SFS Chapter 327 Hongmen Banquet
Chapter 327 Hongmen Banquet
The eyes of these people were filled with a desire to live. They were unwilling to give up even the slightest chance of survival and struggled desperately to stay alive.
Gu Changsheng watched as soldiers carried the deceased civilians out of the shed.
The other sick people, seeing this, looked on in fear and collapsed to the ground.
Zhong Heng stood with his hands behind his back and sighed, "Those who want to live in this world are often tricked by fate and have their lives taken away. Those who could live well easily give up their lives."
Gu Changsheng felt a slight pang in his heart from those words. He hadn't felt much emotional impact when treating other people before.
I just feel that birth, aging, sickness and death are the natural course of life.
Seeing how fragile life has become under the ravages of the plague, with lives disappearing right before our eyes, it's hard not to be moved.
He stared intently at the people who had lost their loved ones, overwhelmed by grief, as if a part of them had been torn away, leaving them incomplete.
Gu Changsheng couldn't help but think of his father's gray hair. Every time he opened the window, he could see his father standing in the corner, staring blankly at his room.
His father was very worried about him, but he never showed it in front of him. He always had a stern father face and pretended to be nonchalant.
His aunt was worried that he was overwhelmed with sorrow and taking all the blame upon himself, unable to resolve the knot in his heart, so she would visit him at the Gu residence every few days.
Manman missed him dearly, and before leaving Da Zhou, she sent him a letter. In the letter, she told him that she was going to Bei Qi to retrieve the remains of the Princess Protector of the Nation. The journey was long and arduous, and she would probably not return to Da Zhou until next year.
In her letter, Manman mentioned that she might return to Dazhou before the Dragon Boat Festival next year, but she was afraid that unexpected complications might delay her trip, so she made a promise with him to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival together next year.
My master is a person who is tough on the outside but soft on the inside. He has never said a word of concern. Faced with his indifference and lack of desire, I would become anxious and feel a little powerless. In the end, I would whisper in his ear about my pitiful things, hoping to arouse his sympathy and have a little more concern in my heart.
If one day they lose him, they will surely feel the same pain as these people who have lost their loved ones.
"Help, save my child... Please, save my child..."
At that moment, a woman carrying a child rushed out of the shed. The instant she saw Imperial Physician Chen, her eyes lit up, and she rushed towards him.
The soldiers stopped the woman: "Your child has contracted the plague and cannot go outside."
The light in the woman's eyes vanished, and tears welled up in her eyes. She knelt on the ground and pleaded with Imperial Physician Chen for help: "Sir, please save my child, please save her..."
As Dr. Chen carried his medicine kit and prepared to go over, Gu Changsheng walked over first, his vision blurred as he looked at the unconscious child. He reached out and touched the child's forehead, finding it burning hot.
He took the child's pulse, examined him thoroughly, and asked the woman about the child's symptoms. Then he took out a sharp needle from his sleeve and performed acupuncture on the child.
After a few injections, the child woke up, coughing violently and vaguely complaining of feeling cold.
When the woman saw that her child had woken up, it was as if her precious child, whom she was about to lose, had returned to her embrace. She held the child tightly and cried bitterly.
Even if a child's condition does not improve, as long as the child is alive, it means that there is hope for a cure, and the mother receives great comfort.
Seeing the woman's joy at having her child back and how she cherished it so carefully, Gu Changsheng suddenly understood the meaning of life.
Over the years, his only belief has been to find Manman. Repeated disappointments have worn down his edges, and the shackles in his heart have become heavier and heavier.
In his life, he had no other thoughts except finding Manman.
So much so that after finding Manman, the belief that had sustained him collapsed, leaving him feeling empty and directionless.
He could find no other meaning besides making up for Manman's loss.
"Thank you, thank you for saving my child."
The woman stopped crying and kowtowed to Gu Changsheng to express her gratitude.
Gu Changsheng had never seen such a scene before and took a step back, feeling somewhat uncomfortable.
Dr. Chen quickly gestured for the woman to get up and take the child to get the medicine.
