latelenovela Chapter 190 The Food Has Arrived
Chapter 190 The Food Has Arrived
Shen Li knew he would continue, so she just watched him and waited for what he would say next.
"We can only try slowly, but I am certain that a cure for the plague will be found within seven days."
Shen Li's eyes lit up involuntarily: "Is what you said true, senior?"
"I can sign a pledge to you: if I lose, you can do whatever you want; if I win, you write me a piece of calligraphy," Old Man Zou said firmly.
“I can write a piece of calligraphy even if it’s just ordinary, but I didn’t know you liked this kind of thing, senior.” Shen Li was a little surprised.
Mentioning this, Old Man Zou suddenly felt a little embarrassed: "The lady Miaoyin of Yanchun Tower loves calligraphy the most. I told her I could get her the best calligraphy in the world, but she didn't believe me."
"In that case, regardless of victory or defeat, I must give my senior face and will do my best." Shen Li couldn't help but laugh when she heard this.
"No way." Old Man Zou shook his head like a rattle drum: "If I lose, I definitely won't take it."
Shen Li nodded in agreement: "Senior, your noble character is admirable."
"Don't be silly, I'll prescribe a medicine for them first, it'll make them feel better."
"Thank you for your hard work, senior."
Upon receiving the prescription, Shen Li immediately dispatched a fast horse to the rear to procure the necessary medicinal materials, as well as some materials needed for epidemic prevention.
That night, torches lit up the north side of Xuzhou city, and more than 3,000 soldiers and 2,000 young men built temporary wooden houses, creating a lively and bustling scene.
Inside the city, Li Dayong looked at the more than 10,000 people outside the city through his telescope and was puzzled. Was the official sent by the imperial court to quell the rebellion an idiot? Why was he just leaving such a large city like Xuzhou to be ignored?
Moreover, it seems they intend to live outside the city for an extended period, showing no intention of moving into the city. Otherwise, they wouldn't have built the house. Judging by its sturdiness, it doesn't look like it's just for a short stay.
The scouts he sent out were taking a long time to return, and he, who was not nervous in the face of attacks before, was now somewhat apprehensive.
I really can't figure it out.
That night, the elderly, women, and children all moved into the unfinished houses, which either had no roof or missing walls. Fortunately, it was summer, so they could make do with the shelter from the wind.
The soldiers and able-bodied men slept outside, while Shen Li and her two maids were the only ones with a complete wooden hut.
Shen Li was writing official documents at her makeshift desk. Xuzhou City had three counties under its jurisdiction, and disaster relief matters were also under her jurisdiction. Since she couldn't go there for the time being, she had to send the documents down. The documents contained the disaster relief regulations.
Lianqiao and Shaoyao felt sorry for her as they watched. The young lady had been busy since she opened her eyes in the morning. Not only had she not eaten or drunk anything all day, but she was still busy late at night when everyone else was asleep.
"You two go to sleep first. You've had a hard day. The provisions will be delivered tomorrow, so you should be able to eat them if you wake up a little later," Shen Li joked, seeing the atmosphere was a bit serious.
"The maids are alright, they just feel sorry for you," Lian Qiao sighed.
"My constitution is better than yours, so missing a day is nothing. Go to sleep," Shen Li soothed softly.
Lianqiao and Shaoyao didn't want their young lady to waste any more breath, so they lay down as well, but neither of them could fall asleep.
Shen Li sat upright, dipped her brush in ink, and wrote document after document. After finishing, she had someone send them out by fast horse before stretching and going to sleep quickly so as not to feel hungry.
That night, Li Dayong kept his eyes on the north side of the city. He thought about taking the opportunity to raid the camp, but when he saw how many muskets the enemy had and the only three hundred warhorses in his own city, he ultimately did not make the decision.
Once he leaves the city, he will lose all his advantages and must not rush.
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
The next morning, the grain and some medicines from the rear arrived. Because the emperor and the Ministry of Revenue attached great importance to this disaster, the supplies included not only rice, but also meat and eggs.
"Stew the meat in the biggest pot, make sure everyone has enough to eat," Shen Li ordered.
"Yes, sir!" The soldiers' eyes gleamed with excitement.
The disaster victims were overjoyed to see so much fine rice and meat.
"Old man, we've never eaten anything this good even before the disaster." An old woman rubbed her eyes again and again, finally confirming that she wasn't seeing things.
"Yes, yes, thank you, sir." The old man bowed tremblingly to Shen Li.
Seeing this, the others also knelt down, their heads kowtowing very firmly.
Even though Shen Li had seen a lot of the world, he was stunned for a moment. He then hurriedly said, "Please rise, everyone. This is my duty. You should thank His Majesty for his grace."
The people thanked the emperor symbolically, but it didn't seem very sincere.
"Please rise, everyone." After the formalities were over, Shen Li helped the elderly man in front of her to his feet.
"Your Excellency may not know this, but in the past, when disaster struck our area, officials came to provide relief. However, those officials not only embezzled the relief grain from the imperial court, but also plundered the belongings of our people. I don't know how many people starved to death."
The old man wiped away tears as he spoke, saying, "Your Excellency is truly a good official for us common people."
The old woman said the same thing: "Sir, you have truly saved our entire village. If only I had known, my son would not have joined the rebels. Now he is in the city, and his fate is unknown."
"Auntie, are there many rebels in our village?" Shen Li bent down to help the old woman and asked softly.
The old woman nodded: "There are over a hundred people. They said they would rob the city's grain and then come out. I didn't expect you to arrive so quickly, sir. Sir, will my son be beheaded?"
"No, His Majesty considers that everyone was forced into this situation and has granted a pardon for those who rebelled at this time. As long as they correct their ways, that will be fine."
"Then...then alright." The old woman was visibly agitated, and knelt before Shen Li again: "Please, Your Excellency, save my son..."
Shen Li helped the woman up and quickly reassured her, "Auntie, kneeling before me at your age is bad for my lifespan. Don't worry, I'll do my best."
"Your Excellency is truly a good official, a truly good official!" the old woman exclaimed repeatedly.
Other refugees largely agreed, saying they had never seen such a people-friendly official who could bring real benefits to ordinary people.
After calming the people down, Shen Li went to find Old Man Zou. At that moment, the old man was looking at the list of medicinal herbs and had already written a new prescription.
"Li girl, you've come at the right time. This is a prescription I made based on the available medicinal herbs. It's ready, and when you steep it in water, it can relieve the symptoms and reduce the spread of the epidemic." Old Man Zou handed her the prescription.
"Thank you, senior." Shen Li bowed deeply, her veil fluttering as she bent over, indicating that the movement was quite significant.
Following the prescription, more than thirty doses of medicine were quickly prepared, each dose filling half a sack, and they were soaking in a water vat.
"Ma Zheng." Shen Li waved.
"What are your orders, sir?" Ma Zheng jogged over.
"Bring over the prisoners we captured yesterday."
"Yes." Ma Zheng instructed his men to do so, then asked, "Sir, when should we attack the city? Should we send someone to request reinforcements?"
"We're all family, why are we attacking a city?" Shen Li waved her hand.