Although Shen Yuan covered her face with a veil, she also contracted the disease after only one day in the backyard.
She had a high fever and was delirious from the heat.
"You shouldn't have come." Chu Yuning looked at Shen Yuan's distressed state, her heart filled with guilt. "If you hadn't gone into the city, you wouldn't have gotten sick. Now you're stuck here in Shan'an Hall, just like me, unable to leave!"
Shen Yuan didn't take Chu Yuning's words to heart. Having made this decision, she had considered all the consequences. She had no regrets about saving the one she loved!
In the backyard of Shan'an Hall, Shen Yuan recorded the symptoms of each seriously ill person, which Chu Yuning wrote on strips of cloth. After being disinfected by the high temperature of moxa smoke, the cloth was sent to the front yard.
The doctor at the front clinic then prepared a prescription based on the symptoms recorded by Shen Yuan and gave it to her.
Shen Yuan brewed the new medicine into a soup and gave it to those who had contracted the plague.
The number of corpses carried out of the backyard gradually decreased, and those who were seriously ill gained confidence and unconditionally cooperated with Shen Yuan's demands.
The plague locked down Jian'an City for three whole months, and Shen Yuan stayed at Shan'an Hall for a whole month. She remembered that when she was seriously ill, she and Chu Yuning leaned against the high wall in the backyard, and Chu Yuning cheered her on.
“Yuanniang, if we manage to get out of here alive, I’ll take you to see the Lantern Festival in Shengjing, okay? I heard that on that day, there’s no curfew in the capital, only fireworks all over the city. People in the city will gather at Pipa Terrace to release Kongming lanterns, and from Pipa Terrace, you can see the whole city of Shengjing.”
"Really?" Shen Yuan's eyes lit up. "I also want to stand on the Pipa Terrace and take a look at the bustling city of Shengjing, where carriages flow like water and horses gallop like dragons. I want to see the flower market brightly lit, and the snow covering people's heads."
"Alright, then we'll climb the Pipa Terrace together and admire the magnificent scenery of Shengjing."
Chu Yuning held Shen Yuan's hand, her eyes filled with determination, "If you break this promise, may I be denied the chance to take the imperial examinations, have an unsuccessful official career, be plagued by illness, and live a lonely old age."
Perhaps it was their longing for the capital that allowed Shen Yuan and Chu Yuning to survive the plague.
But later, all the childhood sweethearts, the life-saving grace, and the life-and-death bond became insignificant compared to wealth, fame, and fortune.
Perhaps Chu Yuning's promise is valid, but only for the moment he utters it.
Shen Yuan did not see the bustling and prosperous capital city; she only saw a horrific hell on earth.
Recalling what happened in her previous life, Shen Yuan's originally restless heart gradually calmed down.
Just then, turmoil suddenly broke out in Chu Family Village.
The people who were originally trapped in the ancestral hall all rushed out in a frenzy. The guards who were watching the ancestral hall did not expect these villagers to dare to escape, and hurriedly drew their bows and arrows to shoot at these villagers.
They tried to drive the villagers back into the fire with knives and arrows, but people are driven by an insatiable will to survive when faced with death. Even when hit by arrows, these people did not retreat, but instead desperately tried to escape.
Because there were too many villagers, and they were fleeing in a chaotic manner, coupled with the fact that the guards were afraid of contracting the plague and dared not approach the villagers of Chu Family Village, they could only attack from a distance.
However, arrows are ultimately less accurate and faster than swords.
The guards not only failed to stop the villagers, but were forced to retreat all the way to the village entrance.
The guards stationed at the village entrance saw this and rushed to help, but they were not familiar with the terrain of Chu Family Village and found it difficult to capture the villagers who had escaped from the ancestral hall.
Moreover, those villagers were tricked into going to the ancestral hall, and now trying to drive them back to the ancestral hall and burn them alive would be as difficult as climbing to heaven.
The lead guard instructed those behind him, "Quickly, summon the magistrate to take charge!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a young guard rode off at full speed to deliver the message.
"Everyone else, follow me into the village and arrest all these villagers!"
At the command of the leading guard, all the guards who were originally guarding the village entrance rushed into the village with him.
Seeing this, Shen Yuan quickly stepped forward to stop the other party: "Sir, the best course of action now is to guard all the entrances and exits of the village to ensure that these villagers infected with the epidemic do not escape from the village and run elsewhere!"
The leading guard paused upon hearing this, surprisingly finding the girl's words to be reasonable.
"As long as we block all the roads out of the village, these villagers won't be able to get out. Even if they temporarily escape to their own homes, or to the mountains and fields, it doesn't matter. The important thing is not to let them out! It's more important to prevent them from escaping the village and spreading the plague than to kill people now!"
Shen Yuan spoke quickly and decisively, stating her suggestions.
The leading guard only hesitated for a moment before ordering all the guards to leave the village and form an encirclement outside the village, remaining stationary and trapping the villagers inside.
Fortunately, the villagers did not run around after escaping the ancestral hall.
The previously chaotic situation has temporarily stabilized.
Shen Yuan walked to the carriage and was about to take the water bag from Xiao Ling's hand when a joyful shout suddenly rang out behind her.
"Sister Yuanyuan! Mother, look, Sister Yuanyuan is back! Did she come to save us?"
Upon hearing the voice, Shen Yuan turned around and saw Tian Shi holding Xiao Huzi, squatting on the edge of the field not far away.
When Xiao Huzi saw that Shen Yuan had noticed him, he immediately broke free from Tian Shi's embrace and tried to run to Shen Yuan, but Tian Shi held onto his clothes tightly.
"Mother, what are you doing?" Little Tiger looked at his mother in confusion.
Tian pointed to the cleaver hanging at the guard's waist, then hugged Xiao Huzi and lay down below the ridge to avoid being shot by the guard's bow and arrow.
Shen Yuan lifted her leg and walked towards the village entrance. The leading guard thought she was going in and drew a machete from his waist.
The sound of metal being drawn from its sheath was chilling.
Seeing the fear on Tian's face, Shen Yuan stood still and did not step forward.
The guard merely glared at Shen Yuan as a warning, and made no further move.
Only then did Madam Tian peek half her head out from the edge of the field, looking at Shen Yuan with nervous anxiety: "Yuan girl, what are you doing here?"
"You...you mustn't come in. These officials say we've all contracted the plague, it's contagious, and anyone who gets it will die. You...you absolutely mustn't come in."
Ms. Tian nearly choked up as she spoke.
She shielded her own son beneath her, her eyes filled with confusion and fear.
Shen Yuan noticed that Tian Shi had been shot in the shoulder with an arrow. Although the arrowhead was broken off, the arrowhead was still embedded a finger deep into the flesh, and blood was still seeping from the wound.
Even if the arrow didn't hit the heart, if the wound wasn't removed and bandaged in time, the person would definitely lose too much blood and faint.
They won't die from illness, but from blood loss.
Just then, Magistrate Sun's carriage from Baiyun County arrived in a hurry.
The guards watching over Chu Family Village immediately went up to the carriage and knelt down to report the situation of Chu Family Village to Magistrate Sun.
Magistrate Sun sat in the carriage with a stern face. "A bunch of useless people, they can't even handle a small matter!"
"It's because I'm incompetent!"
The guards knelt on the ground.
Magistrate Sun turned to look at Chu Family Village not far away, pondered for a moment, and said, "Since they escaped from the ancestral hall, we have no choice but to burn the entire village down! Men! Lay oil around Chu Family Village and set the mountain on fire!"
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