"This old man has a false reputation, and I'm afraid that His Highness's ears will be stained." Dai Sigong looked kind, not complacent at all because of what Yao Guangxiao and Zhu Su said. "The big things that need to be done now still have to focus on these disaster victims in the city."
"Your Highness, there is no need to worry about me, an old man."
This is the style of a doctor who saves all sentient beings in my mind! Zhu Su nodded secretly, feeling more appreciative and expectant of Lao Daitou.
"Since Mr. Dai has also said that Mr. Ru can't take any more care, then I will be responsible for the victims in the west of the city." Zhu Su said to everyone with a faint smile. "Master Ru can rest assured and recover..."
"What?"
"No!"
A pot exploded in the room. Wei Guan looked shocked, and Ru Taisu was so shocked that he even pushed away the boy who was supporting him.
"Since there is a risk of infection here, how can Your Highness stay here? If there is an emergency, how can I explain to Your Majesty and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?" This was Wei Guan's attempt to move his emotions.
"Your Highness is still young, how can you take on the important responsibility of life and death for tens of thousands of people? This matter is not a child's play. I hope Your Highness will be careful about it!" Ru Taisu said with a serious expression on his face.
Zhu Su twitched the corner of his mouth. He wanted to settle the differences with Ru Taisu, but he didn't want Ru Taisu to still be prejudiced against him. What is child's play? Could it be that he thought he was just a naughty kid who was temporarily trying to play tricks on the victims?
Zhu Su, who rarely wanted to make a contribution, felt insulted and his face turned grim.
He ignored the fact that Ru Taisu was still ill and sarcastically said, "Ru Yushi is very capable and responsible. There is feces and urine everywhere in the west of the city and sewage flows across the city. Is this how you, Ru Yushi, manage things well?"
"How do you plan to deal with it? It's just to maintain the status quo, and if there are victims affected by the epidemic, they will be abandoned."
"But have you ever thought about it, if you don't check the teachings for a while and the epidemic spreads, Suzhou Tianfu will turn into purgatory in an instant! At that time, you, like the censor, can write this shocking thing with a spring and autumn pen. Guilty?"
The implication is: If you can't do it, just rest and stop beeping. Even if I was just messing around, could the situation be worse than it is now?
Ru Taisu's face turned purple when he was choked by Zhu Su. He coughed a few more times, but still scratched his neck: "If there is a big epidemic, it is destiny! I can't do anything, at least I can take responsibility for it! Is it possible that your highness can manipulate destiny?" ?"
"Is the epidemic a destiny? Ridiculous! If you are a vegetarian, are you going to be that useless person who 'keeps his hands and talks about his feelings, but will die to save his name'?"
These words were really too poisonous. Just as Ru Taisu was about to argue, a mouthful of phlegm got stuck in his throat. After coughing a few times, he managed to regain his breath. Zhu Su continued to speak boldly:
"Everything depends on man, man will conquer nature!"
"If I really have a way to prevent and cure the epidemic, how about you becoming a vegetarian?"
The expressions of everyone present changed, but for a moment they thought that Zhu Su was just a young man talking arrogantly. Only Yao Guangxiao's eyes flashed with light, and then quickly dimmed. Ru Taisu hesitated for a moment, still holding his neck: "Even if His Highness really has this method, just relay it to me and Magistrate Wei! There is no reason for His Highness to do it himself."
Zhu Su smiled disdainfully. Although the two of them are considered good officials, they are still conservative old-school Confucian bureaucrats and inevitably lack courage.
This can be seen from the fact that they are only willing to place the victims in the city to "die slowly", but do not dare to take the risk of building dams to control floods. Even for those water bandits, what they were thinking about was to suggest that Zhu Su wrote a letter to ask Lao Zhu for "extra-legal mercy" and reduced Su Song's taxes to win back the people's hearts in order to "conquer the enemy's army without fighting" instead of killing the thieves. Remove and completely eradicate this hidden danger.
If they are allowed to take charge and he is the assistant, Ru Taisu treats himself as a child. How many of the policies he said can be implemented by them?
"My king has made up his mind. Lord Ru, please rest in peace and recuperate." Zhu Su looked like a headstrong young master and unfolded the folding fan in his hand with a swish sound. The four words "for the country and the people" were clearly written on it. Seeing this, Ru Taisu's momentum froze. "Gou'er, please bring some people to take care of Ru Yushi and recover from his illness."
