Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 381 Winter Plague
On the eleventh day of the eleventh month of the second year of the Han Dynasty, there was heavy snow.

It was snowing heavily, with wind and snow falling heavily, and Luoyang Palace was also shrouded in swirling snow.

As far as the eye could see, the world was a vast expanse of white, even the Yuntai Pavilion was covered in a layer of white, and the bronze camels lined up on both sides of the imperial road were covered with a thick layer of snow, turning into bloated snowdrifts, standing silently in the wind and snow.

Liu Bian wore a white fox fur cloak, his breath freezing into frost. He hugged a hand warmer to keep warm, while eunuchs on both sides held up umbrellas, following closely to shield the emperor from the wind and snow.

Stepping into Yuntai Pavilion, a warm feeling mixed with incense wafts over you.

Seeing the officials rise from their seats to pay their respects, Liu Bian gestured with his hands to indicate that everyone should sit down, saying, "There is no need for formalities in private. Please sit down."

Liu Bian's tone was quite casual, but it was not just empty politeness. He walked straight to the throne, and as soon as he sat down, he picked up a piece of plum blossom cake from the imperial table and put it in his mouth.

It seemed that the emperor had not eaten breakfast and ate rather hastily, swallowing four or five pieces in a row. He then picked up his teacup, tilted his head back, and drank it all down. Afterward, he let out a long sigh and, without any restraint, let out a loud burp, completely lacking any imperial dignity.

Xu You, the newly appointed Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, stared at the emperor's frivolous manner with wide eyes, momentarily speechless.

Although he had already witnessed the emperor's amiability during his time at the Imperial Palace, such unrestrained eating habits and frivolous behavior truly... bore the mark of Emperor Taizu Gao!
"The Empress Dowager's brother and nephew both died in battle, and I am overwhelmed with grief." Liu Bian took the handkerchief handed to him by Gao Wang, wiped his mouth and hands, and sighed. "Today, the extreme cold arrived suddenly. When I woke up this morning, the palace servants said that the Empress Dowager had a high fever. So I went with my father and mother to visit her, which is why we are a little late."

When the ministers in the palace heard that Empress Dowager Dong was seriously ill, according to etiquette they should have shown their grief and said words of comfort such as "The Empress Dowager is a lucky person and will be blessed by Heaven" in unison, which was also an expression of their loyalty as subjects.

But when the emperor said this, the faint smile on his lips was almost impossible to suppress or conceal.

The relationship between Empress Dowager He, the Emperor, and Empress Dowager Dong was common knowledge in the court and among the people. It could not be described as harmonious and peaceful, but it could also be described as irreconcilable.

It is said that during the Qiang rebellion in Liangzhou last year, Empress Dowager Dong intended to arrange a marriage between her nephew Dong Ping and Princess Liu Man of Wannian. Therefore, the Emperor was particularly concerned that Empress Dowager Dong had also set her sights on Princess Liu Man last year, wanting to arrange a marriage between her and her nephew Dong Ping in order to ensure the wealth and prosperity of the Dong family of Hejian.

Unfortunately, Dong Zhong and his son Dong Ping both died heroically in Xiang County, Chen Commandery, at the hands of the Liu family.

Lu Zhi coughed lightly, raised his eyes with a hint of warning, and said in a deep voice, "Ahem, please do not grieve too much, my country."

These palace secrets were impossible to keep hidden during the reign of the retired Emperor Liu Hong, when the palace was practically a sieve.

The officials were well aware of the superstitions within the palace, and the conflict between Empress He and Empress Dowager Dong had long been a topic of conversation among them, including Lu Zhi.

Who else among the ministers is present at the Yuntai Pavilion meeting today?

The Three Dukes and Nine Ministers and their deputies, the ministers of the various cabinets, and the generals and officers of the central army.

If they were not senior officials in the court, they would be former officials from the time the emperor was born. How could they not know about these imperial affairs?

But she was, after all, the emperor's grandmother. Since ancient times, even strangers have not interfered with relatives, and no one would be foolish enough to gloat over this.

If the emperor laughed when he mentioned Empress Dowager Dong's serious illness, and this happened to be overheard by outsiders, it would inevitably lead to rumors and gossip.

After all, although the emperor was young and promising, a young and powerful ruler, he had not yet shed the label of "young" and "boy." Young people can be forgiven for their mistakes as long as they are willing to correct them.

However... if the teaching is not strict, it is the teacher's laziness.

If the emperor has made any mistakes, it must be because he, the former tutor to the crown prince and now the grand tutor, has failed in his duty!
“Master Lu is absolutely right.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Bian picked up his teacup and took a tactical sip, forcibly suppressing the smile on his lips by covering it with his wide sleeve. When he put down the teacup, his expression had returned to solemnity and dignity, and he said seriously, "Before the meeting begins, I would like to ask a couple of questions that are not related to this meeting."

Liu Bian turned his gaze to Xun Shuang, the Commander of the Imperial Guards, and Hua Xin, the Governor of Henan, and asked, "Have the matters I instructed you to attend to yesterday been implemented?"

Hua Xin did not reply immediately, but instead turned her gaze to Du Ji, the magistrate of Luoyang, who sat to her left.

He entrusted the entire matter to Du Ji, and at this moment he also intended to give this capable official an opportunity to show his talents in front of the emperor and a group of important officials.

Du Ji calmly got up.

Although this was his first meeting with the emperor outside of his inauguration and thanksgiving, and the Yuntai Pavilion was filled with important officials, he showed no fear. He gave a refined bow and calmly said, "Reporting to the country, I issued a decree yesterday that every household in the city must clear the snow in front of their door before 8:40 a.m. every day, and those who violate this rule will be fined one hundred coins."

Qian Zhao, acting as the Chief of the Imperial Guards, relayed Xun Shuang's message: "I have also strictly ordered the Imperial Guards that if they find snow piled up in front of a door during their daytime patrols, they must knock on the door to remind them. If no one answers from inside, they must break down the door immediately to prevent any unforeseen circumstances."

For most people in Luoyang, a hundred coins isn't a huge amount, but it's enough to motivate them to shovel snow on time.

This was not for the sake of city cleanliness, but to prevent the spread of winter plague.

Although temperatures have dropped this year, they are still within the tolerance range for the people of Luoyang.

If a household hasn't swept the snow in the early morning, something terrible may have happened to them, or someone may have even frozen to death.

Timely intervention may save a life; if it is too late, the body must be cremated as soon as possible to eliminate the source of the plague.

The plague began with heavy snow, started at the winter solstice, was born at the minor cold, grew at the major cold, reached its peak at the beginning of spring, weakened at the rainy season, declined at the awakening of insects, ended at the spring equinox, and was extinguished at the Qingming Festival.

No one dares to underestimate the laws that our ancestors deduced at the cost of countless lives.

Whether it was the timely discovery of people infected with typhoid fever or the failure to dispose of corpses in a timely manner, the consequences of a winter plague breaking out in this great Han capital with a population of 500,000, a gathering place for the elite of an era, would be unimaginable.

"Excellent! The Marquis and Zijing have handled it well." Liu Bian nodded slightly, a look of satisfaction on his face. He turned to Pei Mao, the newly appointed Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, and instructed him, "Lord Juguang, the Imperial Secretariat should immediately issue an edict ordering all prefectures and counties to take this as a precedent and take strict precautions. If there are any signs of a winter plague, report them immediately to the prefectural government and the imperial court, and allocate medicines and grains to nip the winter plague in the bud!"

Pei Mao had no objection and bowed, saying, "Yes!"

(End of this chapter)