Chapter 43: At Last, We Have Received Qin Feng's Secret Memorial!

The Huaixi plague had broken out after all!

In the minds of Emperor Zhu and his ministers, this was actually something long anticipated. In ancient times, the outbreak of any drought or flood would invariably claim the lives of a vast multitude. This, in turn, would inevitably trigger large-scale plagues.

However, what caught them completely off guard was how suddenly this particular pestle had descended. Scarcely had the disaster in Huaixi begun to fade when the plague swept in with a vengeance. For the entire Ming Dynasty, this was undoubtedly adding frost to snow.

The Huaixi flood was still vivid in everyone's memory, and all the financial resources and grain the imperial treasury could spare had already been exhausted to relieve the disaster victims. Yet, faced with such a massive epidemic, the imperial court truly felt unequal to the task. Even though the newspaper recently established by Qin Feng had just earned a sum of silver for the imperial treasury, it was still merely a drop in the bucket when confronted with a plague.

Standing upon the sacrificial altar, Emperor Zhu felt a dull roaring in his ears. Why would the heavens not grant him even a brief moment to prepare? One wave had barely subsided when another rose, and the tests facing the Ming Dynasty came rolling in back-to-back.

"Your Majesty, the eruption of this plague is retribution brought on by divine wrath. Someone must have failed to participate devoutly in the Grand Ancestral Sacrifice, and has now brought down the punishment we rightfully deserve."

With these words, Hu Weiyong slowly cast his gaze toward Qin Feng amidst the crowd.

Qin Feng blinked and remarked, "Why is Prime Minister Hu staring at me like that? Could it be that you take me for the chief culprit behind the plague?"

Kneeling on the ground, Hu Weiyong hurriedly memorialized Emperor Zhu, "Your Majesty, just now this subject observed Qin Feng arriving tardily at the Grand Ancestral Sacrifice. Such a negligent attitude angered the heavens, which is why the god of pestle was dispatched to ravage Huaixi."

Qin Feng rolled his eyes dramatically, thinking to himself: If I were truly that formidable, would you believe that I could make your entire family drop dead right now?

Zhu Biao said in a cold voice, "Hu Weiyong! Cease your wild babbling! Pestilence invariably follows droughts and floods; this is a natural law since ancient times."

Emperor Zhu drew a deep breath, waved his hand, and declared, "Silence, all of you! The plague is ravaging Huaixi, and yet you still have the leisure to engage in petty verbal bickering here? Why are you not swiftly devising methods to resolve the pestle crisis?"

Hearing the Emperor's fury, the civil and military officials hurriedly dropped to their knees in trembling fear.

"How much money and grain are currently in the imperial treasury?" Emperor Zhu demanded of Wang Bo, the newly appointed Minister of Revenue.

Wang Bo replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, this subject has inspected the treasury reserves upon taking office. At present, there are only three hundred thousand taels of silver and a mere one million shi of grain."

Emperor Zhu drew a sharp intake of breath.

With the imperial treasury in such a hollow state, attempting to relieve the Huaixi plague was truly a drop in the bucket. Yet what else could he do? The Ming Dynasty was suffering leaks in its roof while enduring continuous night rains; if Emperor Zhu failed to handle this with utmost caution, it might easily provoke widespread public indignation. The scenes from the late Yuan Dynasty were still fresh in his memory, and the ninth year of Hongwu had unexpectedly become the supreme test for the Ming Dynasty!

If they weathered this trial, the Ming Dynasty would undoubtedly flourish with each passing day from here on out, and no matter how great the trials they faced in the future, there would be no insurmountable obstacles. But if they failed to pull through, the Ming Dynasty, with all its myriad tasks waiting to be undertaken, would plunge into eternal silence and never rise again.

Emperor Zhu clenched his teeth tightly, pronouncing each word with deliberate force, "Now that the plague is rampant in Huaixi, immediately order the local officials to place the entire region under lockdown. Under no circumstances must the epidemic be allowed to spread further."

"As for the funds and grain in the imperial treasury, I shall find a way. For now, use every single tael of silver and grain currently in reserve for the relief of Huaixi."

"With the nation in peril, I hope all you ministers will focus your minds entirely on combating the epidemic. United as one heart and sharing a common resolve, let us work together to stabilize the situation in Huaixi."

