Facing his serious gaze, Ji Yujin’s eyes became darker and darker, and his thin lips, which were originally curled, pursed slightly.
After Chu Fengqing finished speaking, his eyes shifted elsewhere, feeling a little awkward. He was not good at comforting people and usually did not give long speeches. However, this time the target was Ji Yujin, and he did not like seeing that expression on Ji Yujin, so he subconsciously searched for many words in his mind.
Only after he finished speaking did he realize that he had talked too much.
The candle flame popped with a loud “pop”, breaking the silence in the room.
Ji Yujin chuckled, and Chu Fengqing looked at him in confusion, but before his eyes could reach him, his body suddenly tilted and fell into someone else’s arms.
Ji Yujin rested his chin on his shoulder, he tilted his head and placed a kiss on his neck.
The blood-red lips were imprinted on the snow-white neck, soft and moist, which made Chu Fengqing tremble.
Ji Yujin bit it lightly with his teeth, leaving a very shallow mark. He looked at the mark with desire surging in his lips and eyes, but he didn’t do anything excessive. He just hugged Chu Fengqing quietly.
After a long time, a hoarse voice finally rang in Chu Fengqing’s ears: “Chu Fengqing, what good thing did I do to deserve to meet you?”
“In my last life, no, in my previous eight lives, I must have been a very kind person. God was very kind to me, so he sent you to me in this life.”
Chu Fengqing was slightly stunned and then heard him say softly, “You are a gift from God to me.”
The two of them were affectionate with each other. As the sky was getting darker, Ji Yujin touched Chu Fengqing’s hand and found it was ice-cold. He quickly let go of him and took a blanket from the small couch next to him to wrap him up. “It gets too cold at night. Are you hungry? I’ll have someone serve you food.”
This time Chu Fengqing did not refuse and nodded.
The food on the table was relatively simple, but there was also a plate of lush green vegetables. It was a luxury to have a bowl of fresh vegetables after the flood. It was obvious that much thought had been put into preparing it.
Ji Yujin: “Sorry, there’s nothing delicious here, just make do with what we have.”
After they finished eating, they simply washed up and went to rest.
Chu Fengqing couldn’t eat or sleep well along the way, and he was always worried about something. After arriving here, he temporarily put all his worries aside and fell asleep very quickly.
Ji Yujin hugged him and held him in his arms.
In fact, Chu Fengqing had been dreaming all night, and it was very strange.
The next day, they both woke up at daybreak.
Ji Yujin is very busy, and all matters big and small in the city have to be decided by him. Chu Fengqing has even greater responsibilities. Since he arrived here, he has been involved in many lives.
Chu Fengqing had a dream all night and felt more tired after sleeping. The dark circles under his eyes were very obvious.
Ji Yujin looked at him and frowned. “Why is your expression so ugly?”
Chu Fengqing sat up slowly. His vision was a little dark, his fingertips were white, and he looked completely bloodless.
“Maybe it’s a bit of acclimatization.”
Ji Yujin touched his forehead and said, “Sleep a little longer and take a rest.”
Chu Fengqing didn’t want to sleep anymore when he thought of the dream at night. He shook his head and said, “I can’t sleep now. It’s better to get up early and rest early at night.”
Ji Yujin hesitated for a while and then nodded when he saw that he insisted.
After the two of them had dressed neatly, Chu Fengqing looked at Ji Yujin and was about to speak, but was blocked by Ji Yujin. He kissed Chu Fengqing on the forehead. It was obviously a very tender thing, but what he said was different: “Don’t even think about leaving the mansion. I won’t agree.”
Ji Yujin went along with Chu Fengqing in everything else, but he was very tough on the matter of leaving the mansion. He was not allowed to come into contact with patients, no matter what. He was not selfless enough to watch his lover go to such a dangerous place.
He was not questioning Chu Fengqing’s medical skills. This was not about trust. He just had to ensure that he could leave here safely. Things like plague were hard to explain, especially since he was not in good health.
Thinking of this, his breathing became a little rapid. If something happened to Chu Fengqing, he really couldn’t be sure what he would do.
“Be good. I’ll have someone sort out all the internal and external manifestations of the plague for you. You can study them in the mansion.”
He didn’t use a questioning tone but rather stated a fact.
Chu Fengqing did not refute him but just sighed slightly as he watched his back as he left. The most important knowledge he had learned was “observation, auscultation, questioning, and palpation”. It was a huge test for him to treat such difficult and complicated diseases without even seeing the patients.
