Qi Ning made a quick move and punched the guard in the abdomen. The guard next to him was shocked when he saw this, but he reacted very quickly and slashed at Qin Ning with his knife.
Zhao Wushang was still two steps away from Qi Ning. When he saw the guard raising his hand, he already knew that the man was going to swing his sword. However, he rushed forward like an arrow out of its string. The sword was unsheathed and the guard slashed. When he came down, Zhao Wushang picked up his knife and faced him. The two swords connected with each other, and there was a "choking" sound, and sparks flew everywhere.
Seeing this, the other two guards of the Zhongyihou Mansion rushed forward with their swords drawn. The Jinyi Hou guards behind Zhao Wushang also quickly drew their swords and rushed forward.
"Who dares to be so presumptuous?" Qi Ning punched the guard and knocked him to the ground. He suddenly raised his head and sneered: "If you commit any of the following offenses, I will kill you even if you are from the Zhongyi Hou Mansion."
His aura was cold and all the guards were stunned.
At this moment, a "quacking" sound was heard, the door of the Zhongyi Hou Mansion opened a crack, a head poked out, and said in a deep voice: "What's the fuss about?"
Zhao Wushang said loudly: "Marquis Jinyi asks to see the loyal and righteous old marquis. We have something important to discuss!"
When the guards heard this, they were startled for a moment, and then their colors changed.
They originally thought that Qining was just an ordinary marquis who came in the middle of the night just to please Marquis Zhongyi, but they didn't expect that the person who came was actually Marquis Jinyi.
The relationship between Jinyihou and Zhongyihou is relatively harmonious. Among the four marquises, although Zhongyihou ranks first among the four marquises, Zhongyihou's prestige in the government and the public is obviously not as good as that of Jinyihou.
After being stunned for a moment, the four guards knew that something was wrong, but they immediately knelt down on one knee and said in unison: "I have seen Jin Yihou!"
The two generations of Jinyihou were all famous generals in Da Chu. They had deep roots in the military and were deeply respected by the imperial soldiers. These guards actually came from the army. Although they had not fought under the Jinyihou, they were deeply loyal to them. Jin Yihou was still in awe.
But they never expected that the young man in front of them, who didn't look very impressive, turned out to be Jin Yihou.
The door opened immediately, and a middle-aged man walked out. He cupped his hands and said, "Master Marquis, please come in. I will inform the old Marquis now!" He invited Qining in.
Naturally, Qining didn't have time to argue with a few guards, so he entered the mansion directly and was taken to the lobby. It was quiet at night and the mansion was very quiet.
Someone served tea. Qining waited for a moment before hearing the sound of footsteps. He turned around and saw an elder wearing a black robe walking in from outside the door. He was thin but had a big head. , over sixty years old, but still in good spirits, with a slightly straight nose, and both hair and beard are black and white, more white and less black.
Qi Ning stood up immediately. The elder looked at Qi Ning, smiled, raised his hand and said, "Sit down and talk." He walked over and sat down on the main seat.
Qi Ning knew that this person must be Sima Lan, the most powerful official at the moment.
He did not expect that the first time he met Sima Lan would be in such a situation.
"Juniors have seen the old Marquis Zhongyi!" Qining inherited the title of Marquis of Jinyi. Although he and Marquis Zhongyi were listed as one of the four major marquises in the empire and were equal in title, he also knew that both his qualifications and the power in his hands were different from the one in front of him. There is a world of difference between an old man in his 60s.
Sima Lan is a veteran of three dynasties and the first generation of loyal marquis. Among the four major marquises, except for him and the old Marquis Jindao who are still alive, Wuxiang Marquis Su Zhen is already the second generation marquis, while Qining is already the third generation. .
The Marquis is still the same Marquis, but he is no longer the same person.
Qi Ning knew that even if Qi Jing was still alive, he would still be respectful to Sima Lan, not to mention himself, the third generation Jin Yihou.
Moreover, Sima Lan was a minister of Tuogu and had played a remarkable role in the new emperor's ascension to the throne. If it were not for his strategizing, Qining doubted that the young emperor could successfully inherit the throne.
In front of such a powerful veteran, Qi Ning still tried his best to show his respect.
Sima Lan seemed quite easy-going. He waved his hand and said with a smile: "No need to be formal. Of course you didn't come to see me in the middle of the night for no reason. I think it was something urgent, but it doesn't matter."
He spoke simply and neatly, without too many pleasantries, and in his tone, it was obvious that he regarded Qi Ning as a junior.
Qi Ning had actually organized his language on the way here, and immediately recounted the important things that had happened. If Tang Nuo wanted to use the corpse to find a detoxification method, Qi Ning naturally did not reveal it.
After Sima Lan heard this, he was not as shocked as Qining expected. He just frowned slightly and asked: "You mean, someone poisoned the Beggar Clan disciples in the capital, and then used the Beggar Clan disciples as tools to kill them. Is the epidemic spreading to all parts of Beijing?"
Qi Ning nodded and said: "That's right."
Sima Lan gently stroked his black and white beard and asked: "Are you sure it is really an epidemic and will spread rapidly? Is it just a coincidence that some people happen to be suffering from this disease?"
