After drawing the plow, Tong Wenyao turned his attention to the waterwheel. There was a lot of water in this area, and the creek could be used as a waterwheel for irrigation. Tong Wenyao wanted to draw a waterwheel, and then

She remembered the general shape of the waterwheel, which was similar to a Ferris wheel. After she drew it, she thought that she should add a container for water on it. After the water flowed into the container, it would slowly rotate. However, she still had to ask the village carpenter.

As for the plow, she would ask the blacksmith in the city to make one. However, Tong Wen Yao only wanted to tell the county magistrate after it was made, and it would be best if several nearby counties could produce and use it.

Tong Bo took the pigeon from the roof, removed the envelope from the pigeon's foot, and read it with a frown. It said on the paper that the refugees in the south had gone north and the prince had returned safely to the capital.

What he didn't expect was that the people in the capital closed the city and then sent soldiers to drive the refugees further north. He thought that if the refugees came here, how could the food here be enough to feed so many people.

There had been an uprising in the south, but the Crown Prince, in alliance with various government offices, drew troops from them to disperse the uprising, killed several of the leaders, and then hurried back to the capital. He could have appeased the refugees after capturing the instigators, so why did he return to the capital? This also led to his defeat.

What does the Emperor think of the Crown Prince now? Has something unexpected happened? While the Emperor's health isn't great, he can still hold on for another year or two. Why would the Crown Prince return to the capital at this moment, in such a hurry?

He took the paper to find Wen Yao, and only Wen Yao could help him solve his doubts. When he heard Xing'er say that her second brother came to see her, he was a little surprised. You know, her second brother would not come to see her if he had nothing to do. Tong Wen Yao got up and went to the study.

The second brother was already sitting there drinking tea. When he saw Tong Wen Yao coming, he said, "Wen Yao, please help me look at this news." Tong Bo handed her a piece of white paper. She took it and opened it to read. It said that the prince returned to the capital and the refugees went north.

However, Tong Wen Yao seemed to smell some kind of herbal scent on the paper, and she said, "Second brother, give me a candle." Tong Bo didn't understand and handed her the candle on the table. Tong Wen Yao didn't have a tinder with her, so Xing'er took out a tinder from her pocket and lit the candle.

Tong Wenyao roasted the paper up and down, only to see the words gradually change into a different handwriting, "An epidemic broke out in the south, and the prince fled back to the capital.

Seeing this, Tong Wenyao's face turned pale. With refugees heading north and an epidemic spreading, she said hurriedly, "Second brother, have your people clearly write down the symptoms of the disease. Also, tell them to cover their mouths and noses with cloth, wash their hands frequently, and keep clean."

Tong Wenyao thought it would be helpful to know the symptoms of the disease. Generally speaking, it could be the plague or smallpox, which were common in ancient times. She couldn't imagine how chaotic the south had become. These things seemed to have never appeared in books.

The refugees are still heading north, so they must take some action. Otherwise, not only will there be an epidemic, but food prices will also rise. Tong Bo said, "Spring is coming soon. They probably won't continue to head north, but will return to their hometowns instead."

Tong Wen Yao frowned and said, "It's hard to say." She would ask Dongzi to go to the city to buy herbs later. She wrote down the main Chinese medicine for plague, Artemisia selengensis. If it was really plague, then this medicine could save some people. If it was smallpox, she asked Dongzi to buy some Chinese medicine for clearing heat and detoxifying. Although she had some Chinese medicine in her warehouse, she still prepared more to avoid having no medicine available. By the way, she also wrote a letter and asked Dongzi to give the letter to the county magistrate so that he could also take some precautions.

Tong Bo said, "The carrier pigeon was sent from Dongsuizhou in the south. It takes about three days to arrive. That means the news was three days ago. I don't know what's happening now."

Tong Wenyao went to see her master and said, "Master, we just heard from the south that there's an epidemic." Yan Zhi's face darkened after hearing this, and he continued, "There's been a flood in the south, and the people have no food to eat, so they're gnawing on tree bark and killing rats. It's very likely they've contracted the plague."

Tong Wen Yao had only bought some food before. Now that spring had arrived, she had corn and potatoes in her space, which needed to be planted. These two crops had high yields and were easy to grow, so she didn't have to worry about running out of food later. However, she never expected that the south would be so chaotic. First there was a flood, and then there was an epidemic. If she waited for food, she would have to wait until the second half of the year.

It took about five days to get from here to the capital by carriage, and about ten days to walk. So Tong Wenyao didn't have to worry about them coming here. The refugees weren't fools. If they were heading to the border, they wouldn't be able to escape if the barbarians attacked them. So Tong Wenyao most likely estimated that the refugees might walk two states to Taiping State and stop there. If they were strong enough, they might even reach Shangxi State. Shangxi State was separated from Cangzhou by Jijiang City, so Tong Wenyao wasn't too worried. However, she was most afraid of plague or smallpox.

If one person were to infect the disease, and there were no preventative measures, coupled with uncontrolled conditions, it could spread to Cangzhou. Tong Wenyao's prediction was probably wrong this time, or perhaps she had underestimated the people of the capital. They were afraid the refugees would spread the disease, so they sent troops to drive them away, even forbidding them from staying in Taipingzhou and Shangxizhou, and instead drove them north.

The person who proposed this idea in the court was the regent. On the grounds of protecting the emperor's health, he ordered a ban on refugees from entering the capital and sent troops to drive them away.

But no one knew that the person who came up with this idea would be Ji Huaixin.

Yan Zhi originally wanted to go into the mountains with Tong Hong to pick herbs, but after hearing Tong Wenyao's news, he said, "Your senior brother and I will return to Cangzhou today. If the epidemic comes, we will certainly help."

After hearing this, Tong Wen Yao nodded and said, "Master, wait a moment, I'll write something for you." She ran into the room and wrote down how to prevent epidemics, wear masks, and disinfect water sources.

Master, when you are on your way back to Cangzhou later, after passing Yuguan County, in the first village, the houses will be the same as ours, with hundreds of walls painted. You can find a ceramic workshop and ask them to bring you a few bags of lime, which can be used for disinfection.

Lime is corrosive, so be sure not to let it get into your eyes. If it accidentally splashes into your eyes, use vegetable oil to get it out. She told me some precautions and usage methods, and Ophiopogon wrote them down one by one.

After Mai Dong returned to his room to pack up his things, his master looked at Tong Wenyao and said, "Read the medical book I gave you carefully and study hard."

Tong Wen Yao nodded. She didn't expect that her master would go back so soon after just letting him come to play for a few days.