The woman left in a hurry.
Gu Changsheng turned his head to look at Chen, the Imperial Physician, and said, "Distribute the Detoxifying and Blood-Activating Decoction formula to all the physicians. For patients with severe or critical illnesses, add the medicine according to the formula. The elderly and weak should take a single dose, and the strong should take a double dose. Take it three times a day until they are cured."
Dean Chen pressed further, "Can they all be cured?"
Gu Changsheng shook his head.
After waiting a moment, seeing that Gu Changsheng had no intention of continuing, Chen took the prescription he was given and hurriedly left.
Gu Changsheng said to Zhao Yi, "You are physically weak and easily susceptible to evil spirits. Don't go near the sick." He instructed, "Take some people to clean the streets and sprinkle medicinal powder to eliminate the disease."
As Zhao Yi nodded slightly and prepared to leave, Zhong Heng slipped a bottle of medicine into his hand.
Zhongheng instructed, "Take two pills every day for three or four days."
Zhao Yi replied, "Thank you."
Zhong Heng was extremely impatient with these polite words. He waved his hand and hurriedly chased after Gu Changsheng, afraid that Gu Changsheng would act recklessly if he wasn't careful.
Zhao Yi returned the way he came, entered the house, summoned the guards who had accompanied him, armed them, and went to clear the streets.
As night fell, Zhao Yi returned to his residence with his guards and temporarily borrowed the room of the Prince of Zhenbei to wash up.
Jiang Chao and Jiang Mu returned with their guards and went to report to Zhao Yi.
The two people came into the house and reported on the progress of the epidemic prevention.
Jiang Mu approached Zhao Yi and asked, "Second Master, should I pass on the prescription for treating the plague to the prefects of Yuncheng and Panshicheng?"
Zhao Yi pondered for a moment and said, "We'll see the effects tomorrow. If the prescription works, you and Jiang Chao will each go to these two cities and hand the prescription over to the doctors."
Jiang Mu was taken aback, and immediately understood that his master did not trust the prefects of the two cities.
After all, the prefects of Yuncheng and Panshicheng were officials of Northern Qi, and their master's status was special. If the prescription were handed over to the prefects, they could easily frame their master by simply changing a few ingredients.
When he and Jiang Chao personally oversaw the process, the situation improved considerably.
"Yes." Jiang Mu reminded her, "Would you like to write a letter to Second Grandmother to let her know you're safe?"
Zhao Yi paused in wiping her hands with a handkerchief, carefully drying them as she said gently, "I'll write her a letter after we settle her in."
Jiang Mu frowned. They had just arrived in Yingcheng and hadn't even been assigned rooms yet when they went out to get busy.
Now that we've returned from our busy work, the person in charge is not at the residence, and we haven't settled in yet.
The master just changed his clothes in the room of the Prince of Zhenbei.
"Go and ask." Jiang Mu opened the door and saw an unfamiliar face standing there, dressed in the everyday clothes of a seventh-rank county magistrate: "The prince is not in the room. Go and look elsewhere."
Magistrate Xu smiled broadly. "I'm not here to see the Prince, but specifically to see His Highness the Crown Prince."
At this point, he explained, "Yingcheng has been ceded to the Great Zhou, but due to the plague, the Great Zhou has not yet sent anyone to take over my position."
Before Zhao Yi came to Yingcheng, he had heard about this. Although Magistrate Xu was still nominally serving as the magistrate of Yingcheng, he had already relinquished his duties.
When Lord Xu did not hear Zhao Yi respond, he said obsequiously, "This mansion is full of people, and there are no empty rooms. When I heard that you had come to Yingcheng, I specially ordered someone to prepare a private residence for you to stay in."
Worried that Zhao Yi might be unwilling to go, he said sincerely, "I have prepared wine and food at my private residence to welcome Your Highness. In addition, I have another request. I would like to ask Your Highness to take a look at the government's grain and silver after your meal and give me some advice on how to handle them."
Upon hearing about the money and grain, Jiang Mu and Jiang Chao both turned to Zhao Yi, waiting for him to make a decision.