Upon returning to the Xie residence, Gu Jiangli and Xie Shiyan immediately sent a letter to the imperial palace.

Immediately afterwards, Madam Xie arranged for a doctor to come and examine her.

It is said that this Doctor Liu had a very close relationship with Madam Xie.

So even knowing the dangers of this trip, they still came to the Xie family.

When Dr. Liu arrived, he had already covered his mouth and nose with gauze to avoid being infected by this contagious plague.

Gu Jiangli led the doctor directly to the place where Yue Qiao'e was being held.

Yue Qiao'e was severely injured by Xie Shiyan and was extremely weak.

Her lips were pale, her eyes were lifeless, and she allowed the doctor to approach, take her pulse on her wrist, and lift her clothes to examine the horrific scars on her body.

Dr. Liu was so frightened by just one glance that he stood up immediately.

He exchanged a glance with Gu Jiangli, who immediately understood and led Doctor Liu to the next room.

"Madam, in my forty years of medical practice, this woman's condition is indeed the first I have ever seen."

"Low-grade fever, night sweats, and cough are all superficial symptoms. The most serious problem is the ulcerated skin on her body, which is the root cause of her illness."

"The ulcerated skin even shows a tendency to spread."

"If it cannot be stopped, soon there won't be a single patch of good skin left on a person's body."

This answer is almost identical to Gu Jiangli's guess.

The ulcerated skin is the root cause of the illness; fever and cough are both caused by this.

But that's not what she really wants to know.

"Dr. Liu, I've heard my grandmother say that you used to be a doctor in the Imperial Hospital. You must be very knowledgeable."

"What are the chances of her being cured of this disease?"

"Also, how contagious is this disease?"

Doctor Liu stroked his sparse white beard, thought for a moment, and then replied:

"To be honest, I once read about the plague a hundred years ago in the ancient books of the Imperial Medical Academy. It started in a village on the border."

"The situation described in the book is very similar to that of this woman."

"Initially, red rashes appeared on the body, followed by skin ulceration and pus discharge, accompanied by persistent low-grade fever and other symptoms."

"At first, people didn't pay attention because the symptoms weren't serious. Even the sores that looked terrifying didn't hurt or itch at all. No one was delayed from working in the fields because of this disease."

"By the time these people realized it, eight or nine out of ten people in the village had already contracted this strange disease."

"No one pays attention to this disease at the beginning, but after three or four months, it's too late to pay attention."

"Their low-grade fever turned into a high fever, their pus-filled skin began to bleed, and people in the village frequently died because they were unable to work due to severe pain in their internal organs."

When Doctor Liu said this, his expression was very sorrowful.

For him, as a doctor, the last thing he wanted to see was a patient die because there was no cure.

Gu Jiangli hurriedly asked, "Dr. Liu, how was the plague eradicated back then? Can we try to eradicate it using the same methods as before..."

"Eliminate?" Doctor Liu gave a bitter smile, his whole body filled with sorrow. "People outside think that the plague has been eliminated, but there is no record of a cure for the plague in the ancient books of the Imperial Medical Academy."

He paused, sighed, and said:

"The plague disappeared because all those who contracted the disease were captured by the royal family, killed, and buried."

"It's fortunate, really. The people in this village don't go out much, so it's almost only the people in this village who suffered the disaster."

"To prevent others from accidentally entering the village and contracting the disease, the royal family ordered that the entire village be burned down, leaving not a trace of ashes."

"The plague did not completely disappear until the last patient was buried."

Gu Jiangli was startled.

She considered many ways to end the plague.

I never imagined it would be this brutal.

If all the patients are killed, and an entire village is completely wiped out, how many people would that require?

"Could it be... that back then, no doctor could find a cure for this disease?"

"I don't know," Dr. Liu shook his head. "At least it's not written in the books. The books only say that people who get this disease die within a year, either from the disease itself or from being discovered to be sick and then killed."

"Madam, you said you wanted to find a way to eradicate the plague based on past experience, but I can only tell you that there is none at present."

"I can only do my best to make the patient's dying moments less painful."

"And I must remind you."

“If the people of the capital knew that the plague was caused by this woman, and that she was now living in the Xie family’s house, chaos would be inevitable.”

Gu Jiangli's heart sank.

Every word Dr. Liu said told her that he was powerless to help.

Even the doctors who had served in the Imperial Medical Academy had no way to cure this plague.

It wasn't just Yue Qiao'e who couldn't escape death; many innocent people also contracted the disease because of her.

The people's anger, unable to be directed at Yue Qiao'e who was certain to die, would inevitably be directed at the Xie family.

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she sat down wearily in a chair to the side.

Gu Jiangli helplessly extended her right hand and placed it in front of Doctor Liu.

"Dr. Liu, I once touched her sore. Could you please take my pulse and see if I have the same disease as her?"

Doctor Liu's expression changed drastically.

Without hesitation, he placed his hand on her pulse.

However, Doctor Liu withdrew his hand in a short while.

His worried expression prepared Gu Jiangli mentally.

"Madam, if you had only spoken a few words with this woman, or even just touched her body through her clothes, or even if you had only touched her skin but not the ulcerated area, you probably wouldn't have contracted this disease so quickly."

"But you just..."

Doctor Liu shook his head sadly.

"Oh, I will definitely prescribe the best medicine for you so that you can feel better when it flares up."

With a "bang," Xie Shiyan burst into the room, holding several handkerchiefs to cover his mouth and nose.

He walked straight to Gu Jiangli and asked, "Did you really get infected?"

Gu Jiangli quickly stood up and kept her distance from him. "Shi Yan, stay away from me. You should have heard it just now. You didn't touch the festering parts of Yue Qiao'e's body. If you were lucky, you might not have gotten sick at all."

Xie Shiyan's brows furrowed with anger as he stepped forward repeatedly, "Do you really think it's possible? I've spoken to Yue Qiao'e several times; it's only a matter of time before she contracts the plague."

Gu Jiangli wanted to persuade him further, but Doctor Liu had already begun to take Xie Shiyan's pulse.

As soon as he stopped, Gu Jiangli hurriedly asked, "Doctor Liu, how is it?"

Doctor Liu smiled wryly and said, "You two are truly a pair of star-crossed lovers. Madam, there's no need to hide anymore. General Xie's condition is not much different from yours, except that you will develop red spots sooner."