Chapter 110 Chapter 110 Soft Jade in Arms
Although this academy, which was temporarily used to house patients, was already the largest vacant space in the city, it could not accommodate the increasing number of people infected with the epidemic and could only place mats neatly on the ground.
Even these mats were made overnight by Huang Furen and his team. More than a dozen people who knew the craft of weaving worked together for a whole day and night to barely accommodate these patients.
Fortunately, the weather is hot now. Compared with beds, mats have their own advantages. In this hot and humid weather, you can feel a slight coolness when you touch it. It is also very convenient to clean, which greatly ensures environmental hygiene.
Although the epidemic struck suddenly, leaving many people sick in the city, Yan Zhuo's arrangements kept everything in perfect order. Despite the scarcity of supplies, he did his utmost to provide the best possible care. The academy also had a clear division of labor, and with Huang Furen watching over the situation, there wouldn't be any major disruptions. Therefore, the sudden commotion was particularly noticeable.
By the time Zhao Mingsheng and his team arrived, a skinny middle-aged woman was curled up on a mat like a shrimp, clutching her abdomen and crying out in pain. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead, and she looked in agony.
A group of people gathered around, all standing there at a loss as if frightened by the scene. Only when they saw Huang Furen and the others coming did they seem to have found their backbone.
"What's going on? Have you called a doctor?"
Huang Furen frowned and called the guy in charge of this area to ask.
The clerk nodded, then added anxiously, "We've sent someone to call for help, but the East District is very short-staffed right now. I'm afraid a doctor won't be able to get here for a while."
Because the academy was overcrowded, it was divided into two areas, east and west, for easier management. The east area housed the more seriously ill patients, while the west area housed the less seriously ill. Due to a shortage of physicians, doctors were currently focusing on treating the critically ill patients in the east area.
Sure enough, after a while, a guy came back running with sweat all over his forehead.
"There are too many patients in the East District, and their conditions are quite serious. The doctors are overwhelmed and told us to wait a little longer. They will come over once they finish seeing the patients there..."
After hearing this, Huang Furen's brows tightened even more. They could wait, but the woman lying on the mat couldn't. In just a few moments, she was already exhausted from the pain.
The patients in the West District all had mild illnesses, so they shouldn't have experienced abdominal colic. Moreover, other people infected with the epidemic had never experienced abdominal colic. This sudden case left Huang Furen puzzled.
"Girl, do you know why this person suddenly has abdominal cramps?" He had no medical knowledge and could not figure out what the problem was. In this situation, he had no choice but to place his hopes on the girl beside him.
Zhao Mingsheng observed the woman's complexion for a moment, then shook her head slightly. Based on what she saw, she couldn't determine the patient's cause. "It's still unknown," she said. "Let me take his pulse first."
Zhao Mingsheng came to the patient's side, placed his hand on her pulse, and his brows gradually became serious.
The patient's pulse was extremely chaotic and weak. Perhaps due to the previous famine, her spleen and stomach were too weak, causing some symptoms of Yin deficiency. However, within this Yin deficiency, there was also a surge of Yang Qi running rampant. Under the conflict between Yin and Yang, the woman felt unbearable abdominal cramps.
But where does this yang energy come from?
Zhao Mingsheng glanced at the bowl of medicine that had been two-thirds drunk, and a hint of understanding appeared in his eyes.
"I think I found the problem."
As he spoke, under the gaze of everyone, Zhao Mingsheng picked up the unfinished bowl of medicine on the ground.
Huang Furen stared at the bowl of medicine, his face darkening. "Is there something wrong with the medicine?"
Zhao Mingsheng nodded slightly.
The men in charge of boiling and delivering the medicine were so frightened by this scene that they broke out in a sweat. The two men raised their hands and swore, "We definitely didn't poison this medicine! Even if we had ten times the courage, we wouldn't dare to poison this medicine!"
Zhao Mingsheng was amused by their serious oaths. She said gently, "I didn't say the medicine was poisonous."
The two guys were dumbfounded. "No poison? What could be wrong with the medicine? We followed the prescription exactly and never left the room while it was boiling!"
"Don't worry. Although there is a problem with the medicine, it has nothing to do with you. Don't worry." Zhao Mingsheng first comforted them, and then continued.
"I just took her pulse. This woman has a Yin deficiency, and the decoctions used to treat epidemic diseases mostly use Yang herbs. The Yin and Yang in her body clash and cannot be digested, so they gather in her abdomen and cause cramps."
The guy was puzzled. "We've been using this medicine before, and this hasn't happened before?"
