Chapter 1458
Siege of the City, Plague Outbreak in the Capital City [5]
Chapter 1458 Siege of the City, Plague Outbreak in the Capital City [5]
Suddenly, Magistrate Zheng burst out laughing, choking the shopkeepers and managers who were acting out their crying scenes, making them unable to continue crying.
No, why are you laughing when we're crying?!
Judge Zheng continued to laugh and said, "How you will live in the future is another matter. If there is not enough medicine to fight the plague, you will all die in a few days."
This?
"What do you mean by that, Young Master Zheng?!" Chief Steward Wen hurriedly asked tentatively, "Have you received some secret information?"
Judge Zheng knew their nature, so he didn't hide anything and told them that the enemy was cultivating plague at the city gate, and that they had already succeeded and would soon be poisoning the city.
“That’s the situation. If you’re going to die guarding this pile of medicinal herbs, then… it’s not up to you.” Judge Zheng said, “The court is trying to be polite before resorting to force, so this time it’s me who’s here. If you don’t know what’s good for you, next time it will be Deputy General Lang who comes.”
He then reiterated that Deputy General Lang had already entered the city and that his mission there was.
Bandits, bandits!
The shopkeepers were furious, and they wanted nothing more than to jump up and start cursing.
The chief stewards, Zhao Da, Wen Da, and Xiang Er, felt heavy-hearted, knowing that the medicinal herbs had to be offered.
Therefore, the second chief steward of the Xiang family, who was known for his kindness, said: "The first chief steward once instructed me that as long as the Qin family came to our door with the Xiang family's invitation, we must help the Qin family... Now, it is such a matter of resisting the enemy and saving the people, and our Xiang family will definitely give our all to help."
"Wrong! There is no help, only self-rescue!" Si Pei's voice suddenly rang out, startling dozens of people in the room.
"Whoever it is, come out, or don't blame Changji Pharmacy for being impolite. This is wartime, and anyone who barges in without cause will be killed without punishment by the master!" Chief Steward Zhao's voice was already filled with murderous intent, and his gaze turned unfriendly to Magistrate Zheng: "Young Master, how can you bring outsiders here?!"
Is the intention to expose the schemes of powerful and influential families? Wouldn't the world condemn them to death?
"Hmph, come out if you want!" Si Pei, holding his notebook, led a group of bloodthirsty assassins from the window to the shop door and banged on the door: "I'm here! Open the door! Why is your pharmacy closed in broad daylight? Tell me honestly if you're doing something shady in there!"
Kill it! Kill this thing!
The managers and the three chief stewards were all furious.
However, it cannot be killed.
"He is Pei, the eldest son of the prestigious Si family, and his great-grandmother was Princess Changning of the Great Wei Dynasty," Judge Zheng reminded them.
This?
"Go open the door for Young Master Pei," Chief Steward Xiang ordered... If the door isn't opened soon, the Si family's assassins will tear it down.
Fortunately, the pharmacy's contracted doctor acted quickly, saving the shop's life.
"Hey, this young master is here. Does anyone remember my great-grandmother? If not, I can also mention my grandparents and maternal grandparents." Si Pei waved to the people in the room, saying something that was sure to get him punched.
Damn, if it weren't for his powerful connections, he would have died far from home long ago.
"Greetings, Young Master Si Pei." Xiang, Zhao, and Wen, along with dozens of shopkeepers and managers, bowed to Si Pei.
Si Pei sighed, "No wonder no one wants to relinquish power. After experiencing the exhilaration of being greeted and worshipped by dozens of people, who would be willing to give up power?"
He hurriedly pulled out another small notebook and wrote down: "I gained new insights at Changji Pharmacy today, which has helped me make progress. I am very fortunate."
Chief Steward Wen and the others were so frightened that they hurriedly reminded him: "Young Master Pei, Changji Pharmacy is the private property of our powerful family. Some things are not suitable to be recorded."
You record battles to gain merit for yourself, that's fine. But you record the affairs of the aristocratic shops, are you planning to betray them too?!
Si Pei said: Don't talk nonsense. I didn't sell myself to the group of bosses behind you, so how can you talk about betrayal?
