Mystical Sleeves
Xuan Tian Ming’s expression chilled, saying: “What happened?”
Deputy general Qian did not respond, instead turning to look at Feng Yu Heng. Xuan Tian Ming immediately said: “This is county princess Ji An.”
“County princess Ji An?” That person seemed very surprised to hear this information, “You really are county princess Ji An?”
Feng Yu Heng nodded, “I am.”
“That’s perfect!” Deputy general Qian rubbed his hands repeatedly, as he was both anxious and joyous, “With county princess Ji An here, the soldiers can be saved!”
Feng Yu Heng’s face immediately sank, as she quickly looked towards Xuan Tian Ming. The two asked in unison: “There are patients?”
Deputy general Qian Li dropped to his knees, “This insignificant general is guilty, would general please decide on a punishment.”
Xuan Tian Ming coldly said: “Now is not the time to discuss punishment. Speak clearly on the situation first.”
Only then did Qian Li say: “This morning, this insignificant general sent general out of the mountains, so neither of us ate at camp, which can be considered as having avoided disaster. But when this lowly general returned to the camp, I noticed the soldiers who had just finished eating all collapsed to the ground. Those that were lightly affected were rolling around on the ground, while those that were affected more severely passed out.”
“How many people in total were poisoned?” Xuan Tian Ming asked, “Has the person who made the food been captured?”
Qian Li replied: “Eighty percent or more were poisoned, and the one who prepared the food… was also poisoned.”
The people inside the carriage fell silent for a while. Xuan Tian Ming clenched his fists tightly, his anger surging forth. The entire carriage was filled with his oppressive aura.
Feng Yu Heng stood up and lifted the curtain, informing Bai Ze: “Increase our pace. We must hurry to the camp.”
Bai Ze heard the conversation going on inside the carriage and swung his horsewhip. Even the carriage behind them, driven by Ban Zou, increased its speed.
Inside the carriage, Xuan Tian Ming was requesting Qian Li describe the details of the poisoning.
Qian Li pondered for a while before saying: “When this insignificant general returned, I saw a group of people on the ground. Some people were rolling around on the ground, holding their stomachs, but some had lost consciousness. Upon seeing that scene, I knew that they had been poisoned. Rushing forward to take a look, the people who had lost consciousness had fortunately only fainted. They did not stop breathing, but their faces were turning blue, and white foam was coming out of their mouths. Their fingers were also stiff, and I don’t know if they can endure until we return. The soldiers who were not poisoned are also in a panic. Some of them even rushed over to the kitchens to settle the debt with the cooks, but they discovered that they had also been poisoned and were collapsed next to the pots. Of the three doctors at the camp, two were poisoned and one is at a loss over what to do. He said that it was poison from the zhen, and that there is no cure.”
Qian Li said this while looking towards Feng Yu Heng. He noticed that Feng Yu Heng inhaled sharply upon hearing about the zhen.
His heart immediately became cold.
Xuan Tian Ming slightly raised his head, a fury filled his chest, but he had no place to vent it. The doctors at the military camp had been with him at the battlefield in the Northwest. Their medical ability was perhaps even higher than the imperial physicians of the palace. But now, two were poisoned and one had no solution. Was the poison from a zhen truly so fierce?
“The zhen is a type of bird.” After a long while, Feng Yu Heng faintly spoke, “I originally thought that type of bird was merely a myth passed down in history, but I did not think that this era would really have something like a zhen.”
“Heng Heng.” Xuan Tian Ming turned to look at her, “Is there anything you can do?”
Feng Yu Heng did not answer, but she did ask: “How many people are there in the camp?”
Qian Li said: “In the entire camp, there are thirty thousand.”
Xuan Tian Ming also said: “They are all people I brought back from the battle in the Northwest. A portion was left there to keep the peace. This thirty thousand returned with me and set up a camp in the suburbs of the capital.”
“Thirty thousand…” Even Feng Yu Heng revealed a trace of despair, “How many were poisoned?”
“At least twenty thousand or more.”
She frowned, “There are too many people.” Not to mention the era, even if it was in a modern hospital of the 21st century, there would not be enough doctors to accommodate suddenly having twenty thousand patients.
