A peasant girl travels through time with a hospital, rising to become an empress.

Soon, Director Zhang, Nie Qianqian, Tang Jincheng, Jiang Zheng'an, and their group were led to the epidemic prevention zone outside the county town.

The quarantine zone has been completely sealed off, with the temple at its core and high fences erected around it. The fences are covered with sharp barbs and wrapped with chains, preventing anyone from climbing over them.

A mile away outside the fence, constables patrolled back and forth, constantly vigilant about every move within the cordoned-off area.

Nie Qianqian understood that Lord Zhang was doing this to prevent the epidemic from spreading further and to avoid infecting more people. But when she put herself in the patients' shoes and tried to understand their perspective, the despair of being imprisoned and abandoned overwhelmed her instantly.

The group quickly appeared at the temple entrance after passing through the fence.

The temple wasn't very big, but every corner inside was packed with people, and groans of all sizes could be heard from time to time.

Those who had been infected for a long time were already lying on the ground unconscious. If they had relatives or companions, someone would be there to protect them. If not, they were like corpses, completely ignored. Those who had been infected for a short time leaned against the corner of the wall, barely alive, their eyes unfocused, staring blankly into the distance, as if they had lost their souls.

The temple reeked of a foul odor; the air was thick with the smell of death.

Soon, the patients noticed the ten newcomers and their eyes turned towards them. Most of them were extremely weak and didn't even have the strength to speak or ask questions.

A young man sitting near the entrance was the first to speak, asking, "Ahem, are you also infected?"

Jiang Zheng'an looked down at the crowd of people and said, "We are not patients, but people sent by the government to treat you. Time is of the essence, so everyone should follow our instructions. Those with serious illnesses will come for treatment first, followed by those with mild to moderate symptoms. Everyone, please line up and don't panic."

Jiang Zheng'an felt he had clearly explained the situation and his demands, but to everyone's surprise, the scene fell into a deathly silence as soon as he finished speaking. No one moved, and everyone stared at him blankly.

"What's wrong with you guys? Can't you hear me?" Jiang Zheng'an couldn't help but raise his voice.

An old man sitting on the ground spat out a mouthful of yellow phlegm and said with a disdainful look:

"Bah! What kind of damned official are you, coming here to show off your power? That Yishui County magistrate embezzled the people's money, making a fortune for himself, while we common folk could only eat chaff and wild vegetables, almost starving to death at home. Now we've contracted this plague and are about to die. Do you expect me, an old man, to put up with your official arrogance?!"

Another elderly man, an old farmer who had spent his entire life farming, could barely straighten his back. He hunched over and struggled to lift his head to look at the crowd, saying with a hint of suspicion, "You wouldn't be planning to poison us, would you? Trying to end it all? You officials are truly heartless!"

Seeing this, Lord Tang quickly stepped forward to explain, "Please don't worry, everyone. We really are here to treat you. The people behind me are all doctors from Jishetang, each with superb medical skills. Please trust us..." However, before Lord Tang could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a commoner.

"If you corrupt officials really wanted to save us, why did you keep us penned up like livestock for so many days without caring for us?! Stop lying!!"

"Yes!"

"You've been trapped for ten days straight, is this how you officials behave?"

In this era, ordinary people are mostly afraid of officials. When they see officials, they don't even dare to look them in the eye, let alone speak loudly.

But now that they're infected with the disease and their condition is worsening, they all feel they're about to die. Since they're going to die anyway, they've lost all restraint and dare to say anything.

The unease, fear, and despair of being imprisoned here for days, along with the gradual loss of life, all erupted at this moment like a burst dam.

An elderly woman suddenly went berserk, screaming, "Save us! Why didn't you come sooner? My mother is dead, her body is stiff, and you're only just arriving now. What good is that? What good is that!"

Jiang Zheng'an was completely unprepared for the people's reaction. They were all so emotional and unreasonable that he stood there dumbfounded.

The old woman, her hair disheveled, charged at them like a madwoman, her eyes wide with rage, her mouth agape, screaming, "Why? Why?" Jiang Zheng'an had never seen such a crazed and ferocious person before. Those eyes, seemingly from hell, stared intently at him, and for a moment he was so frightened that he forgot to dodge, his feet seemingly nailed to the ground.

Just then, Nie Qianqian stepped forward, raised her hand and swiftly swung it down, delivering a clean and decisive chop that knocked the old woman unconscious.

Jiang Zheng'an was stunned, dumbfounded by Doctor Qian's swift and decisive move. This Doctor Qian actually knew martial arts?

The old man who had spoken earlier pointed a trembling finger at them and demanded, "What...you want to kill someone in public?"

Nie Qianqian spoke, channeling her inner strength into her voice. Though aged, it carried an undeniable and intimidating power, clearly reaching everyone's ears: "Murder? If the government really wanted to kill you, they could have simply cut off your food or poisoned your meals. Do you think you would still be alive today?"

The group had already lost faith in the government due to the corruption of the Yishui County magistrate. Being trapped here and left to fend for themselves these past few days filled them with resentment, which led to their emotional breakdown just now. But Nie Qianqian's words struck them like a heavy hammer, instantly bringing them to their senses.

Lord Tang then said, "Fellow villagers, if we really wanted to harm you, why would we venture deep into the epidemic area and risk our lives? Think about it carefully, isn't that the truth?"

At this moment, an old man, leaning on his cane, stood up shakily, pointed at the crowd, and said, "What they said makes sense. Our Yishui has been dealt with by a corrupt magistrate, but we can't generalize and condemn all officials. Not all officials are bad. Take the magistrate of Qinghe County, for example. He is an honest and upright official who truly does practical things for the people."

"It seems that's really the case..."

"That makes sense. No one would risk their own life to harm us."

When Tang Jincheng heard someone mention him, saying that he was a good official because he was willing to earn more trust for the court and the government, he was filled with mixed feelings and felt that all his efforts over the years had been worthwhile.

With a slightly choked voice, Tang Jincheng said, "Thank you all for your trust. I am Tang Jincheng, the magistrate of Qinghe County. Upon hearing about the epidemic in Yishui, I specially summoned renowned doctors from Jishetang to help you. It was a last resort to keep you here a few days ago. At that time, we had not yet found a treatment method. If we had allowed you to move freely, the elderly and children of Yishui County would probably have been infected very quickly."

“Lord Tang is right, no one forced me. Since I have contracted the plague, I am prepared to wait to die in the temple. My beloved grandson is in the county town. If I go back, wouldn’t that be harming them?” an old woman sighed.

“You old lady, you’re practically half-buried, of course you’re not afraid of death. I’m only twenty, I haven’t even gotten married yet, I don’t want to die.”

Nie Qianqian spoke up at the right moment: "No one will die! This epidemic is bubonic plague, and it is not incurable. As long as everyone cooperates actively, does not waste any more time, and receives timely treatment, it can be cured."