A strange pulse, unlike the burning pain of others, a persistent fever throughout the body, and when coughing, it felt as if one’s very organs were about to be expelled.
The old imperial physician pondered for a moment, preparing to examine a few more patients before seeking someone to research the ailment. Just then, the same captain from before rushed over, his face covered with a thick cotton cloth.
“Your Excellency, you’ve finally arrived! I don’t know why, but the situation in the western district has worsened these past few days. Even with three doses of herbal medicine daily, they show no signs of improvement!” the captain began to complain as soon as he saw the old imperial physician.
The old physician, looking at the strangely dressed captain, was filled with questions. “Why is your face wrapped in cloth? You’ve arrived just in time; I was about to send someone to fetch you. How many days have the common people in the western district been experiencing these symptoms? I recall when I came here to treat patients five days ago, this situation did not exist.”
“Someone died here that day and bled profusely. After seeing it, I felt very nauseous, so I wrapped my face to block out the unpleasant odors in the air. Oh, right! It seems that since the man died in the western district three days ago, the situation here has become increasingly severe.”
Hearing of a death, the old imperial physician quickly pressed for details. “A man died? How did he die? Where is the body now?”
The captain’s throat bobbed, and he shivered involuntarily. It was clear that recalling the man’s deathly appearance made his stomach churn.
Under the old imperial physician’s intense gaze, the captain struggled to recall what he had witnessed that day. “His death was truly horrifying; he continuously spewed blood from his mouth and nose. I lifted the collar of his clothes and saw that his entire body had turned blood-red, glowing from the inside out, as if the blood couldn’t escape from beneath his skin. It was truly eerie.”
The old imperial physician wished to personally examine the man the captain spoke of. “Have you already buried that man’s body?”
The captain shook his head and pointed to an empty space at the corner of the west city gate. “No, no! I thought his death was quite peculiar at the time, so I left his body in that open space. It’s been there for several days.”
Upon hearing that the body had not been dealt with, the old imperial physician quickly reassured the other waiting patients and hurried off with the captain. “Let’s go, let’s go, quickly take me to see…”
The two of them jogged to a corner by the city gate. This area was noticeably more overgrown, with weeds half a person’s height. However, when they arrived, they discovered that the man’s body had been gnawed to pieces. Moreover, a blackish-green wild dog corpse lay beside it, as if it had appeared from nowhere.
The once blood-red, emaciated corpse, having been exposed to the autumn wind for several days, had shrunk by two sizes, and its skin had changed from a deep red to a dark, purplish-red.
There was a large opening in the man’s abdomen, the wound a jagged tear, likely caused by the wild dog lying next to it tearing and feeding.
The internal organs, not yet fully consumed, lay scattered on the ground nearby. Dark red meat scraps were visible everywhere, and a pungent, foul odor permeated the surroundings.
“Σ_(꒪ཀ꒪」∠) *Ugh*” The captain had never imagined that in just three days, the man’s body would have deteriorated to such a state. He couldn’t help but squat down to the side and vomit out of disgust.
The old imperial physician had also never encountered such a situation. He reluctantly turned his face away and took a small pinch of an unknown fine grass from his sleeve, rolled it into four balls, and stuffed two into his nostrils.
He then took out a piece of old ginger, peeled it, broke off two suitably sized pieces, dropped one into his mouth, and covered his face with a handkerchief.
In truth, these measures would not block much of the stench. If he had known the man’s body was already in such a state, the old imperial physician would have brought along Atractylodes lancea and Gleditsia sinensis to burn, or smeared sesame oil on his nostrils to reduce his sense of smell.
After he finished these preparations, the captain had mostly finished vomiting. The old imperial physician handed over the remaining items, instructing the captain to stuff the grass balls into his nostrils and hold the ginger slices in his mouth.
“Pah, pah, pah…” The captain quickly cleared the lingering foulness from his mouth. After the ginger slices entered his mouth, the spicy and stimulating taste successfully suppressed the nauseous churning in his throat.
