Qiu Dao said, “...Your Majesty, setting aside whether Feng Gexuan is willing to offer the prescription free of charge, even if he is, this epidemic may not be the same as the previous one. The slightest discrepancy can lead to a great error. I’m afraid the prescription will need to be adjusted.”
Jiang Chun nodded. “You will be in charge of this matter. Make absolutely certain that the prescription is accurate.”
Qiu Dao: “...”
The next matter they discussed was food. Unfortunately, none of the great clans had attended court.
Jiang Chun did not have much grain on hand, so he could only send people to invite the heads of the various families to come and discuss the matter.
Two quarters of an hour later, a palace eunuch reported that all the great clans had declined, citing ill health.
Jiang Chun was so furious that he nearly spat blood, yet there was nothing he could do.
It was not that he did not want to provide disaster relief. He genuinely had neither enough money nor grain left.
Of the five hundred thousand taels raised for Daqing, four hundred thousand had come from the various great clans.
Their condition had been that, after Daqing returned, they would be granted land according to the amount each clan had contributed.
Dong Cheng sighed. “It seems they’re unwilling to provide grain.”
Wen Zixin shook his head. “They’re probably overwhelmed themselves. Most of this year’s crops hadn’t even been brought in before such a severe flood struck. This year’s harvest is likely to be... Ah, everyone is struggling.”
Qi Pingwei snorted coldly. “What do you mean, everyone is struggling? They have plenty of grain stored away. It all depends on whether they’re willing to part with it.”
Jiang Chun felt his temples throbbing. “Do any of you have a good solution?”
The hall fell silent. Everyone lowered their heads and said nothing.
Hua Yuanyi sighed inwardly. It seemed that, just like before, there would be no relief efforts this time either.
Qi Pingwei suggested, “Why not have the people of Sizhou donate money to purchase grain for disaster relief?”
By “the people of Sizhou,” he primarily meant the wealthy merchants and great clans of Sizhou. Ordinary people had no surplus to spare.
Qiu Dao shook his head. “It’s not as though we haven’t asked them to donate before. The entire province of Sizhou contributed only a few thousand taels.”
Indeed, the entire province of Sizhou had donated a total of three thousand two hundred and fifty-two taels and three copper coins. He was utterly speechless about where those last three copper coins had come from.
Even more outrageous was that the various commanderies claimed their people had gone from household to household collecting donations and had worked extremely hard, so they needed to charge an additional fee for their efforts.
In the end, only one hundred and twenty taels and a little over three copper coins actually went toward disaster relief. In any case, those three copper coins were remarkably persistent and managed to make it all the way into the hands of the refugees.
Qi Pingwei furrowed his brows. “Lord Sun has been in Fengzhou for quite some time. I wonder whether he has managed to purchase any of Fengzhou’s low-priced grain?”
Jiang Chun shook his head. “Minister Sun has not yet sent back any word.”
The entire morning’s discussion produced no results, but the ministers were not surprised in the least. They seemed to have grown accustomed to such a state of affairs.
Jiang Chun felt utterly powerless. He wanted to accomplish something, yet obstacles stood in his way at every turn, with all manner of constraints holding him back.
He sighed. His inaction during this flood would likely damage his reputation.
Dong Cheng read the expression on his face and, after a moment’s thought, said, “I heard that Fengzhou has something called a Gazette. I think we could publish one as well.”
Hua Yuanyi frowned. “Publish a Gazette too? What would we write about?”
The Gazette in Fengzhou promoted military achievements, praised the bravery of its soldiers, spread practical knowledge, announced various new policies, and so on.
Did Sizhou have any military achievements? Were they supposed to write about the counties they had lost and the refugees who had been trapped with no one coming to their aid?
Dong Cheng smiled. “We could use the Gazette to praise His Majesty’s benevolence, his heroic and unyielding defense of Sizhou, and how he has kept the people safe and prosperous, free from harassment by foreign enemies...”
Everyone exchanged strange glances, though they maintained polite smiles on their faces.
After leaving the palace, Hua Yuanyi hurried into his carriage. The rain was too heavy; he had come by carriage.
