The prefect and Su's mother paced anxiously, extremely worried.
"What on earth is going on? Why was the city suddenly locked down?"
Yesterday, after receiving the news from Qiu Rong, Su's mother went to pick up the child and brought him back. At first, she didn't pay much attention to it.
But this morning, the soldiers delivering grain said that the county town was under lockdown, apparently related to some kind of illness. Su's mother was so anxious that she couldn't eat.
"What kind of illness is so serious?"
Anran hadn't seen her mother for two days, and the tense atmosphere made her cry nonstop, constantly calling for her mother.
She wouldn't let anyone else hold her, only Anzhi would. She would still be sobbing while eating, and she could only sleep at night if Anzhi stayed with her.
Mother Su, with her two children in tow, covered her face with a handkerchief and wept, "What has happened? I don't know how they are now."
Even the pipe that Su's father, who never smoked before, was brought out now. "Sigh, just wait and see."
At the yamen, Su Yi, despite his weak body, arranged various matters. After making arrangements in the city, he prepared to take the doctor to the refugee camps in various villages.
"Wait, I'll come too."
Su Yi looked at Liu Huan, who was dressed as a man, and refused, saying, "No, you stay."
Without waiting for a reply, Liu Huan stepped forward and walked beside Changbai, saying, "Let's go."
“Liu Huan…”
Liu Huan turned around and said, "I've been in contact with you for so long, if I were going to get infected, I would have already. Anyway, I have nothing to do at the yamen, and if I go there, I can take care of those patients."
Su Yi was speechless. He knew that Liu Huan was stubborn and would not change her mind once she made up her mind, so he could only compromise.
"Then stay by my side," he added, seeing that Liu Huan wanted to refuse. "At least let me keep an eye on you."
One person compromised, and the two went to the disaster-stricken village to check.
Many people cough, but few die, except for the elderly.
As soon as the two arrived, soldiers introduced them: "This is Magistrate Su. It was Magistrate Su who came to provide disaster relief when the earth dragon turned over that year, so everyone should believe that Magistrate Su can save you."
The patient, exhausted, knelt down and kowtowed, thanking the upright and just official.
Su Yi reached out and helped the nearest people up. "Don't worry, everyone. I have already reported this matter to the Emperor and will stay here with you to get through this difficult time. We'll face the difficulties together. Rest assured, I won't abandon you."
Everyone who heard these words was moved to tears; just a few simple words were enough to soothe everyone's fear and anxiety.
The urgent message quickly reached the capital, and upon hearing that smallpox had been suspected, the court officials began to panic.
Su Cheng, in particular, knew that his mother and her group were still in Nanchang County and had not left. Now that such a major event had occurred, he was so anxious that he could not care about anything else and only wanted to go and provide assistance.
Qi Mu paced anxiously beside him, secretly hoping that Su Cheng wouldn't go, even if it was just for his sister's sake.
The Emperor's expression was solemn. Even if no one else could go, he couldn't bear to let Su Cheng go. If it really was smallpox, he didn't want two members of the Su family to die at once.
Seeing that the emperor was reluctant to agree, the court officials all lowered their heads to make themselves less noticeable, fearing that the task would fall to them.
Seeing the Emperor's predicament and fearing for his brother-in-law's safety, Qi Mu stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, this humble general is willing to go to Nanchang County to provide support."
The emperor looked at the group of court officials who were utterly disappointed, and was also helpless because he didn't have many people he could use. After hesitating for a long time, he issued an edict.
The Emperor: "Qi Mu, receive the decree!"
"Your subordinate is here."
The Emperor: "Issue General Qi Mu as Imperial Commissioner, leading the Imperial Medical Academy to Nanchang County to provide support. He will be rewarded upon his return. He must depart immediately without delay."
Upon returning, Qi Mu had no time to explain. He packed his bags and headed straight out of the city. Su Cheng wrote a letter home and rushed to see him off. He knew that Qi Mu had gone because of his own recommendation, and he felt even more guilty.
"Big brother..."
Qi Mu waved his hand, "Alright, we can talk about it when I get back. While I'm gone, please keep an eye on things at home. If you really can't come back, tell your parents that I'm unfilial and I'll take care of them in my next life."
The situation was urgent. By the time the Qi family learned of this, Qi Mu had already gone far away. Upon hearing the news, Qi Mu's wife fainted.
Su Cheng returned home feeling guilty and told his wife what had happened. Qi Yuechan immediately burst into tears, "My brother..."
She didn't say anything to reproach him, but she knew that her husband was worried about more than just his elder brother, his parents, his second brother and sister-in-law, and his nephews and nieces.
If it really was a plague, she dared not think about how devastating it would be for her husband.
Three-year-old children don't understand anything, but their parents' emotions directly affect them, causing them to cry in large numbers.
