Chapter 117
The magistrate of Le'an County came out in a hurry.
The county magistrate's surname was Hua. He was wearing straw sandals, his trouser legs rolled up to his knees, and there were spots of mud on his body. He ran over with a jade ring in his hand, sweating profusely.
His facial features resemble those of a monkey, but he looks young, probably in his early twenties. He should be a successful candidate in the imperial examination last spring, and was demoted here to serve as a county magistrate.
Magistrate Hua looked around and asked, "Excuse me, whose ring is this?"
A haggard-looking young man ran out, his eyes filled with tears. He stared at Qu Dubian and shouted with deep emotion: "Seventh brother——!"
It was the Sixth Prince.
He had never looked so miserable before. He was wearing coarse cloth clothes, with his arms and calves exposed, which had small scars on them, and his hair was messy.
Qu Dubian slapped him away with an expressionless face.
He took the ring from Magistrate Hua and put it back on. "Where is Concubine Xuan?"
Magistrate Hua did not know Qu Dubian's identity, but he was the one who received the Sixth Prince, so he recognized him. The only person who could be called brother by the Sixth Prince so affectionately could be the Seventh Prince, who was said to be very favored by the emperor.
He bowed quickly and said, "The Concubine Xuan is in the backyard, please follow me."
The magistrate of Hua County led the way for Qu Dubian.
Qu Dubian quickly followed, "Is Empress Xuan injured?"
The Sixth Prince covered his face with grievance, but he also knew that his brother was in a bad mood at the moment, so he whispered to explain the situation: "When the flood occurred, we were halfway up the mountain and were almost washed away. Fortunately, Concubine Xuan was good at martial arts, and together with the guards, she dragged us to the top of the mountain."
"But there was a rockfall on the top of the mountain, and Concubine Xuan was hit on the head by a rock, and she has been unconscious ever since."
The Sixth Prince lifted up his clothes, and there was a dark blue patch on the back of his shoulder. "That stone was very fierce. I tried to block it but failed, and it still hit Concubine Xuan."
With just a few words, Qu Duanbian could imagine how critical the situation was at that time.
The dam collapsed, the rain poured down, rocks rolled down, and trees slid down, but we had to go to the top of the mountain to avoid the flood.
Qu Watanabe said nothing. People who usually smile are not scary, but when people who are used to smiling have a tense face, their intimidation increases sharply.
The Sixth Prince's heart was pounding. He put down his clothes silently, without asking for credit or saying anything else.
Yi Twelve, Yu Ruo and Gu Xin followed behind them.
Magistrate Hua led them to the backyard.
The area behind the county government office was converted into a residence by County Magistrate Hua. In order to facilitate his daily work, he did not even buy a house and lived here with his wife and children.
Concubine Xuan was placed in the backyard and taken care of by the wife of the magistrate of Hua County.
There was a familiar smell of Chinese medicine in the house.
Concubine Xuan was lying on the bed with several silver needles stuck in her head, and the doctor was taking her pulse.
Qu Du wiped the cold sweat from his palms, walked to the bedside, and lowered his voice: "How is the situation?"
The doctor took his hand back after a moment and sighed, "The head is blocked. My medical skills are not good. I can only give you acupuncture and prescribe medicine to prevent the situation from getting worse."
Qu Dubian pursed his lips and looked at Concubine Xuan lying on the bed.
After a moment, he sat down on the bedside, held Concubine Xuan's hand, and his endless internal energy flowed along Concubine Xuan's meridians, slowly circulating in her body.
Concubine Xuan's breathing became calmer.
Qu Duanbian whispered, "Thank you, doctor."
It's better to stabilize it first, at the latest tomorrow, Ye Banban will come with the imperial physician.
Magistrate Hua explained the situation quietly.
The doctor was urgently seconded from another county. His medical skills are acceptable. It is not appropriate for Empress Xuan to move, so she should stay in the Le'an County Government for the time being.
Qu Watanabe nodded to show that he understood.
The Sixth Prince: "In fact, it was Xia Fuyang who saved us."
Qu Duanbian looked up: "Where are they?"
The Sixth Prince: "He led his troops to rescue us in various counties. After rescuing us, he told the county magistrate to take care of us and left without even taking a break."
