Qu Linglong came over and spoke with Yu Shan through the door for a while.
After their conversation, Qu Linglong's expression turned grave, and she left in a hurry.
Yu Liu hadn't understood much and asked through the door, "What were you talking about? What is 'shi zhu'? Didn't you catch a cold?" (Note: Shi zhu is classified as pulmonary tuberculosis.)
"Yu Liu..." Yu Shan's words were punctuated by gasps, "Go find cotton cloth to cover your mouth and nose, and have everyone in Fengque Tower do the same. I, I, I fear I've contracted an epidemic."
An epidemic?
How could she have contracted an epidemic while staying in the palace? Yu Liu was horrified.
Could it be that day...
"Was it that dead child from that day?"
"Likely, yes."
In fact, it was already confirmed. The child had died of suffocation, and his mother was probably infected as well. Yu Shan's hands trembled.
After she returned, she had come into contact with the Princess, the young prince, and the young princess. And Yu Liu, who shared a room with her, judging by her voice, had also been infected.
Now, all hope rested on Imperial Physician Qu.
She had experience fighting epidemics before.
"Yu Liu, send someone to Baohe Hall to check on that woman from that day, and also ask Old Physician Sun from Baohe Hall about the situation."
"Alright, I'll send someone immediately." Yu Liu knew the gravity of the situation and hurried away.
Qu Linglong returned quickly, already wearing a cotton mask over her mouth and nose. She first reported the situation to Ling Yao, then went to Yu Shan's room with mugwort.
After lighting the mugwort to fumigate the room, she took Yu Shan's pulse.
"That woman back then coughed up blood," Yu Shan recalled all the details she could. "Old Physician Sun from Baohe Hall said it sounded like a blockage in her lungs."
"It's not shi zhu; it's too fast! But it is indeed a brand new epidemic. We must find that patient; I need the most direct observation."
Preferably, a corpse!
In the meantime, Fengque Tower was fumigated with mugwort, and the palace maids were also fitted with cotton masks to cover their mouths and noses.
Qu Linglong went to check on the twins. So far, they showed no signs of infection, though Madam Wei mentioned that the young princess had been eating less today.
For safety, Qu Linglong gave them some medicine.
"Linglong, are you sure it's an epidemic?"
Ling Yao felt no physical discomfort. Currently, five people in Fengque Tower had started coughing. Seven days had passed since they encountered the mother and child. If it truly was an epidemic, then it must have already begun spreading throughout the capital.
"Most likely, but we'll have to wait for Yu Liu's return for confirmation."
Yu Liu returned quickly, bringing with her truly bad news.
Baohe Hall already had three or four people showing symptoms. Old Physician Sun himself had been coughing for several days. The young boy who had been fetching medicine had coughed up blood today, and Old Physician Sun had already tried three different prescriptions, none of which seemed to be effective.
As for the woman from that day, she had left with her child after waking up and never returned for a follow-up visit.
"Princess, it's an epidemic!"
Qu Linglong was very certain. The plague in Xichuan had spread in a similar manner, and this disease developed even faster!
There was still time, as no widespread deaths had been reported in the capital yet.
"Princess, I need the corpse of a deceased patient to quickly identify the source and develop a targeted medicine."
"Alright, Yu Liu, arrange for someone to handle that. I'll go see my imperial brother."
This epidemic had arrived suddenly, and Ling Yao thought of the unfinished dream again.
During the previous epidemic in Xichuan, the dream she saw was of vast numbers of dead people and a dull, gray sky.
This time, however, it was just a solitary figure walking into the wilderness...
Could it be that this time it was not a natural disaster, but a man-made one?
Soon, this conjecture was confirmed.
Rumors began to circulate in the capital that an epidemic had broken out in the area where the divine maiden resided in the palace, and it was spreading outwards.
"It really is man-made!"
And this time, it was aimed directly at her.
Targeting her meant targeting Jingguo. Could it be the work of Qi Rong spies?
Xiao Shan was gone, and all sorts of malevolent forces were emerging.
It seemed the royal family's image was too weak, and no one took them seriously.
In the past few days, Linglong had been staying in the palace, fearing she would bring the virus back to her own residence. The guards who went out on errands had not been infected at all, so it was impossible for it to have spread through them.
The woman who had been infected earlier lived in a remote alley in the capital. When the guards went to investigate, she was already dead. Emperor Mingde dispatched a full three thousand imperial guards to screen the entire capital.
All those showing symptoms were gathered in a location outside the city, and their family members who were not showing symptoms were isolated in another area, totaling nearly a thousand people.
The physicians stationed there included several who had treated the plague before and had some experience. Although no specific antidote had been developed yet, they had managed to delay the onset of death. In the past few days, there had not been many deaths, only those in severe condition who could not be saved.
Therefore, the rumors starting at this time were clearly the work of those with ulterior motives, aiming to deliberately stir up public discontent.
Ling Yao had started coughing yesterday, but after drinking the medicine prescribed by Linglong, she recovered the next day. However, the medicine was the same as what Yu Liu and Yu Shan were taking, and neither of them had improved.
Qu Linglong explained that this was a sign of overcoming the epidemic; once one overcame it, they would not contract it again.
After dissecting the corpse the day before yesterday, Qu Linglong and the imperial physicians had analyzed some aspects, but it was not comprehensive, so the formulated medicine was not very effective. Therefore, Ling Yao had sent the samples via express horse to Yingzhou.
"Old Physician Sun has conducted numerous experiments and has provided a medicine that can temporarily alleviate the condition. If the young princess can analyze some different components, the efficacy of the medicine should be even better. At least, those young and strong individuals will be able to overcome it themselves, just like the Princess."
As Ling Yao and Qu Linglong were discussing, a palace servant reported that the young princess was having difficulty breathing.
Ever since it was confirmed that Yu Shan had the epidemic that day, the two wet nurses had been forbidden to leave their rooms, and meals were delivered by palace servants.
How could she still have been infected?
"Perhaps she was already infected earlier," Qu Linglong said.
The two of them hurried over and saw that Little Bei Shang's face was flushed, and she was gasping for breath with her mouth open. Her usually bright, dark eyes had lost their luster. Upon seeing Ling Yao, she began to whimper with grievance.
Ling Yao's heart ached, and she quickly picked her up and soothed her.
After examining her, Qu Linglong said worriedly, "She is already in the mid-stage. The young princess is frail, and without a specific antidote, it will be difficult to delay the progression. She will soon reach the late stage, and then..."
It would be beyond salvation.
"No."
Ling Yao immediately bit her finger and placed it into Little Bei Shang's mouth.
"I swear by my blood, I shall forever believe in the Four Directions Gods. May the gods pity their believer and save my daughter from suffering, dispel disaster and illness. This believer is willing to bear all the backlash."
The words she spoke were in a language no one understood.
To Qu Linglong and the two wet nurses, they naturally assumed it was some kind of divine incantation, that the divine maiden was using her divine power to heal the young princess.
Therefore, they watched with awe, not daring to make a sound.