Chapter 262 So fast? Who are you asking?
Inside Tishun Hall, Bai Wutong felt his nose itchy for some unknown reason.
Could it be that someone is talking about her?
There are not many people who truly wish her well, but there are many who wish her bad luck.
She pinched her nose gently with a handkerchief, looked at Chan'er, and ordered, "Go and get my embroidered handkerchief."
"My lady, you are already showing your pregnancy. If you continue to embroider, your eyes will easily become ill."
"No problem."
It is now mid-March, the weather is gradually warming up, the sun shines on our bodies, and we feel warm and comfortable.
Bai Wutong sat in the pavilion. Since she was free anyway, she might as well embroider something to pass the time.
As for Yun and Yunxi, they had been sent to the Yangxin Palace.
They are both well-behaved and sensible, and never make any noise. They do not get in the way of the emperor and can learn something from him.
Chan'er quickly brought the embroidered handkerchief.
Bai Wutong had just embroidered one stitch when her fingertip was pierced. Bright red blood instantly gushed out and dripped onto the white cloth.
Chan'er immediately came forward with concern, "My lady, I will help you treat your wound right away."
"No need for that. Look, after wiping off the blood, you can't even see the wound."
Bai Wutong suddenly had an ominous premonition in his heart, "Go aside first, I want to be quiet for a while."
"Yes, my queen, if you have anything to say, please call me." Chan'er responded and stepped aside.
After everyone left, Bai Wutong put down the embroidered handkerchief and suddenly lost the mood to embroider.
She has always believed in her instincts, but the injection just now made her inexplicably flustered.
I'm afraid something unexpected is going to happen. Could it be related to the epidemic outside?
After much deliberation, she finally decided to go to the Yangxin Palace to check out the situation.
She specially cooked some soup and brought it over so that it wouldn't be considered a hasty disturbance.
"Your Majesty, I made some soup and came to see you."
Zhang Chengyan heard Bai Wutong's voice and replied without even raising his head, "Put the things there."
"Your Majesty, I heard that you caught someone who knows the source of the epidemic. Is this true?"
Zhang Chengyan then put down the red brush in his hand, "It's fake, I just want to use this to test the people in the harem."
"Your Majesty, how did you plan this? Could you please tell me? I am also curious and want to know. If Your Majesty cannot tell me, then I will be blamed for my interference."
"There is nothing I cannot say. I have sent people to conduct a thorough investigation. The disease first broke out in a civilian alley. This shows that the disease first spread among the common people."
Bai Wutong nodded. Except for those officials who died in the riots, none of the officials in Daxing Street died of the plague.
Even most people were not infected with the disease.
This makes sense. Since people have frequent contact with each other, the disease will naturally spread faster from person to person.
Zhang Chengyan continued, "If they want to spread the disease quietly and I can't find the source, then there is only one possibility, that the infected things were handed over to ordinary people."
"So I plan to spread the news that we have captured an ordinary civilian. I sent people to inquire inside and outside the capital and found that the most inconspicuous clothing was gray linen, so I announced to the public that this person was wearing gray linen."
Bai Wutong's lips were smeared with honey, and she kept praising him, "Your Majesty is really resourceful. If it were me, I wouldn't be able to think so carefully."
Zhang Chengyan sighed helplessly, "Do you know how many people I sent out to narrow the scope of the investigation? Now all the relevant people in that alley have been questioned. The first person to be infected with the disease was a child, who passed it on to the adults in the family. But the child survived, but his mother died first."
In fact, the child didn't last long and died on the third day.
The imperial palace had not yet intervened at the time, and everyone just thought it was an ordinary cold snap in early spring.
If you just go around asking around in the alley, you'll find out which child started coughing first.
Bai Wutong couldn't help but frown when she heard the word "child". This was the first time she knew about this matter. "Your Majesty, is it possible that someone gave the source of the disease to this child?"
"It's impossible. According to investigation, the child who was infected that day did not bring anything home. He could only have been infected through contact."
"Touch...children..." Bai Wutong raised his head, a trace of thought flashed in his eyes, "Your Majesty, could it be food? You see, children from ordinary families always play in groups. Generally speaking, they will not play with adults casually. They will not touch other people's things. The adults at home must have warned them. Unless someone gives them food, children are greedy, even Yunhe is no exception, not to mention those ordinary children who have rarely eaten good food."
"It is indeed possible." However, Zhang Chengyan did not take it too seriously and just responded casually.
Bai Wutong continued, "There are only two kinds of things that children can eat without any precautions. One is sugar, and the other is meat."
Both of these things are rare.
Ordinary people may not eat it many times a year.
Even adults are jealous, let alone children.
"Your Majesty, would you like to send soldiers to check the area around that alley carefully and ask if anyone saw anyone feeding the child anything, such as cakes or meat. If someone saw it, maybe we can find the source of the disease?"
"I will send someone to investigate." Hearing this, Zhang Chengyan also felt that Bai Wutong's words made some sense.
We have to investigate anyway, so it doesn't hurt to have one more direction.
"Zhao Fei, you are still pregnant, don't think too much."
Bai Wutong gently took Zhang Chengyan's arm and leaned softly on his shoulder. "Your Majesty, I came here because I suddenly felt a little panicked. I always felt that something bad was going to happen. Your Majesty, please send more people to patrol around the capital today. If you encounter anyone with suspicious behavior, arrest them, okay?"
Zhang Chengyan tapped her nose lovingly, "Okay, I'll do as you say."
Only then did Bai Wutong feel a little relieved.
"Your Majesty, I will not disturb you anymore."
After saying that, she said goodbye and returned to Ti Shun Tang, but she was still thinking about the sick child.
Children are the first to get sick, and the source is either their favorite toys or food.
In Bai Wutong's opinion, items such as toys are not as convenient as food.
Once the food enters the stomach, it is equivalent to destroying the body and there is no need to worry about anyone discovering any clues.
However, judging from the emperor's attitude just now, he did not seem to take this matter particularly seriously.
Although the emperor promised to investigate, I don't think he will put too much effort into it.
After much deliberation, Bai Wutong finally decided to let Yunxiang pass the message.
Nowadays, most of the external affairs are handled by Jin Zhi. If the news is passed to him, the investigation should be able to be launched more quickly.
After everything was arranged, Bai Wutong finally felt completely relieved.
She has done everything she should do, and now she can only wait for the results.
If something really happens, we can only deal with it as it comes.
Two hours later, the news successfully reached Jin Zhi's ears.
"Investigate the people who fed the children?" Jin Zhi thought for a moment, called his men, and repeated Bai Wutong's words, "Go and investigate, and focus on the places where the children often play."
Concubine Zhao has always been extremely intelligent. She must have her own considerations for doing this. All you have to do is do as she says.
Not long after, a soldier hurried back and reported, "General, there is news! The day before the outbreak, someone did give those children food."
"So soon? Who are you asking?"
The soldier scratched his head and laughed. "I didn't have time to ask. It was a beggar who heard me talking to other people. He said he saw it with his own eyes that day because the man also gave him beef to eat. He also gave beef to the children. The children left soon after eating. Then someone started coughing the next day, and someone died of the plague on the third day."
Jin Zhi stood up suddenly. He really didn't expect that such a thing would really happen!
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