Qu Dubian thought that Xia Fuyang should not have received the news that he had arrived yet.
The Sixth Prince: "Xiao Qi, you came alone? Father didn't send anyone?"
Qu Watanabe: "It will take five days for the people sent by my father to arrive. They are many in number and will probably bring some supplies with them. It's raining on the road and the carriages are having trouble moving. They can't move fast."
A hint of disappointment flashed across Magistrate Hua's eyes. "It's been so long..."
Qu Dubian glanced at him, fed him the medicine, asked the county magistrate's wife to take good care of Concubine Xuan, and then quietly retreated.
-
Qu Dubian and his companions would definitely stay in the county government office, so County Magistrate Hua asked people to clean up two rooms.
It was packed in a hurry, but still tidy enough. Qu Watanabe didn't care too much, as long as he could sleep in it.
It took half an hour to finish the work.
When Qu Duanbian was finally able to sit down and take a breath, he distracted himself and said to the Sixth Prince: "Sixth brother, thank you."
He was referring to the moment when the Sixth Prince blocked Concubine Xuan's attack.
The Sixth Prince: "If it were someone else, I would definitely not stop it. If they die, they die. Why should I feel hurt? But Concubine Xuan is close to you, so I will stop it." He snorted, "You are not allowed to ask me to work or beat me in the future."
Qu Watanabe poked at the bruise on the back of his shoulder.
The Sixth Prince cried out.
Qu Dubian thought that this was at most paying off some debts, how could it be so easy for him.
The Sixth Prince said angrily: "Little Seven!"
Qu Watanabe: "Okay, okay, I have something to ask you. What do you think of this Hua County Magistrate?"
The Sixth Prince rubbed his shoulders and said, "He's a nice guy. He just doesn't act like an official."
"Um?"
"How can an official in the capital build straw huts for those disaster victims outside? He gets himself covered in mud and is scolded by the disaster victims. It's not decent at all. I don't understand why he can endure it."
Qu Watanabe seemed to be thinking about something.
The Sixth Prince seemed to have just reacted, "Oh, I haven't asked yet, isn't that Yu Ruo following you? Why is he here too?"
Qu Dubian: "The people of Nanning are also affected by the disaster. Sixth brother, you should go back and have a rest. If there is anything wrong with Empress Xuan, please tell me immediately."
Sixth Prince: "Okay... got it."
-
Dusk is falling.
Yi Twelve walked around outside.
Because the crowd was so dense, all concentrated in the county government office, the construction of straw huts was slow, the porridge distributed was extremely thin, and the people were in a bad mood. In just half an afternoon, five or six conflicts occurred.
He told Qu Watanabe all the information he had collected.
At dinner time.
Magistrate Hua personally delivered the food.
Two plates of vegetables and three bowls of rice.
Yu Ruo took a look and commented: "The dishes are all good."
Under the current conditions, it is really good to eat rice and vegetables.
He was still dressed like a servant, and he had already started eating before the Seventh Prince started eating. Magistrate Hua was dumbfounded, "This..."
Qu Watanabe: "I forgot to introduce you, this is Prince Yu Ruo from Nanning."
Yu Ruo: "Little proton, don't worry about me, just talk."
The corner of Hua County Magistrate's mouth twitched: "..."
Qu Watanabe also handed him a pair of chopsticks and asked him to sit down.
"I have something to ask the county magistrate."
Three princes, one queen... How could Le'an County be so worthy of the title of being able to allow so many giant Buddhas to settle here?
Magistrate Hua took the chopsticks respectfully, but did not dare to use them. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and said, "You go ahead."
Qu Dubian pointed at the food on the table and said, "I see there is still food in the county government, but why is the porridge pot outside so sparse and looks like water?"
Magistrate Hua was stunned. He didn't expect that this seemingly spoiled prince in the deep palace would pay attention to the situation of the people outside.
Qu Watanabe: "Don't worry, I'm not blaming you."
Magistrate Hua sighed, "There's no food."
Qu Duanbian: "The charity granary is out of food?"
Magistrate Hua: "No. The charity granary has always been managed by the governor of Xianghe County. The day after the flood broke out, the charity granary allocated relief grain."
