Chapter 500: The Epidemic Intensifies
When Ye Zhen learned the whereabouts of the medical supplies from Huangfu Chen, she was at a loss for words. She knew that Qiao Zebai was a student of her eldest uncle, and he often came to Ye Residence. She had met him once, a gentle and talented young man. She had a hard time believing that he actually did such a thing.
"Master, what should I do now?" Ye Zhen asked, she was only worried that if the disease was not brought under control, there would really be a plague.
Huangfu Chen said in a low voice, "Zheng Yuhua has already sent people to look for medicinal herbs and has also reported it to the Imperial Court. Now the dams are out of control. We can only hope that the rain will stop, otherwise, the corpses of those who died of illness in the village will be more problematic."
Ye Zhen frowned. "It's been raining for several days now, why doesn't it stop."
"Yaoyao, we must control the situation in Huaijiang City no matter what, otherwise…." Huangfu Chen was solemn.
"Otherwise… what?" Ye Zhen asked hurriedly.
Huangfu Chen cast her a deep look "Ah Zhan has been enthroned less than a year ago. If such a disaster occurs in the first year of the reign of the new emperor, it will inevitably shake people's hearts, and I'm even more worried that someone will take the opportunity to use this as an excuse…."
Ye Zhen immediately understood what he meant — he was afraid that someone would say that Mo Rongzhan is incompetent, create chaos and seize the throne.
"Master, I understand what you mean." Ye Zhen said in a low voice, "As long as there are medical supplies, and if the disease can be controlled, there will be no problem. It would be impossible for others to slander the emperor's inability to govern the country with regard to the matter of breaking of the embankment, which has nothing to do with him at all."
"Yaoyao, natural disasters are the biggest excuse." Huangfu Chen reminded her.
Ye Zhen smiled coldly. "Then it depends on who the natural disaster is punishing. Doesn't Qiao Zebai's associates need to be punished for what they have been doing for so many years?"
"You have a solution?" Huangfu Chen asked in surprise.
The best recourse now was to take the lead and push the cause of the natural disaster onto those greedy for medical supplies and disaster silvers. This would thwart others from gaining an opportunity to harm Mo Rongzhan with this matter, but why was she doing it now? Right now, all the little girl, who had once wanted to pull the man from his throne, was thinking of was ways to protect him.
Ye Zhen shook her head inwardly, no one was more suitable to be the emperor than him now — even for the people of Jin Country, she had to protect his reputation.
It appeared that God had heard all the prayers. The next second day, a long-lost blue appeared in the dark sky, and the downpour gradually turned into light drizzle.
"The rain has stopped!" Ye Zhen said happily to Huangfu Chen nearby.
Huangfu Chen smiled and noddeds "Heaven’s helped us."
Zheng Yuhua sent over several carts of medicinal herbs that were all borrowed from the pharmacies across the city. Ye Zhen took a look and concluded that many medicinal herbs could be used. With these drugs they could at least solve the urgent needs.
Huangfu Chen took some people from the medical bureau to the city to search for people with fever. Zheng Yuhua also ordered that the city gate be closed and a temporary shelter set up outside to stop people from entering the city.
Ye Zhen took Xia Yaohua along to brew the medicine together. The top priority waas to cure Imperial Physican Qi.
She recalled the prescriptions mentioned in 《Qi Medical Classics》, and changed the proportions slightly according to Imperial Physican Qi's symptoms. When cooking the medicine, she discreetly added some lingquan. She didn't want to use it, but if she didn't, it would only prolong the disease.. The longer the illness drags on, the more contagious it will be.
"This pot is for patients with fever, and also for others … no matter who it is, people in the city should drink a bowl," Ye Zhen said. This medicine would prevent typhoid fever and she had also infused lingquan. With the elixir, she didn’t need to worry about anything else. She was just afraid that people who are not sick could get infected.
"Yaoyao, there are so many people in the city, how can we reach them all?" Xia Yaohua said.
Ye Zhen pondered over the matter for a few moments. "Let’s ask Lord Zheng to issue a notice when he goes to the city, and have those people come to the medical bureau to drink medicine."
A long time later, Huangfu Chen found twenty patients infected with typhoid fever in the city. When he wanted to take them to the hospital for isolation, their family members did not agree. They had to send the medicine to their homes and told them not to go out so as not to pass it on to others.
In the evening, the flood water in the city gradually receded. It used to be at the thigh level but now had dropped to the knees. Hopefully, by the next morning, there should be no water in the city.
Ye Zhen had not slept the entire night. She felt tired today. Under Huangfu Chen's persuasion, she went back to rest but was fraught with worries. So, instead, she went to cook a large pot of medicine herself, so that the people in the medical bureau would not forget to give medicine to those suffering from typhoid fever.
Daimei also brought a can back from home, so that the other servants in the mansion could drink a bowl.
The next day, Ye Zhen was woken up early in the morning.
"Yaoyao, it's not good, there are more and more people in the city contracting typhoid fever…," Xia Yaohua said to her panting. "There were only twenty people yesterday, but three of them died today. Mr. Huangfu instructed that the bodies be dragged and burned, but their families are making a fuss. Lord Zheng had someone conduct a thorough search, and it was found that more than 30 people have fever. What should we do?"
Ye Zhen gasped. Dead?
"Where are Imperial Physican Qi and Xiǎo Niú*?" Ye Zhen asked hurriedly. Xiǎo Niú was the little boy she brought to the hospital yesterday.
[*小牛 xiǎo niú- calf]
"They have no fever today. Your medicine is very effective, but they still haven't woken up. Mr. Huangfu has asked people to continue feeding them medicine," Xia Yaohua said.
"Did the three who died take medicine yesterday?" Ye Zhen asked with a frown.
Xia Yaohua said, "They felt that our medical bureau's medicine was not as good as other doctors, so although they took the medicine, they didn't drink it. Everybody else drank the medicine… Lord Zheng has sent people to forcibly arrest those who have typhoid fever and isolate them."
"If It's already like this in the city, I don't know what may be happening outside." Ye Zhen was a little scared. "What about the people outside the city?"
"After the rain stopped yesterday, those people all went back. Now there is no one outside the city gate, but the city gate is still closed," Xia Yaohua said.
Oh no! The patients with typhoid fever came in from the outside. They’d heard that many people in their villages were sick. If… if those corpses were still in the village, then the people who just went back would most likely get infected.
"Quick, go to Lord Zheng!" Ye Zhen said. Those people could not be allowed to stay in the village. Before those bodies were found and burned, no one was to be allowed to inside the village.
Xia Yaohua didn't understand what was going on, so she could only hurriedly catch up with Ye Zhen.
"Where did Lord. Zheng isolate those typhoid fever patients?" The medical bureau would not be able to take in so many people. Where can I isolate dozens of people?
"He sent all those patients who did not have typhoid fever to the yamen*, and now the medical bureau is full of people with typhoid fever," Xia Yaohua said.
[*government office]
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