“…It’s okay.” The voice that was deliberately suppressed came out through the layers of white gauze and veils covering the mouth and nose, becoming dull, vague and unreal.
Wen Qingci's gaze involuntarily fell on Xie Bufeng's palm.
New and old scars intertwined, and the place was already covered with scars.
"good."
Seeing Wen Qingci lowering his eyes to look at his palm, Xie Bufeng seemed to casually hide his hand behind his back.
He didn't want Wen Qingci to see his weak side.
Xie Bufeng, who had long since adapted to a world without pain and had no concept of what it meant to be injured, instinctively raised his hand to block the sharp blade at that moment.
It was not until the pain finally came that he realized what he had done.
The wooden windows in the room are badly damaged.
The people outside the house looked in through the huge gap created by the sickle breaking the window.
—On the wooden board in the middle of the room, there lay a mutilated corpse.
The doctor who came from Songxiu Mansion was still holding a silver knife in his hand, and his moon-white robe was stained with blood.
He did all this!
At a glance from a distance, someone outside the house could not help but bend over and vomit.
Even the hands that were tightly gripping the farm tools began to tremble and lose strength.
"… You, you came to our Lianhe, are you here just to do this kind of thing? There is no decent doctor who would do such a crooked thing!"
"Yes! Give us an explanation!"
The person outside the room raised his voice and shouted at Wen Qingci.
They shouted loudly in anger, wishing they could kick Wen Qingci out of here immediately.
The officers and soldiers from Lianhe County who had gathered around the house showed fear and hesitation in their eyes after seeing the scene inside the house.
They and the people on the other side are from the same hometown.
Compared to Wen Qingci, the weird doctor from outside, they obviously favor their own people more.
Some people involuntarily put down their weapons.
"It's okay, stay here first." Xie Bufeng patted his shoulder gently, then turned around, opened the door and walked out.
Wen Qingci was stunned for a moment before realizing that Xie Bufeng seemed to be... comforting himself
Xie Bufeng, dressed in black, walked out slowly.
Seeing him coming, Song Junran pulled the white veil again and slowly walked aside.
He had just wanted to stop this group of people at a distance.
However, due to the fear of exposing his identity, Song Junran did not use the hidden weapon that he was best at.
Therefore, they were forced here before long.
Xie Bufeng had no sword in his hand, and he was even seriously injured.
But as he approached, the people gathered outside the house involuntarily retreated.
The sun has risen above our heads without us noticing.
The scorching summer sun shines down from the sky, making people dizzy.
The smell of blood in the air became stronger and stronger.
The leading people gritted their teeth, clenched the farm tools in their hands, stared at him and said, "Sir, are you helping the tyrant to commit atrocities?"
“… aiding and abetting the tyrant?” Xie Bufeng suddenly smiled and repeated the word in a low voice, as if he had heard some interesting story.
Finally, he looked up with a smile and said, "What if I tell you that I asked him to do everything today?"
"This this… "
"You, you are an official appointed by the court, how could you do such a thing?"
Without the barrier of the house walls, Xie Bufeng, who was close to the crowd, could clearly hear the voices in their hearts.
"This so-called doctor must be driven out of Lianhe!"
"…Does the county magistrate know about this?"
But these sounds are not loud.
Not even as good as the roar from your mouth.
Xie Bufeng slowly narrowed his eyes, and his pupils looked like light gold under the sunlight.
He realized that this group of people were just outwardly powerful but inwardly weak.
Everything before my eyes is just a stress response after fear.
"Come here—" Xie Bufeng suddenly frowned, and said sternly with a sullen face, "Take those who attacked the imperial officials and temporarily detain them in the Lianhe County Jail! When the matter is settled, send them to the provincial government for trial."
The leader's face suddenly turned ugly.
The officers and soldiers of Lianhe County subconsciously clenched their swords, but still hesitated and stood there motionless.
Xie Bufeng slowly looked through the crowd.
The cold and casual glance invisibly deepened everyone's fear and hesitation.
Many people here looked pale and weak, obviously infected with malaria.
"If you want to cure leprosy, you must first find the cause and determine which organ it is rooted in, and then prescribe the right medicine." Xie Bufeng's eyes fell on the people who were obviously sick. He paused for a few seconds and said, "If you think this method is cruel and against human ethics, you can choose not to take the medicine, so as not to help the evil."
Xie Bufeng simply stopped hiding it and stated his purpose directly.