Zhao Mingsheng didn't rush to answer him, but asked, "Is this bowl of medicine made with the new herbs delivered today?"
Seeing the clerk nod, she understood: "That's right, this new batch of herbs is fresher than the previous batch, so the medicinal properties are stronger. This lady's body is relatively weak, and she can't withstand such medicinal properties for a while, so she has such symptoms."
After she explained it this way, everyone suddenly understood.
Knowing the cause of the illness made it much easier to solve it. Zhao Mingsheng applied a little pressure to massage the woman's acupuncture points. After a while, the woman gradually showed signs of improvement. Her pale complexion became visibly rosy, and her brows, which had been furrowed in pain, relaxed.
The onlookers exclaimed, "Oh! It's amazing! He saved the person so easily. He's just like a living Bodhisattva!"
“It’s absolutely amazing!”
Zhao Mingsheng ignored the chaos around her. She did not stop until the woman said it didn't hurt anymore. She withdrew her hand and gently moved her slightly sore wrist. While moving, she recalled what had just happened. It seemed as if she had forgotten something. Before she could think about it, she was interrupted by a voice.
The old lady who had just been rescued supported herself and sat up, tears in the corners of her eyes, and she clasped her hands together and bowed in the direction of Zhao Mingsheng.
Full of gratitude but somewhat weakly, he said, "Thank you, Living Bodhisattva, for saving me."
Zhao Mingsheng didn't dare to claim the title of Bodhisattva, and quickly waved his hand and said, "Auntie, please don't say that. Your illness is actually not complicated. It can be cured! You are just a little weak. You just need to take good care of yourself during this period of time."
When the woman heard that her illness could be cured soon, her eyes brightened slightly, but soon dimmed again. She shook her head, her eyes a little dim, obviously not believing her words.
The abdominal colic was cured but it did not mean that the disease in his body could also be cured. This was the most dreaded disease. Not only was it difficult to cure, it could also be transmitted to others. Only His Royal Highness Prince Heng was kind enough to give them treatment. If it were someone else, they might have isolated them and left them to fend for themselves!
"Buddha, please stop trying to fool me. I've heard about the horrors of this epidemic. Eight out of ten people who contract it can't be cured." She paused, then forced a sad smile. "It doesn't matter if it can't be cured. My family is gone, and there's no point in me living alone. I just want to go and be with them sooner rather than later."
Zhao Mingsheng was stunned and didn't know what to say for a moment.
Seeing this, a waiter who knew the situation quietly leaned over to Zhao Mingsheng's ear and told her the woman's origins.
It turned out that her husband and children had died in the previous drought, and before she could recover from her grief, she unfortunately contracted the epidemic.
Zhao Mingsheng glanced around. There were many people here with similar experiences to the woman's. Most of them were already dying, and while they cooperated with treatment, they held no hope for a cure. They had naturally heard the woman's words, and seemed to share the same sentiments as she, falling silent.
The hollow looks in their eyes made Zhao Mingsheng's nose ache and she almost cried. She couldn't help but wonder, if there had been no drought, would these refugees have avoided the pain of separation and death?
But she quickly rejected this idea. Natural disasters are certainly detestable, but the real culprits are still those man-made disasters! If it weren't for those corrupt officials, how could the people of Yanzhou have fallen into such a state?
She believed that even if there had been no drought, the people of Yanzhou would sooner or later be persecuted by these corrupt officials.
Now that the disaster has already happened, what we should do now is to ensure the safety of the people of Yanzhou as much as possible.
Zhao Mingsheng knew that no matter how much she said now, it would be considered as comforting them, but she would definitely heal these people no matter what!
Looking at the emaciated Yanzhou residents before her, Zhao Mingsheng suddenly remembered a detail she had forgotten. The patients here had all just experienced famine and were extremely weak. There must be quite a few with the same Yin deficiency as this woman!
Before she could finish her thought, a guy from the East District came running over in a panic, saying that there was also a patient in the East District who had abdominal colic.
Zhao Mingsheng bit his lower lip, thinking to himself, "Oh no!" He thought the newly arrived herbs had probably already been boiled into a decoction and given to the people in the East District who were suffering from the epidemic. The symptoms in the East District were more serious, and the reaction after drinking the decoction was even greater.
The most important thing right now is to notify the pharmacy to stop boiling the medicine and quickly modify the formula!
She quickly called over the waiter and instructed, "Talk to the pharmacy and tell them to change the dosage of the prescription. Except for the Angelica dahurica, the dosage of the others should be reduced by one part."
