Chapter 394 Departure
Three days later, it was a gloomy morning.
The largest dock in the capital was heavily guarded. Dozens of imperial physicians and volunteer folk doctors, fully equipped and ready to go, silently lined up to board a large official ship, carrying heavy medicine chests.
There was no noisy farewell procession, only the low horns and flags fluttering in the river wind.
Jiang Huan and Huo Lin changed into ordinary gray cloth clothes and wore wide-brimmed hats, and quietly appeared at the dock.
Watching those figures, some with white hair and others in their prime, carrying medicine chests almost as tall as themselves, and stepping firmly onto the swaying deck, Jiang Huan couldn't help but shed tears.
They are made of flesh and blood, and they also feel fear, but they are bound by duty and will not hesitate to go.
Huo Lin held her hand tightly, his expression equally solemn.
He whispered, “Look at that one, that’s Physician Li from the Imperial Medical Academy, the most skilled doctor in typhoid fever and other miscellaneous diseases. He’s already sixty-two this year. That one is the resident doctor at the Jishetang Pharmacy in the capital. He has a young son at home… And that young man is the last disciple of Chief Physician Zhang. He has excellent medical skills and originally had a very promising future…”
His voice was low and trembling uncontrollably.
Jiang Huan knew that Huo Lin was using this method to remember these warriors, and also to suppress his inner emotions.
The sails slowly rose, and the thick mooring lines were untied.
Amidst the deep, resonant sound of horns, the official ship slowly departed from the dock, resolutely heading south into the misty distance.
The river wind was strong, making the sails billow and causing the clothes of the people on board to flutter.
Jiang Huan stared at the silhouette of the boat for a long time, her heart filled with worry.
She leaned gently on Huo Lin's shoulder and whispered, "They'll come back safely, won't they?"
Huo Lin reached out and put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer. His gaze remained fixed on the distant ships, his resolve unwavering: "Yes, they will return in triumph with good news."
The river surges and the road ahead is uncertain, but the ship carrying hope has already resolutely sailed forward through the waves.
After returning home, Jiang Huan sat by the window, gazing at the gray sky outside, her mind replaying the images of those boarding the ship.
She knew that the medical level of this era was limited, and that the consequences would be unimaginable if the epidemic broke out on a large scale.
Those imperial physicians are likely facing a near-certain death on this journey, if modern times existed...
That's right! Modern medical technology may not be able to provide that, but He Ling's system might have a solution!
Upon thinking of this, Jiang Huan immediately became restless, got up, and hurriedly went to He Ling's palace.
When Jiang Huan arrived, He Ling was staring blankly out the window, unconsciously twisting a handkerchief in her hand.
She had also heard about the epidemic in Jiangnan, and she was feeling very anxious.
"He Ling!" Jiang Huan's voice preceded her arrival.
He Ling snapped out of her reverie and saw Jiang Huan walking in quickly with a grave expression. Her heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly went to greet her: "Your Majesty, what brings you here? You look so pale, is it because of what happened in Jiangnan...?"
“Yes, the situation is bad.” Jiang Huan interrupted her directly, lowering her voice: “Even if the imperial physicians go, the chances of survival are slim. Current medical skills are too weak to deal with this kind of epidemic. Quick, check your system, is there anything we can use? We’ve accumulated so many points, let’s use them all this time!”
Upon hearing this, He Ling also became nervous and immediately communicated with the system.
[System, system, emergency! A major epidemic in Jiangnan! Do you have anything that can help deal with this? Quickly, it's for saving lives!]
"Ding—Finding the optimal solution based on the current pandemic data in this dimension..."
"Match complete. Recommended exchange: Spirit Grass Seeds. The sap of this plant has a significant inhibitory effect on a variety of ancient pathogens and is suitable for large-scale epidemic prevention and control."
[Spiritual Herb? That's it! I'll use up all my points and exchange them all!]
He Ling opened her palm, and a small bag appeared in her hand, containing a packet of seeds the size of sesame seeds.
"Your Majesty, we've changed it! This is it!"
Almost at the same time He Ling spoke, Jiang Huan also heard the system's final notification in her mind.
"Exchange successful. Spirit Grass seeds have been issued. Growth cycle: three days."
Jiang Huan made up her mind and immediately took the bag of seeds that was light but weighed over a thousand pounds.
"It can ripen in three days?"
He Ling nodded vigorously: "Yes, that's what the system says."
"There's no time to lose, plant them immediately!" Jiang Huan made a decisive decision without the slightest hesitation.
The two of them carried the bag of precious seeds and hurried to the experimental field of Weiyang Palace. They rolled up their sleeves and personally planted a batch of seeds.
For the next three days, Jiang Huan stayed by this small field almost every step of the way, taking even better care of herself than she did of herself.
She would come to check on it more than a dozen times a day, staring at the still soil, her heart filled with anxiety.
Can it really grow in three days? Is this system reliable? Or is it just a scam?
Jiangnan can't afford to wait any longer; Huo Lin's dark circles are practically falling off the ground.
Just when she was about to lose all hope, the next morning, as the first rays of sunlight shone down, tiny sprouts finally emerged from the soil.
"They're out! They're really out!" Jiang Huan was so surprised she almost jumped up, but quickly covered her mouth, afraid of scaring the seedlings.
The subsequent growth rate was nothing short of miraculous. The buds unfurled at a speed visible to the naked eye, growing thick leaves, and within just three days, they had grown into a lush, verdant expanse.
Wow, this grows faster than chives! It's a product of the system, truly cutting-edge technology.
Jiang Huan didn't dare to delay for a moment. She immediately picked the tenderest leaves, crushed them with a pestle, filtered out the juice, and put it into a white jade bottle.
Carrying the bottle of juice, she took a deep breath and headed towards the Imperial Study.
The closer she got to the Imperial Study, the faster her heart beat.
How should I tell Huo Lin? Should I just say that this thing grows in three days and can cure the plague?
He's so shrewd, would he believe that?
Wouldn't people think she's crazy? Or wonder how she got her hands on this thing?
But there are so many people in Jiangnan, and so many imperial physicians...
Forget it, I can't worry about that now.
She gritted her teeth and went inside.
Inside the imperial study, Huo Lin was looking at the latest epidemic report sent from Jiangnan, his brows furrowed into a deep frown.
The epidemic was more severe than expected, and some of the imperial physicians had already shown symptoms of infection after their arrival, making the situation critical.
Hearing footsteps, he looked up and saw Jiang Huan. The lines between his brows eased slightly, but the anxiety in his eyes remained deep.
"Why did you come over? Didn't I tell you to rest more?"
Jiang Huan walked up to him, gently placed the small white jade bottle on the table, and her heart pounded.
"I'm here to bring you this."
Huo Lin's gaze fell on the jade bottle, and he asked in confusion, "What is this?"
"This is the juice of the Spirit Herb."
Jiang Huan thought about the prepared explanation and said, "I recently saw in an ancient medical book that there is a kind of herb called Lingyun grass, which has a clear fragrance and the juice extracted from it has a miraculous effect on epidemics."
"I figured it wouldn't hurt to give it a try, so I got some seeds to plant, and to my surprise, they actually survived! Look at the color of the sap, it's so bright and clear, and it smells nice too. Maybe it'll actually come in handy."
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