Dad, don't be greedy! My brother climbed into the emperor's bed, and I became famous overn

Today, Weihuzhai has become a disinfectant manufacturing base.

The guys were working with great enthusiasm.

The mine is being dug, and the stove is being lit.

Everything is just getting started.

But Kyoto can't wait any longer.

"Taozhi, pack your things."

Peach branch raised its head from the pile of account books.

"Miss, where are you going?"

"Go back to Kyoto."

Just past 3 PM, the gates of Kyoto were in sight.

Gu Mingyue lifted the carriage curtain and looked out. There were twice as many guards at the city gate as usual.

People lined up in long queues to enter the city, hurrying along, many covering their mouths and noses with their sleeves.

A faint, bitter smell of brewing medicine wafted in the air.

Gu Mingyue did not go back to the mansion first, but went straight to Broken Tile Lane.

The carriage stopped at the alley entrance, and she jumped down and walked quickly inside.

The alley was much cleaner than when she left, and the walls, painted with lime water, still had a white tinge.

But the atmosphere was clearly off.

Two long queues formed at the entrance of the ancestral hall.

One line leads to the alleyway where patients come for medical treatment, winding their way out.

The other path was shorter, and several men with somber expressions were carrying medicinal herbs to the backyard.

Shi Buji stood behind the counter in the front hall, his lips chapped and his eyes dark, clearly indicating that he hadn't slept well for several days.

"Boss!"

The moment he saw Gu Mingyue, he tensed up and his voice trembled.

"Dr. Fang is in the backyard, waiting for you to return!"

Gu Mingyue walked through the front hall, around the medicine cabinet, and pushed open the wooden door to the backyard.

More than thirty people were already lying on the communal sleeping platform in the backyard.

Each berth was separated by a bamboo curtain with white cloth strips tied to it. Some of the strips read "Hot," some "Cough," and some "Heavy."

Fang Henian was squatting in the corner, taking the pulse of an old man.

His face was covered with a cloth, revealing only his bloodshot eyes.

Hearing footsteps, Fang Henian looked up.

"I'm back."

There were no small talk, no formalities, not even a single form of address.

Gu Mingyue was already used to his way of speaking.

"When did it start?"

Eight days ago.

Fang Henian stood up and wiped his hands on his protective skirt.

"At first, there were only a few individual customers with coughs and fevers, so I didn't pay much attention to them."

"On the fourth day, the symptoms suddenly returned to normal: high fever, dry cough, coughing up blood, and shortness of breath."

He led Gu Mingyue to the innermost room in the backyard, a small, secluded room.

"The heaviest ones are in here."

Pushing open the door, I saw five people lying inside.

Everyone had a sallow complexion, rapid breathing, and purple lips.

Gu Mingyue stood at the door for two seconds before stepping out.

"What about diffusion?"

"Strong." Fang Henian's tone was cold and hard. "Two of the doctors I treated have already shown coughing symptoms, so I separated them."

"Where are your masks? Are you wearing them?"

"They're on. I've distributed all the stock you left behind before you left. But there aren't enough; I can only guarantee one for each person in the backyard."

"What about the front hall?"

"The guys in the front hall said it was stuffy and hot to wear them."

Fang Henian's tone finally carried a hint of emotion.

Some helpless.

Gu Mingyue turned her head and called out to the outside.

"Stone is useless!"

Shi Buji's head popped out from behind the medicine cabinet.

"Boss!"

"Starting today, everyone in the front and back courtyards must wear masks. Anyone who doesn't wear one will not be allowed to enter the charitable institution, whether they are staff or patients."

"receive!"

Shi Buji immediately ran to search the warehouse.

Gu Mingyue turned back to look at Fang Henian.

"Where is your master?"

"I've already sent a message to Master. He should arrive this afternoon."

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from the alley entrance.

An elderly man dressed in the official robes of the Imperial Medical Academy strode into the backyard, followed by two young imperial physicians carrying medicine boxes.

