Chief Secretary Ling risked his life to advise, "Your Highness, what we must do now is to completely control the epidemic before the imperial envoy arrives. If the imperial envoy is infected with the epidemic, I fear that next time someone comes to Jiangnan, it won't just be an official!"
It's true that there are 100,000 naval troops in Jiangnan, but the tiger tally is still in the Emperor's hands.
If His Majesty were to dispatch troops to control the epidemic, His Highness Prince Chu would be in no position to act rashly or reasonably, and would absolutely not easily mobilize the navy!
As soon as Chief Secretary Ling spoke, the other advisors quickly followed suit, their words clearly implying that the King of Chu should not act rashly at this crucial moment, or he would truly be courting death!
The navy could not deal with the emperor's army, but it could deal with ordinary people. With a livid face, the King of Chu sent a secret letter to the naval captain, ordering him to quickly assemble the navy and come to Jiangzhou to stabilize the situation.
Only after the King of Chu issued this order did Chief Secretary Ling and the others finally breathe a sigh of relief.
With the army's deterrent effect, the predicament in the Jiangzhou area was quickly resolved.
The King of Chu followed the same method as his advisors: he herded all those infected with the plague to a mountain villa, but he had no intention of treating them and ordered them all to be slaughtered.
Then those who had been in contact with the disease were sent to another place and locked down, with several people guarding each room. If someone in one room fell ill, everyone in that room would be in trouble.
For a time, everyone in the Jiangnan region was in danger. Ling Changshi and others were appointed to take charge of the work in Huizhou and Yangzhou. Before the arrival of the imperial envoy, they finally managed to stabilize the Jiangnan region and agricultural production gradually recovered.
Ling Changshi and others were busy reorganizing the household registration and calming the people's hearts, and had no time to pay attention to the news from the northern desert.
In mid-July, the imperial envoy finally arrived in Jiangzhou with disaster relief supplies. King Chu originally wanted to take over the disaster relief directly, but the imperial envoy was stubborn and refused to budge no matter how much King Chu hinted.
After returning to his residence, the King of Chu kicked over a tea set, spilling tea all over the floor. The servants, unfazed, quickly cleaned up the council hall and replaced it with a brand new tea set.
"I'm going to cut off Qi Chengjun's head right now!"
That's right, the person the Emperor sent for this disaster relief was Qi Chengjun.
Before the Emperor issued the order, he had a private conversation with Qi Chengjun. Qi Chengjun understood that the Emperor was paving the way for him.
Qi Chengjun knew that a plague would inevitably follow the flood, but he had no choice and did not want to choose. He accepted the imperial sword, took with him food and money, and dozens of imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital who were very good at dealing with epidemics, and rushed to Jiangnan without stopping, just to save the people of Jiangnan from the disaster.
He thought he had made all the necessary preparations, but he never expected to see the once prosperous village become dilapidated, with sparse crops and very few people in the fields.
Qi Chengjun did not rush to enter Jiangzhou, but instead sent people down to find out the situation. Only then did he learn of the cruel methods of the King of Chu. Qi Chengjun was so angry that he wanted to take the imperial sword and cut off the King of Chu's head.
If he hadn't insisted on keeping it a secret, how could the floods in Jiangnan have been so severe!
Qi Chengjun wanted to learn more about the situation, but the King of Chu had already set his sights on him and brought him directly to Jiangzhou City, where he was placed in a restaurant. The implication was that he should enjoy good food and drink in Jiangzhou and that the disaster relief work should be left to the Prince's residence.
Of course he would agree!
After refusing the King of Chu twice, Qi Chengjun became more cautious and began to carry the imperial sword while sitting on a coffin lid every day.
So when the King of Chu said he wanted to cut off Qi Chengjun's head, Ling Changshi and others couldn't help but try to dissuade him: "Your Highness must not act rashly! Qi Chengjun is much more important to the Emperor than grain and money. It's okay if grain and money are lost, but if something happens to Qi Chengjun, the Emperor will definitely send troops."
"Yes, Your Highness, please reconsider!"
"Qi Chengjun came to Jiangnan to provide disaster relief with the determination to die. If Your Highness really makes a move, the guards around Qi Chengjun will immediately rebel!"
King Chu, having suffered humiliation at the hands of Qi Chengjun outside, now had to endure the humiliation of his advisors upon returning home. His neck veins bulged: "This won't work, that won't work! What do you all intend to do? The floods in Jiangnan—have I not suffered any losses? How much grain and how many lives have I lost in order to quell this disaster?"
"The grain and money that Gu Yuchen sent should be compensated to me the most!"
If he hadn't opened the granaries, would so few people have died in Jiangnan?
Ling Changshi and the others exchanged glances, then quickly lowered their eyes.
If Your Highness had reported this sooner, you wouldn't have suffered such a loss.
But no one dared to say such a thing, for fear of offending the King of Chu and then being the ones to be scolded!
Ling Changshi was about to persuade the King of Chu to let Qi Chengjun come and go peacefully, so as to avoid a direct conflict with the Emperor.
After all, the Jiangnan region needed to recuperate after the floods and epidemics, and it would be very unwise to break ties with the emperor at this time.
Unexpectedly, one of the advisors suggested, "Your Highness, Qi Chengjun loves to observe the people's conditions, so let's send him to the epidemic area to observe the people's conditions! If he gets infected with the epidemic, then life and death are up to fate! If he doesn't survive, it won't be Your Highness's fault."
The King of Chu's furious expression suddenly calmed down. He stared straight at the advisor who had made the suggestion, and then burst into laughter: "What you said makes a lot of sense! Qi Chengjun is trying to build up his image, isn't he? I'd like to see if he dares to go to the epidemic area!"
Ling Changshi immediately stood up, about to dissuade him, but was held back by the person next to him. After the King of Chu left, the person spoke: "His Highness cannot accept refusal now. If you had said no just now, His Highness would have been the first to sacrifice you to the heavens."
Since His Highness woke up from his coma, there has been no good news. The King of Chu has been holding his breath for far too long. Anyone who dares to run into him now will die!
"But Qi Chengjun is the heir of the Duke of Qi, who holds great prestige in the army. If something happens to Qi Chengjun, the Duke of Qi will absolutely go mad and relentlessly pursue His Highness! You..."
Ling Changshi really wanted to leave, but not only could he not leave, he also had to find a way to discuss with his advisors how to make this matter as seamless as possible.
Qi Chengjun was unaware that the King of Chu would use such a vicious scheme against him. Even if he had known, he would have willingly gone to the epidemic area.
After conducting investigations over this period, Qi Chengjun has confirmed that there is a huge private estate in the area connecting Jiangzhou and Huizhou, which houses tens of thousands of people who have not yet been diagnosed.
After receiving this specific data, Qi Chengjun and the imperial physicians looked at each other in disbelief. None of them had imagined that His Highness the Prince of Chu would be so ruthless.
If they are not treated, there is only one fate for these people: death!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
