"What's going on?" Xiaocao asked hurriedly.
"Something happened in Lindu Prefecture. An epidemic broke out, and more than a hundred people died. We don't know how many people have been infected with the disease. Prince Heng has also been infected. If nothing unexpected happens, Prince Heng should have arrived by now, but the others..."
After the situation in Pushan County was stabilized, the two princes left, under the pretext of helping to screen other people who had come to or left Pushan County, as well as the people they had contacted. Their mission to Pushan County was completed, so Xiaocao naturally did not stop them, and in the end only a few officials of lower ranks were left behind.
King Heng was proud of his noble status and was so familiar with Xiaocao, so when he felt the situation was not good, he immediately rushed to Pushan County to seek medical treatment. It was a natural thing to do, but he had a lot of people around him, and he didn't know what their situations were.
Hearing this, Xiaocao's eyes went dark and his face turned even darker. "What on earth is going on? Didn't they say that after a thorough investigation, the situation was under control? It's only been a few days, and so many people died all of a sudden?"
"The prefect of Lindu Prefecture, the old bastard surnamed Wu, did not follow your instructions and contact his family immediately after returning from Pushan County. However, because you had said so in advance, he did not show up in public, and his family did not take it seriously.
Because you gave the order to stop the banquet, those restless girls and boys did not call their friends to hold a gathering or banquet, but instead brought a large group of servants to the farm to have fun. The people on the farm came forward to flatter them in various ways. From that day on, people began to fall ill one after another. Some were in serious condition and died within a few days.
The old bastard did get the news first, but he knew there were no symptoms and was not sure what the situation was. However, he did not do as you instructed, probably because he felt guilty, so he concealed the situation and did not report it. He even did not allow his children on the farm to go home. Then he blocked the entire farm. The farm was not small and there were many people. The sick people could not get treatment and had no way to seek treatment. Some people had the idea of dragging others to die together. They did not do anything extreme, but just ran around everywhere without making a sound, causing more and more people to be infected with the disease.
Later, too many people died, and other officials' families also suffered from the disease. Finally, it could no longer be covered up, so someone hurriedly reported the matter."
Xiao Cao was so angry that she almost vomited blood. She had repeatedly ordered them, but they all agreed to her at the time, but they turned a deaf ear to her words! She was so angry that she wanted to kill someone.
"Sister, the official is fine, will he..."
"Wuguo, you don't understand. He carries the disease on him. Maybe his physique is relatively special, so he has no symptoms. But such people are a minority after all. He may still pass the disease on to other people, especially the elderly, children, and people with weak physiques. With Prefect Wu being special, there may be other people who are easily infected by the disease."
Fan Wuguo was originally confused, wondering whether the news from Lindu Prefecture was wrong, or someone was framing the prefect or something, but now that Xiaocao explained it, all his doubts were gone.
"Sister, what should we do now? The problems in other officials' families might also be related to Old Turtle's family, but we were not sure before. Maybe they didn't listen to you like Old Turtle did. They felt guilty and didn't want to ruin your impression and your future, so they concealed the matter. In this way, we don't know how many people were exposed to the disease and how many people were infected with it."
"Well, you should immediately pass a message to Governor Zhao for me, asking him to leave behind one thousand households and take the rest back to Lindu Prefecture. Then he should take over the garrison there, immediately seal off the city of Lindu Prefecture, and prohibit entry and exit. Anyone who attempts to leave Lindu Prefecture in any way must be arrested immediately and severely punished afterwards. If they resist, you can kill them as a warning to others." When Xiaocao said this, her eyes were chilly. This time, she was really angry.
"I see."
"Also, in Lindu City, temporarily let the people stay at home like Pushan County, and let the officials below do a good job of comforting them. Also, have someone prepare some things that are needed in various aspects. Get ready immediately, and we will set off for Lindu Prefecture later."
Because some of the things sent by Wei Tingyu did not actually pass through Lindu Prefecture, so the things in Lindu Prefecture are probably far less complete than those in Pushan County, and the delivery location will only be changed after they receive the news.
"Okay, I'll go right away?"
"Well, go ahead."
After Fan Wuguo left, Xiaocao turned around and immediately summoned medical staff, saying that there was a problem in Lindu Prefecture and the situation was serious and they needed to rush there immediately. She would take most of the people away, and leave a small number of people in Pushan County. She had a heavy responsibility and it was hard work, but according to the previous situation, she would probably be busy. There were ways to deal with both mild and severe cases. If any abnormalities were found, the person could be sent to Lindu Prefecture immediately. It was more than 200 miles from here, which was not particularly far.
Lindu Prefecture is different from Pushan County. Its population is more than ten times larger. It can be imagined that once something goes wrong, the situation will be very serious.
Whether to go there or not, Xiaocao still adhered to the principle of voluntariness. After giving the instructions, she turned around and went to pack her things. Outside, Xiaocao's things were simple, so it didn't take much time at all.
When I came back, I found that the people who left had already made their decision. More people left than expected, about 80%, which made Xiaocao very happy. However, "too few people stayed. Let's leave more."
"Princess, no need. Lindu Prefecture has a large population, and we don't know what the situation is. You bring too few people, so it definitely won't work. The situation here is clear and stable. Even if we have fewer people, it will just be a little harder. There will definitely be fewer and fewer patients, and we will only have it easier, so you don't have to worry about us." A middle-aged doctor persuaded.
