The summer of the second year of Jingrui was not peaceful. At the end of May, there was an urgent report from Yuzhou that many embankments of the Yellow River had burst and flooded, affecting hundreds of thousands of people in dozens of prefectures and counties. The imperial court issued several imperial edicts, Allocated money for disaster relief, and ordered the emergency distribution of grain and rice in neighboring prefectures and counties to accommodate and resettle the victims.
In mid-June, just after the disaster eased, news came from a county below Yuzhou that an epidemic had occurred within its jurisdiction. From a village at the beginning, it had spread to the entire county in just over ten days, and there were still more cases to come. tendency to spread outward.
It is common for plagues to appear after floods, but it is unexpected that they spread so quickly. When the epidemic first broke out, the local county magistrate wanted to hide it, and surrounded the entire village. He only sent a few barefoot doctors to take a look, distributed herbs, and thought it was not serious. Who would have thought that people in neighboring villages would fall ill one after another, one infecting another, and soon nearly 70% of the more than 20,000 people in the entire county fell down. The common people ran away with their families, and it was because the situation in the neighboring county was wrong, so they hurriedly reported it to the court.
The emperor was furious, and immediately issued an imperial decree to capture the escaped county magistrate and behead him for public display, and then send another imperial envoy to rescue him.
It's just that day by day, the epidemic has not eased, but it is getting worse.
The other palace, the Imperial Study Room.
Zhu Yunxuan's eyebrows were furrowed tightly, and there were lingering thoughts between his brows. During this period of time, he didn't sleep well one day, and he was always thinking about the situation in Yuzhou in his dreams.
"Tell me, how will the epidemic be controlled?"
The plague is raging, and it is far more menacing than imagined. The imperial envoys have been to Yuzhou for seven or eight days, but there is no good news. The epidemic has worsened and has spread to Lin County. It seems that the imperial court's previous measures to deal with the epidemic will not work effect.
The faces of the several cabinet ministers were solemn. In the early court, they were arguing endlessly in the court, but they couldn't come up with a proper solution. Now the emperor summoned them to discuss this matter again, but they didn't know what to say.
Zeng Huai pondered for a moment, and asked several imperial doctors who were called to discuss the matter together: "Why did the plague spread so fast this time? Does the imperial hospital have a way to deal with it?"
Physician Fang has now been promoted to the judge of the imperial hospital, and has won the trust of the emperor, so others naturally pushed him out first. The pulse cases of those plagued people, the epidemic situation this time is indeed extremely dangerous, unprecedented, and the usual herbs may not be effective. I have prepared a few prescriptions in the past few days, but whether the right medicine can be prescribed depends on seeing it with my own eyes. It’s good to draw conclusions.”
Speaking of this, the old doctor took a step forward and asked the emperor: "I would like to go to Yuzhou to diagnose and treat the affected people. I will do my best to contain the epidemic as soon as possible. Please allow it."
At this time, being able to not be afraid of death, taking the lead and asking for orders to go to the epidemic patients for medical treatment is really impressive. But before Zhu Yunxuan could speak, Liang Zhen on the side interjected first: "You can't, you stay and send someone else."
Zhu Yunxuan pursed the corners of his mouth lightly, his stomach was always raging all the time, he really couldn't do without the imperial physician here, and it was Fang imperial physician who showed him all the time, so he naturally didn't want more people to know about it: "Fang imperial physician left Next, I will send another person to Yuzhou."
Zeng Huai said: "I think it's better to follow the old practice of isolating the infected people and not releasing them until they recover, and then send the imperial physician there, and call more doctors from the people to see them, and distribute the decoction every day. The corpses of the sick and dead are burned and buried deep, and after this month, the weather will turn cooler after autumn, and the epidemic will surely slow down."
The people around all agreed, this is actually the most effective and practical way to deal with the plague since the past dynasties, Zhu Yunxuan couldn't think of any other more feasible ideas, so he was about to make an order, Liang Zhen suddenly sneered, disapprovingly said: "General Quarantine them, find a doctor to see them, and distribute herbal medicines every day. Isn’t that what the beheaded county magistrate did at the beginning? What’s the use? But the epidemic spread from one village to the whole county in ten days. "
Some people questioned this at the court meeting this morning, but they broke up unhappy because they couldn't come up with a better solution.
Hearing this, Zeng Huai's complexion changed, and he said angrily, "Then what is King Zhao's opinion?"
Liang Zhen opened the corner of his mouth: "Mosquitoes, snakes and ants are rampant in summer, and the plague is pervasive. This time, the epidemic is different from the past. It is fierce. It is useless to enclose all the affected people. Maybe drinking cold water can catch the epidemic." , can’t tell the local people not to drink water?”
Some ministers in the cabinet disagreed and said: "Mosquitoes are raging, and the county government should be urged to send more people to catch them. If the cold water is not clean, boil it before eating..."
Liang Zhen glanced at the person who spoke, as if listening to a joke: "Whether this old man has never been a local parent official? It is too much to take it for granted. The flood has just passed and the plague has ravaged. The government offices in various counties are so busy that they wish to be alone. Break it into pieces and use it. Where do people come to catch the mosquitoes? What’s more, can the mosquitoes be caught? Besides, it’s a luxury for those displaced by the flood to have a mouthful of cold water. You can ask them to boil it before Drink, how can they have that condition? Isn't it difficult for someone to force them?"
Being robbed by Liang Zhen, the cabinet minister couldn't hold back his face, and held back his neck for a long time before saying: "Besides, it's also a good idea for His Majesty to personally offer sacrifices to the heavens and pray for blessings..."
