhile, the assembled senior officials, regardless of their affiliation with the Yao family, quickly stepped forward to advise King Qi Jing against acting rashly.

Although they didn't quite believe General Yao's words, no one dared to gamble when it concerned their own lives.

After being persuaded by a group of senior ministers, King Jing of Qi finally put down his sword and did not immediately kill General Yao.

His chest heaved as he said angrily, "You wouldn't happen to have these clothes provided to you by the Ji family, whom you admire, would you?"

General Yao said with a face full of shame, "I am incompetent. After the soldiers in the army contracted the plague, I really couldn't think of any good solution."

Later, I learned that the Ji family possessed a method to combat the plague, so I led soldiers to Jingyang City, intending to capture the Ji family and force them to hand over the medicine to treat the plague. Unexpectedly, I made a mistake; not only did I fail to capture her, but I was also captured by her.

To save the soldiers in the army who had contracted the plague, I signed that unequal treaty. Later, Lady Ji kept her promise and went to the army to treat the soldiers. She did indeed give me these clothes voluntarily, saying that those who had contracted the plague also carried it and could spread it. She wanted to prevent me from bringing the plague to the territory of Qi and causing it to spread, so she provided me with these clothes.”

As soon as General Yao finished speaking, someone immediately and cautiously pulled King Qi Jing away from General Yao.

One minister questioned, "Would she really be so kind? Wouldn't she be better off reaping the benefits once the whole country is infected with the plague?"

Immediately, someone agreed: "That's right! If you ask me, this clothing is probably not for preventing the plague. It's for that woman to poison the king. She wanted to use the opportunity of seeing the king to harm him. That woman could take down our Great Qi with minimal effort."

Others lamented, "General Yao! How could you be so foolish? How could you trust that woman with such a treacherous mind? It's hard to believe you haven't betrayed our Great Qi! How could a great general do something so absurd?"

……

For a time, the imperial court was filled with voices condemning General Yao.

Everyone was full of speculation about the clothes he was wearing.

General Yao gave a wry smile.

In fact, if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed that an epidemic could cause worms to grow on soldiers' bodies, eating away their internal organs while still giving them a human appearance.

If he hadn't gone through that hellish ordeal with Ji Yunshuang, he would have also suspected her and wondered if she had ulterior motives.

Having witnessed firsthand how she strangled those insects and how much she hated those deadly creatures, he absolutely refused to believe that she would use those insects to plot against the State of Qi.

Although he knew they wouldn't believe him even if he explained, he still said, "She's not that kind of person. She wouldn't let the ordinary people of Qi suffer and have their bodies eaten away by those insects just to scheme against us."

After saying this, he bowed deeply to King Qi Jing and said, "Your Majesty, this sinful subject dares to swear on the descendants of my Yao family that if my words today are false, may Heaven punish my Yao family descendants to be slaves for all eternity, and may I descend to the eighteenth level of hell after my death..."

He swore an oath on behalf of the Yao family's descendants, a vow that can be described as extremely vicious.

This made everyone present look serious.

King Jing of Qi also seriously considered what General Yao had said. Instead of impulsively venting his anger, he sent his trusted confidant to Zheng City immediately to secretly investigate the plague and see if what General Yao had said was true.

Then they imprisoned General Yao and sent men to arrest all members of the Yao family, young and old, and imprison them as well.

In an instant, the Yao family was filled with the sound of weeping. Rumors about General Yao also spread like wildfire.

At first, the rumors circulated only among the major aristocratic families. But as they spread, the common people outside also learned about them.

Many people did not believe that such a plague existed and suspected that General Yao was a traitor who had colluded with the enemy. General Yao went from being a renowned general to a rat that everyone wanted to kill.

King Jing of Qi ignored the rumors circulating outside.

After imprisoning General Yao and his family, he began to muster troops, prepare military provisions, and summon ministers to discuss matters such as the imperial expedition.

From the moment he inherited the throne from his father, he vowed to make Qi the most powerful state. He was unwilling to sign that unequal treaty and submit to Zhou.

However, the State of Qi today is no longer what it used to be.

King Jing of Qi launched his campaign shortly after the young emperor of Zhou ascended the throne, demonstrating his clear understanding of Zhou's situation. He believed that Zhou was already fragmented and could be easily conquered.

At first, things went very smoothly, just as he had expected. But later, things gradually took an unexpected turn.

This battle not only consumed a large amount of Qi's military strength, but also cost countless amounts of money and grain.

Now, many ministers do not support Qi Jing's personal command of the expedition.

They felt that the State of Qi could not withstand any more turmoil.

If things continue like this, the State of Qi might really perish. It is believed that what Qi should do now is to recuperate and rebuild its strength.

Many ministers knelt on the ground, begging King Jing of Qi to change the course of events. They told him that he must not act rashly, otherwise, if he did act rashly and personally led the army into battle, he might fall into the trap set by the Zhou state.

They should cultivate their character and wait until their national strength is restored before seeking an opportunity to destroy the Zhou state.