That night in Yuanming Garden seed especially long and particularly unbearable. Everyone was huddled under the corridor, leaning against whatever was convenient. They would close their eyes to rest when overco by fatigue, but the slightest noise would startle everyone awake.
From the high vantage of the building, one could faintly see the poisoned people staggering under the moonlight. They would occasionally open their mouths to emit strange sounds, chilling the spines of the living.
In these extraordinary tis, Xiyuan used wild vegetables dug up from the flowerbeds combined with scrambled eggs to make dumplings filled with vegetable stuffing. Yun Mi found this snack intriguing and had never eaten wild vegetables before. The taste was very unique and delicious. He was so astounded that he stared at his Princess Consort.
"How do you even recognize wild vegetables?"
"Ah, I heard the palace maids and eunuchs talk about it. How would I recognize such things? But they seem to taste quite good, don’t they?"
Yun Mi shook his head with a bitter smile, "Who would have thought I’d one day be reduced to eating wild vegetables? Tell , isn’t this a whole new experience?"
The smile on Xiyuan’s lips faded gradually, "If we’re unlucky, this may even beco a luxury."
Yun Mi frowned. Though reluctant to admit it, it was indeed worrying, and with the involvent of rats, the situation was likely to beco even more troubleso.
"I wonder how the Taoists’ research is coming along,"
The night passed amidst anxiety. As soon as it was bright the next day, Yun Mi took so people to the Taoist Temple to inquire about their progress, only to find the temple doors wide open, and the inside strewn with corpses, not a single living person in sight. Soon, soone ca to report that the gates of Yuanming Garden had been moved without permission.
"It seems these Taoists had no solution and fled in the night?"
In the panic of flight, many dicinal materials, elixirs, jewelry, and such were left behind. In critical monts, life is more important than anything.
Yun Mi cast a mocking glance in the direction of the Forbidden City.
"I wonder how elder brother would feel knowing that the Taoists he went through so much trouble to summon through Li Wei have all run away like this."
Although they lived outside the city, they still needed to know about the conditions in the suburbs and the city from last night. This ti, Yun Mi personally went to scout. The remaining people, just like the previous day, continued to find bodies, burn bodies. There would co a ti when there would be no more corpses to burn, so the more they did, the fewer remained. During the day these things were just bodies; they posed no threat and could be safely moved.
By the ti Yun Mi returned, it was well past noon. He didn’t just co back; he also brought back quite a few supplies, all purchased from the surrounding villages.
"Is Beijing alright? The surrounding areas too?"
Yun Mi looked at the grey sky, wiping sweat as he responded, "There has been no movent for the ti being. Last night everything was quiet inside and outside the city, if not for knowing about the mischief of the rats, I would think it was still the peaceful and prosperous tis of the past."
His unease was clearly written on his face, "Today, I entered the palace and reported the situation of Yuanming Garden to elder brother, but he seed to take it lightly. He thought I was making a mountain out of a molehill. He even said that my actions of burning corpses in Yuanming Garden were destroying this place of Spiritual Energy, his reprimands couldn’t have been clearer. Also,"
"Is it that you bla yourself for not having properly looked after those Taoist priests?"
Yun Mi had little appetite, but at Xiyuan’s persuasion, he had so of the cold jelly she made. The jelly was icy and refreshing, sour and spicy—it actually healed the grievances within his heart.
"Mhm," Xiyuan actually understood Yun Mi quite well, and she also felt that his concern was not unwarranted, because—
"Do you know what I’m most worried about now? Whether any poisoned people followed those Taoist priests out!"
Upon hearing this, Yun Mi’s complexion changed: "There were signs of a fight at the scene, so the possibility of them having followed out is not nonexistent, but quite substantial. It’s dayti, so the corpses might not move, but what if it becos night? The consequences—"
The couple hardly dared to think further. However, no one was listening to them now, and just this morning, another hundred or so bodies were burned in the garden.
"I had soone check the population of Yuanming Garden, a total of five to six hundred people. Now, half have been reduced to ashes; over one hundred people are left alive. In other words, there’s a gap of two hundred people. I’m not afraid of living people running out; I’m afraid of these ’living dead’ getting out. Due to the chaos, it’s impossible to verify the exact number. So, Prince, you must tell everyone that they absolutely must not go out at night."
Yun Mi’s face showed his difficulty: "My elder brother, the Emperor, has ordered not to spread the word, saying that doing so would cause panic,"
Xiyuan quietly cursed ’foolish’. If this isn’t made known, people will continue their normal activities, surely leading to more deaths. If it cos to that point, how would it differ from the apocalypse?
But as a woman, it was inappropriate for her to argue too much about this. With the imperial edict in place, Yun Mi was helpless and could only focus on removing the hidden dangers within Yuanming Garden first. He vaguely sensed that this place would be needed sooner or later.
Evening arrived in a flash, and during the day they found another one to two hundred bodies. Basically, all visible poisoned people within Yuanming Garden had been cleared. Now, only a carpet-style search remained. This task was sothing they planned to start tomorrow. The sooner the better.
In addition to people, they also burnt a large number of animals, including rats, wild rabbits, and wild chickens, all found in the grove. Sick or not, they burnt them all.
After dark, no one dared to go out and move around within Yuanming Garden. The Beijing night watchn prepared to take up their posts, the noise in restaurants continued unabated, and the brothels kept to business as usual, as if no one realized the danger was inching closer.
As Prince and Princess Cheng had expected, that night, so of the ’living dead’ who had followed the Taoist priests did exist. But when daylight returned, they either hid in the groves or in dark, damp caves—anywhere with a strong yin presence was where they went.
As soon as it got dark, they road like lost souls, either dressed in Taoist priests’ robes or as palace maids, eunuchs, and guards.
In the rural areas at night, dogs often bark. Drawn by the sound, dressed in such conspicuous clothing, they attracted the residents’ attention.
They stood at people’s doorsteps with their heads bowed, scratching at the doors upon hearing noises, their faces fierce, scaring the residents from opening the doors.
But there were also those who wandered inside the villages. Once they encountered soone, they furiously attacked and bit. After villagers witnessed this, they scread and warned each other.
However, the louder the screams, the more excited these attackers beca, gnawing one person after another, their numbers growing more and more substantial.
The villagers were defenseless, clueless about the situation, their relatives in danger. They instinctively tried to save them, but in the process, the number of those infected and bitten was countless. So, what might have been just a few escapees initially could have, after one night of spreading, brought disaster to the entire village...
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