These three words rolled through Li Zhengyang’s mind like thunder.
He had been immersed in despair for twenty days.
He had grown accustomed to death, had accepted the fate of this city becoming a grave.
He had already prepared to die with the city.
But now someone said: I can treat.
He staggered, his eyes full of disbelief.
His Majesty had not sent just a physician.
This was a heavenly soldier, a living bodhisattva come to save the suffering!
“You…” his voice trembled, “can you really save them?”
Shen Yu looked up at this old man with sunken eyes and a skeletal frame.
“Yes! But I’m not a deity. I can do nothing for patients beyond saving; I can only reduce their suffering as much as possible. I’ll save one if I can.”
“That’s why I need Lord Li’s cooperation to immediately separate patients by severity. You’ve seen the Xiaobao the Imperial Court published, right? There are epidemic prevention instructions on it.”
“Yes, I’ve seen them. But some points are difficult to understand. When actually implemented, I’m afraid we can’t achieve the effect Lord Shen requires.”
Li Zhengyang bowed his head.
At this moment, he appeared extremely humble before Shen Yu, like an elementary school student unashamed to ask questions.
For the sake of the entire city, Li Zhengyang never cared about his airs as a civil official.
As long as he could save the people, he would gladly give his life.
“It’s okay. I’m here now. Don’t be afraid of anything.”
“First, distribute the medicine!”
At Shen Yu’s command, the hundreds of Fenglin Guards following her simultaneously opened the wooden boxes hidden in their bosoms, revealing neat rows of small white pills.
Li Zhengyang had never seen such exquisitely made pills.
Each and every one was identical in shape.
He picked up two at random, brought them close to his eyes, and examined them carefully—he could see no difference.
As if any two pills were each other’s shadow.
“Th-this medicine… such small pills—I’m afraid it will be difficult for them to have any effect on the great plague.”
Li Zhengyang had been busy with the remaining physicians in the city for some time.
Although he hadn’t studied medicine, he had gained some basic knowledge.
Shen Yu’s small, delicate pills were different from the fist-sized ones the physicians made.
They had no bitter smell and were easy to swallow.
But such small pills… in terms of effect, perhaps…?
“Against the Hundred-Year Sore, mild cases are manageable. For severe cases, there’s not much we can do except delay fever and pain as much as possible.”
“We still need to distinguish different symptoms early on.”
Li Zhengyang looked at those small pills.
After hesitating for a few moments, he took a deep breath and finally chose to trust Shen Yu.
He distributed the medicine to the sick people in the city according to Shen Yu’s instructions.
“Lord Shen, Qingzhou City is in turmoil right now. There’s no proper place for you to stay. The Prefectural Government Office, various agency buildings, even my private residence, have all been cleared out to accommodate patients. I can only ask you to endure staying in a marching tent like me.”
“No matter, no matter.”
Shen Yu waved her hand.
She didn’t care where she stayed.
Having just arrived in Qingzhou City, she had too many things to do.
“I’ll look around first. Please, Lord Li, quickly send me the things I need.”
“Understood!”
The Dragon Banner flapped loudly on the city tower.
The Fenglin Guards began unloading the supplies they had brought: medicinal herbs, food.
They had traveled nonstop, reducing their loads as much as possible to reach Qingzhou City earlier.
People peered out from door cracks, from behind walls, from ruins, watching everything.
Someone recognized that Dragon Banner.
“It’s His Majesty…”
The sound spread like ripples.
Some cried, some knelt, some staggered out carrying children.
His Majesty hasn’t abandoned us.
But more people watched Shen Yu carrying her medicine box and visiting patients everywhere.
Watched her squat by the roadside, using those pale, soft hands they had never seen before, touching patients they dared not touch, treating every single person wholeheartedly.
Shen Yu worked until late at night before she had a moment to rest.
There were too many sick people in the city; one person alone couldn’t manage.
Fortunately, Cui Yuming and the others helped.
At their strong insistence, Shen Yu reluctantly stopped to rest for a while.
After nearly a full day of work, under Li Zhengyang’s highly credible and efficient coordination, the people in the city were mostly isolated as Shen Yu had envisioned.
But the situation was not optimistic.
“There are too many severe patients.”
Shen Yu calculated the medicine and food she had brought and despairingly found that the shortfall was far beyond her imagination.
It was her first time dealing with a disaster, so she lacked experience.
Plus, to travel faster and reach Qingzhou City earlier, she had abandoned almost all unnecessary items.
