That is why he cannot abandon any of the people.
He began slowly, "The imperial physicians in the palace are few and far between. To suppress the epidemic, we need to recruit doctors from the common people. Pei Xuan..."
"Where is Pei Xuan?" He looked around from his high position but did not see Pei Xuan.
At this moment, someone suddenly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Lord Pei has taken leave today, it seems he has contracted an epidemic."
"ah……"
"What should we do?"
Just one sentence was enough to cause panic among them. They had been attending court with Pei Xuan every day, and if Pei Xuan had contracted the plague, they would likely be in no better shape.
"I humbly request Your Majesty to issue an edict to recruit more physicians."
Suddenly, everyone in the court changed their tune. As long as a cure for the epidemic could be developed, they would be saved.
Now that Pei Xuan has contracted the plague, the rest of the work can only be left to Qi Guze.
He originally intended to seek help from Xu Yuehuai, but he didn't expect that someone would approach her before he even arrived at Tianxiang Tower.
That day, Zhao Ping knelt down on the ground as soon as he entered the door.
"Manager Xu, I know you're a good person, please, please save my aunt." After he finished speaking, he didn't forget to kowtow twice.
"Auntie?" Xu Yuehuai raised an eyebrow. Wasn't this person an orphan?
Zhao Ping quickly explained the whole story. It turned out that the aunt was not his biological aunt, but a village woman who had taken care of him along the way. They had both lost their loved ones and were keeping each other company.
Now, this aunt has unfortunately contracted the plague and is about to be burned to death. Zhao Ping has nowhere else to turn but to come and beg Xu Huaiyue for help.
However, Xu Huaiyue was ultimately at a loss.
She quickly helped him up: "Get up first, then we can talk. Is your aunt settled outside the city?"
"Yes." Zhao Ping quickly explained, "She has been kept outside the city. Today I heard that there is a plague outside, so I asked the soldiers guarding the city gate to inquire. That's when I found out that everyone there has contracted the plague."
"Manager Xu, Manager Xu, you are a good and capable person. Please save my aunt."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Qi Guze came in from outside and immediately told him about Pei Xuan contracting the plague.
The atmosphere instantly turned somber.
Xu Yuehuai couldn't bear to see Zhao Ping, a young child, worrying, so she simply sent him away first before asking, "So how does the imperial court plan to resolve this issue?"
“All the imperial physicians have been dispatched. We still need to recruit some doctors from the common people. A-Yue, you are knowledgeable and experienced. Do you have any ideas?” Qi Guze believed that Xu Yuehuai’s perspective was different from theirs.
This time, however, she shook her head.
She had read in a book that during every major epidemic, countless people died and were injured. Even in her time, there was no way to completely cure the disease; the only thing to do was to use medicine to strengthen the body's immunity.
However, she wasn't entirely without ideas: "This epidemic can be transmitted through breathing, so the imperial physicians must take good care of themselves. In addition, we must burn mugwort in the epidemic area. As for the rest, we can only leave it to fate."
Xu Yuehuai has felt the insignificance of human power in the face of natural disasters more than once.
“Okay, I will also urge them to develop a prescription as soon as possible, at least to prevent the epidemic from continuing to spread,” Qi Guze said solemnly.
After finishing his business, his expression couldn't help but darken: "We're short-handed right now, and I'll be going outside the city to help out. We won't see each other for a while, so you'd better take good care of yourself."
Qi Guze couldn't understand when he had found something to rely on.
"Manpower shortage?" Xu Yuehuai repeated these four words, then suddenly spoke again, "Since there is a shortage of manpower, let's first classify the sick refugees according to the severity of their illnesses, so that the doctors can prescribe the right medicine and not lose their composure."
Qi Guze quickly nodded in agreement.
He knew that Xu Yuehuai could always think of details that he couldn't.
This situation lasted for almost half a month. The people of Chang'an were filled with anxiety and simply stayed indoors. The once bustling streets were now deserted.
Looking at this scene, Xu Yuehuai felt uneasy, and her thoughts drifted far away.
Just as she was feeling melancholic, good news finally came from the epidemic area.
Third Sister came upstairs excitedly: "Ah Yue, have you heard? Someone has already developed a way to fight the epidemic."
"Really!?" Xu Yuehuai was genuinely happy.
"That's natural. However, no one can guarantee whether this prescription will work or not, so no one is willing to try it first. I heard that Lord Pei Xuan wanted to sacrifice himself for the people, but the court wouldn't allow it." She couldn't help but sigh.
Xu Yuehuai was aware of the difficult situation they were in.
Before anything comes out, it is not accepted by people.
She thought for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Where's Zhao Ping?"
"He's downstairs. No one's come to the shop these days, so he can't stay idle. Right now he's reading with those kids. Why are you suddenly asking about him?" Third Sister was completely baffled.
Xu Yuehuai offered no explanation, but instead rushed downstairs and grabbed Zhao Ping's arm.
Her action stunned everyone present.
Jiang Shichen spoke first: "Grandma, what's wrong? Are you having another attack?"
He didn't give Xu Yuehuai any face at all when he said that.
"Zhao Ping, didn't you say last time that your aunt had contracted an epidemic and that you had developed a prescription, but you weren't sure if it would work? Would you be willing to let your aunt take the risk?" Xu Yuehuai asked, her palms sweating.
This is clearly a high-stakes gamble. If you win, you'll snatch your life back from the jaws of death; but if you lose...
Looking at the expression in her eyes, Zhao Ping knew that this matter was not easy.
Just when everyone thought he would refuse, he suddenly smiled and said, "Of course I'll give it a try."
"Without this prescription, my aunt would be doomed, but with it, there's still a chance; maybe she can survive." He seemed to be a born optimist. He quickly eased the somber atmosphere in the shop.
Having received his affirmative answer, Xu Yuehuai immediately led his men to the outskirts of the city, having already taken precautions before setting off.
However, there were far too many refugees outside the city. Some had died of illness and were being carried away, while others lay on the ground wailing. The sight was heartbreaking.
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