Chapter 309: Doing the Opposite

Xingping County, Xipingfang.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."

Early in the morning, Xiao Yun came to the camp with a group of Xingping County yamen runners. When she saw the empress, she hurriedly bowed.

These days, she has been busy handling the official business of Xingping County. She is responsible for mobilizing resources, preventing and treating blood plague, and calming people's hearts. She is truly in charge of the overall situation. She is so busy every day that she doesn't even have time to pay her respects to the emperor.

It was not until today that she was a little more relaxed.

Jiang Chengwan waved her hand.

"Your Majesty, you don't have to be so polite. Please stand up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Everyone stood up, but only Xiao Yun raised his head. The other yamen runners all lowered their heads tacitly, not daring to look at the empress's true face.

Lest they show any ugliness.

You must know that the current emperor is a peerless beauty. With their determination that even the mediocre women in the land of love and moon can hardly resist, if they look at her a few more times, they might be guilty of impoliteness in front of the emperor.

Let alone the empress, even Lord Xiao and his men didn't dare to look at him any more.

Although Lord Xiao was kind and had never said a harsh word since he came to Xingping County, and seemed easy to talk to, his status was there. If these little people accidentally offended him, who knows what would happen.

Since the lower body is not easy to control, it is better to control the eyes from the beginning.

As long as you don't look around, you won't make mistakes or offend.

Da Da Da...

Xiao Yun walked forward slowly and asked, "Your Majesty, where is Minister Lu?"

Jiang Chengwan glanced at the entrance of the ward on the side and said lightly, "He is in the ward teaching the doctors of the Qingnang Division to treat the people. It will take a while before he can come out. Xiao Aiqing, please wait."

Xiao Yun came here this time because Lu Chen said he had something important to discuss. Hearing what Jiang Chengwan said, she nodded.

"Yes."

As she said that, she moved her steps and stood beside Jiang Chengwan with Chai Hongyu.

After a moment, Xiao Yun asked again: "Your Majesty, has Minister Lu found a way to completely cure the blood plague?"

After she finished speaking, there was a hope in her eyes.

There was a subtle tremor in her words.

That was the blood plague that had left countless people of lofty ideals in all dynasties helpless!

It was a horrible spiritual disaster that even cultivators could not escape. Countless lives had died tragically in the past thousands of years, but no one had ever developed a cure. They could only barely manage it and prevent its spread.

She was an important official in the previous dynasty, with a rich resume and outstanding political achievements, including the management of the blood plague. Moreover, her performance in managing the blood plague was extremely outstanding, and the late emperor even issued three imperial edicts to commend her.

However, she refused the subsequent commendation. No matter what the late emperor said, even if it was disobedience, she did not accept any reward.

Because, the management of the blood plague that time was a shadow of her life.

She personally ordered the officers and soldiers to seal off the blood plague area, and drove all of them to the designated area to fend for themselves, regardless of whether they were infected with the blood plague or not;

She witnessed people in the epidemic area getting infected one after another, and then dying in despair in extremely painful struggles, until she was sure that there was no one alive in all places where the plague spirit energy might exist;

Finally, she burned everything with a fire, and returned to Beijing sadly looking at the scorched earth on the ground...

Logically speaking, she was born in the Jeju Xiao family, one of the five surnames of the Great Xia Dynasty. She should have trained a heart of stone long ago, but the fact is that until today, she has not been able to completely come out of it.

In terms of managing the blood plague, she is not the most ruthless. On the contrary, she is relatively gentle. The real ruthless people will not let the officers and soldiers drive away the people, but directly use the Burning Heaven Array to turn the blood plague outbreak area within a radius of 100 miles into scorched earth, and put an end to it all.

But even so, she occasionally wakes up from cruel nightmares and then can't sleep all night.

Now that she heard that Lu Chen had successfully saved a cultivator, how could she be indifferent?

Jiang Chengwan didn't notice anything strange about her at this time, and responded casually: "Well, the day before yesterday, Lu Qing used a knife to cut open the chest of a sick female cultivator in the Kongling Instrument, took out the aggregated substance of the plague spirit from it, and then used the suturing technique to eliminate the direct threat of blood explosion to the human body."

"After solving the blood explosion fundamentally, you only need to repair and continuously nourish the spirit veins, and then use drugs that help the five internal organs to recover, and you can gradually heal."

Although she didn't know how Lu Chen came up with the unheard-of treatment method of disemboweling a living person, the principle was actually not complicated. Lu Chen explained it briefly, and she, who didn't know medicine, could easily understand it.

It was not difficult to explain.

Hearing this, Xiao Yun's eyes lit up slightly. She was naturally intelligent, so she quickly understood the principle of Lu Chen's healing method.

"You can actually think of such a method..."

