Chapter 47 Actively Exposing the Divine Reversal
A violent storm.
The rain was pouring down like buckets of water being drenched; the water was layered so densely that it was almost impossible to open one's eyes. The rain stung one's face with a sharp, piercing sound, and the strong winds nearly blew people away.
"Your Highness! I see water in the distance, but I don't know which side it's coming from! Should we evacuate?" Commander Mao shouted at the top of his lungs. His cloth armor was billowing in the wind, twisting and turning, but he was held firmly in place by his large size.
"The Prince's Mansion is the safest place right now! Tell the craftsmen to hurry up and build crop rafts; they'll be useful for rescuing people after the hurricane passes!" Qi Chengming shouted at the top of his lungs, gripping Commander Mao's arm tightly. The two of them quickly ended their observation of the water situation at the door and hurriedly prepared to go inside.
Many palace servants were deathly pale, on the verge of tears, for they had never witnessed such a terrible natural disaster. In the past few days, they had swarmed around Qi Chengming like fledglings. As soon as he entered, the palace servants would rush to him, some bringing towels to wipe him down, others bringing him clean clothes, and still others bringing him a heater, as if they had found their pillar of support.
"Hoo..." Qi Chengming suddenly shook his head.
In the short time he'd been outside, he was soaked to the bone, his eyes completely closed, everything he could see veiled in moisture. The only thing Qi Chengming could see was his infrastructure system, its colorful map page marked with countless red dots—the population distribution groups within Liuzhou Prefecture. Some red dots were still slowly moving towards the refuge points, while others, unfortunately, disappeared in the blink of an eye, in patches and patches.
Qi Chengming ignored the palace servants' vigorous wiping of him; he anxiously stared at the progress.
...
Liuzhou Prefecture consisted of seven counties.
Apart from Liuzhou City (Liucheng County), where Qi Chengming was located, the administrative center of the other six counties all had to follow the actions of Liuzhou City.
During the four days that the carrier pigeons flew to the capital, strong winds raged and rain poured down in Liuzhou Prefecture, and the colors of the sky changed dramatically.
On the first day, the scouts who went to Lingnan returned exhausted, bringing both good and bad news. The good news was that the hurricane was raging in Lingnan but would not pass directly through Liuzhou City. The bad news was that even if the hurricane only passed by, its destructive power would be immense, potentially causing damage to several counties within Liuzhou Prefecture, requiring early planning.
Sure enough, in the following days, due to the surrounding mountains, countless trees were swept up by the wind, with trunks as thick as bowls falling and destroying several houses. Reports of injuries and deaths kept pouring into Liuzhou City. The Liujiang River was also about to overflow, and almost immediately after the rainstorm, the city was flooded.
Qi Chengming was still shaken.
From the day he received the news, he ordered the best horsemen in the post station to rush to the remaining six counties to guide them in flood prevention or evacuation. Mr. Qin, Mr. Huang, Steward Song, Young Master Wen, and Doctor Bian were all appointed to this critical mission and went with the messengers, each representing the "Prince" to oversee the situation.
The last county was a special case, with Mr. Xiao Mu serving as its magistrate. Qi Chengming's side was already short-handed, and sending people to the back was proving to be insufficient. Just as he was frowning and pondering who else he could send... Xiao Dezi gritted his teeth and stepped forward.
Both were senior eunuchs who had been around the prince for a long time, so it didn't make sense that Chief Eunuch Song could handle things independently while he was content with just the prince's favor. It sounded petty. Xiao Dezi didn't want to leave the Second Prince, but he couldn't bear to see the prince so troubled with a furrowed brow.
Isn't it just about telling the county magistrate all the details discussed in the meetings these past few days, so as to better communicate government orders and help them relocate faster and better?
He can do it too!
At this point, Qi Chengming had dispatched reliable personnel to all six counties, including a squad of imperial guards to each county. The Prince's Mansion was now largely managed by Bi Shu, who had always been in charge of accounting with Steward Song. Her authority was already well-established; a mere raise of her eyebrows was enough to command the obedience of all the stewards and servants below, ensuring orderly management and preventing any disturbances.
Commander Mao represented Qi Chengming's will and was responsible for lobbying in Liuzhou City—they had well-developed sluice gates and drainage ditches, so the disaster would be less severe than in other counties, but that didn't mean they could just ignore it.
After a series of orders were issued, the Prince's mansion was mostly empty. Qi Chengming was left with only Xiao Chengzi by his side, who could still help him pass on orders.
Then came the next day, and the hurricane was approaching.
