Rule over Ming Dynasty

Chapter 314 A War Without Smoke
Not only is the imperial palace facing the epidemic, but the city of Beijing is also not immune.

The originally extremely lively city of Beijing seemed to have turned into a dead place overnight, with all the shops forced to close and the green brick streets deserted.

Under the intervention of the imperial court, a defense policy of unprecedented intensity was launched.

The capital is divided into 28 districts, and each district is usually closed after the nighttime curfew, but now it is also closed during the day.

"What exactly happened?"

"Smallpox has appeared in our city of Beijing, and it has already spread to the palace!"

"Smallpox? If it spreads in the capital, how many people will die?"

……

At first, the people in each village were unaware of it, but when they learned that there was a smallpox epidemic in Beijing, they immediately became insecure.

In this era, smallpox was an incurable disease.

Not to mention, once you contract smallpox, you are likely to die. Even if you don't die, there is a high possibility of getting a pockmarked face, which is simply unbearable for many people.

If there is any hope for other infectious diseases, then when it comes to smallpox, we can only resign ourselves to fate.

"I don't want to die, let me out!"

"My uncle is the Minister of Punishment in Nanjing. Who can stop me?"

"I am a member of Jinyiwei Baihu, please let me go as soon as possible!"

……

Everyone is afraid of death. Many powerful and wealthy people want to flee the capital, but they reveal their identities one after another.

"The imperial court has an order: No matter who they are or what their status is, everyone must stay in their own homes and are not allowed to go out." Faced with the clamor of this group of people, the caretaker responded very strongly.

After each shop was quarantined, one by one the watchmen and government officials publicized the imperial decree: "All restaurants, teahouses and wine shops are not allowed to operate, so the staff cooperates with the verification! Once there is a person with body fever, especially accompanied by vomiting symptoms, he must immediately report to each restaurant Report to the boss!"

"An example of Jinchengfang!"

"Two cases in Shimingfang!"

"Three cases in Beiju Xianfang!"

……

As the government conducted careful screenings of various squares, it was soon discovered that there were more and more smallpox patients in Beijing, especially Rizhong Square in the north of the city, which became the hardest hit area by the epidemic.

The Spring Festival of the third year of Hongzhi seemed to have passed, and the entire capital suddenly became deserted.

In fact, some high-end mansions have not been greatly affected. Their houses usually have sufficient reserves of living supplies, and they only need to close the door.

"died?"

On the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, hundreds of patients in Rizhongfang finally died. A severely ill woman died from symptoms of acne on her face.

"It's over, people are really dead!"

"Nonsense, smallpox is an incurable disease!"

"Wuwu... I'm still young, I don't want to die!"

……

As deaths occurred in the capital and the number showed an increasing trend, nearly one million people began to worry about their own safety, but they wanted to avoid this disaster.

The imperial court began to implement Zhu Youtang's mask policy. The Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of Industry have joined forces to produce masks, and these masks have been distributed free of charge.

It has been like this since ancient times. Some people are happy and some are sad.

On the outskirts of Beijing, a secret meeting was being held in a luxurious manor.

Ma Wensheng was still sitting on the front seat. As the news came from the capital, especially when he learned that today's death toll exceeded double digits, the corner of his mouth could not help but raise slightly.

Although the capital has become a hell on earth, he is undoubtedly the beneficiary of this incident.Not only did it successfully delay the upcoming luxury tax, but it also vented a bad breath and gave some color to the emperor who doesn't know how high the sky is.

Of course, the best outcome now is that the emperor contracts smallpox and dies, then the Ming Dynasty will usher in a carnival-like prosperity.

"The robe head's action is indeed extraordinary!"

"The effect is indeed good, but this small flower really scares my heart!"

"What are you afraid of? You and your family have arranged to stay in the suburbs early. It's the people in the city who should be afraid!"

"Not only in the city, but also in the palace, since it has begun, it cannot end easily. I just hope God can open his eyes!"

……

Wu Shanchang and others gathered together again for a meeting. Since they knew about the smallpox epidemic in Beijing in advance, they were in a safe environment and commented on the dire straits of Beijing as if they were watching from afar.

Now they have all taken their families out of Beijing in advance, and now they hope in their hearts that Beijing will become a hell on earth, and the more people will die, the better.

As for the emperor, they naturally hope that God can take back his life, thus solving their major worries.

"Let's continue to wait, I believe God will not let down our efforts!"

"The imperial court implemented zoning management of 28 squares. Will this really prevent the spread of smallpox?"

