Chapter 121 |
Magistrate Hua walked through the quarantine zone where cases had appeared.
The first area where people fell ill was not the wounded area, but the youth zone where helpers had been salvaging and rescuing.
These individuals, after finishing the salvage work, also went to assist in other areas. Their high mobility led to a sudden outbreak of many people with persistent high fever overnight.
Magistrate Hua, as if with fire under his seat, sprang up in the middle of the night and had all symptomatic civilians gathered for centralized isolation.
Qu Dubian, with a cloth mask covering his face, followed beside Magistrate Hua with a furrowed brow.
The infected area was filled with the sound of painful moans.
More and more people were being carried here. The acrid smell of burning mugwort permeated every corner, and vomit stained the ground—the rice porridge they had eaten these past few days was almost all expelled.
Many suffered from bleeding from all six orifices, and the stench of blood grew heavier the further one went inside.
After hearing the news, Qu Dubian had deliberately skipped breakfast in the morning, wanting to come out and see for himself. With the dual protection of the mask and nose plugs, he could barely hold back his nausea now.
Imperial Physician Yang was also there.
He was examining an old man whose poor physical condition had led to a severe state of illness. A young girl knelt beside him, tears welling in her eyes.
Fully protected, Imperial Physician Yang, his brow tightly knit, administered several acupuncture needles before making an incision on the old man's arm.
Foul, black pus and blood flowed out. Imperial Physician Yang caught it in a bowl and, through his gloves, rubbed the pus between his fingers.
Magistrate Hua approached. "Imperial Physician Yang, how is it? How can this disease be treated?"
"The plague is fierce, more dangerous than several recorded outbreaks. It can take a life in just one or two days and is highly contagious. For now, we can only isolate the infected separately. As for treatment..." Imperial Physician Yang shook his head. "The time is too short; we have no leads yet."
Moreover, with the situation unclear, he dared not prescribe any formula recklessly. Looking back at previous plagues, all relied on formulas that were researched, adjusted, and confirmed safe before use.
Otherwise, a single misstep could cost a life.
Who would dare take such a risk?
Imperial Physician Yang waited for the pus and blood to drain completely, disinfected the wound, and bandaged it.
He stood up and bowed with clasped hands. "Magistrate, Your Highness, I must urge you to quickly send a letter to the Prefect, requesting that His Excellency summon physicians from neighboring prefectures to the infected area to research a treatment formula. My own strength is truly too limited."
Magistrate Hua: "A letter has already been sent, but it will take time. And for every day the epidemic drags on, it spreads further and claims more lives."
Qu Dubian: "Who was the first to fall ill?"
Magistrate Hua: "It was someone from the youth zone. Probably contracted the disease while handling the corpses."
Qu Dubian: "It's too sudden..."
"Indeed, it is too sudden." Yu Ruo returned from the quarantine area for the Nanning civilians, his face as dark as water. "Everything was fine before. We were managing the people according to Layman Biandou's zoning method. Even if someone fell sick, it wasn't a plague that would spread."
Qu Dubian nodded.
He felt even more certain in his heart.
If only he alone thought it was sudden, he might have doubted his own sensitivity. But now that Yu Ruo felt the same way, he could be sure: the corpses were the problem.
Qu Dubian: "Magistrate Hua, I ask you and the magistrates of the surrounding counties to erect large nets in the river channels to intercept corpses drifting downstream. Make the mesh large—just enough to catch the corpses."
"All intercepted corpses are to be destroyed on-site. Avoid direct contact."
"Those who return from the salvage operation must wash their hands with Zhenbao liquor, fumigate their bodies with mugwort, and burn the clothes they wore. The cost will be covered by the county office's public funds and reported later. We must cut off any possibility of the plague spreading."
Magistrate Hua bowed. "Understood. This official will see to it immediately."
Qu Dubian: "Secretary, keep an eye on the other civilians. I'm concerned there might be those who are sick but hiding it."
Secretary: "Yes."
"Wait," Qu Dubian added, "Spread positive news. Say that the Seventh Prince has an imperial physician from the palace by his side, a highly skilled doctor, and that a treatment formula is almost ready. Tell them not to worry."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Qu Dubian understood that sometimes the spread of panic could breed more dire incidents, and it must be suppressed as much as possible.