People outside the house don't understand medical principles.
They only understood one meaning from Xie Bufeng's words - the doctor in the room did this in order to prescribe a medicine specifically for curing malaria.
Xie Bufeng seemed to guess what they were thinking and said, "Lianhe has become a dead city. No one would risk their lives and come all the way here just to destroy corpses."
Yes, the doctor is also a mortal.
Since he dared to come to Lianhe, he must be confident in curing the disease.
Maybe he can really prescribe a prescription
If I were too firm in my stance at this moment, I wouldn't be able to beg for help when I got the medicine...
Xie Bufeng's ears gradually became quiet.
He originally didn't want to make a big deal out of this matter, but if it really became a big deal, Xie Bufeng was definitely not someone who was afraid of trouble.
Xie Bufeng smiled again and said calmly: "As an official appointed by the court, I can guarantee you that if you die of illness, your bodies will not be disemboweled like the man just now, but will be buried properly."
At first glance, Xie Bufeng's words sound sensible and generous, but in fact they contain a threat.
Compared to resentment, these people have more fear in their hearts.
Several people suffering from leprosy could not help but follow Xie Bufeng's words and imagine themselves being buried in the earth.
Morality and human ethics are nothing in the face of life and death.
Those who are still healthy may be outraged, but they may no longer have the time to dwell on these matters.
There was a man with a sallow complexion who looked very ill. He slowly dropped the pickaxe in his hand to the ground.
Then, two more people followed his example and put down the farm tools in their hands.
After a few seconds of silence, the soldiers who had been standing still finally stepped forward and arrested those who were standing in the front and had the most ferocious aura.
The dry summer wind blew Xie Bufeng's black hair like rolling dark clouds.
He walked forward slowly and stopped beside the people detained by the soldiers: "These heroes would rather die than help the tyrant."
After saying that, he slowly turned around and walked into the hut.
The more "magnanimous" Xie Bufeng was and the more he gave in, the more frightened everyone became.
“No, no! Sir, please spare me, sir, please spare me—” One of them immediately struggled and screamed.
He was still mumbling something, as if he was praying for something.
But before he could finish his words, he was pulled far away by the officers and soldiers.
When the others saw his appearance, they also gave up resisting.
The crowd in the open space immediately scattered.
I was afraid that I would be the next person to be taken away.
Wen Qingci was in the house and witnessed it all.
When he came back to his senses, Xie Bufeng had already picked up the paper and pen again, and said to Wen Qingci as if nothing had happened: "Go on."
"Wait." Unexpectedly, Wen Qingci put down the silver knife at this moment. He came to his senses and took out strong liquor from the medicine box beside him to clean his hands. Then he lowered his voice and said indistinctly, "Bandage the wound first."
As soon as he finished speaking, Wen Qingci took out the bandages and medicine, walked in front of Xie Bufeng, and pulled up his left hand that was hidden behind his back.
"Don't move yet." He said softly.
Wen Qingci didn't think much about it. He just took out cotton and dipped it in liquor to clean Xie Bufeng's wound.
But as soon as the ball of cotton touched Xie Bufeng's skin, the other party's arm suddenly tensed up and blue veins appeared.
What was he doing? A physiological reaction to pain was definitely not something that could be faked.
Wen Qingci raised his eyes hesitantly and looked at Xie Bufeng through the veil.
Xie Bufeng, dressed in black, pursed his lips tightly, and a little cold sweat appeared on his forehead.
Without waiting for Wen Qingci to react.
Xie Bufeng took the cotton and liquor himself and rubbed them across the wound.
Then he skillfully picked up the medicine and poured it into the palm of his hand.
He was trying to be strong, not wanting Wen Qingci to find out that he was also afraid of pain.
For Xie Bufeng, who had been on the battlefield, dealing with such minor injuries was very simple.
He bit one end of the bandage with his teeth, then quickly wrapped it up with one hand and simply tied a knot to complete the bandage.
"Okay, go ahead," he said calmly.
Wen Qingci didn't know when, but he clenched his teeth along with Xie Bufeng's actions.
His eyes involuntarily fell on the fine beads of sweat on the other person's forehead.
Then he looked at Xie Bufeng's left hand, which was holding the rice paper and trembling slightly due to the pain.
You have to know that when he was young, Xie Bufeng was a man who never frowned even when a beast was biting his shoulders.
The dazzling sunlight penetrated the broken wooden window and shone onto the bandage that was already oozing with blood.