Qining's expression was serious: "Old Marquis, I am very sure and certain that if nothing else happens, there will already be hundreds or even thousands of infected people who are suffering from worsening infection, but they have not yet developed an attack. According to the time, after dawn, that is, Today, a group of patients who were infected earlier will start to have attacks."
"You said that after the poison occurs, the patient becomes unconscious and will attack anyone?" Sima Lan stared at Qining, doubtful: "And after being injured by the attack, there is a high possibility of being infected?"
Qi Ning thought to himself that I have made it very clear. Time is getting tighter and tighter. You old guy, stop nagging about your mother-in-law and mother-in-law and act quickly. But of course you can't say anything with your mouth, so you can only try your best to suppress the urgency in your heart and say: " Mr. Marquis, I can guarantee that what I said is true. I came to see Mr. Marquis tonight just because I hope that Mr. Lao can seize the last moment and be prepared to deal with possible riots."
Sima Lan, however, was thoughtful and pondered for a moment, then said: "Don't be anxious, this matter is of great importance and can be solved without urgency." He signaled Qining to drink tea first, and then said: "You mean, let me Implement a ban on the entire city overnight, and then mobilize troops and horses to make precautionary preparations?"
"Yes." Qining said: "In addition, we must find a special place for resettlement, as far as possible in a sparsely populated place. If there is a large-scale riot among infected people, they must be forcibly detained while they are unconscious. Until an antidote is found, they will be temporarily imprisoned to avoid infecting more people."
At this time, someone brought a heating stove and placed it next to Sima Lan. On a cold winter night, the hall was really cold. Sima Lan stretched out his hand and toasted it on the stove, and then asked: "Isn't it right?" I don’t believe what you say, but... According to you, this kind of epidemic virus has time to worsen, and the poisoning does not occur immediately. So if there is a large-scale epidemic spreading in the capital these days, why does the Shenhou Mansion do nothing about it? Do you know? I have not received any report from the Shenhou Mansion."
Qi Ning frowned, thinking, are you suspecting that I am falsely reporting the news
He sneered in his heart, thinking to himself that if the imperial city had not been closed, I would have gone directly to the young emperor instead of you. If I could mobilize troops, I would not have come to chat with you for a long time.
But he knew very well that in order to take countermeasures at the moment, he could only ask this old guy to help.
Qi Ning was anxious tonight, not because he was worried about any one person, but because he did not want to see many innocent people die from this epidemic. As long as a few people could die less, Qi Ning was willing to do anything he could.
"Old Marquis, this kind of epidemic virus came quietly, and it has never appeared before." Qining couldn't sit still, "The Shenhou Mansion may have focused on other things recently. This kind of epidemic virus has not appeared before." Before it completely breaks out, few people will know how terrifying it is." He finally stood up, cupped his hands and said: "Old Marquis, time waits for no one, I beg you to respond immediately, otherwise...!"
Sima Lan stared into Qi Ning's eyes and said: "I know you are very impatient, but do you know that mobilizing troops and horses is not a matter of a word. The former emperor passed away and the new emperor ascended the throne. Currently, the whole city is under martial law. The lockdown has made many people feel uneasy, and you know that at this time, people in the city will feel panic."
"I know!"
"After the emperor ascended the throne, the martial law was lifted, and the people in Beijing calmed down." Sima Lan said slowly: "Do you know what is most important at this time? Of course it is peace. Let the people in Beijing feel peaceful. I am very grateful. Only then will the whole country be stabilized. The capital is the heart of our great Chu, and a single move can affect the whole body. Any slight disturbance in the capital of Jianye will not only affect the situation of our great Chu, but even the situation of the whole world. Can you tell me this truth? clear?"
Qining heard his tone of voice was old-fashioned, like an elder talking to a junior. If it were normal times, he really wouldn't care much, but in this urgent moment, this old guy is still talking to himself in a leisurely manner. Talking about useless things, I felt a little annoyed and couldn't help but said: "What does the old Marquis mean to say that in order to ensure the stability of the capital, troops and horses cannot be mobilized and we can wait until things happen to deal with them?"
Sima Lan frowned slightly, as if he was a little unhappy with Qi Ning's tone, but still said: "Young people are young and energetic, and it is understandable that they want to do something. But you must think twice before doing anything. You said it yourself , such an epidemic has never happened before, why did it suddenly appear at this time? The Shenhou Mansion didn't know anything about it. Since the founding of the country, I have never seen any infectious disease occur in the capital. If you dare to mobilize troops, the whole city will be under martial law. , the people in the city who have just calmed down will definitely be panicked again, I am only worried that once the situation becomes tense, someone will have ulterior motives again."
Qi Ning was startled and instantly understood that in the final analysis, Sima Lan still considered the political situation, fearing that another martial law would cause panic in the capital and allow hostile forces to take advantage of it.
He sneered in his heart, thinking to himself that you are thinking too much about your head. You are worried that the deployment of troops and martial law will panic the people in the city, but you don't want to think about it. If the epidemic breaks out, the chaos in the capital will be worse than the panic caused by the deployment of troops and martial law. Out ten times.
Qi Ning thought to himself that this old guy seemed to think that he had just inherited the title and was eager to perform meritorious service and to perform well, so he was so active. It seemed that he did not believe in the theory of epidemics.