Chapter 47 Plague Fang Yilan clutched his knuckles and trembled. ...
The news of Liang Qian's death spread throughout Wenbin City. Upon hearing the bad news, the people rushed from all directions and surrounded Liang Qian's mansion.
Fang Yilan came to help deal with the aftermath, but was attacked by the people. The harmonious atmosphere of the previous few days suddenly disappeared.
"You must have forced Lord Liang to death!" A young man blushed and spoke unwillingly.
"What crime has Lord Liang committed? The corrupt officials in the capital actually forced an honest official who truly cared about the people into a desperate situation!" A white-haired old man said with a trembling voice and sadness in his eyes.
Fang Yilan stood there, listening to the insults. She did not rush to defend herself, but simply ordered her men to copy Liang Qian's "Confession" omitting the hidden secrets in it and post it at the door of the mansion.
Fang Yilan suddenly spoke in a low voice: "You deserve to live, but the soldiers in the northwest deserve to die?"
"Lord Liang chose to hang himself precisely because he'd been burdened with guilt for the past few years. For the sake of the people of Wenbin, he had no choice but to become a villain," Fang Yilan said calmly. "And now, you're spewing vile words at your former victims. Have you ever considered the souls of those heroes who died in vain? Have you ever considered the truth behind this?"
The people fell silent instantly and looked at each other. Only a few low sobs could be heard from the crowd.
On the day of Liang Qian's burial, the clouds were hanging low over the ground, and almost all the people in Wenbin City came spontaneously. They were dressed in plain clothes, with white flowers on their heads, and had sad faces. They stood quietly on both sides of the street to see Liang Qian off. The long funeral procession stretched as far as the eye could see.
When many people saw Liang Qian's coffin, they could no longer suppress their inner grief. They rushed to the coffin and burst into tears.
Paper money was flying everywhere.
Fang Yilan stood aside and couldn't help asking, "Tell me, why do some people in this world force vegetarians to eat meat?"
Zhao Huaixu said slowly, "The more things you do against your will, the more fearful you become. So you think of forming a clique to keep yourself safe. As long as more people make mistakes, the wrong will become right."
Fang Yilan nodded gently: "Yes, you can also boast that if you don't change, you will perish."
From that day on, many patients with high fever began to appear in the streets.
The city's Chinese medicine clinic is overcrowded. Most of these patients have similar symptoms: flushed face, hot forehead, vomiting and diarrhea, and general weakness.
Fang Yilan's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately picked up his pen, dipped it in ink, and recorded the situation in the city in detail. Then he rolled up the letter paper and called Xunyun.
"Xunyun, send a message to Sister Qingyun immediately."
"Zhuang Gu, Xiao Yue, send someone to seal the city gates. No one is allowed to enter or leave without my order."
Yang Hao seemed to have vaguely sensed the crisis spreading in the city. Just after the gong sounded three times at midnight, Yang Hao had already reached the stone wall of the backyard with his bag stuffed with gold, silver and other valuables.
It took a lot of effort to climb to the top of the wall. Before I jumped down, I saw that the alley was dark and full of soldiers.
"Lord Yang, where are you going so late at night?" Fang Yilan was playing with a key in his hand, which was the key for the iron lock on the mansion's gate.
"Fang Yilan, what do you mean by this?" Yang Hao's forehead veins bulged. Glancing at the blades on the wall that reflected a faint cold light, he forced himself to remain calm. "How dare you detain me without permission?"
Sword light flashed, and Fang Yilan pointed the sword tip from under the wall at his throat. His voice was colder than the ice under the eaves: "Please go back, Lord Yang."
Yang Hun was straddling the wall, his official hat tilted to reveal his graying temples. He struggled unwillingly, "The Seventh Prince didn't come here with an imperial decree, did he? Now he has symptoms too. I'll see how you'll explain this to the emperor! If you let me go, I can..."
"You don't need to worry about this." Fang Yilan interrupted directly with frost in his eyes.
