Chapter 123

Xia Fuyang pointed to the blood dripping in the small wooden barrel.

Qu Watanabe understood, "I asked Doctor Yang to prick my sphenopalatine acupoints. Now I can't smell anything for the time being." It's a pity that he can't prick it often. If he pricks it too much, his sense of smell will easily be impaired. Otherwise, he would definitely learn this trick.

Xia Fuyang closed his eyes, then opened them again. He was holding back a rage, but he didn't dare to really attack anyone. He could only lower his voice and say, "Do you take yourself seriously?"

"Testing the medicine on yourself? Qu Xiaoqi, how many lives do you have left?"

Qu Watanabe tilted his head back.

"I'm coughing... I'm the first one to be treated, what do you know?" He pushed Xia Fuyang's face away. Although the plague simulated on him by the simulator was not contagious, he could still use it as a threat. "Don't touch me, be careful not to get too close to me, and lie down when you turn around."

Xia Fuyang said angrily: "It's just right for me to try it with you over there."

"My physique is different from yours," Qu Duanbian poked his head out to take a look outside, then put his index finger to his lips: "Shh. Keep your voice down, don't attract Ye Banban."

He poked the back of Xia Fuyang's hand and said, "Keep this secret, don't let anyone else know. Ahem... ahem... you know, the situation in the capital is not good."

Xia Fuyang looked at him for a long time.

Qu Watanabe clasped his hands together, "Brother, please."

The dirty blood from his left wrist flowed down his arm to his elbow.

Xia Fuyang said nothing, and took the towel beside him to wipe him clean. Doctor Yang said, "You can bandage it after wiping it, but don't bandage it too tightly."

Xia Fuyang nodded, cleaned up the blood, and wrapped him with a bandage.

There was no need to release the dirty blood. Qu Dubian wiped the corners of his eyes and ears with a hot and wet towel and returned to bed.

The moment he touched the bed, he couldn't help but yawn sleepily.

Both physical and mental fatigue.

Doctor Yang began to take the patient's pulse.

Xia Fuyang: "Can I try the medicine too?"

Doctor Yang shook his head and said, "I'm afraid not, Master Xia, the Seventh Prince's physique is indeed much more special than that of ordinary people. If we want to get the drug's effect on the human body as quickly as possible, only he can do it."

Xia Fuyang said, "The Empress Xuan has sent a letter."

Qu Watanabe opened his eyes.

Xia Fuyang: "I won't tell you what you don't want others to know, but I will report the rest truthfully. If you don't want her to worry, just hold on."

He really couldn't describe how he felt right now. There was anger, depression, and a sense of distress.

With mixed feelings, he finally said angrily: "People like you were beaten too little when they were young!"

He should tell Concubine Xuan and let him have a good meal of stir-fried pork with bamboo shoots.

After saying that, he turned and left the cabin.

Qu Dubian muttered, "…You asked me to read Empress Xuan's letter before I leave. Really."

-

Outside the hospital.

A team of about a hundred guards was guarding the gate of the courtyard.

When Xia Fuyang came in, he was in a hurry and didn't pay much attention. Now he saw that each of the hundred or so people had a machete on his waist.

Pig iron forging.

He is of well-proportioned height, strong and sturdy, and behaves with moderation.

If you look closely, they look like a trained army.

Xia Fuyang asked in a low voice: "Uncle Xue, are these your guards?"

Xue Letian pretended to be so, but it was no surprise that Xia Fuyang could see through it. He said, "When you are traveling, or doing business on the border, you always have to bring some hard stuff with you."

"How's it in there?"

Xia Fuyang: "I'm in good spirits."

At least she still had the energy to act rogue with him, but I don't know how much of it was just an act to show him and reassure him.

He glanced back at the yard.

Plague is an emergency, and His Majesty the Seventh Prince has always been in poor health. He just hopes that the facts are as he said, and that the person who tries the medicine will be the first to receive treatment and survive safely.

Xue Letian said sadly: "I hope you get better soon. People from the capital will probably be here soon. I can't stay here any longer."

A fake identity was used to transport a batch of supplies, so it is best not to have too much contact with people in the capital.

Xia Fuyang: "Uncle Xue, you go, I'll stay here to watch over him."

Xue Letian: "Aren't you going back to the county government to report?"