[Yu Ruo Favorability +2]
Qu Dubian suddenly turned his head.
"What are you thinking about?"
Watching Qu Dubian issue commands one after another, and seeing how Magistrate Hua and the Secretary seemed to have found their backbone—without any sense of incongruity due to his age—it seemed he was naturally suited to be a leader.
How many more people in Le'an County had survived because this guy was here?
Yu Ruo: "I was thinking about the people from Nanning."
Qu Dubian's brow furrowed. "Are there infections there too?"
Yu Ruo nodded. "Three bodies have already been burned."
Three.
There were only a little over a hundred Nanning civilians in Le'an County. Without zoning, once one was infected, probably half would not escape it.
Qu Dubian saw bloodshot threads in Yu Ruo's eyes.
This guy probably wasn't feeling good about it either.
"Your area is a high-risk zone. Don't let them approach here. Later, assign a physician to go there. Take some mugwort and Zhenbao liquor. It must be brought under control to prevent further spread."
Yu Ruo imitated the manner of Magistrate Hua and the Secretary, bowing with clasped hands. "Yes, Your Highness."
Qu Dubian kicked him. "Get lost."
Yu Ruo then turned to Imperial Physician Yang. "I leave it in your hands."
Imperial Physician Yang returned the courtesy, but inwardly sighed.
After Yu Ruo left, Imperial Physician Yang said, "Your Highness, you should return to the county office immediately. Your constitution is weak; if infected, the outcome would likely be dire."
"I have a strong life force. I've survived many dangers, as you know best, Imperial Physician Yang."
Imperial Physician Yang: "..."
This is not the same!
"Cough, cough, cough..."
On the straw mat, the old man who had just had his pus drained coughed a few times and barely managed to open his eyes.
"Grandpa! Grandpa, you're finally awake!" the child cried.
Imperial Physician Yang quickly knelt to check his pulse.
After a moment, he recorded the time of the pus drainage and the amount discharged.
"Doctor, honored sir," the old man's grandson on the straw mat looked at them with hopeful eyes, "My grandpa will be alright, won't he?"
The child's eyes were too bright, too desperate for affirmation.
Looking into those eyes, Imperial Physician Yang could not give an equally certain reply.
Qu Dubian: "We will do our utmost."
He patted the child's head and said softly, "Don't cry. Grandpa will worry. Take good care of him."
The child's nose tingled with sourness, and he kowtowed to them repeatedly. "Thank you, honored elder brother, thank you."
He was also infected, though his symptoms were still relatively mild.
Perhaps tomorrow he would be like his grandfather, lying on a straw mat, struggling even to open his eyes or speak.
Qu Dubian quickly pulled him up. "Alright, just do as Imperial Physician Yang says and watch over your grandfather."
"Yes!"
Imperial Physician Yang made another round through the infected zone, quietly discussing an initial treatment formula with several other physicians.
Qu Dubian stood in the middle of the path, looking at the long straw shelters on both sides.
People were constantly being carried in and carried out.
The sounds of weeping, the cries of grief, the despair slowly seeping through—all were far more effective at stinging the eyes and bringing tears than the smoke of mugwort.
Partings of life and death played out repeatedly in a short time. The oppression and gloom felt like a thousand-pound boulder, pressing down slowly and heavily on the heart.
At noon, Qu Dubian returned to the county office.
Ye Xiaoyuan came out of Yi Shier's room, having fumigated it with mugwort, wiped Yi Shier's hands and face with Zhenbao wine, and thrown his clothes into a pot to boil.
"Your Highness, please don't go out this afternoon. There are so many sick people outside. If anything were to happen to you, how worried Consort Xuan would be."
Ye Xiaoyuan even brought up Consort Xuan, determined not to let his master go out again.
Qu Dubian was eating, but his appetite was poor, and he ate considerably less than usual.
"Don't worry, Banban. I just want to go out to get a general understanding of the situation. How is Liuliu?"
Ye Xiaoyuan: "Still hasn't woken up. After vomiting a mouthful of black blood, his breathing has stabilized a lot."
Qu Dubian: "That's good."
After the meal, he went to check on Yi Shier.
Sitting by the bed, he said, "Liuliu, I want to do something. Ye Banban always stands by my side unconditionally, right or wrong. I don't dare tell him, but I feel you probably wouldn't stop me."
