Walking back from the courtyard by the river, Han Qian brought Fan Xicheng and Zhao Kuo into the central courtyard. He saw candles burning brightly in the west wing, where his father Han Daoxun was bent over his desk writing something with brush in hand.
Han Qian knocked and walked in, seeing that on the first page of a memorial spread out on the desk, his father had written characters such as “Memorial Advising Refugees to Stay Away from Contaminated Water.”
Three days ago, Han Qian had forcibly dragged his father out of the city under the pretext of selecting women to marry solitary household troops. His main purpose had been to draw his father’s attention to the water parasite plague.
He hadn’t expected that after only three days, his father had already written it directly into a memorial, preparing to submit it directly to Emperor Tianyou.
Han Daoxun looked up and glanced at Han Qian, gesturing for him to take the memorial and read it. He didn’t mind Fan Xicheng and Zhao Kuo standing nearby—there was no need to hide these matters from them.
This memorial had over three thousand characters written throughout. For memorials submitted to the emperor, this was quite a lengthy piece.
Han Qian quickly read through it from beginning to end. It was based on the few questions he’d raised three days ago, written into this memorial prepared to be sent before Emperor Tianyou for his perusal.
Han Daoxun hadn’t conducted on-site investigation and research into the water parasite plague. Besides lacking the conditions for this, he also lacked awareness in this regard. However, as the most complete repository of books in Chu State, Hongwen Hall preserved quite a few observational studies of the water parasite plague by medical officials from previous dynasties.
During these three days, Han Daoxun had mainly searched out the relevant medical texts and compiled previous research on the water parasite plague, discovering that they indeed supported his earlier conclusion that water parasite toxin only existed on certain specific aquatic creatures.
This memorial on contaminated water—the first half mainly used extensive citations to demonstrate this judgment, while the second half extended to military encampment methods he’d deduced, agricultural irrigation for garrison fields, and other approaches. Finally, it emphasized relocating the hundreds of thousands of refugees stranded outside the city to areas far from “contaminated water” for quarantine-style resettlement to control the epidemic.
In the memorial, Han Daoxun believed that doing this would not only effectively block and prevent the spread of the plague, but hundreds of thousands of refugees properly resettled and freed from disease—these hundreds of thousands of people saved—could also become a new source of court taxes and military service.
“If Father’s proposed strategy is implemented, it will be a benevolent policy that saves tens of thousands of common people and will be recorded in the annals of history,” Han Qian said, seizing the opportunity to flatter his father. Secretly he felt that if this “Memorial on Contaminated Water” was truly submitted, before seeing obvious governance results, his father shouldn’t rashly stir up this hornets’ nest of aristocratic families. This at least temporarily diverted his father’s attention elsewhere.
“It’s also thanks to the key points raised in the questions you asked a few days ago, Qian’er, and these past three days you’ve discussed this matter with me from time to time, greatly inspiring me, that I was able to write this memorial. But whether it can be implemented—that’s still hard to conclude,” Han Daoxun said, his brows slightly furrowed.
Han Daoxun wasn’t merely an idealistic remonstrating minister. He knew how complex the entanglement of interests in the court was.
Even though he himself believed this was a benevolent and excellent policy that didn’t obviously harm or touch upon the interests of any party, and even though he believed the Emperor would see the benefits of this memorial being implemented, with various court factions pulling in different directions, whether the memorial on contaminated water could actually be carried out—he truly didn’t have much confidence now…
Han Qian saw his father’s worried expression. In the past, he wouldn’t have understood what his father had to worry about, but the life memories of the person Zhai Xinping from the dream realm had merged into his soul and bloodline, making him know that too many things were far more difficult and complex than imagined.
Concentrating hundreds of thousands of refugees for resettlement far from contaminated water would not only rescue the refugees and control the spread of the water parasite plague, but opening wasteland and registering civilian households would also increase tax revenue for the court—it could be said to kill three birds with one stone. However, no one had previously effectively controlled the spread of the water parasite plague. Now, relying solely on one memorial to convince Emperor Tianyou and court ministers to agree to this matter would be extremely difficult.
Secondly, moving so many people, many of them severely infected with plague, long distances for resettlement elsewhere—who knew how many would die en route? This was somewhat unrealistic. But the fields and mountains near Jinling City all had owners—where could they find such a large tract of land to settle hundreds of thousands of people?
Thirdly, the court treasury was depleted. Even raising funds for military provisions and official salaries was somewhat beyond capacity. Where would the enormous funds needed to settle hundreds of thousands of refugees be allocated from?
And if these first three difficulties could be overcome, then the matter of settling refugees would immediately become a delicious prize fought over by various factions of officials.
In this process, not only could large amounts of relief funds be secretly withheld and large tracts of resettlement land secretly appropriated, but even a portion of healthy refugees could be turned into one’s own tenant farmers, slaves and servants, or even household troops. At that point, who would willingly hand over such a delicious prize to others?
After all the wrangling, the most likely outcome would be accomplishing nothing.
Han Qian saw the worried expression on his father’s face and knew his father worried that after submitting this memorial, it wouldn’t be implemented due to wrangling among various court factions. But precisely because of this, he was even more worried this would ultimately deepen his father’s anger toward aristocratic families, making him more resolutely go all-in and take extreme measures.
