novelSusiti Chapter 42 A Triumph
Chapter 42 A Triumph
He slammed his hand on the imperial desk and shouted angrily, "Enough! All you do is argue!"
"I support you, the court supports you, so that you can help me find ways to control the epidemic and bring peace to the people, not so that you can attack each other in court!"
"It's been two months!"
"You can't even come up with a single method to contain the epidemic, what use are you to me?!"
The emperor's roar silenced the court instantly; the emperor's authority was indeed quite formidable.
But everyone kept their heads down, and no one spoke up or came up with a solution.
Liu Hong looked at the officials and civil servants, all of whom were silent as if trembling in fear.
A sense of powerlessness welled up inside me, and the anger in my chest grew stronger and stronger, yet I had nowhere to vent it.
In the midst of this awkward silence, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the hall.
A palace eunuch stumbled into the hall, shouting, "Your Majesty! Urgent report!"
"A messenger has been dispatched from Youzhou, carried by urgent messenger! A report from the northern border is also forthcoming!"
One sentence caused an uproar in the entire imperial court.
"Urgent report from Youzhou?"
"Could it be that the Xianbei chieftain Tan Shihuai has once again led his troops south to raid the border?"
"With this great plague upon us, if the Xianbei invade again, Youzhou will be in grave danger!"
"The world is in grave danger!"
"It's over!"
"This is truly a case of internal and external troubles compounding the already dire situation!"
The civil and military officials whispered amongst themselves, their faces filled with panic.
Even Liu Hong, sitting on the throne, instantly sat up straight, his heart tightening. He hurriedly said, "Quickly! Bring up the report!"
The eunuch scrambled to deliver the report to the emperor's desk, whereupon Liu Hong grabbed it, tore off the seal, and eagerly unfolded it.
But as soon as he glanced at the beginning, his tense body suddenly relaxed, and the panic on his face was instantly replaced by incredulous astonishment.
The report was written by Qiao Xuan, the governor of Youzhou, and every word was powerful and resounding.
Your Majesty, I, Qiao Xuan, the Prefect of Youzhou, report: Since the great plague of the Xiping era, all the prefectures of Youzhou have suffered from it.
Only in Liaoxi Commandery was the "Complete Book of Epidemic Prevention in Liaoxi" written by Liu Bei, a military officer.
Implement isolation, disinfection, and treatment methods.
Within two months, the epidemic was completely contained, with fewer than 300 deaths in the entire county. The people were at peace, and the borders were secure.
I have implemented this method throughout Youzhou, and the epidemic is gradually subsiding.
I am now enclosing the "Complete Book on Epidemic Prevention in Western Liaoning" with this memorial, and earnestly request Your Majesty to promulgate it throughout the land to save the people and secure the nation.
Liu Hong's hand holding the report trembled slightly.
The great plague that swept across the country and left the entire court of civil and military officials helpless was actually contained by a mere military clerk in Liaoxi County, the most remote part of Youzhou.
Suppressing the turmoil in his heart, he hurriedly picked up the "Complete Book of Epidemic Prevention in Western Liaoning" attached to the report and eagerly opened it.
The very first sentence struck him like a thunderclap, making his heart pound and his eyes instantly well up with tears.
The plague is not a divine punishment, but a foul and filthy poison from typhoid fever. It is easily contracted and can be prevented, isolated, and treated.
That one sentence instantly shattered all the gloom and frustration that had been weighing on his heart for the past month.
It's not divine retribution!
It's not that he's immoral!
This epidemic is not a punishment from heaven, but a disease that can be prevented and treated!
The court officials used the pretext of "divine retribution" to force him to issue an edict of self-reproach and condemned his moral failings.
In the end, they still didn't even understand what the epidemic was!
On the contrary, a minor official from a remote border county pointed out the root of the problem with just one sentence!
"Good! Good! Well said!"
Liu Hong slammed his hand on the imperial desk, stood up abruptly, picked up a book, and burst into loud laughter at the assembled civil and military officials below.
The laughter was filled with the exhilarating feeling of triumph.
"Listen up, everyone! Listen up, everyone!"
"The plague is not divine retribution; it is a preventable and treatable filth!"
"It's not that I've lost my virtue, it's that you ministers who live off the emperor's salary are all mediocre, incompetent, and derelict in your duties!"