Thanks to him... He actually regained his sense of pain
Without having time to investigate the reason, Wen Qingci's heart suddenly felt empty.
As if to verify this, Wen Qingci took out a porcelain bottle from the medicine box and placed it on the table. He lowered his voice and said, "Wait a minute, this is a powder for pain relief and paralysis."
Before Xie Bufeng could react, Wen Qingci removed the bandage he had hastily put on and sprinkled medicine powder on it.
The young emperor's slender and powerful fingers trembled slightly twice as Wen Qingci moved.
Wen Qingci paused, then took out the bandage again and carefully re-bandaged Xie Bufeng.
The slender and cold fingers touched Xie Bufeng's palm without any warning.
The muscles in Xie Bufeng's arms tensed in an instant.
Even breathing became chaotic in an instant.
Xie Bufeng almost lost his composure and followed the crazy instinct hidden deep in his heart, tightly grasping Wen Qingci's pale wrist.
The unintentional touch of the fingertips turned into a weak electric current in an instant.
And along the nerves in the arms, it reaches every corner of the body.
Xie Bufeng's body and instincts clamored for possession.
But his remaining rationality told him that he must not disturb the person in front of him...
Wenqing's words are like a blooming dandelion.
Tender and fragile.
Xie Bufeng wanted to fold it away and hold it in his palm.
But I am afraid that my breath will blow it away...
Xie Bufeng's body was trembling with excitement.
He couldn't pretend anymore and had to pretend it was just a physiological reaction caused by pain.
At this moment, the two were too close.
It was so close that Wen Qingci could clearly see that on Xie Bufeng's wrist was still the wool bracelet that he had given him many years ago.
—It is already broken and old.
The strong smell of blood dispersed the bitter fragrance on Wen Qingci's body.
But he still held his breath and didn't make any sound. After finishing the bandage, he put the bottle of anesthetic next to Xie Bufeng.
Then he turned back to the wooden board in silence and picked up the silver knife again.
The small porcelain bottle emits a soft light in the sun.
Xie Bufeng is like a stubborn wolf leader who doesn't want others to know that he also feels pain.
But this porcelain bottle from Wen Qingci tempted him like a poppy.
Tempt him to accept the gift and admit his vulnerability.
Xie Bufeng finally couldn't resist the temptation and slowly grasped the porcelain bottle into his palm.
Through the cold bottle, Xie Bufeng seemed to touch Wen Qingci's body temperature again.
—
time does not wait.
After the autopsy, Wen Qingci and his team immediately returned to the county government office.
He changed his clothes immediately and disinfected them with strong liquor.
Wen Qingci likes the color moonlight, so most of his clothes are that color.
But the moment he went out, he hesitated and put on a white shirt as the outermost layer.
When I returned to the meeting room, Song Junran had changed his clothes and was sitting at the table.
There were only two of them in the room at the moment, so there was no need to beat around the bush when talking.
Song Junran picked up the pile of rice paper with words written on it, read it quickly and said, "… So, this disease mainly occurs in the kidneys?"
"Yes," Wen Qingci sat opposite Song Junran, "Let's prescribe the right medicine first."
"Okay, now that we know the cause of the disease, it will be much simpler," Song Junran paused and asked him, "But... I wonder what Junior Brother thinks about the source of the plague?"
Although he was a few years older than Wen Qingci and had studied medicine for a few more years.
But unlike Wen Qingci, who focused on studying water plague, Song Junran had far less experience in this area than his junior fellow apprentice.
Wen Qingci hesitated for a moment and gently twirled the teacup in his hand.
Seeing that he didn't say anything, Song Junran immediately understood.
Wen Qingci most likely already has an idea and is just waiting to verify it.
Sure enough, after a pause, Wen Qingci slowly nodded and said, "From what I see, it looks a bit like the plague."
His voice was still calm, but his mood became tense at this moment.
The same is true for Song Junran.
Plague was very common in ancient times and was Wen Qingci's main suspect from the beginning.
Hemorrhagic inflammation of the heart, liver, and kidneys is indeed one of its hallmark pathological manifestations.
It is also the easiest lesion to identify with the naked eye.
Therefore, after seeing the appearance of the corpse's kidney, Wen Qingci thought of it first.
"Mouse..." Song Junran couldn't help biting his lip, "This is a bit difficult to deal with." He murmured.
