Chapter 190: The Plague Has Broken Out Again

Yan Ning asked the woman to move a table out so the Imperial Physician could take their pulse.

The Imperial Physician said to Yan Ning, "Your Highness, this is the source of the epidemic. There are many infected people in the village; you had better return first, Your Highness."

Yan Ning said, "It is fine, I want to see exactly what the situation is."

The woman who had been wailing just now was named Wang Xiulian.

Seeing Yan Ning wearing a black robe with a Dragon Pattern, Wang Xiulian knew that this person's status was not low.

Yan Ning asked Wang Xiulian, "When did your village become infected with the epidemic?"

Wang Xiulian began to recall, "It was about two days ago. Chen Jia Laowu could not wake up no matter what, so we went to find a barefoot doctor nearby to come and take a look."

"We didn't know it was a plague. That barefoot doctor was still fine when he heard about it and went back, but he fell ill after one night."

"Following that, the people in our village fell ill one after another, and in the end, only a few of us were left."

Yan Ning looked at the survivors standing in a row and asked them, "Do you know what caused Chen Jia Laowu to fall ill?"

For a moment, everyone looked at each other in dismay.

How would they know?

Yan Ning wanted to clarify the source to prevent the plague from the source.

Yan Ning changed the way of asking: "Has he come into contact with anyone or eaten anything recently?"

Asking like this, they would know.

The few people spoke all at once, telling the story.

"I know, he ate a wild Rabbit and even bragged to us about it."

"Yes, I remember now. He also said he was lucky to have found a dead Rabbit. He even showed us the rabbit fur and said he wanted to make gloves for his wife."

Yan Ning understood.

It was this dead Rabbit.

It is likely that this dead Rabbit carried the disease; it died and was picked up by someone, and after eating it, they were infected with the plague.

Yan Ning pondered that she must tell everyone not to eat dead animals indiscriminately.

Otherwise, it would be this troublesome.

Yan Ning said to them, "Try not to get close to them, and don't touch the things they have used. Don't be reluctant to part with them."

The few of them agreed.

Yan Ning stood far away, watching the Imperial Physician take people's pulses.

Who would have thought that after taking the pulses, the Imperial Physician was also unsure and said to Yan Ning, "Your Highness, we dare not use medicine recklessly. We can only perform acupuncture on them first, and then discuss the prescription with the Head of Imperial Academy and the others."

The medical skills of these two Imperial Physicians were decent; their rank in the Imperial Hospital was Imperial Physician, not the Physicians below them.

This plague was truly fierce; even the Imperial Physicians of the Imperial Hospital could do nothing about it.

Yan Ning asked, "Can the lives of these few people be saved?"

The Imperial Physician said, "It is somewhat difficult. The serious ones, like Chen Jia Laowu, are mostly beyond saving."

Yan Ning sighed upon hearing this.

She did not stay there long and returned directly to the South Gate of the Capital.

Yan Ze saw her and asked, "How is it over there?"

Yan Ning said, "A village of over three hundred people, and only a dozen or so are left uninfected. I did not bring them back, fearing they might be carrying the virus; furthermore, there is no place for them to live."

Yan Ning then asked him how the commoners in South City were doing.

Yan Ze said, "There aren't many, about a hundred people. Doctor Qian said it is somewhat tricky and can only be sustained with acupuncture for now; we will discuss the prescription later."

It was late today, and Qian Ruofang was worried that in case any students were infected, she arranged an inn for these twenty students, with each person staying in one room.

Yan Ning immediately reimbursed this expense.

Yan Ning had originally planned to go back just like that, but after thinking about it, she still sent guards to keep watch nearby to prevent those who had caught the disease from trying to escape.

The trouble now is how to get out the scattered dozen or so infected people from each village.

Some people cannot walk, so it is inevitable that they will be touched, carrying the risk of infection.

Yan Ze said, "Don't be anxious. Just wait until the prescription is developed and have someone send it over."

Yan Ning felt that it seemed that was all that could be done.

Several Imperial Physicians and doctors were all deliberating on the medication together. Another day passed, and still, no one came over.

Moreover, those who caught the plague also needed people to look after them. The doctors were busy taking pulses, so it was inevitable that they would be negligent.

Therefore, when some people said they were family members of the patients and wanted to come over to take care of them, they agreed.

But at the same time, these family members who came to take care of the patients were also under strict management; they all wore a Mask and were not allowed to move around randomly.

At this time, someone held some clothes and said, "I will go and burn these, and then bring back some clean clothes."

At this moment, Qian Ruofang was already overwhelmed and said, "Don't go. What if you get infected?"

That person said, "Doctor, rest assured. Nowadays, every household keeps their doors tightly shut. It is just me and my father at home; I will go get the clothes and come right back."

With that, Qian Ruofang agreed.

That person also swiped two teacups.

Three days later, still having not thought of a way to treat the plague, Qian Ruofang was prepared to go to Xinghua Village to take a look.

What everyone never expected was that the plague had basically been controlled. It was only necessary to cure these people, or simply cordon them off, and the plague would not break out.

Who would have thought that within the Capital, the plague broke out again, and Pulan Village, next to Xinghua Village, also had an outbreak.

Pulan Village was close to Xinghua Village, but the plague had not broken out there. The soldiers did not surround it, only telling them not to leave the village at will and to wait until the epidemic stabilized.

These villages all promised not to walk around randomly; the people in these villages avoided the plague like the plague and valued their lives very much.

How could the plague break out again?

Yan Ning could not figure it out.

At this moment, Qian Ruofang stood up with some excitement.

With a smile in her eyes and on her brows, she said to Yan Ning, "His Highness, I have come up with a prescription to alleviate the plague; although it cannot cure it completely, if those in critical condition drink it, it can buy them some time."

A smile also appeared on Yan Ning's face.

During this period, two or three people died every day, and they were all taken away to be burned, leaving no bodies behind.

Yan Ning said with a smile, "Being able to delay it for a few days is good; for every extra day delayed, there is one more glimmer of hope for survival."

Yan Ning asked again, "Have there been any unusual occurrences recently? I suspect that the sudden outbreak of the plague in Pulan Village is not quite right."

Qian Ruofang thought for a moment, "I really hadn't thought of any."

But a girl beside her, wearing a Mask and about the same age as Yan Ning, said, "His Highness, I remember there was a man named Xu Bing who said he was going to burn some clothes and would return immediately, but it has been three days and he still hasn't returned."

"I have been too busy these past few days, and I just remembered it now."

Yan Ning's face darkened, "Then someone must have done this on purpose."

Yan Ning immediately gave the order to seal the city gates of the Capital and send those infected with the disease to South City.

She then took her troops and horses to Pulan Village.

Yan Ze discovered that in a moment of inattention, Yan Ning had already left, and he felt somewhat anxious.

But he thought that since Yan Ning had not been infected for so long, she should be fine.

Before even half an hour had passed on horseback, Yan Ning had already arrived at Pulan Village, where two thousand guards were taking turns watching the village to prevent anyone from leaving.

Yan Ning asked Wei Wu, who was in charge, "How is the situation inside?"