Chapter 9
So, he decided to return to the estate first and check whether the medicine exchange shop had any drugs that could suppress the plague.
Meanwhile, overnight, people living downstream of the river began to develop fevers and vomit, showing clear symptoms of illness.
In truth, depictions of plagues in television dramas and novels were often exaggerated—not every epidemic led to mass deaths.
However, with the limited medical conditions of ancient times, even a severe flu could be considered a plague.
The virus Su Wan’ning had thrown into the river this time was, in fact, a strain of severe influenza.
Fortunately, there were plenty of antiviral medications available in the exchange shop.
The first choice was Oseltamivir, which could control symptoms if taken within 48 hours.
But Su Wan’ning, in order to make the plague spread more aggressively, usually waited five days after the outbreak before making an appearance.
When the severe flu reached the point where people were dying, she would descend like a saint, standing before the people as if she were their savior.
Lu Hanzhi, however, did not dare to delay. A severe flu in ancient times really could be fatal.
The system, at least, showed some conscience. Instead of charging him market price for the medicine, it allowed him to unlock an unlimited exchange channel for just a single exchange point.
After all, it was his first time doing a mission—the system had to give him some perks.
This made Lu Hanzhi quite satisfied. Otherwise, if the system threw side quests at him one after another without any benefits, who could put up with that?
So, on the second day after flu symptoms appeared in the village, he set up a porridge distribution point at the village entrance.
Yes, porridge—not medicine.
This was his strategy to open the market. The villagers were deeply superstitious, and when Su Wan’ning had distributed medicine in the past, she had disguised herself as a Taoist priestess, using the guise of “holy water” to cure the people.
Naturally, Lu Hanzhi couldn’t just claim he was here to cure illnesses—no one would believe him.
By now, over a hundred people in the village had fallen ill, and an altar had already been set up at the village entrance. The village shaman was preparing to send off the “disease spirits.”
Lu Hanzhi strategically placed his porridge station at a crucial intersection, a road that all the villages had to pass through. He made it clear that the porridge was only for the sick.
The porridge he served was plain white rice porridge. The villagers were poor, and white rice porridge was a rare luxury. Seeing that someone was offering porridge specifically for the sick, every ailing person in the village eagerly lined up to receive it.
Watching the sick villagers, both Luan Feng and Qin Se felt sympathetic, and their impressions of their young master began to change.
Previously, they had always thought their young master was spoiled, doing and saying whatever he pleased.
But now, they realized he was actually a kind-hearted person.
Lu Hanzhi secretly mixed the medicine into the porridge, distributing it to the sick villagers three times a day.
After three days, the villagers infected with the plague were sneezing and gradually recovering their health.
Once Lu Hanzhi was confident that the illness was under control, he threw some alum into the river for disinfection and packed up the porridge stand.
Just as he was about to leave, he found himself surrounded by a large crowd of villagers. Each of them carried baskets and buckets, and in unison, they knelt before him.
Lu Hanzhi felt incredibly awkward. He had only done this for the system’s exchange points, and now, with all these people kneeling before him, he really felt undeserving of such gratitude.
An elderly man, seemingly the leader, stepped forward, bowed deeply to Lu Hanzhi, and said, “Young master, your kindness is beyond measure. A life-saving grace like this will never be forgotten.”
Lu Hanzhi scratched his head, too embarrassed to accept the praise. He quickly said, “Sir, you’re exaggerating. I was merely offering porridge to pray for my mother’s well-being. How could this be considered a life-saving grace? I really don’t deserve such gratitude.”
The elderly man’s eyes reddened. Pulling his young grandson forward, he said, “In these ten or so villages, over a hundred people fell ill. After drinking your porridge for three days, they have all recovered. My grandson was among them—he was lucky to have escaped death. When I was young, we encountered a similar plague. Back then, hundreds of people perished. My parents and siblings all died in that epidemic. Others may not recognize this disease, but I do. You, young master, must be someone with divine powers, possessing some kind of miracle medicine. The porridge had a slight bitterness to it—you added medicine, didn’t you?”
Seeing that there was no point in denying it, Lu Hanzhi simply acknowledged it with a smile. He then said to the villagers, “As long as everyone is fine now, that’s all that matters. I appreciate your kindness. Oh, by the way, if you have time, please add some alum to the river east of the village. The water is contaminated and could harm both people and livestock. In your homes, you can also use quicklime for disinfection, and be sure to keep your houses well-ventilated. Do not seal your windows and doors—it will only make the illness worse.”
The villagers immediately knelt again, bowing deeply to him before sitting around and chatting with him about everyday matters.
Since Lu Hanzhi couldn’t return to the capital for now, he listened to the local peddlers gossip about news from the capital.
One peddler, sitting cross-legged on a millstone, boasted, “There’s nothing that happens in the capital that I don’t know! Young master, what would you like to hear? Even which noble lady secretly met up with which poor scholar—I can find that out for you.”
Everyone burst into laughter. Lu Hanzhi found this interesting. Thinking for a moment, he asked, “Oh? Then tell me, what’s the latest news from the palace?”
Someone heckled, “Don’t listen to Cai Laosan’s nonsense. How could he possibly know anything about the palace?”
Cai Laosan, however, got defensive and snapped, “Who says I don’t know? I just delivered vegetables to Guangyue Tower and actually overheard something major! They say the eldest prince was plotting a rebellion, got thrown into prison, and is set to be executed soon.”
Lu Hanzhi’s eyes immediately lit up—this was the main storyline! Ever since escaping from the Lu family, he hadn’t caught any updates on it for a long time. And now, was the progress bar finally moving forward?
