Chapter 500
~I’M AFRAID THERE WON’T BE MUCH TIME LEFT ~
Yue Wang was seriously injured. In addition, he was exhausted for the past few days and fought a battle with the wolf pack. Thus after being excited and happy, he became tired and fell asleep again.
The tent’s construction was built crudely, and the place where Yue Wang lay was temporarily pieced together with wooden boards. Fortunately, the weather had gotten hotter now. If it were winter, the cold would have been able to freeze people to death.
Mu Yunyao waited for Yue Wang to fall asleep before she gently took her hand out from his palm. After carefully helping him cover himself with the blanket, she packed the medicine bowls and walked out of the tent.
Si Qin’s expression was awful, “Miss, those victims are still waiting not too far away. If it weren’t for the guards stopping them, those people would have rushed over to grab the items.”
While Yue Wang was unconscious, she had already heard the whole story from Yu Heng. Towards those victims who repaid the kindness with avenged, she did not have the slightest bit of goodwill towards them: “Where was the woman who reminded us to go to the wolves to save people?”
“She’s there.”
“Go and bring her over. I saw that the child she was holding in her arms was in a critical condition. If he doesn’t get medical treatment in time, I’m afraid he won’t survive. I’d have appreciated her for whatever reason she notified me.”
As for the people who pushed Yue Wang out to fight against the wolves, whether they lived or died had nothing to do with her! Besides, it is already spring. They could not starve to death if they could find some random wild vegetables on the mountain to satisfy their hunger. As for whether the wolves would come back to retaliate, it wasn’t something she could manage.
Saving people for a while, but not for the rest of their lives, no one had the responsibility to ensure their survival.
When the woman was brought over, her expression was very restrained. She tightly hugged the child in her embrace, like a frightened bird.
Mu Yunyao squatted down and tried to check the child’s pulse, but the woman alertly dodged her.
“You don’t have to be afraid. I won’t harm the child in your arms. It’s just that I can see how sick he is. If he doesn’t get medical treatment, his life might be in danger.”
Hearing Mu Yunyao’s words, the woman hesitated awhile before slowly releasing her hand.
Mu Yunyao carefully checked the pulse of the victims, and her expression suddenly turned serious. She turned her head and ordered Si Qin, “Control the victims and prevent anyone from leaving. Let the physicians go and take their pulse. Also, prepare hot water. I want to help this child bathe in acupuncture and moxibustion.”
His pulse was tight, like a bowstring, unshakable, and his body was burning hot. In addition, his lips were blue, and his eyes were slightly yellow … There are symptoms of the plague.
“Yes.”
“Miss, my child....”
“I will do my best to save him, so you don’t need to worry.” Mu Yunyao motioned to Si Qi to take the child over and bring him to a separate camp set aside.
The woman hurriedly followed. However, when she reached the tent’s entrance, her legs suddenly gave way, and she fainted on the ground.
Mu Yunyao ordered people to carry her into the tent as well. It took nearly two hours before she temporarily managed to suppress their illness.
“Liu Liang, I am writing a letter right now. You immediately go to Linjiang City and give it to His Royal Highness Yu Wang, tell him to temporarily not rush to build the road through Yishui City for the time being. In addition, the water channel of Yishui River and the Linjiang River are connected, so let His Royal Highness Yu Wang notified Imperial Court to control the downstream of the water channel strictly. I am worried that the outbreak in Yishui City will become a reality, and the disease will spread to the cities through the water flows downstream.”
“Yes.”
Mu Yunyao’s heart was heavy. After she finished writing the letter, she gave a copy of the prescription to alleviate the epidemic situation to Yu Wang and asked him to send it directly to the Emperor for further study by the Imperial physicians. Afterward, she wrote to Servant Qin and Lady Ding, asking them to gather as many medicinal ingredients as possible and warning them not to drink the river water in the near future. If conditions permit, it is best not to touch it.
The salt tax deficit was not worth mentioning in the face of an outbreak that could affect several cities.
After writing the letter, Mu Yunyao went to see the physicians who treated the victims. When Mu Yunyao saw his worried expression, her heart immediately sank to the extreme. “Doctor, how is it?”
“Reporting to Princess, there are a few people whose condition is extremely similarthose of patients with epidemic diseases. It hasn’t developed yet, so we should be able to control it, but I’m worried that …” the physician said, looking down in the direction of Yishui City under the mountain.
He found out from the victims that there were still places in Yishui City where the flood had not yet subsided. Because of the sudden inundation and the pouring of the Linjiang River and Yihe River, the most low-lying Yishui city is directly submerged. There are not many victims who can escape. Right now, Yishui City had become a dead city with floating corpses everywhere.
Mu Yunyao retracted her gaze, “Our manpower is limited, so it’s not suitable for us currently to enter Yishui City. Before we cure their disease, we shouldn’t let them go to other places. In addition, there are those wild wolves... Wolves generally do not eat carrion, but now that their prey reduced, I fear that they will retreat to Yishui city to look for food after the flood recedes... Let people be more careful. If it doesn’t work, we will hunt the wolves and don’t let the epidemic spread.”
“Yes.”
When Mu Yunyao returned to the tent, Yue Wang had already woken up.
“Fourth Master, Are you awake?”
Yue Wang held onto Mu Yunyao’s hand, letting her sit beside him. “I just heard the commotion outside. Did you found the outbreak?”
“Yes.” Mu Yunyao nodded and spoke with a heavy heart, “Among the victims were with Fourth Master, one of them was the first to get sick, while the others were gradually suffering from symptoms. However, it’s still mild in the early stages, so it’s alright.”
Yue Wang shook his head, holding Mu Yunyao’s hand tighter. “Do you know what happened in Yucheng City six years ago?” After making a promise to Yunyao, he had no time to be happy and had to face the heaviest disaster.
“Of course. I know that six years ago, Yucheng City also suffered a flood. After the disaster, the people were infected with the plague, and not a single one survived. The people in the surrounding cities were in a state of panic and were encouraged to write a joint letter to close the gates of Yucheng. They did not give disaster relief or use medicinal materials, leaving the people in the city without a chance to live.”
Yue Wang’s eyes shook slightly, and there seemed to be a fire in front of him. “What you have heard is the most widely circulated rhetoric now. In fact, the epidemic situation in Yucheng City was not serious back then, and at least tens of thousands of people were safe and sound. However, Yucheng City was rich in good horses and iron-grade weapons. Some people had secretly trained their warhorses, made weapons privately, and sold them to Northern Xinjiang. After the incident was exposed, in order to conceal the crime, they broke the wall and flooded the city. They then lied about the disease outbreak and maliciously encouraging the surrounding people to write a letter, made the entire Yucheng City could be destroyed.”
Mu Yunyao widened her eyes in disbelief, “There’s actually such a thing? Doesn’t the Emperor know?”
“At that time, this matter was extremely implicated, and Imperial Father only found out about it later. After finding out the truth, he flew into a rage and killed all the officials in charge of this matter. However, you still gave away the lives of those people in vain.”
“Is Fourth Master worried that someone might want to to do it again, so that the things in Yucheng City can be repeated here in Yishui City?”
Yue Wang nodded his head slightly. “I have been investigating the evidence of the counterfeiting of salt tax silver to Yishui City, and the second day after I arrived here, the river burst its wall, which is too coincidental.”
Mu Yunyao’s heart trembled, “If Fourth Master’s guess is right, I’m afraid there won’t be much time left.”