"Gentlemen, please contribute 90% of the medicinal herbs on the list." Judge Zheng was very busy and didn't want to waste any more time with them. He handed a list of medicinal herbs directly to Chief Steward Wen and gave him a guarantee: "The court will only use medicinal herbs that can fight the plague. Other precious medicinal herbs will not be touched."
So you can rest assured that the ginseng, lingzhi, and other precious medicinal herbs stored in the Changji Pharmacy's warehouse, which are hundreds of years old, will not be taken away under the guise of something else.
"Words are no proof," said Chief Steward Zhao.
Judge Zheng readily agreed: "I will write you a letter of commitment. If you think my position is too low, I can take the letter of commitment to the Prince of Ye for his seal." "To heal the sick and save lives is the duty of a physician. As the oldest and most reputable pharmacy in the Great Wei Dynasty, Changji Pharmacy will certainly assist the government troops in fighting the enemy and saving lives," said Chief Steward Zhao.
That's considered an agreement.
Si Pei pouted and grumbled, "They even want us to carry the royal seal as proof, so they're treating us like bandits."
"You guys?" Ha, Chief Steward Zhao laughed: "Young Master Pei is indeed very young."
When you're young and naive, you'll think you're on the same side as the Great Wei... Once you grow up and take power, you'll regret your foolishness today!
Si Pei wouldn't agree. In fact, he thought the Prince of Ye had done a very reasonable thing. He gathered the medicinal herbs in the city to fight the plague, and only used herbs that had the effect of fighting the plague, without touching other expensive herbs. After the war, he would also give money and credit. Wasn't that good enough?
If His Majesty were replaced, or if a general from the Northwest Army were appointed, he would simply confiscate your property.
"Xiao Pei, remember this: Changji Pharmacy donated medicine to save the people; they are loyal citizens of the Great Wei and heroes who fought against the enemy." Judge Zheng was quite decent in his dealings; he always gave what was due.
Si Pei didn't want to write it down for them, but upholding fairness, he wrote it down according to the actual situation and showed it to Xiang, Wen, and Zhao: "See, I didn't write it down randomly for you. It's all praise. You can rest assured now."
I'm relieved, but you'd better get out of here!
After finishing their business, Si Pei and Zheng Tongpan quickly left.
They're very busy, running around to other pharmacies, and have no time to chat with them. It's just that they insist on doing it.
Soon after Judge Zheng and his men left, a small squad of Wei soldiers, accompanied by civilians, arrived at Changji Pharmacy and waited outside to move the medicinal herbs.
Among these civilians were many fellow villagers from Taifeng Town, Baofu County, including the sons of Zhou Lühan and others... In short, all the labor force in the city was put to use.
Men, women, young and old all had to work, whether it was patrolling, carrying heavy loads as a laborer, brewing medicine, sewing, or repairing various tools and clothing damaged in battle.
Or they might help with taking notes or maintaining order.
Or, like Li Liu and her group, they could go to the Mushan workshop to make small firearm parts that didn't require secrecy, such as twisting fuses, soaking fuses in tung oil, or preparing various auxiliary materials for converting gunpowder.
With work to do, the people inside the city had no time to panic about the enemy poisoning or attacking the city.
September 26th.
"Report! Seventy percent of the enemy's troops at the poisoning site have fallen ill!"
September 27th.
"Report! Enemy large catapults have entered the poison-laying position!"
September 28th.
"The entire enemy force at the poisoning site has fallen ill; the pathogenicity is 100%!"
Old Xun hurriedly said, "You're wrong. The pathogenicity isn't 100%. The enemy soldiers were locked in cages and forced to come into direct contact with the pathogen, which is why they all fell ill. Their pathogenicity is useless against us; our pathogenicity will definitely be lower."
September 29th.
"Report! A large number of enemy soldiers infected with the disease have become seriously ill!"
The severity of the illness refers to the presence of lumps and pus formation on the cheeks, sides of the neck, and armpits.
"Medical soldier, write this down: five days after the onset of the disease, the patient enters the critical stage. It is estimated that the patient will die within three to ten days."
September 30th.
"Report! Report! The enemy is here! They're dissecting those seriously ill people!" The sentry's voice trembled as he reported this; he had never seen anything so horrifying and disgusting.