Seeking Truth with a Sword-Chapter 516 - 467 Pressure

Chapter 516: Chapter 467 Pressure
"From the perspective of the common people, they have their reasons for doing so."
Li Ang sighed. "The family members of the confirmed patients who are taken away for quarantine are as good as missing. In people’s eyes, isn’t that equivalent to walking right up to the Ghost Gate? They’d rather secretly deal with the bodies to avoid the risk of being taken away for quarantine."
He spread his hands with a wry smile. "I want the common people to believe in the officials, to believe in Yu Country, but empty promises are meaningless. The staff I brought from Shuo Province, who have gone through training, aren’t enough, so I can only rely on the local people from Taiyuan Prefecture, plus the garrison’s manpower. What kind of officials do the common people in Taiyuan Prefecture usually encounter? How can I make them trust us?"
"So you want to use the people from the Wang Family?"
He Fanshuang, who had also heard some rumors, asked with a frown.
"Mhm."
Li Ang nodded, expressing his distaste. "Although I really don’t like the Wang Family, their influence and credibility in Taiyuan Prefecture are indeed stronger than the Government Office. The common people may not believe the official announcements, but if someone from the Wang Family comes knocking on their door, perhaps the people will listen to what they say."
He Fanshuang asked, "The Wang Family is trapped in the city by you; are they willing to work for you?"
"That’s the thing about thousand-year-old families; they’ve lasted for so long that they’ve lost their vigor. Everything is about the family’s survival and interests as the top priority. So, their behavior patterns are quite predictable."
Li Ang smiled. "The city gates are locked, and soldiers surround the outside. The Wang Family won’t openly betray the country and collectively flee. Therefore, their best course of action is still to cooperate with me, persuading the common people to follow the plague prevention regulations. At the very least, they can help the Government Office contain the rampant plague in the city, to prevent it from wiping out the Wang Family residence."
"There will be pushback."
He Fanshuang warned, "Even in Chang’an, I’ve heard rumors saying your management in Taiyuan Prefecture is excessively cruel, not befitting the actions of the Medicine King God. They still want to pressure you through other means, to force you to let them leave Taiyuan Prefecture."
"Huh, the Wang Family is a vast tree with many branches. If they don’t step forward themselves, they’ll have closely connected people in Chang’an to speak on their behalf. That’s very normal."
Li Ang’s eyes narrowed as he spoke softly, "It’s just a power struggle, isn’t it? Who’s afraid of whom?"
Suppressing noble families has also been a long-standing desire of the Li Yu Royal Family. Both the Emperor and the Academic Palace are on my side; the Wang Family, entrenched in Taiyuan for a thousand years, won’t be able to easily turn the tables.
"It’s good that you have a plan."
He Fanshuang nodded. "Is there anything I can help with?"
"There actually is."
Li Ang grinned. "I need to develop a medicine that can cure the plague as quickly as possible, and you will exercise the power of the Hedong Road Observer."
"Me?"
He Fanshuang raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"That’s right."
Li Ang nodded. "No matter how well the policies to contain the plague are made, they ultimately need to be executed by people. I’ve drastically changed everything in Taiyuan Prefecture and hurt the interests of many. From the noble families to the bureaucracy’s clerks, many harbor a deep-seated hatred for me and the containment policies I’ve set for the plague.
"They fear the Chang’an Court and the Academic Palace and dare not openly oppose my commands. However, they will surreptitiously act dishonestly and even over-execute the orders, leaving me to take the blame.
"For example, I’ve ordered that the shops in Taiyuan Prefecture must not inflate prices. The officials responsible for executing this order then go out of their way to cause trouble. Even if a grain shop justifiably raises the price by a single cent due to transportation and storage reasons, these officials will use my authority to forcibly shut down that grain shop. This makes it impossible for the nearby common people to buy affordable food and pushes the blame onto me.
