57. National Master Dad 8

Inside the Tianjian Pavilion, a white bead the size of an adult's palm was placed in the recessed area in the middle of a stone pillar half the height of a person. Cheng Jiu lightly touched it with his finger, and the bead immediately emitted a faint light, the color of which changed several times between white and yellow.

"Knock, knock, knock, Dad, it's me."

"Come in."

Cheng Ye pushed the door open and saw Cheng Jiu standing with his hands behind his back, wondering what he was thinking.

"Dad, did you find anything?"

Cheng Jiu: "Come here and try it."

Cheng Ye took a few steps forward and slowly channeled his inner willpower into the Qiyun Pearl. After several repetitions, the pearl's white light finally changed. Cheng Ye withdrew his willpower and said, "The disaster is coming from the south."

Cheng Jiu: "Anything else?"

Cheng Ye lied, "Well, I guess the flood in the south has expanded." Some time ago, there was a flood in the south, and the emperor had sent an imperial envoy to deal with it, and this imperial envoy was the third prince.

Cheng Jiu said softly: "Guess?" Can such a thing be guessed?

Cheng Ye knew his willpower was weak, and he hadn't been able to gather much information. But it wasn't his fault. He had only been inducted into the Heavenly Sacrifice Ceremony as the successor to the Imperial Master seven years prior, and had only been cultivating for seven years at most. Wasn't it normal for his willpower to be weak?

Cheng Jiu: "Do you think you guessed it right?"

Cheng Ye touched his nose and said, "No." If it was just a simple flood, his father wouldn't have stayed here for so long.

Cheng Jiu stretched out his hand and input his willpower into the bead again. The light of the bead immediately changed from white to yellow and finally to brown. The brown color stayed for a few breaths before turning back to white.

Cheng Ye's face changed and he whispered, "It's the plague!"

"Dad, did you go to the palace this morning to report this matter to the emperor?" No wonder his father took it so seriously. If the plague coincided with the flood, I'm afraid more people would die.

Cheng Jiu: "Hmm." He looked at the beads and thought deeply, fearing that it was not an ordinary plague. There was clearly no such plague in the original owner's memory.

Cheng Ye: "Dad, what countermeasures do you have?" Seeing that the brown color was so dark just now, I'm afraid it's time to open an altar and pray for blessings.

Cheng Jiu: "I may have to go south." As the imperial teacher, he must deal with this unpredictable natural disaster personally.

Cheng Ye immediately said, "I'll go too!"

Cheng Jiu glanced at him and said calmly, "Okay, if you can convince His Majesty."

Cheng Ye remained silent upon hearing this. The Imperial Preceptor's departure from the court was a major event. To prevent the lineage from being extinguished, the Imperial Preceptor's heir was absolutely not allowed to take the risk. Having served as the Imperial Preceptor for several years, he naturally understood the relationship between the Imperial Preceptor and the imperial family. To put it bluntly, the Imperial Preceptor was the guardian of the nation's destiny.

Once a person succeeds the Imperial Preceptor, their fate directly impacts the nation's fortunes, and the nation's prosperity hinges on their fate. This is why the imperial family never fears the Imperial Preceptor's lineage, but instead always wishes them well. If the Imperial Preceptor's lineage is destroyed, the nation's fate becomes unpredictable.

Cheng Ye sighed, it seemed that he couldn't go.

***

The three southern Yan cities were struck by a once-in-a-century flood. Dams collapsed, landslides ravaged the area, and the devastation spread over thousands of miles, killing tens of thousands and leaving the land ravaged by starvation. Officials defending the three cities opened their granaries to provide relief, comfort the people, and resettle the victims. Just over a month later, when the disaster eased, a plague struck, plunging the three southern Yan cities into crisis once again.

A large carriage made of mahogany inlaid with gold and with fine workmanship was parked in front of the Yannan prefectural government office. In front and behind the carriage were more than thirty majestic horses. Sitting on the horse's back was Jingwei, who had a serious and resolute expression and looked very skilled.

A middle-aged man with a thin mustache and dressed in the official robes of a prefect came out of the government office in a hurry. He knelt in front of the carriage and said in a panic, "Yannan Prefect Bian Liangcai respectfully welcomes the Imperial Master."

A deep voice came from the carriage: "Get up."

Governor Bian said, "Thank you, Imperial Master. You must be exhausted from the long journey. I have prepared a place for you to stay. Please come and rest for a while."

Cheng Jiu: "No need, report the progress of the disaster to me first."

Prefect Bian: "Yes, please ask the Imperial Master to move to the inner court."

Prefect Bian quickly wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve and followed Cheng Jiu into the government office. The Imperial Preceptor truly cared about the people, immediately showing concern for the disaster. Fortunately, he had learned in advance that the Imperial Preceptor disliked empty formalities, so he hadn't foolishly arranged a welcoming banquet.

Prefect Bian sat below Cheng Jiu and reported the progress of the disaster to him seriously.

After listening to this, Cheng Jiu said lightly: "Have you taken precautions against the plague according to the prevention techniques passed down a few days ago?" He had already passed down the measures for preventing the plague before he set out, so they should have arrived earlier than him.

Governor Bian said, "Yes, Imperial Master. I have already issued the instructions for prevention, control, and isolation, and they have already been implemented. The disaster situation in the three cities must be reported every three days. These reports just arrived this morning. Please review them, Imperial Master."

Xue Zhong took the report and handed it to Cheng Jiu.

Cheng Jiu looked through it carefully and said, "Is the source of the infection in Duhe City?"

