Your Majesty,
these are the leave application Of the officials for your approval.
So many officials are taking leave?
Sorry, Your Majesty.
Why do they want to take leave?
Some are sick and some have problems at home. Some...
OK...Just one day, right?
Not one day but one month. They all want to take a month off.
One month? Who will discuss the administration with me then?
We're still here.
Wang Anshi has many friends in the government.
Now they're taking leave collectively. Could this be...?
He wants to resort to group pressure to make me reinstate him. No way.
Given your ability, you can take on those posts, right?
Your Majesty...
Just for a month at the most?
Not even a day, Your Majesty...
Your Majesty.
What's the matter?
This morning the eunuchs, maids, guards, doctors and even the cooks
all took leave all of a sudden.
They all said they support Wang Anshi.
They want him reinstated as the prime minister.
Even the maids who serve the empress dowager have been replaced. She's really mad.
Your Majesty, you must reinstate Wang Anshi as soon as possible to settle this matter.
How can you interfere with national affairs?
For the empress dowager's welfare, I will occupy the grand hall.
I won't let you continue discussing the administration.
Su Dongpo, this is your fault.
If you hadn't shown me the Drifters painting,
I wouldn't have dismissed Wang Anshi.
The officials wouldn't be taking leave.
And the empress dowager wouldn't be so mad. You caused this trouble.
I order you to talk to Wang Anshi now.
Ask him to tell the officials and the maids to resume duty immediately.
But there's no evidence.
How can we say that the officials took leave because of Wang Anshi.
That's your problem, not mine.
Your Majesty, Wang Anshi's nickname is Mr Argument.
He doesn't get along with Officer Su.
It would be awkward for Officer Su to be the mediator.
On the other hand, he promoted me. I'm also Officer Su's brother-in-law.
I'm neutral.
It'll be more effective if I'm the mediator.
OK.
Your Majesty, you said I caused the problem.
I can do this myself.
You don't get along with Wang Anshi. Officer Qin can act as a buffer.
He can help persuade Wang. You two go together.
Yes, Your Majesty.
What if they both fail? What do we do then?
In that case, we'll treat this like a cooling-off period.
I'll reinstate him in six months.
Brother Dongpo, just now you made it clear that you didn't want to persuade Wang Anshi.
But when I offered to do the job in your place, you changed your mind.
Do you still doubt me?
I don't need to say that explicitly, do I?
Wang Anshi promoted you.
You'll persuade him to quit making trouble?
What if you side with him?
You're really over worrying.
We work for His Majesty. Why would I favor Wang Anshi?
I use my brain to think. I decide how I think.
Anyway when we meet Wang Anshi later, you better shut up and stand aside.
I'll do the talking.
Master Wang is sleeping. Please have a seat.
I've got nothing to do...
Sir...
Taking a nap is the best
Hey, Brother Dongpo and Brother Shaoyou. Sorry to make you wait.
Have a seat please.
No problem...
What matters is that you woke up yourself.
If we were too noisy and woke you up, I'd feel really bad.
It's fine...I'm a commoner now. Why have you two come to visit me?
Recently lots of colleagues have taken leave together.
They're even taking a month.
There's no one to discuss administrative issues.
That's the problem of the government. We retired already.
I'm afraid I'm not in a position to solve this problem, right?
Sir...
Why belittle yourself.
Everyone in the capital knows you have connections.
If you solve this problem for the government,
I promise His Majesty won't forget this.
Sir...
Hey!
You'll be helping yourself by helping His Majesty.
He has decided to reinstate you in six months.
Are you done talking?
Yes.
Half a year?
Yes.
Then we'll solve this problem in six months.
Cai, put my luggage on the carriage.
Yes, Master Wang.
Brother Wang, are you going on a trip?
Are you?
Yes. At first I wanted to go to Suzhou next month. But now I've changed my mind.
I'm leaving in a couple of days. I will get some rest there for half a year.
Half a year?
To be honest, His Majesty told me to come here today.
To be honest, I'm a retiree now.
What I say doesn't carry any weight. I can't be of any assistance.
Master Wang, the sedan-chair is ready.
That's all for chit-chat, right? Let's talk about something serious.
Brother Shaoyou, you haven't come to visit me in a longtime.
Why don't we play a game of chess?
Sure. Please.
Come on. I can't wait any longer.
