"Okay, okay! I will do my best to ensure that Mr. Zhao can come to the capital to meet the emperor as soon as possible! Goodbye! Stay!" After saying that, he got into the sedan chair and left.
It wasn't that County Magistrate Hu didn't want to talk to Zhao Xiaofei; he really had something to do. Because the epidemic was so severe, officials in the capital were afraid that the epidemic would spread to the capital, so they specially sent some officials to the surrounding areas to do epidemic prevention and control work.
The person who came to Wanping County to guide Magistrate Hu's work was none other than his father, Imperial Physician Hu. Imperial Physician Hu was 60 years old and had a mediocre career at the Imperial Hospital. So, he was assigned to the front lines of the fight against the epidemic.
Arriving at the back court, Magistrate Hu hurried to his father and said, "Father! I'm back!"
"Do you still have the time to do other things? The epidemic has been finally brought under control, how can you let those corpse collectors throw away the bodies at random! If I hadn't discovered it in time and asked people to dispose of the bodies, who knows how many people would have died from the plague by now! If this plague cannot be controlled, you will lose your official position!" said Doctor Hu.
"My dear father! A man who claimed to be the prince of Nan'ao Kingdom appeared in my county. He said that he got lost and came to me. I went to inquire about him today, and took his letter and tribute, and prepared to report to the Ministry of Rites." said County Magistrate Hu.
"What tribute? Could it be that someone is pretending to be someone else, or some foreign country is using bamboo and stones to take advantage of our dynasty? Such a small matter can be handled by the officials in the yamen. Why are you going there? You simply don't know the seriousness of the matter!" said Doctor Hu.
"My lord father! I thought so too, but after seeing the tribute and the letter from the credible state, I realized the importance of the matter. The tribute he brought is priceless. He is definitely not an imposter, nor is he some foreign country trying to take advantage of our dynasty!" said County Magistrate Hu.
"Oh! Take me to see it!" Doctor Hu became interested.
Magistrate Hu, a filial son, took his father to the storehouse to inspect the tribute items guarded by Sanbao. Doctor Hu, standing before the dressing mirror, sighed, feeling the tribute items left and right, then looking at them in the mirror again and again. Then he said, "It's truly a rare treasure! I've learned a lot! This is something even the nobles and ministers wouldn't have." Suddenly, Doctor Hu started coughing violently.
Doctor Hu bent down coughing and saw a red bump on his neck in the mirror. He cried out inwardly, "This is it! I've given myself away!" So he hurried out. County Magistrate Hu followed him and asked, "Father, what's wrong with you?"
"Don't come over! My father has also been infected with the disease! Find a room for my father, and no one is allowed to come over. I will write a prescription later, and you send someone to get the medicine! Be quick! Otherwise, my father will not live long!" After saying this, Doctor Hu began to cough violently again.
Magistrate Hu was horrified and said to Sanbao behind him, "Quick! Make room for my father so he can rest!"
"Yes!" Sanbao immediately ran to the backyard to ask the housekeeper to handle it.
After a while, Doctor Hu went to a side room in the backyard and handed over a prescription, asking County Magistrate Hu to send someone to get the medicine according to the prescription.
Magistrate Hu was so anxious that he was pacing around outside the door, thinking to himself: What should I do? What should I do? Then Sanbao, who was following him, said, "Sir! You don't know, Xiao Si's two sons both fell ill the day before yesterday, but they recovered the next day. I heard that it was this foreign prince who gave them the medicine! And it's very effective. Why not ask him for a try?"
"Are you serious?" Magistrate Hu asked anxiously.
"I guarantee it with my life! Xiao Sihao and I all know about this!" Sanbao said.
"Please take good care of my father and the tribute! I will go and get it myself!" County Magistrate Hu was also desperate and wanted to try anything, no matter whether it was true or not.
So he went to Xiao Si's house first. Xiao Si was having dinner at home! When he heard that Lord Hu had come to visit, he hurried out to greet him, bowed and asked, "Sir! Why are you here? If you need anything, just send someone to call me!"
Magistrate Hu didn't have time for politeness and asked directly, "Did Mr. Zhao give you a bottle of good medicine that cured your two sons' illness?"
"Yes! How did you know that, sir?" Xiao Si said.
"Quick! Take me to invite this little prince! My father has just been diagnosed with an epidemic and urgently needs help!" said County Magistrate Hu.
"Okay!" Xiao Si immediately followed County Magistrate Hu to Zhao Xiaofei's home.
Xiao Si knocked on the door a few times before hearing Zhao Xiaofei's voice. Opening the door, Zhao Xiaofei saw Magistrate Hu following behind him. Was the Ming Dynasty's efficiency so high? It had only been a short while, and the Ministry of Rites had already reached a conclusion? Did he ask Magistrate Hu to send someone to escort me to the capital?
"Sir Hu! I wonder if you have any advice for me?" Zhao Xiaofei saluted Magistrate Hu politely.
"I dare not, I dare not! Prince! I have a request of yours! To be honest, my father has contracted an epidemic and is in critical condition. I heard that you have a miraculous medicine that will heal overnight. Please, Prince, save my father!" County Magistrate Hu even changed his address. In the morning he had called him Young Master Zhao, but now he was calling him Prince.
You asked why County Magistrate Hu just now called Zhao Xiaofei "Young Master" instead of "Prince" like Xiao Si did. It's because the Ministry of Rites hasn't recognized him, so he doesn't dare to call him that. If he did, people would say he's currying favor with a foreign nation and undermining the dignity of the state. Only the emperor can recognize him as such, and a foreign nation can't compare to a county magistrate like him. Now, for his father's sake, he has no choice but to call him "Shizi." This is tantamount to recognizing the little prince's status.
Zhao Xiaofei only had two bottles of streptomycin left. He had pawned the others, but he couldn't refuse Magistrate Hu's favor. So he agreed, "Sir Hu, please wait a moment. I'll go get the medicine. I'll go with you to check on your father's condition!"
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