Xue Ren has arrived.

Without even taking off his official hat, he walked straight through the bamboo curtain partition in the backyard and looked at each of the berths one by one.

The moment his hand touched her pulse, her expression changed.

After seeing the third patient, Xue Ren stood up, walked to Gu Mingyue, and lowered his voice.

"This is not an ordinary cough."

"I know."

"The pulse is floating and rapid, the tongue coating is yellow and greasy, and there is blood in the sputum. From the onset of the illness to the onset of severe illness, it can take as little as three days."

Xue Ren's gaze was deep and somber.

"In my thirty years of medical practice, I have only seen similar symptoms during the epidemic in Huainan."

"It's an epidemic."

Gu Mingyue said those three words very calmly.

Xue Ren stared at her for a long time.

"You stockpiled so much medicine, just waiting for today?"

Gu Mingyue did not give a direct answer.

Xue Ren didn't ask any more questions.

"This is a very serious matter; I must return to the palace immediately to report to His Majesty."

This is exactly what Gu Mingyue was waiting for.

"Doctor Xue, this epidemic will not be confined to Powa Lane."

"I know." Xue Ren's expression was solemn.

"Kyoto is densely populated, and with rising temperatures in summer, the spread will only accelerate."

"If the imperial court does not take preventative measures, the outbreak will spread throughout the city and will not only affect a few hundred people."

Xue Ren remained silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"Girl, you saved a city."

Gu Mingyue is not someone who craves empty fame.

She said earnestly, "Doctor Xue, I have something that can prevent the rapid spread of the epidemic."

"With the current outbreak of the epidemic, the emperor's safety is of utmost importance."

Gu Mingyue walked to the innermost corner of the warehouse, moved a stack of medicine bags, revealing several tightly sealed wooden boxes underneath.

She opened one of them.

The box contained thousands of white cotton face masks neatly stacked inside.

Each one was sewn by Su Wan's textile workshop according to the drawings she provided, using a special mesh fabric woven from mulberry bark thread and fine cotton wadding.

"These are what I prepared in advance."

Gu Mingyue took out a mask and handed it to Xue Ren.

"Wearing it can block droplet transmission."

Xue Ren took it and looked through it.

He had seen this the first time he came to Yitang.

Gu Mingyue calls it a "mask".

At that time, Xue Ren did not know what the purpose of preparing so many masks in the righteous hall was.

Looking back now, it was truly a case of being prepared for a rainy day!

He looked up at Gu Mingyue.

"You want me to take you into the palace?"

"Imperial Physician Xue, you know better than I do that if the Emperor contracts the plague, the entire Great Yong Dynasty will be thrown into chaos."

Gu Mingyue's tone was calm, but everyone could hear the weight in her words.

"First, protect the people in the palace. Only then should we deploy defenses throughout the city."

Xue Ren nodded. "Very well! I will return to the palace immediately to inform His Majesty!"

He strode out of the ancestral hall.

Two young imperial physicians followed closely behind, and the group hurriedly disappeared at the alley entrance.

Fang Henian stood behind the bamboo curtain in the backyard, watching his master leave, and then looked at Gu Mingyue, who was rummaging through boxes to count the number of masks.

"Your master is going to fight a tough battle," Gu Mingyue said without looking up.

"Mm," Fang Henian responded.

He paused, then added.

"Me too."

Gu Mingyue raised her head and looked at the young doctor who was not good with words and always had a "keep away" expression on his face.

"The isolation zones in the backyard are well done."

Gu Mingyue stood up and dusted off her hands.

"Stone is useless!"

"exist!"

"Move all the masks out of the warehouse, count them, and repackage them into boxes of 500 each."

"At the same time, notify Su Wan's workshop to stop all cotton fabric orders from now on and switch to producing masks across the board."

Gu Mingyue gazed in the direction of the imperial city.

From now on, it all depends on whether Xue Ren can be employed by the emperor.