28 Chapter 28
◎The mantis stalks the cicada, who is the oriole?◎
A town in the northern border.
Mrs. Liu had just returned from working for the landlord, packing up a large amount of meat and vegetables. She was beaming with joy. "A rich man is a rich man! Our youngest son's first birthday party was all meat and vegetables, and there's still plenty left over. We workers down there are getting a great deal on it all, perfect for Dabao's health. Hey, Liu Da, what are you doing?"
Liu Da, carrying a hoe and a clay pot of water, walked out: "I heard that some of our oxen are sick, and the spring plowing may be delayed. I'll go and help my brothers."
Mrs. Liu nodded. "Okay, if he really is sick, it'll be a big problem. You go ahead. I'll save some meat for you to heat up when you get back. Do you want to bring some meat for the Li family as well?"
Liu Da turned around, looking at a fool: "The Li family's wife didn't go to work for the landlord, so she can't pack up herself?"
Only then did Liu fall silent.
Their son was only two or three years old this year, and had just learned to walk. The landlords' children in town were all plump and fair at their first year old, but Liu Dabao was dark and thin. The contrast made Mrs. Liu feel distressed. "Oh, my dear, I've brought you some meat. Let's grow up too, and become as strong as the other children..."
Liu Dabao staggered over, and when he heard the word "meat", his eyes lit up and he immediately shouted, "I want to eat meat, I want to eat meat..."
Back at Liu Da's place, he could see from afar a circle of people gathered outside the Li family's cowshed. It took a lot of effort to get inside. He saw the old ox, which had been well-fed and fat, now lying on the ground in dismay, kicking away the wet cloth covering its hoof, revealing the shocking sores underneath.
Li Er was quite quick and dodged quickly. He looked up and saw Liu Da, and greeted him with a wry smile: "You are here too."
Liu Da asked, "What's going on?"
Li Er said, "He has sores in his mouth, won't eat grass, and only drinks a little water. His hooves are rotten, and he can't even stand up. I'm afraid this year..."
He didn't finish his words before they turned into a long sigh, but the onlookers understood what he wasn't saying. If the ox couldn't be cured, spring plowing for the several families who shared it would essentially be halted this year. Ordinary families often didn't have their own oxen, so they either rented one from a landlord or shared one with several other families.
Liu Da was also anxious after hearing this. A layer of sweat broke out on his forehead. He turned around twice, slapped his head and asked, "Have you called a doctor?"
Li Er nodded with a sad face.
Liu Da immediately understood and leaned over to Li Er's ear, whispering, "If all else fails, wrap the hoof and say it died of old age. It can still be sold for a bit..."
Nansheng does not allow the slaughter of oxen, but if they die of old age, they can be sold after inspection by the government. Li Er is an honest man, but looking at Liu Da's sincere eyes, he finally hardened his heart and nodded: "Let's do as you say!"
Liu Da grinned, "Brother, please tell my wife at home that I've been busy with your business these past few days. Please pack up the food for me. I won't be going back. I'll take care of this matter first!"
A few days later, Liu Da finally returned home with a full belly. As soon as he saw the house from a distance, he heard a baby crying. He immediately frowned. What's wrong with that woman? She can't even take care of a child at home?
He pushed the door open heavily, but saw in the dim room that Mrs. Liu was coaxing Liu Dabao to drink porridge with a spoon. The air was filled with the unique aroma of meat.
Liu Dabao sat on the couch, his mouth open, turning his head away from Liu's spoon, and crying loudly.
"Why did you buy meat?" Liu Da's anger was extinguished and he asked curiously.
"Dabao has a sore in his mouth. The doctor said he needs to be given some nutritious food. I bought some cheap meat to make meat porridge." Mrs. Liu replied.
"I won't even drink the meat porridge. It's because you've spoiled me too much." Liu Da complained, picked up the meat porridge and drank most of it, smacking his lips loudly, savoring the rare taste of beef.
Liu Dabao was not convinced. He was about to finish crying, but now he sobbed again: "I, I'm not spoiled... Li's brother is also sick. Everyone has a sore mouth, and when the mouth hurts, you don't want to eat!"
Liu Da was about to say something when there was a knock on the door: "Brother Liu, Brother Liu!"
It was Li Er. The other person was panicked, his hair a little messy. Liu Da quickly invited him in and asked, "What happened?"
"The high officials in the city sent someone to say that the landlords bought cheap diseased meat from the grassland people, and our livestock and children are getting sick!" Li Er's face turned pale with fear. "They also said that they will conduct a strict investigation on those who sell meat recently. We..."
