Chapter 99 - Huangshan closes down

 As the carriage leaves Jinhua, Zhang Yi thinks about the new medicine and confesses some of his thoughts to Yu Lexuan. He is guiding the carriage, but can hear Zhang Yi:

-Your Highness... May I tell you something?

-Oh, yes you can, please!

Zhang Yi moves closer to Yu Lexuan, so he can hear him clearly:

-Your highness... Even though I tried to calm Feng Long down by telling him a new successful medicine is possible, things are not that simple...

-I think you can do it! - Yu Lexuan smiles.

-I can say you this is not even near close to being accurate... Developing medicines takes time, and we have an ongoing infection wave that might not be stopped... Thousands might die.

-I still think you can do it, Zhang Yi... Can't you?

-I don't know... We will have to test. I understand that the decision taken by Feng Long was not perfect, but he is under pressure as I am... He relies on me to get it solved.

-I understand that Zhang Yi, but I trust you... My knowledge is very limited but I'll try to help you as much as I can.

-I thank your highness for understanding the magnitude of the problem we're facing.

-Don't mention it, besides, I love you, hahaha!

Zhang Yi blushes slightly, moving back to the seat inside the carriage. At that time, Zhang Xiofan was also compilating new data coming from the health centres scattered in Huangshan.  A sharp increase in the death toll was observed, which he found out to be way off the trends he had seen previously. Given that the situation had worsened so much in a short time, he moved to Ding Qi's room:

-Greetings to your majesty.

Ding Qi gets up and moves closer to him:

-Please, rise... What is going on?

-Majesty, we need to take some urgent actions... The death rate from the disease is growing sharply, I have evidence that this new pathogen is probably dodging the protection from medicines. 

-You told me about it some time ago... But I was not willing to do anything drastic.

-Majesty, please... Don't let it spread again. We spent a lot of resources on the first containment.

-Well... I can try that, but I'm not sure if this will work. As I told you, most people are unlikely to follow the old rules.

-I think we would have to punish those who do not comply... As long as it does not violate Feng Long's beautiful governance model, we'd be fine.

-Yes, in fact, I can do that... I used to be much tougher in the past.

-Please, your Majesty, do that... I don't like to punish people, but if they don't comply with your order, you know what could happen.

-For sure.

Zhang Xiaofan leaves the room, letting Ding Qi alone. He sits down and starts writing down his decree while thinking about the potential negative effects of a new empire-wide shutdown and what kind of punishment would be suitable:

-I think this is serious, but the death penalty would be way too much... Spanking must be fair, but nothing too extreme.

As Ding Qi finishes the decree, he moves to the central square and reads it out loud. He also enters some stores and notifies the owners about the new policies. The city was given a day to adapt to the new guidelines. Travelers arriving from other empires are allowed to stay in a temporary city build afar from Huangshan.  

By the end of the day, Yu Lexuan and Zhang Yi are almost arriving in Yanyao, where they intend to stay during the night. The path to get there was more difficult than Zhang Yi expected. Yu Lexuan noticed that:

-Zhang Yi, are you sure we are on the right path? It is taking too long to reach Yanyao.

-Yes, but I didn't expect to find the road in such a bad condition. It seems the rain was intense and long-lasting. We can deal with that.

The temperature was also dropping quickly. A strong wind was blowing, making Yu Lexuan's hair go everywhere. Zhang Yi laughs:

-Every time we travel together, the weather starts to change.

-It means that I'll feel a bit cold tonight if our hotel is not good.

-Feel could? With me? - Zhang Yi smiles.

-Ah, for sure, this is not gonna happen. - Yu Lexuan smirks.

Zhang Yi blushes slightly. They soon see some lights, showing that Yanyao was nearby. Upon arriving in the village, there was a bridge over the Haoxi river that has to be crossed, but it is too small for the carriage:

-Zhang Yi, we have a problem.

-A problem?

-Yes, our carriage is too large to pass in the bridge!

Zhang Yi gets up and moves outside. He makes a rough measurement of the carriage and the bridge:

-This will fit, but we need to go very slowly.

-Are you sure?

-Yes, let me drive it through.

Zhang Yi takes the reins and drives the carriage very slowly on the bridge. A small gap between the wheels and the bridge barrier is all that is keeping them from falling in the shallow river beneath.

Zhang Yi successfully crosses the bridge. The village starts right on the waterfront, and a variety of hotels are available. Most of the buildings are up to three stories high.

Zhang Yi randomly chooses one, and they enter. The temperature in the village is a bit higher than in the mountains they have crossed, so most people dress in a lighter attire. 

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