Didn't you play chess with that tortoise Wang Anshi?
You must be so happy. Why did you come home so early?
I've already spent six hours at his place.
What have you got from playing chess with him for so long?
It was a draw.
Just a draw?
Why didn't you show him your best move, the double agent?
Don't use innuendos please. You can be direct.
I'll be direct then. Do you know what you did wrong?
You shouldn't have told Wang Anshi that His Majesty will reinstate him.
He knows our hand now. He fears nothing.
I said it just to pacify him so he'd help.
You've just made the matter worse.
Wrong. He's already agreed to talk to the other officials.
We've gotten the job done.
So you think you're really smart now?
Do you know I don't appreciate your sitting on the fence
and acting as a double agent?
Can you not take it personally please?
You think I'm taking it personally? Then you should examine your conduct.
You suck up to Wang Anshi in the government. You listen to his orders.
When you come home,
you take full advantage of the fact that Xiaomei loves you.
How can a man behave this way?
Can you show some character, integrity and pride?
I'm only saying this for your benefit.
If you weren't my brother-in-law, I really wouldn't care less, Wang Anshi.
No, I mean Qin Shaoyou.
Brother Dongpo, stop drinking.
Hey, why are you so mean? You took my cup?
You think I can't drink now?
Wang Anshi's going to be reinstated as the prime minister?
I got reliable intel that in six months
His Majesty will reinstate him as the prime minister.
I did so many things. Still I can't get rid of that old fool.
If Wang Anshi is reinstated as the prime minister,
he'll restart war against Liao. I'm afraid...
He won't get this chance.
I won't let him live to be reinstated.
Master, people say the pea pudding here is the most famous.
Why don't we try it after we tour around in the lake?
We've just had lunch. You want to eat again so soon?
Do you suffer from malnutrition?
Sorry, this chess piece is mine
Yours? Isn't this game called Lord Liu defeated and joined Yuan Shao?
So you're well versed in chess games.
I'm virtually an expert.
Sir, you've retracted your move again. This is already the third time.
So? You've yawned more than three times.
Ouch.
Honey...What's wrong with you? Your chess pieces are broken?
You want to get him killed?
I'm really so sorry that you got hurt. Just consider that I lost this game.
A man won't shed tears even when he bleeds.
This is just a minor injury.
Let me show you how I'm going to capture and remove your chariot.
How's my husband.
His pulse is really odd. Why is it so abnormal?
Abnormal? Doctor, you cut your finger.
Might that cause a problem when checking my husband's pulse?
Oh, it's just a minor cut.
I cut it by accident while cutting the firewood this morning.
How is it now?
It's still so odd.
Now what?
I thought I could enjoy the trip.
But when I got here, my feet became feeble. Now I can't even get up.
Perhaps you're used to a luxurious life. You suddenly travelled the long way here.
You're exhausted. You also got an extraordinary cold.
That's why your condition is this serious.
Let me prescribe some stronger medicine for you.
Let's see if you'll get well sooner.
Thank you, doctor.
Empress Dowager, you haven't eaten birds nest cakes for two days already.
If you still refuse to eat them, I'm afraid you'll...
Look really old, right?
People say the princess and I look like sisters.
Now we'll look more alike.
The princess can run that fast?
Why did you say that, Empress Dowager?
I can't get a new dress for the sacrificial ritual.
What's the point of dressing so nicely?
Relax. Just a moment...
Hey, why don't I understand what she's implying? What happened?
She asked the Imperial Workshop to make a new dress for her.
They said there's an epidemic in Silk Village.
No one dares to collect silk there.
There's an epidemic. Of course no one would dare go there.
We could just burn them.
I mean no one dares to go there to collect silk.
I see. I've heard that too.
Empress Dowager, silk from other places is actually quite good too.
We even developed some gold thread.
It's really glittery and beautiful.
I only like the silk from Silk Village. I won't itch when I wear that.
But you wouldn't want anyone to die from getting you silk to make dresses, right?
I didn't say I wanted to punish them. I'm not mad at them. I'm just mad at myself.
I don't want to eat, OK?
Why don't you send someone to Silk Village to assess the situation?
If there's really an epidemic,
you can send someone there immediately to take care of the situation.
Then Empress Dowager will be able to get new dresses.
OK. This is a very good suggestion.