"Haha... Now the imperial court has trapped them for a few days without any problem, but if they are trapped for ten days and a half, who can bear it?" "If at that time, all we have to do is fan the flames behind our backs, the city of Beijing will definitely be in chaos, then The problem becomes even more serious!”

……

Naturally, they are fully aware of the anti-epidemic measures introduced by the imperial court, so it is inevitable that some people will have some concerns, but most of them appear to be very optimistic.

However, Wu Shanchang felt pessimistic, so he turned to look at Ma Wensheng and asked: "Brother Ma, if the court responded so quickly this time, can it really control the spread of the smallpox epidemic?"

The current smallpox epidemic can be said to be their biggest trump card. Even if it cannot kill the emperor's son, it will still cause chaos in Beijing.

Only when the city of Beijing becomes chaotic enough can the introduction of the luxury tax be postponed, and they can buy more time to reduce their own economic losses.

Everyone present knew that the best outcome would be for the emperor to contract smallpox and die suddenly, otherwise the chaos in Beijing would be more beneficial to them, so they immediately turned to look at Ma Wensheng.

Ma Wensheng took a slow sip of tea and faced everyone's nervous eyes and said: "Don't worry! This matter has already been planned by the leader of the robe. Even if that person is lucky enough to be safe, the epidemic will definitely continue. More than half a year!”

When Wu Shanchang and others heard this, they couldn't help but feel secretly happy.

If it can last for half a year, Emperor Hongzhi will definitely be regarded as a tyrant who brings disaster, and they have such a long time to do a lot of things.

Smallpox, really is "his arsenic, my honey", please let the storm come more violently!
Xiyuan is located in the West Palace on the west side of Taiye Pool.

"I pay homage to Your Majesty, long live my emperor, long live, long live!" The chief minister of the cabinet, Wan An, and other important ministers came wearing special masks. Seeing that Zhu Youtang was safe and sound on the dragon throne, they knelt down and worshiped very excitedly.

Zhu Youtang had a pimple on his face. Looking at the important minister kneeling in front of him, he felt mixed emotions in his heart.

But I don't know whether it's luck or misfortune. Although I spent a very anxious holiday, my body still doesn't show any abnormalities.

It's just that I am a close contact after all. As long as I think of this, my body can't help but feel slightly hot, and I even have an acne on my face.

Although there is nothing strange about my body now, I did have contact with Niu Mengmeng, so there is a certain probability of becoming a carrier of smallpox.

My own affairs have not yet been clarified, and as a result, the epidemic in Beijing is far less controllable than imagined.Although many anti-epidemic measures have been introduced based on previous lives, new patients continue to appear, and the number of deaths is increasing.

However, the powerful people in the capital were not killed ruthlessly by him, but they relied on their own power to frequently have fierce conflicts with the epidemic prevention personnel.

Zhu Youtang asked the important ministers present to stand behind him, and said straight to the point: "I live in the Yangxin Hall now, but the ban on various temples in the capital cannot be relaxed. Except for the Dashi Yongfang and the Xiaoyongfang, which have conditions for entry and exit, the rest of the The workshop must be strictly monitored and must wait until it is verified that there are no new cases for seven days!”

"I obey the order!" Li Yu, the Minister of Civil Affairs, and other officials saluted respectfully when they heard this directive.

Zhu Youtang turned to look at Li Si, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and warned him very seriously: "The Ministry of Revenue must do a good job in allocating resources, must deliver food to the people in need, and prevent epidemics and hunger and cold!"

"Your Majesty, there have been an increase in the number of people in various communities asking for rice in exchange for rice recently. What should we do?" Li Si, the Minister of Household Affairs, nodded in agreement, and then asked a difficult question.

In response to last year's disaster in Henan, the imperial court issued a large number of rice stamps, which had the privilege of being paid on sight.Although many rice stamps have flowed back to the household department, there are still many rice stamps outside.

During this ban, even silver was hard to use, but the situation of rice stamps was very special, so many people took out the rice stamps they owned to ask for food from the court.

Normally, one stone of food stamps can only be exchanged for four coins of silver, but now the value of food stamps has risen sharply, and has even been increased by ten times.

In fact, it is quite normal. Even if each village has money, they cannot buy food. However, with rice stamps, they can get enough rice from the epidemic prevention personnel in each village.

Huh?
Officials such as Jia Jun, Minister of Industry, also felt that this matter was difficult, and they immediately raised their heads and looked at Zhu Youtang on the dragon throne.

