The entire set of provisions on disaster relief and epidemic prevention was, in truth, concise and to the point in every clause. Ning Yi went through them one by one, pointing out what was primary and what secondary. Old Qin and old Kang mostly just listened, occasionally murmuring a few words, nodding along. Among the four servants who’d come with Kang Xian, two — Lu A’Gui among them — were themselves men of some insight, listening from behind, occasionally glancing over at Ning Yi.
Once he finished, old Qin and old Kang began asking about a few points they found unclear, mostly concerning the hygiene section. In this era, there wasn’t much of a habit of concern for cleanliness, and even within the realm of traditional medicine, there was no real basis for telling people to mind their hygiene — although concepts like “external pathogenic invasion” existed, traditional medicine mainly spoke in terms of the five elements, cultivating one’s qi, and so on, offering little in the way of concrete evidence on such matters. There was some general awareness that overly filthy places tended to breed illness, but in the context of disaster relief, clearly no one paid much mind to cleanliness as such.
Unable to explain things in terms of germs, Ning Yi could only offer a rough version of the “external pathogen invasion” theory for now — explaining how infection in the human body proved that many dead things carried disease-causing substances, that rats were filthy and could cause plague, and so on.
“…As for other matters, once a disaster strikes, an entire region easily falls into disorder, and without order, things become all the harder to manage. Select managers from among the refugees themselves, arrange uniform housing, uniform meals, uniform latrine locations — this gives them a simple sense of structure and belonging, making them feel someone is looking out for them, and settling their hearts. But in practice, since the lower-level management comes from among themselves, the effort required is nowhere near what it would take if real chaos broke out. And as long as there’s food, that alone will settle people down. Neat rows of shelters, orderly paths, clean surroundings — these can further reinforce that impression and sense of guidance.”
“Discipline shouldn’t rely solely on heavy-handed pressure — guiding things along the natural grain of the situation works best, especially since they’ll have a lot of idle time on their hands, and the more idle people are, the more they’re inclined toward trouble and panic. Arrange everything level by level — level the surrounding ground, build uniform shelters, uniform latrines — only by making everything uniform can you keep them from fighting over things. Otherwise, even with two bowls of congee a day, if it’s not enough to fill them, they’ll still think about snatching from others. Anyone causing trouble or breaking the rules — kill them, show no mercy.”
“As for how poor hygiene leads to illness, the physicians have some inkling of it already — we won’t get into exactly how much of it owes to that here. But it’s certainly a contributing factor, and if we bring in lime for them to spread around, that also gives them something to do. Keep repeating the message: poor hygiene will make you sick… The medicine issue might not be solvable right away, but the hygiene issue is something within reach immediately — the gesture needs to be made, essentially telling them directly: do this, and you won’t get sick. The more forcefully it’s promoted, the more their confidence grows once they follow through, and with lifted spirits and less worry, the actual likelihood of falling ill may well decrease too.”
“For instance, suppose there’s a dead rat in front of us. If our messaging isn’t strong enough, someone might see it and just ignore it, feeling nothing about it at all. But if our messaging is forceful, that same person will immediately go report it up the chain, a physician will come clear it away, burn it, bury it — and that gesture alone builds confidence.
At the very least, we know that dead rats, snakes, insects, and the like rotting away are no different from human corpses rotting — both are certainly disease-causing factors. On the other hand, isolating the sick prevents widespread panic from taking hold, and physicians must also do their part conscientiously, so people can see it and feel reassured — even if a small number worry over family members being quarantined, an epidemic spreading unchecked is far more terrifying, utterly unstoppable once it takes hold, and so isolation must be enforced firmly…”
As for the finer points of hygiene, for now he could only draw on supporting reasons from various other angles — there was only so much effort he could spare. Given more time, in Ning Yi’s usual style, he probably could have compiled a whole set of case studies detailed enough to terrify people of that era into taking hygiene seriously. Even if some of it were fabricated, there probably wouldn’t be anyone able to tell — but for now, with the post-flood disaster already imminent, there was no point taking things slow.
Having listened to him finish, old Kang sighed and tossed the Wu dynasty’s own disaster relief regulations over to Lu A’Gui. “With Liheng’s booklet here, the rest can all be thrown out. One chapter, one method, each link connected to the next — even something as small as a question about latrines manages to account for human sentiment, management, hygiene, and discipline all at once… Looking at the handwriting, did Liheng really put this together just last night?”
“The two of you have often discussed such matters yourselves these past days, and I’ve spoken about some of it with a group of children at the academy too, and occasionally discussed it with others — so last night I simply organized it all, thinking it might prove useful.”
“Useful hardly begins to describe it.” Kang Xian shook his head. “Never mind anything else — just this method here, of keeping records for later review — if it can really be put into practice this time, disaster relief losses could be cut by more than thirty percent. This piece of Liheng’s is a policy that would benefit countless people; once it’s put forward, Liheng’s name is bound to become known throughout the realm.”
“That’s exactly what worries me.” Ning Yi smiled. “If it really proves useful, old Qin, you can send it on to Brother Shaohe, or Your Excellency can distribute it as widely as needed to anyone who might use it. I only have one request: don’t reveal that I’m the one who wrote it. This isn’t me being modest — please understand, I mean this quite seriously.”
The last time Ning Yi had said something like this, it had been to demonstrate his resolve not to seek office. But this time the nature of it was entirely different, and hearing him say it, old Qin and old Kang both grew genuinely serious. Old Qin pondered for a long moment. “Why is that? A matter of such importance, and Liheng still wants to stay apart from it?”