Song Junran recalled as he said, "If it was simply a water plague, we could first bring water from somewhere else to drink. Cutting off the source would temporarily stop the spread. But rats..."
He stopped talking abruptly and the hall suddenly became quiet.
"Plague" is just a very general term. In fact, the transmission method and toxicity of each outbreak are very different.
Eating water and food contaminated by rats, being bitten by rat fleas, or even having close contact with sick rats can all lead to infection with the disease, which is very difficult to detect.
Wen Qingci slowly put down the teacup in his hand and once again set his eyes on the pile of papers.
"Forget it," Song Junran sighed with a headache, "I'd better write the prescription first." He stood up and picked up the medicine box, ready to go to the county government office to see the patient again.
"Okay." Wen Qingci also nodded slowly, and at the same time couldn't help thinking in his heart that having a direction for treating the disease was certainly a good thing.
But if the source of the plague cannot be found, even if there is medicine, it will have little effect.
comprehend by analogy.
Although the original owner mainly studied water plague, the principles of treating diseases and prescribing medicines are similar.
The only problem is... relying on the abilities of Song Junran and I alone, it is obviously impossible to dig out the source.
Wen Qingci bit his lip subconsciously.
Perhaps only one person is capable of doing this.
At this moment, the door of the conference room was gently pushed open again from the outside.
Xie Bufeng, who had also changed his clothes, walked in slowly, followed by a face that Wen Qingci was very familiar with.
The man had a worried look on his face, and it was obvious that he was forced to come here by Xie Bufeng.
"Your Majesty..." The man raised his head and was about to say something, but was stopped by Xie Bufeng's gaze. He immediately changed his words, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty."
"Um."
Seeing that Xie Bufeng was not angry, the visitor finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"I am Yu Guanlin, the imperial physician of the palace," the old imperial physician, who was over seventy years old, turned around, bowed to the two men, and said with a smile, "If you two gentlemen need any help, I will be happy to help you."
As he spoke, he couldn't help but cast his gaze on Wen Qingci and Song Junran, looking them over carefully.
The person on the left is wearing white clothes and a veil hat. Even in the middle of summer, he is still wrapped up tightly and his appearance cannot be seen at all.
One can only vaguely judge that he is rather thin.
The other person wrapped in thick white gauze was even more unfamiliar.
Yu Guanlin had only met Song Junran once over a year ago. After a quick glance, he had long forgotten what the other person looked like.
Not to mention that the other party had already pulled the white veil to the top, leaving only a pair of eyes exposed.
The old doctor has been in the palace for his entire life and knows how to judge the situation very well.
Now that he was sent by the emperor to help these two young quacks, he did not look aggrieved at all. Instead, he asked in a friendly manner: "… I wonder what you two are busy with now? If there is anything you need help with, just let me know!"
Song Junran had heard of the name of the imperial physician Yu Guanlin. Seeing that the emperor had brought him here, he was no longer polite and directly ordered him to go, "Let's go out and diagnose the people outside the county government office. Imperial Physician Yu, come with us."
“Ah, this…this…” Yu Guanlin said it lightly just now, but now when he heard that Song Junran really wanted to go out and treat the group of refugees himself, he immediately hesitated.
At this time, Wen Qingci had already picked up the medicine box and walked out.
However, Xie Bufeng never interrupted Song Junran.
There was no other way, Yu Guanlin had to grit his teeth and follow.
When he was about to walk out of the county government office, Wen Qingci suddenly stopped hesitantly and turned to look at Xie Bufeng.
The fingers hidden under the wide sleeves were tightly twisted together.
Should I ask Xie Bufeng for help
Although he was wrapped tightly, Xie Bufeng could still see his hesitation and entanglement from the white shadow in front of him.
He couldn't help but stop and look at Wen Qingci.
Xie Bufeng did not ask him about his purpose, but just waited patiently.
Time passes by little by little.
The water that had accumulated on the eaves a few days ago was blown down by the wind, making a slight sound.
This voice finally woke Wen Qingci up.
Under the veil, Wen Qingci took a deep breath and said slowly: "Sir, I have an unwelcome request..."
The voice was muffled by the white gauze, and there was not a trace of its former clearness.
But it still flowed like an icy spring through Xie Bufeng's hot heart.
It calmed him down in an instant.
"What is it?"
Xie Bufeng's gaze fell on Wen Qingci.
There was a hint of concern beneath his cold gaze.
Now that he had spoken, Wen Qingci no longer hesitated.
