Chapter 189: The Source of the Plague

A young Eunuch came stumbling over, too flustered to even bother with a bow.

"Your Majesty, it's bad! Someone in the palace has caught the plague, and it has already infected several people."

Yan Ning frowned, "Is it the plague?"

The Eunuch was on the verge of tears, "Yes, it is the plague."

Yan Ning found it strange; there were no concubines in the palace, and even several batches of Eunuchs and palace maids had already been sent away.

The palace maids and Eunuchs had all been staying within the palace, so how could they have suddenly caught the plague?

Yan Ning asked her question, and the young Eunuch said, "Your Highness, it was Cuilan who caught the plague. She left the palace yesterday to deliver some silver to her parents."

After the shock passed, Yan Ning said, "Quickly, isolate all the palace servants who have fallen ill, and those who have had contact with them must also be contained; observe them for a few days before letting them out."

The young Eunuch went to do it immediately.

Fortunately, there were many rooms in the palace, and before long, those people were all isolated.

Cuilan was Yan Ning's palace maid; when she returned yesterday, she brought the roast chicken Yan Ning liked, and Yan Ning ate it together with her parents.

Therefore, the three of them were also people who had been in contact with Cuilan.

Once the people had dispersed, Yan Ning closed the doors and windows tightly.

Yan Ning was a bit puzzled: "I have been in contact with Cuilan, yet I have no problems at all."

Yan Ze was uneasy and called for an Imperial Physician to take Yan Ning's pulse.

The Head of the Imperial Hospital came personally to take the pulses of the family of three.

The pulse readings all appeared normal.

The Imperial Physician then left.

Yan Ze frowned, and only after a while did he say, "Do you think it's because we often eat Spirit Fruit and drink Spirit Spring Water that our constitutions have become so good, and that's why we have no problems after contact?"

Yan Ning's eyes lit up: "Doesn't that mean Spirit Spring Water and Spirit Fruit should be able to save them?"

Yan Ze always felt that things were not that simple.

However, they could at least try using the Spirit Spring Water.

Yan Ning immediately took Masks from her space, and the family of three went to the inner palace.

Even though their constitutions were strong, they couldn't be reckless.

Yan Ning put on a Mask and said to Eunuch Li, who had delivered the message earlier, "We are going in to deliver some things."

Eunuch Li hurriedly blocked them: "Your Majesty, you absolutely must not! The people inside have caught the plague. Why don't I take the items in?"

Yan Ze said, "Be careful."

As he spoke, he even gave him a Mask.

Eunuch Li shouted, "Zhuqing, come quickly, take these cups of water and give them to those who are in serious condition."

Eunuch Li placed the Spirit Spring Water, which was stored in bamboo tubes, at a marked line, then took the bamboo containers to feed those who had caught the plague but were not as severe, giving it to those in the most difficult condition.

Yan Ning waited outside to see the effect.

After a while, Eunuch Li came back again, "Cuilan's condition is very bad, she is nearly unconscious; she woke up after drinking this water, but she is still in pain."

Yan Ning asked, "What about the ones with lighter symptoms?"

Eunuch Li shook his head, "They show no improvement; they only felt their throats were a bit more comfortable after drinking it."

The expressions of Yan Ning and the others turned grave.

The Spirit Spring Water was not working this time.

Yan Ning took out several Spirit Fruits and said to Eunuch Li, "Try giving them these fruits and see if they work; try them on both those with light and severe symptoms."

Soon, Eunuch Li returned again.

Eunuch Li sighed: "There is only a slight improvement, it's not very useful, not as good as the water from before."

Since both the Spirit Fruit and Spirit Spring Water only had a slight effect, Yan Ning could only invite the Imperial Physician to come and take their pulses and prescribe medicine.

Next was the Cining Palace.

Worried that she might be carrying the virus, Yan Ning did not go to the Cining Palace, but simply had a Eunuch pass on a message to reassure the Empress Dowager, and to isolate any palace servants immediately if they showed anything unusual.

Fortunately, the Cining Palace had a small kitchen, and the people there had not been in contact with those palace servants outside.

Wearing a Mask, Yan Ning said to her father, "Father, I want to go out and see what the situation is exactly."

Yan Ze said, "I will go with you."

The two did not take a carriage; they prepared to leave on horseback.

Yan Ning originally wanted to use the Golden Horse, but she worried about what would happen if the plague could be transmitted to horses.

The situation outside the palace was better than Yan Ning had imagined.

At least the commoners in the city were not experiencing anything strange, but she did run into people from the Medical Academy.

Qian Ruofang was in a rush, leading over twenty students, preparing to go and see what the situation in South City was exactly.

Yan Ning asked, "Are those who caught the plague all being housed in South City? Who organized it?"

Qian Ruofang said, "It was Yun Shu; he discovered something was wrong and had his father arrange for manpower to isolate them. Anyone who has the plague is sent to South City, and I am just about to take people to go see."

Yan Ning breathed a sigh of relief.

Good, good; Yun Shu is a transmigrator, he should have experience with epidemic prevention.

Yan Ning went to South City with Qian Ruofang, telling them not to rush over and to put on Masks first.

Qian Ruofang was stunned when she took it, "What is this? Yun Shu also wore one and even told us to make some out of cotton cloth first before going."

Yan Ning said, "A Mask; it can reduce the impact of the plague on yourself, but it is not a cure-all."

Qian Ruofang was thoughtful, "This seems more effective than our gauze scarves."

Qian Ruofang had her disciples all put them on.

Upon arriving at South City, they saw doctors wearing Masks taking pulses for people; it must have been Yun Shu who went to the Imperial Hospital to request them.

Yan Ning asked them, "Have you discovered the source of the plague?"

Several Imperial Physicians shook their heads: "We do not know for the moment; at the very least, it is not among these dozen or so people."

Yan Ning frowned: "Could it be in the townships below?"

Yan Ning immediately sent guards to check the situation in the several villages near the Capital.

Fortunately, in ancient times, people were not like they are now, where one person could infect a whole city's worth of people in a short time.

Yan Ning then knew that of the forty-some nearby villages, thirty were safe and sound; the officials sent previously had them seal off their villages as much as possible and use well water instead of river water.

The remaining ten villages all had one or two infections to varying degrees, so they were immediately quarantined, and everyone was told not to go out for these few days.

The last one was Xinglin Village.

Basically everyone in this village was infected, and while a few were still fine, it was unknown if they would be struck down in a few days.

Yan Ning frowned and asked the guard she had sent out, "So, the source is Xinglin Village?"

"It should be."

Yan Ning mobilized two thousand troops to take turns guarding Xinglin Village; the epidemic must absolutely not be allowed to spread any further.

Yan Ning went along to Xinghua Village.

A woman wearing coarse cloth wailed to the heavens: "Are you going to burn our entire village down?"

This woman appeared not to have been infected yet.

But it was also possible she was in the incubation period.

Yan Ning said: "We will not burn the village; I have brought Imperial Physicians with me."

The woman and several others who were not infected had their mouths slightly agape, their eyes wide open.

Had they heard correctly?

Over three hundred people in their village were almost all infected with the plague, leaving only these few of them.

According to past practices, the imperial court would seal off the village and set fire to it to burn the people alive.

Were they really here to save people?