Qi Chengming, however, saw through the infrastructure system that the situation in the remaining counties was not optimistic. The counties furthest from the typhoon disaster only needed to reinforce their county towns and guard against torrential rains, floods, and epidemics, which was not a problem. But the counties facing Lingnan had to evacuate all their residents... In just one day, they had only managed to evacuate less than half of their population.
Too slow... This is too slow!
The infrastructure map showed people being evacuated in groups to open plains, where they dug shelters or moved into caves in the mountains. These were the only places that offered some protection from the hurricane's impact. But it was too slow!
Qi Chengming immediately saw the predicament of the county leaders.
After much thought, he gritted his teeth, picked up a pen, and began drawing a topographical map, marking the locations of every cave, pit, and air-raid shelter within the counties of Liuzhou Prefecture as shown on the infrastructure map.
Ancient air-raid shelters were not built to defend against air attacks, but were military structures built to defend against enemies. They were also located underground, so calling them abandoned bunkers is quite appropriate.
The messengers wrapped the precious topographical map in oiled paper, tucked it into their bosoms close to their hearts, and wrapped themselves up warmly before galloping to the counties. When they arrived, the messengers looked as if they had been pulled out of the water, completely soaked, with only the letter intact.
When Chief Steward Song saw the densely marked map, he was overjoyed and immediately gave instructions to everyone.
Looking at the mysterious blueprints, Master Qin felt no fear of His Highness's extraordinary abilities this time; instead, he felt a warmth spreading through his heart… For their sake, His Highness had exposed himself to this extent. This disaster prevention effort must be swift and executed to the best of its ability!
The second young master Wen remained silent for a long time in front of the new letter, and in the end, without thinking about anything, he did as instructed.
Xiao Dezi couldn't understand how His Highness knew more about the information than he, who had arrived a day earlier. But when he thought about how His Highness always mysteriously received batches of subordinates at night, he suddenly realized there was no doubt anymore—the information was readily available.
All evacuation and mobilization efforts are underway urgently.
Then came the third and fourth days, when the hurricane struck!
At the same time, Liuzhou City closed its city gates and opened its sluice gates and drainage ditches, strictly ordering the people to stay away and not to go out casually. The mountains here are covered with trees, making it difficult to hide on the mountains. If panicked people escape to the mountains without guidance, they could be injured or killed by trees and debris, which would be even worse.
Qi Chengming, along with the remaining craftsmen, the servants they had purchased, the eunuchs and palace maids, and the imperial guards who remained on duty, all stayed at the Prince's Mansion. The mansion, an old building, was sturdy and had just undergone repairs, making it the safest place to live. In the entire city of Liuzhou, if one were to ask where was safest, the Prince's Mansion would definitely rank first, even more secure than the government office.
So even the remaining officials from the Liuzhou County government came and continued to work in the Prince's Mansion, which had essentially become a new government office.
The typhoon struck, bringing torrential rain and strong winds for three days. The situation finally eased over the next four days, with the howling winds now barely audible, and at least there was no longer any need to worry about trees, walls, or houses being blown up and injuring people.
During this period, all communication between the counties was cut off.
Qi Chengming stood in the main courtyard, looking up at the sky and the puddles on the ground, feeling a profound sense of exhaustion and calm.
He had done his best, and the rest... was up to fate. In the past few days, everyone else was so bored they could only find work to do, either bailing water out with containers or watching craftsmen make farm tools and learning how to make small boats. Qi Chengming, on the other hand, was incredibly busy. The first thing he did upon opening his eyes was to check his real-time map—
See if the little red dots above are in their proper places.
See where the little red dots suddenly disappeared, and where the little red dots were too far away to keep up with the main group.
Actually, looking at these things is useless; Qi Chengming has no way to pass the message on to those counties. It only increases his anxiety and psychological burden. But he is so upset that he can't do anything else, so he can only force himself to look at them every day.
"Your Highness?" Xiao Chengzi called softly, standing at the threshold and said worriedly, "The medicine boy left by Doctor Bian sorted out a lot of medicine packets, and Sister Bishu asked if we should distribute them to everyone as a precaution—because some people have started to have diarrhea and vomiting."
Qi Chengming raised an eyebrow and asked with a stern face, "Is there not enough firewood in the manor? I have clearly ordered that everyone must drink boiled water. Haven't they followed that rule?"
A great flood is always followed by a great disaster.
Qi Chengming feared others would contract the disease, but Liuzhou was too poor to ensure everyone drank hot water and avoided eating food from the flood. The only orders he could give were to the entire Prince's residence. The residence already had a large stockpile of firewood, and they had also collected branches that had been blown or blown by the rain during the past few days.
