At the city gate, the days of cold desolation were somewhat dispersed by the bustle of carriages and horses.

Medical officials in cotton robes descended from their vehicles one after another, adjusting the face coverings that protected their mouths and noses. The Imperial Pharmacy and Imperial Medical Academy, along with the escort convoy’s guards, totaled about a hundred people.

These hundred people had become southern Jiangsu’s hope.

Cai Fang excitedly stepped forward to chat with Chang Jin, while Li Wenhu critically examined this group of medical officials.

Most of the medical officials were in their forties or fifties, generally older and appearing quite frail. Among them, three were particularly conspicuous—two young women and one young man who looked quite young. Li Wenhu frowned slightly.

Even the youngest doctors in southern Jiangsu’s medical markets were close to thirty. Having several children come over—wasn’t this just playing around?

This group lived in comfort and luxury. Given southern Jiangsu’s current circumstances, could they really persist for more than a few days?

As he worried, the young woman walking at the back looked up, meeting Li Wenhu’s appraising gaze directly.

Li Wenhu thought his impolite behavior would immediately displease her, but unexpectedly, she only paused for a moment before looking away, appearing indifferent.

Li Wenhu was startled, scratched his head, and turned to speak with Cai Fang.

Lu Tong withdrew her gaze.

She recognized this person.

In the past, when she was in southern Jiangsu examining corpses for Yunniang at the execution ground, she had accidentally encountered Li Wenhu once. He hadn’t seen the bloody organs in her jar and thought she had taken a wrong turn, giving her a piece of candy and telling her to leave quickly.

She hadn’t expected to meet him again here.

She walked forward with the medical officials, hearing Chang Jin’s conversation with the two men carried on the wind.

“County Deputy Cai, we were traveling hastily and couldn’t receive letters. What exactly is the current state of the plague in southern Jiangsu?”

The man called Cai Fang sighed in response: “To be honest, the situation is really not good. The plague is severe. In these past two days alone, nearly a hundred people die daily. Everyone in the medical market has fallen ill. If the Medical Directors hadn’t come, southern Jiangsu would truly have no choice but to sit and wait for death.”

“Are there no medicine sheds?”

“Previously the city still distributed medicinal soup, but recently herbs have run out and the medicine sheds have been dismantled.”

Chang Jin nodded, his expression becoming serious: “We brought many herbs with us to southern Jiangsu this time, but…” He looked around at the deserted streets, “Why don’t we see any plague patients?”

The long streets and small alleys were sparsely populated. Occasionally, one or two heavily wrapped passersby would glance listlessly at this group, then quickly duck into corner houses with a “bang” as they shut their doors.

“The medical market people said that plague patients cannot move around freely to avoid infecting others. So everyone is unwilling to go out,” Cai Fang explained. “Families with better circumstances and spacious residences, if someone falls ill, will separate a room in their manor for that person to live alone. But most poor people have cramped quarters. If they stay indoors, they fear passing the plague to their families, so they voluntarily leave home and go to pestilence houses to avoid the disease.”

At this point, Cai Fang hesitated: “If the medical officials aren’t afraid, I can take you all to see the pestilence house where the patients are…”

“What’s there to be afraid of?” Lin Danqing said. “We came here to treat the plague. If we don’t see patients, are we here to eat, drink, and be merry?”

Cai Fang choked on his words. Li Wenhu glanced at her and said: “Little miss, don’t speak too early. Let’s see when we get there.”

Chang Jin had several medical officials go to the county office first to unload supplies and carriages, while he took the remaining medical officials with Cai Fang to the treatment center where patients were located.

Following along the way, the city appeared increasingly desolate. The further they walked, the stronger the acrid smell became. In the distance, large patches of gray and black clouds rose as if something was being burned, and the smoke gradually became choking.

Lu Tong looked at the direction Cai Fang was leading them, her heart stirring slightly.

This was…

Cai Fang stopped before a wasteland.

“Everyone, this is the pestilence house where plague patients live.”

Everyone looked up.

This was a ruined temple.

The ruined temple was quite spacious, but surrounded by wasteland with neither farmland nor streets. It stood alone in everyone’s view. The temple gate seemed to have been repaired, and two people wearing face coverings who looked like guards stood before the gate. Seeing Cai Fang and Li Wenhu, they hurried forward a few steps. Their gazes swept over the medical officials, and their tone suddenly became joyful: “County Deputy, are these the medical officials from the capital?”

Cai Fang nodded, then turned to the medical officials: “All the patients who have fallen ill are here. Usually people guard them to prevent the plague from spreading.”

