In ancient times, the powerful and wealthy seized power step by step.

The epidemic was a truly devastating disaster.

Four years ago, a winter plague broke out in the Central Plains, and tens of thousands of people died from the disease. The situation was extremely tragic.

Moreover, the most distinctive feature of the epidemic is that everyone is equal. Once the epidemic spreads, it does not matter whether you are a high-ranking official or a humble laborer struggling to survive. No one can escape it, and everyone may be infected and die, just like the late emperor's beloved Consort Gao and the Second Prince.

Having personally witnessed the catastrophe four years ago, the Emperor was deeply shocked. Therefore, at today's court assembly, all other trivial matters were set aside, and the focus was solely on the epidemic.

General Wen was a military commander, not a doctor. There were no imperial physicians on the frontier. When local doctors reported cases suspected of being winter plague, General Wen was unsure. Since it involved an epidemic, regardless of whether it was true or false, he treated it as the most serious case and sent the information to the capital by express courier.

At today's court assembly, the first thing decided was, as requested by General Wen, to dispatch the deputy head of the Imperial Medical Academy to organize the staff of the Imperial Medical Academy and set off immediately for the northern frontier.

Secondly, the Ministry of Revenue requested permission from the Emperor to prepare funds in case the epidemic spreads, in order to allocate silver to raise medicines and provisions for disaster relief.

The Emperor immediately agreed:

"Yes, this matter must be handled quickly. We should produce the plan today."

Since the Emperor said to hurry, no one dared to slack off. After the morning court session, everyone in the Ministry of Revenue sprang into action. During the cabinet meeting in the afternoon, Minister Cao of the Ministry of Revenue had already submitted his memorial.

Lord Cao looked troubled:

"This matter came too suddenly. It is difficult to find the money to raise for medicine and food. The Emperor needs to decide on the specific use of the money."

During the reign of the late emperor, he was quite obsessed with extravagance and immortality. Every year, he spent a lot of money on palace construction, food, clothing, various banquets, and alchemy, squandering the national treasury.

The foundation left to the Emperor was already thin, and with the great catastrophe four years ago, the national treasury has not yet recovered. Lord Cao's family was already struggling financially, and suddenly having an extra sum of money to spend was simply impossible to conjure up.

The Emperor glanced at the money laid out before him and saw that it was all absolutely necessary and none of it could be reduced.

......

The damaged dikes in the Jiangnan region on the east side need to be repaired urgently, otherwise there will be another major disaster during next year's flood season.

The ships built by the Maritime Trade Office in the south were already half-built, and they couldn't just be left there unfinished.

There are barbarians causing trouble in the three western regions, and the military funds for troop deployment must be allocated as soon as possible.

Winter clothing for soldiers in the northern border region needs to be distributed. The border is bitterly cold, and we can't let the soldiers guard the border in thin clothes.

......

Running such a vast empire requires money from south to north and from west to east.

The source of income is not being cut, and the money-making areas are even more leaky. Not only has the salt tax been decreasing year by year, but the three major textile factories in Jiangnan have also gone bankrupt this year. Such a big business has actually resulted in a loss.

Even the Emperor, a dignified ruler of the nation, has to worry about these financial matters every day. The Emperor rubbed his forehead and asked Minister Cao:

"Minister Cao, what do you think should be the areas for reduction?"

If Lord Cao dared to make a decision, or could even scrape together the funds, this difficult problem wouldn't have been passed on to the Emperor. He stammered, "..."

"I dare not speak presumptuously."

The Emperor looked left and right, and the more he looked, the more headache he got. But the plague was unlike other natural disasters, such as floods, droughts, and locust plagues, which could never reach the capital. If the plague was not handled properly, even the palace might be filled with dead bodies.

This money couldn't be spared, so the Emperor, with a stroke of his pen, issued his decree:

"The Emperor's birthday celebration will not be held this year; the Imperial Household Department will cover the cost."

The Emperor even forwent his own birthday to spare this sum of money, which amazed everyone in the cabinet, who praised the Emperor's wisdom.