You know, this method sounds simple, but there is no precedent after all. From zero to one is the most difficult step, and Lu Chen is willing to risk blood explosion to verify it personally...

The latter alone is extremely valuable.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but sigh.

It must be said that apart from cultivation, Lu Chen is really much stronger than her.

Talent, ability, character... No matter which aspect, he is almost unreal as a minister.

Every time Xiao Yun sees him, she always has a sense of unreality.

Too perfect!

Of course, no one is perfect. In Xiao Yun's opinion, Lu Chen is not without shortcomings.

For example, he is too stubborn and inflexible;

For example, he is too slow in some aspects and too unromantic.

But compared with his near-perfect talents and character, this shortcoming, which I don't know if it's a shortcoming strictly speaking, seems a bit inconspicuous.

As I thought about it, my mind drifted to the time when Lu Chen had just emerged.

Upright and unyielding, not afraid of power, sticking to his heart, never wavering, and looking forward to death, Lu Chen's existence seems to be interpreting the true way of being an official, just like what she imagined before she became an official...

Xiao Yun couldn't help but be distracted.

But after all, she is an important minister of two dynasties who has experienced the officialdom. Although she is too young compared to most ministers of the Zhuguo, her resume is not much worse than that of the old ministers. After experiencing so many things, her state of mind is naturally impossible. Like a little girl who has just begun to have a love affair.

In just a moment, she came back to her senses, and then reported to Jiang Chengwan the latest official duties while waiting for Lu Chen to come out.

And just when she was talking about the lingering aura of monsters in Xingping County Yamen——

Bang!

There was a sudden muffled sound in the ward.

Xiao Yun's expression condensed, and she subconsciously gathered the surging spiritual power in her body.

"This is…"

Jiang Chengwan looked calm, as if he was used to this.

"Blood explosion."

she said lightly.

Xiao Yun's expression changed slightly.

The blood explosion is not only terrifying because of the explosion, but the epidemic aura that spreads rapidly after the explosion is also extremely dangerous.

She subconsciously wanted to remind her, but Jiang Chengwan, who still looked calm and calm, put his hands behind his hands and took the initiative to explain: "Xiao Aiqing, don't panic. After the hematoma is removed, it will explode within a few breaths, but ordinary people's The blood explosion is far away from the cultivator and can be dealt with directly with the mid-level defensive array. Now that the blood explosion has started, it seems that Lu Qing will come out soon. "

Hearing this, the solemn look on Xiao Yun's face immediately dissipated.

"I see."

As if to confirm Jiang Chengwan's words, within half a cup of tea, the door of the ward was opened, and then Lu Chen, Li Yue, Liu Ruowei and other medical officers from the Qingnang Bureau filed out, looking very tired.

"Do you remember everything?"

As he walked out, Lu Chen rubbed his increasingly painful temples and said to the people around him: "Before performing the operation, you must use an endoscope to observe clearly to determine the condition of the patient's body; when performing the operation, , you must be cautious, your hands must be steady, your heart must be careful, and you must not touch the aorta and other internal organs. The tool used must be a spirit-possessed blade, and its carrier must pass through the evil-killing array to ensure that neither you nor the tool are harmed. Only those with evil spirits can act."

"The physiques of ordinary people are different from those of cultivators, and the meridian systems are obviously different. Therefore, the treatment methods adopted are also different. You must not get confused..."

He took the trouble to repeat what he had just taught in the ward. The medical officer beside him did not show any impatience, but kept nodding, remembering every key point he said, and recorded it in the small notebook he carried with him. .

After leaving the ward, when everyone saw Jiang Chengwan, they all paid homage and saluted.

Jiang Chengwan waved his hand to signal everyone to excuse themselves, and then looked at Lu Chen.

"Lu Qing, how is the situation?"

Lu Chen cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, the medical officer coming from Qingnang Bureau has roughly mastered this method and can be ordered to go to various wards to treat people immediately."

After the words fell, Liu Ruowei and others also agreed.

Although it was just an on-site teaching, I am not sure what will happen when I actually start doing it. After all, it is the first time and it involves human lives. No one can guarantee that they will succeed.

But even if they bite the bullet, they have to go.

After all, there is no time now for them to slowly practice control.

There are too many people infected with the blood epidemic in Xingping County. These patients are at risk of blood explosions every moment. Although Lu Shangshu has the courage to do his job and works hard personally, he is only one person after all, and those who are infected with the disease are at risk. There are thousands of people, and even if he is exhausted, he will not be able to handle them.

In this case, let alone letting them practice for two and a half years, it would be good to have a few live demonstrations.

Moreover, the number of medical officers from Qingnang Bureau this time was only a few dozen, and the manpower was also insufficient. Therefore, after they mastered the surgical method, they must teach the medical officers of Qingningwei as soon as possible, so as to solve the problem of insufficient manpower.

