The situation, however, did not appear optimistic. Bodies were gathered and burned in a pit. The people were gaunt, lying scattered on the ground, unkempt and disheveled.
The city had been sealed. Those affected were concentrated in a specific area for quarantine. To control the spread of the plague, the afflicted were provided with free medicine and treatment, and the imperial physicians were summoned to assist.
Free porridge stalls were set up both inside and outside the city walls, providing sustenance, and the situation was relatively stable.
Shen Yue was dressed cleanly, and although she wore a cloth mask, her noble bearing was still evident.
Many citizens lining the roads stared at them intently. Starving, they crawled forward, attempting to approach, but were blocked by the guards.
"Please, sirs, bestow some food upon us..."
"Sirs, have mercy, sirs..."
The city was sealed. Half the population was infected with the plague. There was a scarcity of food and provisions, and with too many refugees, each person received only a meager amount.
Children were emaciated, mere skeletons, their eyes appearing disproportionately large.
As they entered the city, order improved considerably compared to the outside.
Upon entering the isolation area, Shen Yue heard the sounds of coughing from the entrance. Fu An, with a worried expression, held Shen Yue's arm, his exposed eyes filled with anxiety.
Shen Yue gave him a reassuring look and entered. Many refugees lay on the ground, their faces tinged green, their complexions dark purple, exuding an aura of death.
Shen Yue saw the Crown Prince. Dressed in simple attire, his face smudged with dust, he wore a mask to cover his nose and mouth, speaking in a low voice to the afflicted lying on the ground.
Guards brought the medicine, and the Crown Prince personally took it to administer. The refugees took a sip, but soon vomited it out. Their coughs were heart-wrenching, their faces flushed, and they writhed on the ground in agony.
Shen Yue took the medicine from a nearby guard and smelled it. Frowning, she whispered a few instructions. Shortly after, a guard returned from a tent, carrying another bowl of medicine to Shen Yue.
Approaching the Crown Prince, Shen Yue knelt and helped a man sit up. Just as she was about to administer the medicine, the Crown Prince grasped her wrist.
The Crown Prince's eyes were sharp and severe. He said coldly, "What medicine is that you're holding? Do you know that administering it carelessly could cost a life?"
Her wrist was held with considerable pain. Shen Yue tilted her chin slightly, her gaze as cold as ice. "Let go."
The Crown Prince, instead of releasing his grip, tightened it. He was convinced Shen Yue was acting recklessly, feigning knowledge she didn't possess.
Shen Yue endured for a moment, but couldn't hold back. She used her other hand to push the Crown Prince away. Caught off guard, he fell backward.
With the obstacle cleared, Shen Yue administered the medicine to the man. Within a short while, the man stopped coughing, and his complexion improved.
The man weakly opened his eyes and said to Shen Yue with difficulty, "Thank you, sir..."
The young man lowered his eyelids slightly, his features as exquisite as a painting, his voice deep and resonant. "Rest well."
The Crown Prince watched from the side, stunned, his gaze towards Shen Yue filled with immense complexity.
Shen Yue paid him no mind. After comforting the man, she entered the tent.
The Crown Prince sat on the ground for a moment before rising and following her into the tent.
"How did the Fourth Prince know this miraculous prescription? It can even suppress the spread of the illness," the imperial physician exclaimed excitedly. They had been researching for so long, only to grasp a mere fraction.
Shen Yue replied calmly, "I merely heard it from a friend, and dared to try it."
The Crown Prince scoffed, "And if something went wrong, wouldn't it have cost a life for no reason?"
The atmosphere immediately turned frigid. The imperial physician felt the undercurrent of tension between them, his gaze shifting between the two, not daring to speak. After all, their statuses were beyond his ability to offend.
Fu An stepped forward, bowed, and said neither servilely nor obsequiously, "Your Highness, you are mistaken. His Highness the Fourth Prince had a basis for this. He tested the medicine on the way, and there were no side effects."
Startled by the interjection of a eunuch, the Crown Prince was displeased. He coldly reprimanded, "I was speaking with the Fourth Prince. When did it become your turn to interrupt?"
Fu An lowered his head. "Your Highness, please calm your anger."
Shen Yue cast a dismissive glance at the Crown Prince, her expression utterly indifferent. "Disgraceful."
The imperial physician cautiously raised his eyes. Even with half his face covered, the Crown Prince's intense fury was palpable. His veins bulged, his eyes turned red, filled with resentment.
It seemed the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince were indeed as disharmonious as rumored. The Fourth Prince dared to speak to the Crown Prince in such a manner, truly audacious. It was indeed in line with the Fourth Prince's character.
"Your Highness, while the Ma Xing Shi Gan Decoction and Da Huang can indeed turn a crisis into safety, relapses are still possible. More suitable medication is needed to completely resolve it," the imperial physician wiped the cold sweat from his brow.
Shen Yue knew very well that the greatest credit for this plague belonged to Cheng Qian Gong, which also made Cheng Qian Gong famous. By chance, he researched "Yin Qiao San" with the imperial physician, eradicating the plague.
After a few words with the imperial physician, understanding the general situation in Xuzhou, Shen Yue appeared pensive. The situation was more severe than she had imagined.
The Crown Prince, still sulking nearby, his gaze fell upon Shen Yue again.
She wore a dark blue fitted outfit, like a branch of jade. Her sleeves were tight, revealing a sliver of her wrist. Earlier, he had been focused on finding fault with Shen Yue and hadn't paid attention to the force of his grip. Only now did he notice that the small patch of skin revealed on Shen Yue's wrist bore a red mark, a finger imprint.
He hadn't exerted much strength, so why was she so delicate?
He scoffed internally, but his gaze lingered on the faint pink mark, as delicate as a petal, unable to pull away.
When Shen Yue left, the Crown Prince, driven by an inexplicable urge, followed. Only when Shen Yue stopped and turned to look at him did the Crown Prince suddenly come to his senses, momentarily flustered and at a loss.
She looked at the Crown Prince, her gaze very faint, as if laced with icy indifference. "Why are you following me?"
The Crown Prince exhaled, forcefully suppressing the surge of aggression that welled up. He tried to remain calm. "I was wrong to accuse you earlier."
Shen Yue did not reply, merely watching him with disdain.
The Crown Prince's heart, already agitated, flared up again under her gaze. He felt Shen Yue was utterly unappreciative. After finally coming to apologize, Shen Yue's attitude was outright disrespectful. He was the Crown Prince; why should he stoop so low? He hadn't even settled the score with Shen Yue for calling him out earlier!
Instead, she was putting on a cold front for him.
Shen Yue completely disregarded the Crown Prince, finding him too foolish, his thoughts clearly displayed on his face.
With that clear, slightly indifferent gaze, aloof and detached, she said casually, "Brother Crown Prince, did you chase after me just to say that?"
Her tone was consistently mocking and sarcastic, like a condescending sneer, ridiculing his self-importance. The Crown Prince's teeth ached, wishing he could bite into her flesh.