At that time, Madam Yue Zhao gathered all the remains she could find in the sinkhole, and the victims of the human trafficking case recounted their ordeals and rescues.
The two major cases that had been causing a stir ultimately pointed their suspicions squarely at the Lin Family business.
Coupled with the deliberate act of spreading the virus and the madness of silencing witnesses, the Lin Family business became a public enemy, reviled by all. They were raided and their entire lineage wiped out that very day.
Lu Qingwan and Si Fengwu, in turn, transformed from ruthless villains into heroes who had saved the world.
The chieftains of Yue Zhao and Long'an also expressed their willingness to lead the six million people of the Wu tribe in complete submission to the court.
Everything was blossoming and prosperous.
However, within the Hall of Mental Cultivation, a somber atmosphere prevailed.
Several important ministers, upon learning of the cholera virus outbreak, were utterly bewildered.
After a long pause, the Southern Prime Minister, in a daze, asked, "May I ask if the Consort has any methods to resolve this disaster?"
"I have methods, but medicine is not sorcery, and there are no guarantees. Furthermore, the Prince and I were in close contact with the source of the contagion yesterday, making it inconvenient for us to go out. Therefore, this fight against cholera and the pacification of the people will have to fall upon your esteemed shoulders, my lords."
The Southern Prime Minister quickly bowed, "The Consort is too kind. Yesterday, guided by the Prince and Consort, physicians from the Hospital of Mercy brought medicines and medical personnel, and the entire city has been disinfected. The apprentices from the Hospital of Mercy are distributing medicinal herbs from house to house and spreading methods of resisting the virus. Although the people fear this calamity, they are not in a panic. If the Consort can provide a solution, we should be able to overcome this difficulty in the shortest time and within the smallest scope."
The news the Southern Prime Minister brought was indeed good, but Lu Qingwan and Si Fengwu were not children; how could they simply believe him entirely?
Si Fengwu, with his usual directness, said, "Prime Minister, if you are so diligent in reporting only good news and concealing bad, is it true that some people outside are already contemplating burning this Prince, the Consort, and those dozen or so Xuanjia Army soldiers to death to prevent the spread of cholera?"
Silence. A deathly silence.
Had it not been for their extraordinary cultivation, allowing them to clearly hear the breathing of the officials outside, one might have thought they had all vanished.
After a moment, footsteps sounded, followed by Elder Wen's smiling voice, "I told you long ago that your ill-conceived ideas could not be hidden from the Prince and Consort. Do you believe it now?"
"Grandfather! Why are you here?" Wen Rusong exclaimed, rushing over. "Weren't you told that you and Elder Chi are elderly and in poor health, and that you should stay home and offer suggestions? Let us handle the rest? Why did you still come to the palace?"
Elder Wen chuckled, "I have lived eighty years and have lived long enough. If someone truly needs to risk their life to block the virus, it should be old folks like us. What sort of situation is it where you young people are at the forefront?" As he spoke, he stepped forward and pulled aside the curtain that separated Si Fengwu and the Consort from the others.
Seeing Lu Qingwan and Si Fengwu in protective gear, Elder Wen smiled. "Even if the Prince and Consort wrap themselves up like this, those who are ungrateful will still suspect that you two are sick and intend to drag the entire world down with you. Such is the coldness of human hearts. Have the Prince and Consort not considered a different approach to manage this sudden cholera outbreak?"
Elder Wen had always been judicious and understood when to advance and when to retreat. Even when Si Fengwu still recognized him as his maternal grandfather, he had never assumed an elder's airs with Si Fengwu and Lu Qingwan. This was the first time he had been so casual within the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Everyone was stunned. Lu Qingwan was the first to react, "Elder Wen, you must already have a brilliant plan in mind. Why not enlighten us!"
The other ministers echoed her sentiments. Si Fengwu had not summoned them to the palace; these ministers had come of their own volition. Those who dared to enter the palace knowing he and Lu Qingwan had come into contact with the cholera virus possessed a sense of patriotism in their bones. It was precisely because they understood the horror of cholera that they disregarded their own lives, seeking only to help the people of the new capital overcome the crisis as quickly as possible. Therefore, upon hearing Elder Wen's words, they became anxious, wishing for a method to completely resolve this cholera crisis immediately.
Elder Wen stroked his beard and said leisurely, "I understand nothing of medicine. The method to treat your cholera still relies on the Consort. However, I do know why those commoners in the city dare to demand that the Prince and Consort commit suicide to prevent the spread of cholera."
Lu Qingwan was amused, "There are truly people who want the Prince and me to die? Who is so bold? Did they not consider that if the Prince and I were to die, the cholera would be left ungoverned and would spread even more wildly?"
Years had passed, and Lu Qingwan's status as the divine physician of the era was unshakeable. In the current era, in the southeastern three kingdoms and one part, no one could mobilize personnel and resources as swiftly as the Four Winds Without Trace to help the people of the new capital solve the cholera outbreak. Those who demanded Si Fengwu and Lu Qingwan's deaths likely hadn't considered whether they themselves would survive after harming them.
Elder Wen turned to look at Tang Xiao and Wen Rusong, "It has been a day and a night since the cholera virus was discovered. Who incited the clamor for the Prince and Consort to die? The Shence Army should have some leads by now, shouldn't they?"
Tang Xiao's face was extremely grim, and he stood there speechless. Si Fengwu's expression turned slightly cold, "What? The Shence Army cannot even handle this minor matter?"
Seeing this, Wen Rusong kicked Tang Xiao. The latter pursed his lips and said with a remarkably complex tone, "Your Highness, please quell your anger. I have already identified the person who initially issued the statement demanding the Prince and Consort commit suicide to prevent future trouble. The individuals spreading such radical rhetoric are not isolated; they are from the Great Qian, who followed us from Shangjing. While one or two individuals incited and instigated, those people are not innocent either."
This was an answer that absolutely surprised everyone. Even Han Guang, who was usually calm and reserved, was stunned, "Why? Who knows better than them the good deeds the Prince and Consort have done for the people of the southeastern three kingdoms and one part? Why would they do this? What benefit would forcing the Prince and Consort to die bring them?"
There were tens of thousands of officials, big and small, in the new dynasty, and not all of them entered the court out of gratitude for Si Fengwu and Lu Qingwan's benevolence. For upright individuals like Han Guang, if Si Fengwu and Lu Qingwan were of no benefit to the world, he would not follow them, even if they had been his benefactors. Therefore, when Si Fengwu and Lu Qingwan, whom he highly respected, were slandered in such a manner, he could not comprehend it. In fact, not only Han Guang but other ministers were also bewildered.
Tang Xiao couldn't help but scoff, "Because they believe themselves to be citizens of Great Qian, and the Prince also achieved his current status through the cultivation of the Great Qian Emperor and Prime Minister. Therefore, they should be superior. However, after the laws of the new dynasty were promulgated, taxes in the war zones were exempted, and water channels and streets were built for the people of the new capital. They did not enjoy any benefits from this. Hence, they would rather the new dynasty have a new ruler than have the Prince and Consort as their masters."