June 12, Huainan.
Bai Su held an oil-paper umbrella, followed by twelve secret guards and the chief eunuch of the palace, and headed all the way to Huainan city.
It has been raining in Huainan these days, so people set up many small "stoves" on the street, one every few steps, so that the wormwood can burn normally without getting wet. So the place, which was already misty and rainy, looked even more smoky with the addition of these curling smoke.
Bai Su did not lie in the letter. She had been avoiding going out since arriving at the palace. This time, she came in only after listening to Mr. Sun's analysis and knowing that the entire Huainan was almost under control.
She originally thought that the people guarding the city would question her, but when she got closer, she found that there were several people standing at the city gate.
The old man standing in the middle had gray hair and was being supported by a disciple beside him, but he still stood straight.
On the left side of the old man stood three people: one looked a little bloated, wearing an official uniform. He must be an official temporarily transferred from somewhere else to take over Huainan; the other two, one with a casual posture and the other standing straight like a pine tree, one could tell at a glance that they were the top two scorers in this year's high school entrance exam.
On the right stood the general guarding Huainan and his deputy.
After Bai Su entered the city, everyone knelt down in unison and said, "Welcome Miss Bai!"
In Huainan City, it was inconvenient for Bai Su to come here with her real identity, so they all called her "Miss Bai".
And it wasn't just Old Sun. On the way back to the yamen with them, Bai Su saw residents opening their doors in groups of three or four and bowing to her through the courtyard gate.
Only then did we know that, thanks to Mr. Sun’s unremitting publicity, every household in Huainan now knows that there is a "Ms. Bai" who can be called a deity. She not only presided over the entire epidemic prevention situation, but also contributed many epidemic prevention methods. Even the prescriptions were tried out under the guidance of this Miss Bai.
Lin Qing and Mr. Sun explained along the way.
"In this case, the husband had contact with an infected person, so we placed him at home alone, with disciples from the clinic coming to check on him regularly. He has a wife and children, as well as an 80-year-old mother living upstairs. The four of them lived in this house, so we simply took them all to live somewhere else. The husband fell ill within two days, and now he's completely cured, so his family moved back. A few days ago, they kept pulling us and insisted on kowtowing to us. They said that if it weren't for the government, their family of four would have been ruined."
"The child of this family accidentally came into contact with something from outside, so we taught them what to pay attention to in daily life and asked them to take good care of the child at home. We locked all three of them in the small yard and did not allow them to go out. Later, the child died, but the couple did not get sick and were very grateful to us. Alas... Although this plague was a great victory, many people died."
…
Listen to the stories one by one.
Some were good, some were bad. Some survived, some died.
Bai Su listened attentively, nodded slightly to the people who opened the door and saluted her, and occasionally responded with a slight curtsey.
"It's a good thing to survive this disaster, but we should also pay attention to the follow-up affairs of the people. If a family loses its mainstay and can't make ends meet, we can find something they can do and give them a job to eat. Women are weaker and can't do a lot of farm work, so we can give them some work like collecting bills and cleaning. This should not only be done by the government, but also publicized in shops. Many women in Datong don't show their faces outside. After the epidemic, if there is no man in the family, how can they survive? From a long-term perspective, this is not feasible."
As soon as the words fell, everyone looked at the only local official with a rank here.
The man nodded repeatedly: "Yes, I will get started!"
Bai Su nodded slightly and talked about something else: "Not only in life, but also in emotions. Some people may be unable to get over the sudden loss of their loved ones, and they need someone to guide them."
"Want... to be enlightened? How can I do this? Should I mobilize them to copy scriptures and listen to the abbot of the four courtyards outside the city? I hope that mother... Miss Bai can point out a clear way..."
Bai Su then remembered that although there were no psychological counselors in ancient times, there were some people with similar positions: monks in temples and nuns in nunneries. Of course, some literary masters would also work, but it was not so easy to invite them.
So she thought for a moment and decided on a plan: "About every three days, invite the senior monks from the temple and the nuns from the nunnery who have practiced more highly to come over, and set up a small pavilion or something like that for them, which will be more private. If the people need guidance, they can just go there directly."
"Yes, I will arrange it today."
After explaining all this, several people have returned to the yamen.
The accompanying officials dispersed, and suddenly only Old Sun and Lin Qing were left in the room.
Bai Su first poured some tea for the two of them, and then spoke slowly: "This time the plague is prevalent, fortunately you two adults helped. On behalf of your majesty in Shengjing and the people of Huainan and even the entire Datong, I would like to express my gratitude."
