The January cold of the capital could not dissuade the populace from flooding the streets.
The entire street in front of Jiuling Hall was packed with people; although the Jinyiwei were present, the civilians did not fear or retreat but instead looked towards Jiuling Hall with faces full of expectation.
Apart from the Jinyiwei, there were also several eunuchs standing there.
"Miss Jun," one eunuch said as he handed over the imperial decree, "it is now your responsibility."
Miss Jun stood up to receive it.
"This humble woman will certainly do her utmost," she said.
"In matters of all personnel and materials related to the smallpox, everything will be under Miss Jun's command, and both the Five Cities Military Department and the Imperial Hospital shall follow your orders," the eunuch added.
Miss Jun nodded her head again in agreement, and after the eunuch offered a few more words of caution, he left, and the people of Jiuling Hall hurriedly escorted him out.
Seeing Miss Jun come out, the surrounding crowd instantly became agitated.
"Is Miss Jun really going to treat the smallpox?"
"Is Miss Jun going to bring all these people into the city?"
The clamorous voices surged, accompanied by the cries of women.
Everyone had heard how terrifying smallpox was, and to think that now the city was surrounded on all sides by so many smallpox patients. Although a wall separated the people, it might not stop the spread of the disease; with a gust of wind, who knew if it had already drifted inside.
Now, their children at home were strictly confined; not to mention going out, they dared not even let them out of their rooms.
This significant holiday had put everyone on edge.
The eunuch tried to calm the tumultuous crowd, but no one paid attention to his words until Miss Jun raised her hand to signal, and the noisy crowd immediately fell silent.
"Do not be afraid, everyone," Miss Jun said, her voice as gentle as ever, spreading through the quiet street.
Everyone listened intently, as if hearing her voice could ward off the scourge of smallpox.
"I will treat the smallpox," Miss Jun declared, "and moreover, I will establish a special place outside the city for the treatment of smallpox. I will not allow patients to enter the city and will ensure that everyone's lives are not affected."
Upon hearing this, the crowd cheered.
Miss Jun raised her hand again to signal, and the people once again fell silent.
"Don't worry, go home and look after your children. Do not go out these next few days, and avoid going to crowded places. I will have officials from the Five Cities Military Department announce the specific arrangements," she said.
The people cheered in joy again.
"Alright, alright, disperse now," the eunuch said, "Miss Jun said not to gather."
At those words, the crowd promptly dispersed, and in the blink of an eye, the street bustling with hundreds of people was completely empty.
The eunuch was astonished as he watched, smiling at Miss Jun.
"It is Miss Jun's words that truly carry weight," he said. "Then this matter is left in the hands of Miss Jun."
Having said that, he departed with the escort of the Jinyiwei, and Miss Jun returned to the interior of Jiuling Hall.
Doctor Geng, standing at the corner of the street, retracted his gaze and smirked.
Of course, her words worked now, because everyone believed she could cure the smallpox and eliminate the calamity they faced. But when they discovered she couldn't cure it, let's see if people would still listen to her.
The greater the hope, the deeper the disappointment; the higher they are lifted, the harder they fall. The imperial family gave her such prestige, so the fall would be undoubtedly swift.
A chill wind blew, and Doctor Geng couldn't help but shiver, looking at the empty streets where one seemed to faintly hear the weeping from outside the city—the cries of patients who had come seeking medical help. In just one day, several of these patients had already perished, showing just how fierce the smallpox was.
A single city wall was indeed far too insecure. Doctor Geng shivered again and quickened his pace to leave.
Looking at the imperial decree laid out inside the hall, Seventh Chen rubbed his hands together, his face flush with excitement.
"Holding this can command the military of the Five Cities Military Department?" he said, "In the blink of an eye, your Fang Family holds two imperial decrees that could turn the city upside down."
Fang Jinxiu gave him a sharp glance before frowning towards Miss Jun.
Miss Jun sat in front of a desk writing something, but her brows were also furrowed.
"Is this matter difficult to handle?" Fang Jinxiu asked directly, "Even though you cured Prince Huai, the nature of smallpox is different, so it's not a guaranteed success, right?"
Seventh Chen couldn't help but tug on Fang Jinxiu's sleeve.
"Don't destroy your own prestige," he whispered.
Miss Jun stopped writing and looked towards Fang Jinxiu.
"I've never cured smallpox," she said with a smile, "Prince Huai does not have smallpox."
Seventh Chen nearly choked on his own breath.
What?
So, she actually doesn't know how to treat smallpox?
Fang Jinxiu also widened her eyes in shock.
She had guessed that Miss Jun's taking on the smallpox case this time might be somewhat troublesome, but she hadn't expected it to be this much trouble.
...
As night fell, the lamps in Jiuling Hall were lit as usual, but unlike before, Miss Jun, Fang Jinxiu, and Seventh Chen, who had been discussing matters in the front hall, had not come out.
Seventh Chen paced back and forth in the room, sweat beading on his forehead ever since Miss Jun's words had not stopped its flow.
"What do we do? What do we do?" he muttered repetitively, cursing the imperial physicians, "These shameless creatures, unable to cure Prince Huai, they push the disease onto an incurable status."
After saying this, he remembered that Miss Jun also had not exposed the truth but had gone with the flow, claiming to have cured smallpox—that too was shameless.
Seventh Chen slapped himself on the face.
"It's all my fault for being clever, talking up how terrible smallpox is," he said, "Now I've scared everyone, causing widespread panic."
Now they were really in hot water, put on the spit over the fire.
He turned to look at the imperial decree laid out on the desk, which he had previously seen as the Imperial Sword, now it seemed to be positioned against their necks, ready to sever their heads at any moment.
It's over, it's all over, they had taken things too far.
"Stand to the side," Fang Jinxiu snapped, "What's over? If our Fang Family was going to be finished, we would have been long ago; we weren't finished before, and we won't be finished now."
Seventh Chen immediately stood still.
Miss Jun also smiled, still holding the pen in her hand, even though it had been a long time since she had last written.
"With things as they are now, this was within expectations," she said, "After all, it is smallpox, and curing Prince Huai would definitely cause a sensation, and it's unavoidable that people would come seeking medical attention."
Then why did you mistakenly go along with it and claim Prince Huai had smallpox in the first place? Seventh Chen couldn't help but grumble to himself, not just internally, but murmuring it out loud.
Miss Jun smiled.
"That's because I was waiting for this opportunity," she said.
This opportunity? The opportunity to treat smallpox?
"So you're saying you can treat it?" Seventh Chen said, patting his chest as if to calm his racing heart, his whole body nearly collapsing, "My Miss Jun, my dear lady, can't you just say it all at once? Holding your breath like that is enough to scare people to death."
"Shut up," Fang Jinxiu ordered again, then turned to look at Miss Jun with a still furrowed brow, "You don't have much confidence, do you?"
Miss Jun looked towards the medicine chest set aside.
"Actually, I'm not really a doctor," she said.
She had never thought about treating and saving others; she only wanted to save her own father.
But your master was a doctor.
Why wouldn't you treat this smallpox if you say you can?
The man clicked his tongue.
"Who said I'm a doctor, I'm not really one," he said, as he stuffed the fruits and foods from the table into his pack and her sleeves, while listening to the crying outside, "This disease is too troublesome to treat, better not to trouble ourselves."
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Thank you to The Last Bullet?, South's Ice One, Little Bunny Mom, md12 for rewarding He's Bi.
Hehe.