Empress Dowager, I'll get right on this. Don't be mad at yourself anymore.
OK. Dig in.
Dig in.
Honey.
Thank you.
Oh, no. Honey, you're travelling to a faraway place tomorrow.
You must bring more money with you.
It's OK. I've prepared that already.
OK. Oh, no. We don't know if there's really an epidemic at Silk Village.
You must bring more medicine with you.
It's OK. Shumei has prepared that for me already.
Oh, no.
It's OK.
No, this time you can't do this for him. It's been cold lately.
So I made a pair of leather gloves for you, honey.
It's really cold at Silk Village. You'll need gloves.
Let me fetch them for you.
You were just informed today and you have to leave tomorrow.
It's such a rush. No wonder Xiaomei is so worried.
I have no choice.
His Majesty said I've visited Silk Village before.
So I know the villagers there.
That's why he wanted me to go and inspect the situation there.
You don't need to make it so complicated. Anyway, take care when you're there.
Don't eat dubious food. Keep a distance from the patients.
Most important of all, you must come home safely.
I hope you'll perform well this time
so that His Majesty will change his view about you.
Then you'll be reinstated very soon.
But you must remain neutral once you're reinstated.
Be a good and impartial official.
You must take care, Brother Shaoyou.
Master...this pair of leather gloves is made of sheepskin.
It will keep you warm. I spent five days making it.
Look. You can feel the warmth
even before you put on the gloves that Xiaomei made for you.
Honey, try them.
It's really not necessary, Xiaomei.
Honey, Xiaomei made them for you. Just try them.
Right.
Try them.
Ouch.
What's the matter?
What did you put in the gloves?
I’m sorry. I was so careless to leave a needle in it.
Chun Xue, go get some medicine.
Yes.
Let me suck the blood out for you.
No.
Come on.
I said no...I'll go apply the medicine.
Miss Xiaomei, go to bed since you're tired. Be careful or you'll catch a cold.
Honey yelled at me in front of everyone just now.
He knows I'm mad. I dare him not to come over and make up with me.
That's true. He really cares about you. I believe he will come.
But I've been waiting for so long already.
Could he have fallen asleep already
since he's leaving for a faraway place tomorrow?
I passed by Madame Shumei's room just now. There was still light inside.
I think Master Qin is still packing his bags.
He hasn't gone to bed yet.
Right. I don't know how long he'll be away
this time since he's going to Silk Village.
I'm sure he'll talk to me before he leaves.
I know he'll miss me.
Honey, why don't you give some gifts to the village head of Silk Village?
I'm a government official. I can't give them gifts.
Don't give them anything expensive.
Why don't you bring along some tea and treat them to it?
I don't think that's a problem.
OK. That way I can catch up with them. You're really thoughtful.
Thank you.
Was I too harsh on Xiaomei just now?
You got pricked by a needle just now. Your reaction was quite normal.
Does it still hurt?
Not anymore. I need to go out for a while.
Where are you going? It's so late.
I'm worried Xiaomei's upset. I want to cheer her up.
Why don't you...sit down? I know you're considerate.
But Xiaomei worked around the clock to make you the gloves.
She must be exhausted. She's probably asleep how.
Why don't you go see her tomorrow?
I have to leave early in the morning. I'm worried I'll forget.
You're busy. Let me remind you of such a trivial matter. Don't worry.
I'll be sure to remind you tomorrow morning.
OK.
You must be tired too. Why don't you go to sleep?
OK.
Shumei.
Yes?
Come over.
OK.
Honey...Wait for me, honey...Honey...
Miss Xiaomei...
Where's my husband?
He left an hour ago.
Why didn't you wake me?
He told me to let you sleep in.
Why didn't he wait for me? He didn't even talk to me.
I spent the whole night thinking how to say goodbye to him.
What?
Master Qin must have left this behind.
He left behind a glove on purpose.
This must be a hint. He wants me to go with him.
Otherwise why would he just leave one glove behind and not both?
I know you really want to go see Master Qin.
But your excuse is so far-fetched.
I've never had a fight with him for so long.
I feel so uneasy now.
I don't know when he'll be back. I've got nothing to do at home anyway.
You want to go to Silk Village too?
I've been there before. I know how to get there.
I can help him too so he won't wear himself out.
OK. It's decided.
