Daohua and her entourage were personally escorted into Xingyun Prefecture City by Lu Shuo.
Now that the city gates were only open for entry and not for exit, watching the gates close again, Lu Shuo took a deep breath.
They say adversity reveals true friendship, and indeed itâs true.
While there were quite a few scions of aristocratic families trapped within the city, only two families had members who personally visited them. One was the Dong Family, and the other was the Yan Family. The others had almost all just sent servants to look around.
Watching the several carts of medicinal materials and a few large bags of masks piled up beside the city gate, Lu Shuoâs expression relaxed a little. He then walked over with his subordinates, took two bags of masks, and prepared to distribute them to the soldiers.
Whether they were useful or not, wearing them would at least offer some peace of mind.
Xing Courtyard.
The residence where Xiao Yeyang and others were staying.
âWhat did you say, Daohua is coming over?â
Xiao Yeyang looked at the soldier who had come to report first, his face full of surprise, which turned to joy after the shock, but in a moment, it was replaced by deep concern.
âThis girl, why did she come over at this time? Doesnât she know itâs dangerous here now? And General Lu Shuo, why did he let her enter the city?â
To avoid contagion, the soldier stood outside the main gate to reply.
The soldier glanced at Xiao Yeyang and muttered in a low voice, âAt first, the general was unwilling, but later, Miss Yan took out your Jade Pendant, Little Prince, and only then was she allowed to enter.â
Xiao Yeyang: ââ¦â
He had given Daohua the Jade Pendant as a form of support, but she ended up using it in such situations.
Soldier: âLittle Prince, Miss Yan should be arriving soon. She has brought a lot of medicinal materials, and oh, two physicians. I still need to guard the city gate, so I will take my leave now.â
Xiao Yeyang nodded his head.
Not long after the soldier left, Daohua and her group arrived.
From afar, Daohua saw Xiao Yeyang and noticed his complexion didnât look good, which made her frown with concern.
âWhat are you doing coming over, are you aware that this place has already been sealed off?â As soon as Daohua arrived, Xiao Yeyang spoke with disapproval.
âAre you okay?â
Daohua had no interest in discussing the issue with him and instead directly inquired about his health.
Xiao Yeyangâs expression changed: â⦠What could happen to me? Itâs just that I havenât rested these past few days.â
Behind him, De Fu looked at his master with worried eyes, quickly glanced at Daohua, and then silently lowered his head when she looked back at him.
With a guess in her heart, Daohua pursed her lips and didnât say much: âIâve already come here, and you want me to stand outside the door?â
Xiao Yeyang didnât respond. After a moment of silence, he said, âYouâve just come in, I will have someone send you outâ¦â
Before he could finish, Daohua stepped straight into the gate, walked past Xiao Yeyang, and headed inside the residence: âIt wasnât easy to get here, how could I possibly leave now!â
As she said this, she paused and turned her head to look at Xiao Yeyang: âIâm going to see how my brothers are doing first. You havenât been resting well these past days, so go get some rest. Iâll come to see you later.â
Then, her gaze moved to De Fu.
âDe Fu, if you could please assign someone to show me the way, andâ¦â she gestured to the people and medicinal materials she brought, âfind a courtyard to help settle us in. We might be staying here for a while.â
De Fu immediately nodded: âMiss, rest assured, I will go arrange that immediately.â
Daohua smiled: âThank you.â
â¦
The courtyard where the Yan brothers were staying.
These days, Yan Wenkaiâs condition had been worsening, and now he had fallen into a coma. Yan Wenxiu and Yan Wentao had been constantly by Yan Wenkaiâs room, their moods exceptionally heavy.
Hearing that Daohua had arrived, both of them changed color at once.
âWhy would grandmother allow Daohua to come over?â
âHow could Mother agree to let Daohua come over?â
Both of them were incredulous, and after a moment, they guessed the reason, both feeling self-reproach.
It must be because of us!
If it werenât for the three of us, the family would never allow Daohua to come and take the risk.
Yan Wenxiu and Yan Wentao quickly walked out of the courtyard, and as soon as they stepped out of the gate, they saw Daohua approaching.
Daohua jogged up to them and first examined the complexions of her two brothers. Seeing that they still had some color despite looking fatigued, she sighed with relief. Without bothering with pleasantries, she immediately asked, âEldest Brother, Third Brother, where is Fourth Brother?â
Yan Wenxiu let out a sigh, âItâs good that youâre here. Go see your Fourth Brother!â
Upon hearing this, Daohuaâs heart sank. She didnât say much and went straight into the courtyard, speaking as she walked, âEldest Brother, Third Brother, tell me about Fourth Brotherâs condition.â
Yan Wentao hurriedly said, âAt first it was diarrhea, and then it became vomiting and diarrheaâ¦â
While they spoke, they arrived outside Yan Wenkaiâs room.
âEldest Brother, Third Brother, you stay outside. Iâll go in and check on him. Manman, you have someone boil water, and then disinfect this courtyard.â Having said that, Daohua entered Yan Wenkaiâs room before the others could react, with Yan Wenxiu too late to stop her.
âEldest sister, come out quickly. The Imperial Physician said not to get too close, be careful of the infectionâ¦â
Yan Wenxiu said anxiously.
Wang Manman responded immediately, âEldest Master, Third Master, donât worry. The lady is skilled in medicine and knows what sheâs doing.â Saying so, she took Guyu and Lixia with her to boil water.
Inside the room, Daohua checked Yan Wenkaiâs condition and, combining what Yan Wentao had described earlier, she roughly understood the situation.
In her previous life, she had seen numerous prescriptions for treating epidemics. Before, since she didnât know the specifics, she hesitated to use medicine. Now that she had some idea, she could consider prescribing appropriately.
After that, Daohua and the others got busy.
âWhat are they doing?â
Watching Wang Manman lead several servants around the courtyard, disinfecting everywhere, everybody else was puzzled.
âThey said itâs disinfection, probably means to prevent the spread of the epidemic.â
âDoes it work?â
âIt should, havenât you seen that even Old Imperial Physician Xu has not objected?â
âOnly a few people in the residence were infected before, but now people are falling ill every day. If it truly can contain the spread, that would indeed be a great thing.â
After preparing Yan Wenkaiâs medicine and ensuring he drank it, Daohua went to find Defu.
Defu: âMiss Yan, is there something youâd like to instruct?â
Daohua was direct, âIs Xiao Yeyang also sick?â
Defu fell silent for a while, then nodded.
Daohua: ââ¦Then why isnât he resting? I just saw him running around everywhere just now.â
Defuâs face showed bitterness, âThe master has to keep going. Right now, not just in the residence, but the entire Xingyun Prefecture City is almost on the verge of collapse.â
âTo many people, the master is the hope of survival. If the master falls, there will certainly be chaos in the city. The Governor has sent soldiers to guard us, but those few cannot hold back the desperate victims of the disaster.â
Daohua frowned, âSo, heâs just pushing himself?â
Defu: âThereâs no other choice.â
Daohua rubbed her forehead and fell silent for a while, âFourth Brother is sick, and itâs not suitable for Eldest Brother and Third Brother to stay here. So, let Xiao Yeyang move into this courtyard to stay, so I can take care of him. Also, get Brother Dong to move over as well. That way, I wonât have to run from one courtyard to another.â
Defu immediately nodded, then looked at Daohua hopefully, âMiss Yan, the master, heâ¦ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Daohua knew what he wanted to ask and cut him off, âHe wonât have problems.â
Epidemics are severe, but as long as you find the right methods and contain the spread, itâs actually manageable.