Good Man Operation Guide

Although this dynasty didn’t make it a taboo for civilians to discuss state affairs, now that Yanjiang River’s dam was about to burst, there were only two choices. Either leave it alone and allow both Yancheng and Nancheng to suffer, which might also endanger the Imperial City, or divert the water to drain it away.

Although those court officials who had put forward this proposal claimed that only a little portion of the water would be released, everyone knew it was impossible for “only a little” to drain from the Yanjiang River. So if the water was to be diverted, Nancheng was the only option, but Nancheng has flooded just some time ago and had even caused a plague. If Nancheng flooded again, it would be difficult for the people there to survive.

People of the Imperial City naturally want to save themselves. After all, although the water may not end up affecting them, but then, what if it does?

However, if the Emperor really ordered the sacrifice of Nancheng to save the Imperial City, what has Nancheng done wrong?

Others wouldn’t know, but at any rate, he was a Prince, and he knew just how much this incident has been a headache to the court. Recently, his Emperor Father has been even more temperamental and has ordered the palace to not discuss the matter. These scholars’ discussion in the Scholar’s Pavilion caused such a big commotion, who knew whether the officials and soldiers would be alerted.

Although they came out according to the regulations, it was already getting dark. While it was nothing for him as a prince, but if an unmarried princess was found in the Scholar’s Pavilion where men gathered… If this news came out, who knew what those royal brothers and sisters would plan to do?

In particular, their maternal family lived in Nancheng, and even though Grandfather has passed away, their grandmother, uncle, and aunt-in-law were all still in Nancheng. Right now, they only allow people to head into Nancheng but no one to leave; so even if he was a prince, there is no way to get the news inside.

Shen Huyang’s face was also terrible, but she didn’t respond to her brother’s words. Instead, she looked at the two scholars and whispered, “Don’t worry, the results will be released soon, so there shouldn’t be any trouble.”

Zhao He and Lin Shiheng were not from these three cities, nor did they have any relatives in these three cities, so they could quite comfortably sit by and watch.

Looking at the two groups of people who were facing each other again, Zhao He, who had always liked to watch the excitement, sighed with a rare absence of interest wearing a solemn expression.

“I know the two leading people, one is a Juren from Yancheng, while the other is Juren from Nancheng. Although both have taken root in the capital, how could they forget their hometown where they were born and raised? Don’t look at the fact that they were arguing like mortal enemies, before this incident, they were well-known to be good friends.”

Zhao He didn’t go out much after he arrived in the capital; however, the book boy beside him was a little expert at getting information. When he first found out about this, he was also quite affected for a while.

In a rare mood of sadness, he turned to ask Lin Shiheng, “Brother Lin, if you and I met such a situation in our hometown, would we turn against each other like this?”

Lin Shiheng replied, “Brother Zhao, Ming county is adjacent to Wei county, so if we were really that unlucky, we would be in it together.”

“I know, but I’m asking if…”

“Naturally, we’ll try to come up with a surefire way that would preserve both sides.”

When Zhao He heard this, he was happy not only for the fact that his friend was really unwilling to turn against himself but also for the fact that the other was still so naïve and clueless when he was already this old.

“If there really was a surefire solution, the court would have sent someone to deal with it long ago, and how would it still be a problem now?”

“It just can’t be delayed for too long… I heard that the rain there still hasn’t stopped, and Yancheng and Nancheng have so many people that they have nowhere to relocate even if they were to move. Not to mention that it was likely to bring trouble to the Imperial City, but the plague has just started in Nancheng and it hasn’t yet been resolved. The whole city has been locked down. Given that the plague is contagious, how could they be allowed to move? If the people of Nancheng were allowed out, wasn’t that just going to spread the plague around? Yet if they don’t move and the court chooses to divert the river, wouldn’t the people just be waiting for death? No wonder that Nancheng scholar was so… Either way, it’s tricky.”

The blue-clothed scholar listened, appearing thoughtful, “If that was the case, why not cure the plague?”

“If it could be cured, it would have long been cured, given how many of those imperial physicians have already been sent… The Emperor had even posted a reward for any renowned doctors who can cure the plague. Unfortunately, it was still of no use. There is no way to leave Nancheng now, so who would be willing to go in?”

Lin Shiheng slightly frowned, “If the plague gets resolved, Nancheng should be able to successfully relocate.”

“I think so… When Nancheng was flooded just before, the whole city was destroyed, so there aren’t many people left. If the plague is cured, it would be easier for them to move than to evacuate Yancheng.”

Zhao He sighed while he watched the two people who were still clamoring in the far away, “Brother Lin has been ill all the time, and besides studying, you’re not as aware regarding the mundane. This time it really isn’t that simple…”

Lin Shiheng also looked at those people far away, then lowered his eyes to look at the teacup on the table, as if to see something from the tea within.

“Although I don’t go out much because of my illness, I can still think of the trick within all this. The Imperial City isn’t close to the Yanjiang River at all, so even if the dam does break, it still definitely wouldn’t threaten the Imperial City. The people in the northern city of Yancheng aren’t suffering from a plague, so their relocation should be the best decision. After all, if they do this, they can at least save the lives of the three cities. For something so simple to decide yet still has dragged on for so long, presumably…”

Zhao He eyes almost popped right out after he finished listening. He hurriedly tugged on Lin Shiheng’s arm while he vigilantly looked around, “Don’t say anymore, you’re speaking about the royal family. It’s fine for people of the three cities to quarrel on their own, but what if someone hears us talking about it and gets us into trouble?”