"In that case, it shouldn't be too late."

Jiang Chengwan took out a token from his arms and handed it to Liu Ruowei.

"Liu Aiqing, I appoint you as the special envoy for the treatment of the epidemic. You will be in charge of all matters related to the treatment of the people. You can freely dispatch Qingning Guard military doctors and mobilize the Xingping County treasury. If you have any other supplements, you can ask Mr. Xiao Ge at any time."

As she said that, she turned her head and looked at Xiao Yun aside.

"Xiao Aiqing, please try your best to help Liu Aiqing save the people of Xingping County."

Xiao Yun bowed and responded: "No."

Liu Ruowei stepped forward solemnly, knelt down on one knee, and took the golden token from Jiang Chengwan's hand.

"I will definitely live up to your majesty's trust."

In the etiquette of emperors and ministers in Daxia, there are very few kneeling rituals. When meeting the emperor on a regular basis, you only need to bow and hold your hands. Only in major activities such as worshiping heaven, large court gatherings, or undertaking important missions, are you granted the talisman symbolizing the supreme imperial power. You need to kneel down and worship only when you are holding a sword, a sword, an axe, or an axe.

As a top talented woman famous in the capital, Liu Ruowei would not be rude at such an important moment.

Obtaining the imperial order from the emperor when she first entered officialdom was both a heavy responsibility and an extremely rare opportunity for her.

Only by climbing to a higher position and raising the status of Qingnang Bureau can she obtain more resources, better realize her pursuit of medicine, and... live up to the kindness of Lu Shangshu!

Soon, the medical officers from the Qingnang Bureau took the order and left, leaving only Liu Ruowei.

After the medical officer left, Lu Chen, Jiang Chengwan and others came to a temporary tent not far away.

Lu Chen couldn't do everything by himself. In his position, he had more important things to do than being a doctor and personally treating the people. For this reason, he asked the empress to hand over the important task of treating the people to Liu Ruowei. No comments at all, not a word was said the whole time.

Now that he has found a cure and taught it to a real healer, there is no need for him to be a dabbler anymore.

The tent is a handsome tent built by Qingning Guards with military supplies, and it is full of military style.

Jiang Chengwan sat on the main seat, Lu Chen sat on the lower left, Xiao Yun sat opposite Lu Chen, Liu Ruowei sat next to Xiao Yun, and Chai Hongyu, the former rebel leader, stood behind Jiang Chengwan as a guard with a sword in front of the emperor.

"Lu Qing."

As soon as he sat down, Jiang Chengwan took the lead and said, "What is the biggest problem currently regarding the blood epidemic?"

"As expected."

Lu Chen took a sip of water, and then said in a deep voice: "Although the hematoma can be removed through surgery, the hematoma absorbs most of the human body's blood and essence. After the removal, the sick person will inevitably fall into an extremely weak state, and must use A lot of great supplements to make up for the deficiencies in the body.”

"The number of people infected with the blood epidemic in Xingping County is conservatively estimated to be close to 10,000. Shang Yao Bureau doesn't know if it can afford such a huge drug expenditure. Even if it can, given the current situation of the national treasury..."

The words stopped abruptly here.

At the end of the day, it's still a question of money.

Although Daxia's current treasury has gotten rid of the deficit, it is not yet rich enough to spend money casually.

Daxia is really too big. It spans hundreds of thousands of miles from north to south, and there are places to spend money everywhere. Although the New Deal has been gradually implemented with the empress coming to power and Lu Chen coming to power, it is impossible to have significant changes in just one year. As a result, at most it can only change the capital and some directly governed provinces.

With such a large sum of money suddenly appearing, Wu Yue, who had only had a few days of prosperity, was probably going to wallow in the Wuji Palace.

Jiang Chengwan groaned and asked, "Isn't the internal money not enough?"

Lu Chen shook his head.

"Enough is enough, but His Majesty's internal funds are related to the operation of the emerging royal industry. Sufficient funds must be reserved for emergencies. Now is a critical period for starting. In addition, the royal industry is related to the New Deal and cannot be used easily unless it is absolutely necessary."

Hearing this, Jiang Chengwan couldn't help frowning and thinking.

"and…"

However, before she could think of a feasible solution, Lu Chen spoke again.

"In addition to medicinal materials, there is actually a key issue that needs to be solved."

I saw him sitting upright, with a serious expression: "After the epidemic spiritual energy entered the body, due to the need to absorb the spiritual energy, almost all ordinary people's physiques were forcibly changed by the hematoma, forming the prototype of spiritual veins. After the hematoma was removed, the spiritual veins were They will not disappear. If left alone, even if there is no threat of blood explosion, they will die because their spiritual veins are completely exhausted, so..."

