Ping Zhao Lu

Chapter 134 Is it a natural disaster or a man-made disaster?

The night gradually faded away, and a ray of dawn slowly rose, illuminating the entire Zhaojing.

Gradually, sporadic and intermittent shouts of hawkers could be heard on the originally deserted streets.

The morning breakfast shop also welcomed the first customers of the day.

In a short while, several tables of people were sitting around the few simple tables.

These early risers enjoyed their steaming hot breakfast while enthusiastically chatting about various family matters.

"Have you heard about what happened at the Changxing Marquis' Mansion last night?"

"I heard it, it was the fourth son's wife who hanged herself... They said she was raped by a thief. The thief got away pretty quickly after the incident and is still missing!"

"It is said that when the elders of their family encountered this scandal, they didn't see the thief anymore. Only Wei was lying on the ground with her clothes in disarray, her body tortured...tsk tsk tsk..."

"And, General Wei was furious after witnessing the scene. He slapped Wei several times and declared that she was no longer his biological sister and that he couldn't afford to lose her!"

"It's not shameful at all. Such a huge scandal happened. Her parents were in a rage all night long. They must have been worried to death."

"Ah, to be honest, the Wu family is quite unlucky. First, their fourth son caused such a mess in the palace, and now it's his wife's turn... It really proves the old saying 'people from the same family don't marry'. When this couple got together, they were truly a perfect match!"

"Their two families had such an unlucky Mid-Autumn Festival..."

*

Imperial Palace, Shang Pharmacy.

In the spacious and bright room, the chief pharmacist and the medicine boys who were responsible for picking and preparing medicines for the emperor were busy and focused.

They skillfully and methodically used precise scales to weigh various precious medicinal materials, carefully classified them, and then carefully poured them into different medicinal poisons.

Next to this group of busy figures stood several serious-looking medical assistants, chief physicians, imperial officials, etc. Their eyes were as sharp as hawks, watching the entire pharmaceutical preparation process closely, not missing any tiny mistakes, to ensure that every medicine met the highest standards and was foolproof.

At this moment, a steady and powerful sound of footsteps came from afar, and a man in a green official robe stepped steadily into the medicine house.

Xiang Heng bowed respectfully to the crowd and said, "My Lords, I am Xiang Heng, the Deputy Director of the Department of Pharmacy of the Imperial Hospital. I have been ordered by Imperial Physician Chen to obtain 30 grams of peach kernel, 15 grams of Radix Rehmanniae, and 10 grams of Ligusticum chuanxiong."

Seeing this, Liu Fengyu couldn't help but frown slightly and asked in confusion, "Don't you have these herbs in the Imperial Hospital's pharmacy? Why did you come all the way here to get them?"

Xiang Heng's face was filled with embarrassment, and he explained with a worried look on his face, "To be honest, sir, something went wrong! The man who looks after our pharmacy's warehouse accidentally lost a whole set of all-important keys! Now everyone is anxiously waiting for medicine, but the keys are nowhere to be found. In desperation, Imperial Physician Chen had no choice but to send me to your place to borrow some herbs for an emergency..."

After hearing this, Liu Fengyu frowned tightly, a look of dissatisfaction on his face, and scolded: "What nonsense! Such an important thing was lost? How can you do things like this?"

"That's right, that guy is being punished." Xiang Heng sighed.

Liu Fengyu shook his head helplessly and said, "We do have Rehmannia root and Chuanxiong root, but we also need peach kernels. We really can't give you any extra right now! We have to send more people to harvest them."

Hearing this, Xiang Heng was slightly startled, but he quickly reacted and bowed, saying, "Thank you for your understanding, sir. I'm sorry for the trouble."

Liu Fengyu waved his hand casually, indicating that he didn't need to be polite, and then said: "Let the chief pharmacist over there help you get some other things first."

"Yes, thank you, sir." Xiang Heng bowed respectfully, then quickly walked towards the chief pharmacist who was weighing the medicine carefully.

At this time, there was a pile of peach kernels on the scale pan.

