The summer of the second year of Jingrui was not very peaceful. In late May, there was an emergency report from Yuzhou. The Yellow River burst its embankments in many places and flooded. Hundreds of thousands of people in dozens of prefectures and counties were affected. The imperial court issued several imperial decrees. Allocated money for disaster relief, and ordered the emergency deployment of grain and rice in neighboring states and counties to shelter and resettle the victims.

By the middle of June, the disaster had just eased, and news came from a county at the bottom of Yuzhou that the epidemic had spread within the jurisdiction. tendency to spread outward.

Plagues after floods are the norm, but they spread so quickly it was unexpected. When the epidemic first appeared, the local county magistrate wanted to hide the truth and circled the entire village. He only sent a few barefooted men to take a look and distributed herbal medicine, thinking it was not serious. never imagined that people would fall ill one after another in nearby villages, one infecting another, and soon nearly 70% of the 20,000 people in the entire county fell. The county magistrate was also timid and afraid of death. The common people ran away with their entire family, but the situation in the neighboring county was not right, so they quickly reported it to the court.

The emperor was furious, and immediately issued an imperial decree to capture the escaped county magistrate, behead him, and show it to the public, and then send another imperial messenger to rescue him.

It's just that day by day, the epidemic has not eased, but has intensified.

Other Palace, Imperial Study Room.

Zhu Yunxuan's eyebrows were tightly locked, and there was a lingering worry in his eyebrows. During this period of time, he never slept well, and he was thinking about the situation in Yuzhou in his dreams.

"Tell me, how can this epidemic be controlled?"

The plague is raging, and it is far more menacing than expected. The imperial envoy has gone to Yuzhou for seven or eight days, but there is no good news. The epidemic has worsened and has spread to Linxian County. effect.

Several cabinet ministers all had solemn expressions on their faces. In the early days, everyone was arguing in court, but they couldn't come up with a proper solution. Now that the emperor called them over to discuss this matter, they didn't know what to say.

Zeng Huai considered for a moment, and asked several imperial doctors who were called to discuss the matter: "Why is this plague spreading so quickly? Does the imperial hospital have a way to deal with it?"

Fang Taiyi has now been promoted to the imperial hospital judge, and has won the emperor's trust. Others naturally pushed him out first, and the old Taiyi replied cautiously: "I have carefully watched the imperial envoy and asked him to be sent back. The pulse cases of those affected by the epidemic are indeed extremely dangerous this time, unprecedented, and those herbs that I use are likely to be difficult to work. 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, so as to do my best, I hope that the epidemic can be contained as soon as possible, and I also ask Your Majesty's permission."

At this time, if you are not afraid of death, you can take the lead and ask for orders to go to see a doctor for the epidemic patients, which is indeed a high-profile look. Just not waiting for Zhu Yunxuan to speak, Liang Zhen, who was 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 making noise all the time. He was really inseparable from a doctor here. Before that, the doctor Fang had always shown him, so he naturally didn't want more people to know about it: "The doctor Fang stayed Next, I will send another person to Yuzhou."

Zeng Huai said: "The minister thought that, according to the previous practice, the infected people should be isolated, and they should not be released until they recover. The imperial doctor will be sent there, and some more gentlemen will be called from the people to see them, and the decoction will be distributed every day. The bodies of the sick and deceased will be burned and buried deep, and after this month, the weather will turn colder after the fall, and the epidemic will surely slow down."

The people nearby agreed, this is actually the most effective and practical way to deal with the plague in the past dynasties. Zhu Yunxuan could not think of other more feasible ideas, so he was about to issue an decree, Liang Zhen suddenly sneered, and said in disapproval: Isolate them, ask Langzhong to see them, and distribute herbal medicines every day. Didn't the beheaded county magistrate do this in the first place? What's the use? However, the epidemic spread from one village to the whole county in ten days. "

At the morning meeting this morning, someone had already raised doubts about it, but they couldn't come up with a better solution, so they broke up unhappily.

Hearing this, Zeng Huai's complexion changed, and he said angrily, "Then I don't know what King Zhao thinks?"

Liang Zhen pulled the corners of his mouth: "In summer, mosquitoes, snakes and ants are rampant, and the plague is pervasive, and this time the epidemic is different from the past. You can't tell the local people not to drink water, right?"

Some ministers in the cabinet disagreed: "The mosquitoes are rampant, and the county yamen can be urged to send people to catch them. If the cold water is not clean, they will boil before eating..."

Liang Zhen glanced at the person who was speaking, as if listening to a joke: "Whether this patriarch has never been a local parental official, it is too taken for granted to talk about soldiers on paper. Break it into several pieces, where does the human hand come from to catch the mosquitoes, not to mention can they catch all the mosquitoes? Besides, it is a luxury for those displaced by the flood to have a mouthful of cold water to drink. You ask them to boil it before Drink, how can they have that condition? Isn't it difficult for the strong?"

Being robbed by Liang Zhen like this, the minister of the cabinet couldn't hang his face, and he slammed his neck for a long time before saying: "Besides, it is also a good strategy for Your Majesty to sacrifice to the heavens to pray for blessings and beg for God's blessing..."

