After Chen Zhaoci prepared the medicine for Xu Zhi, she asked Bai Wei to get the medicine. She then pulled Bai Shu aside and began to ask if there had been any outbreaks of the epidemic in Miaozhou and the surrounding areas.
Bai Zhu had been paying attention to this since the floods first occurred. Later, Xu Di came with some methods to prevent the epidemic, and Xu Yao even brought a ship full of quicklime. Therefore, the epidemic prevention measures in Miaozhou were quite effective.
Chen Zhaoci nodded and asked, "If not in the city, what about the surrounding villages and towns?"
Bai Shu said with some difficulty, "Madam, before the floods occurred in the surrounding villages and towns, my son-in-law led people to move to the city, and some went to some places upstream. After the flood receded, my son-in-law also arranged for people to disinfect those villages before letting them go back. However, in the nearby counties, since the county officials are in charge, my son-in-law could only tell them and send some quicklime to them."
Chen Zhaoci nodded. Zheng Boyuan was merely a prefectural assistant; these matters required the prefect to issue orders.
Chen Zhaoci then asked, "Have you heard of any outbreaks of epidemics anywhere?"
Bai Shu shook her head and said, "After Lord Chu was arrested, the son-in-law and Lord Feng next door guarded Miaozhou City very tightly. However, we can't guarantee whether the magistrates of some counties under Miaozhou will carry out the orders issued by the son-in-law and Lord Feng well. This is also the most troublesome thing for our son-in-law and Lord Feng."
Chen Zhaoci nodded. After returning to the backyard and meeting with Wu Muyue, they talked about the matter with great concern.
Wu Muyue smiled and said, "Why don't you take your people and medicine and go on a medical tour to the surrounding villages and towns? You might discover something."
Chen Zhaoci's eyes lit up, and he nodded, saying, "Uncle, you really have a way with things. I'll make preparations tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow I'll take some people to check out the surrounding villages and towns."
Wu Muyue smiled and shook his head, then asked about Xu Rao.
Chen Zhaoci said with a smile, "Our Master Xu is busy every day. Even after dinner, he still has to work for another hour. As you know, the Ministry of Revenue has a lot of things to do."
Thinking of Xu Rao's character, Wu Muyue said to Chen Zhaoci, "I don't know who recommended Rao back then, but I think he's really making the best use of his talents in the Ministry of Revenue."
Chen Zhaoci, thinking of the turmoil in the Ministry of Revenue caused by Miaozhou, said with some fear, "Uncle, please don't say that. I was thinking that my master could find another position in the future. This incident in Miaozhou has led to the investigation of many people in the Ministry of Revenue. I heard from my master that many people who were involved have been suspended from their posts. I don't know what will happen to them in the future."
Wu Muyue comforted her, "Don't worry about that. We all know A'rao's character, and our family isn't the kind that would tempt A'rao for a few tens of thousands of taels of silver. I don't think A'rao is a greedy person either. Most importantly, A'rao is now favored by the Emperor. Even if someone wants to drag A'rao down with them, they'll have to think twice. If A'rao exposes the matter, can they afford the risk of it being exposed?"
Chen Zhaoci nodded repeatedly, and Wu Muyue continued, "Not to mention that A'rao wouldn't be tempted, even His Majesty wouldn't send anyone to cause trouble for A'rao. All the current conflicts in Daliang are for the sake of the new emperor's ascension to the throne. Our emperor is a wise ruler. For the sake of the Xiao family's foundation, he not only needs to control the current situation, but also needs to prepare for the new emperor's ascension. A'rao and Di'er are the backup plan that His Majesty has left for the new emperor. Of course, all of this is on the premise that things proceed smoothly as originally planned."
Chen Zhaoci listened very attentively. She was very clear about her family's affairs. It was precisely because she was clear about them that she considered many possibilities. She even thought about whether she should first build a large ship that could sail overseas. In case things didn't go smoothly, the whole family could take the ship and go to sea to live overseas.
When Chen Zhaoci told Xu Rao about this idea, Xu Rao just smiled and told her to live her life in peace. She said that the storms outside were the men's business at home, and even if things didn't go well, wouldn't the family have a way out?
But Chen Zhaoci was afraid. In the midst of their conversation, Chen Zhaoci asked, "Uncle, in such matters, although it's a matter of life and death, winner takes all, shouldn't we think about a way out?"
Wu Muyue gently shook his head and said, "There have been many such cases throughout history, but very few of them have managed to die peacefully after their defeat."
Chen Zhaoci pressed on, asking, "Uncle, what do you say? I'll go find a small island overseas right now, and we can all go there together, okay?"
Wu Muyue couldn't help but laugh when he heard this, and said, "Zhaoci, your idea is good, but since we have done such a thing, we are willing to accept the consequences. We have traveled thousands of miles overseas, and when we get old, we miss our homeland day and night, which is also a kind of torment. We might as well give ourselves a quick end."
Chen Zhaoci could only sigh, but soon she had no time to think about these things anymore. After she was ready, she led her people to start making rounds. As a result, she discovered an epidemic in a village. Many people in the village had fevers and diarrhea for no reason. They were so hot that they were shivering, just like they had typhoid fever.
After examining the symptoms, Chen Zhaoci ordered the village to be quarantined, but this was naturally met with resistance.
This is a large village with over a hundred households. It's very close to a county town under Miaozhou. Because of its proximity to the town, the villagers sell some of the vegetables and fruits they grow themselves in the city, making them relatively well-off compared to other villages in the area. Most importantly, during this flood, the Miao River changed its course ahead of schedule, and most of the water flowed along that old channel. This village was only submerged for a few days. After the water receded, the villagers returned, cleaned their homes, and continued with their lives.
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