"Another example: I’ve ordered the hiring of carriages in the city to transport living supplies. These officials would then rent vehicles normally used for hauling manure and use them to deliver meat and grain to the common people, claiming it was a reasonable use of idle vehicles. In reality, they disgusted the public, letting me, the Chang’an Court, and the Academic Palace bear the brunt of the criticism.
"I stated the isolation wards must treat everyone equally, yet they dared to pack additional beds into the wards and then placed pregnant women suspected of being ill in the worst corners. Should these pregnant women unfortunately miscarry, they would even smile gleefully as the citizens hurled accusations of inhumanity upon the heads of those who issued the orders.
"Raising the banner of support for me while acting against me in practice—this is always the case."
Li Ang’s tone was ice cold as he said, "In troubled times, strict laws are necessary, and now is such a time. Since these people are so fond of the plague, let them be locked up in rat-infested prisons till the epidemic is over."
"..."
He Fanshuang noticed the cruel intent in Li Ang’s tone and frowned slightly, but she didn’t voice any objections, only asking, "How are you so familiar with the strategies of low-level clerks? I recall you haven’t served in a junior public position before."
"Well, uh, haha, I learned it from books."
Li Ang laughed it off and changed the subject. "The Taiyuan Governor has ability but lacks courage. Through him, you can monitor the enforcement of Taiyuan’s orders. For those who commit crimes, arrest those who must be arrested, imprison those who must be imprisoned, and execute those who must be executed."
"Alright."
He Fanshuang nodded decisively. She had scored full marks in the Yu Law courses at the Academic Palace and knew precisely which legal clauses to apply to punish criminals to the fullest extent while preventing any damage to the credibility of the Government Office and the Yu Law.
However, she and Qiu Feng exchanged a silent glance, reaching an unspoken consensus.
Li Ang wouldn’t normally say things like ’kill them all.’ The tragedies and man-made disasters he had witnessed recently had indeed put too much pressure on him. After all, the lives of a million people were at stake.
"Let’s not talk about this anymore."
Li Ang, oblivious to the exchange of glances between the two women, shook his head and asked, "The Mountain Master mentioned in a letter that he would send a Master to protect me. Has Doctor Tantai Leshan returned from the front?"
"Then I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed."
He Fanshuang gestured toward the door. Surprised, Li Ang pushed it open and saw Xi Yangyu in the hall, sitting opposite Yan Yundang, sipping tea and reading a newspaper.
"Why is it him?"
Li Ang’s eye twitched.
Of the four Masters from the Academic Palace, Talismanic Master Tantai Leshan and Body Study Division Master Xue Che had both gone to the Zhou Kingdom’s frontlines. That left Sword Study Master Cui Yixian and Mind Study Master Xi Yangyu. He had assumed it would be either Tantai Leshan or Cui Yixian teaming up with Yan Yundang to protect him. He never expected it to be Xi Yangyu. Putting aside their past grievances, Xi Yangyu is notorious for his love of money and opportunism. Faced with the thousand-year-old family, the Wang Family, he would probably sell me out at the first opportunity.
"You think I wanted to come?"
Xi Yangyu heard Li Ang’s complaint and snorted coldly, flipping the newspaper. "In the Chang’an Ghost Market, someone has already offered a reward for your head. Your life is worth five hundred thousand strings of coins. If someone can capture you alive, the reward is one million strings. Kid, don’t sleep too soundly at night."
"Hmph."
Li Ang pursed his lips and declared loudly, "Ouyang Shi, make a cup of tea for your master."
"Eh."
Ouyang Shi, who was still in the laboratory, swiftly brewed a cup of tea and respectfully handed it over.
Seeing this, Xi Yangyu’s face twitched, and he demanded in a deep voice, "Make one for me as well."
Ouyang Shi cleverly positioned himself behind Li Ang as if he hadn’t heard a thing.
"Heh heh."
Seeing Xi Yangyu’s expression turn as if he had swallowed a fly, Li Ang grinned smugly and began to savor his tea.