Chapter 88

Chapter 88

The physicians of Jiangling carried medicines and medical boxes as they hurried to the temporary pharmacy set up in the distance. Apart from one imperial physician who rushed to the Sixth Prince’s side, the rest followed the local doctors.

Seeing the imperial physicians heading toward the distant sick folk quarters, the refugees finally confirmed that these doctors, who usually treated royalty and high officials, were genuinely coming to their camp to heal them. Not only were there imperial physicians, but there were also medicines! They truly intended to treat their illnesses, not herd them off to die!

“Will the imperial physicians really treat us?” a refugee shouted.

Ying Fusheng heard this and gave an affirmative answer: “They will.”

He glanced at the troublemaker being dragged away and said coldly, “But if you continue to cause trouble, those who should not be treated will not receive care.”

In the distance, the corpses were still burning, while the restless refugees had, for some unknown reason, quieted down. Vice Prefect Xu, seeing this, hurriedly urged the officers to disperse the refugees to different camps. “Everyone, the Sixth Prince has spoken—there is no falsehood in his words. The plague can easily spread now; do not gather—return quickly!”

The Sixth Prince’s personal visit to the refugee camp calmed the refugees, and he issued a special decree targeting the troublemakers. Weng Yanqing immediately relayed this order, and within half a day, it spread throughout the entire camp. The biggest challenges facing Jiangling were maintaining order and controlling the epidemic. Even though the Sixth Prince had deployed soldiers and hired refugees, there were still many hidden instigators within the camps. After the special decree, some still tried to cause trouble, but they were reported by refugees afraid of being implicated. In half a day, many were arrested in the camps.

The imperial physicians from the capital hurriedly urged the Sixth Prince to return to Jiangling Prefecture. When they took his pulse and found he had a low fever, one of the physicians was startled. “Your Highness, in your condition, you absolutely cannot go to the refugee camp! Hurry, get some herbs to fumigate and ward off bad luck!”

As the physician anxiously called out, Vice Prefect Xu also grew tense. He knew how many refugees were outside. Since Prefect Liu was imprisoned, the entire Jiangling Prefecture had relied solely on the Sixth Prince to hold things together. As long as the Sixth Prince was here, it was more effective than any imperial envoy the court might send.

But the Sixth Prince seemed accustomed to such situations. He allowed the physician to check his pulse while sternly giving other orders: “Keep an eye on the medicine merchants in the city. Has Censor Xiao returned?”

Weng Yanqing replied, “A message says he is on his way. Rest assured, Your Highness. Censor Xiao has negotiated with nearby medicine merchants, and the herbs are sufficient.”

“Your Highness, that man has been interrogated. He says someone hired him to cause trouble.” Soon, an official who had dragged away the troublemaker arrived at the door, presenting the testimony to Ying Fusheng.

Ying Fusheng glanced at it, then said, “The one who paid him cannot be traced. Assign some keen-eyed men to investigate potential troublemakers in the camps, especially near the sick quarters. Not a single word of information must leak from there.”

The official was startled: “Your Highness, surely it’s not that serious…”

“Foolish. If he could cause trouble in public today, he could do far more later. If word spreads from the sick quarters—saying that the severely ill are being used as test subjects, that even the imperial physicians cannot cure them, that there are not enough medicines and only some will be treated, or that the transported herbs and grain are contaminated with sewage…” Ying Fusheng looked at everyone present, his eyes sharp. “With so many refugees, they only want to survive. The slightest wind can shatter the balance we have worked so hard to maintain.”

As he spoke rapidly, he couldn’t help coughing, startling the imperial physician beside him.

Ying Fusheng waved his hand, saying it was nothing. “You think it won’t come to that, but for those who truly want to stir trouble, who cares about the lives of thousands of refugees? The embankment could be destroyed, grain could be hidden—do you think a few more lives would matter to them?”

The officials fell silent. Jiangling’s current situation was far better than previous natural disasters.