"Yes, princess, even if things get worse, we are still here. We are not lying in bed and unable to get up. We can still help with other things. So princess, please take more people with you. Princess, you should be considerate of us common people. When we are sick, our families should take care of us, but the princess..." An old man wiped his eyes when he said this. They were insignificant and their lives were worthless. People with some status and position actually didn't take them seriously. But this princess was different. She took all of them seriously and even valued them. How could this not make people feel touched? "If the princess is willing, we are willing to serve you."
"Don't."
"So Princess, please bring more people with you and don't tire yourself out. Princess, don't worry about the matters outside the county government office. I guarantee that everything will be handled properly and there won't be any trouble."
—Those things happened earlier because they were in despair. People with prestige did not stand up, and even if they did, they might not be able to appease them. It is different now. No one wants to destroy it. Everyone works together and can naturally maintain this orderly state.
When Xiaocao is busy, she works so hard and is so tired. Anyone who is not blind can see clearly that she has lost more than a circle of weight compared to the beginning. When her family saw her after she returned, they felt so distressed. No matter which family she was born in, they would be willing to hold such a girl in their hands and want to pamper her well, but, but...
"I have received your kindness, so it is fine. Then you should pack your things quickly and set off in half an hour."
The people outside the county government office didn't know what had happened, but the departure of 20,000 imperial guards would naturally cause quite a stir. There were always some people in Pushan County who were not staying at home, and they were curious for a moment.
Speaking of which, when these people first arrived, they were nervous, but after getting used to it, they didn't think it was a big deal. Moreover, sometimes, they would even offer help. While being flattered, their favorability towards them naturally soared. Some girls who were waiting to be married couldn't help but be attracted to them. Unfortunately, they could only take a look at them secretly and fantasize in their hearts, nothing else.
Now these people suddenly left, is there something wrong, or is it that Pushan County no longer needs them to guard it? The former is hard to say, but the latter at least shows that the situation in Pushan County has improved a lot.
The person I used to see from time to time is now gone suddenly, and I feel a little empty inside.
However, when these people noticed the movement in the government office, they could no longer sit still. It didn't take long for them to go from panic and fear to peace of mind. They didn't know when they had the idea that everything would be fine with Princess Anguo and her men in charge. The epidemic hasn't ended yet, and now they're leaving? Their hearts were in their throats.
More and more people gathered, and some people who were originally at home heard the news and could not help but run out.
Xiaocao had to say something to comfort them. It was the same as before, but some things that were originally done by the soldiers needed them to organize manpower to do. However, she was in a hurry, so a doctor from Pushan County came forward to take her place. This man, who was over 50 years old, had come into contact with many patients with the epidemic before Xiaocao and his friends arrived, and he had persisted until now without any problem.
This person is obviously more prestigious.
By the time Xiaocao and the others set out, it took less than half an hour, probably just a little over a quarter of an hour, to prevent more people from gathering. However, these people still did not disperse. Those who had taken certain protective measures still accompanied them all the way until Xiaocao and the others left the city.
Although Xiaocao was sitting in the carriage, she was still not idle. There was a constant stream of flying letters coming in about the situation in Lindu. Fan Wuguo rode a horse outside the carriage and kept passing the news to Xiaocao.
What happened in Lindu Prefecture was originally only a matter of the upper class circles, but now it seems that it can no longer be concealed, and there is a tendency for it to spread to ordinary people. If hundreds of thousands of people in Lindu Prefecture were to become chaotic, one can imagine what the consequences would be.
Xiaocao really wanted to know what those officials were doing for a living and what they were doing to make things worse and worse.
"Sister, don't worry too much. Commander Zhao has already brought a few people to Lindu Prefecture as fast as he can. He will take over the soldiers there first, and it should be no problem to control the situation in Lindu Prefecture."
"We can only hope so now." There are still people from the Dongqing Provincial Government in Lindu City. Officials of all levels should know that if something goes wrong in Lindu City, they will be in trouble, so they will definitely try to control the situation.
Thinking about it this way, Xiaocao realized that he might have been thinking wrongly before.
On the way, they met people who were rushing to look for Xiaocao. King Heng was half dead, and the others were also anxious, with red eyes. They looked like their master was on his last breath and was about to die.
Xiaocao didn't allow anyone else to contact them, so she brought doctors to treat them one by one. The person Xiaocao treated was naturally King Heng.
Xiaocao took the pulse, asked about the situation, and observed King Heng's condition. There was a hint of subtlety in her eyes, and then she calmly asked King Heng, "How did the disease occur?"
King Heng naturally didn't think much about it at this time. Since it was a matter of life and death, he told almost everything.
"Your Highness, don't worry. You just have a common illness, not an epidemic. Just stay away from the cold at night and be gentle during sex. You will be fine after taking two doses of medicine." Xiaocao said lightly.
When Prince Heng heard this, his face turned pale and blue, which was very beautiful.
Fan Wuguo originally followed Xiaocao to see if Prince Heng was going to die, but he ended up with this conclusion, "The prince is busy with official duties, but he is still living a carefree life in Lindu Mansion."