Xia Fuyang raised his hand to call the deputy captain, "Leave fifty people in the team here, and you will lead the rest back to the county government and explain the situation. We will return to the county when the Seventh Prince gets better."

The deputy captain pointed at himself and said, "Brother Xia, I lead the team?"

Xia Fuyang patted him on the shoulder and said, "It's not like you haven't carried out missions alone before. Go ahead. If someone asks you, tell the truth."

"good."

"Let's go now, don't delay."

"yes!"

The deputy captain selected fifty elite soldiers and left them behind for Xia Fuyang to deploy.

Xue Letian saw this and said, "Okay, I feel relieved if you are here."

He had originally told Magistrate Hua that he would leave as soon as the food was distributed, and now it was almost time. Despite his worries, Xue Letian still followed the plan he had agreed with Qu Dubian.

Before leaving, he went to see the Magistrate of Hua County.

Magistrate Hua respected him very much, and even though he was very busy, he still accompanied him for a long distance.

Xue Letian said, "Please don't tell Magistrate Hua that I have been here before. I am used to living a carefree life and don't want to set foot in the world of fame and fortune. I came here at the request of the Seventh Prince just to repay a favor. Now that the matter is over, I should leave."

He did not say that he was the Broad Bean Layman, but every sentence he said was misleading.

Magistrate Hua understood: "Don't worry, I understand."

Xue Letian: "I hope Magistrate Hua will keep his promise."

The Magistrate of Hua County said solemnly: "I studied to be an official, and served the people as an official. All along, I have always believed in sincerity."

Xue Letian bowed and said goodbye.

The Magistrate of Hua County returned the greeting.

"Thank you all for helping the people of this county!"

Xue Letian moved his lips slightly, but just waved his hand, letting his brothers drive the empty cart on the road.

He wanted to say that the person who should be thanked the most was not him.

After Xue Letian left, Magistrate Hua and his legal advisor went to the county government office together.

Master: "Sir, do you think he is the lentil monk?"

Hua County Magistrate: "Whether he is or not, now or for a long time to come, he must be."

The master wondered: "What does that mean?"

Magistrate Hua shook his head.

"It's better if you don't know."

-

County government.

The Minister of Works and his entourage finally arrived at their destination.

As soon as he arrived, the Minister of Works went to see the county magistrate. There was basically no empty formalities. Both of them were practical men, and they went straight to arrange the transfer of grain from neighboring counties.

The three counties were finally completely coordinated.

However, the transfer of grain is very particular. It requires IOUs to be made with the neighboring prefectures and counties. When there is a surplus in a few years, it must be repaid with interest.

The first batch of disaster relief funds was also allocated from the court.

The Minister of Industry asked, "I heard on the way that there was a plague in the middle reaches of the river. I wonder what the situation is like now."

Although Xie Jingshan wanted to ask about Concubine Xuan and the Seventh Prince, he remained patient and waited until the official business was finished.

County Magistrate: "The plague came suddenly, but fortunately, several county magistrates from Le'an County and Lin County used large nets to catch the floating corpses. The plague was blocked in the middle reaches and did not spread to the lower plains."

"However, due to the plague, the repair of the dam has been delayed. We can only wait until the rainy season is over. In the next six months, I am afraid that the people of the three counties will need to transfer grain and seeds and reclaim the fields."

Xie Jingshan sighed: "Although the national treasury has received more revenue in the past two years than in previous years, the consumption of the three counties, totaling more than fifty counties...I am afraid it will also seriously damage the vitality."

Minister of Industry: "There is nothing we can do. We cannot just watch the people starve to death."

The county governor nodded and said, "We have to give the people hope. Otherwise, chaos will only make things worse for our Great Zhou. In the next few years, we will be poorer."

"This time it was actually relatively good," the county magistrate invited them into the main hall, "A Buddhist monk named Biandou came to Le'an County and presented a disaster prevention code, which largely avoided civil unrest. The plague did not spread completely, but only stayed in the middle reaches. The regional governance played an important role."

He printed out a lot of the rules that Magistrate Hua had copied, and now distributed them one by one to the Minister of Works, Xie Jingshan, and Xi Zixing who was following them silently.

Xie Jingshan: "Biandou Jushi... sounds like a name that was chosen by someone who likes farming."

Farming?

Xi Zixing's ears twitched.

He looked through it for a moment, but there was nothing to make out about the handwriting. After all, it was a version copied by the magistrate of Hua County and printed by the county governor.