The embankment had been successfully reinforced, disaster relief funds and grain were sufficient, and even the epidemic had imperial physicians present… The officials of Jiangling Prefecture had never managed such a well-supplied disaster. They thought everything would be resolved smoothly. But the Sixth Prince’s words struck them like a hammer. Several officials lowered their heads in shame. Vice Prefect Xu quickly ordered people to follow the Sixth Prince’s instructions. “Your Servant will dispatch men to carry this out immediately.”

“In your condition, you cannot go to the refugee camp,” Chen Xuqiu reminded him. “You were already weaker than others to begin with. The epidemic is breaking out there; going would be suicide.”

The imperial physician nodded, seeing Chen Xuqiu as a lifesaver. “Your Highness, Miss Chen is right. You’ve only just recovered your health, and the poison hasn’t been fully cleansed. You mustn’t take risks.”

Ying Fusheng understood his own condition. “I know. Today was exceptional. I won’t go again.”

To calm the refugees, mere constables wouldn’t have been convincing. His presence, along with the imperial physicians, was necessary.

Ying Fusheng relaxed and fell silent.

He had to prevent any flaw at every critical point: money, grain, medicine, and people.

To save Jiangling and the refugees, none of these could go wrong. Yet at every juncture, those behind the scenes could interfere. Just like Prefect Liu and the corrupt Jiangling officials, the hidden grain stores, and today’s troublemakers—all were easily stirred into disaster.

Now, news of the successful embankment repair had likely spread. The affairs of Jiangling’s officials had already reached other disaster-stricken counties, and would soon reach the ears of interested parties in Jiangnan, Bashu, and beyond. From the moment someone hired a refugee to cause trouble, the conspirators’ hidden agents had probably begun their actions.

He knew that here, far from the capital, they operated with greater ease than he did.

So he could not afford even a moment’s slack. Dealing with Prefect Liu was only the beginning.

“Keep a close watch on the officials and local gentry who had dealings with Prefect Liu. The news cannot be stopped, but these people must remain within Jiangling city,” Ying Fusheng said after a moment’s thought. “Also, go to the river embankment and fetch Wang Guanzhi for me.”

Weng Yanqing paused. He looked at the map of Jiangling spread out on the desk, with all the terrain and strategic points clearly marked. He saw a certain location and understood Ying Fusheng’s intention. “Your Highness, will it come to that? Doing so might expose…”

“It will,” Ying Fusheng said, looking at him with unwavering certainty.

Weng Yanqing understood. “I will go find Lord Wang immediately.”

Jiangling became busy. At the river embankment, Wang Guanzhi received the urgent summons and hurried to Jiangling Prefecture.

The craftsmen rebuilding the embankment were busy. The stone material confiscated from the merchants needed processing. The officials of Jiangling were eager to earn merit. Vice Prefect Xu had done well under Prefect Liu, and his words carried weight among the local officials. The network of officials and merchants in Jiangling was small compared to the vast web in Jiangnan, but even a broken net could still be used. After observing for a few days, the local gentry and wealthy merchants saw that the Sixth Prince had dealt with a few troublemakers and then softened his stance. Knowing that Vice Prefect Xu was temporarily in charge of Jiangling’s affairs, they became proactive and even tried to bribe him.

After fobbing them off, Vice Prefect Xu turned around and saw Weng Yanqing. “Master Weng!”

Weng Yanqing said, “Lord Xu’s attitude toward these people is very accommodating.”

Vice Prefect Xu sighed. “They are the great clans of Jiangling. Their connections are either high officials in Jiangnan or people in the court… I cannot afford to offend them.”

“Lord Xu, will Jiangling in the future still have to rely on these gentry and merchants?” Weng Yanqing asked. “The Prince is wise. He always leaves some leeway when handling matters. That leeway is for Jiangling’s sake.”

The Sixth Prince would eventually leave. The people of Jiangling still had to live.