“When Father wishes to submit a memorial, is it to seek fame, or is it truly for the sake of the hundreds of thousands of refugees outside the city?” Han Qian asked through gritted teeth.
“Do you think I’m someone who only seeks fame?” Han Daoxun asked Han Qian with a rueful smile, feeling his son still understood him too little.
“If Father truly cares for the hundreds of thousands of refugees outside the city, you shouldn’t rush to send this ‘Memorial on Contaminated Water’ into the palace,” Han Qian said.
“Why?” Han Daoxun asked.
“Father has said that being an honest official is easy, but wanting to become a truly honest official who does things for the people and can rescue tens of thousands of common people from dire straits requires being more cunning than corrupt officials—your son believes that without employing strategy, directly sending the memorial on contaminated water into the palace won’t achieve the effect Father expects,” Han Qian said.
“I said this?” Han Daoxun looked at Han Qian with confusion. He had no impression of these words at all, but with his twenty or thirty years of ups and downs in official circles, carefully pondering these words he found them quite meaningful. He asked again: “How do you know that directly sending the memorial on contaminated water into the palace won’t be effective?”
Han Qian glanced at Fan Xicheng and Zhao Kuo behind him, but didn’t have them withdraw, saying directly:
“The benevolent policy in the memorial on contaminated water, if it could be presented before the Emperor, would surely receive the Emperor’s attention. But this method involves great matters—the Emperor would certainly summon ministers to deliberate. Whether this method can be implemented and how many difficulties must be overcome in implementing it—there would necessarily be extensive discussion in the court. And after full discussion, even if the Emperor is determined to implement this strategy, all the benefits involved would have long been seen through. Ministers competing for this matter would inevitably create chaos. Those who fail to compete for it would inevitably find every way to drag their feet and create obstacles. Even if after delaying for several years the matter could be implemented, who knows how many refugees would die from the delays, and how many refugees would become suffering slaves of the ministers in charge…”
“…Ah!” Han Daoxun stood stunned for a long while. It wasn’t that he hadn’t considered these various entanglements, but hearing Han Qian state them clearly, the thousand sorrows in his heart could only transform into a helpless long sigh.
“If Father can refrain from seeking fame, this matter might be easier to accomplish,” Han Qian said.
“How so?” Han Daoxun asked.
“Father has said that to accomplish things, one should ‘obtain through indirection’ and avoid ‘obtaining through direct means’ as much as possible,” Han Qian said. “If Father isn’t afraid of bearing a bad reputation, first you should submit a memorial suggesting driving away the refugees from the four city gates—just raising this matter would be good. Second, you must give the true credit to others, making them undertake the matter behind the scenes. Then the matter will be easier to accomplish…”
“Your method of deceiving people might be easier to implement, but without explaining the benefits clearly, if the court doesn’t make great efforts, where can hundreds of thousands of refugees be settled, and from where will relief funds be raised?” Han Daoxun asked.
“How can those who desire to seize credit not spit out some blood?” Han Qian said, looking at his father. Having said this much, his father should understand what he was saying. Just three days ago he’d told his father that Li Chong had intentions of showing goodwill.
However, Han Qian still hoped his father would back down at this point. Only if his father’s youthful indignation could be suppressed would the situation he’d face in the future not become too intricate and complex.
Han Daoxun pondered for a long time before sighing lightly and handing the memorial to Han Qian, saying with a bitter smile: “You take this memorial to give to someone. I’ll write another memorial on driving away refugees separately. I only hope the world won’t scold me too harshly!”
Han Qian sighed slightly in his heart and said: “It’s getting late. Father should also rest early and not overwork yourself.”
“I know. You all go rest first,” Han Daoxun said.
Han Qian put this half-finished memorial into his robe sleeve and walked out of the west wing with Fan Xicheng and Zhao Kuo.
“The Master wants the Young Master to give this credit to Marquis Xinchang?” Only after walking out of the west wing did Fan Xicheng figure out the mystery within, unable to suppress his inner shock as he asked.
Han Qian glanced at Zhao Kuo, but seeing his eyes were much calmer, he’d probably figured it out long ago. Smiling, he said: “Do you think my father is foolish or not? If it were someone else, even knowing this matter couldn’t succeed, they wouldn’t hand over this reputation for caring about refugees to others—don’t people live to seek fame and reputation? And Marquis Xinchang has now publicly come out to support the Third Prince. Father originally had no intention of getting involved in palace succession struggles, but giving this credit to Marquis Xinchang—if the Third Prince can’t gain momentum in the future and this matter is revealed by someone, our Han family will most likely also be implicated. At that time, I’m afraid you’ll also be implicated…”
“We have received the Master’s kindness. Since the Master thinks of tens of thousands of refugees and doesn’t hesitate to have his reputation restricted, how dare we only care for ourselves,” Fan Xicheng said quite sincerely.
Fan Xicheng spoke these words with true emotion, and Zhao Kuo was also quite moved. But Han Qian had something stuck in his throat. At this moment he was only testing their attitude and wouldn’t take their words as truth. He waved his hand, having them each go back to rest…