At breakfast, Chu Fengqing lost his appetite after eating a few bites. Ji Yujin begged and pressured him to eat a few more bites.
Ji Yujin was a little worried about Chu Fengqing, but he was also very busy. Just after he finished breakfast, someone else came to see him. Before Chu Fengqing came, he sometimes didn’t even have time to sleep.
Before leaving, he carefully instructed Chu Fengqing to get enough rest.
Chu Fengqing responded readily.
Ji Yujin is very efficient. He had given instructions on this matter since Chu Fengqing came over yesterday, so the manuscript they had sorted out was delivered soon after.
Chu Fengqing lit a candle. It was still rainy outside today, the sky was gloomy, there had been no sunshine for several days, and the house was damp.
He asked someone to call Imperial Physician Li, who had come with him over, and the two of them began to read the manuscript.
“At first, they felt chilly, then they had a fever, headache, body aches, chest tightness, nausea, and vomiting.”
Imperial Physician Li stroked his beard and shook his head, saying, “The initial symptoms are no different from those of a common cold. If it hadn’t occurred in the later stages, it would have been difficult to detect.”
“Later, they developed a high fever without aversion to cold, which continued day and night with a rapid pulse and a white tongue coating like accumulated powder…”
Imperial Physician Li frowned. “These symptoms are not significantly different from severe typhoid fever. How about trying the typhoid fever prescription?”
Chu Fengqing: “If the prescription for typhoid fever can cure it, we don’t have to come all the way here either.”
Imperial Physician Li smiled awkwardly and said, “You are absolutely right.”
These were just the symptoms of one person. He was a young person so the disease progressed slowly, and the people who were infected later were all old people and children.
Their initial symptoms were the same, but within two days a rash appeared all over their body, followed by confusion, a swollen throat, and coughing, and on the third day they developed vomiting blood and chest pain.
In just seven or eight days, they will lose their lives.
The two people’s expressions looked uglier and uglier. If the elderly, women, and children are infected with this disease without intervention, it can take a life in just seven or eight days.
The two had not expected the epidemic to be so powerful.
Imperial Physician Li: “How strange! I have never heard of typhoid fever causing vomiting of blood. Where on earth did the blood come from? Why would they vomit blood if there is no external force or internal injury?”
Chu Fengqing also frowned. It was indeed difficult to judge in this situation without pulse indication.
Just when the two of them were having a headache, Ji Yujin thoughtfully sent over the physicians who had been in contact with the patient, who fortunately was not infected. However, they could not meet Chu Fengqing in person, so they were outside the room and the two of them were inside.
“Lord Governor asked me to assist you two.”
“May I ask what the pulse was like at that time? Was there any anemia?”
……
After having a quick lunch, they started their research again in the afternoon.
Until the evening, after the other two left, Chu Fengqing was left alone to start reading ancient books and trying to write prescriptions based on the symptoms. Once he got into the state, he forgot everything and even forgot to eat the dinner brought by the servants. This went on until late at night.
Ji Yujin was also involved in the incident. When he came back, he found that the lights in the room were still on. He walked into the room and saw Chu Fengqing wearing an outer coat and buried in a pile of books. The floor was covered with papers with the names of medicines on them.
On the table next to it was cold food, neatly arranged, and it looked like it had never been touched.
Chu Fengqing didn’t even notice Ji Yujin coming in. The back of his hand holding the brush was so white that it seemed transparent, with blue veins slightly visible, and his lips were so pale that they didn’t look like those of a living person.
Ji Yujin clenched his fists, his expression slightly relieved, but he did not say anything to disturb Chu Fengqing. He just brought out the food that no one wanted. The servant waiting outside hurried forward to take it. “The humble will heat it up right away.”
After the food was heated up again, Ji Yujin walked over and gently touched Chu Fengqing. Chu Fengqing then raised his eyes to look at him, then glanced outside, “What time is it now?”
“It is Choushi11-3am.”
Chu Fengqing’s eyes widened slightly, as if he didn’t expect it to be so late.
He pursed his lips, put down his brush without Ji Yujin’s reminder, and walked to the food. Ji Yujin accompanied him to eat a little and then pressed Chu Fengqing’s shoulders. He asked softly, “Are you tired?”
Chu Fengqing shook his head, with a somewhat complaining tone, “I just feel that time is running out.”