Zhu Youtang knew that currency credibility was the top priority, and immediately warned seriously: "The credibility of rice tickets cannot be damaged! The Tongzhou granary is our confidence. The Ministry of Revenue immediately transferred [-] shi of grain from Tongzhou. We must do a good job Prepare for a protracted war!"

"I obey the order!" Li Si, the Minister of Household Affairs, felt the emperor's strong attitude towards maintaining the credibility of rice tickets, and had already guessed that the emperor wanted to create a new currency system, so he solemnly handed over his hand.

Although the Ming Dynasty is indeed facing financial problems, fortunately, Xianzong left enough rice and grain, and the tax and grain increased significantly after clearing the land, so he really will not be trapped by grain at present.

It just puzzled him. Why did the emperor decide that this would be a protracted war?
Zhu Youtang's eyes once again glanced at the important ministers present, and he spoke in a profound and authentic way: "Smallpox has swept through the city of Beijing, and everyone is as afraid of pox as a tiger! I decreed a ban on every street, which is not a good policy, but a last resort. You all are mine. My dear ministers, this is a natural disaster, so I can only rely on you all!"

"I am willing to serve His Majesty till my death!" Faced with this very familiar situation, Wan An and other important ministers declared their stance loudly together.

Zhu Youtang knew that the focus of this epidemic was prevention, so he gave Liu Jin a wink and said: "Smallpox is an incurable disease. Now the epidemic is more important than prevention. However, many of the powerful people in the capital are uncooperative, so 28 Square in the capital is handed over to the Sixth Department." Heshuntian Mansion is directly responsible for the management and control. Each yamen is responsible for four workshops, and the list is on it. People must not be allowed to run around or leave the capital!"

"I obey the order!" Jia Jun, the minister of industry, and other officials secretly breathed a sigh of relief and immediately expressed their stance respectfully.

Each yamen is responsible for four workshops. Although the workload is not small, after all, their entire yamen is responsible, so they do not even need to go to the site in person.

As for those powerful people who were dissatisfied with the control, now that they had the support of the emperor, they were naturally not allowed to be arrogant.

Today's top meeting, in addition to discussing epidemic prevention, is also to finalize the daily work after the beginning of the new year, but it is necessary to ensure that there is no direct contact during the delivery of the memorial.

As for the February examination, the court decided to postpone it directly, and the time is to be determined.

After the meeting, all personnel asked to leave through Xi'an Gate, and the Yangxin Hall temporarily became Zhu Youtang's refuge.

Song Cheng, Yin of Shuntian Prefecture, met with the ministers. He Qiaoxin, the Minister of Punishment, looked at Song Cheng in confusion.

Song Cheng seemed to be obeying the rules and stood aside to give way, and then followed the young eunuch into the West Palace to face the Holy Spirit.

Due to the sudden outbreak of smallpox in the capital, he had no holidays at all this year and has been cooperating with the court in epidemic prevention.Now he is called into the palace and is responsible for investigating the source of the epidemic in the palace.

Although Zhu Youtang suspected that someone was manipulating the smallpox epidemic, he did not draw a conclusion easily: "Song Qing, how is your investigation of the smallpox outbreak in the palace?"

"I have completed my preliminary investigation and am here to reply! Although Chu Chun did leave the palace, judging from his itinerary, I suspect that Chu Chun did not bring smallpox into the palace. In particular, the individual infected persons in the palace were not part of the chain of transmission in Chu Chun. !" Song Cheng's expression did not change and he reported seriously.

Zhu Youtang frowned slightly, but Liu Jin was the first to question: "Master Song, are you mistaken? The palace has a roster. Chuchun was the first person diagnosed in the palace. How could it not be her?"

"This is just a suspicion, not a conclusion! However, judging from the situation in Chuchun, the time between her leaving the womb and the onset of illness was too short, and her contacts outside the womb did not have smallpox patients, so I think Chuchun is likely to be a case of smallpox. She contracted the disease in the palace. Unless Chuchun concealed her whereabouts this time, went to an environment that was very susceptible to infection outside the palace, and also concealed her activities in the palace, I would think that the source of the infection was in the palace!" Song Cheng's eyes didn't even blink, and he concluded with great certainty.

Zhu Youtang originally thought that Chuchun was the one who brought smallpox into the palace, but after listening to Song Cheng's analysis, he felt that there might be something hidden in the situation, and he couldn't help but believe that Song Cheng was the one who wanted to solve the mystery for him. Then he asked the question he was most concerned about: "In Song Aiqing's opinion, is this smallpox a natural disaster? Or a man-made disaster?"

(End of this chapter)