Forced to marry, I picked up a young powerful official

Shen Nankui stopped and sighed, "Okay, I'll listen to you."

Gu Yichuan asked: "How is your family these days?"

Shen Nankui said: "We are fine, don't worry, I have already restrained everyone."

Gu Yichuan nodded and asked, "How is Ah Nao? Is she eating and sleeping well? She hasn't seen Daddy these few days. Does she miss me?"

He has been so busy recently that he probably hasn't had time to rest. Not only does he have an untidy beard, but he also has dark circles under his eyes.

Shen Nankui felt sorry for her and said with a smile: "If you miss her, I will bring her out for you to see."

Gu Yichuan waved his hands quickly, "No, Ah Nao is still young, you can't touch me."

Seeing him so nervous, Shen Nankui couldn't help but shake his head, "Just take a look from a distance through the door, it won't be a problem."

Gu Yichuan still disagreed, "Goodbye, it's enough to know that you are all fine. I still have things to do. I will leave after talking to you for a few words."

Shen Nankui sighed softly, "Okay then."

Gu Yichuan's eyes were filled with deep worry. "Nan Kui, the epidemic in the city is spreading very quickly and there is no medicine to cure it. You must be careful. If you can stay at home, don't go out."

Shen Nankui frowned and nodded.

"I know, Yichuan, you must also take good protection and put yourself first. You are the governor of a state. Whether the city can successfully survive this disaster depends entirely on your leadership, so you must not fall down."

Gu Yichuan smiled and nodded, "I understand."

Shen Nankui asked: "How is the epidemic going? Can it be controlled as soon as possible? And have the people sent to Yizhou found out any news about Zhou Tongji?"

Gu Yichuan was silent for a moment before he said, "The government has tried its best to stop the spread of the plague, but the effect is not great. The number of people who have fallen ill is still rising. Although no notice has been issued yet, the people in the city seem to have noticed something and have begun to rush to buy food. Now the price of food in the city has skyrocketed."

In fact, as early as when the prophecy appeared, the people were panicked and there was a wave of hoarding food, but it was far from as serious as it is now. After all, the prophecy is just a prophecy, and what is happening right now is really happening before our eyes.

"As for Zhou Tongji, the people we sent out haven't been able to find any trace of him yet..."

Shen Nankui's eyes darkened. "A few months ago, I mentioned this to Doctor Zhao. He was also looking through medical books and looking for prescriptions for curing the epidemic. So much time has passed. Could it be that no doctor in the city can find a way to temporarily control the epidemic? Even if we don't cure it, at least we can delay the disease until Zhou Tongji comes to Yongzhou."

Gu Yichuan shook his head, "They have tried several different prescriptions, but none of them worked."

Shen Nankui sighed, knowing that this was not something that could be rushed, and asked again, "What about the disaster victims outside the city? I haven't been out of the city these few days. How are they doing?"

Gu Yichuan said: "I was busy dealing with the plague and didn't pay attention to them, but I think the flood is over and most of them should return home."

Shen Nankui nodded, "That's fine."

Gu Yichuan looked up at the sky and said reluctantly, "Nan Kui, I have to go."

Shen Nankui's heart was lifted, his eyes full of worry, and he reminded again: "Yichuan, be careful."

……

The epidemic that broke out in Yongzhou was more serious than expected. Although the government had tried its best to control it, by the end of July, the number of people infected continued to increase. Even in the last few days of the month, the number of people who fell ill increased exponentially, and the death toll exceeded 100. This was no longer a problem that could be solved by active prevention and control.

Gu Yichuang ordered that all citizens in the city must stay at home from now on and not go out. If anyone falls ill, they must report it to the government.

The originally prosperous and bustling Yongzhou City suddenly became extremely deserted. Apart from the patrolling soldiers, there was not even a single human voice on the streets.

By August, the entire Yongzhou city was shrouded in a depressing atmosphere.

The situation in the city was serious, and the situation outside the city was not much better. When the victims heard about the plague, they were all frightened and panicked, and fled to other places. In just a day and night, all the victims outside the city were evacuated, leaving behind only a mess of shanties.

Unexpectedly, the news of the epidemic in Yongzhou soon spread to neighboring counties and prefectures. The victims left Yongzhou city, and the local authorities were afraid that they would carry the disease, so they set up checkpoints at all important roads and did not allow them to enter.

Although the victims repeatedly explained that they had not entered the city and had no contact with people in the city, local authorities still refused to let them go.

It is said that this was an order issued by Marquis Jianning in the name of an imperial envoy in order to prevent the spread of the plague and cause more serious casualties.

The victims had no homes to return to and no money to buy, so they had no choice but to return to Yongzhou.

The Yongzhou government did not abandon them and still sent people outside the city to distribute porridge every day.

However, although the victims tried their best not to contact people in the city, this was after all the place where the epidemic broke out, and within a few days, symptoms appeared outside the city as well.

Watching the bodies being sent out of the city to be burned, and watching the number of disaster victims outside the city decreasing day by day, everyone felt uncontrollably sad, fearing that it would be their turn tomorrow.

Gu Yichuan was so busy every day that he had no time to eat or rest. In less than a month, he lost more than ten pounds.

Fortunately, the hard work was not in vain.

The doctor in Yongzhou successfully developed a prescription that could control the epidemic. Although it could not completely cure the disease, it greatly reduced the mortality rate of the sick.

When the news came out, people inside and outside the city breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as you are not dying, there must be hope.

They all believed in Zhou Zun and his wife. After all, when the prophecy first came out, it was they who led everyone to implement preventive measures. Since they were able to protect the cities along the Biliu River from floods, they must be able to cure the plague.

Everything was going on in an orderly manner, but at this time, Gu Yichuan fell ill.

The doctor gave him medicine, but this medicine could only alleviate his symptoms but could not cure him. Apart from staying in bed to rest, he could not see anyone. Moreover, although this medicine could reduce the mortality rate, it was not absolute.

Officials in Yongzhou fell one after another.

The little hope that the people had just ignited was extinguished in an instant. If even the government couldn't resist, who could they count on?

In addition, the people have been confined at home for so long that their food reserves are almost gone. If they go out, they will get sick, but if they stay at home, they may starve to death. Many people have begun to ignore the city’s ban and quietly go out to look for supplies.

Some of them conduct transactions secretly, but some of them simply pry open the doors of shops to steal.

Although the death rate in the city was temporarily controlled, chaos broke out frequently, and theft and fighting were common occurrences.

But Shen Nankui didn't know all this.