Chapter 44: The Arrival of the Divine Physician Emperor
"Mr. Qin, are you alright?" Qi Chengming asked with concern.
"Cough cough..." Qin Liusong came back to his senses, coughed twice, and then said to cover up his unease, "It's nothing."
He murmured repeatedly, "...It's alright."
Qi Chengming was puzzled to find that Mr. Qin seemed to be a little too respectful to him, even the way he picked up the bowl and started eating instant noodles was like he was devoutly savoring an elixir.
Qi Chengming couldn't help but throw a questioning look at the Second Young Master Wen: 'Do I look that scary?'
Wasn't he here to reward Mr. Qin? Why does Mr. Qin look like he's been criticized? He doesn't even dare to look at him.
Qi Chengming cast a glance at the blind man.
Young Master Wen ate without even looking up, sipping the instant noodle soup little by little. He got a bit hot from eating, and even his forehead was covered in sweat. He seemed completely conquered by the delicious instant noodles.
"It's so delicious..." he mumbled incoherently while eating.
"..." Qi Chengming helplessly withdrew his gaze.
Well, I can't count on that.
But no matter what happened, Qi Chengming was quite happy—instant noodles were indeed invincible!
The delicious broth, the bubbly and pungent cola—this is a modern feast!
He hadn't felt this content in a long time.
...
"It smells so good." Outside the main courtyard, a young eunuch who had been sent by Chief Eunuch Song to look for someone couldn't find the prince, but he couldn't move any further.
He took a deep breath, and then couldn't help but take another deep breath.
"What is this...? It smells so good!" The little eunuch was almost drooling over the overpowering fragrance.
"It's the Prince, Mr. Wen, and Mr. Qin inside," a young palace maid sitting closest to the main gate answered in a low voice. She couldn't help but take a deep breath, a look of envy on her face.
"It must be some new dish, right? I saw Aunt Fang come over before, and she was carrying a charcoal brazier."
"That's wonderful." The little eunuch sniffed again, sincerely praying that Aunt Fang would soon popularize this new dish.
Their prince was very kind. After stir-frying became popular, the entire mansion gradually switched to stir-frying and new recipes, and even the servants ate until they were full.
I've been in Liuzhou for a month now, and I'm finding it hard to adjust to the hot and humid climate. Many of the people in the Wangfu (Prince's Mansion) seem to have headaches or fevers, or are bothered by poisonous insects. But because the food is so good, the little eunuch pinched his cheek and felt like he'd actually gained weight.
Inside the main room, the three of them devoured their food in a whirlwind, but finally slowed down, leaving only sporadic sippings of their drinks.
Wen Zhongnan held the glass of dark liquid, grimacing as he tried to appreciate it. The intense bubbling sensation exploded on his tongue, creating a strangely alluring, almost poisonous, sensation. He could tell it was a spicy drink similar to wasabi, with an indescribable, rich sweetness.
Wen Zhongnan can eat spicy food, but he's not used to drinking spicy drinks. The sweet water is rich and irresistible. The combination of the two caused Wen Er's expression to change from time to time, sometimes looking depressed and sometimes closing his eyes to enjoy it.
"..." Qin Liusong's face was deep, as if he was considering something. After a long while, he decided to ask casually, "Your Highness, this sweet water has a unique flavor. It's not very familiar at first, but after tasting it carefully, you can't get enough of it. May I ask where Your Highness obtained it?"
Qin Liusong had been overworked with paperwork lately, and he looked much more haggard than before. His beard was messy and unkempt. He gave a somewhat embarrassed look, rubbed his hands together awkwardly, and sincerely bowed.
"Because Qin wants to use his salary to buy some..."
Qin Liusong mustered up his courage for a long time before he dared to make this tentative attempt.
He was terrified, but the curiosity of a clever person is never satisfied... He'll either suffocate or scare himself to death!
There were many things Wen Zhongnan hadn't thought about in detail in his previous life, but now that Master Qin had said something, his mind was racing with thoughts. He gave Qi Chengming a deep look, but surprisingly didn't immediately interrupt.
"..."
"Mr. Qin, if you'd like to try it again, I'll invite you if I have any. You can't buy this outside," Qi Chengming answered frankly, without mentioning where it came from.
Qi Chengming didn't intend to completely conceal his unusual behavior from the group of people on his talent list. It was obvious he couldn't explain many things. For example, the diverse range of technologies, and the many things he might suddenly appear out of nowhere in the future.
Actually, if they really wanted to hide it, they could have kept it completely secret. For someone in a position of power, it's incredibly easy to conceal something or exploit the information gap between subordinates to do clandestine things. What excuse couldn't they come up with?
But after thinking it over, Qi Chengming felt that would be too exhausting. After several months of getting to know these lovely people who had helped him along the way, he had come to trust them completely. He didn't mind revealing his unusual condition, and he wanted to...
He wants those who approve of him to accept many of the elements related to "modernity".
—For example, his inappropriate conversation in front of Manager Song, and now they are sitting together praising instant noodles and cola.
Qi Chengming slowly scanned the two people. After listening, they both seemed to have figured something out and did not ask any further questions.
He smiled with satisfaction, raised his Coke cup, and solemnly turned to Mr. Qin to thank him: "You've worked hard these past few days. The fact that Liuzhou City can begin to operate is all thanks to you."
"I don't..." Qin Liusong was flattered and about to retort. He genuinely felt that he had only done the hard work, and that His Highness had taken care of all the important tasks.
Qi Chengming stopped him and continued, "There's no need for modesty or refusing, Mr. Qin. You've taught me a lot. This cup is for you."