"It's ridiculous," Liang Zhen snorted. "Putting hope on the way of gods and ghosts is tantamount to deceiving oneself and others."
"King Zhao's tone is so loud! How dare you despise the gods!"
"Enough," Zhu Yunxuan interrupted them in a deep voice, frowning and asked Liang Zhen, "What exactly do you want to say?"
Liang Zhen looked back at him, and said calmly: "I think that if Your Majesty really wants to curb the spread of the epidemic, the most effective and straightforward way is to deal with all the currently sick people on the spot. Burn up all the fires to avoid future troubles."
After the words fell, all the people present changed their faces. Zhu Yunxuan's eyebrows frowned even tighter. Zeng Huai was the first to jump out to object: "Absurd! Absurd! What kind of bad idea did you come up with, King Zhao! How can you be so cruel and merciless?" Cold-blooded and ruthless! Those are all living lives! You are trying to trap His Majesty and the court in injustice!"
Liang Zhen reminded him in a cold voice: "Now that people are dealt with, only less than 20,000 people will die. If this drags on, more lives will be filled in. This king is clearly thinking about His Majesty and the court. Elder Zeng Ge, please don’t wrongfully wrong this king.”
"How do you know they are bound to die! Gather those affected people together for diagnosis and treatment, and some of them will survive! King Zhao, you don't even want to give them the hope of life!"
Liang Zhen asked in a calm manner: "It's been almost a month since the first one got sick, not to mention recovering, but has anyone's condition slowed down?"
"Since Your Majesty has decided to send the imperial physician there, there must be a way to save people! You cannot tolerate King Zhao's nonsense here to confuse the public!"
Liang Zhen sneered: "I'm afraid that by the time they figure out a way, those infected people will have died long ago, and more people will have to be implicated. It's better to get rid of them now."
"you!"
All the imperial physicians lowered their heads and did not dare to argue. Although they said they would do their best, no one knew better than them how dangerous the epidemic was. It spread rapidly and there was no cure. Even they themselves, Most of them don't want to be selected by the emperor to go to Yuzhou, because they are afraid that they will never return.
Liang Zhen stopped talking to Zeng Huai, and said to Zhu Yunxuan: "This is all I have said, and it is up to Your Majesty to decide what to do."
Zhu Yunxuan's face was ugly, and he asked him in a deep voice: "That's what King Zhao thinks? How is doing so different from disregarding human life?"
Liang Zhen said disapprovingly: "If you don't deal with the affected people as soon as possible to curb the epidemic, more people will only die. That is the real disregard for human life. What does your majesty think?"
"You are presumptuous! How can you speak to His Majesty with such an attitude!"
Zeng Huai sternly reprimanded him again, but the colleague behind him gently pulled him and shook his head at him.
Zhu Yunxuan just dealt with the Anlehou Mansion a few days ago and seized the title of Anlehouhou. In the eyes of everyone, the disagreement between the emperor and King Zhao has been put on the surface, which is almost equivalent to tearing the face. At this time, most people They all chose Mingzhe to protect themselves and watch coldly, not willing to meddle.
Zeng Huai didn't appreciate it, he flung off his sleeves and snorted coldly, Liang Zhen curled up his lips: "The minister just doesn't say anything, so as not to be annoying for nothing."
In the end, Zhu Yunxuan made an order according to what was agreed earlier, and picked up three or four imperial physicians and set off for Yuzhou on the same day.
After all the officials who had come to discuss the matter withdrew, Liang Zhen asked him again: "Your Majesty, have you really thought it through? Are you going to procrastinate like this? Hope the imperial physician can save the person, or will the epidemic disappear on its own when the weather turns cold?"
Zhu Yunxuan said in a cold voice: "According to what King Zhao said, killing all people regardless of anything, is it really the solution? Does King Zhao really think that this way he can have no worries?"
"What is His Majesty worried about? As long as the spread of the epidemic can be stopped, who can say anything even if all those people are killed?"
Killing them all is indeed the most unavoidable choice, but if you encounter an uncontrollable epidemic, in order not to endanger more people, you are helpless and forced to make the next move may be the only solution, as long as you do It needs to be more hidden, but it is just a few times more than the hundreds of thousands of people who die every day, who can say what
This kind of practice has existed since ancient times. Those courtiers who were arguing in the early court just dared not speak out directly. Liang Zhen knew it, and Zeng Huai and other cabinet ministers also knew it. How could Zhu Yunxuan not know it.
It's just that Liang Zhen can say to kill people without blinking an eye, but a scholar like Zeng Huai who has learned the ways of sages can never do it, and Zhu Yunxuan is the emperor, so he must have more worries.
Zhu Yunxuan's eyes fell on the piece of jade that Liang Zhen had given him before, on the imperial case, and he hesitated slightly: "If there are the parents, wives and children of King Zhao among those plagued people, can King Zhao categorically say that they will kill everyone?" ?”
Liang Zhen narrowed his pupils, looked at him deeply, and silently raised the corners of his lips after a while: "Your Majesty is right, if I have my wife and children among them, I will naturally try my best to save him."
"So do you think that those infected people don't have parents, wives and children?"
"But the minister's wife and children are not in there, so naturally the minister won't think about those things," Liang Zhen slowed down his voice to persuade him, "Your Majesty, you are the emperor, you should not only consider one or two people, you should put the overall situation first You can't be soft-hearted, you can't save everyone, you have to make trade-offs when necessary."
Zhu Yunxuan closed his eyes, and said in a deep voice: "The imperial decree has been issued, and my will has been decided, so be it."