The Lucky Farmgirl-Chapter 2100 - 2075: Origin

After the small year, there were only a few sporadic cases of illness each day, and with people being cured daily at the medical tents, Yang Heshu saw fewer patients and decided to move all the medical tent patients to the separate courtyard, which was almost empty.

Manbao no longer managed the separate courtyard, focusing instead on the remaining patients at the military camp. As they gradually recovered, the eve of the Lunar New Year approached.

Thinking of returning to the capital for New Year was impossible.

Manbao, holding a hand warmer, was greeted inside by Ying Yue as soon as she got off the carriage. Smiling broadly, she said, "Young Master Bai and the others have all arrived, just waiting for Miss Man."

Manbao shrank her neck and said, "Xiazhou is really cold, much colder than the capital. Fortunately, many of the delivered herbs are for treating colds; otherwise, it would have been a lot of trouble."

Yang Heshu, who was sitting by the stove half-asleep, vaguely heard these words, looked up, and saw her coming in wearing a cloak, then said with a smile, "Speaking of which, we should thank you for being thorough, preparing these herbs in advance."

This was a private banquet, Zhou Man had just come out of the military camp; considered both a dust-washing and a celebration, now apart from a few smallpox patients in the separate courtyard, there were no more cases.

For the past two days, the yamen was sweeping and verifying in the streets and alleys, and no new smallpox patients had been found.

Besides Zhou Man, he only invited Bai Shan, Bai Er, Yin Huo, and General Gong.

He said, "General Gong should also arrive soon; he said he wants to thank you properly, as the mortality rate from smallpox in the army is lower than outside. The death rate at the medical tent you are responsible for is also the lowest." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Having had insufficient sleep for two consecutive months, Manbao only wanted to sleep at this moment. She sat by the fireplace, holding the hand warmer, still in her cloak, and asked, "Has the data come out?"

"Not yet," Bai Shan replied. "We are still compiling it, but we have recorded everyone we could find. To know the exact numbers will take a few more days. But in Xiazhou City and its jurisdiction, the total number should not be less than six thousand, with over two thousand deaths."

He paused, then said, "Initially, the spread was too wide. It was still okay in the city, but in some isolated villages, when we went there, less than one in ten survived."

Manbao was somewhat sad, and Yang Heshu felt even more pained. Xiazhou City has a total of four counties, with Guo County, under his jurisdiction, being the hardest hit.

Bai Shan lowered his voice and said, "But I found that the highest mortality rate wasn’t in Suofang County. Among the six thousand infected in Xiazhou, at least four thousand were in Xiazhou City, but the death toll within the city was only seven hundred and fifty-eight. I inspected the countryside, and the total deaths should not exceed a few hundred."

Suofang County is Guo County of Xiazhou City, where Yang Heshu serves as the county magistrate.

This means that outside of Suofang County, over a thousand of the less than two thousand patients had died.

That’s a mortality rate exceeding fifty percent. Initially, that could be understandable, but later the formulas from the Imperial Hospital spread around, and the recovery rate improved; it shouldn’t have been like this anymore.

Yang Heshu straightened up.

The room fell silent, and after a while, Yin Huo said indifferently, "Smallpox can wipe out entire families. With a mortality rate of about fifty percent, the court should already be satisfied. I think they won’t be too saddened, as it wasn’t eighty or ninety percent of the people who died."

Bai Erlang was too shocked to speak, and after a while, found his voice, "Then, is that just it?"

Bai Shan said rationally, "If we really have to hold someone accountable, the first to be questioned should be Scholarly Senior Brother Yang, as the smallpox started in Suofang County."

Yang Heshu clenched and unclenched the fist in his sleeve repeatedly, while Ms. Cui, who was delivering food, looked at him with worry.

Bai Shan reached out to take the plate of meat, and Manbao also looked up at Ms. Cui, squeezing out a smile and asking, "How has scholarly sister-in-law been recently?"

Ms. Cui smiled, "I’m well. I’ve been very careful, so those pockmarks didn’t leave any marks."

Manbao nodded in acknowledgment.

Bai Shan placed the meat slices on the iron plate, and the sizzling sound pulled everyone’s thoughts back, prompting him to ask Yang Heshu, "Did Scholarly Senior Brother Yang write a confession letter?"

Yang Heshu nodded, "The one for Suofang County is already on its way; it should arrive in the capital in a few days. But for Xiazhou City, we have to wait for you to finalize the numbers first."

Bai Shan then said, "My classmates and I will speed it up, but it’s not possible to finish before the end of the year."

"Indeed, this year is destined to be an unstable one." Yang Heshu glanced outside and said, "The governor’s house has already lifted its soft quarantine. After the new year, I need to return to the capital to face the trial. Will you all return to the capital together?"

He had put the governor under soft quarantine, and this cannot be settled just like that. Governor Niu won’t let it go either. There will be a lawsuit before the emperor, and with the situation in Xiazhou City, they will need to present a memorial before the emperor.

Bai Shan looked at Manbao.

After thinking it over, Manbao nodded, "There are not many patients left in the separate courtyard now. In a few days, the results should be in. As long as there are no new patients, we can return."

Yin Huo had been somewhat puzzled, "Why did Scholarly Senior Brother Yang put Governor Niu under soft quarantine?"

Yang Heshu’s face showed an expression of unspeakable difficulty, as speaking ill of others behind their backs is not the demeanor of a gentleman.

"Because he’s foolish!" General Gong strode in from outside, discarding his cloak to the servant as he entered, waved off those who wanted to rise and greet him, and sat heavily on a bench by the fireplace, saying to Yang Heshu, "You just need to return to the capital; my father has already promised to write a memorial on your behalf. Hmph, so what if Niu Feng was put under house arrest? Not holding his entire family accountable is already taking into consideration that he is an imperial official."

This aroused not only Yin Huo’s curiosity; even Bai Shan and the others couldn’t help but feel intrigued.

They had arrived early and were usually busy, knowing only sporadically from officials’ discussions that smallpox seemed to have spread from the governor’s house. But no one was willing to discuss the specifics.

Other officials considered the governor’s reputation, but General Gong had no such concerns, saying, "Niu Feng has a young son named Niu Kang, who went hunting on the grasslands in September. He clashed with a merchant caravan from the Western Regions, relying on his numerical advantage to abduct a foreign girl."

"He brought her back to his mansion, spending days indulging with her. For some reason, the foreign girl developed a fever, started vomiting and having diarrhea. The physician initially thought it was water and soil acclimatization and prescribed medicine. But in two days, she developed over ten pox marks, had a high fever, and the disease was aggressive; it took less than a day from the pox marks’ appearance to her death."

General Gong said, "The physician who saw her found it unusual and suggested it might be smallpox, but was driven out by the Niu household. Niu Kang, that foolish boy, was fond of the foreign girl, not only cried over her body but also held a grand funeral, with his group of friends gathering to join the spectacle."

"In a few days, he himself developed pox marks, and those who had contact with the girl began developing pox as well. It was then that the Niu family recalled the physician’s words, so they sent for a physician while trying to keep it quiet." General Gong said angrily, "Yet, Niu Kang, not knowing better, despite recognizing the severity of the illness, still went to a banquet at Spring Breeze Pavilion that very day. And not only that, the Niu family didn’t restrict their servants; household purchasers, maids, and attendants continued coming and going. In less than five days, they had roamed half of Xiazhou City. It was only when a physician sensed something was amiss and secretly reported to Zhangbo that Zhangbo found out."