He pinched Yi Shier's cheek.
"It's good that you sleep a few more days. By the time you wake, it should almost be over."
Qu Dubian: [Can you simulate the plague situation outside the county office?]
Simulator: [Of course.]
Qu Dubian: [During the simulation, can you eliminate the infectiousness of the plague on my body?]
Simulator: [Removing infectiousness will deduct lifespan points during the experience settlement.]
Qu Dubian: [Alright.]
He left Yi Shier's room.
Yi Shier's finger twitched slightly.
-
Lin County.
A message arrived by carrier pigeon.
The Deputy Captain read it and quickly approached Xia Fuyang.
"Brother Xia, a message from the Prefect of Xianghe Prefecture. People from the capital are coming. You are ordered to return to the prefectural seat to await unified orders."
"Who is coming from the capital?"
"The Minister of Works and Vice Minister Xie."
Xia Fuyang nodded: "Good."
The people from the capital were finally coming, and thankfully not useless ones.
Deputy Captain: "Also, the Prefect said Consort Xuan has regained consciousness. He orders you to pick up the Seventh Prince from Le'an County on your way and bring him back to the prefectural seat. Several counties are now plagued by epidemic, and Consort Xuan is worried about the Seventh Prince's safety."
Xia Fuyang whirled around: "Who did you say is in Le'an County?"
Deputy Captain: "Uh, the Seventh Prince."
Xia Fuyang snatched the small, densely written note and scanned the lines, his gaze fixing on the three characters 'Seventh Prince'.
He abruptly crumpled the note.
"What is he doing there! Why didn't he leave with Consort Xuan!"
Damn it, that's the plague!
Can his sickly frame withstand it?!
The Deputy Captain had never seen his superior so visibly agitated and asked cautiously, "Are you and the Seventh Prince close?"
"My relationship with every prince in the capital is good."
Deputy Captain: "..."
You didn't have this expression when you rescued the Sixth Prince from the mountain.
Xia Fuyang tore the note.
"Pass the order, assemble the team. We depart in half an hour. We must reach Le'an County by noon tomorrow!"
"Yes, sir."
-
After the evening meal.
When Yu Ruo returned from the isolation area for Nanning refugees, Gu Xin told him: "The Seventh Prince has developed a low fever. That courtyard has been isolated."
Yu Ruo's heart sank.
"When?"
Gu Xin: "About half an hour ago. The Seventh Prince didn't eat his evening meal, said he wasn't feeling well. Soon after, they stopped allowing anyone into the area."
Yu Ruo frowned unconsciously. "So it was this morning..."
"Did you find out how he is?"
Gu Xin shook his head.
"The guards are very strict. Eunuch Ye, by some means, enlisted the guards from that Merchant Xue, and they're all posted outside the Seventh Prince's courtyard. Merchant Xue also came to check, leaving two remaining jars of Zhenbao wine. I asked him, but he said nothing, though his expression was very grim. Probably not good."
Yu Ruo's heart sank further.
Hearing the Seventh Prince was ill back in the capital was completely different from hearing it now.
He had seen with his own eyes how many had died from the plague outside.
Inside Qu Dubian's courtyard.
In the room.
The person in question was in a far less dire state than others imagined.
Qu Dubian was even sitting by the bed, with the simulator's realism set to one hundred percent, allowing him to promptly relay his sensations to Physician Yang.
Ye Xiaoyuan, wearing a face covering, stood beside Physician Yang, his hands clenched together, knuckles white.
Qu Dubian offered a reassuring smile and sent him away: "Banban, I'd like something sour to eat. My mouth has no taste."
Ye Xiaoyuan: "Alright."
After he left, only Physician Yang remained in the room.
Qu Dubian leaned forward slightly, his eyes bright like stars: "You have treated all my illnesses over the years. My body's reaction to medicine is different from others, Physician Yang, you understand that best."
"The dosage, its effect on me versus its effect on ordinary people—you have records of that too."
Physician Yang looked up sharply.
He studied the Seventh Prince's expression for a few seconds before asking in a trembling voice, "Your Highness... what do you intend to do?"
Qu Dubian met his gaze squarely, without a hint of evasion or hesitation.
"I will test the medicines for them, to shorten the time needed to develop the prescription. It will save many lives."
Comments 1