Xu Yuehuai looked around and saw the small figure weaving through the crowd, wiping Pei Xuan's sweat and massaging the doctor's shoulders. No wonder such a perceptive child was entrusted with such an important task.
"Zhao Ping—" she called out to him.
The little girl ran over immediately, full of energy and showing no signs of fatigue: "Manager Xu, is there anything I can help you with?"
“It’s getting late, and there are still many people who haven’t been properly settled. I’d like to ask you to help organize them. If you have anyone who can read and write, anyone who can do manual labor, or anyone who is quick-witted, please find them. As long as they help us settle the remaining people, we will pay them accordingly.” Xu Yuehuai briefly explained her plan, then turned to Qi Guze and asked, “Is there anything else you’d like to add?”
Qi Guze smiled and shook his head.
These things have exceeded my expectations.
Zhao Ping's eyes shone brightly.
He had just heard his uncles and aunts, who had traveled with him, say that the imperial court would not continue to support them and that they were worried about their future livelihood. He never expected that they would find a job so soon.
"Don't worry about Manager Xu, just leave it to me." He was now even more motivated.
In no time, the refugees spontaneously organized themselves and began to do their own things, thus replacing Pei Xuan.
"Your Highness, this..." He complained to Qi Guze, dissatisfied. As long as he could do something practical for the people, he would not mind how hard or tiring it was. But now that he had been replaced, he felt that he had no place to use his talents.
Qi Guze patted his shoulder and quickly said, "The resettlement of the refugees will take a long time. Lord Pei, you must conserve your energy and not fall ill in a couple of days. These people will be motivated to work and get paid, but things can easily go wrong in a rush. I'll have to trouble you to keep a close eye on things."
His words put Pei Xuan at ease and even dispelled his previous thoughts.
Thanks to their intervention, the remaining refugees were all able to enter the city within two hours.
But troubles kept piling up—
Those who were confirmed to be healthy have been settled in the newly opened district, but those migrants who may be sick still have nowhere to go. They can neither go to the newly opened district nor mingle with the original inhabitants of Chang'an City.
"Your Highness, what should we do with those people?" Tie Xiong asked hurriedly.
Upon hearing this, Qi Guze and Xu Yuehuai looked at the refugees. Due to the exhaustion of the past few days, their strength had been depleted. Some of them were already leaning against their companions, half asleep. They were barely clothed and had the sky as their cover.
Such a scene is truly heartbreaking.
Qi Guze understood that these people could not be separated, otherwise the spread of the epidemic would be wider. Therefore, they had to be centrally resettled.
He looked at Xu Yuehuai and Pei Xuan: "What are your thoughts?"
"Otherwise, we should ask the inns in Chang'an to take them in. At least they need a place to stay." Pei Xuan couldn't bear to see them suffer.
“No!” Xu Yuehuai immediately objected. “Inns are the places with the highest flow of people in Chang’an. These people are already carrying the disease. If we let them stay in inns, it means that all the people in Chang’an will face the threat of the disease, and it will only make people more panicked.”
At present, the people of Chang'an can sleep peacefully, and they must not create any more panic.
She lowered her head and pondered for a while, then suddenly smiled and said, "On the march, tents are temporarily set up for the soldiers to rest. Why don't we set up temporary tents outside the city as well? This way, we can isolate these people and prevent them from sleeping in the open. We can also set up an open space outside to expand the scale of the new district. Once they recover, we can continue to accommodate them."
This idea received unanimous praise from everyone present.
Pei Xuan felt inferior and couldn't help but sigh, "Manager Xu, if you were to enter officialdom, there would be no place for us."
"Lord Pei, you are being too modest. I am just a woman and can only offer some suggestions. The specifics still need to be refined by you men." Xu Yuehuai naturally believed in the saying that "women are not inferior to men," but at this stage, she also had to learn to be modest to avoid getting into trouble.
While they were talking, Qi Guze had already made arrangements, telling the refugees to set up their own tents and even paying them wages out of his own pocket.
That night, the whole city slept peacefully.
Thanks to Xu Yuehuai's good deeds, the temporary easing of vigilance among the people of Chang'an, and the fact that Tianxianglou did not raise the prices of its dishes, Tianxianglou became busy again.
It was thanks to the help of those little orphans that healthy competition spontaneously emerged within Tianxiang Tower.
Xu Yuehuai was very satisfied with this.
But the good times didn't last long, and the epidemic eventually broke out among the refugees.
Upon receiving the news, Qi Guze immediately went to report it to the Emperor.
Upon hearing this, the Emperor sighed heavily and asked, "Have you made a rough estimate of how many refugees have been infected with the plague?"
"Almost all of the refugees settled outside the city." Qi Guze felt incredibly heavy-hearted as he said this, but at the same time, he was very fortunate that they had been isolated in time, otherwise it would have inevitably affected the other people in Chang'an.
The Emperor's already weak face turned even more ashen, and he even coughed twice due to the sudden surge of anger: "What are your opinions, my esteemed ministers?"
Although he didn't have much of a lifespan, one has to admit that he was a wise ruler.
"Your Majesty, this plague has never been cured since ancient times, let alone cured. The national treasury is empty right now. In my opinion, it would be better to burn them all to death to prevent the plague from spreading, and the resources saved can be distributed to the rest of the population," the Minister of Revenue said first.
These words garnered the approval of many court officials.
They are all cowards who fear death, so naturally they would support a solution that solves the problem once and for all.
Qi Guze's face darkened: "From what I've heard from the Minister of Revenue, it seems like you have ulterior motives. Your men insisted on stopping those people outside the city earlier, almost causing a huge uproar. Now you want to burn these sick people. What are you really up to?"
"This old minister's sincere heart is as clear as heaven and earth. How can I tolerate the Regent's slander? If the plague spreads, what will happen to the people? What will happen to His Majesty?" The Minister of Revenue was not afraid.
People have done this in every dynasty; he is not the first, nor will he be the last.
The emperor's face darkened even more.
He believed he was diligent in his duties and loved the people, and had never implemented harsh policies, yet natural disasters struck year after year, clearly a warning from Heaven.
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