The Empress’ Livestream
chapter-555

Chapter 555: Drought, Refugees (I)

“Doctor, is my daughter-in-law’s baby okay…”

Ever since Jiang Pengji had enacted the new law, the commoners were puzzled and could hardly contain themselves.

They were perplexed because they could not understand why the lord wanted old women between the ages of 25 and 30 to have children who would be as old as their grandchildren. Would one not feel embarrassed?

However, the physician had said that the lord was right. The commoners were blindly obedient. They were even more easily influenced by public opinions. In terms of reproduction and treatment of illnesses, who else would have more say than a physician?

The physician said that pregnant women who gave birth to children at a young age would result in the children being weak and the pregnant women being in ill health. The commoners began to remember.

They were all married and gave birth to children at a very young age. Was there a married woman who did not get pregnant a few times and give birth to seven to eight children? What were the results of it? How many children were raised?

Putting aside human factors and hunger, upon careful thinking it was extremely scary to think about how many children had simply died naturally because they were weak! There was no effective contraceptive measure in this era. If a woman was pregnant, she had to give birth to the child regardless of how close her two pregnancies were.

The commoners shuddered upon thinking about this aspect. Was there a married woman who did not start giving birth to children when they were in their teens? If they did not die because of obstructed labor, they would have children one after another. They gave birth to seven to eight children, but only two or three survived in the end. If they encountered other disasters, they might only be left with a son who survived. Some of them were not even left with a single child.

They found out that the children who were given birth to at an older age were indeed stronger. At that time, they thought that it was because their lives had gotten better. Families who had pregnant daughters-in-law were unable to sit still. Pregnant women queued up in front of the medical center. The physician could meet hundreds of people like the mother-in-law in front of him who was worried about her unborn grandson each day.

He secretly sighed. The physician felt that he was unlucky that day. Why was it that he was the one on duty?

“Your daughter-in-law is strong. If she takes care of her baby well and is relaxed, she’ll definitely be able to give birth to a healthy child.”

The woman said, “But my daughter-in-law is only 16 years old this year.”

The physician secretly pouted. Never mind that she was 16 years old, even if she was only 13 years old, could she abort the child?

Was there a medical practitioner who did not know that giving birth to children at an extremely young age could easily cause the children to be congenitally deficient?

However, he could not say those words. Daughters-in-law had to carry on the family line. Why would mothers-in-law who only cared about their grandsons worry about that? They were someone else’s daughters anyway. It was their fault for not being able to give birth to a son. It was also their fault for not being able to raise their sons even if they gave birth to one.

Everyone was to be blamed. Anyway, mothers-in-law were the only ones who were not at fault.

The physician was irritated on the inside, but he replied gently on the outside, “Childbearing is also divided into congenital and postnatal. Even if the child is a little deficient congenitally, he can be nourished if he receives proper postnatal care. However, it’s more troublesome than that. I see that your daughter-in-law doesn’t look well and her pulse is unclear and heavy. There’s a knot in her heart. You don’t have to be too worried, Madam. Don’t give her too much pressure. Only pregnant women who are physically and mentally healthy and in a good mood are able to give birth to strong children. Am I right?”

The physician received the order saying that they must insist that giving birth to children at a young age would make the children die easily, but they could not be harsh with their words. Although giving birth to children at a young age could cause the children to be congenitally deficient, they could also be healthy and lively through proper postnatal care. It was just that the adults had to take care of the children meticulously and they could not be careless.

The medical center which Jiang Pengji set up was a very attractive institution.

The medicinal herbs inside and the physicians’ salaries were specially subsidized by the government. As a result, the commoners’ consumption when seeing a physician would be reduced. The physician could concentrate more on treating the patients without considering other miscellaneous matters.

Anyone who had a headache or fever could be treated. It would not cost much and it was not expensive to buy the medicinal herbs. In order to take care of the female patients, there were female medical troops who had rotated their days off to study medicine in the medical center. For nearly a year, the medical center in Xiangyang District had greatly impressed the commoners.

The physician had already said so. The commoners pondered for a while blankly and they were able to accept the law which Jiang Pengji promulgated. Pregnant women in their twenties were somewhat older, but it was easy for them to have children who would be healthy. This was an advantage!

There was a small reproduction peak in Fengyi County. It had washed away the dull atmosphere and brought a little joy.

During the drought in the north that year, the sun was scorching hot and it was dry everywhere, not to mention that not a single grain was reaped.

One could just starve himself when there was no food. One could even eat mud, tree barks, tree roots and grassroots when he was extremely hungry. However, one would collapse after three to four days without water. The Tsing Yi Army was the first to be defeated because they only knew how to destroy things instead of producing and governing. In order to survive, there were more and more deserters. The increase in the number of deserters meant that there were more and more refugees.

In contrast, the Red Lotus Group was still in a fairly good condition. They went to war and governed the people by relying on their religion. When the entire northern territory was suffering from drought, they led the people to pray to the gods. Although it was somewhat useless, it had alleviated the panic of the people to a certain extent.

Under the circumstance, the construction in Fengyi County was already on the right track. The originally dilapidated Maolin District, Chengan District and Jiaoping District were full of vigor. Some refugees who had escaped and returned thought that they had gone to the wrong place. Was this still their former home?

There were refugees who flocked to Fengyi County every day. Outside the city, people who were waiting to be inspected and settle down could be seen. Although the place was still poverty-stricken, as long as there were enough people, it would definitely become more developed.

“The weather is hot now. The water level in the well has been falling and the mountain streams are drying up…” Yang Si’s full-moon-like face had already become so thin that his sharp chin was revealed. He did not have the time to trim his black beard. He looked extremely shabby. “The water channels are covered with flashed bricks, but the volume of water has been decreasing. I think the other three districts are facing the same situation as well… What should we do?”

His boy servant was no longer learning how to cook from the chef. He was dragged over by his master to organize documents and be ordered about as half a labor force.

He said, “Why don’t we limit the people’s daily water usage?”

Wei Ci shook his head. “We can’t! If we do this, it’ll easily cause a panic among the commoners and every household will rush to store water. It’ll be bad.”

New refugees would gather every day. If the news of there being a shortage of water in the city was to spread, the chaos would be unimaginable.

The boy servant pulled a long face. “What should we do then?”

Wei Ci pondered. “We’ll do it another way.”

Both methods were to limit the use of water, but the ways of publicizing them were different. The effects produced were also vastly different.

Surprised, Yang Si said, “Another way?”

Wei Ci replied, “There are so many refugees outside the city now. The north is arid and many civilians aren’t able to find water. In more serious cases, they’ll die of thirst. Since that’s the case, we’ll inform the people inside and outside the city and explain the severe situation in the north. We’ll tell them that although there’s no shortage of water in the district, every household should cherish the current situation, save water, and reduce unnecessary waste of water…”

If the civilians wasted water, would their conscience not hurt when there were other people who could not find water?

The boy servant and Wei Ci had the same objective. Obviously, the former would cause panic and civil disorder, whereas the latter could make the people feel guilty and save water spontaneously. It could even make the people feel more grateful towards Jiang Pengji.

If it were not for her, would what they have now exist?

Yang Si thought about it and teased him with a smile. “You’re a sly one!”