Su Cheng lost interest in comforting the baby and left in frustration. Qi Yuechan patiently carried the child away to comfort him, without disturbing Su Cheng.
The villages of Heshui in Nanchang County were also affected by the flood, and the devastation everywhere indicated that they had just experienced the ravages of wind and rain.
When Liu Huan and Su Yi arrived, the tent was full of villagers, and they were all coughing badly. Next to them was a large pot with a strong medicinal soup simmering inside.
The other meal consisted of wild vegetable porridge and dark-colored steamed buns; it was almost time to eat.
Leaning on wooden sticks and holding bowls, they first ate a bowl of porridge and a steamed bun, then a bowl of medicinal soup. As the weather grew colder, they huddled around the fire, gazing listlessly, their eyes dull as if they saw no hope.
Perhaps because of their illness, no one recognized Liu Huan and Su Yi. The two had only come to deliver medicine and check on the situation, and were about to leave after they finished.
The two had only taken a few steps when a woman screamed from the side, "Shuanzi, Shuanzi, what's wrong with you?"
The two turned back and found a boy, a few years old, convulsing and foaming at the mouth on the ground, surrounded by a group of adults crying and wailing.
Seeing the child clench his teeth, foam at the mouth, and roll his eyes, no one knew what to do.
Liu Huan immediately knelt down, grabbed the chopsticks next to her, took out a handkerchief, wrapped it around his mouth, and stuffed it into his mouth. The child immediately bit down on the chopsticks tightly.
The swift and fluid movement stunned everyone around. "What are you doing?"
The child's mother stepped forward to push her away, but Liu Huan calmly said, "Don't cause trouble if you don't want him to die."
As she spoke, she turned the child's head to one side, loosened the blanket wrapped around his body, and opened his clothes.
"you……"
The woman saw her face clearly; it was the face that had changed from envy to jealousy to hatred.
The child gradually stopped convulsing before the doctor rushed over, asking, "What happened? What happened?"
The woman quickly regained her senses and said, "Doctor, I don't know what happened to my son just now."
The doctor examined him for a while, inserted two acupuncture needles, and said, "His condition was caused by a fever, but he's better now."
After saying that, he went to get the medicine. There were doctors in the tents of several villages, and they were busy preparing various medicines every day.
The woman's son weakly opened his eyes, terrified that it would happen again. He wanted to ask Liu Huan for help but didn't know how to ask.
Liu Huan recognized the person as the village chief's eldest daughter-in-law, and naturally, the village chief's family was also standing next to her.
Although she didn't like the family, Liu Huan knew the child was innocent, so she still explained the precautions to them.
"Don't wrap the child in so many blankets when he has a fever. Give him some warm water to wipe his body and dress him in less clothing so that he can breathe."
"Next time he has a seizure, remember to put something soft in his mouth to prevent him from biting himself. Don't pick him up and put him on the ground with his head turned to one side. Don't rush to feed him anything after he recovers; let him rest for a while."
Liu Huan tossed the blanket aside, saying, "Keep the child covered up when they have a fever, or they'll become mentally impaired."
The village chief opened his mouth but said nothing. Some people around him said that Liu Huan was just lucky, and everyone understands such a simple truth.
The child on the ground weakly called out for his mother. The village chief's wife was about to wrap the child in a blanket again when her daughter-in-law immediately took the blanket away, saying, "Mother, the child is too hot."
The village chief's wife didn't take it seriously. "What's so hot about it? Can't you see the child is shivering from the cold? Hurry up and wrap him up. She just stumbled upon this by accident; you actually took her words seriously."
The village chief's daughter-in-law couldn't persuade her mother-in-law otherwise, so she wrapped the child in the blanket again. Soon after, the child started convulsing again, and it took a lot of effort for the child to return to normal.
At this moment, she refused to wrap the child in a blanket no matter what. When the village chief's wife tried to persuade her, she cried and said, "Mother, the child is too hot. Let's listen to Madam Liu."
The village chief's wife was furious when she saw this, cursed him as an ingrate, and moved away.
On the carriage carrying Su Yi and Liu Huan back, Su Yi coughed incessantly. After finally stopping coughing, he started panting heavily again.
Liu Huan patted his back worriedly, "Why don't you go back and rest for a bit?"
Su Yi turned to look at the worried face on her face and smiled unconsciously. Liu Huan felt both sorry for him and a little angry. "What are you laughing at?"
Su Yi smiled with his eyes narrowed for a while without saying anything, then leaned back in the carriage and closed his eyes to rest.
He fell asleep without realizing it, and when he woke up, he was lying in Liu Huan's arms. The familiar scent filled his nostrils, and he couldn't help but hug the waist of the body's owner tightly.
Liu Huan touched his sweaty hair and waited quietly for him to come to his senses.
When I looked up again, apart from my eyes being a little red, there was nothing else that could be seen.
Let's go.