Just as he was about to head home, a figure suddenly leaped into his carriage. Startled, he grabbed the saber at his side.
“Don’t be alarmed. It’s me.” Qi Pingwei quickly pressed down on the hand Hua Yuanyi had placed on his saber.
Hua Yuanyi: “...”
He silently withdrew his hand, picked up the cloth on the small table, and began wiping his hands.
Qi Pingwei: “...Are you disgusted by me?”
Hua Yuanyi paused in his wiping. “Isn’t it obvious?”
Qi Pingwei: “...”
Hua Yuanyi said impatiently, “If you have something to say, say it. If not, get out.”
Qi Pingwei sighed. “The discussion just now left me with some thoughts, so I came to talk to you.”
“You’ve been to Fengzhou before, haven’t you? Does that thing called the Gazette really exist?”
Hua Yuanyi did not try to hide anything. “It does. But I couldn’t understand it. They have their own written language there.”
Qi Pingwei nodded. “His Majesty actually agreed to establish a Gazette. With that money, he could save the lives of several more people.”
He sighed as he spoke. “I wonder how many people will die this time. And when the refugees come pouring out, I wonder whether they’ll flee to Jiu’an.”
Hua Yuanyi fell silent. He listened to the rain pounding against the roof of the carriage and knew they were already on their way back to his residence.
Qi Pingwei seemed to have come solely to talk. When Hua Yuanyi did not respond, he continued asking and answering his own questions.
“They probably won’t. His Majesty made preparations in advance this time, so he should be able to confine the people of Tao Commandery and Shankang Commandery within those two commanderies and prevent them from leaving.”
He murmured, “What difference is that from sending them to their deaths? And those aristocratic clans and powerful families too. They clearly have so much money and grain, yet they’re willing to let the people...”
He raised his head and looked at Hua Yuanyi. “Do you think they’re doing it deliberately?”
Hua Yuanyi felt a chill in his heart. It was entirely possible.
The state of the grain in the other commanderies was one thing, but the two commanderies hit hardest by the floods had surely suffered a total crop failure.
The survivors had no food to eat and no homes to return to. They could very well become violent mobs.
They might even contract the epidemic and spread it throughout all of Sizhou.
If that was the case, it would be better to let them all die. That would not only ease the food shortage, but also prevent any riots that might arise later and completely eliminate the source of the disease.
When Hua Yuanyi remained silent, Qi Pingwei frowned. “At least give me an answer.”
Hua Yuanyi said, “...What is there to say? His Majesty has his own considerations.”
Qi Pingwei looked at Hua Yuanyi. “You’ve changed.”
Hua Yuanyi: “...Get lost.”
Qi Pingwei: “...”
He sighed and leaned diagonally against the carriage wall. “I don’t know why, but I feel increasingly powerless. Do you think we still have any hope?”
Hua Yuanyi shook his head. “I don’t know.”
Xie Nanxiao arrived in Daqing toward evening. Jin Feng was thrilled to see him.
“Are we making our move?” he asked.
Xie Nanxiao smiled. “That’s right. Most of the guards stationed in Qiuning Commandery have now gone to the Stone Mountain River area, so this is our opportunity. But there’s no need to hurry. We’ll act tomorrow.”
Jin Feng understood at once. “You’re planning to wait until the Jiao army reaches the Stone Mountain River before making our move?”
Xie Nanxiao said, “Exactly. Otherwise, if they suddenly turn back to reinforce the commandery, we’ll be in trouble.”
Li Zan stroked his beard. “Are you planning a night raid?”
Xie Nanxiao nodded with a smile. “We have the advantage of repeating crossbows, and we have experience with night raids. This time, I brought more than a thousand Cangming Guards, as well as five thousand naval troops.”
Aside from the naval forces he had brought with him, Daqing itself had more than thirty thousand soldiers.
He pointed at the map and said, “Jin Feng, Qiu Wu, Zeng Tong, and I will each lead troops to capture the four counties of Chang Hai occupied by the Jiao army.”
Li Zan’s heart gave a jolt. “You intend to attack all of them at the same time?”
