Chapter 49
The northern suburbs were quite different from the southern suburbs. To the north of the capital lay a desolate land, with very few people around.
However, due to the presence of many abandoned straw huts, it had turned into a gathering place for the homeless.
The homeless were not allowed to enter the capital, and the towns in the southern suburbs were guarded by officials. Only the barren northern suburbs provided them with a temporary refuge.
Though the homeless were pitiful, Lu Hanzhi wanted to help them.
Moreover, they could serve as a ready workforce, and he could provide them with jobs, food, lodging, and wages.
They needed work, and he had the opportunity to offer it.
But these homeless had already been controlled by Su Wan’ning. She provided them with medical help and even assisted them with food and money.
Some of them, relying solely on her assistance, lived on minimal support and had no desire to work.
Over time, the homeless could easily cause trouble.
Recently, few people had ventured into the northern suburbs, as these homeless had been causing disturbances.
Lu Xuzhi and the Eldest Prince swapped carriages, leaving the carriage for Yuwen Min and Lu Hanzhi. They removed the decorations and insignia from the carriage and, familiar with the route, headed towards the northern suburbs.
However, as soon as they reached the wasteland in the northern suburbs, they were blocked by a group of homeless.
Recently, disasters and war had plagued the Great Zhao, and many homeless people had fled from the northern border.
These people had likely just arrived, as the Third Prince, Yuwen Jing, had been causing trouble for his father, leading to many displaced people in the northern border.
Lu Hanzhi furrowed his brow and leaned out of the carriage. He saw the homeless sprawled across the ground in disarray.
He and Yuwen Min had just disguised themselves in the carriage, and his white robe made him appear to be just a handsome Xiao Langjun from an ordinary family.
These homeless people were tired and hungry, some were sick, and many had caught the flu.
Lu Hanzhi told Yuwen Min, who was driving the carriage, “Stop for a moment. If these people stay here for the night, they may not make it until morning.”
Yuwen Min nodded, stopped the carriage, and helped Lu Hanzhi down.
As soon as he got out of the carriage, Lu Hanzhi went to check on the seriously ill.
Yuwen Min grabbed his arm and said, “Be careful, don’t get infected.”
Lu Hanzhi smiled and replied, “I’m a doctor! Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”
When the homeless heard Lu Hanzhi claim to be a doctor, several young people immediately kneeled in front of him and begged,
”Please save my father! He’s not going to make it!”
”Please save my mother! I will be eternally grateful!”
”Kind sir, please, my daughter is still a child, she can’t die like this…”
…
The world was full of suffering, and at this moment, Lu Hanzhi truly understood what it meant.
He stepped forward and said, “Everyone, don’t worry. Let me first check the patients… Ah, my husband still has some food. You can share it and fill your stomach first.”
Husband: ???
He turned back to the carriage, took out the snacks and food that Imperial Concubine Rong had packed for them and the tributes from the local area.
There was barely enough for everyone, just a few mouthfuls each.
However, it was fortunate that they were high-calorie foods, so they could at least stop the hunger.
Lu Hanzhi approached an elderly man to check his condition. At that moment, a prompt came from his system space: “Congratulations to the host for triggering a side mission. Please assist and treat all the homeless in the northern suburbs.”
Lu Hanzhi: …
He felt like the system was always creating trouble for him, constantly making waves for the female lead, as if it feared he would live too long.
But these system missions were very beneficial. He could open a medicine channel with just one exchange point, and he could also stock up on medicine while doing so.
As for the female lead, it wasn’t like avoiding her would make everything peaceful. He would deal with problems as they came.
Thus, he happily accepted the mission and began treating the homeless.
After pretending to examine several patients, the system also gave a diagnosis.
”The target has the flu and dysentery. One exchange point is required to unlock the corresponding treatment. The medicine formula has been provided. Please check it, host.”
While taking the patient’s pulse, Lu Hanzhi feigned deep thought and then reviewed the prescription from his spiritual sea.
The prescription for the flu was exactly the same as the one used for the plague earlier, and as for dysentery, it was even simpler.
Dysentery was typically bacterial in nature and could be treated with the oral anti-inflammatory and antibacterial drug Norfloxacin.
Lu Hanzhi used one of his exchange points to obtain a Norfloxacin exchange window. Then, pretending to tuck his hand into his sleeve pocket, he discreetly took out a few pills.
He returned to the carriage, ground the pills into powder, and instructed a few of the refugees, “Start a fire and boil water. Mix this medicine into the water and give it to them. Those with a fever should take a larger dose; their fever should subside within two hours. This is a three-day supply. Within three days, they should recover. Be mindful of hygiene—under no circumstances should they consume anything unclean again. Cups, plates, and bowls must be scalded with boiling water before use.”
Upon hearing Lu Hanzhi’s instructions, everyone immediately sprang into action.
Some started the fire, others gathered firewood, and some cleaned the dishes and utensils.
Several women came over to help administer the medicine to those who had collapsed, carefully feeding them warm boiled water as well.
By the time everything was taken care of, the sky had already turned completely dark.
Yuwen Min watched as Lu Hanzhi busied himself for half the day. His white clothes were covered in grime, and even the hem of his robe had been scorched black by the fire, yet he seemed completely unfazed.
Casually wiping the sweat off his forehead, he left a smear of dirt across his face.
Lu Hanzhi continued instructing the refugees to gather some straw to lay on the ground so the sick wouldn’t have to sleep directly on the damp earth.
He then retrieved two garments he had just changed out of from the carriage and wrapped them around the young sick girl.
The girl’s mother looked at him with deep gratitude, her voice choked with emotion as she said, “Thank you so much, young master.”
