Seeking Truth with a Sword-Chapter 512 - 463 Prince Manor

Chapter 512: Chapter 463 Prince Manor
As the gates on all sides of the city walls dropped, Taiyuan Prefecture officially became an isolated city.
The streets were under a complete curfew, and any idle persons were prohibited from moving about at night. Soldiers and Government Officials, wearing masks and armbands and carrying lanterns, patrolled the entire city in small teams.
Entertainment venues such as pleasure boats and restaurants were all closed. The once bustling commercial streets, bright day and night, were now so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
The oppressive and solemn atmosphere affected the residential areas as well; every household unconsciously lowered their voices as if reverting to a time before the invention of talisman lamps.
Yet, in the luxurious manor to the north of the city, the lights shone brightly all night long, and the sounds of music and revelry carried on without pause.
This was the residence of the Taiyuan Wang Family. To be precise, it was the residence of the Wang Family’s main branch.
The Taiyuan Wang Family, with its flourishing branches, constituted nearly a quarter of the city’s population. The main branch lived in the northern part of the city; other kinsfolk either resided in estates outside the city or in different State Mansions along Hedong Road. They only sent representatives during ancestral rites.
The night had deepened when a middle-aged man dressed in brocade left the noisy main hall, crossed through the courtyard, and arrived at a small house in the corner of the estate.
He stood before the door, took a mask from his chest, awkwardly put it on, then took out a key, unlocked the door, and entered.
Wang Jie, the once eloquent young master from the train, now sat behind a desk. His eyes were bloodshot and filled with veins. His originally handsome face had thinned considerably, and he held a book in his hands.
"Jie’er, I’ve come to see you."
The middle-aged man looked at Wang Jie with heartache. He was Wang Bo Fan, Wang Jie’s father, and also a candidate for the next Clan Chief of the Wang Family’s main branch.
"Dad," Wang Jie put down the book and said with a light cough, "has Wang Anlian’s wedding ended?"
"What do you mean ’that girl’? She’s your cousin," Wang Bo Fan scolded with a frown. Wang Anlian’s father, Wang Bojian, was his kinsman and also his biggest rival in the competition for Clan Chief.
Today was Wang Anlian’s wedding day. If Li Ang were here, he would surely recognize the groom as Chu Haoman, whom he had encountered in Qi Shui Village.
"Heh." Wang Jie sneered, his expression still disdainful.
Putting aside the competitive relationship between Wang Bo Fan and Wang Bojian, there was another matter. Wang Anlian, a legitimate daughter of the Wang Family, had actually married Chu Haoman. He came from a poor family, held no official post, and possessed unremarkable Cultivation. Even though Chu Haoman had married into her family, many within their clan still felt it was a disgrace to their family’s honor.
"Let’s not talk about them," Wang Bo Fan shook his head. "Have you taken your medicine today?"
Wang Jie pointed to an empty medicine bowl on a nearby table and complained, "Is this medicine even effective? I’ve been drinking it for so long, and my cough hasn’t improved at all."
Wang Bo Fan said irritably, "What do you know? This is a life-extending prescription from the Former Sui Sect’s Lihua Valley. To gather the ingredients, our people nearly ran their legs off, and a Cultivator even died. It cost nearly four hundred thousand strings of coins in total."
"If it can’t cure the illness, then no amount of money is useful," Wang Jie retorted, throwing his book down. "Didn’t that Li Ang arrive in Taiyuan Prefecture today? They say he’s the most talented Doctor in Yu Country. Why don’t we spend more money and invite him to examine me? I need to determine if what I have is that plague."
"...Do you think he’s like some common doctor, to be summoned or dismissed at will?" Wang Bo Fan rubbed his aching temples and said patiently, "He’s not even of age, yet he has already been appointed as the temporary Observer of Hedong Road—an occurrence rarely seen throughout history. He is also destined to be a Prince Consort. Even our Wang Family must treat him with the utmost respect and cannot afford to slight him in any way. Besides..."