Elder Sun quickly took the teacup and said, "Your Majesty, your words are very sincere. I am only doing my duty."
Lin Qing was completely stunned. It was only when Elder Sun finished his greetings that he came to his senses and said with his head down, "I am just doing my duty."
"I am meeting with you this time because of two things that need to be told. Both of you are people trusted by His Majesty, so I will not hide anything. In the capital, His Majesty is in the early days of returning power. The case of corrupt officials in Huainan and the prevention and control of plague are all the merits of His Majesty for the people... Although the situation in Huainan has been settled, we must be careful and vigilant. All people traveling to Huainan must be strictly checked to avoid being used by those with ulterior motives."
At this point, both of them looked stern.
"What the queen means is..."
"I am afraid that some evil-minded people, in order to take credit for the epidemic, will deliberately stir up the plague that has already been controlled in Huainan, or even expand its scope. They will first create a problem, then solve it, and finally take all the credit."
After the words fell, the two looked at each other with complicated expressions.
Of the two of them, one had worked smoothly and honestly in the Imperial Hospital with the reputation of a miracle doctor until his present day, and later resigned early to enjoy his retirement; the other went in and out of the court, still with a scholarly air, and naturally had never come into contact with this kind of darkest things.
Seeing that they all looked a little tense, Bai Su curled her lips at the right time and comforted them: "These are just my assumptions, they may not really happen, so don't worry for now. But don't be hostile to others, but be on guard against others... There are always bad people in this world who will do anything and have no conscience. Besides, the power struggle in the court is fierce right now, so some things should always be thought of in advance."
Lin Qing hurriedly folded his hands in front of his chest and saluted, saying, "Student will remember this."
Old Sun also hurriedly replied: "Okay, I will tell the general what the queen said so that we can be prepared."
"Well, thank you for your hard work, both of you."
-
The conversation between the few people did not last too long. After giving all the instructions, Bai Su said that she had something to talk to Lin Qing alone and sent Old Sun out.
After the old man left, Bai Su and Lin Qing were the only ones left in the room.
It wasn't noticeable just now because there was a third person present, but now there are only the two of them, and the atmosphere suddenly becomes awkward and subtle.
Bai Su spoke first, breaking all the subtleties, and said: "Lin Qing has changed a lot compared to before."
She said "Lin Qing" instead of "you" and her tone was very calm. Compared with "old lover", her tone was more like a superior offering condolences to his subordinates in a clearly defined hierarchy.
It was this sentence that immediately brought Jinke's top scorer back to his senses.
He hurriedly replied respectfully, "Yes. The last time I met the Empress and His Majesty was at a banquet at the Prime Minister's Residence. The Empress' words woke me up from my dream, and I thought a lot after returning home."
"This person has passed away. Please accept my condolences."
Bai Su knew that it was too cruel for her to say such words in front of the face that the other person had been dreaming about day and night.
Only by scraping the bone to cure the poison, can the young man in front of her no longer have any illusions about her...
Only then will he truly believe that the person he loves is no longer here.
Lin Qing obviously understood this as well.
After a long while, he finally said with difficulty: "Thank you for your comfort, Madam."
Bai Su nodded, and then she began to talk about what she wanted to say this time: "This time, I also have something to tell you. The current situation in the court seems to be a game between your majesty and the regent, and the regent has joined forces with Prime Minister Bai, but in fact it is still a game between three parties. Your majesty and I want to win over Prime Minister Bai and break up his alliance with the regent."
"Like Qin conquering the six kingdoms?"
Bai Su nodded appreciatively: "Like Qin conquering the six kingdoms."
When Qin unified the six kingdoms, it first provoked a war between Yan and Zhao. Later, it used the excuse of aiding Yan to attack Zhao together with Yan. Eventually Zhao was defeated and destroyed.
They adopted similar tactics this time.
"But are you planning to take down the Prime Minister after you defeat the Regent?"
Lin Qing asked.
The woman shook her head. "Prince Bai and the Regent both hold great power in my hands, and their influence in the court is also complicated. If we forcibly bring them both to justice, it will surely cause unrest in the court and the country. The enemy countries have always been eyeing them covetously, and I am afraid they will take advantage of the opportunity to move in. By then, Datong will be in internal and external troubles, and there may be chaos. This is what I want to tell you. After this power dispute, His Majesty means that Prime Minister Bai will not be punished for the time being."