Chang Jin nodded, telling everyone to put on their face coverings properly, and took the lead stepping inside.

Everyone followed close behind.

Upon entering the temple, everyone was suddenly shocked.

Bedding and blankets lay spread out one after another on the ground, with people whose faces had turned black lying on them. Some showed expressions of pain, others appeared numb. Even hearing people approach, those lying on the ground only lifted their eyelids wearily to glance once, remaining indifferent.

The temple had originally been quite spacious, but now under the half-collapsed clay statue, it was densely packed with softly moaning patients. A heavy aura of death rushed toward them.

Ji Xun frowned, saying in a low voice: “This place is cold and exposed—hardly suitable for recuperation. Why would they establish a pestilence house here?”

Cai Fang said nothing, pulling everyone outside. He looked back once at the temple interior before sighing heavily.

“The medical officials don’t know,” he said, “southern Jiangsu has suffered from locusts for months. Then came famine, and the city has already had several disturbances. Later… documents sent to the court received no response for ages, and the county magistrate ran away too.” At this point, Cai Fang looked somewhat embarrassed. “With no backbone left, the county office became a mere formality. People inside either died or fled. Sheriff Li and I gathered the remaining dozen or so people to barely maintain order, but these few people are truly a drop in the bucket!”

He spoke painfully: “Many people die in southern Jiangsu daily. These past two days, over a hundred have died. Leaving corpses outside risks spreading the plague, but our dozen county office people simply can’t burn all the bodies.”

Cai Fang pointed behind him. In the distance, vast wastelands lay deathly silent under the gray sky.

“That’s the execution ground,” he said. “There’s a large open space. This temple is next to the execution ground. New patients who come here can last at most a month before dying. When they die, they’re dragged to the execution ground and burned. We can’t keep up with burning them these days, so we drag them to the execution ground and bury them. This method of handling is most convenient.”

Lin Danqing frowned: “Dying within a month… then what’s the point of establishing a pestilence house?”

“There is no pestilence house anymore,” Cai Fang smiled bitterly. “Southern Jiangsu can’t save these people. The medical market doctors were the first to contract the plague and all died. Actually, people who come here for treatment know in their hearts there’s no cure—they’re just waiting to die here. We also know we can’t save them, but we’re just giving them a place to shelter in their final moments, giving their families some hope.”

Called a pestilence house, it was more like another kind of charity morgue.

He spoke sadly, not noticing Li Wenhu desperately making eye signals at him.

Li Wenhu was secretly anxious. Describing southern Jiangsu’s plague as so severe from the start—what if these medical officials became discouraged and returned after just a few days?

After all, the last official who came vowing to treat the locusts didn’t even stay a full half month before heading home.

Chang Jin nodded, having gained a basic understanding of southern Jiangsu’s current situation. The letters received by the Hanlin Medical Academy weren’t clear—the situation was more severe than they had imagined.

“Medical texts say: ‘Plague begins with heavy snow, emerges at winter solstice, births at Minor Cold, grows at Major Cold, peaks at Beginning of Spring, weakens at Rain Water, declines at Awakening of Insects.'”

The Medical Director said: “Now is the depths of winter, the critical period for plague. We must control the spread before next spring, otherwise…”

Otherwise, southern Jiangsu would become a dead city.

He looked at Cai Fang: “Separating patients from others is correct, but the living conditions here are crude, unable to shelter from wind and cold, and you have too few people. We can only temporarily make do with this place. But from today, we’ll brew medicinal soup for pestilence house patients while making medicine sachets for southern Jiangsu’s remaining uninfected people as protection.”

“All bedding used by pestilence house patients must be steamed and boiled, and we’ll burn atractylodes to dispel evil vapors…”

He said many things in succession. Cai Fang and Li Wenhu listened carefully. After Chang Jin finished speaking and Li Wenhu and Cai Fang left, he said to the remaining people: “Time is pressing. Follow me into the pestilence house to examine the patients’ conditions.”

The medical officials all agreed.

Lu Tong was also about to enter when Chang Jin stopped her.

Chang Jin looked at Lu Tong, Lin Danqing, and Ji Xun, saying: “You three don’t need to go in.”

Lin Danqing: “Why not?”

“The plague is fierce and southern Jiangsu’s situation is more dangerous than I imagined. The pestilence house currently has the heaviest disease vapors—you shouldn’t enter for now.”

Chang Jin also had selfish motives.

