An Jing took out two Blue Grass Roots and placed them in front of Gong Juechen, "This is Blue Grass Root. My husband and I accidentally ate this when we had a fever and sore throat back in our hometown, and it was quite effective. You can try adding it to the formula."
Gong Juechen didn’t say anything, just picked up a Blue Grass Root and stuffed it into his mouth to bite.
After carefully tasting the flavor of Blue Grass Root, Gong Juechen spat it out and said, "It’s bitter, cool in nature, it might really be useful. I’ll add it to my prescription now, have someone brew it, and see if it really works."
Those who had contracted the plague and drank the medicated brew with Blue Grass Root did indeed have their body temperature reduce a tiny bit, but the other symptoms of the plague remained unchanged.
After drinking it for four days, it was still the same.
That’s when Gong Juechen concluded, "At most, this provides some relief, but it doesn’t cure the disease."
An Jing and Xiao Changyi also knew that it would be difficult to cure the plague with just Blue Grass Root. Hearing Gong Juechen’s words, both An Jing and Xiao Changyi were silent, saying nothing.
Gong Juechen continued, "The number of people in the Capital contracting the plague these past few days has indeed decreased. The medicinal soup with Blue Grass Root seems to be more effective in prevention than in curing."
These past few days, An Jing and Xiao Changyi had someone distribute the brew made with Isatis Root to those who had not yet contracted the plague, and the effect was quite remarkable; now, only a few new cases arose each day.
"How exactly can this plague be cured..." Suddenly, Gong Juechen let out a deep sigh, looking utterly powerless. He was also very tired.
Living for so many years, his body had never felt as exhausted as it did now.
In the past, it had mostly been a mental exhaustion.
But now, it was not just mental exhaustion, but physical as well—truly a dual fatigue of body and mind.
An Jing also felt very helpless, "We are out of options, it’s all on you now."
"On me... on me..." Gong Juechen first murmured the words "on me" softly, then suddenly laughed, a bewitchingly seductive laugh, "I think I might not find a way out. What to do, we’re all going to die here."
Even though the tone was interrogative, the sentence was structured as a declaration.
Neither An Jing nor Xiao Changyi paid any attention to Gong Juechen in such a state, simply turning and walking away.
Watching An Jing and Xiao Changyi leave, the smile on Gong Juechen’s face gradually turned into a bitter one, and he opened his mouth again, whispering softly, "Truly..."
An Jing and Xiao Changyi, already out of the Medicinal Cooking Room, also understood that Gong Juechen’s words were true, but they did not want to engage with his cynical demeanor.
That night, An Jing sat hugging her knees on the highest terrace of the temporary palace, first glancing at the bright moon above, then turning to look in the direction of the Imperial Capital, her eyes gradually reddening.
She missed her children...
She wondered if her children were doing well, if they missed her and her husband, if they were being obedient, if they had cried because she and her husband hadn’t gone to the palace to pick them up...
She truly, truly, truly missed her children so much...
As soon as Xiao Changyi arrived, he saw An Jing sitting there, her back toward him, hugging her knees, her slender and delicate silhouette deeply stirring his heart. He knew where she was looking. He knew whom she was thinking of.
"Jing Er." Xiao Changyi walked over and sat beside An Jing, gently wrapping his arms around her shoulders, letting her lean into his embrace.
Feeling the warm embrace, An Jing’s throat tightened, and she sobbed, "Husband, I miss the children..."
"I know." He paused, "I miss them too." Saying that, he placed a kiss on the crown of her hair.