Vice Prefect Xu was taken aback, understanding Weng Yanqing’s implication. The Sixth Prince knew about these matters but did not intervene. “You mean…”

Weng Yanqing hinted and then took his leave.

“Lord Vice Prefect, will the court blame us after the disaster?” a minor official whispered. “Those medicines and grain were all sent to the camps. None of the high officials from the capital tried to embezzle anything.”

They had never seen incorruptible officials, nor a prince who would personally visit a refugee camp while unwell.

Vice Prefect Xu was stunned for a moment, then said, “The fact that you think this way means it’s not too late.”

At a time of disaster, even a sinner like him could be employed. This was a prince of the court, not an ordinary imperial envoy.

Following Ying Fusheng’s orders, the sick quarters in the refugee camp were heavily guarded. Constables patrolled in three shifts. Within a day, they caught a patient trying to sneak out and stopped him immediately.

At first, the decree of collective punishment for troublemakers kept things calm for two days. But soon, people started causing trouble near the sick quarters and were arrested. These individuals were clearly loners, indifferent to the safety of relatives or even campmates. Even when caught, they looked resigned to their fate. The constables had to work multiple shifts to prevent unrest near the sick quarters.

That day, inspired by Weng Yanqing’s words, Vice Prefect Xu began to court the merchants from outside Jiangling while keeping the local gentry and merchants at arm’s length. The outside merchants were simple—they were all eager to cooperate to protect their lives and maintain good relations with the government. They found two reliable medicine dealers.

“Can it be treated?”

“We can only do our utmost.”

Since ancient times, there had never been a sure cure for epidemics. It was always a process of constant revision, constant application, until people were healed.

The capital had prescriptions from past epidemics across the land. Jiangling’s own doctors had experience with natural disasters. The two teams worked day and night in shifts. Medicines were brought into the sick quarters and then taken out. Chen Xuqiu shuttled daily between Jiangling Prefecture and the refugee camp. Ying Fusheng had gathered all the skilled doctors of Jiangling. Medicine was sourced from city merchants and outside regions. Censor Xiao sent the first batch of herbs and, after recording the doctors’ requirements, left the city again.

Every day, a steady stream of carriages traveled to and from the mountains, embankments, and counties.

On the first day, people kept dying in the sick quarters. Thick smoke from burning corpses rose over the outskirts.

On the second day, more patients turned critical. The imperial physicians were so exhausted they sat down in front of the sick quarters. They saw a medical apprentice secretly wiping away tears, then stand up and walk back inside, staying up late by lamplight to study the prescriptions.

On the third day, a patient died. Out-of-control refugees rioted outside. The constables held the line, preventing anyone from breaking through. When Ying Fusheng received the news, he ordered an increase in rewards for the constables who had held the line valiantly.

…

Ying Fusheng had limited time to rest each day. Through the efforts of Jiangling Prefecture and the doctors, the refugee camp was barely under control. Officials from Jiangling Prefecture ran back and forth daily. Some sought to redeem themselves, others genuinely cared for the people. The men brought from the capital were dispersed to various posts. Every day, new reports came in. Most refugees, seeing the officials’ efforts, gradually calmed down. When troublemakers appeared, they would even step in to stop them.

The refugee camp had just settled when an urgent report shattered the silence of the night!

"Your Highness, an incident at the deep mountain granary!"

At the sound of the urgent report, Weng Yanqing abruptly turned to look at Ying Fusheng.

Ying Fusheng's hand holding the medicine bowl trembled slightly, and he looked up; the thick garment draped over his shoulders slipped off.

They couldn't touch the refugee camp, nor the people or the medicine.

What they could strike at—the grain.

In the mountains, the clatter of horse hooves mingled with hurried footsteps and urgent shouts, startling the garrison stationed there.

Late at night, flaming arrows landed in the forest at the deep mountain granary, figures in black vanishing into the cover of darkness. The falling arrows shot straight toward the granary's storage area. The stationed soldiers immediately went on alert. As General Chen rushed out with his sword, he saw a rain of arrows filling the sky!

