Chapter 113 - A monster is born

As Xia Chunyu returned safely home, a few days have passed since the new medicine made by Yu Xuan was initially administered. The results differ between Huangshan and Zhejiang, the latter performing much better, reducing the number of cases and deaths to nearly zero. The medicine was also deployed in Jiangsu, but Xia Chunyu had already gotten the epidemic under control much earlier, using the new medicine as a booster. 
Feng Long also proposed to sell his new medicine to Jiangxi, but Meng Zhang declined the offer. According to him, there were no new cases or deaths reported for over two weeks. 
However, things really started to go south in Anhui again. A report was made by a local health centre in Fuyang, a small town about 400li from Hefei, and sent to the Health Bureau. The statistics have shown a sudden increase in the mortality and spread rates of the disease. The available tests were unable to reliably detect the pathogen. The unreliable tests have left the health teams unaware of the sudden increase in the infection rates, and they could only tell if someone was infected after they became symptomatic. 

By that time, activities have resumed, and Hefei reopened as the stringent threshold set by Bai Chongye was met. The alarming report was not sent to Bai Chongye immediately as closing the city once more would be required, which would be a sensible but widely criticized decision.

 As the outbreak seemed to continue in Fuyang, given that Fuyang was just in the way of a very busy trade route, the Health Bureau decided it was time to inform Bai Chongye about it. A representative, surnamed Cai, was sent.

The palace was relatively quiet. Bai Chongye was reading a scroll when Cai entered his room, bowing to him:

-Greetings to your majesty.

Bai Chongye stops reading the scroll, puts it on the table and turns towards Cai:

-Please, rise.

Cai rises, then bows slightly:

-Your majesty, we have a problem that requires immediate action.

-A problem? What kind of problem? Nothing seems wrong to me.

Cai moves closer to Bai Chongye, opening a scroll over his desk:

-Your majesty, we have found a new outbreak in the city of Fuyang. Our tests and medicines seem to be ineffective against the disease in this city, so we think that a new strain has emerged.

-Fuyang is 400 li away. Should we worry that much?

-Yes, because there is a busy trade route on the way. The disease may be already here, but further details are unknown. We cannot test or trace it yet, we can only wait until people get sick.

-Well, so we are back to the first outbreak. I think we are far better prepared to deal with it, aren't we?

-Yes, your majesty is correct. But we need to develop new tests and also a new medicine, it takes time and we may be lagging behind already.

-Maybe, but what would be a sensible way of dealing with it?

-Unfortunately, we have to minimize the spread rate of it as much as we can, which means closing cities and trade routes as soon as possible...

Bai Chongye laughs:

-Really? Well, I can understand your fears, but this might not be the smartest decision to be made by now. We've just reopened the city, and the economy is still healing. 

-I can understand your majesty's desire to bring fortune and happiness to our people... But, this time, it seems to be really, really serious.

-How do you say that if you haven't even developed a way to track it yet? 

-The statistics from Fuyang's health centre are alarming, the confirmed death toll was over 60%. They also reported many deaths from the health centre's staff, and they need help. They are understaffed by now. 

Cai kneels:

-I beg his majesty to make the most sensible decision fast. We need more time to develop medicines and tests, and this might take days.

Bai Chongye muted. He walks back and forth inside the large room while Cai kneels, waiting for him:

-Yu Qing!

Bai Chongye calls for his prince, who is sitting in a room nearby. Yu Qing quickly arrives, bowing to him:

-Greetings to your majesty.

-Please, rise.

Yu Qing rises. Bai Chongye gets closer to him and also closer to Cai:

-Yu Qing, we have got a new outbreak happening in Fuyang. It seems to be much worse than the previous ones, and the Health bureau suggested closing the city again. 

-This is absurd! We're just about to recover from the previous outbreak, why would we close again?

-Cai went from the Health Bureau and has shown me some data they've collected in Fuyang. We don't have tests or medicines available to fight it.

-But, your majesty...

Bai Chongye thinks for a while:

-Well, I need more time to think about it, Cai. I fully understand your concerns, but a city-wide shutdown would have terrible consequences. You can go back and tell the health Bureau that I need at least another five days to take a position on that.

Cai bows to Bai Chongye:

-As your majesty wants.

-You are dismissed.

Cai moves out of the room. Yu Qing was nervous, Bai Chongye calmly takes the scroll he was holding before and resumes his heading:

-Your majesty, closing the city again is absurd! We've had a gigantic loss, I think recovery can take years! Closing it again would bankrupt our empire 

-I disagree... Anhui is the wealthiest empire, and we still hold this position. A fifteen-day shutdown would not change things that much.

Yu Qing laughs:

-Fifteen days??? Who said that? It can be fifteen, fifty, or five hundred!

-I'm convinced that we've made a mistake before. We should not fall for it again. 

-Closing the city was a mistake!

Bai Chongye gets up, moving closer to Yu Qing. He raises his left hand, and slaps him on his face:

-That's a stupid statement. We only got it under control after closing the city. 

Yu Qing was furious:

-Why can't his majesty admit that widespread infection is what has saved us? 

-It is not about building immunity, it is about not letting it spread. Yes, the fact that it spread so widely might have helped us, but not as much as the medicines. And this is a dumb way of doing it. Would you get sick or take medicine? Why not let all diseases we know simply spread, isn't everyone expected to survive?

Yu Qing goes toward the door, looking at Bai Chongye from behind:

-I wish I could bring the old Bai Chongye back...

Yu Qing closes the door. Bai Chongye smiles:

-That would be suicidal... But I don't know exactly what is less taxing on us... Maybe within five days, I'll have a clearer picture of what is going on... Oh, I think Ding Qi should be warned against it as well, so he can get prepared early on...

Bai Chongye writes a letter to Ding Qi, sending it using a pigeon. He overlooks the city while the pigeon fades away in the landscape:

-If it is so critical, I should make the right decision at the right time... I should not let it ruin my empire again.

...

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