Ji Yujin chuckled: “Even if time is running out, you can’t joke with your body.”
His hands moved gently, and Chu Fengqing squinted his eyes comfortably. “I thought it was still early.”
“You ah, you, it seems I will have to ask someone to remind you at the appointed time tomorrow.” Ji Yujin flicked his forehead, “This is your punishment for not being punctual today.”
Chu Fengqing felt pain, but there was a hint of smile in his eyes. He didn’t expect Ji Yujin to be so childish. “Then should I give you a blow too? You also come back so late.”
Ji Yujin smiled. “En, it’s not impossible either.”
Chu Fengqing didn’t take it seriously. Ji Yujin had lost a lot of weight recently, and his features looked even more stern. He felt a little distressed, so he simply took his pulse and checked it for him, wondering whether he should prescribe some tonic medicine for him.
As for Chu Fengqing, he cannot take tonic medicine because of his physical condition. He cannot tolerate any medicine that is even slightly stronger.
The next day, when Chu Fengqing opened his eyes, Ji Yujin had already gotten up.
Something unexpected happened outside that day, so Ji Yujin left the mansion and went to the east of the city. He was afraid that he would be infected with the disease and pass it on to Chu Fengqing, so he did not return to the mansion and wrote a letter to tell Chu Fengqing about the situation.
Chu Fengqing didn’t say anything after reading the letter, and he couldn’t say anything either. This was Ji Yujin’s responsibility and mission.
Although they were only a few mansions apart, the two of them had never been able to see each other. They were both very busy and didn’t even have time to think about each other when they were busy. They only had a little time to themselves when it was late at night and everyone was asleep.
Although they cannot meet, but both of them know that the other is working hard with them. They are like each other’s solid backs, supporting each other. Thinking this way, they feel that it is no big deal.
On the third day after Ji Yujin left the mansion, there was a heavy rainstorm. The thunder and rain seemed to be competing for which one was louder. Chu Fengqing didn’t have time to close the window, causing some of the books and manuscripts to be wet by the rain.
Fortunately, on the second day, the cloudy sky finally cleared up, the sun shone brightly, and it swept away the past haze.
Chu Fengqing felt it was a little strange to see the sunlight for the first time. He reached out to catch a beam of light. Dust was flying under the light, and there was silence.
He pursed his lips and smiled, then took the books that were wet by yesterday’s rain to the yard to dry.
The servant came over to help. Chu Fengqing saw that his clothes were soaked, so he asked, “Why are your clothes so wet?”
The servant was not very old. Chu Fengqing was very handsome, especially under the sunlight, his whole body seemed to glow. He usually did not dare to look directly at him. When he heard Chu Fengqing asking him a question, his face turned red. He scratched the back of his head and stammered:
“Yesterday’s heavy rain washed away the well in the courtyard and collapsed it. Now the well mouth is blocked, and we can’t get water. The well is also full of mud and sand. The water in the well is not drinkable. Now we have to go to the river outside to fetch water to drink.”
“But the original big river became less clear after the flood, so we all went to a clear stream at the foot of the mountain to fetch water. The water there comes from the mountain and is very sweet. Most people don’t know it, only those who live here know.”
Chu Fengqing was puzzled: “The foot of the mountain? Aren’t we not allowed to leave the city?”
The servant said, “Originally it was not allowed, but people have to drink water. Except for those who dug wells, everyone in the city has to go outside to fetch water. Besides, there is not enough food in the city. Now there are some wild vegetables growing on the mountain, which can be used as a supplement. People have to live on the mountain, so Lord Ji made some adjustments. He sealed off the city for one day and then sealed off the mountain. There are two checkpoints, and all the places where people can move around have checkpoints, so no one can escape. It’s just that the officials are a little tired.”
Because Chu Fengqing didn’t need to leave the city gate, he always thought that the city was closed.
The servant’s eyes lit up when he said this, and he sighed sincerely: “Lord Ji is really amazing. The people in the city all say that it’s all thanks to him. In the past, when there was an epidemic, most people would just kill everyone in the city, not caring about our lives. If it weren’t for Lord Ji this time, I’m afraid we wouldn’t be able to escape death. Lord Ji is really a good official.”
Chu Fengqing’s eyes curved slightly. He didn’t expect that he, who was so famous in the capital, would be called a “good official” here.
