The Mohists happily ate a "wild barbecue". He Zhiran also took the time to give Li Tiezhu another acupuncture treatment.
The people who originally had the idea of escaping now gave up on that idea after seeing Li Tiezhu's obvious improvement.
Seeing that the accumulated water on the nearby ground was becoming less and less, Peng Wang sent Zhang Qing with two people down the mountain to take a look. If the flood had receded, they would continue on their way early tomorrow morning.
This trip had delayed too much of their travel time. If they didn't speed up, they were afraid they wouldn't be able to deliver the prisoners to the northwest within the prescribed time.
About an hour after Zhang Qing left with the people, he ran back, panting.
"Boss, the water under the mountain has receded almost completely. I tried it, the deepest place just barely went past my knees.
Also, the magistrate of Dongfeng County personally brought people here for disaster relief. They have already salvaged some of the corpses in the water."
When he heard that the magistrate of Dongfeng County had personally come for disaster relief, Peng Wang thought of He Zhiran's suggestion.
That was that if these corpses could not be cremated in time, it would easily lead to a plague breaking out.
Thinking of this, Peng Wang felt that he had to go and talk to the magistrate himself about this matter.
After all, he had heard this from He Zhiran, so Peng Wang decided to take her and Mo Jiuye with him to go there.
After making some simple arrangements for things here, the three of them hurried down the mountain.
At the foot of the mountain, what met their eyes was a mess.
The houses in the village had been completely washed away by the big flood. In the murky water lay more than a dozen corpses.
In addition to that, there were also some items from the commoners' homes that had been washed everywhere by the flood.
In the distance, a young man in magistrate's official clothes was directing a group of subordinates to move those corpses to higher ground.
While He Zhiran and the others were observing that magistrate, the magistrate's gaze also turned towards them.
If Peng Wang hadn't been wearing official clothes, he might have thought these few were surviving commoners from nearby.
The magistrate gave orders to his subordinates, then sloshed through the water towards them.
Peng Wang's side also went to meet him in turn.
When the two sides were not far apart, the magistrate and Peng Wang recognized each other at the same time.
Meeting an acquaintance, Peng Wang was very enthusiastic.
"Is that my young brother Meng?"
Meng Huaining clasped his fist towards Peng Wang: "Brother Peng, long time no see."
Seeing that there was still a dozen or so meters between them and Meng Huaining, Peng Wang walked while quietly introducing Meng Huaining to Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran.
"This one is Elder State Minister Meng's own grandson, named Meng Huaining."
Mo Jiuye was not familiar with Meng Huaining, but he was no stranger to Elder State Minister Meng, whom Peng Wang had mentioned.
Elder State Minister Meng was Emperor Shunwu's left and right hand man, and could be said to be a pillar minister of the Da Shun Dynasty.
It wasn't until Emperor Shunwu ascended to the throne that, in order to monopolize power, he used Elder State Minister Meng's old age and frailness as an excuse to order him to return home and retire.
Not long after, there was news that Elder State Minister Meng had died on the road back home.
He Zhiran and Mo Jiuye had opposite knowledge. She didn't know much about Elder State Minister Meng's affairs, but she was not unfamiliar with his grandson Meng Huaining.
Fei Nanyu was able to build the strongest country during his reign, and Meng Huaining had an indispensable role.
This person had unconventional thinking and was good at accepting new things. He often made bold suggestions to Fei Nanyu.
Knowing that Meng Huaining had talent, Fei Nanyu gave him ample room to exert himself.
He Zhiran quickly went over in her mind what she knew about Meng Huaining, then looked at Mo Jiuye and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "Meng Huaining is worth befriending."
Mo Jiuye didn't know what He Zhiran's reminder was based on, but based on those past events, he could be certain that almost everything she said was correct.
Therefore, Mo Jiuye nodded deeply to indicate that he understood.
As they walked closer, after exchanging brief pleasantries with Meng Huaining, Peng Wang introduced Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran to him.
Meng Huaining was no stranger to Mo Jiuye.
Who in the Da Shun Dynasty didn't know the famous God of War?
As for the crime Mo Jiuye was accused of, no one was clearer in their heart than Meng Huaining that he had been wronged.
Emperor Shunwu's reason for convicting the Mohists was nothing more than that Mo Jiuye's great accomplishments overshadowed him, making him uncomfortable.
It was because his own grandfather's great accomplishments had overshadowed and aroused jealousy that he met a violent death on the road home...
Although the Meng family knew the real cause of the Senior Minister's death, in order to preserve the lives of their whole family, they could only claim to outsiders that the Senior Minister had died of illness.
Mo Jiuye had driven away foreign enemies countless times and kept the Da Shun dynasty safe. He was someone Meng Huaining sincerely respected from the bottom of his heart.
What's more, the Mohists' fate was almost the same misfortune as his own family's.
Without any pretense, Meng Huaining took the initiative to cup his fist towards Mo Jiuye.
"General Mo, this humble official pays his respects."
Mo Jiuye hurriedly returned the courtesy: "I am no longer a general now, but a prisoner reviled by all. Meng Excellency calling me that is not appropriate."
In fact, Meng Huaining also weighed it over and over before choosing to address Mo Jiuye this way.
The Mohists had been loyal and upright for generations, and were all great heroes standing tall and unwavering in his eyes. Now they were exiled under false accusations, so it wasn't good to call him Duke anymore.
Out of respect for the Mohists, Meng Huaining addressed Mo Jiuye as General.
Meng Huaining waved his hand: "No, the Mohists have protected the country for generations. You deserve to be called General."
Seeing the two of them going back and forth over forms of address here, Peng Wang spoke up: "At first glance, Brother Meng is a sentimental person, and Brother Mo is straightforward. In my opinion, why don't you two address each other as brothers? That would be more intimate."
Hearing this, Mo Jiuye quickly reported his age: "This humble one is now twenty-one. I wonder, how old is Meng Excellency?"
"I'm one year older than you. If Brother Mo doesn't mind, just call me Big Brother Meng."
"Big Brother Meng."
After exchanging some idle chatter, Peng Wang did not forget the purpose of this trip.
He took the initiative to tell Meng Huaining about He Zhiran's suggestion.
Meng Huaining's reaction did not disappoint He Zhiran.
He was indeed as recorded in history - unconventional in his thinking, bold, and astute.
Although Meng Huaining did not immediately oppose Peng Wang's proposal, he also did not make a decision right away.
In order to further confirm the pros and cons, he asked some detailed questions about the reasons and circumstances.
Peng Wang could make suggestions, but when it came to explaining details, he couldn't do it.
So he directly pushed He Zhiran forward.
Meng Huaining did not slight her because she was a woman.
"Sister, you mean these commoners' corpses must be cremated?"
He Zhiran said solemnly: "Yes, the sooner the better. This is the only way to effectively prevent the outbreak of an epidemic.
Moreover, I must tell Brother Meng that among the villagers taking refuge with us, some have already been infected with plague."
"What? Did you say the villagers taking refuge have contracted plague?" Meng Huaining sucked in a breath of cold air. This news was too sudden. For him as the parent official, it was like a bolt from the blue on a sunny day.