He looked at Cai Laosan and said, “Go on.”
Seeing that Lu Hanzhi was interested, Cai Laosan became even more enthusiastic and continued, “It’s strange, really. The Eldest Prince was locked up in the Great Zhao Prison, but then the Fourth Prince broke him out!”
Lu Hanzhi frowned and stepped forward. “What? The Fourth Prince broke into the prison? Is that true? Are you sure you didn’t mishear?”
Cai Laosan patted his chest confidently. “There’s no way I got it wrong! I’m the best informant in the southern outskirts! Young Master, don’t worry—this news is absolutely accurate.”
Lu Hanzhi silently nodded. It seemed that his anonymous letter had worked.
The anxiety he had been carrying eased slightly—at least the Eldest Prince was still alive, and his second brother wouldn’t have to miss the imperial examinations.
Meanwhile, at the Lu residence, Su Wan’ning was still waiting for news—but the information she had been expecting had yet to arrive. That was strange. The plague virus was supposed to take effect within three days, and there should have been deaths within five!
Why had nearly seven days passed, and yet there was still no word from the outskirts of the capital?
At the Lu residence, Old Madam Lu had been suffering from severe leg pain lately. The continuous rainy weather over the past few days had worsened her mood.
Even when Su Wan’ning, whom she usually liked and relied on the most, came to chat with her, she couldn’t bring herself to engage.
On top of that, trouble had been brewing in the Lu family. Right after the Crown Prince took Lu Haozhi as his attendant, the Eldest Prince got into trouble.
That morning, as soon as he returned from court, Lu Siwei immediately sought out Old Madam Lu.
He relayed everything that had happened in court to Old Madam Lu.
That very day, Concubine Rong was placed under house arrest in her Chenxi Pavilion, the First Prince was imprisoned in the Great Zhao Prison, and an urgent order was dispatched—delivered at top speed over eight hundred miles—to summon General Rong back to the capital.
But just a few days later, before any verdict had been reached, the Fourth Prince suddenly broke into the Great Zhao Prison and took the Eldest Prince away.
When the Emperor found out, he was furious. He ordered a city-wide search and demanded that both the Eldest Prince and Fourth Prince be captured and brought to justice.
Lu Siwei felt uneasy. The Lu family was aligned with the Crown Prince, tied to him like grasshoppers on the same rope.
Now that trouble had befallen both the Eldest Prince and the Fourth Prince, they should, in theory, be pleased.
But how could anyone remain unscathed when the entire nest was overturned? The battle for the throne in Great Zhao had officially begun.
Old Madam Lu was an exceptionally shrewd woman. One glance at the shifting political tides was enough for her to grasp the situation.
She spoke privately with her son for a long time, cautioning him over and over, “Two princes were struck at once—whoever orchestrated this must have a meticulous hand.”
Lu Siwei was a mediocre man. Despite having two incredibly intelligent parents, he had been born without any outstanding abilities.
Because of this, Old Madam Lu had to spell everything out for him, otherwise, she couldn’t feel at ease.
“Mother, are you saying that someone deliberately made a move?”
Old Madam Lu sighed inwardly. She glanced at her son, who was slow to grasp things, and said, “The Eldest Prince has always been mild-mannered and humble. If you told me the Third Prince was rebelling, I would believe it. But the First Prince? His only reason for being suspected of rebellion is that his mother’s family holds military power. Among all the princes, he has the best foundation for such a move. Concubine Rong is the legitimate daughter of her family, deeply loved by both her father and brothers. As a result, the Eldest Prince is also highly valued. But the Rong family has always been loyal and righteous, only acting when absolutely necessary. The Emperor, however, is suspicious by nature. He has long viewed the Rong family as too powerful. Recently, Rong Di achieved another victory in battle and was granted the title of marquis. If he were to be promoted any further, he would become a prince of a different surname. And if an outsider were to hold such power within the court, have you considered the consequences?”
Lu Siwei was startled, but he quickly understood.
After thinking for a moment, he asked, “Then… does that mean the Eldest Prince can’t be saved? Does the Emperor merely intend to weaken the Rong family, or does he want to eliminate them completely?”
Old Madam Lu had already seen through it all and said, “Eliminate them completely? General Wuwei holds command over the military, and of the Five Tiger Generals, only the incompetent General Zhenbei is outside his direct control. Even if the Emperor wants to wipe them out, he doesn’t have the power to do so. He probably just intends to keep the Eldest Prince imprisoned for a while and later find an excuse to release him. As for Rong Di, he’ll face some form of punishment once he is recalled to the capital. It won’t be anything severe, but it will be enough to ensure he no longer achieves military merits that could lead to a title of nobility.”
Hearing this, Lu Siwei immediately nodded. “Mother, your reasoning is sound.”
Yet Old Madam Lu’s face showed no trace of relief. Instead, she shook her head and said, “I fear someone won’t let this matter unfold as smoothly as planned.”
Lu Siwei frowned. “What do you mean?”
Old Madam Lu explained, “Someone framed the Eldest Prince for conspiring with the Rong family to rebel. That accusation aligns perfectly with what the Emperor has been hoping for—an excuse to suppress General Wuwei’s growing influence. If everything proceeds exactly as the Emperor intends, then this situation could be used to stabilize the court’s balance. But since someone went out of their way to set up this scheme, they won’t just let things resolve so easily. I fear the Eldest Prince won’t escape from this so easily.”
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Obrigada pela tradução!