Behind him, the royal prince and princess had clearly heard what they said.

Shen Huyang didn’t clench her fists in anger like her younger brother, who was shaking with rage after hearing their words, but instead looked at the scholar in blue who smiled gently after being stopped by his good friend and decided to stop talking.

He was right. Don’t just see how noisy the court is now, but in fact, everyone knew that the so-called choice of one out the three was just a game to see who had the ability to protect their own lives.

Yancheng’s magistrate was the Empress’s maternal family, and although the Empress didn’t have any biological children, she has adopted the eldest prince as her own son. On the other hand, Beicheng was related to the second prince’s maternal family, and although the majority of them have been assigned elsewhere, he still had relatives in Beicheng.

If it came down to it, allowing the people of the two cities to leave the city first was difficult but harmless. The two princes’ families were of high rank, who at any rate could just come live in the capital. The reason they were dead set against letting the people of the two cities leave was simply to suppress the fifth prince.

After all, everyone knew that although the fifth prince had always been mediocre, his grandfather was a contemporary scholar. His influence within the scholars was much stronger compared to anyone else, which could be seen just by looking at the fact that the fifth prince was only a mediocre scholar but was still protected by the civil officials of the court.

Speaking of, it was also rather ridiculous, as the imperial court debated on which city to sacrifice endlessly, but it was the third and fourth prince, who had nothing to do with Nancheng, who exerted the most effort for the city. Of course, it wasn’t with any good intentions, they were only thinking of using this incident to suppress the eldest prince and second prince.

Whereas, the two siblings, who should have contributed the most because of their maternal family, didn’t even get a chance to send a message into Nancheng. The fifth prince was even reprimanded by the Emperor last time he spoke out for Nancheng.

Then as they watched as their maternal family was in danger, their Emperor Father even released news of selecting a son-in-law for Princess Huyang at this time. When it came to having a cold heart, there was no one superior.

“Elder Sister, let’s go back.”

The fifth prince really had no desire to stay out any longer. He knew from an early age that he was not favored, but before that, he had thought that he could become excellent by his own efforts and his Emperor Father would value him. Alas, the more promising he became, the more he was suppressed and excluded by his brothers. And without the blessing of his biological mother, he suffered a lot.

He would always remember clearly that time when he was ordered by his Emperor Father to kneel as punishment. He knelt for two hours until he couldn’t even feel his knees anymore, but his body was already so cold that it was as if he was frozen into ice. It was his elder sister who interceded with his Emperor Father and kowtowed for an unknown amount of time before he was relieved from the punishment.

That day, he cried and ran to his sister’s palace and saw her forehead bruised and bloodied, she then held him in her arms. “Hu’an, you must know that the Fifth Prince can only be ignorant.”

He was the grandson of the great scholar who was admired and respected by the whole world, and this alone was enough to make the other brothers jealous.

Therefore, since then, Shen Hu’an gradually became dull. He didn’t enjoy reading but only went to enjoy military studies. Everyone knew that the Emperor likes scholars, so he was even less pleased with this son of his, but the fifth prince’s days in the palace really became a little better.

He originally thought that as long as he endured in this way, he could become an idle prince, and then his sister wouldn’t be troubled by him any longer. However, this accident in Nancheng made Shen Hu’an suddenly realize that even if he didn’t fight, the other brothers wouldn’t let them go.

But if he wanted to fight, he mustn’t anger their Emperor Father.

It really wasn’t easy watching the lives of blood relatives hang by a thread; Shen Hu’an felt it, so Shen Huyang naturally felt it as well.

She got up, “Let’s go.”

Passing by Lin Shiheng, Zhao He was obviously shocked by the fact that a group of people had popped up when he hadn’t noticed anyone was there just now. He stared at the two of them with fear in his eyes, but Lin Shiheng, who was sitting across from him, didn’t look shocked but slightly arched his hands and saluted the two of them.

Shen Huyang returned the salute with a heart full of complex thoughts while the fifth prince on the side, though he didn’t know how to return the salute, observed his elder sister as she returned the salute and mirrored it himself.

***

Only when they were gone did Zhao He, who was sitting on the side, dare to breathe, “Brother Lin, you know them?”

“Don’t know.”

“You don’t know them but you still saluted them? I thought you knew each other.”

Lin Shiheng smiled, poured a cup of tea for his friend sitting opposite him, and whispered, “Now I know them.”

“Brother Zhao, do you know what kind of disease Nancheng’s plague is?”

Zhao He didn’t think too much of it anymore, “You’d be right to ask me that. Our Zhao family also has business in Nancheng. At that time, when the plague first broke out in the city and the city hadn’t been closed off yet, our shopkeeper was clever and ran back. I was there when he spoke about the illness, and I remember it quite clearly.”

“Brother Zhao’s memory is indeed excellent. So if I may bother Brother Zhao, may you write down these ailments for me?”

“Hey, what do you mean by ‘a bother’? Still so polite. As soon as we get home…”

Zhao He smiled at the praise. As soon as he heard it, he was about to promise him, but in the middle of agreeing, he suddenly felt that something was a bit wrong, “What do you want this for? Is there someone from Brother Lin’s family in Nancheng?”

“That’s not it. It’s just that I’ve also read some medical books and thought I’d go back to look through them, maybe I could find a cure.”