Huang Furen also understood the situation in the East District at this time. He said to Zhao Mingsheng, "Girl, you just stopped that woman's pain so easily. You must have done some research on this. Come with me to the East District."
Zhao Mingsheng didn't refuse, nodded and agreed, and said to the guy before: "You do as I say first, I'll go to the East District to take a look!"
Then he hurried to the East District with Huang Furen.
The situation in the East District is obviously very bad. Almost all the newly brewed medicines were delivered to the East District. Currently, more people have fallen ill after drinking the medicines than in the West District.
Several doctors were gathered together to discuss the matter. They had found out that there was a problem with the pulse, but they still could not find the cause of the disease.
Zhao Mingsheng walked to their side, gave them a few pointers, and repeated her previous speculation. Then the doctors slapped their heads as if they suddenly understood.
“That’s how it is!”
Just like the situation in the West District, once the cause of the disease was found, everyone took immediate action.
There were more patients in the east district, and the staff simply couldn't take care of them all. Zhao Mingsheng taught the waiters massage techniques while saving lives, so that they could learn and help as well.
It was not until sunset that all the patients were accommodated.
At the end of the day, even Zhao Mingsheng, accustomed to farm work, felt her wrists so sore that it was difficult to lift them. Dragging her exhausted body, she found a step and sat down, leaning her head against a nearby stone pillar.
As her mind relaxed, she began to feel sleepy. Zhao Mingsheng felt her eyelids become heavy. She didn't know how much time had passed, but the sky darkened. Just as she was about to doze off, a cold male voice reached her ears.
"Get up, the ground is cold, go back to sleep."
Zhao Mingsheng strained to open his eyes. A blurry silhouette appeared before him in the dim light. He blinked again and again, then finally closed them again, unable to resist the drowsiness.
Yan Zhuo: ...
It was the beginning of autumn just a few days ago. Although it is still hot during the day, it is still a bit cool at night. I am afraid that I will catch a cold and get sick.
Yan Zhuo didn't intend to let her continue sleeping. Just when he was about to wake up Zhao Mingsheng again, he caught a glimpse of the girl's light blue hair under her eyelashes that were as curved as black feathers.
Yan Zhuo paused for a moment, his brows and eyes silent.
It would be a lie to say that it wasn't tiring after such an arduous journey. She had no time to rest when she arrived in Yanzhou, and she had to rush to the academy without stopping. Even a big man who was used to doing business would have found it too hard to bear. Others would have complained bitterly, but the delicate little girl endured it without a word.
He didn't have the heart to wake her up again, but letting the little girl sleep here was not an option either.
After hesitating for a moment, Yan Zhuo bent down and picked up the girl. Although his movements were not skillful and even a little stiff, he subconsciously moved much more gently, as if he was afraid of disturbing the sleeping person.
Fortunately, after all the movements, Zhao Mingsheng was still sleeping soundly and did not wake up. Not only was he not disturbed, but he rubbed against a warmer place like a cub absorbing warm wings.
The delicate side of her face was pressed against his chest, and he could still feel the warmth through the layer of cloth.
Yan Zhuo suddenly froze in place.
When Jing Liu came over, he saw Yan Zhuo standing there from a distance. He approached and was about to report the situation.
"Your Highness! I..."
Before he could finish, he was stopped by a look.
"Keep your voice down."
Only then did Jing Liu notice that there was someone in his prince's arms. He took a quick glance and saw that the person sleeping in his prince's arms was none other than the young lady from the Zhao family!
After a slight surprise, he quickly lowered his voice and said, "The people brought by the young lady of the Zhao family have already been arranged to live in the courtyard over on the east street."
Yan Zhuo nodded to show that he understood, then walked westward.
"Your Highness! We're going the wrong way!" Jing Liu quickly whispered a reminder.
Yan Zhuo said without even turning his head: "She lives in my room, and I will live in the study."
The people living on East Street are all rough guys. Yan Zhuo knows that Zhao Mingsheng will not mind the poor living conditions, but he has the ability to give her better things now, so why should she endure those?
Jing Liu, who stayed where he was, scratched his head, wondering when his prince started to care so much about the young lady from the Zhao family and even gave up his own room for her.
The girl in his arms was incredibly light, and Yan Zhuo carried her all the way back to the courtyard with almost no effort. He placed her on the bed, took one last deep look at her sleeping face, and then turned and went to the study.
If there were someone nearby at this moment, they would be able to notice at a glance the blush on the tip of the man's ear when he turned around, and it could not be hidden no matter what.
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