The servant said, “I have seen all lords working so hard these days. The humble is stupid and cannot help. The humble can only serve diligently. Only in this way can the people in our city survive. The humble would like to thank you all on behalf of the people in the city.”
That servant’s eyes were red as he spoke, “The humble grew up in this city and have never left this place…”
Seeing the place where he was born and raised become what it is now, he feels so sad that he can’t express it in words.
Chu Fengqing pursed his lips, “Everything will be fine.”
The servant wiped his tears and nodded heavily. He realized that he had said too much. He had been on edge these days. When he met someone he could talk to, he spoke everything out. Now he regretted it a little. “The humble has said too much.”
Chu Fengqing shook his head, and that servant added, “Don’t worry, My Lord. The humble always avoid people when the humble go to get water. The humble know a small path, and the humble guarantee that the humble didn’t meet anyone at all. Otherwise, Lord Ji would never let the humble into the mansion either.”
There were quite a lot of people fetching water there some time ago, but as the epidemic became more serious, fewer and fewer people came to fetch water.
Chu Fengqing: “You should be careful.”
“But you have to change your clothes if they’re wet. At this critical moment, if you catch a cold, it’s hard to tell.”
The servant thought that this was the truth, and he should not harm the people in the mansion, so he stood up quickly and said, “Thank you, My Lord. The humble will go change his clothes right away.”
Having said that, he trotted away.
……
Ji Yujin and Chu Fengqing repeated this kind of life day after day. The prescription discussed by several physicians had been implemented, but the effect was not very good. They changed several prescriptions, and it was always a little off.
Chu Fengqing thought that he should go to see the patient in person and take their pulses to find out what he had overlooked, but how to convince Ji Yujin was a problem.
That day, Chu Fengqing’s body felt a little sore, and his throat was a little uncomfortable in the early morning. He thought that it might be because the window was open wide yesterday and the wind blew.
During the days when the two were separated, Ji Yujin went to the east of the city without telling Chu Fengqing. After investigating the source of the epidemic for such a long time but finding nothing, he thought about it and decided to take over it himself.
Today, Ji Yujin finally got a clue in investigating the cause of the disease. Originally everyone thought that it was transmitted from person to person, but until more and more patients who had no contact with the patients appeared, they finally realized that their investigation was in the wrong direction.
The most surprising thing is that in the small town less than one kilometer away from here, no one was sick. Further investigation revealed that there were more poor people suffering from the disease than rich people.
All the criticisms were immediately directed at the “water source”.
The water sources used by people in small towns and cities are different, and wealthy families will dig wells and use different water sources.
“Water source? You asked me to check the water source at the beginning of the outbreak. I also investigated it thoroughly and found nothing abnormal.” The person who was originally in charge of this matter said puzzledly.
Ji Yujin was a little hesitant. He looked at the topographic map and lost his direction for a moment.
Suddenly, he saw the intricate canals above. This was the south. The canals were extremely complex, but most of them were small streams, and there was only one big river.
An idea flashed through his mind, so he asked, “Which water source are you checking?”
“It’s the big river outside. That river has always been the source of drinking water for the people in the city.”
“When the disease first broke out, I had people check from upstream to downstream and take water samples, but nothing abnormal was found.”
When they came to the river, Ji Yujin frowned slightly. When the man saw the river, his eyes widened slightly. The originally clear river water became turbid. “How could this happen?”
The few of them walked to the city gate again and waited for a while before they saw a man carrying water. Ji Yujin glanced at Zhao Li, and Zhao Li stepped forward to stop the man. “Old man, my lord wants to ask you, where do the people in the city go to get water to drink?”
That old man glanced in Ji Yujin’s direction and recognized him immediately and said hurriedly, “The humble greet My Lord.”
“No need to be polite, old man.”
Zhao Li repeated the question again.
That old man said, “We used to get water to drink from the big river outside the city, but half a month ago, the mountain upstream of the river collapsed due to rain and the whole river was full of mud and sand. Every time we carry water back, it takes a long time for it to sink. We felt it was too much of a nuisance, so we went to the stream at the foot of the mountain to fetch water to drink.”
Small stream? Half a month ago?
The person who checked the water source was slightly stunned. The timing didn’t match up. The river water only became turbid half a month ago, but the epidemic had already started half a month before that.
Ji Yujin had obviously thought of this question as well and asked, “Old man, let me ask you, before the river water became turbid, did anyone go to that stream to fetch water to drink?”
