Chapter 557 Consultation

Daylight came quickly; soon after the night faded, the entire Daxing Imperial Palace was bathed in the morning light.

The civil and military officials filed in through Hanguang Gate, walked along the passageway, passed through Chengtian Gate, and finally arrived at Chengqing Hall on the west side of Taiji Hall. After listening to the eunuch in charge, they went in one by one.

This is where the Duke of Shengguo now conducts his administration and business.

Just past dawn, several groups of officials had already arrived to report documents from various regions. Yuwen Yuan sat at the head of the table, and after discussing with several officials from the Secretariat and the Chancellery, they made corresponding decisions. Then, they drafted documents and distributed them to various parties. Although there were many people and many matters, there was no panic.

On the contrary, it was faster and more efficient than when the emperor used to hold court and handle state affairs.

Before long, a group of officials came out with documents in their hands.

One of them glanced down at the neat, dark handwriting on the document in his hand, then suddenly chuckled and said, "I wonder when this plague will finally end."

The official beside him said, "You still care about this? Isn't this matter being handled by the two young masters?"

The official smiled and said, "What I care about is this word."

"Character?"

"By the time the plague is over, these words should have turned red."

"..."

The official immediately understood what was going on. Neither of them said anything more, just smiled meaningfully, and then left Chengqing Palace together.

As soon as they left, a tall figure slowly walked up from the side.

It was Yuwen Ye, who had just finished discussing today's important matters with Shen Wuzheng and Pei Xingyuan at the inn, and behind him was Shang Ruyi, who looked tired and solemn because she hadn't slept all night.

Just as the two were about to approach Chengqing Hall, a familiar figure came out from inside.

It was Yu Dingxing, who had just received his orders from the Duke of Sheng.

Upon seeing him, Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi both took a step back in unison. However, they did not take a step back quickly, so that Yu Dingxing saw them just as he stepped out of the palace gate.

When they looked at each other, they both seemed to be taken aback.

Yu Dingxing's large, deep eyes seemed to be hidden in a deep gloom, making it difficult to see the true emotions in them. But at this moment, one could clearly feel a glint of light flashing in his eyes. The other person immediately stepped forward, cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "Second Young Master."

Yuwen Ye also cupped his hands in greeting: "Lord Yu."

"Second Young Master, is there something you need?"

"Yes... there are some things I need to report."

"Then the Second Young Master should go quickly."

"Alright, Lord Yu, you may go and get back to your work."

After a brief, unfriendly exchange, the two were about to go their separate ways when Yu Dingxing glanced at Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi's seemingly shifty eyes, narrowed his eyes slightly, and then smiled, "I just remembered that I have some things to report to the Duke. I forgot about them earlier, so why don't we go together?"

Yuwen Ye's expression darkened slightly, but he didn't reveal much of his joy or anger, only saying, "Alright then..."

After saying that, he took Shang Ruyi with him, and Yu Dingxing smiled and raised his hand, then turned around and walked forward with them. In just a few steps, they entered Chengqing Palace.

This palace was originally where Emperor Wen stored his books and read. After Chu Yang moved the capital, the place was largely abandoned. Although Yuwen Yuan supported the young Emperor Chu Chengfei, he naturally had no interest or habit of reading, so the place was only used for storing books. It was not until Yuwen Yuan used this place as a place to sit and conduct business that this spacious palace saw the light of day again.

As soon as you step inside, you can smell a strong scent of ink in the air.

As Yuwen Ye looked up, he saw Yuwen Yuan sitting upright at the front of the hall, writing with a brush in hand. Several stacks of documents lay on the desk in front of him, yet to be reviewed. To his left and right, officials from the Secretariat and the Chancellery were also working diligently at their desks, writing furiously.

Until they heard Yuwen Ye's footsteps.

Everyone looked up, and upon seeing him, a strange expression appeared on their faces. No one spoke; they simply lowered their heads, yet all focused their gazes on Yuwen Yuan.

Yuwen Yuan didn't raise his head until he finished writing the last character.

Yuwen Ye immediately stepped forward: "Father."

Shang Ruyi hurriedly raised her hand to bow, but saw Yuwen Yuan calmly close the documents in his hand and place them on the stack that had already been reviewed on his right, and then said, "Your father is not here."

Yuwen Ye snapped out of his daze and immediately bowed with Shang Ruyi, saying, "Greetings, Prime Minister."

Yuwen Yuan relaxed his furrowed brows and then saw Yu Dingxing returning. He asked, "Why hasn't Lord Yu left yet?"

Yu Dingxing immediately said, "There is one more thing I haven't had time to report to the Prime Minister."

"What is it?"

"Well—since the General has come first, please speak first."

"..."

Yuwen Yuan glanced at him but didn't press further. He then looked at Yuwen Ye and said, "I heard that your men almost burned down the East Market last night. What happened?"

