Chapter 124
The news spread quickly to the capital.
Emperor Chongzhao has not slept well in the past few days since Qu Dubian left the capital and went to Xianghe River.
Not only him, many people were secretly worried and expected that the Minister of Works and Xie Jingshan would bring good news soon after arriving in Xianghe County.
As a result, the news came, but it was bad news that made people's hearts wrenched.
"Infected?!"
Emperor Chongzhao stood up in a panic, "How could he be infected with the disease?"
Eunuch Yu: "The news is that after the Seventh Prince met with Concubine Xuan, he did not leave Le'an County with her. That's why... As you know, the Seventh Prince has always been in poor health."
"I knew it!"
Emperor Chongzhao said anxiously: "I should have sent someone to bring him back at that time!"
That's a plague.
The news report said that many people had died.
An emergency occurs.
Maybe the person will be gone the next day!
That stinky boy...
Emperor Chongzhao felt like there was a fire burning in his heart.
The lazy response from the Emperor of Nanning was enough to make him depressed. They said they were providing food aid, but the food accidentally fell into the river when it reached the border. They also said they were unable to help the people of Nanning in the Great Zhou at the moment.
It sounds nice, but it's actually just giving up!
He had been busy these days discussing with the Minister of Revenue how much money should be allocated for the second batch of disaster relief, and he was already overwhelmed. Now, when he heard the bad news, the three blisters on his mouth hurt even more.
Emperor Chongzhao took a deep breath and suppressed the pain in his heart caused by his fluctuating emotions. The more he stayed up late, the more frequent the pain in his heart became.
"Tell someone to keep an eye on the Xiang River at all times. I want to know the situation there as soon as possible."
The news spread quickly throughout the capital.
Soon, people came to the outside of the Zichen Palace. Except for the third prince, all the other princes came.
The second prince and the fifth prince came together, the fourth prince and the eldest prince came on their own. Everyone learned the news at about the same time and so they bumped into each other.
Several people looked at each other, each with their own calculations in their eyes.
"Second brother, fourth brother, fifth brother."
"Big brother, second brother, fourth brother."
After a simple greeting, everyone fell silent.
After Eunuch Bao went in to report, Emperor Chongzhao asked them to come in.
He glanced at his sons and said, "If you have anything to say, just tell me."
The fifth prince bowed and said, "Father, Xiaoqi is infected with the virus. As his elder brother, I am really worried. Please allow me to go to Xianghe." He paused and added, "Xiaoliu is also there. Concubine Lan is also worried."
The second prince also frowned and said, "Yes, I am really worried. At that time, I felt that I had to get Xiao Qi back. Alas, I was still one step short. It is a good thing that Xiao Qi is worried about Concubine Xuan and Sixth Brother, but her temper is really..."
Really willful.
Let them worry and be concerned here.
The eldest prince said: "What does it have to do with my seventh brother? He didn't want to get sick. He went out only because he was worried about Concubine Xuan. We are standing here to see our father because of brotherhood and because we are worried about Little Seven and want to go and see him."
"Okay, your second brother is worried too," Emperor Chongzhao said, "I will teach him a lesson when he returns safely. I must make sure he changes his temper!"
The eldest prince said, "Father, I am willing to go to Xianghe River and escort the second batch of disaster relief silver along the way."
The fifth prince was about to say something when the second prince pulled him back.
"My fourth brother is here and he hasn't spoken yet."
The Fourth Prince was well aware of their implicit rivalry, but he was only using Xiao Qi's name to gain a good reputation as a friendly brother, and taking advantage of the disaster in the three counties to go to the disaster area and place his own people.
A high-sounding excuse, using the excuse of family ties.
He was a little annoyed and tired, and directly pointed out a possibility that they avoided talking about: "There is no definite prescription to cure the plague. Father, Xiao Qi may not be able to come back."
"Maybe it's because Xiao Qi is often sick that you forgot. This time is different from usual. So many people have died."
The hall suddenly became quiet.
"The most important thing now is not who to send to distribute the second batch of disaster relief silver, but to mobilize the imperial physicians in the capital and recruit famous doctors from all over the world to rush to Xianghe County."
