Famine and Chaos: Weaving Cloth in Exile to Escape the War

In that case, she might as well just use the one in the system.

After all, everything the system produces is of the highest quality.

Since the key medicinal ingredients for treating the plague could not be gathered, Jing Zhichun did not delay any longer and nodded to the young apprentice, saying, "Thank you for informing me, young brother. I don't need the Panax notoginseng for now. Let's buy the ones we had before today."

The young apprentice had already anticipated that Jing Zhichun couldn't afford it, so he nodded and put away the Panax notoginseng samples on the counter.

Jing Zhichun carefully packed the several large bags of common medicinal herbs into his large cloth bundle, tied it up, slung it over his shoulder, said goodbye to the apprentice, and turned to leave the pharmacy.

The sunlight outside was a bit dazzling. Yang Ersao was standing under the eaves of the opposite house looking around. When she saw Jing Zhichun come out, she immediately went to greet her.

With her sharp eyes, she could tell from a few steps away what medicinal herbs Jing Zhichun and the pharmacy boy had bought.

Of course, there were some things she didn't recognize, but she did recognize honeysuckle and mugwort.

These two things are plentiful in the mountains. Every year, the farmers would pick some to take home. Honeysuckle was used to make tea, and mugwort was used to repel mosquitoes.

If she had known that Jing Zhichun wanted to buy these two medicinal herbs, she would never have let Jing Zhichun spend the money, especially the mugwort, which she had plenty of at home.

"Madam Shen, oh dear, I see you bought honeysuckle and mugwort! These two things are everywhere in the mountains during summer and autumn! My family picks a lot and dries them every year. If I had known you wanted these, I wouldn't have wasted this money! Next time you need them, just come to my house to get them!"

Jing Zhichun then remembered that, indeed, many people are familiar with basic herbs such as honeysuckle, chrysanthemum, and mugwort, but she had forgotten about this one.

However, buying honeysuckle and mugwort didn't cost much, so I just bought them.

Furthermore, if war breaks out in the Northwest, these common medicinal herbs will likely be hard to buy, so she had to remind Yang Ersao to store them away carefully.

Moreover, Jing Zhichun felt that now was a good time to subtly remind Yang Ersao about the plague. After all, the plague had been raging in the Central Plains for two years, so the news should have reached the Northwest.

Thinking of this, Jing Zhichun looked at Yang Ersao and said, "Thank you, Yang Ersao. I didn't expect that. But I've already bought them. You can keep yours for your own use. By the way, I wanted to ask Yang Ersao, have you heard about the plague outbreak in the Central Plains?"

"I've heard of it, I've heard of it!" Yang Ersao nodded immediately. "Why did Madam Shen suddenly ask about this?"

Kyoto Haru didn't answer directly, but instead asked, "What have you heard other people saying?"

Yang Ersao thought for a moment and said, "I heard it from my husband when he came back from outside. He said that there was a severe drought in the Central Plains, and the crops failed. Rats couldn't find food in the mountains, so they ran in droves to the villages and cities. But the people had nothing to eat either, and they were starving, so some people started catching rats to eat... And that's how people got that plague."

Jing Zhichun: "..."

This statement...

Okay, people can indeed get the plague if they eat a sick rat.

This statement seems to have a causal relationship.

However, now that everyone knows about the plague, shouldn't the imperial court also tell the people of the Great Zhou how to prevent it?

To be honest, when the plague broke out two years ago, the original owner had focused all her attention on Shen Qingzhou and was unaware of what was happening outside. At this moment, she was completely unaware of how the imperial court was handling the plague.

Thinking of this, Jing Zhichun continued, "Does Sister-in-law Yang know how people who have contracted the plague transmit it to those who are not? Has the imperial court or your local magistrate given you any preventative measures or treatments for the plague?"

"What? The plague can be transmitted from person to person? Isn't it said that... you can only get it by eating a sick rat? I heard from my husband that the officials in the city posted a notice telling everyone not to catch or eat rats, saying that as long as you don't eat rats, you won't get the plague. That's why we don't dare to catch field mice in the fields this year. In previous years, we would catch and eat field mice all the time..."

Jing Zhichun: "..."

For a moment, she didn't know what to say.

It turns out that this is the common perception here.

Is the only way the plague can be transmitted through eating rats?

As long as you watch what you eat, nothing will happen.

The big joke of slipping the world!

The imperial physicians of this dynasty are doomed.

No, it's that this dynasty has come to an end.

However, Jing Zhichun truly did not believe that in such a vast dynasty as the Great Zhou, spanning over a hundred years, no one had figured out how diseases spread.

In the original owner's memories, the south was frequently plagued by floods and epidemics. The local government would impose a lockdown, separating the sick from the healthy, and set up government clinics to provide treatment. The bodies of those who could not be saved would be cremated.

In fact, the plague is quite similar to this bubonic plague.

She genuinely didn't believe that no one could possibly be unaware of how the plague spreads.

Why did the imperial court turn a blind eye to this plague?

They neither informed people of preventative measures nor developed a treatment for the plague.

Moreover, why would they use such a foolish lie to deceive the people?

After much deliberation, Kyoto Haru came to only one conclusion.

So, we can boldly imagine that this time, those who contracted the plague were all from the Central Plains region, and most of them became rebels, and following Zhang Chuang was tantamount to betraying the imperial court.

That's why the imperial court didn't want to deal with the plague and wanted Zhang Chuang and his rebel army, who had contracted the plague, to fend for themselves.

However, on the other hand...

If the emperor didn't know how terrible the plague was, then the imperial physicians must have known how terrible it was.

If he weren't a fool, he would know that if the plague wasn't effectively controlled and left unchecked, it was only a matter of time before it spread throughout the Great Zhou.

No one can remain unaffected or stand aside.

Doesn't that foolish emperor understand this principle?

If all his people died, could he still sit securely as emperor?

Who will protect his kingdom then?

and many more.

Kyoto Haru suddenly remembered something.

The imperial court can weave foolish lies, but it cannot deceive those high-ranking officials, because many of them have physicians in their residences.

Consider the current severe shortage of medicinal materials for treating the plague, their inability to circulate in the market, and their monopoly by high-ranking officials and nobles.

So!

In fact, doesn't this already indicate that these high-ranking officials and nobles had already been stockpiling medicinal materials to treat the plague?

Because they knew the cure for the plague, and they also knew that natural disasters and wars were inevitable.

Therefore, they began to monopolize medicinal materials.

The purpose of doing this is to ensure their own survival. They have to use such ignorant lies to deceive the people in order to ensure that their resources will not be robbed.

However, since the imperial court neither intervened to deal with the plague nor cared about those who hoarded medicine, it was tantamount to tacitly approving of their actions.

This also shows that the imperial court no longer cares about the lives of the common people of the Great Zhou.

Therefore, this is why they are not afraid of the spread of the plague.

Anyway, even if the plague spreads everywhere, this group of people all have the prescription to treat it, so they won't die...

Moreover, the imperial court was not afraid that the barbarians and Tatars would take advantage of the situation to invade, because the plague could also take away these invaders.

At that time, the Great Zhou court might even expand its territory.

Thinking of this, Kyoto Haru broke out in a cold sweat.

If what she guessed was true, then what was the difference between the Great Zhou Dynasty and the end of the world?

Seeing that Jing Zhichun remained silent for a long time and her expression was constantly changing, Yang Ersao felt a sudden unease. Considering that Jing Zhichun knew medicine and had bought so many medicinal herbs, she wondered if something had happened.

"Madam Shen, you...you suddenly asked about this, have you discovered something amiss?"