Chapter 263 Plague
It was late at night, and Mengxi finally finished reading the information collected by Li Du. Through analysis, he had preliminarily concluded that the plague in the south was caused by the rampant rats and fleas after the flood.
Plague is also called the Black Death in the West. Mentioning its terribleness reminded Mengxi of a poem in his previous life that described the plague epidemic:
Rats die in the east, rats die in the west; people see dead rats as if they were tigers.
A rat dies within a few days, and a person dies as if a wall is demolished.
Don’t ask how many people die during the day, the sun is bleak and covered with sad clouds.
Three people were walking, and before they had taken ten steps, two dead men suddenly crossed the road.
…
The dead are scattered all over the ground, and the bones are gradually getting old by the wind.
There is no one to harvest the crops in the fields, so from whom can the government collect the rent?
This shows that the rampant plague, if not controlled in time and allowed to spread, would absolutely be a "horror".
Plague is divided into bubonic plague, pneumonic plague, septicemic plague, etc. The systemic poisoning symptoms of these types of plague are roughly the same. It is not enough to just look at the information to know which one it is. She must go south in person to make a clinical diagnosis and identification. Now she can only try to prepare a few more prescriptions according to different types, send them over, and let the people in the branch try them.
After writing the prescription, Mengxi put down the pen in his hand, stretched himself, and came to the window. He stretched out his hand to open the window. A cold wind blew in his face. Mengxi shivered involuntarily. Zhiqiu saw it and hurried forward to say:
"Miss, it's late autumn now, be careful not to catch a cold. It's so late, go to bed early."
Seeing the young lady shaking her head, Zhiqiu sighed, took the cloak handed over by Zhichun, and tied it around the young lady's shoulders.
Just as Li Du said, standing in front of the window, the small building, the bright moon, the fresh breeze, the distant mountains and the nearby dark green mountains are all hazy and particularly pleasant in this quiet night.
Is he okay, what is he doing?
Looking at the bright moon in the sky, listening to the cicadas outside the window, that tall, thin, upright, lonely and unruly figure appeared in front of her again. After several months of fighting, she finally left the Xiao Mansion. Looking back, Mu Ran found that she didn't know when, her whole body was full of his scent. She left him, but his scent was always around her, lingering. Looking at the beautiful scenery outside, she hummed softly:
"After so many years, the beautiful scenery and good times are all gone..."
"Miss, it's too late. Go to bed early. There are still many things to do tomorrow."
Mengxi nodded but did not move. She just looked at the lonely moon and the twinkling stars in the sky. The day after tomorrow is Mid-Autumn Festival. Why does the moon always become full when people are parting? Why is the moon always full after people leave?
This is destined to be a sleepless night...
The cool wind and the cold moon, and the heartbroken person far away!
…
On August 14, led by Li Du and Ouyang Di, the prince came to Zhanyuan. The carriage was covered tightly and did not stop at the gate. It went all the way to Canghai Cottage. The prince got off the carriage and followed Li Du into the courtyard.
Looking up, Mengxi was already standing at the door of the small building. She was wearing a plain white lily cloud brocade long gown, with a light yellow open gauze dress on the outside, revealing her snow-white neck and clearly visible collarbone. Her long black hair was simply tied up, with a butterfly hairpin inserted casually. The gauze dress danced in the wind, making her look more and more elegant and refined. It was completely different from the formal dress of the young lady I saw at the first sight in the Xiao Mansion. With just one glance, I was mesmerized.
"Your Highness"
Seeing the prince standing there in a daze, Xiao Zongzi hurriedly called out to him. After hearing Xiao Zongzi's voice, the prince came back to his senses and hurriedly took a few steps to greet him. Mengxi also took two quick steps, bowed gracefully, and called out:
"Big Brother"
"Er...Xi'er, are you okay these past two days?"
Hearing the prince calling her name, Meng Xi was suddenly not used to it. She froze for a moment, then chuckled and said:
"My little sister is very good, please come in, big brother."
Seeing Mengxi looking relaxed, the prince nodded with a smile, and followed Mengxi, Li Du and others to the living room. They sat down as host and guest. Zhiqiu had tea in the morning, and the prince took a sip. He looked up at Mengxi, thinking of her and Xiao Jun. He wanted to ask something, but he didn't know how to start. After thinking for a while, he said:
"Xi'er, I didn't have time to tell you in detail that day. Did Xiao Jun tell you that my father ordered me to go to the south?"
"Li Du has already mentioned this to my younger sister. We have some things to do in Yichun Hall these days, so it will take another three to five days before we can leave. What do you think, elder brother?"
The prince thought for a moment and said:
"Yesterday I received an urgent message from the south, 600 miles away. The speed of the spread of this plague is unprecedented. From the onset of the disease to now, it has spread from a Huangqiao village to half of the province in just 10 days. It is unstoppable... My father is extremely worried. Yesterday he summoned me to the palace and asked me to leave in the next day or two. Xi'er, time is of the essence for the plague. Can you put aside the matter of Yichun Hall and set off tomorrow?"
Mengxi pondered for a moment and said:
"Brother, I was shocked to hear about this and was extremely worried. I asked the southern branch to collect information about the plague early on. I read it overnight and have preliminarily concluded that it is an infectious disease caused by the rampant rats and fleas after the flood... If this disease is not controlled in time, it will spread very quickly and the consequences will be quite terrible."
