As the sun set, the cavalry, carrying torches, escorted the relief team to the south of the city.
Qin Zhaoqiong was worried that the disease was contagious, so when she arrived in Mingyan County, she set aside a separate area specifically for those who were seriously injured or ill.
It seems unlikely that the virus will spread within two days, but it would also facilitate centralized treatment, so the program has not been cancelled.
The sixth sister solved the big problem of drinking water as soon as she arrived, and Qin Zhaoqiong originally wanted her to rest.
But she took the initiative to come and see, wondering what surprises she might have in store, so she personally led troops to escort her.
Apart from the people from the Imperial Workshop who stayed behind, the vast majority of the remaining officials chose to go along, including the Fifth Prince.
They rode their horses into the isolated treatment area, which was actually just three adjacent streets.
It is guarded by soldiers, and no one may enter or leave without a warrant.
After passing the checkpoint, Qin Zhaoqiong gave an introduction.
The street on the left was used to house the injured, mainly those who had survived the mud dragon.
Others were affected by the flood, such as those who fell and were injured, or were crushed by collapsing houses.
The middle lane is for accommodating those with mild poisoning symptoms, whose symptoms have mostly improved with induced vomiting, diarrhea, and herbal decoctions.
The last one remaining is naturally the one with severe poisoning.
Qin Zhaoqiong's expression turned grim as she said this.
When the centralized treatment area was first established, there were still more than 200 critically ill patients.
The people of Mingyan County never imagined that drinking the lake water would cause poisoning, resulting in many people accumulating toxins in their bodies.
It wasn't until widespread symptoms appeared that a traditional Chinese medicine doctor noticed something amiss and began to restrict their water intake.
However, it was too late; some of the weak or those who had drunk too much lake water had already developed serious illnesses.
Within two days of Qin Zhaoqiong's arrival, more than fifty people had died, and the remaining people were in critical condition.
The methods used on patients with mild symptoms were ineffective on them.
To put it bluntly, we can only watch them die.
"Sixth Sister?"
Qin Zhaoyue clenched her fists, her face unusually pale in the firelight. "Go to the intensive care unit."
Even though she had already guessed, Qin Zhaoqiong was still shocked at this moment. Was there... a way?
She glanced at the Taoist priest following behind her sister, her eyes darting around with worry, her gaze unfocused.
This is a sign of anxiety and unease. If there were a cure, it would certainly not look like this.
Suppressing her surprise and doubt, Qin Zhaoqiong led the way.
Before they even entered the room where the critically ill patients were being housed, soldiers carrying stretchers came out and passed right in front of them.
"General!"
They were the princess's personal guards, and were habitually addressed according to their military ranks.
They stopped, and the firelight shone on the stretcher.
His body was curled into a spasmodic arc, his ten fingers twisted like eagle claws, the protruding knuckles pressing against the translucent skin, as if they were about to pierce through the thin paper at any moment.
The moment they saw the corpse, a collective gasp filled the air.
Qin Zhaoqiong merely narrowed her eyes; she had seen far too many corpses with similar deaths in the past two days.
The accompanying officials of the Armaments Department were all fine, since most of them were military officers who had been on the battlefield, but the others were different.
Most of them turned pale, and several even experienced physiological reactions and nausea.
Pei Xueqiao frowned deeply, and after turning her gaze away from the corpse, she looked at Qin Zhaoyue's face.
At this moment, her face was tense, her lips were pursed into a thin line, and her back was straight, looking like she was putting in a lot of effort.
His eyes were slightly dark, but there was no confusion or fear in them; on the contrary, they were even more determined.
Most people were still immersed in the horrific death of the patient, but there were a few others like Pei Xueqiao who were paying attention to Qin Zhaoyue.
Meng Jian was among the first group to enter the county town with the eldest princess, and after the city's defenses were secured, he was also in charge of dividing the centralized medical treatment area.
However, the accompanying imperial physicians soon concluded that the seriously ill could not be cured.
So he quickly abandoned that place and devoted himself to the project of dredging the landslide dam.
Tonight, I was on my way back to the county government to report on the relocation of the downstream villages when the Sixth Princess arrived. She witnessed the water purification and then followed me here.
During the previous march, Meng Jian had kept his distance from the princess after overhearing some gossip, fearing he might get into trouble.
But ever since their meeting at the county government office, the Sixth Princess has not once looked at him.
Meng Jian had seen many corpses of critically ill patients who had died, so he was not surprised. He glanced at them and then focused his attention on the Sixth Princess, seeing her so solemn for the first time.
Then there's Qin Zhaoqiong, who hopes her sixth sister can turn the tide.
Upon seeing the gruesome corpse, the younger sister remained remarkably calm, but her tense expression prevented Qin Zhaoqiong from discerning her inner thoughts.
The method of purifying water may have originated from that alchemist, but what about now?
Qin Zhaoqiong glanced around and noticed that the person's expression was unusually unpleasant, with his brows furrowed, not at all like someone who had no solution.
She waved her hand, and the soldiers carried the stretcher away.
The group continued to move forward, and the atmosphere became even more somber than at the beginning, with no one taking the initiative to speak.
Upon arriving at the village where the patients were being housed, the moment the doors were opened, a wave of foul air hit us like boiling water.
The acrid bitterness of mugwort ash, the astringent rust of coptis chinensis, and the dampness of moldy straw mats intertwine to form a wet net that stings the nasal cavity.
Even though she was somewhat prepared, Qin Zhaoyue still subconsciously raised her hand to cover her mouth and nose, the fumes stinging her eyes.
Lifting the bamboo curtain caused the candlelight inside to flicker in the breeze.
The withered old man huddled in the corner, his fingers scratching his chest, blood trickling down his ribs in a spiderweb pattern, muttering incessantly, "Fire, fire..."
He suddenly roared, his neck veins bulging like the gnarled roots of an old tree.
The two medical students seemed unfazed, and without expression, they immediately pounced on him and pinned him down.
The old doctor rushed over and swiftly inserted a silver needle into the "Neiguan" acupoint on the patient's wrist, the needle vibrating and twitching with each spasm.
After a few breaths, the old man gradually calmed down. His body lost its strength, his eyes were only slightly open, and his breathing was barely perceptible. If it weren't for the occasional twitching of his body, one would think he had already passed away.
The woman under the west window suddenly bent over and vomited blood, the filth splattering onto the straw mat.
Her hands, barely supporting her body, were like withered branches, and the cinnabar rope on her wrist, meant for blessing, had long been stained a dirty purple with pus and blood.
After she had vomited, the apprentice avoided the filth and helped the exhausted woman lie back down.
Then he picked up the medicine bowl, knelt beside her, and used a porcelain spoon to pry open her clenched teeth and put the medicine in, but the soup spilled out from beside her unfocused pupils.
Qin Zhaoyue's throat tightened, and her nails dug deeply into her palms, the stinging pain keeping her conscious.
Suddenly, a muffled sound of a rope snapping came from the darkness of the eaves, and the boy struggled violently.
The bound limbs bore deep marks, and the coarse cloth on the chest seeped through with glaring bright red blood.
He managed to squeeze out a half-groan, then collapsed, cold sweat mixed with saliva dripping from his chin.
...
Qin Zhaoyue stood frozen at the doorway, her head buzzing and a sharp buzzing sound ringing in her ears.
Like sinking into water, all senses begin to become dull and sluggish.
Only the images of sickly faces that entered her eyes and pierced her heart tore the high walls she had built to shreds...
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