Wang Bo Fan paused, then continued, "He just arrived in Taiyuan Prefecture today and immediately ordered a lockdown, using decisive measures to forbid anyone from entering or leaving. He has turned away everyone who came to seek favors or plead for leniency. His intentions are not friendly."
"If he sees my condition, might he not send me to a quarantine ward too?" Wang Jie chuckled. "Would he dare? This is Taiyuan—the Taiyuan of the Taiyuan Wang Family! Without our support, it’s impossible for him to accomplish anything in Taiyuan Prefecture."
"Hmm." Wang Bo Fan nodded noncommittally.
The Taiyuan Wang Family has flourished for a thousand years, its influence permeating every corner of this city. Among the common people, their authority far exceeds that of the government officials. Even Li Ang, who wields great power over Hedong Road, must give face to the Wang Family.
"First, you focus on getting better," Wang Bo Fan said after a moment of thought. "I’ll go see him. Many kinsmen and friends of our family have traveled from afar for this wedding, and we need to ensure they are properly settled. Moreover, it would be best to send the weaker elderly and children out of the city as soon as possible."
Members of noble families generally enjoyed far better physical health than commoners. This was due to good food and shelter, freedom from hard labor, and generations of selective marriages to optimize their lineage. However, when it came to epidemics, this advantage only reduced their mortality rate by a certain margin, sometimes by as little as ten percent.
The great plague in the 22nd year of Jian’an during Emperor Xian’s reign caused "grief from undealt-with dead in every household, and sounds of wailing in every chamber... some families were entirely wiped out, while others lost entire clans." Five of the Seven Jian’an Poets died during that time.
Epidemics do not discriminate based on lineage, status, intellect, or achievement; they treat everyone equally.
Wang Bo Fan told his son to focus on his recovery and read more. After leaving the small house, he relocked the door, called for a carriage, and headed towards the Governor Mansion.
He didn’t notice that after he left, the wardrobe door in the room creaked open. A bewitchingly beautiful woman emerged, giggling. She moved lithely and sat on Wang Jie’s thigh. Stretching out a slender, jade-like finger, she knocked the book from his hand. "What are you reading? Look at me."
"HEH HEH." Wang Jie embraced the beautiful woman—who was also his father’s concubine—and triumphantly produced a key from his sleeve. He said to his lover, "The old man doesn’t know I hid a key. COUGH. Being cooped up in here every day is driving me crazy..."
As he spoke, Wang Jie began to get handsy.
"Hey, what are you doing~~" his lover laughed, pushing his head away. But soon, she too began to cough, just like him. "COUGH. COUGH..."
---
A curfew was now in effect in the city. Sun Er and other Government Officials, whom Li Ang had met during the day, were patrolling the streets. Among them was the much shorter figure of a young man: Zhuo Sanlang.
Implementing the curfew required significant manpower. Consequently, the government had selected many young men from respectable families, temporarily enlisting them to bolster the ranks of Government Officials. Zhuo San was one of these recruits.
"Brother Sun Er, there’s a carriage over there!" On his first night patrol during the curfew, Zhuo San was overly excited. He spotted the approaching carriage from afar. "Should we go block it?"
Sun Er didn’t speak. Instead, he stood still, squinting to observe for a moment. Then, he lightly flicked Zhuo San on the head and said irritably, "Block what? That’s a Wang Family carriage. Just pretend you didn’t see it."
"OW!" Zhuo San rubbed the back of his head, puzzled. "Why? Didn’t we stop a Wang Family carriage during the day too?"
"You have to look at the carriage’s adornments," Sun Er explained. "Noble families have many rules and formalities. Only people of a certain status can ride in certain types of carriages. There’s a lot to learn about which carriages can be stopped and which ones can’t..."
Sitting inside the carriage, Wang Bo Fan didn’t hear the conversation between these minor figures. He rode all the way to the entrance of the Governor Mansion. After alighting from the carriage, he respectfully handed his visiting card to the guard.
Before long, someone came out and invited him into the Governor Mansion. He hadn’t even reached the main hall when Li Ang’s reprimanding voice reached his ears.