Even the prince was so excited that he almost jumped up after hearing this. He looked at Mengxi eagerly and said anxiously:
"Xi'er, you've worked hard. In Xi'er's opinion, is there any way to treat it?"
Seeing Mengxi nod confidently, the prince stood up and stepped forward, grabbed Mengxi's hands, and said excitedly:
"Is what Xi'er said true? You can really cure this plague!"
“Brother…”
Mengxi's hands were gripped by the prince so hard that it hurt. She struggled for a while but couldn't break free, so she screamed out.
After hearing Mengxi's cry, the prince remembered that he had forgotten that she was his daughter in his impulse. He came to his senses and reluctantly let go of her soft body. He caught a glimpse of the red on Mengxi's cheeks and was agitated. He took a deep breath to keep himself awake and said rather unnaturally:
"Well, in my excitement, I forgot that Xi'er is a girl. Xi'er, this plague really can be cured! Then let's set off quickly and head south!"
Mengxi rubbed his hands, and when he saw the prince sitting down, he said calmly:
"Brother, I've been thinking about this for two days. As for the plague in the south, treatment is secondary. The most important thing is to promptly control the spread of the plague and eliminate the source of infection. Otherwise, it will take at least twenty days to get from the north to the south. Even if we set off now, I'm afraid that by the time we get to the south, the plague will have spread to several provinces and will be unstoppable."
"Xi'er's words make sense. According to Xi'er's opinion, what should we do now?"
"My little sister just said that this plague is caused by fleas. The first thing to do is to isolate the infected area, eliminate the fleas, and burn the bodies..."
Mengxi also knew that what he said was too complicated and the prince might not understand it, so he just focused on the key points and simply explained how to control the spread of the plague. Finally, he said:
"My little sister's power is limited. Only if you use your power and mobilize all the forces of Da Qi can we completely defeat this unprecedented disaster..."
After Mengxi finished speaking, the prince pondered for a long time, then raised his head and said:
"Xi'er's words make sense. What kind of power do I need to mobilize and how to do it? Does Xi'er have any plan?"
"In my opinion, you should not be in a hurry to leave in the next two days. You should mobilize your forces first. I am working on a plan these two days. Basically, you should first ask His Majesty to issue an order. First, mobilize local troops to participate in cutting off traffic between epidemic areas and non-epidemic areas, isolating patients and suspected patients, cremating corpses, and strictly disinfecting epidemic areas to control the spread of the plague. Second, promulgate the "Epidemic Prevention Law"... Third, mobilize all the medical halls and pharmacies in Daqi to actively participate, and mobilize a large number of doctors to go south to participate in treatment... Fourth, a large number of protective clothing should be made to protect the doctors and troops going south to prevent them from being infected during the isolation and treatment process... Fifth, you should establish a fast information channel so that you and I can grasp the situation in the south in a timely manner even when we are on the way to the north and south, correct deviations at any time, and command the overall situation; after all these are done, it will not be too late for you to leave for the specific treatment in the south..."
Based on the experience of SARS in the previous life and what she had learned, Mengxi spoke slowly and told the prince about the prevention and treatment measures of first controlling the overall situation and then carrying out specific treatment. The prince listened carefully and nodded as he listened. After listening, he asked some small questions, such as what is an epidemic area, suspected patients, isolation, protective clothing, etc.
Meng Xi was sweating profusely at the question. It seemed that these were all modern words. She just said them all when she was excited . Would the prince think she was a monster? She pretended to be calm and explained everything to the prince. The prince pondered for a long time and finally said:
"Although I still don't quite understand what Xi'er said, I understand the gist of it. It is indeed good advice. After hearing what Xi'er said today, the stone that weighed on my heart has finally been half removed. I feel much more relieved. I am so lucky in this life. In this time of crisis, I have Xi'er's help. It is like a fish in water. With you, this crisis can be eliminated and the world can be at peace. Xi'er, I..."
At this point, the prince suddenly stopped talking. Some words, if said at this time, would be too abrupt.
Sweat! She just borrowed the experience of her previous life, how can she bring peace to the world? It seems that even the prince, when employing people, flatters him without hesitation. After hearing the prince's exaggerated words, Mengxi blushed slightly and said hurriedly:
"Brother, I've been told before that I'm a young lady who lives in seclusion. Apart from my medical skills, I have no other talents. I feel deeply honored to be appreciated by you and your majesty during this time of national crisis. Please don't say that in the future."
The prince smiled and shook his head, then continued:
"What Xier just said was all about 'prevention', but is there a 'cure' prescription? Also, Xier mentioned the promulgation of 'epidemic prevention laws'. Can Xier give an outline? I will take it to the Imperial Hospital and ask the doctors to consider it and then present it to the emperor. And Xier mentioned 'protective clothing ', I can't imagine what it looks like at all, and I don't know how to arrange people to do it?"
"The day before yesterday, I tried to make a few prescriptions. Although they can't provide precise treatment, they can still play a controlling role. I asked Li Du to send pigeons to the branches in the south to let them try it. After receiving feedback, we will further study and improve it. In the next two days, I will also plan with Li Du and Ouyang Di to mobilize the medicinal materials from each branch and transport them to the south to treat the plague. As for the 'epidemic prevention law', I drafted an outline yesterday and will present it to you after adding some more information. But you must not give it to Your Majesty now. It's best to disguise it as an expedited document from the south to Your Majesty, so that Your Majesty will not suspect that I am by your side..."
Two updates today.
