Quick Transmigration: Underdog Turns out to be Untouchable

Having settled matters with Bai Menghan, Ye Shuangshuang smoothly convinced a few government officers who had the most confidence in her medical skills to accompany her to the county where the plague had broken out.

In the county where the plague erupted, the County Magistrate was already busy to the point of dizziness, his mouth full of blisters, nearly driven mad—he not only had to control the plague but also worried about himself and his family catching it.

Doctors from the entire county and two neighboring counties had been recruited to research how to deal with the plague, but to no avail, as two of the doctors had caught the plague themselves and had collapsed.

Even the doctors treating the sick had fallen ill, and with common people being restricted from moving around freely, panic was rife among the populace, especially after some frailer common people started dying over the last couple of days, leading to even more unstable public sentiment.

At this moment, the County Magistrate was desperately scouring the area for doctors, but unfortunately, the doctors from other counties had long fled upon hearing of the outbreak and could not be found.

The County Magistrate, who was in desperate need of doctors, was delighted when he heard that a convict under escort had volunteered, claiming he could treat the plague, and he personally came over immediately.

The County Magistrate had no prejudice against the convict at this point; on the contrary, upon hearing that this convict had been exiled from the Capital City, he was even overjoyed.

The Capital City is full of talents; could it be his incredible luck that brought an exiled Imperial Physician into the plague zone?

However, the County Magistrate’s expectant expression crumbled the moment he saw that the arrival was a young, beautiful girl.

Still, the County Magistrate said nothing more, simply waving weakly to let his men take Ye Shuangshuang to treat the plague patients, and turned away dispiritedly.

It was a complete reaction of not caring whether the person could or could not cure the plague; as long as she knew some medical skills, she should not be dismissed, yet there was no expectation either.

Ye Shuangshuang was indifferent to the County Magistrate’s reaction and directly followed the leading government officer to see the patients.

Since the outbreak, the severely ill common people had been isolated and were not allowed to move freely; food and drink were provided by the government.

This measure prevented infected common people from spreading the plague to those not yet infected, a common government approach after an outbreak.

While this protected the uninfected, for those afflicted by the plague, it felt like abandonment, like being penned in to await death.

Thus, these people’s moods were very poor, and they huddled together, gazing at the outsiders with expressions yearning for life yet filled with despair, their eyes green like the Evil Ghosts of Hell.

It was only upon reaching this place that the government officers accompanying Ye Shuangshuang began to feel fear, hesitating and reluctant to move forward.

Ye Shuangshuang did not trouble them: ”Dear government officers, I will enter the quarantine area hereafter. It is heavily guarded; I won’t be able to escape. There is no need for you to follow me inside.”

The government officers immediately nodded earnestly and then retreated in unison, indicating they would wait outside for Ye Shuangshuang to come out.

Ye Shuangshuang nodded and, together with two county government soldiers completely wrapped in cloth, their heads covered with hoods, entered the quarantine area.

The quarantine area was divided into two layers: the inner part housed the sick common people, and the outer layer was where doctors treating the plague-infected common people stayed.

The whole quarantine area was steeped in gloom; needless to say, the nearly hopeless state made all the sick look at outsiders with some hostility.

And those outside, the doctors, were helpless against the plague, huddling in their rooms each day, praying not to catch the plague themselves.

Everyone was biding their time, waiting for the Emperor to send an Imperial Physician to manage the plague, so they might survive.

A pretty girl like Ye Shuangshuang walking in alone elicited only two kinds of reactions: one was expressions of idiocy from the idle doctors inside the rooms.

The other was buy-in jealousy and hatred from the dying plague victims; they envied Ye Shuangshuang’s healthy standing there, resenting her ability to remain uninfected and not face death here.

As Ye Shuangshuang approached the quarantine zone, she couldn’t help but frown. The people were not only in poor spirits; the sanitation here was also abysmal.

These dying common people didn’t maintain hygiene around them, often relieving themselves indiscriminately, causing a stench and an unbearable odor.

This wouldn’t do; being sick demanded more attention to personal hygiene and disinfection, preventing the infected common people’s conditions from further deteriorating.

Ye Shuangshuang first entered the doctors’ quarters, where seven or eight doctors were sitting together silently, each appearing very downcast.

Surveying the room, Ye Shuangshuang asked the doctors, ”Could I trouble you for your thoughts on the patients’ symptoms? Also, what kinds of herbs do we currently have, and are the varieties complete?”

Silence pervaded the air as the group of doctors looked at Ye Shuangshuang, but no one responded.

With many people silently watching, the air was silent, the scene eerily strange with many present but all silent.

Ye Shuangshuang frowned; the doctors’ attitudes were not much different from the plagued common people, seemingly heavily impacted by the prior doctors’ plague infection.

Suppressing a sigh, Ye Shuangshuang surveyed the surroundings, noticing the room appeared to have several rooms combined, with a large row of medicine cabinets in the front, along with several large, long tables.

She approached the cabinets, finding them well-stocked with a variety of herbs, indicating the County Magistrate had thoroughly prepared the inventory for these doctors.

The tables were scattered with disordered papers, which she picked up and examined, finding them to be the previous diagnoses from the doctors for the plague patients.

Ye Shuangshuang studied them carefully; evidently, the doctors hadn’t found anything useful, as the diagnostic process and results were messily written, holding little reference value.

Setting down the diagnoses, Ye Shuangshuang shook her head, not expecting any assistance from these doctors sharing the mindset of the infected common people, and turned to directly tend to the plague victims.

The place holding the common people was heavily guarded, with many soldiers fully armed, wielding long spears, on watch.

But the soldiers’ spears were pointed at the infected common people, clearly preventing them from charging out of the quarantine zone.

Upon Ye Shuangshuang’s approach, a soldier, only his eyes visible, seemingly the leader, approached her: ”Doctor, are you here to check the patients’ pulses?”

The leader soldier looked at Ye Shuangshuang calmly, devoid of curiosity about a woman tending to the plague, an unseemly task for a woman to undertake in public.