He pointed to the piles of grain in the main hall.
"The food has arrived, but the person who delivered it told us that there is only so much relief food, and there will be no second batch," Magistrate Hua said with a worried look on his face. "There are 20,000 to 30,000 people in Le'an County, and they only have this little food and some soup every day, which is already the limit. I am still waiting for the imperial envoy sent by the court."
Unexpectedly, the first prince to arrive was a younger prince, and he had to distract himself to take care of him.
Qu Watanabe: "Why is there no second batch?"
Magistrate Hua sighed, "Your Highness, this time three counties were hit by the disaster. The largest charity granary is in Xianghe County. The charity granaries in the other two counties were damaged to varying degrees by the flood. Now everyone depends on Xianghe County for food. A county has more than a dozen or twenty counties under its jurisdiction. It is considered very good to be able to get these."
The governor of Xianghe County was so worried about how to distribute the grain in the charity granary more reasonably that he was losing his hair.
If less is given to someone, the people affected by the disaster will complain bitterly.
Hua County Magistrate: "Your Highnesses, please eat first. I have something else to do."
Qu Dubian called him: "Wait."
"Did you find the people of Nanning during the flood rescue?"
Magistrate Hua glanced at Yu Ruo and said hesitantly, "Of course there are. But not many. They should be distributed in all counties. There are about a hundred people in Le'an County, and now they are all gathered in one place."
Yu Ruo stood up: "Where is it?"
Magistrate Hua was in a dilemma: "After all, they are not from the Great Zhou, and the people of the Great Zhou do not like the people of Nanning, so their location is far from the county government. It is getting late now, and the road is not safe. What do you think? How about going tomorrow?"
Gu Xin also said, "Your Highness, there is no need to rush."
Yu Ruo suppressed his anger and said, "Please, sir, take me there tomorrow morning."
Hua County Magistrate: "That's natural."
After a brief exchange of greetings, Yu Ruo returned to his room. Magistrate Hua went outside the county government office, and civilians were being pulled out of the water one after another and rushed to the straw hut built by the county government office to rest.
Qu Dubian went to see Concubine Xuan again.
Concubine Xuan was still in a coma.
He waited until midnight, and was forcibly rescued by Yi Twelve.
B12: "Your Highness, you should rest."
He has been working day and night for two days without closing his eyes, and he is still not asleep. Yi Twelve feels that if he does not punish His Highness, both of them will be punished by Xiaoyuan.
"We have found Concubine Xuan. Wait for the imperial physician to come tomorrow. She will be fine. Don't worry."
Qu Watanabe: "I'm not too sleepy."
He stood at the window and looked out, and could faintly hear the sounds of quarreling and crying outside the county government office.
In the flood, people lost their loved ones, the wealth they had accumulated over the years, and the houses they had built. Their emotions are too unstable. Coupled with the food shortage, if it continues, something bad might happen.
Magistrate Hua is a competent magistrate, and he is still outside trying to calm the people.
However, the speed of disaster relief in ancient times was too slow, and the way Hua County Magistrate dealt with the disaster was also problematic and unsystematic.
When he came, Qu Duanbian knew that the supplies brought by Uncle Toletian would come in handy. He originally wanted to leave the supplies and the imperial physician behind, and after finding Concubine Xuan and the Sixth Prince, he would wait patiently for people from the capital to come and deal with the follow-up.
But now Concubine Xuan was in a coma, and he himself was in the middle of it, but he couldn't just watch so many victims and do nothing.
B Twelve: "Your Highness, if you don't sleep, I will tell Xiaoyuan."
"Okay, okay, I'll go to sleep, but before I go to sleep, I want to write something."
He didn't let Liuliu out. Liuliu could be trusted and there was no need to hide it, but as for the others... it was better not to reveal it. He had to wear a vest.
Qu Dubian walked to the table, spread out a piece of paper, ground the ink, and switched to using his left hand to write.
Under the shock of Yi Twelve, Qu Duan wrote down: "Twenty Rules for Post-Flood Disaster Handling".
The writing style is free and easy, and the sharpness is awe-inspiring.
It forms a sharp contrast with the steady and unremarkable handwriting on the right hand.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com