These three had medical skills that were among the best in the capital, perhaps in all of Liang Dynasty, and they were so young. He and these other half-old men had come prepared, but he didn’t want to see young people take such risks.

“You three should research new plague prevention prescriptions at the accommodations Cai Fang arranges. Don’t set foot in this place.”

“Medical Director, you’re not that old yet—how have you become confused?” Lin Danqing spoke incredulously. “We haven’t even seen the patients and can’t personally differentiate symptoms—how can we research new prescriptions? Make them up ourselves?”

Chang Jin was speechless.

“Who is the Medical Director looking down on? Besides, before leaving, I specifically brought a copy of my family’s ancestral ‘Treatise on Plague Treatment.’ My old Lin family has the most experience with plague treatment. When people in the capital ask later, you all worked diligently in the pestilence house while we appeared cowardly and afraid of death—would that sound proper?”

She raised her head. “Don’t interfere with my promotion path.” She stepped into the pestilence house gate.

“Hey—” Before Chang Jin could call back Lin Danqing, Lu Tong had walked before him, nodding: “Medical Director, I’m going in.”

She entered directly.

Chang Jin: “…”

He looked at Ji Xun.

Ji Xun cupped his hands toward him, nodded slightly, and followed close behind.

Chang Jin was speechless.

His words had been wasted after all.

He watched the three young people’s backs, scolding lightly with his mouth, but secretly feeling a surge of pride and comfort in his heart.

These were the three youngest medical officials in the Hanlin Medical Academy, and also the three with the best medical skills.

With such benevolence, their medical ethics matched their medical skills. The Hanlin Medical Academy’s future would not lack brightness.

Urging voices came from inside the pestilence house. Chang Jin responded, lifted his cotton robe, and hurried through the temple gate.

“Coming.”

…

County office.

The cold wind was bone-piercing. Wind blew the window with a hole in it, making it flap noisily. Li Wenhu reached out to close the window and sat down at the table.

The previously imposing county office was now empty, as if ransacked, with only two chairs remaining. At a glance, it appeared utterly destitute and miserable.

After the county magistrate left, citizens who learned the truth were furious, crying that officials didn’t care about people’s lives. Some stirred up trouble, taking advantage of the chaos while attacking the county office to steal valuable items. Of course, money wasn’t very useful in southern Jiangsu now—plague was always equalizing, regardless of status.

The Pingzhou Prefect had sent troops once, but not for relief—rather to seal the city gates, preventing plague area residents from leaving.

Those not yet ill couldn’t get out and stayed with the sick—sooner or later they’d die too. Everyone in southern Jiangsu had despaired, but today this group of medical officials from the capital seemed like sudden vitality appearing in despair, giving people’s hearts a thread of hope again.

Cai Fang smiled: “This group of medical officials seems pretty good.”

He hadn’t been this happy for a long time. Li Wenhu glanced at him: “Don’t speak too early. First see how many days they can persist.”

“No matter what, we’ve gained quite a few people. You won’t have to go to the execution ground every day,” Cai Fang said.

The guards who escorted the medical officials to southern Jiangsu helped burn and bury corpses. Relying solely on the county office’s few people and southern Jiangsu citizens’ voluntary help was truly difficult.

Li Wenhu said nothing, suddenly noticing a basket of steamed buns on the table. He was startled: “They didn’t eat?”

“The medical officials said they brought their own provisions and don’t need the county office to worry about their meals.”

Li Wenhu narrowed his eyes: “Disdain?”

Cai Fang was helpless: “Why do you always judge gentlemen with a petty heart?”

“How am I petty? Then you tell me why?”

Cai Fang said: “The medical officials from the capital brought their own food and gave it all to the county office. Medical Director Chang just told me to set up porridge sheds and let southern Jiangsu people come daily to receive medicinal porridge.”

“If they disdained it, why would they do these things?”

Hearing this, Li Wenhu made no sound. After a while, he muttered quietly: “The people are quite, quite good.”

“The Hanlin Medical Academy officials are different from the previous officials who came to treat locusts,” Cai Fang looked out the window. “Perhaps physicians’ benevolent hearts allow them to empathize. Don’t keep being hostile toward them. They came to provide plague relief. Look at our southern Jiangsu city—we can barely get people in, let alone out. In the past three months, how many people have been willing to come here?”

He sighed: “Don’t be ungrateful.”

Knowing he spoke the truth, Li Wenhu lowered his head. After a moment of silence, he said: “I’m just… a bit panicked.”