Drying in the rain is not very effective, but if you leave it in the kitchen where water is boiled for several days to warm it, the damp wood will be usable after a couple of days—provided there is a good stove environment. It's still feasible to ensure that the people in the household drink hot water and not raw water.
But now...
Xiao Chengzi stammered, "Sister Bishu is also very angry. The doctor is examining them and said it might be due to laxatives, so they have already requested to be isolated. Whether those people will survive after taking the medicine remains to be seen in a few days."
"Stuck?" Qi Chengming took a deep breath, his mind blank about this disease, but he knew what it meant. He had drunk unclean water in the flood, suffered from diarrhea and vomiting, and had gastrointestinal problems. Now he even suspected the disease might be contagious... This was a harbinger of a major epidemic.
His mind raced, and his tone turned stern: "Tell Bishu to take precautions, explain to them the consequences for the patients, this situation must be stopped—we cannot allow chaos in our palace. Anyone found drinking untreated water or eating food from water of unknown origin will be immediately sent to the isolation courtyard and will be expelled from the palace after they recover!"
After the flood, only the people in the Prince's Palace are the main force that can be used. The internal situation must not be allowed to become chaotic, and they must obey orders more strictly. In this critical period, severe punishment must be used.
"Yes." Xiao Chengzi's expression turned serious, and he solemnly replied.
This punishment is too severe; it could mean losing one's life or being expelled from the palace, a fate worse than death.
"I'll go take a look too." Qi Chengming, no longer bothered by his troubles, lifted the hem of his robe and followed Xiao Chengzi like a gust of wind.
He passed the chaotic flower hall and arrived at the west courtyard. The area used to be bustling with people, but now it was eerily quiet. The kitchen staff were busy tending the fire, working frantically. The others also kept their heads down, barely daring to breathe, sweeping the floor or sorting through damp wood. Bishu stood in the middle, hands on her hips, still seething with anger, clearly having just unleashed a tirade. Xiao Chengzi whispered something in her ear.
In the distance, some palace servants had already built bonfires. On one side, it appeared they were boiling clothes in a large pot, while on the other side, they were burning mugwort leaves over the fire, the pungent smell spreading in all directions. Two imperial guards stood watch at the entrance to the small courtyard, as if facing a formidable enemy.
"Ahem." Qi Chengming couldn't help but cough twice, glanced over there a few times, and walked over to ask, "Are all the people in quarantine inside?"
"What's going on?" he asked again, his expression unreadable.
With rewards and punishments so clearly defined, yet people still disobey... This could be attributed to human nature, or it could be that the punishments weren't severe enough. So this time, he'll punish them severely enough to teach them a lesson they won't forget.
"It's the gatekeeper, Granny Liu, Carpenter Huang, and..." The guard at the gate looked familiar; it was Zhu Zi, who was skilled at gathering intelligence. When he saw that the prince's face was gloomy and he didn't look like usual, the hairs on the back of his head almost stood on end. He honestly told the whole story.
Ordinary people who are used to living in poverty often feel sorry for food and firewood.
Seeing the firewood burning tirelessly under the pot of hot water was too much for some to resist. The thought of a dead goose floating in the water was an irresistible temptation. After all, who doesn't drink river water or rainwater normally? It wouldn't hurt to drink it now, would it? Or rather—it's better to secretly eat the goose than just watch it drift away…
Otherwise, it would be such a waste. Doing it secretly once or twice shouldn't cause any trouble, right? As long as it's not discovered, or as long as everyone eats the goose, no one will report it and get punished.
This is their wishful thinking.
And then... something bad happened.
"Pass down the latest reward and punishment standards," Qi Chengming said without blinking, his tone very calm.
He's not angry; getting angry now is just internal strife.
Normally, he respects the dignity of others and tries his best to maintain his modern values and not be assimilated. But when the common people in ancient times were ignorant—and he has transmigrated into the rightful ruler of this era—he must harden his heart and take responsibility. He cannot be soft-hearted and talk about equality, lest it lead to greater disasters and calamities.
Therefore... even if it meant getting people's lives on his hands, Qi Chengming was prepared for this.
—Or perhaps he came to ancient times and became a prince who wanted to seize the throne. It would be difficult for him to avoid taking lives in his entire life, right? Qi Chengming had only wanted to postpone this time as much as possible, to postpone the time when he would be changed and assimilated.
Qi Chengming, a modern man, was covering his ears and running away in his heart.
After the hurricane arrived, Qi Chengming felt no resistance, only acceptance.
The time for change had come—he had to shoulder the responsibility for the people of the entire Liuzhou Prefecture.
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A message from the author: Happy Mid-Autumn Festival everyone!
I've added an extra thousand words; let's have something to eat first, it's better than nothing.
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