"General Chen, several dozen men!" the scout shouted. "They slipped past our defenses!"

This granary was located deep in the remote mountains, known only to a few officials. Yet these black-clad men moved swiftly, making no detours to scout the area, and managed to pinpoint the granary's location in the pitch-black night. General Chen immediately realized something was wrong—these men knew exactly where the granary was, and their goal was clear: to destroy it.

The entire refugee population of Jiangling depended on this granary. General Chen's face turned cold. "Burning the grain—these people truly want disaster in Jiangling!" Even in wartime, they, as soldiers, treated grain stores with extreme caution. Who could hate the court so much as to commit such an act that would invite heavenly retribution?

General Chen ordered the troops to shoot arrows in defense. Firelight illuminated the area around the granary. The black-clad night raiders were agile and highly skilled in combat. Evading the defenders' counterattacks one by one, they seemed to know exactly where the garrison was weakest. Though only a few dozen men, they pressed forward relentlessly!

"These people are very familiar with our defensive situation," General Chen said.

His subordinate replied, "But only a few people know about the granary..."

As the situation grew increasingly dire, a terrible thought crossed General Chen's mind—the one who built this granary also knew...

Old General Chen had sent limited troops to Jiangling, and most of the elite were deployed here by General Chen. The reinforcements that should have come from Jiangnan never arrived, forcing them to use their men sparingly, with only a little over a hundred soldiers guarding this place.

Even the officials of Jiangling Prefecture couldn't figure out exactly how many troops Old General Chen had sent. But these night raiders, without sending a scout, charged straight for the granary—this showed that from the very beginning, they had a complete understanding of Jiangling's situation.

In a direct confrontation, they wouldn't be outmatched, but the granary at their backs hindered their movements.

The black-clad men exploited this weakness, splitting into two teams: one continued setting fire to the granary, while the other engaged the defenders in guerrilla tactics.

"The commander ordered to focus on burning the granary," said the leader of the black-clad men. News of the gathered refugees had already reached Jiangnan, and Jiangnan had decided to send troops. Their commander's intention was to turn Jiangling into a land of rioters before reinforcements arrived.

That waste of a Prefect Liu—he couldn't even hold out for five days and nearly disrupted the commander's plan. The Sixth Prince had Jiangling too tightly controlled; the refugee camp couldn't be stirred up. What a pity about this granary... The leader said harshly, "Find a way to take out Chen Shoude. Once he's dead, the Sixth Prince can't mobilize the remaining military forces."

Among the black-clad men, more than a dozen archers aimed at General Chen.

With a sudden whistle, a cold arrow shot out. The trained arrows simultaneously targeted the horse beneath General Chen. The horse screamed, and General Chen Shoude leaped backward, turning to see the rain of arrows. He hastily retreated, realizing the arrows were aimed at him. He quickly turned and moved away from his soldiers: "Spread out!! Protect the granary!"

"Foolish—delivering himself to us." The leader waved his hand.

The flaming arrows intensified, and the defenders couldn't withstand them.

Soon, the top of the granary caught fire. General Chen was forced to separate from his men. The black-clad men circled him for several rounds, finding that even a dozen elite archers couldn't subdue him. This Chen Shoude was indeed a capable general under Old General Chen—he couldn't be left alive.

The leader poisoned his arrow, drew his bow, and aimed at Chen Shoude.

The arrow glinted coldly in the firelight. Just as Chen Shoude was cornered, the arrow shot forth violently!

At that moment, an arrow from the opposite direction flew through the air, breaking the approaching arrow just before it reached Chen Shoude! "Who's there!" the black-clad leader exclaimed.

An elite force broke through the night. Cold arrows emerged from the deep forest, and soon they bypassed the defenses, charging straight at the ambushing black-clad men. The heavy clatter of horse hooves in the night told General Chen these were different. As he turned, a figure descended from above, striking down a black-clad man with a counterattack.

