240. What should be the punishment?

Wei Xiuming sat on the dragon throne, his fingers lightly tapping the armrests. His gaze swept over the people in the hall, then fell on the little dumpling in his arms, whose emotions were gradually calming down.

He will punish Dou Shichen and Li Bo.

But the question is, how should it be punished?

The current situation is equivalent to both sides exchanging hostages.

Xie Wenling went to Qiuhe City, near the fiefdom of the Prince of Zhennan, while Dou Shichen was in his hands.

If the punishment is too severe, he fears Xie Wenling's life will be in danger, and he is even more afraid that the Prince of Zhennan will give up and maliciously spread the plague.

If the punishment is too lenient, it will be difficult to convince the public and quell their anger, and the person himself will not be willing to accept it.

After a moment's thought, he decided to leave the choice to the person involved: "Princess Fukang, what do you think should be done?"

The little dumpling looked up, her eyes still a little red: "Your Majesty, Yue'er heard that many people in the south are sick, it's so pitiful. Uncle Zhennan seems to be nearby, how about letting him go and treat the sick? If he cures them, then he won't punish Shining Bright Bean Prince and Uncle Li."

Everyone was stunned, not expecting the little dumpling to make such a suggestion.

Wei Xiuming's eyes lit up, and he reached out to ruffle her hair: "Great idea! It gives the Prince of Zhennan a chance to make a contribution, and it also relieves the people's suffering. It's a win-win situation!"

He immediately ordered: "From this day forward, Dou Shichen and his servants are to be placed under house arrest in the Zhennan Prince's residence, and are not to leave! I will personally write a letter to the Zhennan Prince, and Dou Shichen must also write a letter explaining the situation. Once the Zhennan Prince successfully quells the plague, this matter will be forgiven. If he fails to do so, don't blame me for being ruthless and intolerant of you!"

Li Bo and Dou Shichen kowtowed to express their gratitude, but their hearts were still heavy with worry.

But they all knew that this was the best possible outcome.

The little princess, however, was still not satisfied, pouting and muttering, "Is that all? That's too easy on them..."

Wei Xiuming tapped her forehead: "You should know that relieving the people's suffering is more meaningful than simply punishing them."

Moreover, he only said he would let them go when the time came, not that he would let others go as well.

Wei Xiuming smiled.

During their house arrest, the people of the Marquis of Beiding's residence could take the opportunity to retaliate.

As long as their lives aren't taken, it's perfectly fine to let them suffer a little.

As for life...

If Xie Wenling can return safely from Qiuhe City, he will naturally find a way to ask them for it.

-

After several days of travel, Xie Wenling finally arrived at Qiuhe City.

Thick hemp ropes had been strung up outside the city, and several men in official robes held up wooden signs and shouted, "Don't come near! There's a plague in the city!"

He lifted the carriage curtain and saw people on the roadside wrapped in rags, some squatting on the ground crying, others running away in a panic, even the children's cries were filled with fear.

The attendant went forward to inquire, and returned pale-faced: "Sir, there is indeed a plague in the city, and more than a dozen people have already died."

Xie Wenling was not surprised at all.

He is not Wei Xiuming, and he does not harbor any hope that it might not be the plague.

He believed from the beginning that it was a plague, and even if it wasn't, he had to treat it like a plague.

He looked around but did not see the Prince of Zhennan or his troops.

Logically speaking, the Prince of Zhennan, being nearby, should have arrived long ago after receiving the order: "Where is the Prince of Zhennan?"

The attendant said, "I heard that the Prince of Zhennan arrived in Huaqu City nearby a long time ago. The court sent him to help, but he..."

"But what happened to him?"

"But he throws banquets every day in Huaqu City, and I heard he even hired an opera troupe. He doesn't care about things here at all."

Xie Wenling frowned, but decided to go see the Prince of Zhennan first.

After all, he had soldiers, food, medicine, and manpower at his disposal, and his help was indispensable in the fight against the plague.

-

Huaqu City.

The city gates were under martial law, with easy exits but strict entry.

Fortunately, Xie Wenling was there on imperial orders, so no one dared to stop him.

However, once inside the city, there was no sign of tension. The soldiers guarding the city were chatting with their arms crossed, and the faint sounds of string and wind instruments could be heard from within the city.

Upon entering the residence where the Prince of Zhennan was temporarily staying, the scene was even more bustling.

