They were in charge of being beautiful, and she was in charge of taking the hits.

Inside the inn, Wu Ziyan sighed repeatedly as she looked at the rain outside. She returned shortly afterward, and Hu Yan was thrown to the ground, waking up with a jolt. Still somewhat dazed, she looked at the people around her with a sinister glint in her eyes: "You're all still alive!"

Wu Ziyan's expression was icy: "What, are you surprised we're still alive, Prefect?"

Her tone was calm, but her eyes were sharp. Several people surrounded her, and Wang Hu, the most aggressive of them all, kicked Hu Yan in the leg: "Damn it! You've been planning to harm us all along, haven't you!"

Hu Yan's face was contorted in pain, but Wu Ziyan ignored Wang Hu's abuse and just looked at Wang Hu: "When will your men arrive?"

"She has actually been in the yamen the whole time, and now she has gone to Hu Yan's private treasury to withdraw two coins."

Hu Yan's eyes widened, because only she and her advisor had the key to the private vault. How could she be the one who betrayed her? She gritted her teeth.

Wu Ziyan turned his head and asked, "Who told you to kill me!"

Hu Yan smiled. She had already fallen to such a state. If she mentioned the person above, he probably wouldn't even spare her family. At most, she would die alone. But she wasn't that kind of person. Since she was having a hard time, then they would all die and be buried with her.

"It's Cheng..." She only managed to utter this one word before it got stuck in her throat. As if she had been greatly frightened, her pupils dilated, and then white foam came out of her mouth. Han Yuxiu squatted down and glanced at her, then flipped her eyelids and shook his head.

Everyone present was filled with doubt. The person was alive and well when they arrived, so how could they die as soon as this question was asked? Could there be some kind of poison with a timed mechanism or a keyword mechanism? Han Yuxiu answered her doubts, saying, "They were probably poisoned a long time ago."

Wu Ziyan was still bothered by the word she had said, or perhaps she had already made up her mind, but unfortunately she had no evidence. She couldn't understand why she had to be killed. She hadn't even posed a threat to him, or was there someone else involved?

Seeing Wu Ziyan deep in thought, Wang Hu moved the body away. A little while later, the man he called his own arrived with receipts, all showing the sources of embezzled funds. However, this matter could not be brought to light yet; they needed to think about how to deal with Hu Yan first.

After all, it was an official position. Even if someone was guilty, they would have to go through a trial before being convicted. What kind of thing would it be for someone to just die here? Or perhaps someone had already anticipated that she would arrest Hu Yan in order to frame her. She couldn't let them succeed.

Wu Ziyan instructed everyone to gather around and whisper among themselves, ensuring that no outsiders could hear. Of course, if the news leaked out, Wu Ziyan would then know who the mole was.

Han Yuxiu nodded after listening. He had become much bolder along the way. He couldn't say he was good at this, but he could do it. The group cleaned up Hu Yan's body, and then Han Yuxiu drew some pimples and red spots on her face. These were deadly symptoms of the plague.

Afterwards, Wang Hu and his companion prepared a sedan chair, moved her into it, and Wu Ziyan stayed inside. Changsun Boyou disguised her as Hu Yan, and the group dressed as attendants as they walked out of the inn in a very open manner.

The rain was heavy, and it took a long time to reach Hu Yan's residence. Inside, people greeted them: "My lord, where have you been? We were so worried about you! And who are you?"

Wu Ziyan coughed inside the sedan chair, but the others remained calm and composed, saying, "I received instructions from above that we have important matters to discuss. You may all leave now."

One of them, suspicious, lifted the sedan curtain in a few steps and saw a person with a face covered in red spots, eyes closed, and pimples. It was a rainy day, and she couldn't see clearly, but the redness was unusual. She immediately stepped back: "My lord!"

"Can't you understand human language? I have important matters to discuss with the clerk!" As he spoke, he deliberately raised one hand, revealing a pimple that was clearly visible to almost everyone present.

Immediately, people slowly retreated, and then everyone left. Wu Ziyan knew that these people valued their lives, and once they saw the smallpox, the news would likely spread quickly.

They entered the courtyard without any guards and then placed Hu Yan's body in the room under the cover of night. The next day, a servant came in to wake him up to wash and have breakfast, and discovered her death.

The servant shouted, "He's dead! The prefect is dead!"

Before this, those who had seen the smallpox were spreading rumors that the prefect had contracted the plague, so Hu Yan's death was quite logical.

Before the funeral was even held at the Hu residence, Wu Ziyan and others took up their posts with their credentials, turning the internal staff into a disorganized mess. Ostensibly carrying out orders from above, they took over Hu Yan's work and began to implement the disaster relief plan.

However, the weather was not cooperating. The rain stopped for a few days after Wu Ziyan was settled. They set up a soup kitchen at the city gate and distributed some warm clothes and medicine, but this was only a drop in the bucket.

Chu Qiu, carrying a knife, patrolled back and forth between the city gates, while Han Yuxiu and Changsun Boyou assisted Wu Ziyan.

Wu Ziyan was anxious: "This can't go on."

"Moreover, there are not many medicinal herbs left in the city."

"But the number of disaster victims is increasing."

She clicked her tongue and shook her head; she needed to come up with a solution.

Hu Yan left, leaving behind her cronies who outwardly cooperated fully, but refused to provide any food. They made excuses about empty warehouses every time they visited. As the number of disaster victims increased, Wu Ziyan was greatly troubled.

After scooping out the last bowl of porridge, Huang Ziliang looked at the long queue behind him with great concern, but there was nothing he could do. That night, the group gathered in their room, sighing frequently. Wu Ziyan said, "We have to find a way to make those big spenders bleed a little."

"Why don't we just go and collect the grain directly from their doorstep?" Changsun Boyu suggested.

Chu Qiu shook his head; this wasn't a good solution. "If they wanted to give it to us, they would have done it already."

Han Yuxiu frowned: "Herbal medicines are scarce. I'm afraid... I'm afraid that if there's a plague, this city will be finished."

Huang Ziliang squinted, pondered in silence, and suddenly clapped his hands: "I do have an idea."

Everyone looked at him, listened to his detailed explanation, and then nodded in agreement. This was indeed a good idea, and they could give it a try.

The next day, Wu Ziyan sent invitations to the wealthy merchants and gentry, saying that a banquet was being held and inviting them to the yamen (government office).

Upon receiving this news, the heads of various families held a secret meeting before heading to the banquet.

One grain merchant said, "They're definitely asking us for money and grain, so we have to stick to our word."

"Of course, we never had any."

"Yeah, hahaha!"

When they arrived at the yamen, a few tables of coarse tea and wild vegetable roots were laid out in front of them. Wu Ziyan spoke politely, "Esteemed family heads, we need your help now."

"Oh, sir, we really have nothing left. That Prefect Hu used to exploit us so much. You have no idea how much my family of dozens of people had to tighten their belts to make ends meet."