“Is there truly nothing that can be done?” Xuan Tian Ming’s tone was gloomy, “Heng Heng.” Calling out Heng Heng, he revealed a pleading look.
Feng Yu Heng went over and held his hand, explaining to him: “There is something that can be done, but there are too many people. With just me alone, there’s no way for me to save them all.”
“Then this lowly general will go get some doctors from the city to the military camp.” Qian Li immediately recovered upon hearing that there was something that could be done.
But Feng Yu Heng very quickly splashed cold water on his idea: “There’s no point. They don’t know how.”
Xuan Tian Ming slightly closed his eyes. Perhaps Qian Li did not understand, but he could understand a bit. Feng Yu Heng saying that others did not know how meant that they truly did not know how. He had once watched Feng Yu Heng treat Princess Xiang’s illness. The odd things and mystical methods were things he had never seen before.
But now…
“Let’s get to the camp first to take a look at the situation.” She faintly sighed, as she reaffirmed her thoughts of training more doctors.
The two carriages rushed hastily towards the military camp. When they finally began climbing the mountain, Xuan Tian Ming carried Feng Yu Heng and made use of his qing gong to climb it. Only when they arrived at the military camp did those who were not poisoned let out a sigh of relief.
Everyone gathered around Xuan Tian Ming to salute, and one of them said: “General, quickly come take a look. A large number of people are already… almost unable to hold on.”
Xuan Tian Ming’s heart tightened. Unable to worry about anything else, he moved his wheelchair and flew into the camp.
Feng Yu Heng followed behind him and very quickly saw the devastation in the military camp.
Just as Qian Li said, some people were unconscious, some were still slightly conscious, but their bodies were twisting about. Their faces were blue, and white foam came from their mouths.
Qian Li told Feng Yu Heng: “The situation is much worse than when I left. I fear that they will not last if we delay any longer.”
Some soldiers had already begun wiping away tears. The feelings born on the battlefield were different. As soldiers, they could die for their country and have their blood dye the borderland, but was it not too vexing to die from being poisoned in their own military camp?
“Prepare a tent for me, quickly!” Feng Yu Heng did not ask anything else, as she loudly gave an order.
Qian Li became spirited and loudly said: “Yes!” He then ordered his subordinates: “Quickly! Prepare a tent!”
A soldier quickly ran off to get to work, but some of those who remained were curious. Why would Qian Li listen to the words of a young child?
“This is county princess Ji An!” Qian Li naturally understood what his comrades were thinking, so he quickly gave an introduction: “This is the one rumored to be even more amazing than divine doctor Yao Xian, the Feng family’s second young miss. She is also our general’s future princess.”
Hearing this, all of the soldiers became joyous. County princess Ji An had become quite famous after the previous Winter disaster. Moreover, there was the fame of divine doctor Yao Xian to rely on. Now that the entire military camp was facing an emergency, everyone clearly understood what it meant to have a divine doctor appear.
Thus a soldier led the way and knelt down. With hot tears in his eyes, he said: “We beg county princess save our comrades.”
With him kneeling, the others also knelt down in unison, even Qian Li was no exception. She heard them say in unison: “We beg county princess to save our comrades! We beg county princess to save our comrades!”
Feng Yu Heng felt that this situation was too shocking. She had been a doctor for so many years, and she had seen patients kneel after she had cured them, but this was the first time she had seen so many people kneel and say the same thing.
She raised her head and looked towards Xuan Tian Ming, but she saw him also looking towards her. Their eyes met, and she also saw the same contents in his gaze of save his comrades.
Feng Yu Heng took a deep breath and nodded towards Xuan Tian Ming. She then looked at the kneeling soldiers in front of her and finally said in a loud voice: “I will do my best!”
At this time, the soldier who had run to fetch the tent had returned. While running, he loudly shouted: “The tent has been prepared!”
Qian Li was first to get up and ask Feng Yu Heng: “What else does county princess need us to help prepare?”
She said: “Call for the medical officer who was not poisoned to wait for me in the tent.” No longer stopping to chat with anyone else, Feng Yu Heng walked towards the heart of the military camp. While walking, she checked the situations of those who had been poisoned.
