Chapter 1733: Attracting Snakes
Lord Tang was truly busy. He first went to the county government office and reviewed the reports from his men. "Five houses collapsed. One of them was caused by a fight between a couple that snowy night. The house was already unstable, and the couple kicked it down a few times during the fight."
Lord Tang has been the county magistrate for many years. What kind of situation has he not seen?
He asked, "Where are the people?"
The county lieutenant said, "Everyone is fine. We're lucky this year. Although the first snow was a bit heavy, no one froze to death. Now everyone is temporarily housed in a charity center. However, those five families all have families with them. Not to mention whether they are willing or not, the people in the charity center are not very willing either. Two of them are quite bad. They started bullying the children in the charity center after only two days of living there."
Lord Tang snorted coldly and said directly, "Take all the able-bodied people from these five families and move them to the local area to build their houses. They'll naturally have to build their own houses themselves. The county government will provide some wood and find some help. We'll try to have their houses built within two days."
"It's so cold that the sky and the earth are frozen. It's hard to build."
"Strength is all that matters. You can bully people, right? You've got plenty of strength, right? And since we're building our own house, why would we be so stingy?" County Magistrate Tang said, "There's been a drought this year. Check the hardship accounts reported this autumn to see if there are any new additions. If not, verify them in a couple of days, then distribute the grain sent by His Majesty and his men and let them claim it."
"Then the other households..."
"Do other families seem to be short of that small bag of food?" County Magistrate Tang asked. "Is it my family that's short of food, or is it yours that's short of drink?"
The county lieutenant understood and smiled, saying, "Hasn't everyone heard that this grain was sent by His Majesty and Duke Zhao and Duke Pi to pray for the Emperor's grandson? Everyone wants to get a piece of the blessing."
"You are blessed when you distribute food to those in need."
Lord Tang went into the palace only after he finished all these.
Today I need to check the medicine dispensing records of the Imperial Hospital, as well as the situation of each palace gate, and inquire about the taste and ingredients of the medicine.
Lord Tang held up the records and asked Eunuch Wu, "So, each palace has to make medicine either in the kitchen or in the pharmacy?"
"Yes, that's the rule."
"Is there no private experience?"
Eunuch Wu laughed and said, "Of course there are some, but it's fine as long as they're not discovered. If they are discovered, they will be expelled to the epidemic prevention station. And medicine has a smell, so it's impossible to hide it from others."
"How does the kitchen know what medicine they are brewing?"
"Generally, the kitchen will ask to prevent anyone from harming others."
County Magistrate Tang: "What if someone lies?"
"That's for the adults to judge."
County Magistrate Tang nodded slightly, glanced at the list on the table, and began to circle and draw. "Since the needle needs to be soaked for three days and the medicine needs to be changed once in between, I only need to look up the prescriptions from the past six days."
He said, "Check the medicines brewed in the kitchens of each palace over the past six days, dig up the buried medicine residue, and have the doctors at the Imperial Hospital identify them. Only when the records at the Imperial Hospital match those of the kitchens of each palace, and the medicine residue, can we proceed."
Eunuch Wu paused and said, "There's also a small kitchen in the Taiji Hall..."
County Magistrate Tang looked up and said with a smile, "Let's check it too."
He flipped through the records on the table and found the records from the Taiji Hall. He exclaimed, "Ah!" and said, "Is the medicine that Manbao got for Lord Gu?"
County Magistrate Tang frowned, "Is Lord Gu ill?"
How could he serve the emperor so closely when he was sick?
Eunuch Wu had no idea and looked innocent.
County Magistrate Tang thought for a moment, then turned to his subordinate and said, "Go to the back and call Zhou Man."
He now occupies a room in Chongwenguan as his office, which is in the same courtyard as Bai Shan and his classmates' school, while Manbao usually edits books in the library at the back.
So it’s quite convenient to call someone.
Manbao came happily, "Brother Tang, you called me?"
Lord Tang looked up at her and asked, "What are you so happy about?"
"Nothing much, it's just that the Imperial Medical Bureau's school starts today, and I have to leave the palace to attend classes the day after tomorrow."
"You are so busy, can you still go out and play after class?"
The good news Manbao had received that morning was a little discounted, but she was still happy. "Anyway, I'm happy to be able to leave the palace."
"Congratulations! I was looking through the Imperial Hospital's prescription records and noticed that you often prescribe medicine for Lord Gu. Is Lord Gu ill?"
"Oh, these are herbs for foot soaking," Manbao said after just one glance. "Master Gu has some old injuries and rheumatism. He feels particularly uncomfortable on rainy days, or even snowy days like this. So I started prescribing a prescription for him two months ago. What's wrong?"
County Magistrate Tang shook his head and said, "It's nothing. You can go down."
Manbao turned around and was about to leave when a eunuch hurried in and reported, "Eunuch Wu, Lord Tang, the Ministry of Punishment has reported that Xu Yu is dying."
County Magistrate Tang frowned, stood up, and asked, "Why not? Didn't I tell you to keep an eye on her, not to let her commit suicide, not to let outsiders visit her, and to be careful about what you eat and drink?"
"The eunuchs from the Ministry of Punishment have examined him and said that the torture was too severe and he has a high fever. I'm afraid he won't survive."
County Magistrate Tang frowned, glanced at Man Bao standing at the door, then turned to Eunuch Wu and said, "Xu Yu can't die yet. We have to wait until we finish our investigation. If the problem is not inside the palace, then it must be outside the palace."
"And to deliver the poison needle to Xu Yu so quickly and in time, many people must be involved, so she has to be alive."
Eunuch Wu uttered an "ouch" and said, "Master Tang, I also want her to be alive, but I'm not a Daluo immortal. I can't tell her to live just because I want her to."
"Carry the man out and send him back to Chongwenguan, and let Manbao treat him."
"This..." Eunuch Wu looked at Zhou Man hesitantly. He didn't have any objection, but Xu Yu was a suspect after all. Was Master Zhou still willing to treat him?
Manbao nodded and said, "Okay, just carry her here and send her back to her room."
"There's a palace maid in her room. I'll have her move somewhere else temporarily," Eunuch Wu said to Zhou Man with a smile. "Young Master Zhou is truly kind-hearted. I'll be thanking you for all this."
Manbao nodded, turned around and said, "Then bring the person here. I'll go to the Imperial Hospital to get some medicine."
After she left, Eunuch Wu turned to his subordinates and nodded, then looked at County Magistrate Tang, "Are you trying to lure the snake out of its hole, sir?"
Lord Tang said, "It can't be helped. The information we have now is still too little. People who have died once will no longer want to die. Even if Xu Yu is mentally strong, after being near death and coming back to life, maybe he will figure it out."
He said, "It doesn't matter if she can't figure it out. We just need to let the people behind her think she has figured it out. If they make another move, we'll always be able to catch them."
See you at 9pm
(End of this chapter)
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