Editor: Otwentyfirst

Hua Zhu Yu knew Lan Bing had informed Ji Feng Li of the results of his investigation. It was certain that w.a.n.g Fu Gui had embezzled the money used to reinforce the dam. Hua Zhu Yu really despised this type of official. Moreover, when the flood broke, instead of helping the victims to safety, he fled for his life. And now he was completely oblivious to the present situation within the city. Was this the manner in which an official should conduct himself? What's even more laughable was that this w.a.n.g Fu Gui didn't expect Ji Feng Li to investigate his matters this quickly. He was still kneeling on the ground, indignantly shouting, "Lord Chancellor, what crimes has this lowly official committed?"

"w.a.n.g Fu Gui, why did this dam collapse so easily? You should be most clear of the reason, right? Last year, the court allocated 300,000 taels of silver to Xuan Zhou. In addition to the 50,000 taels accorded every summer for repairs, the money spent on this dam should exceed 500,000. The court spent such a huge sum of money on this dam so why was it so vulnerable? Do you need this Chancellor to spell it out for you?" Ji Feng Li callously asked.

In the blink of an eye, w.a.n.g Fu Gui's complexion paled but he was not resigned to surrender, exclaiming, "Lord Chancellor, Left Chancellor Daren, you musn't believe those rumors and denounce this lowly official! Lord Chancellor… have mercy!"

"You want evidence is that it?" Ji Feng Li nodded his head, signalling at Lan Bing.

Striding over to stand before w.a.n.g Fu Gui, Lan Bing threw the testimony on the ground. Seeing the testimony, w.a.n.g Fu Gui instantly staggered back.

"This is the testimony of Zhang Ling from the Ministry of Works attesting that you secretly embezzled the funds the court sent. If it wasn't for your greedy nature, how could this dam collapse and kill so many people!? You dog-official, killing you a thousands times over isn't enough! What other protests do you want to spout!" Lan Bing said as he coldly looked down at w.a.n.g Fu Gui whose face had turned ashen.

Coming to a realization that he could not overcome today's calamity, he suddenly raised his head boldly. "Even if I am guilty, Lord Chancellor can't mete out punishment here. In any case, I am still a 4th ranked official decreed by the Emperor. Left Chancellor Daren shouldn't overstep your authority and disregard His Majesty."

Could it be that when one hung on the verge of death, one's courage suddenly sprouts? Clearly this w.a.n.g Fu Gui was shaken by Ji Feng Li just moments ago. Yet now he was yelling so fearlessly.

Seeing this, the smile on Ji Feng Li's lips deepened, like a plum blossom flouris.h.i.+ng on a mountain cliff, beautiful yet chilling.

"Lan Bing, bring me the sword personally bestowed by His Majesty." Ji Feng Li commanded in a lazy tone.

Walking over to the table, Lan Bing retrieved the sword and brought it over to Ji Feng Li. Taking hold of the sword, Ji Feng Li unsheathed it from its scabbard and immediately a cold blinding light flashed, giving prominence to the dragon engraved on its hilt.

Little did w.a.n.g Fu Gui expect Ji Feng Li to possess a sword personally bestowed by the little Emperor. At a loss for words, he could only stumble backwards on the ground.

The guards stepped forward and dragged him out.

Without another glance at w.a.n.g Fu Gui, Ji Feng Li sat down at his desk and took a sip of his tea.

Hua Zhu Yu was still standing on the side, shocked. Actually, with the scope of his powers, killing w.a.n.g Fu Gui was a simple task. Yet when he set off on this journey, he had requested this sword from the little Emperor in advance. From this, one could see just how detailed and careful Ji Feng Li was to handle things so flawlessly.

translations at peachblossomgrove. com

Hearing that Ji Feng Li had sentenced w.a.n.g Fu Gui to be beheaded, the victims sheltered at the ruined temples quickly made their way over. They kneeled down in front of his tent and kowtowed in grat.i.tude, thanking the Left Chancellor for avenging the wrongful deaths of their relatives who fell victims to the flood.

When Hua Zhu Yu heard the clamors outside, she was suddenly reminded of something. "Left Chancellor Daren, if w.a.n.g Fu Gui fled the city this morning, it's likely that he hasn't

dealt with the remains of those that have pa.s.sed. With their bodies floating about, soaking in the floodwater, this one fears it will lead to an outbreak of an epidemic."