Governor Bian said, "Master, the first place where the plague was discovered was indeed the urban area of ​​Duhe City. The Third Prince was on patrol in Duhe City at the time, and the accompanying imperial physician discovered it in a civilian with a high fever."

Cheng Jiu nodded to indicate that he understood.

“

Get ready and set off for Duhe City early tomorrow morning."

Xue Zhong: "Yes."

Five days later.

East of Duhe City, atop a high altar, stood Cheng Jiu. He wore a gold-trimmed brocade robe embroidered with auspicious clouds and cranes. He wore a golden lotus crown, a dot of cinnabar between his brows. His handsome, white jade face exuded a solemn and sacred air. He held three incense sticks and bowed devoutly three times toward the altar. He then placed the incense in the incense burner, closed his eyes, and raised his left hand to the lotus position. Threads of white spiritual energy flowed from his palm, forming a circle of light that swirled around his hand.

A low prayer emanated from his lips, echoing in everyone's ears, seemingly distant yet near. Listening carefully, they could no longer discern it. Everyone stood in awe, not daring to be distracted. After a long moment, Cheng Jiu opened his eyes, a faint golden light emanating from the corners of his eyes, a moment of compassion and holiness coexisting.

Cheng Jiu didn't come down from the altar until the blessing was over. The third prince, An Chiyan, had been waiting for a long time below the stage.

"The Third Prince just returned from Huaijian and came to see this national teacher. Is there something?"

An Chiyan was dressed in black and looked handsome, but the arrogance in his eyes made his handsomeness look a little less handsome.

Bowing: "Excuse me, Imperial Master, why are you praying so early?" Shouldn't we wait until the epidemic eases a bit before praying to eliminate disasters and allow the people to recover as soon as possible?

Cheng Jiu glanced at him calmly and said, "Third Prince, are you aware that the sky is covered with a layer of miasma?"

An Chiyan was stunned: "Plague?"

Cheng Jiu: "Third Prince, do you think this plague is a natural disaster or man-made?"

An Chiyan became even more confused and asked, "Can plague be artificially created?"

Cheng Jiu looked at him deeply, then said, "Whether it's right or wrong isn't the issue we should be concerned about right now. The most important thing right now is how to end this plague."

An Chiyan: "The Imperial Master is absolutely right."

Cheng Jiu nodded to An Chiyan and left.

This Third Prince was truly interesting. A few years ago, he'd noticed his luck was slowly rising, and he'd simply chalked it up to his male-dominant aura taking effect. But now, he realized something else was going on. In just two months, the Third Prince's luck had subtly begun to transform into a dragon, even stronger than that of the legitimate heir, An Chixu. Even just two months ago, the Third Prince was far inferior to An Chixu. Now, it was like two dragons vying for attention.

This disaster seemed to be created to accumulate luck for the Third Prince. The merits of disaster relief, the love of the people, and the gratitude of the local people all served as fertilizer for the Third Prince's luck.

It's quite surprising. Cheng Jiu had a vague guess in his mind.

***

Due to the disaster in the south, the selection was hastily concluded. Yang Dongxuan, the legitimate daughter of Minister Yang, was given to the Fourth Prince as his principal wife, while Nie Ningzhen, the eldest legitimate daughter of Duke Cheng'en, was given to the Fifth Prince, An Chixu, as his principal wife...

In Nie Ningzhen's boudoir, Nie Wushuang said angrily, "Oh, big sister, stop showing off. You're going to marry a useless prince, and you still have the mood to embroider?" Although the Fifth Prince was the legitimate son, he was rumored to be a useless fool with no real talent. How could big sister marry such a man? Even that little white lotus bitch Yang Dongxuan married better than big sister. At least the Fourth Prince had a better reputation and was said to be a gentle and elegant man.

Nie Ningzhen quickly grabbed her hand and said disapprovingly, "Don't say such nonsense. If anyone hears this, you'll lose your head."

Nie Wushuang: "I won't tell anyone about this. This is my sister's room, what does it matter?"

Nie Ningzhen: "I was talking to you, pretending to faint during the selection is such a stupid move? If the emperor hadn't been worried about the disaster in the south these days, he wouldn't have asked people to carry you away. If he had called the imperial physician on the spot, it would be a crime of deceiving the emperor." She was so angry when she thought of Nie Wushuang being eliminated.

Nie Wushuang said innocently, "I was just in a hurry at the time."

Nie Ningzhen: "Then tell me, why did you have to be rejected?" Wouldn't it be better to just wait for the marriage? Why did you have to cause trouble?

Nie Wushuang: "I don't want an arranged marriage to someone I've never met. I want to marry someone I love."

Nie Ningzhen almost pricked her hand with the embroidery needle when she heard this. She looked at Nie Wushuang quietly, lowered her head and continued embroidering, saying lightly: "The person you like is not necessarily the right match for you."

Nie Wushuang was not convinced: "Then someone I don't like may not be a good match for me. It's better to choose someone I like from the beginning." She has drunk enough toxic chicken soup in modern times, and she doesn't want to continue drinking it in ancient times.

She didn't notice Nie Ningzhen's grip on the embroidery needle was turning pale with tension. Why choose this path? I'm giving you a way to survive, so why don't you just walk it well?

***

The plague struck the three cities of southern Yan with all its might, coinciding with a flood and an infestation of insects. Despite preventative measures, the spread of the disease could not be stopped, and 60% of the population was infected. Fortunately, thanks to timely prayers, the death toll was greatly reduced. Three months later, Cheng Jiu's team set off for the imperial city amid the grateful voices of the people.

The author has something to say: Please collect it, thank you. Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solution during 2020-06-23 23:57:08~2020-06-24 23:32:09~

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