Now it seemed, for the dying Qingzhou City, nothing was unnecessary.
Even a handful of bran, insignificant on ordinary days, was an invaluable delicacy in Qingzhou City.
“Lord Shen, I’ve brought the vaccine you requested. These are the vaccines the Imperial Court sent to Qingzhou City two months ago. I randomly selected a few for your inspection.”
Li Zhengyang entered Shen Yu’s tent carrying several bottles and jars.
His thin, haggard face now showed some joy.
In just one day since Shen Yu’s arrival, the great plague situation in the city had basically been controlled or even showed signs of improvement.
Shen Yu’s isolation measures had completely protected those who had fortunately not contracted the Hundred-Year Sore.
Next, they just needed to tackle the cases from severe to mild—surely the great plague in Qingzhou City could be eliminated!
Li Zhengyang genuinely admired Shen Yu.
She truly deserved to be the one the Empress favored and granted the power of Representative on Imperial Tour—she had real skill.
“Good, let me take a look.”
Shen Yu took those bottles and jars.
Just by inspecting the first one, her face grew solemn.
“Is… is there a problem?”
Li Zhengyang was startled by Shen Yu’s sudden change in expression.
“This vaccine…”
Shen Yu looked at the remaining sealing wax on it and confirmed multiple times that the vaccine had not been opened by anyone else before she opened it.
“What’s wrong with the vaccine?”
Li Zhengyang asked urgently.
“No… that’s impossible. Let me check again.”
Shen Yu opened several more bottles and jars containing the vaccine, examining them carefully multiple times.
Every vaccine was tightly sealed with fire wax and labels stamped by the Imperial Court.
But the more Shen Yu looked, the deeper her frown became.
“This isn’t vaccine at all!”
“This is a jar of Hundred-Year Sore poison source! Almost every jar is like this! It’s not vaccine at all!”
As soon as Shen Yu said this, everyone present involuntarily gasped.
“L-Lord Shen, you must be careful with your words! This vaccine was issued by the Imperial Court. How could the vaccine sent to save people turn into the poison source of the Hundred-Year Sore?”
Li Zhengyang’s voice trembled.
He knew all too well what it would mean if this matter was confirmed.
It meant that the vermin within the Empire, in order to disrupt the vaccine promotion plan, had reached the point of using any means necessary.
It meant that the current great plague in Qingzhou City was not a natural disaster but a man-made calamity.
The cowpox vaccine, originally inoculated by applying it to wounds, had suddenly turned into Hundred-Year Sore poison source.
That meant those patients who had been vaccinated had directly contracted the Hundred-Year Sore?
At this moment, Li Zhengyang’s mind went blank.
He recalled how the great plague suddenly erupted in the city, with countless people whose arms bore traces of vaccination but who still died.
Their corpses piled up like mountains.
Even on their deathbeds, they believed the Imperial Court’s vaccine would protect them.
But in reality, these vaccines were exactly the death warrants that took their lives.
“Lord Li!”
Seeing Li Zhengyang’s body go limp, Shen Yu quickly stepped forward to support him.
“It all adds up. Everything adds up.”
Li Zhengyang wept as he rolled up his sleeve, showing Shen Yu the mark on his arm where he had been vaccinated against the Hundred-Year Sore.
“Your subordinate… Your subordinate’s vaccine was not administered in Qingzhou City. At the beginning of the vaccine promotion, I took the initiative to get vaccinated to support the Imperial Court’s national policy. At that time, the people still lacked trust in the vaccine’s credibility.”
“I thought, since His Majesty dared to be the first, I, as a subject, should not lag behind.”
“Unexpectedly…”
At this point, Li Zhengyang choked with tears.
He couldn’t understand how the great plague in Qingzhou City had started because of this vaccine that was supposed to save lives.
“Later, under my influence, the vaccine began to be promoted bit by bit. But I never thought…”
“Lord Li, dwelling on this now won’t help. We should consider how to…”
“Lord Li! Lord Shen! Something terrible has happened!”
Just as Shen Yu and Li Zhengyang were speaking, Zhou Peizhi, the Subprefectural Magistrate of Qingzhou who had been working with Li Zhengyang to fight the plague, nearly stumbled and crawled into Shen Yu’s tent.
“My lords, something terrible has happened! Our grain depot for storing food… it’s on fire! The remaining food has been set ablaze. I tried my utmost to save it, but the fierce fire is unstoppable!”
“What?!”
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