Chapter 37 - Thank you, Feng Long

 

A few days pass since Zhejiang and Huangshan started their testing programs. With some delay caused by bad weather, the raw materials to make the tests were delivered successfully to Huangshan. With great pomp, Ding Qi and Zhang Xiaofan met the soldiers carrying the test components.
The soldiers had let the carriage with him, and Ding Qi gave them new horses to come back home quickly. As they let the city, he calls for Zhang Xiaofan:

-What can we do now, Zhang Xiaofan?
-I'll just request your help to invite some soldiers, so we can make the test solution quickly and deploy our test program in no time. Most of our structure is already in place.
-Yes, the temporary city is also almost ready. - Ding Qi smiles. 
-That's good. Maybe we should send some letters to Zhejiang, just to know if they have progressed too. I want Your Majesty to also send a letter of mine to Zhang Yi, we must exchange as much information as possible, and get in sync with our own discoveries. 
-No problem, you can stay all day with me, I'll send another greeting to emperor Feng Long for delivering the raw materials as promised.... and maybe, a kiss for Yu Lexuan... - Ding Qi blushes slightly.

Zhang Xiaofan giggles, then he continues:

-Well, let's do that, Zhang Xiaofan. Do you intend to follow the procedures Zhang Yi told us to do?
-Yes, absolutely. His idea to first test the gatekeepers and travelers make sense, as those are the most vulnerable. Of course, we will not be able to test all travelers, as the amount of powder sent by Feng Long is only enough to test our empire once. If we want to really be diligent, we must buy more and test again after 18 days. 
-Maybe not, Zhang Xiaofan. I'll keep all the infected quarantined for at least this period, I strongly recommend you trying some medicines. We may discover something useful. Hefei is said to be deploying a treatment.
-I heard that they are using Zinc and a combination of herbs to treat this disease there, and until now, I don't think this was a wise move. Zinc probably will not have any effect at all, and herbal mixtures for a specific disease will almost never work to treat another, you must change something in order to attack the new pathogen. Hefei is not showing the results of the treatment, but, as I said, we will have to wait for a couple of weeks at least to reach a conclusion.
-You are correct, Zhang Xiaofan. And I really like the fact that you really care about our people, you are a thousand li ahead of my counselors, who until now have not suggested anything useful, they are just angry.
-After you promoted me as your health minister, I was inspired to serve Your Majesty more. Your Majesty has a good heart and cares about his people. - Zhang Xiaofan bows.
-You may rise, please... What I'm doing is nothing less than what a real leader should do. I was bestowed to rule this sector, and I should do it in the best way I can. The emperor of Anhui was a reasonable person, but the way the prince treated me tells a different story. Maybe he changed, maybe he's showing who he is in fact.

Zhang Xiaofan rises:

-I agree with Your Majesty. We have to keep our eyes open.

As they look at the sunset, Ding Qi reflects, talking with him:

-Did the emperor changed? We used to be friends, I recognize that his way of dealing with problems was not always the best, but we had always kept some integrity in our decisions... I studied the "beautiful governance" method implemented by Feng Long, then just a scholar. As I remember, the principles were so innovative that no emperor was willing to use them, given how much the rest of the imperial stack would have to change. The emperor in Zhejiang died, and then Feng Long was crowned...
-It was an interesting story, Your Majesty. I'm impressed to know that you can remember all this.
-Recording the past is the best way to guide you to the future. It reminds us about mistakes that we should avoid, and the right things we have done and must be kept in the long run.  

After the sun finally sets, they move to their spaces. Zhang Xiaofan returns to his lab, where tens of small vases with different herbs and minerals stand on his table. His tireless research resumes:

-Tomorrow, it is time to give some of these for the ill, so I can test their efficacy. At least no one will go worse by taking any of them, but I'll have to try three different people for each, as I have to make sure that the medicine works uniformly. Maybe I should tell Zhang Yi before, and give him my recipe, so he can replicate it if needed. 

Meanwhile, Ding Qi writes a letter he intends to send to Feng Long in the morning as pigeons won't fly at night:

"To His Majesty, Feng Long, the Huangshan empire humbly thank you for the generous donations and essential support given by His Highness, Yu Lexuan, the minister of health, Zhang Yi, and His Majesty's heartwarming act of kindness to my Huangshan. I hope all our people will be protected from this disease, and we will deploy all the resources we have to keep it under control and allow our economies to keep functioning normally and trading as the friends we are. Humbly, Ding Qi, Emperor of Huangshan." 

Zhang Xiaofan moves to the open door and stops there. Ding Qi allows him to get inside his room:

-Good night, zhang Xiaofan, can I help you?
-His Majesty, as I told you early, could I send a letter to Zhang Yi in the same pigeon you want to communicate with Feng Long?
-Of course, no problem. You are now my minister, and this is a critical issue we are both dealing with. The more letters you both exchange, the better and the faster the solution for this problem will arrive.
-Your Majesty is wise! - Zhang Xiaofan bows to him.
-You may rise. Just give me the letter, I'll send both to Zhejiang tomorrow. We might receive a reply the next day, I think Feng Long is just as concerned as I am about this. 

Zhang Xiaofan hands the letter to Ding Qi, bows to him, and leaves the room. He smiles:

-This is what my empire should look like: people who actually work, give me new ideas, instead of simply obeying me in every single sentence. 

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