Caiyu's voice faded away, sounding like pearls dropping onto a silver plate.
The tinkling sound was clear, resounding, and truly heart - shaking.
Everyone present was stunned for a moment, and the whole place fell into dead silence.
After a while, Doctor Liu exclaimed in a hurry, "…Ah, yes, yes, yes. It makes sense, Your Highness. Currently, the Imperial Hospital has been unable to come up with a solution. Perhaps the root cause lies with this Song Si... Four - Dog?"
Why would someone have such a down - to - earth name?
Song Yinghuai's brow twitched imperceptibly again.
Doctor Liu continued, "Perhaps it's just as he said. Your subordinate thinks we should give it a try anyway. Maybe it'll be a new breakthrough."
Doctor Liu and the others were the most anxious ones.
As medical practitioners, seeing the patients they treated fall one after another, the sense of powerlessness they felt was even stronger than that of ordinary people.
These medical practitioners were the ones who most hoped to solve the problem quickly.
Song Yinghuai only pondered for a few seconds before giving his approval. He said to Sheng Jiangli,
"General Sheng, dispatch some men to search for a new water source on the mountain... As for the current water source..."
He paused for a moment, looking a bit hesitant.
Water supply couldn't be interrupted. Before a new water source was found, what should they do for water in the next few days?
Caiyu said, "It's best to go down the mountain and fetch water from the deep wells in each village."
Song Yinghuai glanced at her. Seeing her still stubbornly kneeling on the ground, with an unyielding look on her small face, he sighed silently. "Get up and talk... There are more and more patients on the mountain now. Even a few of the supporting soldiers have started to be infected. There aren't enough manpower to fetch water from down the mountain."
After getting up, Caiyu thought for a moment and said with her head down, "Your Highness, when you were fighting in the army, did you ever use the method of flying people on steel ropes, flying down and up from the cliff? It's the same principle as when we lower a rope into a well to fetch water."
Song Yinghuai was suddenly inspired.
Caiyu's method was actually similar to a circulating double - rope track. Buckets could be transported one by one down the mountain on ropes, and then the people down the mountain would fill them with water and hang them back up to be pulled up the mountain through the rope cycle.
It was similar to a modern cableway.
The only problem was that this method would consume a lot of ropes. Ordinary cowhide ropes and hemp ropes couldn't withstand such constant pulling.
But it wasn't a problem.
Standing in front of them were Song Yinghuai and Sheng Jiangli, both from the military. Their troops carried special steel wire ropes, which would be more than enough to last for a couple of days when connected.
"Your suggestion is very good," Song Yinghuai said with a smile on his cold face.
Looking at Caiyu's energetic little face, he suddenly felt a bit self - reflective.
Maybe he had protected her too much and hidden her too deeply, making her brilliance be covered.
Caiyu's abilities were far more than just managing two shops.
She had truly inherited the kindness and wisdom of Old Master Lan.
Maybe after the matter of the Lan family was settled, he could try to let her do something more meaningful.
Maybe then she wouldn't argue with him so much.
"According to this..." Song Yinghuai had just started to give an order when he suddenly remembered Caiyu's headache - inducing false name. Grinding his teeth, he said, "Arrange things quickly according to what this brother said."
Sheng Jiangli looked at Caiyu proudly.
Look, his Shu'er sister was really amazing. With just a few words, she could solve a big problem.
In a good mood, he led Suobude and the others to make the arrangements.
Caiyu felt a sense of satisfaction when her suggestion was adopted.
The tiredness of the past few days seemed to disappear completely.
She spoke up and requested, "Your Highness, your subordinate requests to participate in the task of searching for the water source!"
She thought that since she had come up with the solution, if she could also participate in the search for the water source and solve the root cause of the epidemic, it would be a great achievement.
Anyway, she would surely occupy an important position in the Emperor's commendation order!
"No!" Song Yinghuai instinctively refused without hesitation. Frowning, he said, "The terrain in the mountains is complex. The weather has been gloomy these days, and there are snakes, insects, rats, ants, and wild beasts everywhere. With your small build, you'll only be a burden!"
Although Qixia Mountain was not as vast as Mulan Mountain, it was still a place of fairyland. It was currently the dry autumn season, and the wild beasts were extremely irritable. Encountering them would mean a life - and - death struggle.
