When the two arrived at Governor Sun’s Mansion of Two Lakes, Lord Xia was busy confiscating assets.

"Reporting to Lord Imperial Envoy, twenty thousand taels of gold and silver jewelry have been confiscated from Governor Sun’s Mansion, and the grain..."

The gold and silver jewels would be used to resettle the disaster victims, but the method of distributing grain faced local officials’ skepticism.

"Sir, distributing grain daily based on the household count and the number of people might not be as effective as directly providing porridge."

"Exactly, many disaster victims are homeless and have lost their families. How can they still have household registrations?"

"What are you doing here? Respond to the people’s needs immediately. Open the government office for them and establish household registrations; even one individual is counted as a household."

This...

"Special circumstances require special handling. Act swiftly and diligently, consider the people’s needs, and attend to their urgencies."

While re-verifying the household registrations, distribute the disaster relief grain.

Also, arrange for the victims to settle down locally.

Displaced victims are easily exploited; prevent them from revolting.

"Additionally, summon all the doctors and requisition some medicinal herbs from pharmacies..."

Chun Ning and Ming Lang have clear roles: one responsible for resettling the populace, the other for epidemic prevention, coordinating the post-disaster reconstruction at the same time.

"Providing relief through labor; able-bodied individuals participate in government-organized disaster relief tasks, earning one liter of coarse grain per day."

"Participation is voluntary, not compulsory."

This is not conscription.

Conscription would provoke public resentment and may even incite popular anger.

However, with relief through labor, who would refuse life-saving grain?

Once this announcement was made, the entire street outside the government office was crowded.

"Everyone, don’t panic. Register first and come to work tomorrow."

The government official has been working locally for twenty years and has never seen such measures from such officials.

They have had times of repairing dikes and building dams, where the laborers were lazy and might not even want to work.

There was even the possibility of escape.

But this time, these people were all eager, rubbing their hands with excitement, ready to take action.

"Ten people per group, the leader manages their team, and each month can receive two additional liters of coarse grain. You can freely form your own teams or volunteer yourselves." The government official managed according to the Imperial Envoy’s policy: "Perform well, and if no laziness occurs, each member can receive another liter of coarse grain monthly."

...

Policies were directly posted on the walls.

Of course, there were rewards and penalties.

If laziness occurred, or commands were not followed, the entire team would be dismissed and never rehired.

This strategy effectively managed them.

"We must work well; working one day means earning a liter of coarse grain, which can save an entire family."

Surviving without fleeing — truly a benevolent official has arrived!

More unexpectedly, not only were dikes and dams being repaired, but bridges and roads were also being constructed. Houses were being rebuilt for disaster victims free of charge, and even fields were being cultivated.

"Every season has suitable crops; now, planting radishes, cabbages, and greens can improve the people’s lives. These vegetables are certainly better than wild ones."

The newly cultivated land was distributed based on household count, ensuring every family had farmland to plant.

Even those formerly too poor to rent land received one or two acres now.

So, rather than calling this flood a catastrophe, it was more of a revival opportunity.

"Annual land tax should be paid to the court, not to landlords."

"The Emperor sympathizes with the people, granting a three-year tax exemption due to the disaster in the Two Lakes Region, with taxes resuming after three years."

This policy made the people cheer for the Emperor.

The Emperor in the Capital received news from the Two Lakes. Smiling with satisfaction, he reviewed the reports.

"Since our dynasty’s establishment, we have faced numerous disasters, but never has one been so perfectly resolved."

"Indeed, the Emperor’s wisdom, along with Mr. Zhao and Lord Xiao’s seamless cooperation, handled everything so well, leaving no lingering concerns."

"These two are truly pillars of strength; having them is a blessing for our dynasty’s people."

"Moreover, the Emperor’s foresight recognized their talents, seeing them as useful individuals."

Mr. Fu’s words greatly delighted the Emperor!

Good horses are common, but great judges are rare.

The Emperor also felt proud of his perception.

Yet, not even three days of joy passed before another bad news arrived: an epidemic had emerged in the Two Lakes Region.

"Emperor..."

Mr. Fu worried the Emperor would be anxious: "Do not fret, Your Majesty. This has always been the case historically; issues inevitably arise post-epidemic. Good fortune will protect us..."

As Mr. Fu spoke, he struggled to continue the lie.

"I am not anxious."

The Emperor set down the report with a sigh.

"I am merely grateful for using the right people. Afu, you are unaware: before leaving, Chun Ning requested medicinal herbs, Imperial Physicians, and cloth, all for epidemic prevention."

Therefore, he was not overly worried as everything was under Chun Ning’s control.

He trusted that the epidemic would not cause excessive damage or fear.

At the Governor Mansion, Chun Ning donned a white cloth upon hearing that the two Imperial Physicians had fallen ill.

"Chun Ning, let me go instead. I am older than you; as your elder brother, I should look after you."

Everyone knows contracting the plague is ill fortune, possibly a one-way trip.

Claiming fearlessness is a lie, but as a dignified man Zhao Minglang naturally cannot hand over such a dangerous task to Chun Ning: "I am the Imperial Envoy. It is my duty to observe the situation in the epidemic zone personally and then draft a report for submission."

Without investigation, there can be no discourse.

After the epidemic was discovered, Chun Ning promptly isolated the area, arranging for the sick to be housed there.

Each case was accounted for; the settlement zone provided food, drink, and medicine for free.

This reassured the sick victims, leading to their cooperation.

The two Imperial Physicians were diagnosing and treating in the epidemic zone; everything was orderly arranged.

Who would’ve known, both Imperial Physicians fell ill, even unable to get out of bed.

Chun Ning and Ming Lang needed one of them to enter and assess, while the other stayed outside to manage overall affairs.

"Second Brother Zhao, you don’t need to compete with me this time." Chun Ning said: "You are the Imperial Envoy. Many important affairs require your management; many things cannot proceed without you. Also, I come from a Medical Family. My grandfather and sister are skilled in medicine, and I am relatively knowledgeable about epidemic management."

"Moreover, my sister provided me with two remedies. I need to personally examine the situation inside, assess the condition, and choose the most suitable prescription."

"Chun Ning..."

"Second Brother Zhao, rest assured, I know how to prevent epidemics. I am sure I’ll be fine."

He had taken special pills made by his elder sister to enhance his physique, making him less likely to fall ill.

Thus, entering the epidemic zone was more suitable for him than Zhao Minglang.

Zhao Minglang felt moved and guilty for placing him in danger, while admiring his analytical and composed reasoning.