As a result, Vice Minister Gu of the Ministry of Revenue not only failed to stop while he was ahead, but also pressured his own cousin, the Emperor, to submit a report:

"Your Majesty, to curb the plague, the key lies in prevention and timely response. Take the current outbreak in the northern frontier, for example. Even with the Ministry of War's urgent dispatches, it would take at least ten days for the news to reach the capital from the northern frontier. And it would take more than a month for the head of the Imperial Medical Academy to organize personnel to go to the northern frontier. With such a long interval, I'm afraid the epidemic will be out of control, and even if the imperial physicians were Hua Tuo alive, they would be powerless to save it. It is the right thing to do to control the epidemic at its inception."

That makes sense, and the Emperor nodded in agreement.

"That makes sense. How can we control it in advance? Minister Gu, what are your plans? Tell us."

Gu Zhao had been preparing for so long, just waiting for the Emperor to ask, and immediately took out the memorial:

"I believe that the Imperial Medical Academy is located far away in the capital, and its reach is limited beyond the capital. I request Your Majesty to establish a new Huiyi Temple in addition to the Nine Temples and Five Directorates, and to build Huiyi Clinics in various places. The doctors of these clinics should be trained by the Huiyi Temple and appointed by the court. This would not only benefit the people and demonstrate the Emperor's boundless grace, but also enable timely response to sudden epidemics and curb the disaster of the epidemic."

The Emperor picked up the folded document and looked at it; his headache only worsened.

"The idea is good, but training a doctor will take several years, building a clinic will cost several thousand taels of silver, and we'll have to raise funds from various places. I only have one birthday celebration a year, and the Imperial Household Department doesn't have any extra money. To set up a Huiyi Temple, we'll need at least several hundred thousand taels of silver to start. Where will the money come from?"

Having prepared for so long, Gu Zhao was naturally well-prepared. He immediately took out another folded folding booklet, presented it, and replied:

"From the perspective of salt tax, Your Majesty, I have been in charge of investigating the smuggling of salt this time. I feel deeply that the current salt law has enriched the salt merchants, made the salt administration wealthy, weakened the government, and caused suffering to the people. Now that the salt law has been reformed, it is time to make changes. I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly."

When Lord Gu made his move, he caused a huge uproar, startling everyone in the cabinet so much that they nearly lost their heads on the spot.

Not only were the cabinet members shocked, but at the family banquet of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion that evening, a single sentence from the Duke of Dingguo terrified the Duke's wife and Old Madam Gu.

The Duke of Dingguo, who never discussed court affairs at family banquets, made an exception and asked:

"Shouming, what kind of death do you want to choose? Tell us in advance so your family can prepare and collect your body."

Gu Zhao stood up on the spot:

"My son is terrified."

The Duke of Dingguo allowed him to plead guilty, but his tone was even more reproachful:

"You're terrified? I think you're incredibly audacious. Throughout history, how many who attempted reform have met a good end? Are you more capable than the sages of the past, or are you just more resilient than them? How dare you even consider reform!"

Faced with his father's fury, Gu Zhao, as if addressing a superior, calmly raised his eyes and replied:

"In your opinion, Father, shouldn't the salt tax reform be implemented?"

Because his son was rarely home since childhood, their relationship was not particularly close. Therefore, the Duke of Dingguo usually gave his son advice rather than asserting his authority as a father.

Therefore, Gu Zhao's calmness caused the Duke of Dingguo's anger to turn into a sigh.

The Duke of Dingguo sighed:

"Salt reform is necessary, but it's inappropriate for you to propose it. Zhao'er, you are no longer a nun. Your actions not only affect yourself but also the entire Duke of Dingguo's mansion. To ruin people's livelihoods is like killing one's parents and spouse. Do you know how many people's wealth is hidden in the complex salt industry? It's not as simple as arresting Lei Dawu. Your rash proposal of reform is courting death and bringing disaster to the family!"