It was too dangerous for Caiyu to go up the mountain with the others.
Caiyu was once again instinctively refused by Song Yinghuai. She almost lost her temper. "Your Highness, why?"
She glared angrily at Song Yinghuai.
He was such an ungrateful person!
He had accepted her suggestion, but wouldn't let her take the credit!
Where was the justice in this world?
Song Yinghuai didn't have so much time to reason with her. This wasn't in Yanjing or his mansion.
Did he have to let everyone watch him, a grand prince, reason with a little soldier on the spot?
Song Yinghuai immediately put on a cold face again and ordered in the way he dealt with his subordinates in the army:
"I said no, and that's final. Do I need to explain it to you?"
It was always like this!
It was always like this!
Caiyu looked at Song Yinghuai disappointedly.
Didn't Song Yinghuai see all her hard work recently?
Wasn't her suggestion just now correct?
Why did he always refuse to let her do what she liked and wanted to do?
Why did he always stop her whenever she had a different action plan?
"Your Highness, do you think your subordinate can't find the water source?"
Looking at Song Yinghuai's tense side face, Caiyu's temper flared up. Her delicate eyebrows and eyes were filled with anger. Regardless of the shocked looks of the others, she began to question him:
"This suggestion was made by your subordinate. Your subordinate should see it through to the end. Since I made the suggestion, I should participate in the action... Your Highness has no reason to exclude your subordinate. Your subordinate refuses to accept this!"
She suddenly remembered what Qingqing had told her before they set off. This time, Song Yinghuai must take the credit before the Crown Prince.
Did he want to solve the epidemic resolutely before the Crown Prince came up the mountain and catch the Crown Prince off guard?
Caiyu felt sad and asked disappointedly, "Your Highness doesn't let your subordinate go to search for the water source because your subordinate is General Sheng's person. Are you afraid that your subordinate will take the credit?"
Didn't Song Yinghuai trust Sheng Jiangli, and now he didn't even trust her?
If she made an achievement, would she give the credit to the Crown Prince?
Caiyu's question shocked everyone.
A little soldier actually dared to question Prince Yan about stealing credit?
Even though she had just offered a good suggestion, she couldn't be so bold!
She was courting death!
"You!" Song Yinghuai gasped. His face instantly darkened like the dark clouds before a rainstorm.
It was impossible to have a peaceful moment.
This girl always managed to stir up trouble just when they had calmed down!
Song Yinghuai was questioned by Caiyu about stealing credit. His mood was like an invisible storm spreading wildly.
Repeatedly refuting him in public made him, the highest commander of the epidemic - fighting effort, lose all his face!
The twitching of his lips revealed his suppressed anger. Everyone unconsciously stepped back, afraid of being affected by Song Yinghuai's anger.
"Just because you made a small suggestion, do you think you're the highest general in this epidemic - fighting effort?" Song Yinghuai's expression was cold. His voice began to be filled with the anger and domineering that Caiyu was familiar with. "You're just a little soldier. Didn't your General Sheng teach you that military orders are as unshakable as mountains? You just need to execute the commander's orders. You don't need to ask questions!"
"Do you know that your behavior just now, if it happened during a battle in the army, could get you beheaded?!"
Threatening her!
Caiyu was also angry. Her eyebrows were tightly knitted, her eyes were wide open, her hands were tightly clenched into fists, and her chest was rising and falling rapidly:
"If the commander's order is wrong, does your subordinate have to follow it and go to death?"
"Yes!" Song Yinghuai answered resolutely without hesitation. "That's what it means when we say military orders are as unshakable as mountains! Even if the commander orders you to be a human shield, you mustn't have any objections! Moreover, I'm just not allowing you to participate in the search for the water source. What else do you object to?"
Just as Caiyu was about to argue further in refusal, Aunt Mei rushed into the main hall. "Your Highness, the two maids serving the Lady have also contracted the plague. There's no one to serve the Lady now. Your Highness, please dispatch two people to serve the Lady!"
There were only monks and refugees on the mountain. Where could they find maids?
Song Yinghuai pondered for two seconds, then his gaze fell on Caiyu...