Nine thousand years old [rebirth]

After Yin Chengyu ordered to go down, Xue Shu went to report to Emperor Longfeng the next day, saying that he had heard about a Ziyuan real person in Shanxi, who was over a hundred years old, but he had a youthful face, good at alchemy, and the art of retaining beauty and longevity.

Emperor Longfeng was really interested when he heard it, and even asked Xue Shu to bring someone to invite him.

Because Yin Chengyu was in a hurry to find someone, Xue Shu didn't delay, so he ordered all the people on the same day, and rushed to Shanxi before dawn the next day.

Fifty Xichang fan servants set off from the capital, took the official road, passed through Taiyuan Mansion, and then turned to Datong Mansion. It would take about seven or eight days to travel like this day and night.

After rushing for four consecutive days, Xue Shu ordered to rest when he was about to arrive at Taiyuan Mansion.

Fan servants quickly found a leeward place and set up tents, and some people took bows and arrows to the mountains to hunt and collect firewood.

"Does the supervisor want to drink some wine to relieve fatigue?" Li Taitou took off the wine bag from his waist, and held it in front of him respectfully.

Xue Shu looked around, and slowly frowned: "No, let's share it with the brothers, don't be greedy and delay things."

Seeing that he didn't drink, Li Baotou threw the wine bag to his subordinates and asked them to divide it themselves.He himself followed Xue Shu, flattering him, "This Taiyuan Mansion is too desolate. I have traveled all the way, but I haven't seen any people."

They lived in the bustling area of ​​the capital for a long time, and saw a lot of people on weekdays. Now that they left Zhili and entered the border of Shanxi, there was not even a person panting along the way, so it was inevitable that they were a little uncomfortable.

Li Datou was just complaining casually, and wanted to have a few words with Xue Shu to make a good impression, but Xue Shu frowned when he listened, and said in a deep voice: "Something is not right."

Now it is mid-April, and the winter wheat is about to be harvested, which should be the busy time for farming, but they walked all the way, only seeing the abandoned farmland, but no farmers.

Xue Shu grew up in the countryside, and he had seen this kind of desolate scene before—it was not a good thing.

He got back on his horse again, leaving behind a sentence of "wait here", and then rode his horse back to the way he had come.

On the way they came, there was a farmland.

Xue Shu rode his horse and galloped for two minutes, and then he arrived at the edge of the farmland.He got off his horse and carefully inspected the crop stumps in the farmland, his expression sank.

The stalks are still green, indicating that they are newly grown wheat.But now there is only a bare piece of wheat stalk left, which is likely to be plagued by locusts.

There is no rain in winter this year, and when I heard His Highness mention it occasionally, he also said that there were drought reports in the northern provinces.

Droughts are often accompanied by locust worms.

Xue Shu straightened up and looked at the cottages in the distance.

It was dusk now, but there was no smoke in the cottage, and the silence was terrifying.

Without hesitation, he rode his horse up the field path again.

After a while, we arrived at the cottage.

When you look at it from a distance, you can only feel that the cottage is silent and desolate. When you get close, you can understand where the silence comes from.

——The whole village was dead silent, the door was open, but there was not even a dog barking.

Xue Shu looked over one by one, and saw that most of the houses were hung with white banners and white lanterns, and there were also coffins parked in many halls, but the lids of the coffins were lifted and thrown aside, and there was nothing inside.

The setting sun is dying at the end of the sky, the twilight covers the whole village, and the sunset glow is like blood.

Xue Shu came out of the village and rode back to the temporary camp.

When Li saw him coming back, he said with a bitter face, "Officer, we can only eat dry food tonight. There is not even a single bird in this mountain, let alone hares and pheasants. It is very desolate." ,"

"It's not desolation." Xue Shu's face turned cold: "It's a disaster, and everyone died."

Li was shocked: "But there was no corpse along the way."

Xue Shu shook his head, clicked on a few people, and drew a simple azimuth map on the ground: "Go and investigate these places quickly." He focused on the circle of Taiyuan City: "There is no need to enter the city, and don't disturb the state officials. , just explore around.”

Several people were ordered to scatter away, Xue Shu watched from a distance, his face was unprecedentedly dignified.

Half an hour later, there was an urgent sound of horseshoes in the night.

The fan servant who went to Taiyuan Fucheng to investigate first galloped back, but because he was too frightened, he staggered when he dismounted before standing still, and his voice was still trembling when he reported to Xue Shu: "The gate of Taiyuan City is closed, and no one is allowed to enter or leave. Five miles outside the city gate, there are piles of dead people, only officers and soldiers come and go to burn the corpses."

"Can you hear what's going on?"

The guess was confirmed again, and Xue Shu's voice sank.

He had seen locust swarms infested before, and it was common for them to eat thousands of miles away from hunger, but it was by no means the current situation where the village was vacant and the white flags were hanging high, but no one was alive or dead.

Taiyuan Mansion acted like this, which showed that the situation was worse than he expected.

Fan Yan gasped and said, "The subordinates didn't dare to get too close, and only vaguely heard the officers and soldiers who burned the corpses mention 'pimple plague'. It seems that some kind of epidemic has broken out, and many people have died of it."

It really is a disease.

Xue Shu's eyes were hidden in the night: "Do you know how long it's been since?"

"From the conversation, it should be nearly half a month."

However, they were in the capital, but they did not hear any news.

Xue Shu groaned and waited for another hour, and all the guards who went out to investigate came back.

The report said that the situation in the surrounding counties and towns of Taiyuan Prefecture was similar to that here.