But the wording and sentence habits between the lines always gave him an indelible sense of familiarity.

Xi Zixing used to often ask Qu Dubian for other princes' answer sheets in class. In order to improve his favorability, Qu Dubian was very conscious and almost always gave them to him.

However, ever since Xi Zixing created the score booklet for Qu Dubian, he could not ask the Seventh Prince for it in person, nor could he get the test papers from Tutor Fang, so he often secretly took the Seventh Prince's criminal law test papers from his father's study.

Although the answers to criminal law questions are all formulaic, there are always subtle differences in the wording habits of different people.

People like Xi Zixing who like to observe others from the details are most sensitive to this little habit.

For example, after the seventh prince finished writing a sentence, he would habitually put a small dot at the end to indicate the end. For another example, in order to be lazy and write fewer words, he would often remove auxiliary verbs and modal particles, and replace difficult words with other synonyms. Although it was awkward, it did not affect understanding.

While Xie Jingshan and the Minister of Works were praising the contents of the code, he read it over and over again three or four times, focusing on the wording, and his brows furrowed more and more.

Why do I feel that... the lazy habits revealed in the details of this code are so similar to those of the Seventh Prince.

It's an illusion.

Based on the seventh prince's grades in school, could he write such a well-organized disaster prevention regulation? He remembered that his father had said at home that the seventh prince had a hard time reciting the criminal law, and it took him a long time to finish reciting it.

Is it possible that all lazy people have the same lazy method?

After finishing the official business, Xie Jingshan finally found an opportunity to ask, "Are Concubine Xuan and the Seventh and Sixth Princes in the county government?"

The county magistrate said: "The Concubine Xuan was injured before. Because of the head injury, she still feels dizzy from time to time after waking up. She needs to rest. But it's not serious."

Xie Jingshan breathed a sigh of relief: "What about the two princes?"

The county governor said: "The Sixth Prince is in very good health. The Seventh Prince is not in the county government but in Le'an County. But I have asked Captain Xia to bring the Seventh Prince with him when he comes. You will be able to see him in the evening."

Xie Jingshan was worried: "Le'an County is an epidemic area."

The county magistrate affirmed, "Don't worry, Captain Xia is here, he will definitely come back safely."

Xie Jingshan had no choice but to nod, and he even went to Concubine Xuan's courtyard.

Concubine Xuan was in good health, but this time the injury was on her forehead, so she had to stay in bed to recuperate. When she saw Xie Jingshan, her first reaction was to look back. She was a little disappointed that she didn't see the person she wanted to see.

Xie Jingshan: "The Seventh Prince will be back in the evening."

Concubine Xuan: "Brother, please sit down. You have worked hard all the way."

Xie Jingshan told her about recent events to divert her attention: "Fortunately, the situation is better than expected. Unfortunately, Mr. Biandou seems to have no interest in officialdom, otherwise the merit of his advice this time would be enough for him to be granted an official position by His Majesty."

Concubine Xuan: "Being an official is also a bondage, how can it be as free as being a commoner?"

Xie Jingshan: “Yes.”

The two chatted, and in the evening, Xia Fuyang's deputy captain rushed back.

The news he brought immediately made several people in charge of the county government unable to sit still: the seventh prince was infected with the plague, and Captain Xia stayed in the county to take care of him.

Concubine Xuan was about to go to the epidemic area overnight, but was stopped by Xie Jingshan and the Sixth Prince.

Concubine Xuan wished she could knock them both out.

"Xiao Qi came here for me. If you don't let me go, don't blame me for being rude!"

The Sixth Prince grabbed her sleeve tightly and said, "But Concubine Xuan, your injuries are not healed yet. I promised Xiao Qi to take good care of you. You can't go!"

He especially understood Concubine Xuan, wiped his tears and said: "I know, my seventh brother also came for me! I am very touched and worried about him, but he has someone to take care of him!"

Concubine Xuan: “…”

She tried to hold back the dizziness but couldn't hold back the Sixth Prince's cries, so she pushed his head away.

Concubine Xuan and the Sixth Prince were restricted from going to Le'an County, but Xi Zixing, the stolen one, had no worries at all.

The next moment after hearing the news, he told the servants in his team, then prepared a face towel, led a fast horse, and rushed to the destination overnight.

The news that the seventh prince was ill reached the county government and then quickly spread to the capital.