The Second Prince rubbed his fingertips for a moment and said, "Fourth brother is right. No matter how worried we are, we can't help. We still have to call on doctors to go and treat the epidemic."
Emperor Chongzhao closed his eyes and said, "I will not let anything happen to Xiaoqi. The doctors need to be summoned, and the disaster relief money needs to be sent down. Boss, you go and do it."
"Second brother, you have no objection, right?"
The Second Prince: "Brother is very experienced in handling affairs, I have no objection."
Emperor Chongzhao: "I am tired, you guys go back."
The four princes then said goodbye.
However, as soon as they went out, they ran into Master Fang who was walking in a hurry.
Several people greeted him and said, "How are you, Master?"
Fang Taifu suppressed his anxiety and hurriedly returned the greeting, "This old minister has something else to do, so I won't chat with you, Your Highnesses."
The eldest prince didn't think too much about it. He took the task and went back to his own mansion. After the fourth prince returned, he asked Leng Yue to invite a famous doctor from the capital and sent the patient to Xianghe County.
The second prince narrowed his eyes and said, "Master Fang really cares about my seventh brother."
The fifth prince: "After all, they are all his students." When they reached the palace gate, he asked, "You didn't compete with your elder brother for the job of distributing disaster relief silver. This is a good opportunity to place your own people in the three counties. Don't you want it?"
The second prince smiled but said nothing: "The job may not be a good thing."
Fifth Prince: "What do you want to do?"
The second prince patted his shoulder and said, "Don't worry, it will be good for you too."
The fifth prince nodded: "If you have anything, come to me."
The Second Prince was not completely diverted by the Fifth Prince. After returning to the mansion, he was still thinking about what Master Fang had looked like just now.
Fang Hechuan, Xi Shiqiu and Lin Zongping.
The reason why my father chose these three people as grand secretaries to help him handle government affairs was because these three people did not take sides in the court.
But what if someone has already taken sides or shown some bias in private?
Seventh brother...
My grandfather held military power, and after the power was divided, my father's suspicion was eliminated, and my father began to trust Xu Jin again.
Looking at all the brothers, the ones who hold military power from outside the family are Xiaoqi and Xiaoliu, apart from Xiaoqi.
Xiaoliu is a fool. He doesn't notice at all that Laowu, the scorpion, is staring at him. Moreover, the military power of Zhennan Pass is far less than that of Beili. Comparing the two powers, Xiaoqi is still better.
Xiaoqi's disadvantage is that he has not gained a foothold in the court and does not have his own team.
But he and Concubine Xuan are adopted, so he can naturally mobilize the connections of the Xie family. The Xie family has many honest officials, and although they may seem insignificant, they are a force when added together.
But Master Fang is different.
How many disciples did he have? Who knows?
The old fellow has been in officialdom for decades. He has experienced glory and retirement. After spending so many years in the noble place of Hanlin Academy, he was re-appointed to such an important position.
If he took sides, Xiaoqi would build a mansion and go to court the next day, which could completely make up for his disadvantage of being the last one to go to court.
Military power, connections in the court, and the love and care of his father.
He has them all.
If it weren't for Xiaoqi's frequent illnesses, his weakness and poor academic performance, this youngest brother would be the most likely candidate to take over the position of crown prince among all the brothers.
The second prince sat at the desk, his brows gradually furrowed.
Maybe... he should check privately and find out what kind of lessons Master Fang gave Xiao Qi.
-
The Fourth Prince’s Mansion.
The fifth prince came to see the fourth prince.
"Fourth brother."
"Xiaowu is here, please sit down."
"How is the search for a doctor going?" asked the fifth prince.
The Fourth Prince: "We have found everything we can."
The Fifth Prince: "That's good."
Although the Fourth Prince is lazy, he can do well in anything he wants to do seriously.
"Xiaowu, you seem to be getting closer and closer to the second brother," the fourth prince pushed the poured cup to him. Out of brotherly love, he reminded him, "The second brother looks kind, but it's actually hard to get close to him, and it's hard to see him clearly. It's not good for you to get too close to him."
The fifth prince smiled and said, "Yeah."