White flowers are hung high, and nine rooms are empty.

It is said that this "pimple plague" is very strong, and after the infection, medicine and stones will not work, and nine out of ten people will die.Once a family of several people is infected with the disease, severe cases may even close the doors and die. [1]

However, in just half a month, it spread throughout Shanxi, so that the living did not dare to hang themselves, the dead were not picked up, and there were no pedestrians on the road.

Although in recent years, there have been frequent severe droughts and severe floods in various parts of Dayan, and epidemic diseases have often occurred along with it, but there has never been a time when the "pimple plague" in Shanxi has spread so rapidly and killed many people.

Xue Shu realized the seriousness of the matter. He was silent for a moment, looking at the undulating forest in the night, and said in a deep voice: "Ten people will follow me back to the capital to report the letter, and the remaining 40 people will continue to Datong to look for the trace of the real Ziyuan. There is still an epidemic, immediately send a letter back to the capital."

After speaking, Xue Shu ordered ten people, and after eating the dry food in a hurry, he undressed and rested on the spot.

Sleeping until dawn, I got up and hurried back to Wangjing.

It took four days to come, but it took less than three days to turn back.

It was late at night when he arrived in Wangjing, but Xue Shu still entered the palace overnight, violently arguing Emperor Longfeng from his dream.

Emperor Longfeng was not angry, and looked behind him cheerfully: "So anxious, but the old god found it?"

Seeing that he was only thinking about the old god, Xue Shu's heart sank.But he still shook his head and said, "The whereabouts of Master Zi Yuan are still being searched for. I came here late at night because I have something urgent to report."

It turned out that the old fairy was not found.Emperor Longfeng suddenly lost interest, he leaned on the couch with his legs bent, and yawned: "How urgent is it, can't I report it tomorrow?"

Xue Shu lowered his eyes and said: "I went to Datong, passed through Taiyuan Mansion, and found that there was a severe famine in Shanxi. There were many deaths. Now the counties and towns around Taiyuan Mansion are empty."

"Shanxi?" Emperor Longfeng recalled, and said, ""The governor of Shanxi seems to have handed over a booklet to report the drought in spring.But it's just a drought, which occurs every year in various places, and the Ministry of Households has already approved the opening of warehouses to release grain. "

He looked unconcerned.

Dayan has been suffering from natural disasters in recent years, droughts, floods, locust plagues and epidemics in turn, and Emperor Longfeng is tired of watching it.

Especially every time there is a disaster, there are always people who say that it is a crime from the heavens, as if he, the emperor, is dissatisfied with the heavens, so Emperor Longfeng is particularly displeased to hear such news.

Anyway, its own cabinet to deal with.

Dayan has a vast territory and a large population. Isn't it normal that some people die due to natural and man-made disasters?

Xue Shu saw that he didn't care, but still insisted: "This epidemic is very different from previous years, it is more severe—"

But before he finished speaking, he was interrupted by Emperor Longfeng with some displeasure: "What's the difference? I'm tired, we'll discuss this matter tomorrow."

After finishing speaking, he waved his hand and went to the bedroom.

Gao Xian, the attendant, drove away with a fake smile: "I never imagined that Supervisor Xue is still worried about the country and the people?"

Xue Shu gave him a heavy look, turned around and left.

After leaving Qianqing Palace, he took a look at the dark sky, avoided people, and went to Ciqing Palace again.

When Yin Chengyu was woken up by Zheng Duobao, he was still a little confused: "Why did you come back?"

Zheng Duobao waited for him to get dressed, and said: "It seems that there is something urgent to report."

When Yin Chengyu came out after tidying up his appearance, he saw Xue Shu standing in the hall.

He stood in the hall, besieged by the world.Xuan Hei's hem was covered with mud and dust.Hearing the movement of Yin Chengyu coming out, he turned around, his face was also full of exhaustion, his eyes were dark and heavy, like sparks in embers, the moment he saw him, they burst open and lit up for a moment.

"What happened?" Yin Chengyu had never seen him look like this.

Xue Shu told him about the situation in Shanxi. He seemed afraid that Yin Chengyu would not believe him, so he said in a heavy tone, "I have experienced a severe epidemic before, but even the most severe epidemic is definitely not as violent as this 'pimple plague'. Live one or two."

However, Yin Chengyu's complexion has become more and more ugly since hearing the "pimple plague".

Of course he knew about "pimple plague".

When the disease first broke out, the patient first produced nuclei in the armpits and thighs, vomited blood like watermelon water, and did not receive the bait.The sick person will soon die. [2]

In the last life, pimple plague first broke out in Daming Mansion, and then spread to Wangjing.

At the most serious time, the nine gates of Wangjing City were full of coffins at sunrise, eight or nine people died, and the streets and alleys were empty.

And that's just the beginning.

After that, the plague spread to Tianjin and other places. Countless people died in the northern provinces, the fields were vacant, and the good people were forced to move south or turned into bandits, and uprisings continued in various places.

At that time, he was imprisoned in the imperial mausoleum, and he only vaguely knew that the pimple plague had only erupted in July and August of the 19th year of Longfeng, but he did not expect that there were signs of it as early as this time.And the real source is from Shanxi.

At the beginning of the outbreak in the previous life, everyone thought that the plague would be like the previous epidemics and would subside soon, but they didn't know that this was the beginning of the Great Yan catastrophe.

The author has something to say:

Gougou: Only Your Highness never disappoints Gougou.

PS: Note [1] [2] is quoted from Baidu Encyclopedia.