"You child, why are you so stubborn?"
"Isn't it because I take after you!"
The father and daughter went back and forth, neither willing to give in. Meanwhile, Qi Yu, who was caught by Yun Xi and used as a temporary shield, suddenly smiled.
Steadying himself, he firmly blocked Yun Xi behind him.
"Prime Minister Yun, why not let your daughter go? Maybe there will be some unexpected gains."
"Moreover, it was also your daughter who proposed the strategy regarding the resettlement of the displaced people last month. Thanks to that, the court was able to respond in time, and no major disaster occurred for the time being."
Originally, he had ended his travels because of his assignment in the northwest. He never expected that a heavy snowfall would bring such a disaster.
Thanks to Yun Xi's reminder last time, he realized the seriousness of the matter. Otherwise, things would probably be much worse than they were now!
Since then, he had also noticed that Yun Xi was different from others. He thought she was very smart and had an unusual way of thinking. Maybe she was the key to solving the current dilemma!
"Really?"
Hearing this, Yun Sheng looked at his daughter suspiciously. It was hard for him to believe that his daughter, who had always stayed in the boudoir, would have such foresight.
It was very difficult for ordinary people to make correct and effective countermeasures in a short time when facing problems. Moreover, that strategy was so detailed and comprehensive that it had effectively solved the urgent problem.
Looking at Qi Yu's smiling face and then at her father's solemn expression, Yun Xi felt caught in a dilemma for a moment.
Although it was she who had warned Qi Yu in advance about the possible outbreak of plague among the displaced people, as for the disaster - relief strategy, she might know one or two things, but the detailed and perfect one was actually told by Qi Rong.
At this moment, it was related to whether she could go outside the city gate. So in the end, she nodded and said seriously:
"So, I sincerely beg father to give me a chance to help the displaced people."
Anyway, she should go outside the city first and then think about other things.
Yun Sheng pondered for a while, wavering between his daughter and the displaced people. Finally, he agreed.
"Okay, but you must stay by my side all the time. Don't run around, and don't contact the displaced people without permission!"
In this way, he could minimize the risk of his daughter getting sick.
"Thank you, father!"
Hearing this, Yun Xi immediately excitedly stepped forward and hugged Yun Sheng's arm. Just like before, there was no estrangement between them, which made Yun Sheng smile wryly but also feel inexplicably happy.
"All this is for whom?"
Yun Sheng sighed softly and ruffled his daughter's hair.
Qi Yu watched the affectionate father - daughter duo. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the space behind him. Suddenly, he felt a bit empty, but he quickly recovered and walked towards Yun Xi.
"Then we'd better not waste any time. Let's go outside the city gate quickly."
"Is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince also going?"
Yun Sheng looked at Qi Yu in surprise, and there was also a flicker of surprise in Yun Xi's eyes.
Since the situation outside the city was unknown, except for the people from the Imperial Medical Bureau, few people dared to go out of the city. Yun Sheng was worried about his daughter, so he was willing to accompany her at the risk of his life. But Qi Yu was different.
As the crown prince, he didn't have to put himself in danger. Moreover, if it was proved that there was indeed a new infectious disease among the displaced people, if the crown prince were infected, it would shake the foundation of the country!
"It's okay. I trust your daughter."
Qi Yu smiled at Yun Xi and then continued:
"If anything happens, I'll take full responsibility!"
This meant that Yun Sheng didn't have to worry about being implicated.
There were probably few such kind people in the world, Yun Xi thought to herself. She tugged at her father's sleeve.
"Father, let His Royal Highness the Crown Prince go. According to my inference, it shouldn't be as terrible as you think."
Hearing his daughter being so presumptuous after just a few polite words from the crown prince, Yun Sheng didn't know whether to cry or to laugh.
So, he didn't stop them. The three of them went outside the city gate together.
The soldiers in charge of guarding the city gate were on high alert when they saw the crown prince and the prime minister coming. Zhang Yuanpan, who was in charge of this incident, also led the people from the Imperial Medical Bureau to greet them.
Zhang Yuanpan was both surprised and worried about their arrival.
He was surprised because the court had given them a strict order, and they were currently in a complete mess without any clue. With the wisdom of these two people, maybe they could give them some effective suggestions.
What he was worried about was that the current situation was constantly changing. If these two people accidentally got infected with the disease, the Imperial Medical Bureau would also be held responsible!
At Zhang Yuanpan's request, all three of them wrapped white cloth around their faces to cover their noses and mouths. They were allowed to observe from a distance without contacting the patients.
It was noon at this moment. Although it was snowing heavily, there was still a long queue in front of the court's porridge sheds.
Some newly - arrived displaced people even squeezed through the crowd desperately and rushed to the front. As soon as they got the porridge, they quickly squatted on the open space beside and gobbled it up. They didn't care about the scalding porridge at all. After quickly finishing it, they stood at the back of the crowd again and continued to queue up.
Yun Xi watched from a distance. In just a short while, she saw that some people had received the porridge three or four times.
Since there were too many displaced people, the court had set up many porridge sheds to distribute porridge and steamed buns. Due to the shortage of manpower, no one recorded whether the displaced people received too much food.
"Master Zhang, is it really okay to let the disaster victims keep getting the relief food like this?"
Yun Xi asked. Knowing that Yun Xi was the eldest daughter of the prime minister, Zhang Yuanpan didn't dare to be negligent. He sighed and said:
"Alas, these disaster victims are really pitiful. They are all so afraid of hunger. So when they see food, they can't control themselves. Fortunately, the grain allocated by the court is enough to cope with the situation."
Doctors have a kind heart. In fact, they had noticed this situation a long time ago, but they couldn't bear to stop it.
As time passed, they got used to it.
Yun Xi frowned. Yun Sheng said:
"Xier, didn't you say you had a way to solve the problem of the sudden death of the displaced people? Master Zhang is here. Why don't you tell him about it in detail?"
Hearing Yun Sheng's words, Zhang Yuanpan looked at Yun Xi in surprise.
"Really? If Miss Yun has a countermeasure, that would be great!"
He originally thought that this little girl had come with her father just to watch the fun. But after hearing this, Zhang Yuanpan didn't look down on Yun Xi just because she was a woman.
His look towards Yun Xi was filled with a bit more expectation.
Yun Xi looked at the displaced people in front of the porridge shed with a worried look in her eyes.
"Just talking won't do. I have to verify it."
If she wanted to convince these people, it couldn't be done with just a few words. Even if she talked herself hoarse, she had to show convincing evidence. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been at a loss until now.
They just hadn't tried enough!
After Yun Xi finished speaking, her eyes involuntarily searched around. Suddenly, she saw a horse eating not far away. Her eyes immediately lit up.
Without saying a word, she walked straight towards the horse. Seeing the wheat bran in the manger, she immediately scooped up a handful and quickly walked towards the porridge shed.
"Please make way."
Yun Xi spoke in a soft voice. The soldiers in charge of distributing the porridge knew she was a noble person and immediately made way.
Yun Xi stepped forward, and with the wheat bran in her palm, she scattered it into the pot. Moreover, she picked up a copper ladle and quickly stirred the wheat bran into the porridge.
"What are you doing?!"
"How could she be so vicious?"
"She doesn't treat us like human beings at all!"
The voices of condemnation came one after another. The displaced people were furious, wishing they could skin Yun Xi alive!