Chapter 391 – Earthquake in Dongqing (Twenty-Three)
Luo Yue wore a confused expression, unable to understand why Jiang Pengji asked such a question. However, as an Imperial Guard, he had to obey Jiang Pengji’s orders.
“According to my knowledge, there should only be a thousand people.”
The imperial edict clearly stated so, so how could there be an extra thousand?
Jiang Pengji knit her brows tightly and listened intently to the sound of footsteps approaching them. Although Luo Yue’s hearing wasn’t as sharp as Jiang Pengji’s, he felt his muscles tense up, displaying a vigilant expression as the unfamiliar force drew closer.
Observing Luo Yue, who seemed like a spring coiling up, Feng Jin narrowed his eyes slightly, sizing up the situation.
Pat-pat-pat—
The orderly and steady footsteps grew closer. The waiting Imperial Guards also noticed the strange force, causing an uproar among the crowd.
Jiang Pengji could no longer sit still; she stood up, passed by Luo Yue and the three Imperial Guards, striding outside. Ahead, a flicker of firelight became visible, and as they approached, it grew clearer. Three individuals rode high horses at the front of the group.
As a martial artist, Meng Hunyun had the best eyesight and quickly spotted Jiang Pengji, his face brightening as he galloped a few steps closer.
“Young Master—This subordinate, Meng Hunyun, pays respects to you!”
After several years apart, Meng Hunyun wouldn’t forget Jiang Pengji’s appearance, even if she looked disheveled now.
From a distance, Jiang Pengji recognized the identities of the three who led, nearly doubting her own vision. It wasn’t until Meng Hunyun dismounted, unable to suppress his excitement, that she snapped back to reality. As she helped the half-kneeling Meng Hunyun up, she cast a semi-smiling, semi-mocking glance at Qi Guanrang.
From her understanding, Meng Hunyun wouldn’t do such things—running around with a troop and appearing before her at such a critical moment. After some thought, the only one with the capability to pull off such a feat was Qi Guanrang.
“Wenzheng once said he would come to aid you when needed the most. Could it be that moment is now?”
Jiang Pengji stepped forward as Qi Guanrang dismounted, brushing off the dust from his gray sleeve and performing a deep bow.
With a wry smile, he said, “Heaven’s plans often exceed human ones. I intended to wait near Fengyi County for your grand arrival, but I never expected an earthquake.”
Jiang Pengji helped him up, puzzled. “Why wait in Fengyi County?”
Just as Qi Guanrang was about to speak, his gaze caught sight of the Imperial Guards, and with a flicker in his eyes, he swallowed the words on his tongue.
Noticing his movement, Jiang Pengji raised her hand, signaling Luo Yue to take the Imperial Guards further away.
Although Luo Yue was reluctant, as the small leader of the Imperial Guards, he could easily see that Jiang Pengji’s troops were an elite force. Meng Hunyun’s restrained energy alone could intimidate any lowly rascals, so he led his squad back about ten meters.
“Originally, based on my calculations, Young Master, you would likely be pursued. After evaluating all routes, I believed the border between Shangyang County and Fengyi County was the most likely place to lie in wait, hence I brought people there to assist you… Who knew a sudden earthquake would throw my plans into disarray.” Qi Guanrang spread his hands, bearing a look of ‘What can I do? I’m helpless too.’
Even the best-laid plans can’t stand against the whims of fate.
“Someone would pursue me? Why?”
Jiang Pengji crossed her arms, not disbelieving Qi Guanrang’s claim, but simply curious.
Qi Guanrang shook his head. “Given the circumstances, revealing my plan now would only make me a laughingstock.”
It was clear that Qi Guanrang didn’t want to divulge more.
This earthquake not only disrupted Qi Guanrang’s plan but also awoke the pent-up frustrations of those power-hungry officials and eunuchs, ready to cleanse the royal family. The Crown Prince, poised to make a move, was now focusing on escape, completely forgetting about those ‘great undertakings.’
After pondering for a moment, Jiang Pengji replied, “Even if you don’t say, I can guess a few things. Regardless, I must thank you.”
With so few hands available, seeing people who could have been saved perish in helplessness weighed heavily on Jiang Pengji’s heart.
Now, with Qi Guanrang bringing three thousand troops—two thousand already had been dispatched in Fengyi County to aid citizens, and the remaining thousand could be of great assistance to her.
“You overpraise me, Young Master. This is merely my duty.”
Qi Guanrang squinted, his usually gloomy eyes softening.
Hearing his words, Jiang Pengji felt a surge of warmth in her heart; her smile grew ever brighter.
“Since that’s the case, we must act sooner rather than later.” With a serious expression, Jiang Pengji declared, “The earthquake has caused countless civilian casualties. With the heat now, bodies cannot be preserved for long. To avoid decay and maggots, we must find a suitable burial place soon before it breeds illnesses.”
Qi Guanrang nodded. “Everything is at your command, Young Master.”
With a thousand Imperial Guards, a thousand private troops, plus the previously gathered citizens, Jiang Pengji suddenly had enough manpower at her disposal.
She called over Qi Guanrang, Feng Jin, Xu Ke, Meng Hunyun, and Luo Yue to prepare a new rescue plan.
As for Luo Yue’s thoughts, Jiang Pengji couldn’t care less; as long as he obediently did his job, that was enough.
“Xiaoyu, have you brought what I asked for?”
With five hundred stone of grain supported by the Emperor, they still had food for a few days. As for the medicinal herbs, she had sent people to search a few pharmacies, but everyone there had perished, leaving her to “borrow” the unwanted herbs to stretch their supply for another half day.
Looking at it this way, what mattered most was the lime needed for burial.
Xu Ke paused for a moment. “I’ve already brought them; they’re all in the cart.”
Jiang Pengji said, “Unload all the food and herbs, lay a layer of straw or other covering on the cart, and bury the bodies tonight. From the look of the sky, it seems it won’t be long before it rains. If the corpses decay, their fluids mixing with the rainwater could contaminate the wells below, and that’s when we’d have a tough battle ahead. Contaminated water can easily lead to pestilence.”
Jiang Pengji explained matter-of-factly, causing the expressions of those sitting nearby to change dramatically.
Their imaginations ran wild, vividly picturing the scene Jiang Pengji described, and they suddenly felt quite nauseous.
“East city, west city, north city, and south city…” Jiang Pengji used a twig to draw a map of the capital on the ground, dividing it into sections, dispatching four hundred fifty people for search and rescue in each area, further detailing routes for transportation.
Jiang Pengji’s thoughts were clear, distributing tasks in a mere moment.
Everyone present wasn’t dull, quickly memorizing their tasks, just waiting for Jiang Pengji’s order. However, Feng Jin was worried about another matter; if toxic fluids from the corpses entered the underground water through the rain, then the burial site needed careful consideration.
Jiang Pengji certainly had taken that into account. She circled a spot.
“Here, on a mountain peak outside the east city, very close to it for easy transport of the bodies. The elevated terrain is far from the city moat and disconnected from the underground water veins. Outside the east city is secluded, sparsely populated, with few villages… Considering all factors, this spot is optimal for burial.”
Unable to resort to cremation, Jiang Pengji was left with no choice but to bury the bodies, weighing various conditions.