Then he thought of something, curled his lips into a smile, and waved his hand for the soldiers to lower their weapons. "If you want to leave, I won't stop you, but I've already reported this epidemic. I'm afraid you'll be reduced to ashes before you even reach the gates of Shangjing."
Yang Hao naturally knew that what Fang Yilan said was true. He was frightened and broke out in a cold sweat. He was dragged down from the top of the wall by the officers and soldiers and dared not even think of escaping.
Fang Yilan summoned the generals and civil officials in Wenbin City and said, "The city gates are sealed from today. Only people can enter, not leave. Everyone who goes out or does business must cover their mouths and noses with a handkerchief. Find all the taverns in the city and order the highest-proof liquor. You must wash your hands with liquor every day."
The anxiety on Zuo Tongpan's face was hard to conceal. He hurriedly said, "General, I'm afraid the situation in the city is an epidemic."
Fang Yilan said calmly, "Don't panic. The most urgent thing is to find a place to house the patients. Is there any other place in the city that can be used to house the patients?"
The left judge thought for a moment, his eyes lighting up: "There's a deserted Tongbei Temple in the west of the city. It's spacious and could perhaps be converted into a quarantine area."
Fang Yilan nodded decisively: "Okay, this is it. Xunyun, Xiao Yue immediately gather a team of soldiers, bring tools, and follow me to Tongbei Temple."
"President Zuo, please go door to door and count the number of people in your home who have shown symptoms and arrange for them to be transferred to Tongbei Temple."
"Zhuang Gu, go find the carpenters in the city and tell them the situation is urgent. Have them bring all the bed boards and lumber they can buy in the city to Tongbei Temple."
"yes!"
There are two faded red lacquer beams and pillars at the entrance of Tongbei Temple, with a hemp rope across them, and soldiers are strictly guarding the entrance.
Fang Yilan directed the removal of all debris from the temple, erected wooden frames, and covered them with tarpaulins. Finally, she used rocks and sandbags to hold down the edges of the tarpaulins to prevent them from blowing away. She also divided Tongbei Temple into several distinct areas to accommodate patients with varying degrees of severity.
"General, everything has been arranged!" Xunyun ran over to report.
Fang Yilan came down from the ladder, dusted herself off, and nodded, "Well done. Are there any patients coming in?"
"There are a few lonely elderly people who have come here sporadically. There is no one to take care of them at home. They have no choice but to come here first."
Fang Yilan understood. In ancient times, medical conditions were backward and epidemics were difficult to treat. The government's usual practice was to find a remote village, forcibly detain the infected people there, and then burn everything to ashes with a huge fire.
Now that the people have heard that Tongbei Temple will be used as a quarantine area, one can imagine the fear in their hearts, and it is only natural that they dare not come.
"I'll go to the city and take a look."
The main road in Wenbin was in chaos. Inside the clinic, people were shouting and shouting. Medicine drawers were being pulled out one by one and thrown to the ground. All the herbs, useful and useless, were swept away. The people who couldn't squeeze in could only collapse on the roadside, coughing.
Those people who had not yet been infected gathered together and anxiously discussed the situation in the city.
The Left Counselor stood in the center of the crowd and shouted at the top of his voice, "Listen to me, folks! The epidemic is raging now. All those who are sick, please follow the soldiers and move to Tongbei Temple in the west of the city as soon as possible."
A middle-aged man frowned, coughed, and loudly questioned: "Why are you locking us up? We haven't done anything wrong!"
Someone else in the crowd echoed, "Who knows if you're going to kill us to silence us after you capture us?"
"Isolation is not imprisonment. It is to protect family members who have not yet become ill. The disease spreads so quickly. If they are not isolated, more people will be infected, and then the people of the entire city will suffer." Fang Yilan explained patiently.
The word "family" touched many people. A middle-aged man hesitated for a moment and then asked, "Will we not have enough food and warm clothes if we go there?"