"They don't even understand the root cause of the epidemic, yet they use the pretext of divine retribution to attack and persecute me, forcing me to issue an edict of self-reproach!"
"Tell me yourselves, what use do I have for you!"
The civil and military officials below the steps looked at each other in bewilderment. Wasn't this an urgent report from Youzhou?
What could have caused His Majesty to go so mad?
Liu Hong grew increasingly agitated, throwing the report down the steps and angrily exclaiming, "Take a look! Take a look at all of you!"
"You who call yourselves nobles and disciples of sages, don't even understand such a simple principle!"
Wang Fu, the eunuch, was the first to pick up the report, quickly glanced at it, and then beamed with joy.
After that, he deliberately handed it to Grand Commandant Li Xian, mockingly saying, "Grand Commandant Li, take a look!"
"Let's see if this is divine retribution or simply your incompetence!"
Li Xian kept his eyes straight ahead, completely ignoring Wang Fu, as if he didn't exist.
Seeing his attitude, Wang Fu's expression gradually became distorted!
Seeing the atmosphere turn cold, Situ Yuanwei reached out and took the report, reading it carefully.
Wang Fu snorted coldly and returned to his original position.
All the officials wanted to know what had been written, and they all looked at Yuan Wei.
Yuan Kui's expression remained unchanged throughout, making him inscrutable. After reading it, he handed it to Li Xian.
Li Xian took the report, glanced at it briefly, and his expression changed immediately.
Sometimes joyful, sometimes complicated, sometimes worried, sometimes relieved!
Subsequently, the report reached the hands of everyone, causing another round of exclamations!
After everyone had finished reading it, the report was returned to the emperor.
Liu Hong immediately ordered, "Grand Commandant Li Xian, holding one of the Three Dukes' positions, has failed to harmonize Yin and Yang and appease the people, leading to the rampant epidemic. He is hereby dismissed immediately!"
"Several days after the death of the Minister of Works, Yang Ci, the Grand Master of Ceremonies, succeeded him as Minister of Works."
"He is to immediately take the lead in copying this 'Complete Book of Epidemic Prevention in Western Liaoning' to the whole country."
"All prefectures, counties, and fiefdoms shall implement this order verbatim! Anyone who dares to outwardly comply but inwardly disobey, or delays epidemic prevention, shall be dismissed from office and investigated!"
At this point, no one in the court dared to object, and they all bowed and accepted the order.
Liu Hong sat back on his throne and picked up Qiao Xuan's report again, reading it with increasing delight.
At the end, it reads: "Author: Liu Bei, Military Clerk of Liaoxi Commandery."
He casually asked, "Who is this Liu Bei?"
"Qiao Xuan's report stated that he was a member of the Han imperial family?"
But everyone looked at each other blankly, none of them having ever heard of Liu Bei.
Liu Hong waited for a while, but no one answered. He then said, "Clan Head!"
"Immediately verify Liu Bei's clan affiliation and confirm his kinship!"
Liu Kuan, the Minister of the Imperial Clan, who was ranked among the Nine Ministers, immediately stepped forward and bowed to receive the order.
Liu Hong then looked at the last line at the end of the scroll—"Collated by: Lu Zhi of Zhuojun."
His face lit up with joy: "So it's Lu Zhi!"
"I almost forgot that Lu Zhi quelled the rebellion in Jiujiang and made great contributions. He is currently awaiting his post in Luoyang."
"Quickly! Summon Lu Zhi to the palace immediately!"
The Imperial Attendant immediately accepted the order, rushed out of the palace, and went to Lu Zhi's residence to summon him.
The civil and military officials inside the hall had different expressions.
The scholars and officials felt a mix of emotions as they looked at Lu Zhi's name on the scroll.
They were just talking about divine retribution, but Lu Zhi's disciple directly refuted that claim. Wasn't that a slap in the face for all of them?
The eyes of everyone looking out of the hall were filled with a hint of resentment, as if to say: Lu Zigan, Lu Zigan, you have such a good method, why didn't you bring it out sooner?
Isn't this a betrayal of us?
The eunuchs exchanged glances, each secretly plotting their own schemes.
Lu Zhi belonged to the upright faction and always looked down on eunuchs. It seems that Liu Bei could not become one of his own.