The two approached the more intact side of the corpse. The old imperial physician stepped forward and pulled aside the man’s clothing. He saw that the man’s skin was not only dark red but also covered in large, swollen purple patches.
The old imperial physician felt he couldn't see clearly and attempted to pull the man’s clothes further down. Perhaps due to the slight force he applied, a swollen purple patch suddenly ruptured, and blackish-red pus flowed out.
Sensing something was wrong, the captain grabbed the old imperial physician’s shoulder and pulled him back, preventing him from getting splashed by the disgusting fluid.
“What kind of illness is this? Why is his blood so foul-smelling?” the captain asked the old imperial physician with a solemn expression, daring not to look at the pool of malodorous blood and flesh.
The old imperial physician shook his head, his face grim. His tone carried an unprecedented weight. “I have never encountered such a situation before…”
After the two had examined the corpse, the captain prepared to call for someone to clean up the scene. The old imperial physician pondered for a moment before suggesting that this area be cordoned off. The body need not be moved; for the sake of precaution, it would be best to cremate it on the spot.
The captain also felt that leaving the corpse there any longer was truly repulsive. Such a terrifying scene should be handled by the two executioners who were accustomed to bloodshed! Otherwise, others who saw this might be scared out of their wits.
However, when the person sent to fetch help returned after a while, he only brought back one executioner. It was then that the captain learned that the other person who had helped carry the body had fallen ill shortly after returning home and was now bedridden.
The captain was somewhat surprised, as the bodies of these two executioners were supposedly much sturdier than those of the common folk. “How could this happen? He seemed quite energetic just a few days ago; how did he suddenly become so severely ill?”
The other executioner scratched his head, his somewhat fierce face etched with bewilderment. “This… I don’t know what happened! But I did hear the common folk discussing it, saying that…”
“Saying what?”
The man’s expression of gossipy curiosity was clearly incongruous with his fierce appearance. He first cautiously looked around. Seeing no one else nearby, he whispered,
“They all say that Li San got sick because he touched that man’s blood and caught the illness from him, which is why he’s like this now. Apparently, among the others who stood around the man that day, several have already shown similar reactions. I don’t know if it’s true or not; I also touched the man’s blood that day, but I didn’t develop the same symptoms as Li San. So, I can’t say for sure if what they’re saying is correct!”
“Hold this piece of spicy scallion in your mouth, take off your headscarf to cover your mouth and nose. Then, roughly clean up this area and burn it directly later. Remember not to touch his body directly with your hands. If absolutely necessary, find a branch to push the scattered meat scraps into the pile. We will go and check on those whose conditions have worsened to see how many of them were standing nearby at the time.” The old imperial physician handed the remaining small piece of ginger to the executioner, gave a few more instructions, and then hurriedly left for another area with the captain.
After they left, the executioner looked at the mess before him. Even though he was accustomed to scenes of bloodshed, this particular scene still made his stomach churn.
Looking at the bloodstains scattered everywhere, the executioner found it difficult. He could push the scattered meat and body parts together, but the bloodstains were impossible to move.
So, he turned to another spot and soon returned with a basket of ashes. Following the old imperial physician’s instructions, the executioner moved the corpse into a pile, covered the purplish-red bloodstains with a layer of ashes, and then brought a pile of dry firewood to encircle the body.
When the captain and the others returned, the executioner had already finished tidying up. “Is everything done? Did you touch those bloodstains?”
“Captain, please rest assured, I was careful just now and did not touch anything.”
“That’s good, start the fire!”
The executioner held a torch and threw it onto the corpse. The flames met the man’s clothes and quickly ignited, and soon thick black smoke drifted into the air from the corner of the west city gate.
“Let’s go! The old gentleman said he wanted to visit Li San’s home to check on his condition. Did you deliver his medicine today?” After the fire had been burning for a while, the captain asked the executioner to lead the way to Li San’s house.
“I haven’t delivered it yet today. I came early this morning, and the medicine hadn’t been brewed yet.”
