The Prime Minister's Darling
Chapter 1071 - 1071 518 Next Scene (First Update)

Chapter 1071: 518 Next Scene (First Update) Chapter 1071: 518 Next Scene (First Update) “`

The news that the King of Yi had contracted the plague was something the silver-haired man planned to keep under wraps. After all, they had just suffered a defeat, and morale was already low. Revealing now that the King of Yi had been infected with the plague might destabilize the troops even further, possibly leading to an even more uncontrollable situation.

The silver-haired man summoned the medical officers who had treated the King of Yi to a small wooden cabin nearby.

He sat behind a screen, keeping a distance of at least ten steps from the medical officers.

The medical officers assumed he was only taking these precautions because they had just been in contact with the King of Yi and he was worried about them passing it on to him.

From behind the screen, seated on a chair padded with velvet, the silver-haired man asked in his usual tone, “How is my uncle truly faring? I want you to tell me personally, has my uncle really contracted the plague, and can it be cured?”

“This…”

The medical officers looked at one another, unsure of how to begin.

His first two questions were not difficult to answer, but the last one was the crux.

Finally, Chen, the most senior medical officer, gathered the courage to speak, “My lord, after a thorough diagnosis, Prince Yi has indeed been infected with the plague. As for whether he can be cured… we do not dare to make any rash conclusions.”

The silver-haired man’s complexion turned very unsightly.

“All of you… have had contact with my uncle?” the silver-haired man asked in a deep voice.

The expressions of the medical officers became complicated. Initially, they did not know that the King of Yi was a plague patient, and therefore had not taken adequate precautions. They had examined and treated him directly, and now they feared…

“Yes.”

It was still Chen who responded to the silver-haired man.

The silver-haired man’s expression darkened further, and he clenched his fists subtly, “Did all the medical officers treat my uncle?”

If that was the case, it meant there were no medical officers left in the Military Camp who could avoid quarantine—a very disadvantageous situation for their current circumstances.

In the event… he meant if there was someone who had not been infected with the epidemic and became sick, whom would they go to for treatment?

Chen, the medical officer, spoke up, “One medical officer was taken away by Vice Commander Fei, who said it was by your order, sir, to treat a hostage. For the past two days, he has been looking after that hostage and has not gone near Prince Yi.”

The silver-haired man remembered that there indeed had been such an incident, and thinking about that soldier from Zhan Country, his expression became unfathomable.

The plague was not a cold that one could catch from a chilly wind or by getting frozen; it needed to be passed on.

The silver-haired man was absolutely certain that he had not come into contact with any of those plague victims; the only suspicious person they had come into contact with in the past few days was that young man from Zhan Country.

“Could it be him?” the silver-haired man muttered with a frown.

The silver-haired man thought of the group of plague victims who had escaped and the guards and pursuers who had never returned.

If the young man was the one who had let them go, everything would make sense.

He had killed those guards and pursuers, and he himself had contracted the disease, then he had unwittingly brought him back while he was severely ill…

As these thoughts crossed his mind, the silver-haired man’s fists tightened, making a cracking sound.

No, he still didn’t believe it!

He had to see for himself!

Galloped by his emotions, the silver-haired man started coughing uncontrollably.

The medical officers’ expressions changed simultaneously, and they exclaimed in unison, “My lord?!”

The silver-haired man covered his mouth with a handkerchief, pretending not to see the bloodstains on it, and said placidly, “I am fine, it’s just a common cold. Did you all understand that?”

The onlookers exchanged a look of terrified understanding and resignedly bowed their heads, replying in unison, “Yes, we understand.”

The silver-haired man wiped the bloodstain from the corner of his mouth and said coldly, “I don’t care by what means you do it, but you must cure the plague, or else, you and your families will all be doomed!”

The medical officers shivered in unison!

Gu Jiao truly confirmed that she had been infected upon hearing the news of the King of Yi being diagnosed with the plague.

“Is the news reliable?” Gu Jiao sat at the bedside receiving an IV drip and asked the medical officer who was eying the first aid kit with envy.

She had learned that his surname was Tong.

He was from Ye City, made his living as a physician, and had been forcibly conscripted into the Military Camp due to the impending war by the remnants of the former dynasty.

“Of course, it’s reliable! I saw them just now covering their faces as I went back to fetch some medicine. Only after asking did I find out that it was the King of Yi who had caught the plague. Tell me, how did the King of Yi come down with the plague?” Doctor Tong was baffled.

Gu Jiao, however, understood all too well.

If the King of Yi had contracted the plague, then it could only have been transmitted by her.

She had not been sure earlier if she had been infected by the blood of Zhao Yuanwai, but just in case, she had worn a mask under her helmet.