Young Master Wen glanced at it twice, then raised his glass in a show of support, offering a similar toast from afar.
Mr. Qin stood up, his face flushed: "…………"
"To be honest, this is my first time being a prince, and I've been incredibly busy and disorganized for the past month," Qi Chengming admitted with a sigh. When other princes become princes, they have officials appointed by the court to teach them about politics, retainers and advisors to share their burdens, and strategists to offer advice.
He has finally managed to gather a group of trusted confidants around him, which can be considered as having helpers, but they are all taking orders from Qi Chengming. The highest-ranking person who can currently act independently is only Master Qin.
Qi Chengming had only been in Liuzhou for a month when he was overwhelmed with tasks and had no idea how to handle them or solve problems in parallel. The past month had been chaotic, a jumbled mess of tasks, but he managed to finish them all, albeit with stumbles and setbacks. This was truly thanks to the capable clerk, Qin. He had essentially delegated the tasks methodically, while Qi Chengming would squeeze out bits of modern technology to help whenever he remembered something.
"We can't keep doing things this way; it's too chaotic," Qi Chengming said sincerely, raising his glass.
His book, *The Friend of Dual-Use Military and Civilian Talents*, is an incredibly practical time-travel novel, but it doesn't teach how to manage and coordinate resources. Furthermore, the only experience Qi Chengming can rely on since his time travel is the melodramatic novels, palace intrigue dramas, and ancient time-travel stories he's read with his sister…
But none of those novels teach how to be a leader and manage infrastructure.
The books he read all featured protagonists who provided the technology, supporting characters who provided the surprise and humor, and those in positions of power who cleaned up the mess and monetized the technology...
Feeling wronged and completely lost.
so……
"Mr. Qin, please enlighten me." Qi Chengming frowned slightly, his voice clear and sincere. He took a few steps closer and gave a deep bow.
Qin Liusong: "..."
Qin Liusong: "………………"
He staggered and quickly stopped the young man from bowing to him, looking as flustered as if his backside had just been burned: "The key to employing people lies in each person fulfilling their duties! Your Highness need not say more, I, Qin, will impart all my knowledge!"
"..." Wen Zhongnan twirled his folding fan with a flourish, a cryptic smile of satisfaction on his face.
His demeanor of being carefree and courteous to scholars is truly admirable.
Wen Zhongnan knew he couldn't be of much help in this matter. Perhaps he could share his military experience and rules, but he was ultimately a military officer, and he couldn't teach civil officials the things they taught him... even though he himself grew up in such a large family.
I wasn't influenced at all, hmm.
Wen Zhongnan had always been carefree and unrestrained, essentially going against his family and playing wildly outside, refusing to take the imperial examinations and follow the conventional path of a scholar. He had never regretted it, but at this moment, he felt a pang of nostalgia for himself:
At least I remembered a little bit back then, right?
It's not like we're watching Wuyou wander around like a headless fly.
...
The young eunuch outside the main courtyard lingered for a long time. Seeing that he hadn't returned, Chief Eunuch Song sent another person over. This was a bold, long-faced eunuch who knew a lot about the inside story.
He listened intently to the faint sounds of conversation coming from the main courtyard, and saw a simple-minded eunuch lingering outside but not daring to go in and interrupt. He frowned, glanced at the eunuch, and raised his voice, saying, "Your Highness! Chief Eunuch Song has important business to discuss with you."
Qi Chengming's conversation in the main room was interrupted.
He paused, opened the door, and first reassured Mr. Qin with a look, indicating that he would continue to ask questions later. He then gave the Second Young Master Wen a look that said, "Do as you please." The young prince stepped over the threshold, walked into the main courtyard, and called out, "What happened?"
Steward Song wouldn't let anyone bother him for no reason.
"I heard that a wandering physician named Bian, a divine healer, came to the Prince's mansion and said something about... the windstorm, with heavy casualties." The long-faced eunuch didn't know much either, so he could only bow and speak cautiously for now.
These words are too ominous...
Qi Chengming frowned.
Qin Liusong pondered briefly, his expression turning serious, and quickly followed: "Your Highness! I will go with you, so that if anything happens... it will be easier to handle."
He is the de facto head of Liuzhou City; there's no way to avoid him.
"Let's go." Wen Zhongnan moved with lightning speed; he was the kind of person who couldn't help but meddle in other people's business.
The three followed the long-faced eunuch to find Chief Steward Song, and finally arrived at the main hall. There sat a kind-looking, ordinary-looking old man—judging by ancient standards, in Qi Chengming's eyes, he was at most a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties.
Chief Steward Song sat beside him, listening intently with a furrowed brow, the atmosphere heavy. The eunuchs and palace maids waiting around also looked flustered, but upon seeing Qi Chengming arrive, they seemed to have found their pillar of support.
"What exactly happened?" Qi Chengming turned his gaze to the old man with piercing eyes. The old man seemed to have prepared his answer in advance, and upon seeing Qi Chengming, he bowed respectfully.
"As I journeyed here, the clouds shimmered with light, as brilliant as fire. Observing the night sky, I saw countless stars. The Rongjiang and Guijiang rivers overflowed, and the drizzle, initially gentle, then intensified—all signs of auspicious winds! I have long heard that Your Highness loves the people like your own children and has a heart for governing; I urge Your Highness to make plans as soon as possible!"
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Author's Note: Waaah, my writing crashed while I was writing on Jinjiang's backend yesterday, and my perfect attendance record was ruined! Luckily, I managed to save some of the words, so I didn't lose the entire draft. I'll post this chapter from yesterday first, and I'll try to write 10,000 words a day again today...
Let's give each other a pat on the back.
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