At noon the next day, Shen Qingwan and Fu Yuheng had lunch and waited together in the hall for the doctor from the capital to arrive.
"Your Majesty, the doctors have arrived at the gate of the Governor's Mansion." Sun Ning came in hurriedly from outside the door to report.
"Hurry, let them in." Upon hearing this, Fu Yuheng suddenly stood up from the wooden chair, looking a little anxious. He had trouble sleeping at night because of the plague.
Doctors from the capital came into the hall one after another, carrying medicine boxes. When they saw Fu Yuheng, they all knelt down and put down their luggage. The leading imperial physician saluted and said, "We have hurried here, so you have to wait. Please forgive us, Your Majesty."
"No need to be polite." Fu Yuheng waved his hand. "Hurry up and prepare the medicine. The scope of the plague is still small now, and it must be controlled as soon as possible. The weather in the south is hot and humid, and there are many mosquitoes. The plague spreads quickly, so you must treat the patients urgently."
"We obey your command." The doctors stood up and swore solemnly, but in fact they were also worried that they would accidentally contract the plague.
"Your Majesty, Jiangnan is so vast. I wonder if Your Majesty has any arrangements for where to start?" The leading imperial physician stood in front of Fu Yuheng and asked.
"I have arranged a local doctor named Zhou Yuan. Now I will send you to assist him in treating the epidemic among the people. Just follow Doctor Zhou's arrangements in everything." Fu Yuheng waved his sleeves, but he was not as worried as he was at the beginning.
"The local doctor?" The leading doctor Li couldn't help but repeat it, his eyes narrowed, as if he doubted whether he had heard it wrongly.
"Why? Do you have any objections, my dear?" Fu Yuheng heard the doubt in Li Imperial Physician's words, raised his eyebrows and asked back.
"I dare not, but the emperor has said before that the epidemic is still in its early stages. I wonder how good the local doctor is and whether he can serve as the attending physician." Imperial Physician Li's eyes turned, and then he stepped forward, his tone seemingly respectful. His words seemed to speak out the thoughts of the doctors in the capital behind him, and they all began to discuss in a low voice.
"That's right. How can a local doctor compare with doctors like us in the capital? If he becomes the attending physician, he will take away the position of Imperial Physician Li. I don't know who Zhou Yuan is."
"Quiet!" Fu Yuheng narrowed his sharp eyes and shouted with some displeasure.
The hall suddenly fell silent. The doctors looked at each other, waiting for Fu Yuheng to speak.
"Go and call Zhou Yuan over." Seeing that the doctor stopped talking, Fu Yuheng turned around and shouted at Sun Ning.
Zhou Yuan came over quickly, and all the eyes of the doctors in the capital were focused on him for a moment, but he continued to walk into the hall calmly, not paying any attention to the doctors' gazes.
"Doctor Zhou, these are the doctors I urgently transferred here. From now on, they will follow you to treat the people." Fu Yuheng knew in his heart that these doctors in Beijing had some complaints about the ability of Zhou Yuan, a country doctor, but he believed that as long as they saw his medical skills, they would be convinced.
"I would like to thank the emperor on behalf of the common people."
"Thank you for your hard work these days, Doctor Zhou." Fu Yuheng looked at Zhou Yuan with eyes full of expectations.
"We must do our best." Zhou Yuan's voice was steady and convincing.
"There is no time to lose. Doctor Zhou can take your people away now." Fu Yuheng waved his hand. The doctors in the capital no longer dared to object. They turned around and followed Zhou Yuan away.
The group passed a house and heard desperate crying from inside. Zhou Yuan stopped and went in to check. Although the doctors in the capital were reluctant, they had no choice but to follow him in.
As soon as Zhou Yuan entered the house, he saw a woman lying on the bed. Her face was ashen and she looked like she was dying. After asking her family, he learned that she had contracted an epidemic disease and was basically terminally ill. The family, which was not wealthy to begin with, could no longer afford the money to treat the woman, and could only watch the woman's life fade away bit by bit.
He walked to the bedside and gave the woman a simple examination. Then he turned to look at the doctors from the capital behind him and raised his voice slightly, "Do you doctors from the capital have any good way to save this woman's life?"
The doctors looked at each other, and finally looked at the leading doctor, Imperial Physician Li, as if asking for help.
"This..." Imperial Physician Li looked at the woman's condition and was at a loss for a moment. "Even if she can be saved, I'm afraid she won't live long."
Zhou Yuan said nothing. He asked someone to bring some herbs, added aloe vera, and then mixed them together and mashed them. He asked the family to find a pot for decocting medicine, boil the herbs, and let the woman drink it.
Before leaving, Zhou Yuan left behind some medicine that could last for several days, and then instructed the family to boil the medicine for the woman on time.
A few days later, Zhou Yuan and Imperial Physician Li returned to the family for a follow-up check and found that the woman's condition had improved significantly. She was barely breathing before, but now her spirits have improved. Although she is still weak, her complexion is much better.
Imperial Physician Li was stunned at the time, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart that Zhou Yuan's medical skills were truly extraordinary. No wonder Fu Yuheng trusted him so much.
Seeing is believing, and everyone was convinced.
After Zhou Yuan's careful treatment, Li Chaoyang has almost recovered. After Shen Qingwan learned the news, she took Lianyun to visit him.
"Governor Li?" She raised her hand and knocked on the door.
"Is it the Queen?" Li Chaoyang's voice came from inside the room. He could recognize Shen Qingwan's voice, but he was not very sure.
Shen Qingwan stood outside, looking worried. "It's me. I heard that you were feeling better, so I asked Lianyun to make some nourishing soup and came to visit you. You've put a lot of effort into the construction of the dam, and the people are looking forward to your recovery."
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. Your health is precious, and I am afraid that you will be sick. Please leave the soup at the door, and I can take it myself."
"That's fine." Shen Qingwan originally wanted to go into the house and talk to Li Chaoyang. His body had recovered, so she didn't mind talking to him in person. It was rare for him to be so considerate and considerate of her body, so she didn't insist.
Li Chaoyang has been unable to go out these days and is very concerned about the project. "I haven't been able to go to the diversion and water control site in person these days, and I don't know how the project is progressing."
Shen Qingwan's heart moved, "Governor Li, don't worry. The project is progressing smoothly. The sick workers have been replaced by new workers, and their condition is under control." He is indeed a good official who loves the people. She is relieved to have him in Jiangnan.
"When I fully recover, I will definitely thank the Empress in person." Li Chaoyang was very grateful that she followed up on the progress of the project in real time.
"It's all for the people, there's no need to thank me. You should take good care of yourself in the next few days. The people still need a governor like you to govern them." Hearing this, her brows finally relaxed a little. Things were finally moving in a good direction.