The big man also looked out the window. Southern Jiangsu’s sky was overcast—they hadn’t seen the sun for a long time. His voice was heavy.

“Fangzi, how long will the food these medical officials brought last?”

Cai Fang was startled: “Serving porridge daily, being frugal, at most three months.”

“You see,” Li Wenhu said, “at most three months, our food won’t be enough.”

Southern Jiangsu had suffered from locusts and famine before.

Court disaster relief grain and funds were long delayed, causing famine. When they finally arrived, it was all moldy old rice.

Even now, the old rice was almost gone.

The medical officials in southern Jiangsu could indeed solve the immediate crisis, but what about the long term? The plague was fierce—hoping to resolve it in three months was like a fool’s dream. When the three-month period ended, would they leave?

Would southern Jiangsu be abandoned once again?

Cai Fang also fell silent.

Old problems weren’t solved, and new difficulties followed. Troubles never left them.

Suddenly remembering something, he looked up and asked: “Dahu, didn’t we hear that the court sent new people to Qishui to quell the rebellion?”

Qishui had been in rebellion for a while. Recently, word from outside said that officials and soldiers from the capital were handling the Qishui rebellion case. This time the military leader was brave and skilled in battle. In just a few days, all rebel soldiers were executed, ringleaders captured, and bandits eliminated.

Cai Fang said: “Could we ask for their help?”

Qishui was very close to southern Jiangsu. Those officials and soldiers had come to quell rebellion and definitely brought plenty of supplies. Even without supplies, Qishui had no plague. If they could transport some medicine and grain from Qishui…

“Would it work?” Li Wenhu hesitated. “We previously asked Qishui for aid, but they completely ignored us.”

Southern Jiangsu was like a hot potato and bottomless pit—no one wanted to get involved.

“I don’t know either,” Cai Fang thought for a while, then said decisively: “Let’s try.”

“Those medical officials have all come. We can’t do nothing either.”

…

Outside the pestilence house, atractylodes and angelica were piled up.

The book “Current Plague” says: “This symptom comes from sensing improper vapors, or headache, fever, or neck swelling, swollen glands—this is Heaven’s plague. If one person’s illness spreads to one household, one household’s illness spreads to one village, one town.”

Atractylodes “can dispel evil vapors. In ancient and modern times during plagues and New Year’s Day, households often burn atractylodes to ward off evil vapors, so plague illnesses frequently use it.”

All patients lying on the ground were called up to temporarily take shelter in the long shed by the gate. All bedding on the ground was taken out to be boiled in scalding water. Cai Fang had people bring new bedding. Atractylodes needed to be burned in the pestilence house for half an hour to dispel evil vapors.

Patients who came to the pestilence house were all poor people who had prepared to wait for death. Suddenly called up by medical officials, they were still confused. An elderly woman gently tugged at Lin Danqing’s skirt hem. Seeing Lin Danqing look over, she quickly withdrew her hand, wiped both hands on her clothes, and asked quietly: “Miss, what are we doing…” She was a bit uneasy, looking toward the execution ground, “We won’t be… we won’t be…”

In past great plagues, she had heard of officials burning sick people alive on the spot.

“No, Auntie,” Lin Danqing understood, comforting her: “This is fumigating with atractylodes. We’re having you come out temporarily to avoid it. You can go back in after half an hour.”

The old woman was bewildered: “Burning atractylodes?”

Lin Danqing nodded: “We’re medical officials from the Hanlin Medical Academy here to treat the plague. Starting today, we’ll be treating your illnesses.”

“Hanlin medical officials?” The old woman was startled.

All doctors in southern Jiangsu’s medical markets had died from illness. There was no medicine and no people. Everyone had stopped hoping.

“Are you here to save us?” she asked incredulously, almost kneeling to give thanks.

“Yes.”

The female medical official supported her, smiling: “Don’t be afraid, everyone. Things will get better.”

Weeping came from outside the window—the tears of joy from desperate people suddenly receiving hope.

Lu Tong knelt down, placing a copper basin filled with burning atractylodes and angelica in the corner. With so many people in the temple, every area needed fumigation.

When standing up, her forehead accidentally hit the table corner. She rubbed her reddened forehead, and looking up, couldn’t help but be stunned.

Above her head, the half-collapsed statue gazed down quietly at her small figure, just as it had years ago.

The ruined temple at southern Jiangsu’s execution ground, the clay statue from the past—it seemed to still have the same appearance as before.

She had once sheltered here from snow. Unexpectedly, today she had returned to the original place.

Wishing all the children taking college entrance exams success and top scores!