Situ Yan dispersed his five hundred soldiers into small units, wielding their broadswords as they patrolled the city. Anyone caught maliciously spreading the plague or bullying the weak was met with swift execution.
After a few bloody incidents, those who intended harm backed down.
Half a month later, Zhanxian City finally saw a glimmer of hope.
Ji Jin administered a pill to a dying patient. Overnight, the once near-death individual was able to get up, complaining of hunger and devouring a whole bowl of rice porridge. Even the sores on his body stopped festering.
The assembled physicians expressed their amazement and, after some discussion, decided to lance his abscesses.
Severe patients still required time to recover, but those with mild symptoms quickly got better with the medicine. The first severe patient to try the cure took six days from taking the medicine to full recovery, consuming ten pills. His first act upon recovery was to kneel and kowtow to Ji Jin and the physicians.
Ji Jin accepted the bow, and while the physicians engaged in fervent discussion, he took the prescription to Situ Yan.
Situ Yan let out a sigh of relief; he no longer had to resort to slaughtering the city. Even with their best efforts at isolation, more than half the city’s populace had already contracted the disease. To abandon hundreds of thousands of lives was something even Situ Yan, who had witnessed countless deaths on the battlefield, found unbearable.
However, Ji Jin's expression remained troubled. "A'Yan, this prescription might not be usable."
"What?" Situ Yan thought he must have misheard. "What do you mean? Are there side effects?"
"No," Ji Jin replied with a wry smile. "The cost of this antidote is too high. Each pill costs ten taels of silver. Based on observations, mild cases require three pills, while severe cases can consume up to ten. Look at the people in this city; how many can afford tens or hundreds of taels to save their lives?"
Zhanxian City had been emptied to accommodate refugees, and most of them had fled from other places.
Having just suffered from floods, they lacked even basic necessities like food and shelter. Where would they find money to buy medicine? Even ordinary citizens would struggle to bear such exorbitant medical expenses, let alone the refugees.
Situ Yan closed his eyes and calculated, pondering the likelihood of the imperial court footing the bill.
"Song Ming, go and tally the number of patients, separating the mild and severe cases."
Song Ming acknowledged and departed.
By the time he returned, it was already dark. "Boss, when Zhanxian City was opened, nearly two hundred thousand refugees poured in. My subordinates, with about two hundred men, spent half the day and could only estimate the numbers. There are forty thousand severe cases and at least seventy to eighty thousand mild cases. According to Doctor Ji's pricing, it would cost at least seven to eight hundred thousand taels to save them all. Furthermore, if the prescription leaks, the price of medicinal ingredients might even increase."
With the nation's resources, the medicinal ingredients could be procured, but time was of the essence, necessitating expedited purchases. This would incur significant additional expenses.
Situ Yan picked up his brush. "Regardless, let's submit the memorial first."
"Boss, should we have the Princess Consort purchase the medicinal ingredients first? Otherwise, by the time the court finishes its wrangling, these mild cases might all turn severe."
Situ Yan winced at the thought of the cost and sighed. "I'll write to the Princess Consort shortly."
Soon, imperial physicians and doctors who had rushed from various regions gathered. Each held a prescription, their brows furrowed. The cost was truly prohibitive. Frankly, in a year of disaster, even a literate person would sell themselves into servitude for no more than ten taels. Spending dozens of taels to save someone whose fields had already been washed away by the river, only for them to have to sell their children afterward, seemed illogical.
The flood in the Yellow River region was severe, with far more disaster victims than those in Zhanxian City. While they were healers driven by compassion, the imperial court might not be willing to spend so much on these tens of thousands of people. That money could be better used for post-disaster reconstruction for others.
After a long silence, a physician finally spoke. "Imperial Physician Ji, this prescription is excellent, but the price is indeed too high. Can we substitute it with more common medicinal ingredients?"
Ji Jin replied, "With dedicated research, alternative substitutes can certainly be found, but where do you have the time for that right now?"
The physicians all sighed collectively.
At this moment, a weak voice came from a corner. "Actually, there is another way."
Everyone turned to look, only to see a young apprentice. Beside him sat a white-bearded elder, presumably his master, who was now tapping the apprentice's head. "So many esteemed elders cannot find a solution, what can you possibly come up with? Speak nonsense again, and you won't have dinner tonight."
The young apprentice rubbed his head indignantly. "Master, I was just speaking casually. Everyone can just listen casually. Perhaps it might actually work."
The elder was about to strike again, but Ji Jin quickly intervened. "Elder Da, since there are no other options at the moment, why not hear your disciple's wise suggestion?"