Du Gu Luanyue dismounted and quickly helped Wang Huyang up.
"What did you say? How did Huo Wei contract the plague?"
Huo Wei had been heavily protected all this time and had been fine. How could he suddenly contract the plague? Doubts welled up in her heart.
Wang Huyang, a strong man, couldn't help feeling a pang of sadness.
"Your Highness, please go to the yamen quickly. I'm not good at words and don't know where to start.
Military Advisor Shen has already taken the prince back to the yamen and is treating him. I still have to go to the South Gate to stop people."
Hearing it was the South Gate, Sheng Yunqi's heart tightened. He quickly said from behind,
"Was that explosion just now because someone blew up the South Gate? Have any people from Beiyan's Danyang City flowed into Southern Chu?"
After all, he was from Southern Chu, and Southern Chu was his motherland. At this moment, his heart started to tighten suddenly.
Wang Huyang said, "The South Gate has been blown to pieces. The prince fought desperately to stop people and had a conflict with the common people. No one has managed to break through the pass yet."
Sheng Yunqi looked at Du Gu Luanyue, his expression turning solemn. If Huo Wei and the others failed to defend the city and these Beiyan people flowed into Southern Chu, Southern Chu would face a disastrous catastrophe.
This situation had suddenly become very tricky.
Du Gu Luanyue asked in a deep voice, "What's the current situation at the South Gate?"
Wang Huyang replied, "The prince has sent heavy troops to guard the South Gate. There was just a commotion. We old subordinates have set up some mechanisms under the city gate according to the battlefield methods, which can hold off for a while.
But if there is no complete solution, it will still be very difficult to defend the South Gate.
Although the number of infected people in Danyang City has been decreasing, there are always some people spreading rumors from time to time, which makes people panic. The sick and the healthy start running around everywhere, and it's very difficult to manage."
Du Gu Luanyue had previously visited the area hardest hit by the plague.
Those who contracted the plague would die within three or four days if there was no antidote. Even with the antidote, it would take seven or eight days to recover.
But during the recovery period, these people would have the strength to run around, and they would still infect the healthy people.
And the city was full of people. It was really difficult to separate them completely. If things went on like this, the plague would never end, and the supplies would not last much longer.
With the backbone like Huo Wei down, there were some people with ulterior motives in the city. One didn't know how they would spread rumors and cause trouble. It seemed that this matter was really very tricky.
She suppressed the collapse and anxiety in her heart, her face cold and calm.
"Deputy General Wang, you go and defend the city gate quickly. I'll go and see the prince now."
After saying that, she mounted her horse again and galloped towards the yamen. Sheng Yunqi walked beside her. "Luanyue, give me an order. I want to leave the city."
Du Gu Luanyue said while spurring her horse, "Do you want to go back to Southern Chu to tell the defending generals to start mobilizing troops to guard the border immediately?"
Sheng Yunqi nodded. "Yes. We experienced such a disaster in Southern Chu when we were young. Half of the country fell and countless people died.
I will never watch Southern Chu be destroyed by these Beiyan people. Let me leave the city to send the news first."
Du Gu Luanyue dismounted from her tall horse when she reached the yamen. Standing under the sun, she squinted her eyes.
"Yunqi, I know you're worried about Southern Chu, but this matter is too important.
Once Beiyan discovers that Southern Chu has mobilized troops to kill the Beiyan people, a war between the north and the south will break out immediately. At this moment... I dare not make this decision lightly. Let me think for a while."
Sheng Yunqi nodded. "Okay."
They walked into the yamen and rushed straight to Huo Wei's room.
They found Shen Guilan standing rigidly in front of Huo Wei's room. There were many broken medicine bowls on the ground. Shen Guilan was pounding on the door frantically.
"Huo A'man, are you crazy? Do you really want to die? Open the door quickly!"
Du Gu Luanyue lifted her skirt and ran over. "Military Advisor Shen, what is Huo Wei up to this time?"
When Shen Guilan saw Du Gu Luanyue coming, before he could answer her, he immediately said to the person inside the room,
"Listen, who's here! Open the door quickly and try this medicine again. I'm not afraid of being infected by you. Open the door quickly, you crazy person!"
There was no response from inside. Shen Guilan didn't dare to force his way in. He was afraid that Huo Wei would choose to end his own life in a moment of desperation.
Du Gu Luanyue also knocked on the door.
"Huo Wei, what's wrong with you exactly? If you accidentally contracted the plague, doesn't Military Advisor Shen have a prescription? You just need to take the medicine on time, and you'll be fine in seven or eight days. Why are you hiding?"
Shen Guilan placed his hand on the door, his pale lips trembling. "The plague that Huo Wei contracted has combined with the snake venom remaining in his body. Now this plague has mutated.
The toxicity is much stronger than before. My prescription is no longer effective. I'm still trying out new medicines, but none of them have worked so far.
He's afraid of infecting me, so he has refused to take the medicine.
The soldiers who carried him back were clearly fully armed. But within half an hour of coming back, they showed the same symptoms as Huo Wei. The weaker one has already died.
I guess that as long as anyone has the slightest contact with Huo Wei now, they will very easily contract this mutated plague. Once they contract it, they will definitely die."
Before, he had always stood far away and placed the medicine bowl in front of the door. Huo Wei would squat down and take the medicine bowl in to drink.
At this moment, Shen Guilan was so anxious that he was almost going crazy. His tired face was covered in sweat from anxiety.
When Du Gu Luanyue heard this news, it felt as if a heavy weight had been placed on her chest. Even her breathing became heavy. She said in a trembling voice,
"With the previous plague, no matter what, people would only die three or four days after being infected. There was no one who died within half a day like this... The snake venom has combined with the plague..."
She became a bit emotional and pounded on the door forcefully. "Huo Wei, can you hear me outside? If you can hear me and if you're still alive, say something!"
After a long silence from inside, a low and slow voice floated out. "I'm not dead yet, but I will be soon."
Murong Jue came running over crying and pointed at Du Gu Luanyue's nose and scolded,
"Look, it's all your fault! If my brother hadn't saved you and inhaled the snake venom, he wouldn't have ended up like this.
Since he met you, he has either been bleeding and injured or on the verge of death. I've had enough. Now you're going to kill him!"
Du Gu Luanyue's long crow feathers trembled. Her eye sockets suddenly turned scarlet. Facing Murong Jue's accusation, she couldn't say a single word in defense.
Indeed, if Huo Wei hadn't saved her that day, he wouldn't be on the verge of death today, without even a chance of survival.
Her dark red robe was full of sweat. Her sore throat swallowed several times, and her face became dull and sallow.
Huo Wei was squatting under the door. His body was alternately cold and hot. His forehead was covered in sweat, and he was already groggy and weak all over.
He heard Murong Jue scolding Du Gu Luanyue and still mustered up the strength, but his voice was a bit weak. "Murong Jue, if you can't speak properly, you can cut out your own tongue."
Murong Jue scolded, "You're about to die, and you still want to protect this person. She's your bad luck star, a bad luck star!"
After saying that, he sat down on the steps and cried sadly. If Shen Guilan's medical skills couldn't save Huo Wei, there was no hope from the imperial physicians.
Shen Guilan had told him that Huo Wei came to Danyang City not only for the sake of the country and the people,
but also because Queen Du Gu had pleaded with him to defend Danyang City and prevent the plague from flowing into Southern Chu, which was why he had come south.
Now, for this woman, who was also his father's woman, he was going to lose his life.
Murong Jue shouted unwillingly, "If my brother dies, I'll make you accompany him in death!"
A low growl came from inside the room. "Murong Jue!"
Sheng Yunqi and Nanny Mei Jiang glanced at each other, and they understood each other's thoughts.
Once the Prince of Yuzhang died, the mission would be over. In a few days, they could leave this mess in Danyang City and return to Southern Chu.
Without Huo Wei, Southern Chu didn't seem to be as afraid of Beiyan's million-strong army as before.
Du Gu Luanyue looked back at Nanny Mei Jiang, her jade eyes turning cold. "Nanny, give me that thing."
Nanny Mei Jiang was in a daze for a while. "This old servant is deaf and can't hear."