A stage was set up in the courtyard, and people dressed in fine clothes sat below drinking and watching the play. The Prince of Zhennan, wearing a brocade robe, was holding a wine cup and chatting and laughing with the beauty beside him. The dishes on the table were almost piled up like a small mountain.

Hearing footsteps, the Prince of Zhennan slowly turned around, saw Xie Wenling, and raised an eyebrow: "Isn't this Lord Xie? What brings you to this small place? Are you tired of the good life in the capital?"

Xie Wenling didn't respond to his words, speaking calmly: "Your Highness, the plague is raging in the south, and the people are barely surviving. The court has sent you here to assist in the rescue efforts. How can you still be in the mood to watch a play?"

The Prince of Zhennan didn't even put down his wine cup, and slowly said, "I would like to take care of it, but this plague is very dangerous. What if it infects me and the people in my mansion?"

"Besides, my men are all soldiers who fight battles, how could they possibly know how to cure diseases?"

"Lord Xie is very learned. Why don't you try to figure it out yourself, and I'll cheer you on from the sidelines?"

“Your Highness is joking,” Xie Wenling said, seemingly oblivious to his sarcastic tone. “Treating the plague requires medicine and food, as well as isolating the patients. All of this requires Your Highness’s help. I can devise a treatment plan, but Your Highness must assist me.”

The Prince of Zhennan didn't even raise his eyes: "Oh dear, this is difficult. My men have been busy guarding the county town lately and haven't had time to take care of those patients."

"As for food and medicine, a lot of it was robbed by bandits on the way. The rest still needs to be fed to the people in the manor. There's no surplus."

"If Lord Xie really has no other choice, why not return to the capital and ask His Majesty for advice?"

Seeing his indifferent expression, Xie Wenling said, "Your Highness, if the plague spreads, Huaqu City will not be spared either. If you refuse to help now, it will be too late when the plague reaches here in the future."

Prince Zhennan waved his hand dismissively: "That's for later. Let's take care of the present first. Someone, arrange a courtyard for Lord Xie and treat him well."

After saying that, he turned back to watch the play, completely ignoring Xie Wenling.

Xie Wenling stood beside the stage, his scarlet wide sleeves casually draped at his side, his cold, pale face devoid of any emotion: "Very well, since Your Highness insists."

He had anticipated that the Prince of Zhennan wouldn't obediently help; it would be good enough if he didn't cause trouble.

But this doesn't mean he would condone working hard alone, risking his life to treat the plague, while allowing the Prince of Zhennan to stand idly by and ultimately take credit for his efforts.

That's impossible.

He glanced up at his entourage behind him and said, "Please have everyone leave. Don't disturb the prince's conversation with me."

The attendants stepped forward and swiftly chased away the beauties in front of the stage and dismissed the guests.

The smile vanished from the Prince of Zhennan's face. He slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and kicked the table away, scattering expensive dishes and wine all over the floor: "Insolence! Xie Wenling, who do you think you are, daring to give orders in my palace?"

Upon hearing the sound, the guards at the door immediately drew their swords, the gleaming blades pointing directly at Xie Wenling.

Xie Wenling didn't even glance at him, only staring at the Prince of Zhennan: "If Your Highness wants to make a move here, I'll oblige."

"But swords have no eyes. If the prince is injured, or if I die here, it will probably cause trouble if word gets out."

"After all, now the whole world knows that the prince was ordered to treat the plague, but instead of curing the plague, he killed the people who came to help."

"If His Majesty were to hold us accountable, does Your Highness think the Zhennan Prince's Mansion can bear the consequences?"

The Prince of Zhennan was choked and turned pale. He stared at Xie Wenling's handsome face for a long time, then looked at the trembling concubine beside him. Finally, he gritted his teeth and waved his hand: "Put away your knives! I want to see what kind of nonsense he can come up with!"

He knew Xie Wenling was probably a tough nut to crack, but he assumed that civil officials like him preferred verbal sparring.

And coincidentally, he is the kind of person who dislikes being reasoned with.

So he prepared early, wanting to give the other party a hard time, to let him know what it means to be a scholar who can't reason with a soldier.

To his utter surprise, Xie Wenling turned out to be incredibly fierce, brandishing a knife and threatening his life without warning.

Xie Wenling said casually, "Your Highness, why don't we have a chat outside? After all, it's not appropriate to start arguing in public, is it?"

The Prince of Zhennan glared at him fiercely and walked out.

He was furious and was plotting how to trip him up.