He knew what he was doing from beginning to end.
"I hope Xiao Qi comes back safely."
The fourth prince said firmly: "He will definitely come back safely."
They both knew that being a prince and being in the court meant being at the center of the vortex. Even someone as lazy as the Fourth Prince would be dragged into it from time to time.
Royal family affection is as thin as a child.
Only the seventh brother was pure and enthusiastic, and truly regarded them as his closest brothers.
They also hope that their younger brother can avoid stepping into the center of the storm, be protected forever, and be pure and happy forever.
-
Xianghe County.
Le'an County.
Xi Zixing was not familiar with this area. In addition, the counties were isolated from each other, there were few pedestrians on the road, and there was no one to ask.
He took the wrong road twice and only reached his destination in the evening.
He covered his mouth and nose tightly with a face towel. When passing by the epidemic area, he found that although the number of sick people was still increasing, some of them had already started drinking medicine.
After meeting Magistrate Hua, Xi Zixing said, "I came from the capital with the Minister of Justice and Lord Xie. They were busy and couldn't come, so I came to visit the Seventh Prince."
This is a very artistic way of saying it.
Magistrate Hua was a little suspicious: "So it's the gentleman from the capital. Come in quickly."
Only after seeing Captain Xia Fuyang's familiarity with Xi Zixing did County Magistrate Hua put aside his doubts.
Xia Fuyang hit Xi Zixing and asked in surprise, "Why are you here?"
Xi Zixing: "If you can come, why can't I?"
He pulled Xia Fuyang over and said, "Let me go in and see how he is doing."
Xia Fuyang grabbed his arm and said, "He won't let me in."
"who?"
"Xiao Qi."
Xia Fuyang: "I went in once yesterday and took a look at him, and then he stopped asking me to come in. Grandpa Xiaoyuan can only go in occasionally."
Xi Zixing: "Who is taking care of him now?"
"Doctor Yang, there are several other doctors, please take turns going in."
"But why are you not letting me in? Are you afraid of infection? I just want to take a look, even through the window is fine."
Xia Fuyang was silent for a while, and told him the reason given by Qu Dubian, "That guy said that he was dirty now, and felt a little embarrassed, and didn't want others to see and laugh at him."
They all knew that Qu Watanabe loved cleanliness and beauty and liked to dress fancy, so this weird reason actually sounded very convincing.
Even though they all knew that he didn't want them to get too close and get infected.
Xi Zixing said angrily: "Who is making fun of him?"
Ye Xiaoyuan walked out of the courtyard, "Master Xi, please listen to His Highness and don't go in for the time being. How is Concubine Xuan?"
Xi Zixing: "Everything is fine."
Ye Xiaoyuan: "This is the best news for Your Highness. Thank you, Master Xi, for taking the risk to come visit Your Highness."
Xi Zixing said awkwardly: "It's what friends should do."
Xia Fuyang glanced at him.
"You can stay here if you come. We are short of manpower. You are well-educated. You can help Magistrate Hua and the legal advisor share some of the affairs in the county."
Magistrate Hua and the legal advisor have put all the available people to use. Xia Fuyang is not good at management, so now someone with good knowledge and management skills has come in handy.
Xi Zixing was worried about the situation inside. He couldn't get in and didn't want to leave, so he stayed there.
The Magistrate of Hua County used anyone he caught to death. Xi Zixing understood administration and was a highly qualified manager of talent. He did not need to be paid monthly wages, and he handled things in an orderly and meticulous manner.
Magistrate Hua was very happy and directly asked him to take over the detailed zoning management of the victims and patients.
"This is the disaster prevention code that Master Biandou gave to the Seventh Prince. I copied the original manuscript back to the county government at that time, and distributed the extra ones. You can copy one for yourself and put the original manuscript away after you copy it. I want to keep it as a family heirloom."
Magistrate Hua repeatedly told him to be careful when copying and not to get ink or other dirt on the manuscript.
Very nagging.
Xi Zixing didn't hear a word he said.
He stared closely at the original manuscript of the disaster management code.
After each sentence, there is basically a small dot left behind out of habit.
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