The two hoarse words were filled with the man's exhaustion. He almost fainted when he got out of the car. When Liu Huan helped him up, she could feel that his whole body was burning hot like a fireball.
After inspecting all the villages, the two returned to the yamen. Chu Xuan entered the room with a letter, saying, "My lord, urgent dispatch from the capital."
Su Yi glanced at it, put it away, and instructed, "Tell everyone that the imperial physician will arrive in a few more days."
They initially determined that it was not smallpox, but a much weaker form of plague. However, the doctors in Nanchang County had limited medical skills, and the number of patients with fever and cough was increasing daily. Fortunately, not many people died.
Upon seeing these symptoms, Liu Huan thought of a disease: infectious pneumonia. It didn't look serious at first, but it had a long-term, serious impact. In the early stages, it caused fever and cough; in the middle stages, it caused shortness of breath; and in the later stages, it caused pulmonary fibrosis and white lung, meaning the person was not far from death.
The only good thing is that it doesn't spread as widely or cause as many deaths as smallpox.
After explaining everything, Su Yi couldn't hold on any longer and wanted to rest. Liu Huan helped him lie down on the bed, loosened his collar to cool him down, and made ice cubes wrapped in cloth to put under his armpits to lower his temperature.
Once his fever subsided, Liu Huan immediately called Ermo over and asked him to make ice blocks to be delivered to each tent, explaining their purpose.
"Remember, you can't use it on the soles of your feet, abdomen, back, or head. You can only use it on your armpits and neck, understand?"
I was afraid the second steamed bun wouldn't remember, so I repeated it several times. I even explained in detail that when putting ice cubes in, I should put a hot water bottle under the child's feet.
Although Liu Huan knew that infectious pneumonia was powerful, she still underestimated it.
The next day, people in the city began to get infected one after another, with the initial symptoms being fever and cough.
Because the city is densely populated and the virus spreads quickly, Liu Huan thought that in the past, people with respiratory infections would usually wear masks.
A good mask can block more than 80% of viruses. In ancient times, there was no non-woven fabric, so simple cotton cloth could be used instead. Even if it could only block 50%, it would be good.
Su Yi looked very haggard these past few days. She didn't bother him but went directly to the county magistrate, though she still conveyed Su Yi's message.
The city is in chaos. If someone says something is helpful in fighting the plague, everyone will try their best to do it.
As soon as the notice was posted, people quickly signed up, willing to make masks for free.
Liu Huan suggested that everyone stay home and not go out because the disease is transmitted through the air. Although some people thought it was nonsense, they still obediently took their gongs and went around the city to spread the word after hearing the magistrate's order.
Anyone caught loitering outside without permission will be arrested as a warning to others.
The mask-making workshop was located inside the yamen (government office). The cloth was purchased by the yamen from several cloth shop owners, and the first batch of masks produced was given to the officers and soldiers.
Liu Huan also made a simple water sprayer out of wood, and had the soldiers wear clothes she specially made, put on masks, and carry water mixed with quicklime to disinfect everywhere.
Someone ahead was banging gongs and drums to warn that wild vegetables that had been sprayed were not suitable for use, especially in several villages along the river, where disinfection was carried out twice a day.
They even raided the houses where the villagers lived.
After the large-scale use of quicklime, the air smelled unpleasant, and the city dwellers began to complain and became even more fearful, ignoring all warnings and preparing to flee.
Su Yi was so ill that he couldn't get out of bed. The other people in the yamen couldn't control those people, so they all came to Su Yi's door and chattered, but dared not go in for fear of catching the virus.
"What should we do?"
Even Chu Xuan's attempts to dissuade him were to no avail.
Afraid of waking Su Yi who had just fallen asleep, Liu Huan closed the door and whispered, "My lords, let's talk over there. The lords are resting."
Everyone was afraid of getting infected while standing in the courtyard, so they readily followed Liu Huan to the hall next door.
Liu Huan asked, "I wonder what business everyone has with the adults? You can tell me first."
Everyone knew that Liu Huan was the county magistrate's wife, so they respectfully recounted what had happened outside.
“Many people in the city have been infected. The people think that we are leaving them to fend for themselves in the city by not opening the city gates. They are now protesting in the streets.”
"Yes, Madam. Those people have fiery tempers and are almost fighting with the soldiers. They're all gathered at the city gate, ready to break it down."
"Yes, people are starting to die in the city too. More and more people are getting sick, and nobody is listening to advice."
A slightly older clerk suggested, "Madam, I understand these people's feelings. What's the difference between this and waiting to die in the city? Why don't we move the large tract of animals out? At least those who aren't sick can survive."
Liu Huan glanced at him and said seriously, "Are you letting them go out and spread the virus to other places, even the capital? Do you want to become sinners of the Li Kingdom?"
The men turned pale upon hearing this; the charge was too grave for them to bear.
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