After Being Mistakenly Taken for a Fellow Traveler by Emperor Long Aotian - Chapter 11

“Snap!”

“This is outrageous!” The Emperor slammed the table. “How can the court-appointed royal physicians dare to fight? This is a disgrace!”

He appeared extremely angry. After taking several deep breaths, he managed to calm down. “No one is held responsible? What about that mob?”

“Your Majesty, according to the law, those involved in the riot were to be executed. However… the situation was tense in the capital, and there were many participants. To avoid inciting a larger riot, the others were allowed to return home, and only the two leaders were exiled.”

The Emperor felt frustrated, and Zhou Xun saw his discomfort, so he comforted him, saying, “Your Majesty.”

“…I’m fine,” the Emperor said, trying to regain his composure. “What happened next?”

“Supported by Imperial Physician Zou, and with the passage of time, the epidemic gradually subsided.”

“Did the funds allocated for building the local medical clinics actually reach them?”

Physician He replied, “The clinics were indeed built, but…”

“Are they underutilized?” Zhou Xun asked.

Physician He looked at Zhou Xun with some surprise. “How did you know?…”

Zhou Xun replied, “In the face of a life-and-death matter like an epidemic, the local people still believed in shamans and refused proper medical treatment. How can we expect them to visit the clinics? The clinics might have doctors present, but if they turn into places for sorcery rather than actual medical care, that’s still the best we can hope for.”

Physician He chuckled.

“Trusting shamans, relying on amulets, having faith in divine intervention rather than life-saving medicine…” Zhou Xun said calmly. “Even if we send more doctors there, what good would it do?”

Physician He added, “Patients who refuse to take medicine—do you expect us to pry open their jaws and force the medicine down their throats?”

The Emperor asked, “What about Imperial Physician Zhang’s family? How are they now?”

“Your Majesty, after Imperial Physician Zhang’s passing, his family members have returned to their hometown. His son had passed away early, and he only had one granddaughter left. She was raised by him from a young age and learned some medical skills.”

“Only one granddaughter…” The Emperor sighed. “Imperial Physician Zhang died in the line of duty, so we should posthumously honor him. Xiao Lizhi, please make the arrangements. As for his granddaughter, provide her with extra funds and take care of her.”

Xiao Lizhi followed the Emperor’s orders to organize the tribute. However, Zhou Xun raised a concern, “Your Majesty, a lone girl living in the countryside may not lead a good life. If she suddenly comes into a windfall, it might attract the covetousness of others.”

“Covetousness?” The Emperor looked puzzled. “This is a gift from me… my reward. Can someone dare to steal it?”

Zhou Xun smiled, with a hint of coldness in his expression. “In this world, there are more than one way to lawfully seize the property of a vulnerable girl. For example… marriage. A girl living alone in the countryside may not have full control over her marital matters. If her extended family and relatives set their eyes on the dowry money and unite with outsiders to marry her off, her future may no longer be in her own hands.”

The Emperor was in disbelief.

Zhou Xun noticed that he had startled the Emperor with his dark speculation, just as Prince Five had warned him. Since he was a weed that grew in the crevices of the rocks, he could never become a bright, soft, and warm flower like Zhou Cai.

Flowers didn’t need to struggle for sunlight, rain, and wind. Weeds had to fight for their lives to survive in the rock crevices.

“Very well, it’s fortunate you thought this through!” The Emperor clapped his hands. “In that case, Xiao Lizhi, send a few trustworthy people to visit Imperial Physician Zhang’s hometown. Bring her my token and ask her if she wants to stay in her hometown or come to the capital. Since she has learned some medical skills, if she wants to return to the capital, arrange for her to work as a female physician at the Imperial Medical Bureau and provide her with a small residence. Also, take care of her household registration, or… her female household registration.”

Zhou Xun clarified, “You mean ‘female household’ registration.”

The Emperor nodded. “Right, right. Grant her a separate household registration, and don’t let anyone mistreat her. If she wants to marry, make sure the marriage arrangements are carefully considered. She is the granddaughter of a martyr; we should treat her well. If she doesn’t lead a good life, we will bring shame upon our court by failing to look after the granddaughter of a martyr.”

Xiao Lizhi acknowledged the orders. The Emperor turned to Physician He and said, “You can leave now. Think about what we discussed regarding the epidemic. I can see that you have some ideas, based on your earlier comments. After you’ve considered it thoroughly, come back the day after tomorrow when you check my pulse and discuss it with us.”

Physician He was both surprised and flattered. “I am humbled, Your Majesty, and I will take your suggestion to heart.”

The Emperor waved his hand and said, “In matters of medical expertise, you are the experts, and your ideas are the most professional. In the field of medical treatment, we must listen to you. However, when it comes to implementation, I will have the final say. Think about it carefully, and you can also discuss it with your colleagues at the Imperial Medical Bureau. The person whose ideas are adopted when the time comes will receive a reward. Since you’re the lead, I’ll reward you too.”