Xiang Heng glanced at the scale beam inadvertently. It would have been fine if he hadn't looked at it, but once he did, he couldn't help but feel a little doubtful.

The weight of the peach kernel shown above is 13 grams...

He blinked subconsciously, wanting to make sure he was not mistaken.

However, when he looked again, he found that the scale on the scale clearly pointed to ten grams.

Did I really see it wrong?

Full of doubts, Xiang Heng secretly glanced at the several doctors standing next to the chief pharmacist.

They all had calm expressions, staring intently at the movements of the chief herbalist and the medicine boy as they grabbed the herbs, and they didn't seem to notice anything unusual.

Xiang Heng frowned slightly, lost in thought. After a moment, his gaze fell on the peach kernels that had just been weighed.

The medicine boy deftly poured the 13 grams of peach kernels into an exquisite medicine Gu.

And this medicinal Gu was specially used to make medicine for the emperor.

Xiang Heng's eyes suddenly became sharp, and he shifted his gaze to the main medicine man next to him without leaving any trace.

However, the main medicine doctor seemed unaware of Xiang Heng's sharp gaze, and continued to repeat the action of weighing the medicine slowly and steadily.

The action of the main medicine is as smooth and natural as flowing water.

He skillfully and precisely grabbed various herbs from the numerous medicine boxes and quickly placed them on the scales to weigh them. Before long, he had gathered all the herbs Xiang Heng needed.

The entire process seemed flawless, with no flaws to speak of. The amount of each herb was just right, with neither excess nor deficiency.

Seeing this, Xiang Heng flexed his hands hidden under his sleeves.

*

A few days later, in Xuanzheng Hall.

"Your Majesty!"

In the court, a minister hurriedly stepped out of the procession, bowed, and spoke loudly, "Lianzhou has been experiencing continuous rain for the past few months, causing devastating floods. Rivers have burst their banks, farmland has been submerged, and the people are displaced and struggling to make ends meet! Local granaries are now running low on food, and the number of hungry people is increasing, leading to widespread unrest among the refugees. The Lianzhou Governor has submitted a memorial, earnestly requesting the dispatch of aid and grain shipments to alleviate the disaster!"

Before he had finished speaking, another minister stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, an epidemic has recently broken out in the villages surrounding the city and the river, and several people have died. Ordinary doctors are helpless against this devastating disease, which is truly worrying. I boldly propose that we quickly select skilled doctors from other places to provide assistance in order to curb the spread of the epidemic."

Immediately afterwards, a third minister stepped out and reported solemnly, "Your Majesty, banditry has been rampant in Muzhou, south of here lately. These bandits are rampant, burning, killing, and looting. The local people are suffering terribly! If we don't put a stop to this, I'm afraid there will be endless troubles!"

"His Majesty……"

"His Majesty……"

All of a sudden, court officials came forward and reported to the emperor the disasters and difficult problems that were happening in various places.

As one memorial after another was handed to him, Chu Yunxiao's originally calm face gradually became gloomy, and anger rose to his throat.

"During the rainy season, floods are constant. Flood control and embankment reinforcement are essential. Why did the Lianzhou governor fail to respond effectively? Did the relief grain previously sent to Lianzhou run out so quickly? Was it a refugee riot or a toad swallowing gold?"

"The epidemic has been spreading in the suburbs and riverside areas for some time now, and the Supreme Court has already dispatched personnel to address it. Are you only now noticing this? Is it too late?"

"Why is the bandit problem getting worse when we go south to suppress them? Have you ever thought deeply about the reasons?"

The emperor's questioning voice echoed in the hall like a loud bell, leaving everyone present silent.

Seeing this, Chu Yunxiao's face turned gloomy and he threw the memorial in his hand to the ground.

The ministers in the hall knelt one after another, "Your Majesty, calm down!"

Chu Yunxiao's anger deepened. "As an official, you should prioritize the people's livelihood. Once greed sets in, it's always the people who suffer! These disasters are frequent, and besides natural disasters, I'm afraid there are also man-made calamities at work!"