He simply gritted his teeth and told Song Junran everything he had just said to him and what he was thinking.
Then he made a request: "I hope that Your Excellency can send people to investigate whether there is a rat infestation in Lianhe County, and if so, where it broke out."
Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Xie Bufeng's expression suddenly became serious.
"Of course." He nodded.
After he finished speaking, Xie Bufeng immediately called over the attendants who were guarding nearby and instructed them, "Go door to door to check the water sources and granaries, and then find out what the infected people have in common, or whether they live in a certain place."
Although the source had not yet been identified, Xie Bufeng still made preparations for a rainy day. After giving the instructions, he immediately sent people to several nearby states to deliver food and fodder.
"Yes!" The attendants who came with the emperor responded immediately and marched out of the county government office in a team.
As a "patrol officer", Xie Bufeng had to do nothing. After giving orders to his servants, Xie Bufeng went out with them.
At the moment when they passed by, Wen Qingci finally couldn't help but take a deep breath and said softly: "Be careful."
“…Okay.” Xie Bufeng paused and nodded slowly.
Then he quickly disappeared from Wen Qingci's sight.
time does not wait.
Wen Qingci, Song Junran and several other imperial physicians left the government office and began to take the pulse of the patients in the open space one by one.
Finally, they got together again to discuss the prescription.
The situation in Lianhe Town is getting worse day by day.
The patient who was able to walk not long ago is now lying motionless in bed.
They sobbed and struggled, placing all their hopes of survival on the group of people in front of them.
Wen Qingci's mood has never been so heavy.
The scene of Yuzu Stream kept emerging in the depths of his mind.
All this was urging him to go faster and faster.
By the time the prescription was finalized, it was already late at night.
But Wen Qingci still did not rest, but followed to the back kitchen and watched the servant boil medicine.
Someone in the government office is sick, and we are very short of staff.
No one knew how long the boy had been working non-stop, but now he fell asleep while sitting in front of the stove.
Wen Qingci thought about it and decided to wake him up and go back to rest. Then he took the fan and started to get busy here.
It was late at night and the whole Lianhe fell into a deep sleep.
In the meeting hall not far away, Xie Bufeng, who had looked at the map of Lianhe County countless times, finally put it down slowly.
He picked up the porcelain vase by candlelight.
After a while, he carefully held it in his palm.
Then, he touched the wound on his left hand with his fingertips.
The flickering candlelight made Xie Bufeng's facial features even more distinct.
But no matter how warm the flames were, those amber eyes remained as cold as ever.
Xie Bufeng is like a wild beast lurking in the darkness.
There is danger all over.
But at this moment he lowered his eyes, looked at the neatly-wrapped bandages, and laughed deeply.
In an instant, his eyes were filled with nostalgia and tenderness.
After a while, Xie Bufeng, dressed in black, finally opened the door and walked out.
The next moment he saw that the lights were still on in the kitchen not far away.
The servant who was in charge of guarding the medicine furnace had disappeared long ago.
The small stove for decocting medicine was still burning, and bubbles were gurgling out of the purple clay pot.
The room was filled with a bitter aroma.
There was a white figure, leaning against the wall and falling asleep.
Even in midsummer, this small town surrounded by mountains is still very damp and cool at night.
In his sleep he hugged himself tightly, trying to keep warm.
Xie Bufeng held his breath and walked towards him with light steps.
Finally, he stood behind the defenseless figure.
He had only dared to imagine this scene in his dreams.
Xie Bufeng's heart trembled slightly at this moment.
He, who was already the emperor, half-knelt slowly, leaned down and put his hands on Wen Qingci's back and thighs.
At this moment, he even held his breath, for fear of accidentally disturbing the person sleeping in front of him.
Then, he gently picked up Wen Qingci.
As carefully as holding a dandelion.
The moment she walked into the courtyard, her fingers, which had been frozen in the night, could not help but seek for the source of heat and climbed onto Xie Bufeng's strong and warm arms.
The person holding him finally couldn't help but stop and looked down at the person in his arms.
Xie Bufeng's blood almost burned him.
The desire grew in silence, yet he tried desperately to suppress it.
After a long while, Xie Bufeng finally slowly turned his head and, with great piety and caution, placed a kiss as light as it could be on Wen Qingci's cold, red fingertips.
Finally, as if as a punishment, he took a light bite.
There were shallow tooth marks left there.
(End of this chapter)