Fang Yilan said sincerely, "We will arrange everything. All food, clothing and daily necessities will be delivered on time, and doctors will be there to take care of everyone at any time."
Under her persuasion, the attitudes of some people began to waver. If it was true as Fang Yilan said, that medical treatment did not cost money and there were special people to take care of them, it would indeed sound like a good choice.
Several soldiers arrived carrying a stretcher, preparing to transport an elderly man who was ill to the quarantine area. The elderly man's son rushed out like crazy, blocking the stretcher with tears on his face, "My father is old, he can't go to that kind of place, he will die!"
Fang Yilan helped the man up and said, "There are the best doctors in the quarantine area who can give him better treatment. If he stays here, your father will be in greater danger."
The old man's son looked at Fang Yilan, finally let go of her hand, and wiped his tears with his sleeve: "General, you must save my father."
On the other side of the street, a group of people were pushing a thin woman, who staggered and fell at Fang Yilan's feet.
A burly man yelled, "General! Arrest this man! Widow Wang just killed her husband, and now she's infected with the plague. She's going to kill all our neighbors!"
As he spoke, the man covered his mouth and nose with his sleeves in disgust, and his hands that pushed the woman were covered with linen, as if the woman was carrying some disgusting and dirty thing.
"Yes! Lock her up quickly and don't let her out to harm everyone!" Everyone echoed.
The woman rubbed her palms on the ground, leaving bloody marks. She got up from the ground and rushed towards the insulters like crazy: "If you force me again, we will all die together!"
Fang Yilan stopped the woman and scolded her, "Those who spread rumors, harbor patients, or bully patients are all considered to be disrupting military discipline and will be dealt with according to military law!"
The group of people then fell silent and dispersed.
Wang Qiong raised his head, and the hatred in his eyes gradually subsided: "General, can you allow me to go and unpack some luggage?"
Fang Yilan nodded, his expression softened, and said, "Go and clear your luggage. If you have difficulty moving, contact the officers and soldiers, and they will send you to the quarantine area."
The secret guards came rushing over again: "General, it's bad! Your Highness's residence has been surrounded by the people!"
Someone had heard from somewhere that Zhao Huaixu had contracted an epidemic and was coughing profusely. The entrance to Zhao Huaixu's temporary residence was crowded with people from the surrounding area, making a cacophony of noise like a boiling oil pan.
The secret guards had gloomy faces, drew their swords and stood guard at the door, refusing to move an inch.
"Why doesn't the prince go to Tongbei Temple when he has a fever?"
"That's right! The prince's life is his life, but our lives are worthless?"
The old woman at the front saw Fang Yilan suddenly kneel down, her voice hoarse as she cried, "General! My grandson is only one month old and lives nearby. Please have His Royal Highness move to Tongbei Temple. If anything happens to the child, our family will be ruined."
Before Fang Yilan could even open her mouth to respond, Zhao Huaixu, wearing a handkerchief and carrying a bundle, walked out steadily. "Alan, don't worry about this. All the people in Wenbin City follow the rules, and I am no exception. In the face of the epidemic, we should prioritize the overall situation."
When the people saw Zhao Huaixu appear, they subconsciously took several steps back as if they had seen a flood or a beast, like a snake or a scorpion.
The book in Fang Yilan's hand was pinched into several creases.
She reached out her hand for the first time and took Zhao Huaixu's hand, her voice becoming unusually gentle: "Don't worry, everything will be fine."
Zhao Huaixu obediently followed Fang Yilan's footsteps. The people's curses gradually drifted away. He covered his face with a handkerchief and pretended to cough a few more times.
His eyebrows drooped in the shadows, the corners of his mouth curled up imperceptibly, but he suddenly froze.
Fang Yilan clutched his knuckles and trembled slightly.
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The author has something to say: I ask who dares to spread rumors about a prince? [melted] It's okay, he will be judged in the next chapter
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