As they spoke, the two walked towards the old imperial physician, leaving two people to dig a pit not far from the bonfire. This was to monitor the fire’s spread, and the dug pit would be used to bury the burned ashes.
Meanwhile, the executioner led the old imperial physician and the captain to a dilapidated small street in the western city. The houses here were ancient, with some wooden doors and walls rotten and riddled with large holes.
As the weather grew colder, many people had contracted colds recently. Therefore, the street, usually bustling with activity, was unusually quiet these days. The occasional person seen hurried back home and shut their doors tightly.
The three arrived outside Li San’s dilapidated house. Before they even entered, they could hear earth-shattering coughs coming from inside. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the sound of his coughing was heart-wrenching.
The captain frowned and recalled hearing others mention that before the man had bled to death, he had also coughed violently for a long time, and then…
The three entered the house. The light inside was not very bright. The room was messy, with clothes and trousers casually thrown about. Fortunately, all three had covered their mouths and noses with cotton cloth, so they did not smell the unpleasant odor in the room.
“Li San, the old gentleman and the captain have come to see you. How are you feeling today?”
“Big… *cough cough cough*…” The person called Li San could no longer speak. As soon as cold air entered his throat, he would continue to cough incessantly.
“You should stop talking. Let me feel your pulse first!” The old imperial physician stepped forward and lifted Li San’s wrist. As soon as he touched his skin, he discovered that his body temperature was much higher than that of the people at the city gate.
Lifting Li San’s sleeve revealed skin that had already turned a faint bluish-black. It was clearly visible that the skin at his pulse point was also throbbing and bulging.
That night, the old imperial physician did not leave. He stayed in the tent in the western district, poring over medical texts, trying to find if historical records mentioned any similar symptoms.
During the day, he continued to see patients, and at night, he discussed strategies with his disciples while reviewing medical books. During this time, several more people died, their deaths as bizarre as the first man’s.
After staying in the western district for three consecutive days, the old imperial physician left with a look of utter dejection. However, he did not go home; instead, he went directly to the front of the temporary tent where the western district’s garrison soldiers were stationed.
“I am Hong Shouye, the Director of the Imperial Hospital. I request that the General promptly report to His Majesty that a coughing and bleeding plague has appeared in the western district, spreading with astonishing speed and in extremely severe conditions. I advise immediate lockdown.” The old imperial physician spoke from a distance and then returned to the western district.
He had been in the western district for several days and might have been infected himself. Therefore, he decided not to return home to avoid spreading the illness to his family, which would be more detrimental than beneficial.
The garrison general, upon hearing that there was a plague in the western district, did not dare to delay and immediately galloped towards the imperial palace.
Although Huo Qixiao had mentioned that there was a plague in the western district, he did not remember the specific date. Therefore, Emperor Rui was still guessing that by distributing medicine for colds to the common people early, the plague might be prevented.
Little did he know that before this idea could be processed, he heard the somewhat anxious voice of his personal eunuch, “Your Majesty, something is wrong, something big has happened in the western district.”
Emperor Rui’s heart sank. It seemed that this time he had not managed to avoid it. “What are you panicking about! What exactly has happened in the western district?”
“Someone just reported from outside that the western district has a coughing and bleeding plague, with very terrifying symptoms. Director Hong suggests that Your Majesty immediately seal off the western district to prevent the spread of the illness.” The eunuch’s anxiety was hard to conceal; no one could have imagined that a plague would break out in the capital.
Upon confirming that the plague had indeed infected the populace, Emperor Rui felt a strange sense of relief. Now that it was confirmed to be a plague, it meant that Huo Qixiao’s prophecy had not been mistaken.
Then, his prediction that the Prince of Bing’s estate harbored rebellious intentions seemed to be more or less accurate. Emperor Rui narrowed his eyes, thinking that this was perhaps for the best. Since Huo Sijun had acted unrighteously first, he would not be blamed for acting unrighteously in return…
“Immediately summon Liu Chengwu and the others to the palace to jointly discuss the matter of the western district plague!”