The old man said, “Yes, the water in the stream flows down from the mountain. Some people say it is spring water and the water is very sweet, so people often go there to fetch water to drink, especially those in the east of the city. The east of the city is farther from the river and closer to the stream, so they prefer to go to the stream to fetch water to drink.”
Several people’s expressions changed instantly.
East of the city…
It was where the epidemic first broke out.
Ji Yujin regained his composure the fastest. He said to the old man, “Old man, don’t drink this water for now. Go fetch some water from the people who have wells in the city.”
Although the old man didn’t know what was happening, but he still poured out all the water.
After the old man entered the city, Ji Yujin looked at Zhao Li and ordered, “Immediately send someone to check the source of the stream and temporarily block the stream. No one is allowed to approach it. Everyone in the city will drink from well water.”
Zhao Li cupped his hands: “Yes.”
The person who was checking the water source had a frighteningly ugly expression on his face, and he broke out in a cold sweat on his back because his negligence might harm the people of the city. His lips turned white, and he was trembling at the thought of this.
Ji Yujin glanced at him and said, “You go too.”
He had experience investigating water sources and was familiar with the process. After hearing Ji Yujin’s words, he hurriedly followed Zhao Li’s footsteps.
After Ji Yujin gave the order, he thought about Chu Fengqing in the mansion. Fortunately, the water used in the mansion was well water.
The investigation was quick, and soon news came from Zhao Li.
When Ji Yujin went up, he saw dozens of rotten corpses lying in a small stream of water. Everyone’s face was covered with a veil soaked in herbs. That was prepared by Chu Fengqing just in case, but he didn’t expect that it would be used at this time.
The corpses were all dressed in very ordinary clothes, and they must be the people who died in the flood in the city.
Ji Yujin’s face turned dark blue, and his tone was extremely cold. “Who was responsible for disposing of the bodies?”
Everyone present fell silent instantly, and no one could explain what was going on.
Ji Yujin: “Zhao Li, I’ll leave this matter to you. Check it out for me.”
Zhao Li: “Yes.”
Several people came down from the mountain, and no one dared to speak along the way. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that Ji Yujin was extremely angry this time.
As early as the beginning, Ji Yujin had ordered that the corpses be properly handled and buried with quicklime. Most of them were carried out in this way, but something went wrong and such a big mess occurred.
When they reached the city gate, Ji Yujin closed his sore eyes. Just as he was about to get on his horse, he saw the servant who served Chu Fengqing carrying two wooden barrels and walking towards the city gate.
His eyebrows jumped suddenly, and he walked straight to the servant, “Where are you going?”
The servant saw that it was Ji Yujin and bowed quickly, “Answer, My Lord, the humble will go fetch some water.”
His order had just been passed down, and it had not yet reached the ears of everyone.
His guess was confirmed. His hands hanging by his side trembled slightly, and he asked in a hoarse voice, “Why do you need to fetch water? What about the well in the mansion?”
The servant saw that Ji Yujin was not well and shrank back in fear. “The well in the mansion collapsed due to heavy rain a few days ago. The water in the well is no longer drinkable…”
When Zhao Li heard this, he thought to himself, “It’s not good.”
Ji Yujin closed his eyes, hiding the fear in his eyes, and asked with a glimmer of hope, “Where are you going to fetch water?”
“The-the mountain, the stream at the foot of the mountain.”
At this point, all luck and fantasy were shattered.
Chu Fengqing in the mansion always felt that it was particularly cold today. He put on the fox fur cloak he brought from the capital. His lips were pale to the point of looking blue. His black hair was casually scattered on his shoulders, and he didn’t bother to take care of it. He looked very fragile.
He looked at the prescription intently. If the main ingredients were bezoar and musk, supplemented with coptis root, scutellaria baicalensis, and cinnabar…
No, there should be one more ingredient here…
He was just about to pick up the brush to fill in the missing medicine, but the hand holding the brush was shaking slightly, and he couldn’t exert any strength. He frowned, staring at his abnormally white skin, feeling that something was wrong.
He put down the brush and wanted to take his own pulse, but suddenly his throat felt itchy and his chest ached. Before he could react, he spat out a mouthful of blood.
There were spots of blood on the snow-white paper, which then spread out little by little, soaking the back of the paper, like red plum blossoms blooming in the snow, with a hint of death beneath their gorgeousness.
