Physician Zhang's eyes showed fear; he seemed to have vaguely understood the intention behind Xie Shiyan's question.
He glanced nervously at the palace maids behind Xie Shiyan.
They knelt on the ground one by one, completely unaware of the meaning behind the questions, their faces full of confusion.
Gu Jiangli stepped out from behind Xie Shiyan, a faint smile on her face.
She said to the stunned Physician Zhang:
"Does Physician Zhang think he can escape this by not replying?"
Doctor Zhang's teeth chattered, and his eyes darted around in a panic.
Gu Jiangli approached a palace maid and asked softly:
"Young lady, I'd like to ask you, do you still have any traces of the plague on your body?"
The palace maid looked confused, but also felt inexplicably nervous, and could only subconsciously shake her head.
Gu Jiangli showed an expression of "I knew it," and then straightened up.
"In that way, things become clear."
"I won't ask about the other palace maids. Actually, whether they have scars or not can be determined by having two old women examine their bodies. It's something that can't be faked or hidden."
The emperor, seated on the dragon throne, looked utterly bewildered and asked:
"Minister Xie, Madam Xie, your question is quite perplexing. What do you mean?"
The emperor was agitated and became impatient in his questions.
Xie Shiyan did not answer, but Gu Jiangli pulled Liu Kang in front of several palace maids and said to the emperor:
"Your Majesty, no matter how much I know, I can't possibly understand this plague better than Doctor Liu. Let Doctor Liu explain."
Liu Kang bowed respectfully, and all eyes turned to him.
His words caused an uproar among everyone in the court.
"Your Majesty, it's very simple. If these palace maids don't have any signs of skin ulceration, then it proves that the imperial physicians in the Imperial Hospital are lying and haven't found a cure for the plague."
"What?!" The emperor stood up from his chair in shock, looking at Physician Zhang in disbelief.
The ministers in the hall all stared wide-eyed at the area where the imperial physicians were.
If the Imperial Medical Academy has not found a cure for the plague, then what they have been doing all these days is to deceive the people of the entire capital.
Wouldn't that be blatant deception of the emperor?
What a heinous crime this is!
The emperor clenched his fists, utterly disbelieving the truth.
However, compared to the guilty and fearful look on Physician Zhang's face, and the confident expressions on Xie Shiyan, Gu Jiangli's, and Liu Kang's faces... it was obvious who was lying.
He suppressed his temper and shouted loudly:
"Someone, bring a few palace maids to the back of the hall to examine his health!"
The eunuch beside him shrank back, said "Yes," and hurriedly led several palace maids out.
Inside the main hall, the clamor of discussion continued unabated. The emperor gritted his teeth and continued to question Liu Kang:
"Doctor Liu...explain this to me in detail."
Liu Kang remained calm and continued:
"Your Majesty, it's very simple. According to Physician Zhang, these palace maids suffered from skin ulcers due to the plague."
"However, for any patient whose skin is ulcerated and oozing pus, it is impossible for the skin to fully recover within a month."
"But the Imperial Medical Academy's prescription was developed in just six days, and the palace maids could only use the medicine for six days. It was impossible for the scars on their bodies caused by the plague to disappear completely."
Physician Zhang stepped forward excitedly, pointed at Liu Kang's nose, and shouted:
"You're talking nonsense!"
"Just because your medicine can't do it doesn't mean mine can't! My prescription can restore someone to full health within six days, so what's so strange about that?"
Doctor Zhang had a loud voice, but Liu Kang remained unmoved.
Ignoring Physician Zhang's excited expression, Liu Kang continued speaking to the Emperor:
"Your Majesty, the reason I have stayed at the General's Mansion for the past three years is to provide special medical treatment for a man and a woman who are the most seriously ill people in the entire capital."
"One of the women was the first person in the capital to be infected with the plague, and it could even be said that she was the culprit who brought about the plague."
The crowd gasped in disbelief.
The Xie family has kept this a secret for so long that almost no one knows about it.
Now they realize that the source was hidden in the Xie family's home.
The ministers were astonished and began to discuss among themselves. The emperor was not angry; instead, he raised his hand to quiet everyone down.
"Dr. Liu, please continue."
"Yes. This woman has many festering sores on her body, from her thighs to her forearms, from her back to her chest, with no fewer than ten festering and pus-filled sores all over her body."
"Her symptoms are what all patients with the plague experience in the later stages."
"In other words, if the palace maids treated by Physician Zhang have all developed skin ulcers, it proves that each of them, like the women in the General's Mansion, has reached the middle to late stages of the plague."
"Similarly, the time required for treatment and recovery for palace maids and women in the general's mansion is almost the same."
"Madam Xie said that there is a word that can be used to describe the women in the General's Mansion, called 'reference'."
"Your Majesty, this woman and another patient are just outside the main hall. If you don't believe me, you can summon them in and see for yourself."
After Liu Kang finished speaking, he paused intentionally, waiting for the emperor to speak.
The emperor and his ministers fell silent, seemingly pondering his words.
After a moment, the emperor spoke:
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