"Master Zhou, this is the eldest daughter of the Pingnan Palace. She has been a disciple of a reclusive master since she was young. Not only has she mastered excellent martial arts, but her medical skills are unparalleled in the world, in my opinion."
Jian Ning didn't expect Huo Jincheng to have such a high opinion of her. It was beyond her expectations, but now was not the time to be humble and polite, nor was it the time to argue with Lord Zhou. She clasped her fists and bowed to Lord Zhou.
"Sir, time is running out. We must race against death. Before the smallpox outbreak becomes widespread, and most of the city's doctors are here, we must quickly gather all those who have had headaches and fevers and isolate them in one place for unified treatment to prevent human-to-human transmission and a full-scale smallpox outbreak. Every moment of delay increases the danger!"
When Lord Zhou heard Huo Jincheng say that Jian Ning was the eldest daughter of the Pingnan Palace, his face froze. But now, seeing that she behaved in a graceful manner and spoke eloquently, he dared not look down on her. He hurriedly ordered his lawyer and the county magistrate to ask the doctors who were still arguing on the side, asking them to report all the people who had consulted a doctor or taken medicine for headaches and fevers in recent days, without missing any.
The doctors were arguing endlessly. Most of them thought that talking about smallpox was alarmist. After all, there hadn't been a single case of blisters in the city, and not even a single case of papules. A few insisted that it might be smallpox, because the patients they had come into contact with all had symptoms of back pain and general discomfort, and mucosal rashes in the oral cavity and pharynx, which were very similar to the symptoms of the early stage of smallpox recorded in medical books.
At first, no one on either side of the dispute noticed Jian Ning. Those who noticed her, like Lord Zhou, just glanced at her and didn't pay much attention to her. They stopped arguing until the legal advisor and the county magistrate came over and stopped them and asked about the person who had a headache or fever recently.
Lord Zhou attached great importance to smallpox and adopted Jian Ning's advice. He vacated the post station in the city as a centralized quarantine center and ordered the city gates to be closed. People in the city who wanted to leave the city had to report to the yamen, and after being examined by the doctor, they were escorted out of the city by yamen runners. Those who wanted to come in from outside the city also had to be examined by the doctor and then escorted to the post station by yamen runners. They had to be quarantined for half a month before they could go home or stay in an inn.
Many Chinese herbal remedies are effective in treating smallpox. Jian Ning listed several, including plantain, sedge grass, isatis root, scutellaria baicalensis, coptis root, and hedyotis diffusa. Lord Zhou had yamen runners distribute the herbs door to door. Huo Jincheng also organized young men from pawnshops, martial arts schools, and escort agencies, all under the yamen's command, into patrol teams to patrol the streets.
Anyone who goes out without permission will be punished and detained!
Fortunately, Lord Zhou was very helpful and the epidemic was discovered early. Jian Ning also had experience in dealing with an epidemic in Zhuling County. After a busy and intense period, about a hundred people with headaches and fevers in the city were quarantined.
Jane Ning was busy until dark and returned to the pawnshop exhausted. Ding Youtian slept intermittently for several hours after she left. He couldn't sleep well because he was worried about Jane Ning and the children. When he saw Jane Ning come in, he immediately came to greet her.
"My lady, you don't look well. Come on and lie down on the bed. I'll help you hold your head down." He pulled Jian Ning to the bed. Jian Ning waved her hand and said, "No need. I came back to see you and tell you a few things. I have to rush to the capital right away."
"Will there be any trouble in the capital?" Ding Youtian looked at her and asked.
"I don't know, have you eaten yet?"
"After taking a few bites, the shopkeeper had someone bring the food over and left it outside the door. The person who brought the food covered his face tightly with his clothes. Didn't you give them a mask?"
"I forgot to give them a few when I left, so I came back and gave them some. I don't have much left now, and I won't be able to restock until the midnight hour. Are you feeling better?"
She reached out and touched his forehead.
"I feel a little relieved. I don't feel as uncomfortable as I did when I was sitting on the horse this morning. I'm just worried that Man'er might be..." He glanced at Jian Ning and continued, "I thought about it carefully. Neither Brother Qiu nor your drone could track Man'er's whereabouts. When we found that beautiful flower, only you and I took it to our noses and sniffed it, and I sniffed it for longer than you. There must be something wrong with the flower. Do you think Man'er might be infected as well?"
Jane Ning shook her head. She didn't dare to think about it. In fact, when Ah Man first came to their house, she didn't like Ah Man very much at first. Later, she found that the child was smart and did not bear grudges. Now she regarded Ah Man as her own daughter. She really couldn't imagine how heartbroken she would be if she unfortunately contracted smallpox and ended her short life before she could be treated.
No, just thinking about it made her heart ache, and even breathing seemed to hurt.
She rubbed her brows and briefly told Ding Youtian about the woman's family and the mark left by Ah Man that she found in her house.
"If that's the case, the capital is probably much worse than here." Ding Youtian's face darkened. "Furthermore, if her sister's lover is the man named Wang or the groom, who knows how many people will be harmed along the way."
"Huo Jincheng has inquired at all four city gates, but the guards couldn't explain clearly. He has already taken the official documents and men and continued to pursue northward."
"It would be better if we could catch up with him as soon as possible."
"The most important thing right now is the capital. It has a large population, and scholars from all over the prefectures and counties have already gathered there to await the imperial examination. I'm worried that this disease has quietly spread in the city for a few days, but has gone unnoticed. So I have to rush back to the capital tonight. You rest here and take good care of yourself. The officials will bring the herbs soon. I've given you the injection, and if you take the medicine on time, you will recover soon. Don't worry."
"I'm not worried about myself. I just hope that what you just said doesn't come true. Otherwise, the consequences..."
Before he could finish his words, Qiu Ge arrived. He landed in the yard and was seen by several people in the neighboring house, causing a commotion. Jian Ning quickly opened the door and came out, "It's okay, don't panic, it's a pet, don't be afraid."
"My wife, I will go back to Beijing with you." Xia Youtian was quite self-conscious. He stayed in the room and didn't dare to come out. He just shouted loudly.
Jian Ning walked back and said, "You're not well yet, so stay here for now. It's convenient for Brother Qiu to come and go. Besides, I want to come and see you. It's not like I'll leave and never come back. If I can come tomorrow, I'll bring you all your books."
"Oh, then you should be careful. Even though you can cure the disease, you should also be careful not to get infected."
"I've been vaccinated against smallpox, so I won't get it. Don't worry."
Jian Ning came out and rode on Brother Qiu, flew over the city wall and out of the city, flying towards the capital. She was panicking all the way, and the closer she got to the capital, the more panicked she felt. She inexplicably had a very bad feeling.
Her feeling was soon confirmed. From afar, she could see the lights on the walls of the capital, like flowing jade belts. The city defense soldiers were walking back and forth on the walls, patrolling with lanterns in their hands.
It seemed that the capital had been hit by smallpox, and martial law had been declared. Jian Ning made up her mind and didn't care about anything else. After all, many people had seen her riding Qiu Ge in the air last night. She patted Qiu Ge and said, "Fly over!"
Brother Qiu flicked his long tail and carried her over the city amid screams, flying towards the city.
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