Lu Hanzhi was still busy and didn’t respond. He simply smiled at her before turning to the refugees and reminding them, “This medicine must be taken twice a day. Do not, under any circumstances, stop taking it prematurely.”
The woman nodded repeatedly and carefully wrapped the medicine up, treating it as a precious treasure.
Just then, the elderly woman who had been the first to take the fever medicine had already cooled down. Her granddaughter cried out excitedly, “Grandmother’s fever is gone! Grandmother!”
She immediately knelt before Lu Hanzhi and bowed deeply. “Thank you, benefactor!”
Lu Hanzhi helped the young girl up, feeling a wave of emotion in his heart.
At that moment, he finally understood why Su Wan’ning had wanted to treat the refugees and build a reputation during the plague.
In moments of vulnerability, even the smallest act of kindness could be magnified into the grace of a saint.
Lu Hanzhi deeply respected genuine goodwill, but using it as a tool to gain followers—such people were truly the most wicked in this world.
Looking at the emaciated refugees, he shook his head and said, “If you have no home, no place to go, you can head to the eastern village of Yongxing County in the southern outskirts. They are recruiting a large number of workers there. Food and lodging are provided, along with a monthly wage. Elderly and children will also be given accommodation, but work is required—it will be tough. Still, at least you’ll have food to eat, clothes to wear, and a family that can stay together and survive.”
Hearing this, the refugees’ eyes lit up with hope.
However, an elderly man, frail from illness, trembled as he leaned on his son for support and said, “Benefactor, you may not know this, but we once thought of going to the southern city to beg. Unfortunately, the city patrol guards the area closely. If they find refugees like us, we are immediately driven away. We… we can’t even get through!”
The others murmured in agreement, sighing helplessly.
Lu Hanzhi found himself in a difficult position. But then, Yuwen Min pulled out a bamboo token from his robe and handed it to him.
Lu Hanzhi took the token and realized—it was a travel permit.
With this, not only could they enter the southern city, but even the capital itself.
Overjoyed, Lu Hanzhi cast Yuwen Min a grateful glance before passing the token to a young man who seemed to be the leader among the refugees.
He told the young man, “Take this permit and go through the capital to reach the southern city. Remember, do not linger. If you stay too long, the guards might drive you out. If you have any relatives or friends, you can use this token to bring them along. That village is undergoing large-scale development and needs workers of all kinds. You all can try your luck there.”
At that, all the refugees knelt down and bowed, their voices trembling with gratitude as they said, “Benefactor, your kindness and virtue will never be forgotten!”
Lu Hanzhi had thought they would rest for the night before heading to the southern city. But unexpectedly, the young men hoisted the sick onto their backs, bid farewell, and hurriedly departed.
If they moved quickly, they could still pass through before the city gates closed in an hour.
Watching them disappear into the distance, Lu Hanzhi sighed softly. “They really are pitiful people.”
Yuwen Min, however, placed a hand on his cheek and gently wiped the dirt from his face with his thumb, saying, “Wang Fei is a kindhearted person.”
Perhaps because Su Wan’ning had exploited kindness to build her reputation, Lu Hanzhi felt some aversion to the word.
He waved a hand dismissively and said, “Kindness isn’t always a good thing. I simply need manpower, and they happen to need work. A mutual exchange of needs—this is the foundation for long-term cooperation. After all, kindness has its limits, but mutual benefit is endless, my dear prince.”
Yuwen Min fell into deep thought. Surprisingly, Lu Hanzhi’s words made perfect sense.
Especially within the royal family, this principle was practically a golden rule.
All that talk of fatherly love and brotherly bonds—sometimes, mutual interest was far more reliable.
Of course, that didn’t mean emotions were entirely absent. At the very least, the deep brotherly bond between him and his eldest brother was genuine.
Yuwen Min climbed onto the carriage and extended a hand to Lu Hanzhi. “Come on. We’ve delayed long enough. It’s time to go.”
Once inside the carriage, Lu Hanzhi finally realized how disheveled he looked.
But that was fine—this way, no one would recognize him.
He turned to Yuwen Min and asked, “Did you find Prince Min’s medicinal warehouse?”
Yuwen Min replied, “Yes. The scouts reported it’s at the edge of the rubble district in the northern outskirts.”
Lu Hanzhi nodded. That was more or less what he had expected.
After a moment of thought, he asked, “How does Your Highness plan to deal with this batch of medicine?”
Yuwen Min answered, “Naturally, burn it. Leaving it will only lead to disaster.”
Lu Hanzhi frowned slightly and said, “Burning it… will that truly erase the trouble?”
Yuwen Min was questioned again. Indeed, even if this batch was burned, Yuwen Mingji would find a way to obtain another one.
It would just be a little more troublesome, but some people simply weren’t afraid of trouble.
No matter how difficult it was, they would find a way to do what they wanted to do.
Yuwen Min stopped the carriage, looked at Lu Hanzhi, and asked, “So, what do you mean?”
Lu Hanzhi replied, “Has Your Highness ever heard the story of Yu the Great controlling the floods?”
The brute who only knew how to fight: ???
Lu Hanzhi continued, “Blocking is not as effective as diverting. Otherwise, the dam will eventually collapse. If you burn it like this, he might switch to a more hidden location and method. Instead, why not let him operate right under your nose? That way, you’ll have full insight into his next moves.”
Yuwen Min suddenly turned to Lu Hanzhi, his eyes deep in thought.
Lu Hanzhi touched his own face and asked, “Is my beauty really that captivating?”
Yuwen Min: …
Just what kind of person was this?
Author’s Note:
Lu Hanzhi, who can’t stay serious for more than three seconds: Husband, mwah!
The brute who only knows how to fight: … Do you want to fight?
Your favorite BL chaos wouldn’t be possible without coffee… lots of coffee….
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