The young man's sword flashed, cutting through an arrow. He reached out, grabbed General Chen, and pulled him into the shadows. Behind him, several figures leaped out and closed in on the black-clad men. These newcomers moved like night travelers, lightly equipped. Their hooks flew out, ensnaring the scattered black-clad men!

If the black-clad night raiders were extremely familiar with the terrain, then these reinforcements relied not on the terrain but on an innate familiarity, as if fighting in such natural environments was their most familiar battlefield.

"Light Garment Battalion of the Qi Family?!" General Chen looked by the firelight and saw a face both familiar and somewhat unfamiliar.

The young man sheathed his sword and gave orders: "Take them alive."

"General Chen, long time no see. You look well."

General Chen recognized the man: "Qi Hanzhou!"

Qi Hanzhou turned and saw flames on top of the granary: "I'm still late."

Ye Xuanjiu and a dozen elites vanished into the night, charging toward the black-clad men. The black-clad men were extremely agile in the mountains. Noticing the arrival of a mysterious squad, their leader made a snap decision and ordered: all flaming arrows released, landing on the grass and trees near the granary. Blazing fires erupted.

Several members of the Light Garment Battalion slipped into the forest to fight the fire.

Qi Hanzhou frowned. This was trouble.

This granary was ingeniously designed, hidden deep in the mountains. It seemed strategically defensible, but the high ground was covered in uncut weeds. Late autumn turning to winter was a dry season, and those weeds would become the fatal factor in destroying the granary. It was as if the granary's designer had prepared a fallback—one could both conceal and destroy it... Most importantly, it was solid evidence of the hidden grain supplies in all of Jiangling.

In the mountains, seeing the flames, the black-clad men knew they had succeeded and turned to leave, with others covering their retreat. But Ye Xuanjiu wouldn't let them. The Light Garment Guards blocked them all. The black-clad men tried to commit suicide, but the Guards intervened and captured five alive. "Junior General, two escaped; the rest are caught."

The flames spread. The garrison below received urgent news, and Wang Guanzhi led people to the scene to fight the fire. Flames rose, and the nearby granary's roof caught fire. The terrain was hilly, so everyone rushed to the nearby well for water, joining the firefighting... Grain was highly flammable; even such a fire could be contained, but once it burned inside, it would be a total loss.

Once it burned, a mountain fire would break out!

"Over here!!"

"Put out the fire!!!"

"They're from the nearby dike repair team," Ye Xuanjiu reported. "They arrived quickly."

Qi Hanzhou heard the voices and saw several officials leading dozens of commoners, all carrying buckets. They came and hurriedly fought the fire. General Chen put aside everything else and rushed to the other side. The sound of splashing water rose and fell. People gathered around the well; some even ran to the mountain stream to fetch water.

People came and went, the forest grew noisy. Qi Hanzhou ordered the Light Garment Guards to spread out and deploy, blending into the crowd: "Block the fire—don't let it spread to the sides!"

Too many eyes, and the fire couldn't be allowed to burn. They had to act quickly...

At that moment, movement came from the forest—the sound of a carriage.

As the horse hooves stopped, Qi Hanzhou turned and saw Ying Fusheng descending from the carriage. It had been several days since they last met.

The Sixth Prince was different from how he was in the capital. He wore only a plain outer robe. When he looked up, his eyes faintly revealed a sharpness, like the clear water of a cold pool reflecting the dancing flames. The firelight flickered. He seemed thinner, yet also more mature... As he approached, Qi Hanzhou instinctively sheathed his bloodstained sword and hid it behind his back.

Qi Hanzhou frowned: "I'm late."

Ying Fusheng stepped forward, seeing the elite soldiers behind him.

"No," he said, his face pale from the hurried journey, but he smiled when he saw Qi Hanzhou: "You came just in time."

"That granary that burned—there was no grain in it."