When she woke up in this room, the mask she wore on her face had long since vanished.

“`

She knew exactly who had plucked it off.

And when the Medical Officer told her she had returned in a carriage shared with Consort Wang and the Prince Consort, it was highly likely they were infected on the carriage ride.

Gu Jiao had never considered using the plague as a means to attack enemies, which is why even when she went to kill Tianlang, she had taken precautions.

But no precaution could stand against those who were greedy to take advantage of her, and even plotted to use her.

The Medical Officer was thoroughly perplexed, for he could not fathom how Gu Jiao could carry the disease, especially since she had arrived three days ago and didn’t show signs of being afflicted by the plague, and her coughing up blood seemed more a result of frostbite than anything else.

Moreover, her condition was rapidly improving each day.

If it were the plague, it would only get worse, not better.

Furthermore, he had been “treating” her these past few days without getting infected himself!

“It’s time for your medication,” Gu Jiao said.

Taking his medicine had become the highlight of the Medical Officer’s day because Gu Jiao allowed him to personally open the first aid kit and retrieve the small tablets from inside.

The feeling was simply too wonderful!

The Medical Officer washed his hands, opened the first aid kit with profound reverence, and although he didn’t recognize any of the drugs inside, he was awed by them nonetheless.

He knew which drug he should take, recognizing the box it was in.

Efficiently pressing out two tablets, he swallowed them with warm water.

Frostbite-induced pulmonary edema and this epidemic both exhibited symptoms of coughing up pink froth; it was because of this similarity that Gu Jiao remained unsure whether she was infected, and the Medical Officer also believed it was merely the lung disease following frostbite.

Gu Jiao also developed symptoms of a high fever, but it quickly subsided under the effects of the medication.

On the contrary, the Medical Officer had shown no symptoms at all.

She was uncertain whether Chloramphenicol played a preventive role or if the Medical Officer was an asymptomatic carrier.

An asymptomatic carrier of the plague isn’t contagious, which meant, if the Medical Officer were indeed the latter, then he would be the safest person in the entire stronghold, free to interact with anyone.

Without worrying about being infected or infecting others.

The Medical Officer was blissfully unaware of his unique situation.

He had finished taking his medicine and was about to put the box back.

Reluctantly smacking his lips, he closed the first aid kit, then began to look forward to the next medication session.

Once the plague broke out with no symptomatic treatment, the body would collapse rapidly.

Consort Wang could still speak with others at noon, but by evening he was feverish to the point of delirium.

The Silver Fox had intended to examine Gu Jiao’s room, but he was called away by Consort Wang’s subordinates on his way there.

Consort Wang was utterly delirious with fever, calling out the Silver Fox’s name, so everyone had no choice but to summon him.

“Zhengzheng… Zhengzheng…” Consort Wang called in a fragmented consciousness.

The Silver Fox covered his face with a mask and approached the bed, taking Consort Wang’s hand: “Uncle, I’m right here.”

“Zhengzheng…” Consort Wang clutched tightly at the Silver Fox’s hand, “Zhengzheng, your uncle is so scared… ”

Witnessing Consort Wang being tormented by illness, the Silver Fox felt immense sadness: “Don’t be scared, uncle. I will definitely cure you… ”

Consort Wang muttered in a daze: “It’s him… Zhengzheng is him…”

Though a brutal man, Consort Wang wasn’t unkind to his nephew and had only proposed punishing Gu Changqing and the Gu Family military after one of his strategists had suggested it. Even with such a calamity at hand, he did not think of blaming his nephew for not listening to his advice.

Consort Wang trembled as he said, “Kill him… Zhengzheng… kill him…”

A wave of immense regret and pain rose up inside the Silver Fox: “Alright… just wait, uncle. I will go and kill him right now!”

Meanwhile, Gu Jiao had the Medical Officer inquire about anyone in the stronghold who exhibited symptoms similar to the plague.

The Medical Officer reported, “Consort Wang has definitely been diagnosed, the Prince Consort… reportedly coughed a few times, and then there’s Fei Shi.”

“Who is Fei Shi?” Gu Jiao inquired.

“Lieutenant Fei, the one who dug you out from under Tianlang’s body. Someone saw him coughing up blood too. And a few of his brothers seem to be in a pretty bad state,” the Medical Officer replied.

Although the Medical Officer spoke in a rather indirect and careful manner, Gu Jiao could almost be certain that the Prince Consort, Fei Shi, and the others had been infected.

The very method they had intended to use against the Gu Family military had come back to haunt them.

The tragedy that should have befallen the Gu Family military had now become the tragedy of the former imperial army.

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