"Don't worry about my work, brother." Liu Da thought of the noble man who had received him, and his expression became proud again.
Liu on the side suddenly interrupted and said, "Didn't Princess Shunyang in the previous story also marry a grasslander?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Da immediately glared at her fiercely: "Why are you butting in on a man's conversation?! I've said it before, a woman who can show up in public and be praised to the skies can't be a good woman. A grassland witch is a witch!"
*
The meat products business of the Northern Goods Store has been affected recently. Rumors have spread that selling diseased meat has infected livestock with plague. The Northern Goods Store, which used to have long queues, is now deserted.
Shopkeeper Qian was scowling, feeling unworthy of His Highness Shunyang's training. Suddenly, she saw a sedan quietly parked at the corner of the street. The young lady from the Shen family hurried over, grabbed her sleeve, and said, "Quick, quick, close the shop first and find someplace to hide out."
She was puzzled. Seeing Shen Jiao's confident look, she asked someone to close the door first and went up to the second floor with Shen Jiao: "Miss Shen, what do you mean?"
"I overheard my father talking to someone. To control the plague, the prefect wants to seal up all the shops that have anything to do with the grassland people, and the people who work there will also be imprisoned and interrogated!" Shen Jiao's face grew worse as he spoke. "That prison is a place where people are killed. Few people can walk out alive..."
"What should we do..." Shopkeeper Qian's face turned pale with fear. "But several of the shopkeepers are young ladies from the capital? How dare the prefect arrest the daughters of Beijing officials?"
Shen Jiao shook his head slowly, emphasizing each word: "Collaborating with the enemy is a serious crime. Even the crown prince will be beheaded."
There was a sound of banging on the door downstairs, and Shen Jiao quickly grabbed the hand of Shopkeeper Qian: "Let's go, go through the back door!"
*
Li Hengqing had been reconfirming the salt-to-sugar ratio for the child's oral solution and carefully instructing him on the use of the new scale rod when Ren Wenliu arrived in a hurry. "Your Highness, Manager Qian and Miss Shen from the Yunzhou City North Goods Store have escaped. They say the people are now convinced that the Northern Di spread the plague. They're shutting down all Northern Goods Stores, sealing the border, and treating all those involved as traitors. Even the other young ladies from the capital have been arrested!"
Hearing this, she handed the water bag filled with solution to her personal guard and said, "Send it over. Please invite the two of you in first."
Most of the people infected with foot-and-mouth disease are children. The cause of death is mostly fever and convulsions, and they cannot eat, and eventually die of dehydration. Therefore, it is particularly important to supplement electrolyte solutions.
Manager Qian and Shen Jiao were in the shape of wild men. After hearing the situation, Li Hengqing asked someone to take them to bathe, change clothes and rest. However, she held up the jade pendant Shen Jiao had given her in her hand and asked, "What is Commander Shen's reaction?"
With his only daughter escaping, Commander Shen, the Northern Frontier Governor, was afraid that he would not be able to escape unscathed. However, he held military power, and even Prince Gong had to be wary of him.
Ren Wenliu shook his head. "No news. Prince Gong has deployed his troops to strictly guard the border, as if ready to go to war at any moment."
Li Hengqing sneered. If the two countries had gone to war, an ordinary princess or hostage would have been killed long ago. This Prince Gong spoke in high-sounding terms, but in his heart he truly had no regard for brotherly love.
If her guess was correct, the northern Sand Fox Tribe must have been behind this. The plague must have been caused by an external force not of this world.
According to White Fox's previous confession, the Sand Fox Tribe had become a typical civilization, with advanced heavy industry and military development, while light industry was extremely neglected. This also meant, to some extent, that it was fragile and could be dismantled, not an invincible enemy.
“Does the Khan know about this?” she asked.
Li Hengqing and Helian Xiao discussed by candlelight until midnight and decided to deploy defenses on both sides, one to prevent Prince Gong from finding a reason to launch a sudden attack, and the other to prevent Shahu from launching a surprise attack.
"The Sand Fox uses his troops cunningly and treacherously." Helian Xiao pointed to two points on the map. "If I were him, I would penetrate from the weak points of defense on both sides, outflank them from both sides, break through the defenses, and then go straight down to Silver Moon Valley. Then, using Silver Moon Valley as a base, I would fight to support the enemy and make long-term plans."
"Then let him penetrate." Li Hengqing leaned forward. "The mantis stalks the cicada, but who will be the oriole remains to be seen."
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