The noble concubine said: "I heard that more than a hundred people were infected with the disease. The rest of the people had come into contact with the infected people and didn't know if they were infected with the disease, so they sealed off the village."
The Queen Mother said worriedly, "But the people of Shitou Village usually interact with other people. Are there any people doing business in the capital? If so, they may have unknowingly passed the virus to others, but they haven't developed the disease yet. If this is the case, the epidemic will spread very quickly."
The noble concubine also said with a worried look on her face: "Some villagers in Shitou Village cultivate the land, but some villagers also make a living outside. Of course, they have come into contact with other people. I heard that among those who are infected now, more than a dozen of them set up stalls and do small businesses in Beijing."
The Empress Dowager was horrified. "So, the epidemic could possibly spread to the capital? The capital is densely populated. If it spreads, it will be disastrous."
The noble concubine sighed softly, "That's why I'm worried. Otherwise, I wouldn't have rushed into the palace to tell you. This matter is really too serious. Now the people in the capital are in a panic. Everyone suspects that the other party is a zombie."
"This zombie?" The Queen Mother was a Buddhist who believed in supernatural things. "Could it be true?"
The noble concubine waved her hands, "It's not a zombie, it's just a disease."
"Is there nothing the imperial physician can do?"
The noble concubine said, "They said there is no way. How about you call the imperial physician to ask?"
The Empress Dowager immediately ordered Eunuch Sun, "Call the judge over here."
Eunuch Sun replied, "Yes, I will send someone to call them right away."
The court judge did not go to Shitou Village today, but sent two imperial doctors there. One of them was the imperial doctor Liu who treated Prince Liang that day. He was first saved by Concubine Mei and then appreciated by Concubine Yi, so he was allowed to serve in the palace while serving his sentence. Now that an epidemic has broken out and imperial doctors are needed to investigate, he, the criminal, will be the first to go.
So, when the judge came, he brought Liu, the imperial physician, with him.
Imperial Physician Liu knelt in front of the Empress Dowager and said with a lingering fear: "Empress Dowager, this is really horrible. This sick person is like a madman, and he keeps trying to bite people. If it weren't for the protection of the officers and soldiers, I'm afraid I would have been bitten by them."
"Has the disease been discovered?" asked the Queen Mother.
Imperial Physician Liu shook his head. "Please forgive me, Your Majesty. I am incompetent and don't know what the disease is. On the surface, it looks a bit like rabies, but rabies doesn't bite people. These infected people just want to bite people. Their eyes are like rabbits' eyes, bright red and scary. If you go there late at night, you might think you've seen a ghost."
The judge said, "You must not speak nonsense in front of the Empress Dowager."
Imperial Physician Liu said, "No, sir, if you had seen it with your own eyes, you would know that I am not exaggerating."
After hearing what Imperial Physician Liu said, the Empress Dowager couldn't help but feel a little scared. She also thought about how so many things had happened one after another, and how the descendants of the Murong family were not united. Could it be that God was angry and used the zombie plague to warn the royal family
As if she knew what the Empress Dowager was thinking, the Noble Concubine sighed and said, "There are many things going on in the country right now. Perhaps it's because we Murong Jie are not united. Thinking about what my sister did before, it was indeed excessive. Especially after Sizhu left, I reflect on myself every night and feel that I have committed a heinous crime. So today, in addition to telling my sister about this matter, I also want to say sorry to my sister. My sister really did a lot of wrong things. I hope my sister will forgive me."
The noble concubine had a sincere face and tears in her eyes, which made people feel that she really regretted it. The empress dowager was a sentimental person, especially since she was her own sister, so she said, "How could a sister really blame you? It's all in the past, and we should just be united as a family in the future."
The noble concubine shed tears of regret, "Sister, you are so generous. I finally understand why the late emperor has always been so kind to you. I am really not even a fraction as good as you."
The Queen Mother said in a reproachful tone, "Are you being stupid again? It's all in the past. We are sisters and served the late emperor together. We are the closest people and should not be distant and cold to each other. Moreover, Ajie is now the regent. You are the noble concubine in name, but you are as honorable as the queen. Instead of arguing about who is right and who is wrong, who is good and who is bad, we might as well think carefully about what methods can be used to resolve this disaster and relieve Ajie's worries."
The noble concubine sighed and said with a sad face: "What can we do now? The imperial physician said there is no other way, unless a miracle doctor comes from heaven."
The Queen Mother was moved when she heard this, "I wonder if Rang Zi'an has any ideas?"
The noble concubine was stunned for a moment, "She?" Then she waved her hand, "No, first of all, let's not talk about whether she has the medical skills. Even if she really has it, how can she, the daughter of the prime minister, go to the disaster area where the epidemic broke out? If anything goes wrong, where can we find a daughter to compensate the prime minister?"
The Queen Mother thought for a moment and said, "You have a point. Besides, our Great Zhou has the People's Welfare Bureau, the Imperial Physician, and so many outstanding doctors. We can't send a woman to the disaster area. If other countries see us, they will laugh at us."
"Isn't it?" The noble concubine glanced at Imperial Physician Liu.
Imperial Physician Liu knelt on the ground and said, "Empress Dowager, Noble Concubine, I have something to say, but I don't know whether I should say it or not."
The Queen Mother said unhappily, "Now that things have come to this, is there anything else that should not be said? Just say it."
Imperial Physician Liu said, "Yes, I think the Empress Dowager's suggestion is very good. Although the eldest lady of the Xia family is a woman, her medical skills are obvious to all. Before, when Prince Liang had epilepsy, we were helpless. It only took Miss Xia a few days to make Prince Liang completely recover. Later, when the prince was injured, it was also Miss Xia who treated him. And I heard that Princess Danqing was blind before, but now she has recovered. It's all thanks to Miss Xia. There are not many people in our Great Zhou with such superb medical skills. Although a woman should not be allowed to enter the disaster area, if Miss Xia really has a way, then the epidemic can be controlled and more than 700 people in Shitou Village can survive. This will be beneficial to the Great Zhou Dynasty."
The Queen Mother was somewhat tempted, but she still felt that it was inappropriate to let a woman go to the disaster area.
"Let's wait a little longer, maybe you can think of a solution." said the Queen Mother.
The noble concubine also said: "Yes, let's wait a little longer. If the imperial physician can't think of a solution, maybe the doctor from the Huimin Office can. We can't really ask a woman to go to the disaster area. If the news gets out, people will think that we have no one left in the Great Zhou."
After leaving the Empress Dowager's palace, the noble concubine told Ah Fu, "You should immediately make an appointment with the old lady to meet at Juxianju tonight."
"Yes!" Ah Fu responded and left.
The wise live inside.
The old lady arrived late tonight, making the noble concubine wait for half an hour.
But the noble concubine did not show any displeasure. When the old lady arrived, the noble concubine even poured tea for her personally.
"Madam, if you don't make a sound, it's fine. But when you do, it's a big surprise!" said the noble concubine with a smile.
(End of this chapter)