Yuwen Ye raised an eyebrow slightly—in fact, he wasn't surprised that the matter had been reported to Yuwen Yuan so quickly. He just subconsciously glanced at Yu Dingxing, the Left General of the Valiant Guard who had brought back many patients from outside the city a few days ago and had been staying in the palace to guard the palace ever since. At this moment, Yu Dingxing lowered his head slightly.

Yuwen Ye immediately said, "It's a misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding? How is it a misunderstanding?"

"It was Pei Xingyuan. He had run out of medicine, which is why a civil uprising almost broke out in Chang Le Fang yesterday. Afterwards, he tried to buy medicine from a merchant on the black market, but he didn't expect the merchant to set a trap to murder him for money and even burn him alive."

Yuwen Yuan frowned: "Is that so?"

"yes."

"Then, that young man from the Pei family—"

"The person has been rescued and is temporarily unharmed, but his family has run out of medicine. Today, Chang Le Fang can only temporarily use some herbal decoctions to relieve the cold symptoms. We need to think of another way to handle this."

"..."

"As for the burning of the East Market, that's not true."

"..."

"After all, the entire East City is still under the jurisdiction of the eldest brother—the Vice Minister of War. Even if I'm confused, I won't cause trouble for him."

He had barely finished speaking when a gentle voice said, "Not bad."

Everyone instinctively turned around and saw a tall and handsome figure walk in from outside the hall. It was Yuwen Qian, the Vice Minister of War whom Yuwen Ye had just mentioned.

Upon seeing him, Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi immediately stepped aside.

Yuwen Qian walked in, holding a document in his hand. He first bowed to Yuwen Yuan, who was sitting above him. Yuwen Yuan said, "You've come."

"yes,"

Yuwen Qian said, "Reporting to the Prime Minister, someone has already reported what happened last night. It was indeed a group of black market merchants who seized someone else's warehouse, intending to harm Young Master Pei there, robbing him of his money and taking his life. Fortunately, General Tian Ce rescued him, thus averting a major disaster."

As he spoke, he turned to look at Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi standing behind him.

The two men immediately bowed to him, saying, "Big Brother."

Yuwen Qian nodded.

Upon hearing his words, Yuwen Yuan paused for a moment before saying, "It's good that nothing serious has happened. However, this matter must be thoroughly investigated. The city is currently ravaged by plague, and so many patients are waiting for treatment. How dare someone use the guise of selling medicinal herbs to make money and kill people at this time? This matter must be thoroughly investigated!"

Yuwen Ye immediately replied, "Yes."

Upon hearing his reply, Yu Dingxing immediately glanced at him, while Yuwen Yuan looked at Yuwen Qian and said, "By the way, what brings you here so early in the morning?"

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Qian immediately said, "After ten days of treatment, 321 patients in Yanzuo Ward have recovered. I hereby report to the Prime Minister and earnestly request that they be allowed to return home."

"oh?"

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Yuan's face lit up with joy: "Someone has already recovered?"

The attendant immediately stepped forward, took the document from Yuwen Qian's hand, and presented it to him. After opening it, Yuwen Yuan nodded in satisfaction and said, "Good."

Just one word changed the atmosphere in Chengqing Hall once again.

Especially Yu Dingxing, who was standing to the side, had a hint of undisguised joy in his deep-set eyes. When he looked at Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi, he saw that the two of them had calm expressions. Although he could not tell whether they were happy or angry, the dim light in the hall made their faces look somewhat gloomy.

However, after the initial joy, Yuwen Yuan said with a serious expression, "Are these more than three hundred people really cured? We must find out for sure, and we must not let them leave the city with the epidemic."

"..."

"Even if only one person leaves the city with the disease—you should know the consequences!"

"Your subordinate understands,"

Yuwen Qian immediately said, "Therefore, I hereby request the Prime Minister to have all the physicians of the Imperial Medical Bureau conduct a joint consultation at the Mingde Gate in the South City today. Each person must be examined by these physicians before leaving the city to ensure that they have fully recovered before being allowed to leave."

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Yuan hesitated for a moment: "Wouldn't this be too much of a fuss?"

Yuwen Qian said, "Although it involves a large force, it has another purpose."

"Oh? Go ahead."

"These are the first batch of patients to recover, and they are all from the villages outside the city. They have been sick for the longest time and their conditions are the most severe. As long as they can all recover and leave the city, the chances of recovery for the patients who follow will be very high. This move can also give these patients some confidence."

Upon hearing his words, Shang Ruyi, standing to the side, couldn't help but frown.

What Yuwen Qian said makes sense.

Sometimes, the treatment of an epidemic requires not only acupuncture, moxibustion, and herbal medicine, but also the patient's own confidence. If the belief is firm, some minor ailments can be cured without acupuncture, moxibustion, or herbal medicine; but if the confidence collapses, even a small ailment can have unpredictable consequences.

only--

Just as she was frowning, unable to speak, Yuwen Yuan pondered for a long time before slowly closing the document in his hand. He then looked at the people in the hall and asked, "What do you think?"

As she spoke, her gaze fell upon Yuwen Ye.