At this point, he took a deep breath and his tone became quite bitter.

"In addition to a large number of great tonics, it is also necessary to build a large-scale spirit gathering array and spirit pool, consume a large amount of spirit stones to maintain the operation of the array, and forcibly refine the spiritual energy to nourish the prototype of the spiritual veins in the patient's body until the spiritual veins are completely activated. Let him become a cultivator until he can absorb and refine spiritual energy by himself."

Hearing this, Jiang Chengwan's expression changed slightly.

At the same time, it nourishes the spiritual veins of tens of thousands of quasi-cultivators, or quasi-warriors...

How many spiritual stones are needed?

Will this empty out the national treasury?

The mithril, fine gold, talismans and the like to construct the large array are easy to say, the spirit gathering array is not a complicated formation, and the spirit pool is easy to say, but maintaining the operation of the spirit gathering array requires the consumption of a large amount of spirit stones.

Nowadays, most spiritual stones come from secret realms, and more than half of the secret realms are in the hands of noble families. The imperial court's self-produced spiritual stones can barely maintain the operation of the huge empire. This is still the situation after Lu Chen came to power. It was even more difficult before.

Where can I find so many spiritual stones in a short time?

It also takes time to transport spirit stones.

You must know that it is not easy to preserve spiritual stones, and transportation is even more difficult, even more difficult than transporting food.

Unless the noble families who control the spiritual stones are robbed...

Um?

Stealing honors?

Jiang Chengwan's mind inexplicably recalled a series of problems discovered when Lu Chen was promoted to the right minister of the Ministry of Industry a year ago when he went to inspect the construction site due to problems with the Wuji Palace project, as well as the abnormal loss of spirit-possessed materials and the disappearance of waste materials. An unsolved case.

At this thought, she suddenly narrowed her eyes.

At this moment, she seemed to have figured something out, and her eyes became a little subtle.

Lu Chen didn't pay attention to the strange look on her face at this time, and continued: "Save people to the end. No matter what, the court must collect as many spiritual stones as possible."

Hearing this, Xiao Yun immediately understood why Lu Chen specially asked her to come over for the meeting.

She didn't directly refuse and said it was impossible, nor did she complain that Lu Chen had given her difficult problems. Instead, she pondered for a while, and then asked:

"Lu Shangshu, do you have any plans?"

Chai Hongyu and Liu Ruowei also looked at Lu Chen.

"I have an immature idea."

Lu Chen turned his head and looked at Xiao Yun, and said softly: "Mr. Xiao is knowledgeable and intelligent. Please help me to consider it and see if it is possible to implement it."

Hearing this, Jiang Chengwan couldn't help but put away her thoughts and looked at Lu Chen with curiosity.

He thought that Lu Chen was just raising a problem today and asked her, the emperor, to help solve it.

But he didn't expect that he had come up with a solution.

In her impression, although Lu Chen was talented and capable, he always acted in a gentlemanly way and solved problems in an upright manner. To put it bluntly, he was reckless and not good at strategy.

This was the case of Xia Yan, the flood control in the two states, and the incident in Huangzhou. He never showed any strategy.

And now, the problem of money is there. No matter how reckless he is, he can't get money. Jiang Chengwan couldn't figure out what solution Lu Chen could come up with.

Xiao Yun smiled slightly and said softly, "Please speak, Minister Lu."

Lu Chen cleared his throat and slowly said, "I think we can start with the price of spirit stones and set up a trap in the capital."

"Set up a trap?"

Chai Hongyu tilted her head, a little confused.

"Governor, do you want to lower the price of spirit stones and then buy them in large quantities?"

Xiao Yun did not speak, but carefully thought about Lu Chen's words.

Starting with the price, setting up a trap in the capital

Having been in a high position for many years, she naturally knew what a trap was, but she didn't know what trap Lu Chen was going to set, how to set it up, and who he was targeting.

After a moment, she suddenly had an idea.

Although there are many spirit stones in the capital, they may not meet the needs of such a large-scale spirit gathering array. To be on the safe side, we must find a way to let the spirit stones from other places flow into the capital.

And the price cannot be high, otherwise the court cannot afford it.

Therefore, we must not only let the Lingshi merchants from other places take the initiative to transport Lingshi to the capital, but also let them be willing to sell at a low price, even if the court sells on credit.

It is almost impossible to do both at the same time.

It is already extremely difficult to drive them to transport Lingshi to the capital to sell, let alone other things.

Unless

Under the gaze of everyone, Lu Chen shook his head and said calmly: "No, I want to raise the price of Lingshi in the capital as much as possible, and purchase a large amount of Lingshi in the name of the Ministry of Industry, no matter how expensive it is."

"Ah?"

Chai Hongyu was stunned for a moment. (End of this chapter)