"Ah, I can't say that Ru Yushi is also in danger of contracting the epidemic! If this happens, he must be quarantined and must not be ignored! Dog, you have to keep an eye on the place here and don't let Ru Yushi walk around."
"Epidemics don't care about officials, big or small. Until Ru Yushi recovers from his illness, he will have the important task of patrolling the river to provide disaster relief. I will work harder and take it all together."
When Ru Taisu heard this, he was so angry that his beard and hair stood on end. Regardless of his illness, he jumped into a thunderous rage. He pointed at Zhu Su like he did in the court that day and said angrily: "You...you..."
"How can we allow a teenage kid like you to play with such important matters of our family and country?"
"Do you want to put me under house arrest and seize power? I will never admit it! The rest of the people will never bow down and obey orders!"
"The name is unjust and the words are unjust. There is absolutely no precedent for this in this dynasty! Although you are ordered by His Majesty to inspect Su Song, you have no right... no right to deprive me of my duties!"
"You...you have received great orders from His Majesty, but you act so recklessly. I...I will definitely mobilize all my colleagues to severely impeach you, imprison bureaucrats, and seize power for yourself!"
"Self-directed?" The angrier Ru Taisu got, the more peaceful Zhu Su felt. He covered his lips with his fan, revealing only a pair of smart and innocent eyes.
"The messenger who patrols Su Song doesn't have this power. With my other identity, don't I still have this power?"
"Another identity..." Ru Taisu was stunned and didn't react for a while. "What identity?"
"Haha, Master Ru and even all of you may have forgotten it." Zhu Su folded the fan and smiled successfully.
He spoke word by word, pointed his folding fan at his nose and said:
"I, am, Wu, King!"
"King Wu, king of Wu land?"
"As the King of Wu, do you have the power to control the officials in the vassal state? Do you have the power to intervene in all affairs in the vassal state?"
"Tell me, should I, the King of Wu, be responsible for the affairs of the land of Wu? Should I listen to you, the censor who patrols the river?"
"Wu...King Wu?"
Ru Taisu was stunned, and Wei Guan, who wanted to persuade him to make peace, was stunned. Even Yao Guangxiao, Luo Guanzhong and Gou'er behind Zhu Su were slightly startled.
Yes, although on weekdays every word is a prince and every word is a highness.
But no one noticed that the ten-year-old boy in front of them was conferred the title of "Wu" King by His Majesty.
The word "Wu" is not just a noun or a title. What he is referring to is that within a certain limited area of the Ming Dynasty, there is almost supreme power!
Nominally, he, Zhu Su, is the co-lord of Susong, the vassal king who is independent in military and political affairs!
There were once two kings of Wu in the world, one was Zhu Yuanzhang of Western Wu, and the other was Zhang Shicheng of Eastern Wu. So people all over the world have a general consensus that the land of Western Wu in the Ming Dynasty refers to the Yingtian Emperor Jing, and Soochow is naturally the Susong area where Zhang Shicheng once dominated.
Since Yingtian is now the seat of the imperial capital, it is naturally impossible to use it as a vassal territory. And Zhu Su was granted the title of King of Wu by Lao Zhu. Since it was impossible for the emperor to vacate the capital to establish a vassal state for the prince. Zhu Su's fiefdom was naturally Su Song, the land of Soochow.
Although Zhu Su knew that after a while in history, Lao Zhu would change his title to King of Zhou on the grounds that "the land of Wu and Yue was the heart of the imperial court and was not suitable for establishing a vassal state."
But no one else knows about this!
As long as the title of King Wu still hangs on his head, he is legally the vassal king with the second highest decision-making power in Susong.
"This...this..." Ru Taisu was speechless, and it took him a while to hold back a sentence: "Your Highness has not yet become a vassal, so how can you rely on the name of King Wu?"
Before the words were spoken, he felt that these words violated a taboo. Before he could think clearly, Zhu Su had directly interrupted: "I have made up my mind, so let's do it this way!"
"Prefect Wei, take me to the porridge shack where porridge is given out! Mr. Dai, please accompany me. As for Mr. Ru..."
"Please take good care of yourself. Everything has its own origin, Wu and Wang!"
After saying that, he winked at Ru Taisu happily, led a large group of staff and guards, and left Ru Taisu's courtyard minding his own business.
"This this……"
"This kid... must be resentful about what happened in the past and deliberately made me angry!"
Ru Taisu didn't swallow a mouthful of phlegm. Looking at Zhu Su's leaving back, he started coughing tremblingly again.
(End of chapter)