Hua Zhu Yu had experienced the ordeal of an epidemic once before when she was battling in Western Liang. At that time, both armies had battled for more than a month. The number of soldiers that died began piling like mountains. But kept occupied by the ongoing war, the corpses were carelessly dealt with. At that time it was the middle of summer. With the relentless rain streaming down continuously for several days, the corpses were left to soak in the rain, increasing the decaying process where the remains disintegrated into the air and water, leading to the gruesome outbreak.

When Hua Zhu Yu fell sick, she was isolated from the others. Her father sent people in search of medicinal herbs which she was forced to take continuously for several days, if not, perhaps she would have also fallen victim to the sickness. If an outbreak was to occur now, there was a high probability of it spreading to neighboring towns.

Hearing Hua Zhu Yu point this out, Ji Feng Li's expression changed. He quickly went outside and pa.s.sed down orders to the soldiers to quickly deal with the corpses. When he came back in, he draped his cloak over his shoulders. Glancing at Hua Zhu Yu, a trace of surprise surfaced in his phoenix eyes.

That night, Ji Feng Li led a group consisting of soldiers and a handful of local young men out to dig trenches to lead the flood water to lower grounds.

Three days later, Tong Shou returned with the group that had left for Qing Cheng Palace. The water level in Xuan Zhou city began to slowly drain. The victims cheered in celebration but their joy was short-lived for it wasn't long before a new calamity struck. Among the victims, a few began to suffer from fever, bouts of cough and difficulty breathing. Not long afterwards, they pa.s.sed away. Their symptoms were identical to the symptoms Hua Zhu Yu had when she fell sick at Western Liang. It seemed an epidemic was truly difficult to guard against.

Hearing the news, Ji Feng Li knew the situation wasn't good. Surrounding Xuan Zhou city were densely populated towns. If the epidemic could not be controlled, it would quickly spread and the consequences would be disastrous. Ji Feng Li gave orders to his men to search for the people who were sick and sequester them in a nearby village. Ji Feng Li brought along an army of 200 men along this journey. Now that the flood was dealt with, he stationed the majority of his men outside the village, preventing anyone from arbitrarily entering and leaving in addition to blocking any news from leaking. If anyone in the village died, their bodies were to be burned instantly. Ji Feng Li also gave orders to the Imperial Physician to treat the patients.

Doctor Zhang was the accompanying Imperial Physician. It was apparent that he had never witnessed an outbreak before. He veiled his face behind a cloth and headed for the village to take a look at the patients. When he came out, he prescribed a prescription for them to take, but after taking it, they didn't seem to get any better.

Hua Zhu Yu felt the symptoms of this outbreak was very similar to the symptoms she had in the past. Vaguely recalling the prescription she took at that time, she left for Imperial Physiciam Zhang's tent. "Imperial Physician Zhang, I've heard of a prescription that could possibly cure those sick. Would you care to listen and see if it's applicable?"

Listening to Hua Zhu Yu's prescription, Imperial Doctor Zhang disapprovingly said, "How can this prescription cure them? You're not a doctor, what do you know about prescriptions?" Physicians from the Imperial Palace were always haughty. They looked down on the cures used by the common folks.

"Wouldn't it be a good idea to at least give it a try?" Hua Zhu Yu asked coldly. Despite the worsening situation, the Imperial Physician still chose to haughtily dismiss her suggestion.

"You can't randomly give out prescriptions. If this prescription worsens their sickness, who's going to take responsibility?" Imperial Physician Zhang asked.

Hua Zhu Yu furrowed her brows. Her eyes flashed with a sharp glint as she said, "I'll bear the responsibility, would that be fine then?"

"You?" Imperial Physician Zhang surveyed Hua Zhu Yu from head to toe then quickly replied, "You think you can bear such a big responsibility? Who do you think you are?"

"Then it'll be fine if this Chancellor bears the responsibility right?" The curtain lifted and Ji Feng Li briskly entered. His gaze was cold as he looked at Imperial Physician Zhang. He then turned to Hua Zhu Yu and said, "Yuan Bao, write down the prescription and hand it to Lan Bing to prepare!"

Sorry for the late chapter guys! next chapter is already translated but still has to go through editing so it should be out soon, today or tomorrow!