Bai Ze pushed Xuan Tian Ming along at her side. Ban Zou and Huang Quan were also at her side, while Qian Li followed closely behind.
After seeing no less than 30 people, she said: “Whether or not it is poison from a zhen can not be determined, but the toxicity of the poison is exceedingly rare. I can not guarantee that everyone will be saved. I can only say that I will do my best.” She said this while looking at Qian Li, “Have someone go prepare water. Then arrange to have the soldiers who were not poisoned to wait outside my tent.”
“This servant will obey!” Qian Li quickly replied in a loud voice then ran off.
Feng Yu Heng then looked towards Huang Quan, Ban Zou and Bai Ze, “There are not enough people, so you will also need to help out.”
Bai Ze nodded, “Princess, do not worry. We servants will definitely do our best.”
“What can I do to help?” Xuan Tian Ming took the initiative to ask, his expression no longer dripping with laziness.
Feng Yu Heng pondered a little then said: “You will come help me sort the medicine in the tent.”
She spoke while walking towards the tent. Only when she arrived before the empty tent did she see a doctor nearing 50 years old waiting there. Upon seeing her, the doctor repeatedly said: “This lowly one greets county princess!” Saying this, he knelt down on the ground.
Feng Yu Heng quickly helped him up, “What sort of situation is this. Where is there time for such courtesy. Doctor, quickly follow me into the tent. I need your help.”
Nodding repeatedly, the old doctor followed Feng Yu Heng into the tent while saying: “This lowly one previously went to perform medical examinations with imperial physician Yao, Yao Xian. I admired him very much.”
She now understood why she felt so moved to see him. He was an old acquaintance of the Yao family.
But where was there time for her to talk about the past with him. Just after the three entered the tent together, she said to the doctor: “I do not know how this old gentleman determined that it was poison from a zhen, but that is not important. What is important is how we treat them. I do indeed have the fastest way to treat them, but I am the only one who knows how to do it, and I can not save twenty thousand people. There is another method that can be used to resolve this emergency, which is to induce vomiting.”
“Induce vomiting?” The doctor nodded, clearly understanding the reasoning behind Feng Yu Heng said they should induce vomiting, but he had his own concerns: “This lowly one also thought of this method, but making the medicine needed to induce vomiting is too troublesome. Secondly, we do not have any medical herbs. Most importantly, most of the people have already fainted, so there is no way to feed them the medicine.”
Feng Yu Heng quietly said: “I have the medicine, so there is no need to make it, but I will need roughly a cup of tea’s worth of time to prepare it. As for those who have completely fainted, it’s fine. We can use needles.” She did not explain too much more, only saying to the doctor: “Go outside first and call people to separate those who have fainted from those who can still take medicine. I will join you shortly.”
The doctor was with the army all year round, so he was accustomed to treating orders as absolute like the other soldiers. He did not ask any other questions, as he did whatever Feng Yu Heng told him to do. Having received orders, he immediately left the tent.
Seeing that only Xuan Tian Ming remained in the tent, she walked over and said in a serious tone: “Xuan Tian Ming, there is something I need you to promise.”
He nodded, “Speak.”
Feng Yu Heng took a deep breath. She had resolutely made this decision, so she said to him: “In a while, no matter how odd you think my actions are, don’t ask anything about it, is that fine?”
Xuan Tian Ming practically did not even think about it before agreeing: “Yes.” With her, he had already learned not to ask anything, “I know you will definitely pull something strange from your sleeve. Don’t worry, I will only watch and won’t ask.”
Feng Yu Heng facepalmed, her sleeve… very well. Her sleeve really was a mystical sleeve.
Seeing that he had agreed, she did not wait any longer. Placing her right hand on her left wrist, she sent her consciousness into the space and quickly began digging around. Very quickly, all of the vomit inducing medicines had been gathered together. Without any time to remove the packaging, she simply brought it all out.
Xuan Tian Ming watched as she brought out pile after pile of small boxes and small bottles from her sleeve. The items were piled up like a small mountain that went up past her waist.
He was truly unable to endure and said: “If you have the ability, put it all back into your sleeve for me to see.”
TN: Zhen https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhenniao