"Feng Jin, come out, come out!"
Once afflicted with the plague, it was a dead end. Throughout history, no one had ever survived the plague.
Ling Mohan was like a madman at this moment. If not for the soldiers watching him, he would have already smashed down the door.
"Ling Mohan, listen to me. Hurry and leave now. If you dare to force your way in, I'll kill myself!"
Feng Jin's tone was stern as she threatened Ling Mohan. She knew his character too well; otherwise, he would have rushed in without regard for anything.
Hearing this, Ling Mohan immediately calmed down. His voice was almost pleading, "Feng Jin, be sensible, don't do anything rash. That's the plague, not a common illness. Can you come out?"
A sense of dread, of losing Feng Jin, spread through Ling Mohan's heart. It was the first time he had felt so helpless and afraid of losing someone.
Feng Jin wiped away the tears from her eyes and said in a low voice, "Hurry and leave now. You know my personality. Lu Shi, take your young general away."
"Young general, I beg you, please go!"
Lu Shi knelt before Ling Mohan with helplessness, begging him to leave. Seeing that he still didn't move, Lu Shi hardened his heart, "Young general, please forgive my presumption."
Finally, Ling Mohan was forcibly taken away by Lu Shi and a few others, bruised and battered.
Only after Ling Mohan had left did Feng Jin slowly let out a sigh of relief. She looked at the people in the room, "Everyone, please believe me, I can cure your illness."
"I don't believe it, that's the plague, the plague... no one can live after contracting the plague."
"I want to go home... I want to go home..."
"We want to go home too. We'd rather die at home."
The room immediately descended into chaos. Countless patients struggled to get up and tried to leave.
Feng Jin's face sank. She kicked over a candlestick in front of her, and the loud noise immediately startled everyone into silence.
"I know you are all scared and terrified right now, but I beg you to believe me. I can cure your illness. If the plague were truly incurable, why would I stay here?"
"Who knows what your intentions are? How can we believe you?"
"I want to go home, I just want to go home!"
There were many dissenting voices in the crowd. The scene that had just been brought under control was about to become chaotic again. Feng Jin quickly stepped forward and said, "Simply because I am the wife of Young General Ling, and because I am the Princess of Jianing, personally bestowed by His Majesty, my status is far nobler than any of yours. I live in luxury and enjoy endless riches and prosperity every day!"
"If this plague were truly a dead end, why would I risk my life to stay here and wait to die with you? Why wouldn't I have turned and left the moment I learned you had the plague? I want to save you, but if you give up on your own lives, then I am powerless to help."
"This plague spreads extremely quickly. Some of you may have already contracted it. If you step out of this door today, your family, friends, and even the entire population of Yingzhong County will contract the plague. At that time, all the people of Yingzhong County will lose their lives because of your selfishness today. The door is there, and I will not stop you if you wish to leave. If you believe me, stay, and I will do my utmost to treat you!"
Feng Jin's words were sincere and deeply moving. Everyone exchanged glances. After a long pause, someone finally spoke, "This young lady's status is so much nobler than ours. She is not afraid of death and stays to save us, so why should we be afraid?"
"I'm not afraid. If I stay here, even if I die, it will only be myself. I cannot possibly implicate my wife and children."
"I'll stay too."
"I'll stay too."
...
As cries of agreement rose and fell, a smile appeared on Feng Jin's lips. No matter how terrifying the plague was, it was no match for the human heart. As long as hearts were united, even the greatest plague could not defeat them.
Feng Jin took each person's pulse one by one, made masks from simple bedsheets, and distributed them. The patients infected with the plague were segregated for care.
Just as the patients were settled, Lu Shi called out from outside the door, "Young Madam, Young Madam..."
"What is it?" He shouldn't be with Ling Mohan at this hour. Why is he here? "Did something happen to Ling Mohan?"
"Young Madam, the Young General is fine. It's just that several more people have been discovered on East Street with the same symptoms. Your subordinate is worried they have also contracted the plague."
Just as she had suspected, the plague was spreading so quickly.
"Move all the patients to this location. Also, bring along anyone who has had contact with them."
It was imperative to isolate and treat them centrally to control the spread of the plague and treat it more effectively.
"Your subordinate obeys!"
In less than half an hour, patients, along with those who had been in close contact with them, were brought in one after another.
The plague was spreading truly rapidly. In just one day, a hundred people had already been infected, and this number would continue to increase.
Feng Jin gathered several women from the area and, working through the night, made tens of thousands of masks. She handed them to Lu Shi when it was time for him to change shifts.
"Lu Shi, these are masks. Distribute them to the people and tell them to wear them carefully, reduce contact with patients, and send anyone discovered to have the plague here directly."
"Yes, Young Madam. You must be careful in everything."
Lu Shi was even more worried about Feng Jin's situation. Compared to outside, Feng Jin's current location was far more perilous.
"Don't worry, I'm fine. Take good care of Ling Mohan and don't let him overwork himself."
Feng Jin's heart was constantly concerned for Ling Mohan.
"Your subordinate remembers everything, Young Madam."
"Arrange for the soldiers to perform disinfection daily..."
Feng Jin also told Lu Shi some preventive measures for the plague. These were all basic measures that could effectively reduce the spread of the plague. However, a specific medicine for the plague needed to be found as soon as possible.
The number of patients infected with the plague was increasing daily, and Feng Jin was finding it increasingly difficult to care for so many people.
"Young Madam, is there anything we can do to help?"
The speaker was a girl of fifteen or sixteen, followed by a woman of similar age.
Feng Jin glanced at them and smiled, "If you want to help, you will have to have close contact with the plague patients. Are you two afraid?"
"We are not afraid. Young Madam, you are working very hard alone to care for so many patients. Let us two help you and share some of the burden."
"What is your name?"
"My name is Yunyun, and she is Xiaoniang."
"Yunyun, hold the medicine on the table and feed it to them. Xiaoniang, you stay here and watch the medicine furnace."
After Feng Jin finished speaking, she picked up the medicine herself and began to administer it to the patients. For those with milder symptoms, she allowed them to take the medicine themselves.