"If anyone dares to take advantage of this critical juncture to willfully spread rumors, agitate the populace, and stir up public resentment, I shall execute them without mercy!"

Having spoken, Emperor Zhu cast a profound glance at Hu Weiyong, causing the latter to not even dare draw a full breath.

The Grand Ancestral Sacrifice thus came to an abrupt close, and Emperor Zhu led the civil and military officials directly to the Wuying Hall to deliberate on state affairs.

Meanwhile, in order to lay the groundwork for his persona as a covert agent starting tomorrow, Qin Feng did not immediately offer his suggestions on epidemic prevention to Emperor Zhu.

Several times upon the sacrificial altar, Emperor Zhu had wanted to ask for Qin Feng's opinion, but refrained upon remembering that Qin Feng was carrying out an important mission. Now, as he listened to the ministers discuss the Huaixi plague inside the Wuying Hall, the words went in one ear and out the other.

What he truly wanted to know was what view Qin Feng held regarding this epidemic. Hailing as he did from more than six hundred years in the future, future generations surely possessed rather effective methods for controlling plagues, did they not?

He had once heard Qin Feng mention in conversation that the population of later generations had surpassed the staggering milestone of one billion! Such a population base could only mean that the common people lived in great ease and abundance, and that the nation was exceptionally formidable.

Yet the population of the present Ming Dynasty was not even a fiftieth of that of future generations. Such a yawning chasm could only mean that the emperors of later generations were master statesmen. Given the time, Emperor Zhu would have dearly loved to consult Qin Feng on the statecraft employed by those future sovereigns.

The anti-epidemic methods proposed by the court ministers were making Emperor Zhu feel drowsy. A pack of mediocrities! Were it not for the dire shortage of capable men in the court, Emperor Zhu would genuinely have liked to relieve all these ministers of their duties and send them back to farm their fields.

Ever since ascending the throne as emperor, he had longed to take sole charge of every single task in the court, yet not a single official could truly help relieve his burdens. The so-called Secretariat existed in name only, and it would be a blessing if they did not actively hinder him. At present, only Qin Feng was truly capable of lifting burdens from his shoulders!

A thought stirred within Emperor Zhu's heart, and he instantly perked up with renewed vigor. "Quickly, bring the Eldest Prince in!"

The anti-epidemic strategy from Qin Feng had finally arrived!

Emperor Zhu hurriedly took a sip of tea to refresh himself, and shortly thereafter, Zhu Biao entered holding a locked box.

"Eldest Prince, did anyone see you on your way to the Wuying Hall?"

Placing the box down with extreme caution, Zhu Biao shook his head and replied, "No one, Father, you may rest assured! It will certainly not arouse the slightest suspicion from anyone."

"That is good! In these extraordinary times, we must not commit a single error, lest we spell doom for Qin Feng."

Zhu Biao smiled and said, "Mr. Qin is exceptionally clever. He even invented the method of transmitting secret memorials using a locked box, and your son believes this method is entirely viable. He stated that this box has only two keys—one remains with him, and the other he instructed your son to deliver to you personally."

Emperor Zhu gave a hearty chuckle. "That rascal Qin Feng always has a head full of cunning ideas. This method is splendid, I love it!"

Excitedly lifting the black box, he unlocked it with the key and cautiously retrieved Qin Feng's secret memorial to read it.

Scrawled across the memorial in sweeping, graceful strokes were several lines of characters:

"In response to the Huaixi plague, Your Majesty may initiate a nationwide fundraising campaign. As the saying goes, when disaster strikes in one place, aid comes from all quarters! Other regions will certainly wish to prevent the spread of the plague and will respond to Your Majesty's decree by making donations."

"To prevent the victims in the Huaixi region from wandering about as refugees, the local area must be placed under a strict city-wide lockdown to avert the risk of contagion, and a medical clinic must be established locally in Huaixi to treat those infected by the plague."

"I have even devised a name for the clinic: according to the laws of the Five Elements, pestilence belongs to the element of Metal, which can be overcome by Fire. Therefore, let it be called the Zhurong Medical Clinic!"

"Summon famous physicians from across the realm with generous bounties to hold a medical symposium targeting this epidemic, and let them provide effective cures for the pestilence."