Physician He deeply bowed and said, “Your Majesty is gracious and values the talents of your subjects. I will not fail in my mission.”

After Physician He left, the study was left with only Zhou Xun and the Emperor.

“Hehe,” Zhou Xun heard the Emperor whisper, “You really know how to pass the blame smoothly.”

Zhou Xun: …

“Sir, thank you,” the Emperor turned to him and said, “I… never thought about these practical considerations. I nearly caused a person’s life.”

Zhou Xun: …

The Emperor said, “We complement each other, two swords joined together, unstoppable in the world!”

The Emperor extended his hand as if to give him a high-five. Zhou Xun said, “Regarding Xizhou, I have an idea…”

The Emperor: “How did you start referring to yourself as ‘I’? ‘I’ sounds better. Why don’t you use that?”

Zhou Xun: …

“Killing sorcerers to suppress the epidemic is too radical,” Zhou Xun said, “It might be okay in normal times, but in the midst of an epidemic, we need to prioritize stabilizing public opinion. The most crucial thing is to treat the epidemic promptly. Since the local population is superstitious, we should ‘learn from the barbarians’ and adopt their methods.”

The Emperor asked, “How can we learn from the barbarians?”

“Present the required medicines and treatment plans as if they have mystical and magical properties,” Zhou Xun explained. “First and foremost, we need the people to comply with treatment. As for the medical clinics, they should have more staff to ensure the doctors’ safety. To promote the use of medicine, we need the sorcerer’s cooperation since he’s a local authority.”

The Emperor pondered for a moment and asked, “But how can we make the sorcerer cooperate? Let me tell you, I suspect the local resistance to medicines is definitely linked to his private interests and the groups that support him…”

Zhou Xun said, “Then we need to find his weaknesses, target his most critical interests first, and send assassins to threaten his life, forcing him to cooperate with the court.”

The Emperor: ??

“Sir, didn’t you say that such a radical approach isn’t acceptable?”

Zhou Xun smiled.

“If you want to accomplish anything, you can’t always aim for perfection before starting. To achieve something, there’s bound to be some radicalism involved.”

The Emperor raised his thumb and exclaimed, “Excellent!”

The two continued to discuss how to conduct educational campaigns locally. The Emperor diligently noted down the topics discussed and remarked, “Indeed, learning medicine cannot save the people of Xizhou. Knowledge is power.”

Zhou Xun looked at him with curiosity.

The Emperor said, “Actually, both of these phrases aren’t mine.”

Zhou Xun asked, “Who said the second one?”

The Emperor replied, “Sir Francis Bacon.”

Zhou Xun paused for a moment and stored this strange name in his memory.

The Emperor, satisfied with the results of their discussions, convened a meeting of the cabinet the next day to discuss important national matters. Zhou Cai was among the ministers present.

As the Emperor was about to leave, Zhou Xun stood in the peach orchard just outside the study. He looked up at the peach blossoms, which were now mostly withered, with only a few late-blooming flowers clinging to the branches.

Late spring, early summer, the peach blossoms had already come and gone, leaving only a few trees that had bloomed at the wrong season, with a few lingering flowers. Zhou Xun gazed at them and suddenly remembered an old memory.

It was a spring banquet.

A spring banquet that introduced his elder brother, Zhou Cai, to the Fifth Prince.

This event occurred during his youth, seven years ago. Yet it felt distant, as though it belonged to another lifetime.

That year, he was twelve years old, and Zhou Cai was fifteen. The Fifth Prince, who was also a young man back then, was visiting Jiangzhou for leisure, and the local magistrate hosted a banquet in his honor.

The Fifth Prince had a fondness for elegance. He had heard about a talented young scholar in the Zhou family of Jiangzhou, known for his exceptional beauty and charm.

“Jiangzhou City hides such a talent? I would like to see if he truly deserves the title of a scholar.”

The Fifth Prince’s curiosity was piqued, and he mentioned his desire to meet this young man to the local magistrate.

The magistrate readily agreed and sent out invitations, organizing a spring banquet. The banquet was held in a peach orchard outside the city, where the peach blossoms were in full bloom, creating a spectacular and radiant backdrop.

Zhou Cai wore white robes, exuding an air of nobility and grace. Zhou Xun was dressed in a green outfit, following closely behind his older brother.

The theme of the spring banquet was to compose poems about peaches. After each guest recited their poem, a servant copied it, leaving the poet’s surname and attaching it to the same board.

The Fifth Prince would then choose one poem from the board, and the author would be crowned as the best poet of the day.

Zhou Xun also composed a poem. He did not wait to see the results because he had to rush back home as his mother’s illness had taken a turn for the worse.

The next day, while administering medicine to his mother, Zhou Xun overheard the joyous atmosphere in the magistrate’s residence. People were saying that when the results were announced, the Fifth Prince had immediately selected one poem with just one glance, and the author was none other than the young master from the Zhou family.

This marked the first meeting between Zhou Cai and the Fifth Prince.