The two confronted each other for a moment. Finally, Yun Sheng gave in and handed the cloak in his hand to Qi Rong.
"The snow disaster in the northwest hit Cangzhou the hardest, followed by Tongwu. However, Cangzhou has a complex terrain. Most of the official roads are close to the mountains, making it extremely prone to avalanches. Moreover, there have always been roving bandits lurking in Cangzhou, and they will surely become even more rampant at this time."
"I suggest that His Highness the King of Xian go to Tongwu first and use it as a base to deal with the disaster. After the situation in Tongwu stabilizes, you can then head north, bypassing the official roads to reach Cangzhou."
As he spoke, Yun Sheng took something out of his bosom and handed it to Qi Rong.
"This is my former classmate. He is currently the dean of the White Deer Academy in Tongwu. He is an extremely capable and wise man. If you show this to him, he will surely do his utmost to assist you!"
Yun Sheng said a lot more, but Qi Rong's eyes were only fixed on the thing in his hand, and he didn't reach out to take it for a long time.
"Is Prime Minister Yun doubting this king's ability? Or do you think that without your assistance, this king will have difficulty completing this disaster - relief mission?"
Yun Sheng frowned but didn't withdraw his hand.
"Although the court has issued an order to open the granaries to relieve the disaster, no one can be sure about the specific situation until they get there."
Even if they went to the northwest in the name of the imperial edict, local officials might not tell the truth or fully assist in the disaster - relief efforts for their own interests.
This could be seen from the local officials' failure to report the situation and the refugees outside the capital.
His former classmate, although not in officialdom, was a rare capable and dedicated person. Born in Tongwu, he knew the local situation better than those in the capital.
Moreover, this man had some connections with the former crown prince. If Qi Rong sought his help, it would surely be of great benefit to the disaster - relief work!
Seeing Qi Rong looking disdainful and not reaching out to take it for a long time, Yun Sheng lowered his hand and gave the thing to Qi Rong's guard, Zhan Feng.
After pondering for a long time, he said silently:
"This man's name is Qi Kuan. He was an old acquaintance of the former crown prince. He may be able to tell you what you want to know."
After saying that, without waiting for Qi Rong to speak, Yun Sheng turned around and walked into the courtyard.
Qi Rong's eyes flashed with surprise. He stared coldly at Yun Sheng's back, then flicked his whip, snatching the thing from Zhan Feng's hand into his own.
It was a cyan jade plaque carved with a golden toad grasping a laurel branch. Upon closer inspection, its craftsmanship was similar to the one the crown prince had given to his grandfather, the Duke of Luo!
"Giddy - up!"
Qi Rong whipped the reins, and the horse galloped away instantly.
Outside the window, the snowflakes were fluttering down. Yun Xi was sitting on the soft couch in the room, holding a hand - warmer and racking her brains as she stared at the medical book in front of her.
It had been more than a month since Qi Rong left the capital. Although there were still refugees gathering in the capital, their number was significantly less than before.
Thanks to the timely action of the court, after the continuous inspections by the Imperial Hospital, no cases of plague - like symptoms were found among the refugees. It was indeed a blessing in disguise!
However, the absence of a plague did not mean that everything was all right.
The basic necessities of the refugees' lives needed to be guaranteed. Although there had always been people donating money and goods in the capital, they were increasingly unable to cope with the growing number of refugees.
At this time, many refugees suddenly died after eating.
This situation really worried the doctors in the Imperial Hospital. They started to investigate the matter, checking the bodies of the dead and the food they had eaten one by one, but in the end, they didn't come to a definite conclusion.
If it was not a plague, then what could it be? Many people couldn't help but speculate.
The court even called in coroners to examine the bodies. The results showed that these people were neither poisoned nor murdered, but their deaths were very strange. They all died of organ failure.
Gradually, rumors spread that the refugees had contracted a strange disease. Although it was not a plague, it was contagious.
Finally, everyone was in a state of panic. Even the non - government organizations that used to kindly deliver food and set up porridge sheds for the refugees no longer dared to go.
As time passed, the survival of the refugees fell entirely on the government's relief efforts. Due to the limited capabilities of the government, the refugees' food and clothing gradually became a problem.
It had been snowing heavily in the capital for three days. Thinking of the refugees outside the city, Yun Xi couldn't sleep at night.
However, due to her father's restrictions, she couldn't run outside the city every day as before. So, she decided to study medical books at home.
Although she knew that it was almost impossible for an amateur like her to solve this mystery, she didn't want to waste time at home.
I don't know how long passed. Yun Xi had been maintaining the same position for a long time, and gradually felt her neck becoming stiff.
She got up from the soft couch, put on a fox fur and went out. Looking at the snowflakes all over the sky, she couldn't help but reach out to catch them.
"Miss, be careful not to catch a cold!"
Seeing this, Yu Zhu immediately pulled down her hand and quickly covered it with her own.
"Come on, I'm just playing for a while. I just held the hand - warmer, and my hands are still warm."
Yun Xi looked at Yu Zhu with a smile, thinking she was making a mountain out of a molehill. But Yu Zhu said seriously:
"That won't do! The warmer your body is, the less you can be exposed to the cold. Like the year I came to the capital with the master, because I was born in Jiangcheng and had never seen snow before, I got carried away while playing. As a result, I had a fever for several days before I could get out of bed."
"The winter in the capital is really too cold. It's okay for those who are used to it, but it's really tough for us southerners!"
Just as Yu Zhu was speaking, something suddenly fell from above and landed right at Yu Zhu's feet.
"Ah!"
When she saw what was at her feet, Yu Zhu let out a scream and quickly pulled Yun Xi back a step.
"What's wrong?"
Yun Xi had been distracted, thinking about Yu Zhu's words. Seeing Yu Zhu's reaction, she immediately looked at the thing on the snow.
It was actually a gray little bird!
Yun Xi felt pity in her heart. Thinking that the bird had been shot, she immediately stepped forward bravely to check. She carefully picked up the bird in her palm.
She found that there was no blood on the bird, and there were no visible injuries. However, the area under its neck, where the stomach was, seemed abnormally swollen, which was very disproportionate to its thin body.
The bird's body was already gradually stiffening, and it was beyond rescue.
"Yu Zhu, it's dead."
Yun Xi gently stroked the bird's feathers. She felt sad in her heart, and suddenly remembered the refugees outside the city who had died mysteriously.
Yu Zhu couldn't bear to see the corpses of small animals the most. Hearing Yun Xi's words, she quickly glanced at the bird and said:
"Miss, please put it down quickly. I'll ask someone to bury it later. In winter, birds have no food. They either starve to death or die of over - eating. It's really pitiful."
Hearing Yu Zhu's words, Yun Sheng's eyes widened. She turned to look at Yu Zhu and asked:
"Did you say die of over - eating?"
"Yes." Yu Zhu nodded.
"Because of the lack of food, hungry birds will gobble up food when they see it. It's quite common for them to die of over - eating. The master and I once encountered such a situation."
Yu Zhu's words were like a bolt from the blue to Yun Xi. She immediately grabbed Yu Zhu's shoulders excitedly and exclaimed:
"I understand, Yu Zhu! Thank goodness, I finally know what's going on!!"
Yu Zhu looked at the bird in Yun Xi's hand, scared out of her wits. But Yun Xi happily thanked the bird a few times and gently buried it under the osmanthus tree.