As soon as these words came out... the man who had managed to remain calm just now suddenly shook.
The most elegant and graceful top scholar in the court couldn't even hold a cup of tea at this moment.
He looked at her in disbelief: "Not... punish him? Doesn't Bai Yanyuan deserve death? Even a tiger won't eat its own cubs. Bai Yanyuan forced his own daughter to death with his own hands. Doesn't he deserve death?"
But the woman just stared at him quietly, her long eyelashes not even trembling, and uttered two words: "Damn it."
Lin Qing was even more confused.
"Susu... Queen. I will not discuss the love affair with you, because it is my personal vendetta. But looking at the years that Prime Minister Bai has been an official in Datong, is he really without fault? As the prime minister of a country, what has he done? Have you and Your Majesty not considered it? The pillars of the country that a wise monarch wants to use, I think, at least in terms of virtue, are worthy of them. Like Mr. Sun, who helps the weak and the poor, and is upright inside and outside, or like Mr. Zheng of the Hanlin Academy, who is generous, kind, and open-minded, it must be such a person who is worthy of such a position, right? I don't understand, Bai Xiang sits in such a position, and will be promoted to the national flag in the future. What is he relying on? Your Majesty, isn't he a wise monarch? Isn't he a benevolent monarch? Isn't he thinking about the people? Huainan just had a corrupt official, and he was going to be executed by slow slicing and hung on the city wall to comfort the souls of the people. Why does he want a treacherous and evil person like Bai Yanyuan to stay in such an important position in the court!"
He is worthy of being the top scorer in the Jinke exam.
When he speaks, every word is sonorous and every sentence is powerful.
It is actually difficult to respond to such questions.
It’s just like the classic saying: Someone stabbed you, and you haven’t even wiped the blood off, but others are advising you to be magnanimous. (Note*)
In fact, she had discussed this matter with Duan Changchuan before. The best way was to win over Bai Xiang with benefits and recruit him for her own use... just like the plan made by the late emperor before his death.
Otherwise, if a mutiny breaks out, more people will suffer.
The young man was worried that day and said: I don’t know how to explain to Lin Qing.
Lin Qing is the top scorer in this year's imperial examination. He has great talent and a righteous mind. In time, he will surely become a pillar of the imperial court.
Duan Changchuan was very afraid that such a decision would disappoint Lin Qing.
But Bai Su couldn't bear to leave such a dilemma to the young man, so she took the initiative and talked to Lin Qing first.
So, the woman who had been sitting upright sighed softly, and then slowly responded: "Lin Qing, Bai Yanyuan is indeed a very treacherous and evil person, but he and the regent have been operating in the court for many years. Once they are all uprooted, it will shake the foundation of the country. By then, mutinies will break out everywhere, and many people will be exiled. But your majesty did not let him sit on the position of Bai Xiang all the time. This is just a temporary trade-off. Your majesty has very few talents who can take on important tasks. When you train someone who can take on important tasks in the future, you will definitely replace him."
After she finished speaking, she looked deeply at him and said word by word, "Even, this person who can take on the important task can be you. Your Majesty and I have read your policy papers. You have the talent to govern the world, so why don't you try to manage it?"
The young man was silent.
After a long while, he spoke in a low voice: "I just can't accept that such a wicked person can enjoy such wealth and glory until his old age..."
"I can promise you: if you have the ability to dig up his past and punish him for any crime in the future, I and His Majesty will never stop you. This is a promise I make to you as the Queen. Lin Qing, I believe you have the ability to kill your enemy with your own hands, and you should believe in yourself. Bai Xiang, you will never enjoy a life of luxury and wealth until your old age."
Having said this, the top scholar in plain clothes finally stood up and bowed deeply to her.
"Thank you for your guidance, Your Majesty, and thank you for your appreciation. Lin Qing will definitely live up to your grace."
"You want to have a bowel movement."
…
After the two finished their conversation, it was still raining outside.
The woman held an oil-paper umbrella and walked away step by step in the sound of the dripping rain.
The servants who followed her respectfully invited her to the carriage and said, "My lady, be careful."
Bai Su suddenly stopped and turned to look at the young man following behind her.
"Lin Qing, I shouldn't say too much about you and her. But there is one thing I still want to tell you." She said, "Rather than seeing you again when she is already married... it would be better if we never meet again in this life. It can be considered that I love you until death. Perhaps, this is the last thing she could leave for you."
"Please accept my condolences, Mr.
…
The author has something to say:
Note: This is what Teacher Guo said!