Old Kang thought it over for a moment as well, then looked at Ning Yi and said quietly, “Liheng, could it be that you’ve truly grown disillusioned with worldly affairs and the court? Some resentment, perhaps?”
The remark could have meant either a great deal or very little, but it was clear the old man before him bore no ill will — merely making a possible guess. Ning Yi shook his head. “It’s really just… I dislike all that scheming and infighting. I… prefer a life of leisure, and have no wish to bow and scrape to superiors, or plot and connive against colleagues…” He tapped the booklet. “I’ve already brought this out — surely the two of you can grant me even this one request?”
Kang Xian and old Qin had probably had plenty more to say, but this last remark cut off any further argument. Old Qin sighed. “Liheng, oh Liheng, you really are… a source of complicated feelings. It was one thing before, but now that you’ve produced this booklet and still refuse to actually step forward and take office — I honestly don’t know whether to feel relieved or to sigh in regret…”
“I’m just an ordinary man, occasionally struck by some fanciful ideas — when they’re useful, I bring them forward. The two of you might as well think of me as that Zhao Kuo of old, all talk and armchair strategy — high-minded but incapable in practice. I can offer up ideas for others to carry out, but if I tried to do it myself, I might well fail at it. Hiding my shortcomings this way is simply a matter of knowing my own limits… Oh, and it’s not as though I’m entirely without self-interest here either — I do have a favor to ask, in fact. As I mentioned yesterday, if this proves useful, consider it as giving old Qin two things. This is the first.”
Old Qin and old Kang exchanged a glance. “And what’s the second?”
Ning Yi paused. “A daughter.”
“Hm?”
“Well… at the moment it’s still just an idea of mine — I haven’t mentioned it to her yet. If old Qin refuses, that’s only natural. You’ve both actually met this woman before — she’s Nie Yunzhu, the one who sells the century eggs. There’s one point that might sound rather indelicate — she once worked as an entertainer at the Jinfeng Tower. I came to know her because one morning, while out exercising, I happened upon her killing a chicken — old Qin, you already know that story…”
Qin Siyuan was a renowned Confucian scholar of the age, having once served as Minister of Rites — asking him to take in a woman who had once been a courtesan as a goddaughter might well seem quite inappropriate, something Ning Yi understood perfectly well. Still, he continued on, laying out various things about Nie Yunzhu.
“…After leaving the pleasure house, she cut off all contact with anyone she’d known there, and since she didn’t know how to make a living, she went and learned — she didn’t know how to kill a chicken either, but gritted her teeth and learned to do it in the market. Later, to prove she could support herself just like an ordinary person, she was even prepared to go sell pancakes. These are the things about her I found genuinely admirable. That’s why I taught her the method for making century eggs, and later offered her some guidance in her business as well. But now that things have reached a certain scale, the level of matters she deals with is different from before, and there’s probably not much more I can directly help with…”
“Your Excellency probably understands these matters better than I do. In the future… if some powerful figure, or some official, ever gives her trouble, having a bit of backing behind her might help her get further. Of course, this is purely a business matter — I can guarantee she’d never use old Qin’s name to bluff or throw her weight around. It also wouldn’t do to have old Qin personally adopt her as a goddaughter — I was wondering whether Consort Yun might step forward instead, seeing that she conducts herself with integrity, and take her on as an adopted daughter. She herself is the daughter of an official family, so as far as proper conduct goes…”
He spoke the latter part quite carefully, and before he’d even finished, old Qin waved a hand there with a laugh. “Liheng, you really are being far too cautious. You and I have known each other for over a year now — do you really see me, Qin Siyuan, as such a petty, worldly man?”
“One’s status isn’t always something one chooses for oneself, but the judgment of worldly eyes is, at times, unavoidable to consider.”
Qin Siyuan shook his head. “I’ve heard Liheng speak of this Nie Yunzhu a few times before now, and I already thought her no ordinary woman. Now, knowing she’s someone of such integrity and noble character, with nothing base about her at all — if Liheng, speaking up for a good friend, only asked Consort Yun to take her on as a goddaughter, that would be treating her far too lightly. I should adopt her myself, as my own daughter, and treat her as I would my own flesh and blood. Liheng need not worry that I’d treat her poorly — and her two elder brothers, I’m sure, would be delighted to have such a sister.”
Kang Xian, listening beside him, said, “Hearing Liheng put it this way, even I find myself moved. A woman of such noble character and diligence deserves a proper standing — why not let me adopt her as my own goddaughter instead? I certainly wouldn’t treat her poorly either, and since Liheng just mentioned business matters — if she takes me, Kang Xian, as her adoptive father, I can guarantee no one in all of Jiangning would dare give her trouble. Wouldn’t that be even better?”
Ning Yi smiled and bowed to him. “My thanks for Your Excellency’s kind intentions, but if Your Excellency were to adopt her as a daughter, wouldn’t she then become a princess consort? That standing might genuinely bring Your Excellency more trouble than it’s worth…”
…
As dusk drew near, old Kang boarded his palanquin and left the Qinhuai river bend. That afternoon, the group had spent some time discussing the matter of old Qin adopting Nie Yunzhu as a goddaughter, talked it over further, and only then parted ways. Weighing on Kang Xian’s mind, though, was mostly the matter of the booklet. He read through it once more in the palanquin, then called Lu A’Gui over.
“A’Gui, what do you make of this booklet — of this Ning Liheng — now?”
Lu A’Gui pondered for a long while before finally speaking.