"What? There's such a thing? I just fled here and don't know anything about it. I'll go back and send my son to school right away. We were supposed to send him to school this fall, but things didn't go as planned. I never expected to be so lucky. It's a blessing in disguise."
"And you know what? The doctors practicing in those shops over there are all divine doctors from the Valley of Divine Doctors. Normally, you couldn't even hire one for a fortune, but now they're treating us poor people for free. It's really wonderful. I asked them secretly, and they said that Her Majesty the Empress specially invited them."
"With Her Majesty the Empress's help, this disaster isn't so difficult. The fact that Her Majesty the Empress sent people to rescue us shows that the court hasn't abandoned us, so we can't abandon ourselves either."
"That's right, we must hold on. Maybe the government's relief supplies will arrive tomorrow."
"Yes, we cannot let the Empress down."
Several disciples from the Divine Doctor Valley, dressed in plain clothes, moved through the refugee area, feeling quite proud as they listened to everyone's praise of Yun Qingluo.
He desperately wanted to tell them that the Empress they spoke of was actually the Valley Master of their Divine Healer Valley. Otherwise, no matter how many Empresses came, they might not be able to persuade so many people from the Divine Healer Valley to come.
The local prefect and the Grand Tutor, however, looked worried.
"The imperial relief grain is arriving late, and the supplies sent by the Empress won't last long either. What are we going to do?" The prefect, dressed in coarse cloth, looked worried.
The Grand Tutor, standing nearby, sighed, "Her Majesty the Empress herself paid for and transported these supplies, and with the help of the Divine Physician Valley and a mysterious figure, they were delivered on time by galloping horses. However, the imperial court needs to go through many procedures to distribute the supplies, and these procedures take time to complete. Add to that the travel time, and even with the delay, they should have arrived by now. The official documents from the court have already been sent. Could it be that they are en route...?"
Prefect Xu Feng frowned and glanced at him. "Don't talk nonsense. If this batch of supplies doesn't arrive in time, the consequences will be unpredictable."
The butler came in carrying a plate and said with concern, "Sir, please come and eat first. You haven't eaten all day. You mustn't collapse."
The Grand Tutor walked over and, seeing a bowl of plain porridge, two steamed buns, and a small dish of side dishes, said with a hint of anger, "I've only been away for a few days, how can the meals be so simple? You're always traveling around, how can there be no meat at all? What are the kitchen staff doing?"
The prefect walked over, glared at him, and snorted, "This has nothing to do with them. Don't get angry. The people outside are struggling to make ends meet. As their official, how can I have the face to eat so well?"
The steward's eyes reddened as he looked at the prefect's coarse clothes and couldn't help but say, "Sir, you care deeply for the people. You've emptied your storerooms, and now you only have a bag of rice and flour left..."
Hearing this, the Grand Tutor sighed and laid out the food on the plate. “Eat quickly. You’re already so old. Last year when the Emperor ascended the throne, you suggested going to the provinces to gain experience and vowed that you would never settle down and start a family until you made something of yourself. Now, half a year has passed, and things were finally starting to look up here, but then this disaster struck. Sigh.”
The butler also spoke up for Xu Feng, "That's right. Last year and the year before, the Mo River was very calm and there was no flood. Oh, no, there was one three years ago. I remember now, the Mo River floods once every three years. Could it be that the master knew about it beforehand and came here on purpose?"
The steward and the Grand Tutor looked at Xu Feng, who remained silent, which they interpreted as tacit agreement.
The Grand Tutor was moved and sat down. Xu Feng then asked, "Have you eaten? Is there any porridge left? Serve him a bowl." He then turned to ask the steward a question.
The Grand Tutor raised his hand to stop the steward, "No need, I had already eaten when I arrived."
After saying that, he glanced around and asked, "Have all the scores been paid out?"
Xu Feng nodded. "We don't have enough medicinal herbs, and herbs from other places can't be delivered immediately. Ten disciples from the Divine Doctor Valley, each with a guard, have gone into the mountains to collect herbs."
"That's good. Fortunately, there are many mountains in Mohe, so there should be plenty of medicinal herbs. Alas, we really have to thank Her Majesty the Empress. Otherwise, hundreds of people would die here every day. How many people would have died in the past few days?" The Grand Tutor sighed.
Xu Feng's expression stiffened. "Her Majesty the Empress cares for the people; she is a blessing to all."
No wonder the emperor abolished the imperial concubine selection system for the empress. Throughout history, apart from the founding emperor, there has never been a case of an emperor having only one empress and no concubines.
Those who initially opposed her have gradually disappeared, because they have finally realized that this Empress is not a weak woman who can only live by depending on her husband.
She was skilled in martial arts, capable of fighting on the battlefield, and could become famous overnight in the capital. She was intelligent and talented, a woman who was more outstanding than any man in the world. She was a model for women everywhere, and it is estimated that no one in the entire world could find such an extraordinary woman.
After the meal, the prefect and the grand tutor went to Jishengtang, a place specially built by the Empress for the elderly, weak, sick and disabled to recuperate.
Inside Jishengtang, cries of pain echoed continuously. There were children crying for their mothers, mothers weeping for their children and husbands, elderly people grieving the loss of their children, and others screaming in unbearable pain...
When the people saw the prefect, they were filled with gratitude and anticipation. "Sir, when will the disaster relief supplies from the imperial court arrive? I heard that there is a shortage of medicine, and even the divine physician from Shenyi Valley has personally gone up the mountain to collect herbs."
The prefect smiled gently, like a spring breeze and drizzle, making people feel at ease when they saw him.
"Don't worry, the divine physician just wants to use some fresh medicinal herbs, which will be more effective. As you all know, the divine physician has his own secret medicines, which I cannot say more about," Xu Feng said with a smile, reassuring everyone.
Someone asked somewhat sheepishly, "But, sir, the porridge today is much thinner than it has been the past few days. Is it because Her Majesty the Empress did not send enough supplies?"
Xu Feng's expression remained unchanged, and he smiled calmly. "This was specially instructed by the divine doctor. To make it easier to digest, I specially cooked some thin porridge to cleanse the stomach and intestines. In a few days, I will cook medicinal meals for everyone, so that they can recover faster."
"Medicinal cuisine? Is it something only high-ranking officials and nobles can afford? I never thought I'd be alive to eat it one day."
"Medicinal cuisine? I've never seen anything like it in my life. Will I really be able to eat it?"
"That's wonderful! We have medicinal food to eat, my dear daughter. We have medicinal food to eat now. When we eat it, Mother will recover faster. When Mother recovers, I will go to the embroidery shop to work as a seamstress and earn money to buy big meat buns for my dear daughter." A woman with injured legs and face hugged her daughter and cried tears of joy.
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