"Ridiculous," Liang Zhen sneered, "Putting hope on the way of gods and ghosts is tantamount to deceiving oneself and others."

"King Zhao is so loud! How dare he despise the gods!"

"Enough," Zhu Yunxuan interrupted them in a deep voice and asked Liang Zhen with a frown, "What 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 sick people who are currently sick. Burn all the fires to avoid future troubles."

When the words fell, the expressions of all the people present changed. Zhu Yunxuan's brows furrowed even tighter. Zeng Huai was the first to object: "Absurd! Absurd! What kind of bad idea did you come up with, King Zhao! How can you be so cruel and ruthless? Cold-blooded and ruthless! Those are all living lives! You are going to bring injustice to Your Majesty and the court!"

Liang Zhen reminded him coldly: "Now that people are disposed of, there are only less than 20,000 people who have died. If we drag it on, more lives will be filled in. This king is clearly thinking of His Majesty and the court. Elder Zeng Ge, don't wrong this king at will."

"How do you know they will die! Gather those infected people together for diagnosis and treatment, and some of them will always survive! King Zhao, you don't even want to give them the hope of life!"

Liang Zhen asked slowly, "It's been almost a month since the earliest one became ill. Not to mention recovery, has one person's condition slowed down?"

"Since Your Majesty has decided to send an imperial physician there, there will definitely be a way to save people! King Zhao, you are not allowed to talk nonsense and confuse the public here!"

Liang Zhen sneered: "I'm afraid that when they come up with a way, those infected people have already died, and more people will have to be affected. It is better to deal with them now."

"you!"

A group of imperial doctors lowered their heads and dared not to argue. Although they said that they would do their best, no one knew better than them how dangerous this epidemic was. It spread rapidly and there was no cure for medicine. Even they themselves, Most of them didn't want to be picked by the emperor to go to Yuzhou, because they were afraid that there would be no return.

Liang Zhen no longer paid any attention to Zeng Huai, and said to Zhu Yunxuan, "This is what I have said, so please let Your Majesty decide what to do."

Zhu Yunxuan's face was ugly, and he asked him in a deep voice, "Is that what King Zhao thinks? What's the difference between doing this and Cao Jian's life?"

Liang Zhen didn't take it seriously and said: "If you don't deal with the epidemic as soon as possible to contain the epidemic, you will only kill more people. That's the real waste of life, what does your Majesty think?"

"You are presumptuous! How can you speak to Your Majesty with such an attitude!"

Zeng Huai scolded him again, and his colleagues behind him gently pulled him and shook his head at him.

Zhu Yunxuan just disposed of the Marquis of Anle a few days ago and took the title of Marquis of Anle. In the eyes of everyone, the difference between the emperor and King Zhao has been brought to the fore, which is almost equivalent to tearing the face. At this time, most people They all chose Mingzhe to keep a cold eye, and were not willing to interfere.

However, Zeng Huai didn't appreciate it, he rolled his sleeves and snorted coldly, and Liang Zhen hooked the corner of his lips: "That minister doesn't say anything, so as not to be disrespectful."

In the end, Zhu Yunxuan still followed the decree agreed at the beginning, and picked up three or four imperial physicians and set off for Yuzhou on the same day.

After all the officials who came to discuss the matter withdrew, Liang Zhen asked him again: "Your Majesty, did you really think about it? Do you want to drag it on forever? I hope that the imperial doctor can save the people, or that the weather will turn cold and the epidemic will die out on its own?"

Zhu Yunxuan said coldly: "According to what King Zhao said, is it really the solution to kill everyone regardless of anything? Does King Zhao really think that this way, there will be no worries?"

"What is Your Majesty worried about? As long as the spread of the epidemic can be stopped, who can say no to killing all those people?"

Killing all of them is indeed the most compelling choice, but if you encounter an uncontrollable disease, in order not to endanger more people, the last resort may be the only solution. It has to be hidden, but it is only 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. The courtiers who were arguing in the early dynasties just didn't dare to say it directly. Liang Zhen knew it, Zeng Huai and other cabinet ministers also knew it, and how could Zhu Yunxuan not know it.

It's just that Liang Zhen can say that he will kill everyone without blinking an eye, but a scholar like Zeng Huai who has fully read the Tao of the sages can't do it, and Zhu Yunxuan is the emperor, he must have more concerns.

Zhu Yunxuan's eyes fell on the jade stone that Liang Zhen had given him on the imperial case, and he paused for a moment: "If there are King Zhao's parents, wives and children among the infected people, can King Zhao still say the words of killing everyone with conviction? ?"

Liang Zhen's eyes narrowed, and he looked at him deeply. After a while, the corners of his lips raised silently: "Your Majesty is right, if the wife and children of the minister are among them, the minister will naturally try his best to save them."

"So do you think that those affected have no parents, wife and children?"

"Kechen's wife and children are not among them, so I naturally won't consider those," Liang Zhen slowed his voice to persuade him, "Your Majesty, you are the emperor, you should not consider one or two people, you must focus on the overall situation. You can't be soft-hearted, you can't save everyone, and you have to make trade-offs when necessary."

Zhu Yunxuan closed his eyes and said solemnly: "The imperial decree has been issued, and my will has been decided, so let's do it."