Murong Jue was almost jumping up and down. He paced back and forth in the room, exclaiming, "What should we do? Could it be that there's something wrong with this prescription? The sky is falling! There's chaos outside again!"
Shen Guilan sat on the stool, holding the prescription with cold fingertips. Usually calm, there was now a hint of panic in his expression. "The medicine brewed according to this prescription has been tested on more than a dozen patients by myself. I've seen their symptoms gradually ease and finally recover. Each patient passed through my hands personally. How could the condition of other patients worsen after taking it?"
Lieutenant Wang Huyang came to report, "Your Majesty the Queen, Your Highness the Prince. I've been to make a count. Five hundred and forty - three civilians died in the city the day before yesterday, one thousand four hundred and fifty yesterday, and today the number has skyrocketed to six thousand. I've led my men to search for firewood in the mountains non - stop to build cremation platforms, but we can't even burn all the corpses in time. The civilians in the city don't understand that we're cremating the corpses to prevent the spread of the plague. Some of them have come to snatch the bodies of their family members, and the situation has become chaotic again. It's hard to suppress."
The prescription was placed beside Dugu Luanyue's elbow, weighted down by a teacup. Her face was calm. "I see. First, stop distributing the antidote brewed by the court. Only distribute food. Thoroughly demarcate the plague - affected areas for those infected. They mustn't move around freely to prevent the further spread of the plague. Spread my order that Danyang City is now in a state of war. If any civilian is found wandering around the streets or arguing with the soldiers, arrest them immediately and send them to prison. For those with serious offenses, execute them on the spot without further report!"
Huo Wei cast a look at her with his black eyes, the corners of his thin lips curving. He thought that she could be tender and docile one moment and as ruthless as a wild fox the next. After all, a fox was a wild animal, and it was not to be provoked when enraged.
At this moment, Shen Guilan could no longer sit still. Although he was a military advisor, he was also a doctor. Hearing that so many people had died, his heart was in a complete mess. He felt as if he had killed them himself. He stood up and was about to rush out when Huo Wei called out to him, "Senior Brother, sit down. We can't be hasty."
Shen Guilan's eyes were blood - red. He said excitedly, "How can I not be hasty? My prescription has caused so many deaths!"
Dugu Luanyue brought him a cup of freshly brewed tea and pressed him back onto the wooden chair. "Although the prescription was written by you, it was I who issued the order for its distribution. It was I who took over the governance of Danyang City. I shall bear the main responsibility for this. Military Advisor Shen, you don't need to blame yourself too much."
Hearing her words, Huo Wei was reminded of his time in the army. Whenever his subordinates made mistakes, as the chief general, he always took the responsibility upon himself because the final order was issued by him, the supreme commander, and he also had his share of the blame. Dugu Luanyue's way of handling this matter was exactly the same as his.
Huo Wei remained extremely calm and didn't get angry. "Don't you usually have the habit of writing many drafts of prescriptions? Go and take a look at them again to see if there are any mistakes."
Dugu Luanyue nodded. "Yes. When we encounter problems, we should solve them together. There's no need to blame each other within our group. We all bear responsibility. Military Advisor Shen, you don't need to take all the blame on yourself."
She knew that the pressure was overwhelming, but she didn't let the negative atmosphere spread within the group. Although she was extremely anxious inside, her outward emotions remained stable. She even had to comfort those around her when the sky seemed to be falling. This was the most basic and essential quality for a ruler.
Murong Jue watched them cooperate with each other, feeling extremely annoyed. Why did the Queen act like a debauched and bewitching beauty in front of his father, but like a virtuous and helpful wife in front of Huo Wei? Was his father just a fool who squandered money?
Shen Guilan stared blankly at Dugu Luanyue. The veins on his temples were throbbing. His eyes, which were already blood - red from staying up late to study prescriptions, were now filled with ferocious bloodstains. Indeed, since the incident happened, neither the Queen nor the Prince of Yuzhang had blamed him. Instead, they had been comforting him.
Shen Guilan felt a heavy weight on his chest. He turned around and walked out. "I'll go back to my room to check the drafts. I'll come back later."
After Shen Guilan had walked away, Huo Wei said in a low voice, "Thank you."
Dugu Luanyue turned her head, looking a bit puzzled. "Why are you thanking me?"
Huo Wei leaned back on the wide chair. His expression darkened. "Senior Brother has always been an excellent doctor. He's a proud man. After making such a serious mistake, he must be very self - reproachful. I'm thanking you for not blaming or punishing him at this moment."
Although Shen Guilan had tried his best to suppress his mental breakdown, only Huo Wei knew how broken his heart was. It was as painful as a war god general suffering consecutive defeats. For a doctor, this was the greatest pain.
Dugu Luanyue sat down beside him and calmly poured a cup of tea. "Everyone makes mistakes. In a team, when a serious mistake occurs, the first thing to do is to solve the problem, not to blame the teammates. No matter how serious the mistake is, we should wait until the problem is solved before making a judgment. The most terrifying thing about this incident is that while the outside is in complete chaos, we also start to fall apart inside."
Murong Jue blinked his innocent big eyes. "What are you talking about? What should we do now?"
Just after a cup of tea had passed, Shen Guilan rushed over in a hurry. "All my drafts of prescriptions and my ideas about treating the plague have disappeared!"
Dugu Luanyue let out a cold laugh. A cold arc appeared on her red lips. "There's a mole." She had been fully occupied with dealing with the plague and hadn't had the time to think about the previous strange incidents. She never expected that the mole would cause trouble again.
Huo Wei's black eyes flashed with killing intent. "The mole is within the government yamen. I'll investigate it myself."
But Dugu Luanyue objected. "No. It's already so chaotic outside. If we start investigating the mole inside, it will only make everyone panic and the army's morale unstable. Huo Wei, leave this matter to me. You need to assign more men to strengthen the patrol in the city. We can't let the civilians gather and cause trouble anymore, or the plague will spread again."
Shen Guilan took deep breaths, feeling extremely unhappy. "Who on earth is it? Someone must have tampered with my prescription!"
Huo Wei nodded. "Okay." Then he stood up and walked out. He patted Shen Guilan on the shoulder. "Don't be afraid. The Queen and I will shield you. Hurry up and come up with a new prescription. What's the use of stomping your feet here?"
There were more than eighty kinds of medicinal herbs in the prescription, each with a different and extremely precise dosage. Without detailed records, even a doctor would find it difficult to remember all the dosage divisions. But if the dosage of those medicinal herbs was slightly changed, the antidote could very likely become a poison, taking countless lives.
Three days later, Shen Guilan confidently handed the prescription to Dugu Luanyue in front of everyone. "This time, I've conducted repeated tests. There won't be any more mistakes."
After Dugu Luanyue received the prescription, she returned to her room. Before dusk, she felt a bit unwell and summoned the imperial physician to feel her pulse. Unexpectedly, as soon as she stood up, her vision began to blur and she felt weak all over. She slumped onto the round table and didn't move.