Chapter 168 Epidemic Prevention in Jiangnan
The mice crossing the Yangtze River by biting their tails was a spectacle in Zhao Xiaofei's eyes. He thought it was something new and interesting, but in Zhao Xiaokun's eyes it was a disaster.
"Brother! What's wrong?" Zhao Xiaofei asked.
"The rats biting their own tails as they crossed the river means that there are not many people in the north and there is nothing to eat. The plague will also break out in the south!" said Zhao Xiaokun.
"Damn it! I thought the plague would be over now that we were no longer in the north. Who would have thought that rats would cross the Yangtze River! It looks like the epidemic prevention war in Jiangnan is about to begin!" said Zhao Xiaofei.
"Okay! I'll go back and prepare some supplies! I should take this opportunity to go back as well. Mom must be worried after not seeing her for a long time, and there are a lot of things to deal with in the company!" said Zhao Xiaokun.
"I also asked the court to give Shi Kefa an imperial edict, asking him to go to the south to fight corruption while also paying attention to the epidemic prevention situation in various places!" said Zhao Xiaofei.
"Find a chance to go back. Your son will be almost one year old in a few months. Won't Qin Baobao be anxious for you?" Zhao Xiaokun said.
"I've already gone back when I had time. She cried in front of me a lot, and I worked as a laborer for several days. I accompanied her shopping, buying things, and eating. When she left, she was so embarrassed!" said Zhao Xiaofei.
"What happened next? How did you walk out of the house?" Zhao Xiaokun asked.
"Hey! Between a man and a woman, as long as there is affection between them, sex will solve the problem. After that, just pull up your pants and I can come out!" Zhao Xiaofei laughed evilly.
"Okay! I don't plan to marry a wife there! If one of these three gives birth to a son, I will bring him back to my mother, and that will be considered as completing my mission!" said Zhao Xiaokun.
"Why?" Zhao Xiaofei asked.
"It's too tiring! I'm afraid I'll have the same back pain as you when I get back!" said Zhao Xiaokun.
"Brother, it seems that you are not in good health!" Zhao Xiaofei laughed. The two brothers have been busy and haven't relaxed like this in a long time.
After getting off the boat, Zhao Xiaofei took his brother to the warehouse at the transmission point and then returned. He then went to the imperial palace and requested that the emperor issue a decree requiring the entire nation to prepare for epidemic prevention and to kill and cremate any rats found. He also urged the nation to educate people about washing their hands frequently and drinking boiled water, rather than raw water.
Li Banghua, Ni Yuanlu, and Zhang Huangyan all nodded in agreement upon seeing Zhao Xiaofei's memorial. After all, it was they who had been responsible for the city's epidemic prevention. They had experience, and it was impossible not to accept it! Furthermore, if the plague in the south was the same as in the north, it would be difficult to stop the rebels and the Jianlu.
Therefore, the court immediately changed the evaluation criteria for local officials. Previously, the evaluation criteria were whether the local area had no major crimes and whether taxes could be collected. Now, the evaluation criteria are to ensure that the local area does not have a plague outbreak and that even if an outbreak occurs, it can be controlled.
Shi Kefa also received a letter from Zhao Xiaofei, asking him to investigate local officials for any lax governance while combating corruption. He asked him to investigate whether quarantine zones had been established, whether areas under his jurisdiction had been disinfected, and whether the bodies of plague victims had been cremated. He urged him to use these criteria to investigate local officials.
Zhao Xiaofei summoned the imperial physicians to a meeting at his Anqing Palace. He assigned Li Huasheng, the director of the Nanjing Imperial Hospital, to form a central working group. He, acting as the imperial envoy, selected several other imperial physicians. These were escorted by the Kenan Army to inspect the work of major cities across the south. They were given the Imperial Sword, which allowed them to be executed for any concealment of information. Officials below the third rank could be executed for serious dereliction of duty.
The imperial edict was issued by the cabinet, and several ministers drafted it and stamped it with red seals. Li Huasheng led the team out of Nanjing and went on an inspection tour of various places. After all this, Zhao Xiaofei did not dare to relax and immediately disinfected the city of Nanjing. Fortunately, he was well prepared, including a full supply of disinfectant, and immediately disinfected the city of Nanjing. He called Ruan Dacheng over and asked, "Can you write an opera to let the people of the country know to wash their hands frequently, not drink raw water, stay away from rats, and cremate their bodies?"
Ever since being released, Ruan Dacheng has been obedient to Zhao Xiaofei's every word. He'll do whatever he's told, especially writing a play. Ruan Dacheng said, "Your Highness, this is a piece of cake for me! Rest assured, I'll present it to you tomorrow!"
"Okay! But make it as accessible as possible. Most of the audience are rough-hewn peasants, so don't use those cheesy words they won't understand!" Zhao Xiaofei wasn't being completely unintelligible. There were many lines in Kunqu opera that Zhao Xiaofei couldn't understand, so Li Sihong and Kou Baimen would explain the opera to him during the show, explaining the story behind each line and what it meant. Zhao Xiaofei also said that Kunqu opera wouldn't have declined, replaced by Peking opera. It's all your fault, you corrupt scholars! There aren't many people in the Ming Dynasty who can, like me, bring two beautiful women to the opera to explain the meaning and origins of each line.
"I understand!" said Ruan Dacheng.
"If your drama can play a role this time and help control the epidemic, I will give you the position of prefect of Guangzhou!" said Zhao Xiaofei.
"Thank you, Your Highness!" Ruan Dacheng immediately knelt down and kowtowed to express his gratitude.
"Okay! Let's discuss with the people from the Jiaofangsi how to perform this play. We will then tour around the south!" said Zhao Xiaofei.
"Yes! I'll do it right away!" Ruan Dacheng left as if he had eaten honey. The wrinkles on his face were all smiling.
After finishing all this, Zhao Xiaofei sighed. This country is really not easy to manage. This was in ancient times. If it were modern times, he probably wouldn't even be able to be the director of the street office.
Just as Zhao Xiaofei was sighing, Qin Baobao and his sister Qin Xiaomi were shopping in modern society. Qin Xiaomi said, "Sister, my brother-in-law left after just a few days last time. You have to talk to him. How can a couple live apart for such a long time?"
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