Doctor Xu came back soon with the medicine boy.

They entered the yard fully armed, wearing face towels and sleeves, carrying medicine stoves and various herbs.

Song Yi cleaned up the empty room in the yard, laid out the bedding and bedspreads sent by Qian, and put away some toiletries and clothes.

"Princess, please sit down and rest for a while. This place is simple and has to be put up like this for now."

Ning Xihua sat down beside the couch, anxiously waiting for Doctor Xu's diagnosis.

After a long time, Doctor Xu came to her room and reported to her.

When Ning Xihua saw the heavy expression on his face, her heart sank.

"My Lord, your guess is correct. After repeated confirmation by this humble official, it is indeed an epidemic."

Ning Xihua let out a long sigh, but she was no longer nervous. It was like a student waiting for the test results. When he knew that he had failed, he was no longer nervous.

"What exactly is going on?"

Without panic or fear, she continued to ask calmly.

Doctor Xu found out after the examination that the first person to cough was the servant in the East Courtyard who was in charge of going out to buy things. After he started coughing, the servants who shared the same room with him also started to cough, and then most of the servants in the entire East Courtyard also started to cough.

Because the servants in charge of the outer courtyard had contact with the maids in charge of sweeping, the maids in the west courtyard also contracted the cough one by one.

"The bad news is that the first few servants who were infected have already started to show symptoms of fever. I have used various common methods to reduce the temperature of colds, but none of them have worked so far."

In other words, the symptoms of this epidemic are coughing first and then fever.

Ning Xihua suddenly thought of the old lady coughing non-stop.

"Then if grandma keeps coughing, will that be the case..."

Doctor Xu reassured her, "Don't worry, Princess. Although Old Madam Ning also has a cough, it is indeed a lung disease, and her pulse is different from those who have contracted the epidemic."

Ning Xihua felt relieved after hearing that. The old lady was very old and could not withstand the torture of the epidemic. I was glad that she was okay.

"These people who have been infected with the epidemic seem to have been infected with evil spirits, but in fact their pulses are much heavier, and the wind-cold medicines that the doctor prescribed before are of no use at all."

"Do you know how the disease is transmitted? Will we also be infected with the disease?"

Ning Xihua glanced at the nervous Song Yi and Huaichuan Huailiu who came in to protect her, and felt mixed feelings.

Doctor Xu sighed, "According to the people I have asked, they all developed symptoms after being with servants who had already started coughing, and the symptoms lasted no more than three days."

Ning Xihua nodded, "That is to say, as long as we observe for three days, those who do not have symptoms of coughing are not infected."

The incubation period is short and the symptoms are obvious, which is good news for rapid detection and identification of the epidemic.

"Yes, so the princess only needs to stay here for three days. If there are no symptoms, then she is safe."

Ning Xihua did not look relieved. "There shouldn't be anyone else infected in Ning Mansion, right?"

"Yes, Master Ning has checked all of them according to the princess's request, and no one else with symptoms has been found. Those who have had contact with the infected servants have also been isolated."

Doctor Xu said with some admiration, "Thanks to the princess' prompt decision, she sealed off the courtyard here in time, so that the epidemic did not spread in Ning Mansion."

Ning Xihua, however, was staring at Doctor Xu with a dark look in her eyes.

"Just because the disease didn't spread in Ningfu doesn't mean it didn't spread to Yizhou."

When Doctor Xu heard this, his face turned grim.

"I want to see Uncle San."

…

Ning Chen also rushed over quickly after receiving the news.

"Uncle San, Doctor Xu has confirmed that it is an epidemic."

Ning Chen looked heavy-hearted, "Can it be cured?"

Ning Xihua shook her head. "The imperial physician is still researching and has not found a good treatment method yet. We can only use medicine to delay the treatment for the time being."

Ning Chen looked at Ning Xihua who was facing him across the fence, and felt guilty.

"It's all Uncle San's fault for not finding it in time, otherwise you wouldn't be in danger."

Ning Xihua said gently, "Don't blame Third Uncle. The epidemic is a natural disaster. How can it be predicted? I am just worried that the epidemic is also rampant in Yizhou City now, and it will eventually cause a disaster."

Ning Chen understood what she meant and immediately said, "Don't worry, I will explain the situation to the governor. This is a matter of life and death!"

Having said that, he turned around and walked out of the mansion.

Ning Xihua looked at Ning Chen's hurried back and felt a little emotional.

She did not mention asking Ning Chen to take the Ning family out of the city for refuge, because she knew that they would never leave the city alone without her. She also knew that Yizhou was the Ning family's century-old ancestral home, and they would never abandon the city unless it was absolutely necessary.

The Ning family was a very strange family. They didn't attach much importance to rules and so-called inheritance. Just like when the Ning family's prince's throne was about to be taken back because the old man had no children, no one in the Ning family forced the old man to remarry and have children. Just like when her third uncle went against the grain and started a business, no one in the Ning family stood up to oppose and stop him.

But the Ning family seemed to have an inexplicable spirit and righteousness. Just like when her uncle Ning Feng died on the battlefield, her eldest cousin Ning Yueqing took over. Just like her third uncle Ning Chen, who had been doing business for many years and was good at seeking profit and avoiding harm, now felt that he had the responsibility to protect this land.

…

In the past few days, the situation has developed in the worst direction.

The young servant in the east courtyard who first caught a fever died after a few days of fever. The condition of the servants who shared the room with him also became increasingly serious.

Many people in the yard developed high fever one after another, and Doctor Xu was very busy.

Ning Xihua couldn't do anything but call Song Yi and the others to help Doctor Xu decoct medicine and lend a hand.

Doctor Xu was also very frustrated. Now he could only use various methods to delay the outbreak of the epidemic as much as possible. However, once the fever occurred, there was nothing he could do except to use medicine to prolong life temporarily.

I heard that many patients with fever had gradually appeared in Yizhou City, and the drugstores and clinics in the city were almost overcrowded. Although there had not been a large-scale death, it was obviously not a solution to continue like this.

Ning Xihua also asked his uncle for news. The governor Zhao had reported the epidemic to the capital and asked for support from the court. However, he did not dare to publicize the news of the plague, fearing that it would cause panic among the people and then cause unrest.

He only dared to secretly carry out evacuation and guidance in a small area to avoid crowds as much as possible.

Fortunately, the disease did not seem to be as contagious as she had imagined. Three days later, none of Ning Xihua and the people who followed her into the courtyard showed any symptoms, and they all left safely.

Before leaving, she specifically found Doctor Xu and bowed deeply to him.

Doctor Xu hurriedly dodged and dared not bear it.

"Doctor Xu, please take the trouble to find a cure as soon as possible for the people of Yizhou City..."

Ning Xihua said no more, fearing that it would only add to his pressure.

Doctor Xu also saluted solemnly, "Please rest assured, Princess, I will do my best."

After Ning Xihua came out, the first thing he did was to leave the house and head to the governor's mansion.

She sat in the carriage with her face covered with a veil, watching the constant flow of people on the street, the bustling clinic, and the occasional young people coughing as they passed by. Her heart grew heavier.

In just three days, so many people have developed coughing symptoms. The elderly, children and people with weak immune systems will soon develop fever, which will endanger their lives.

She was not one to meddle in other people's business, but at this moment she felt that she had to do something.