No, you know I suffer from motion sickness. I'll throw up. It will be a mess.
Please don't go.
OK...Your excuses are more far-fetched than mine.
I didn't say I would take you with me.
I have someone better in mind since he can help me and my husband.
You're smart to ask a kung fu expert like me to be your bodyguard.
With your help and these gloves of love,
my husband can accomplish his mission. You do have brotherhood, Hong Si.
Don't mention it.
Shaoyou is like a brother to me. And you're my sister-in-law.
You asked me to go with you. So of course I would.
Hey, be careful. Are you OK?
I'm fine. It's just a minor cut.
Last time, honey was embarrassed and wouldn't let me suck his cut for him.
Now I can ask him to do it for me.
Honey, the chicken smells so good. I can smell it from far away.
Don't eat it yet. We must Wait until everyone's here.
Wow, there's a gecko.
Where? Hey, you're so naughty.
Sis Mi is coming. But Xiaomei is nowhere to be seen.
Right. I haven't seen her all day. Where is she?
Right.
Master Su, Mrs. Su.
Have you seen Miss Xiaomei? I haven't seen her all day.
Well...
What? Where is she?
She followed Master Qin to Silk Village.
What?
What? She went to Silk Village? Why didn't she tell me?
No, I must tell her to come back.
Master...
You don't need to go after her. You won't catch up with her.
She left early this morning.
She was afraid you would find out.
So she told me to wander around till dark.
Xiaomei is so petulant.
Hey...What's the matter?
There's trouble in the ancestral hall. Let's go help the village head now. Come on.
Let's go then.
Village head, you mustn't use torture.
Who are you?
I'm Qin Shaoyou.
Oh, Officer Qin. Don't worry. I'm afraid they'll escape.
They're our villagers. Why would I beat them up?
How's the situation now?
Have you found the origin of the disease yet?
You've seen the situation here. More and more people are getting sick.
I'm afraid this place won't be able to accommodate them later.
I suspect that Dr Li is the origin of the disease.
All his patients are sick. So is he.
That's ridiculous.
How could a doctor be the origin of the disease?
I'm not lying to you. You don't believe it? Dr Li, please come forward.
Village head, you want to see me?
Tell Officer Qin your condition.
Dr Li.
I can't believe I got sick myself.
I got this weird disease and infected other people. I'm so sorry.
You're a kind doctor. You didn't want this to happen either.
How do you feel now?
It's more or less like the flu.
Sometimes I have the chills. Sometimes I ache all over.
Sometimes I'm numb.
Dr Li, let me check your pulse.
OK.
Officer Qin, his pulse is really odd.
Sometimes it's fast, and sometimes slow. Sometimes there's a ping.
That reminds me; I was treating an Officer Wang before I got sick.
His pulse was exactly like mine. I think I got the disease from him.
Is he in the ancestral hall?
No. His wife said he's of a high social status.
We don't have an inn here.
So he's staying at the relay station.
Officer Wang?
How are you, honey?
Please turn your face sideways when you talk.
Then you won't infect people.
My conscience is clean. I always talk to people face to face.
I can't believe I have to turn my face sideways now.
It doesn't matter, honey.
What matters is that they save you.
Officer Wang, where have you been and what have you eaten?
What did you come into contact with?
Why are you asking these questions?
Everyone knows people got infected because of Dr Li.
He treated my husband before. That's how my husband got infected.
Relax, Mrs. Wang.
The other patients got sick after consulting Dr Li.
But Officer Wang already had similar symptoms before Dr Li fell sick.
That's why we're asking these questions.
My husband just had the ﬂu.
His condition got worse after Dr Li treated him.
If you say my husband passed on the disease to other people,
why am I still fine?
I'm so healthy. Honey.
Please stop arguing.
Honey.
Shaoyou.
Sir.
Let me tell you what happened. I didn't touch anything in particular.
I didn't eat anything funny.
I've been in this state since I got to Silk Village.
The only thing we know is that this disease is highly contagious.
Now all the patients are staying in the ancestral hall.
But that's not the best place to accommodate them.
Why don't we move all the patients to the relay station?
At least everyone will have a bed.
But the relay station should be open to the officials and merchants who pass by.
Given the current situation, who would still come here?
Move all the patients here right away.
Find some other places for the healthy villagers.
We must quarantine the patients for observation.
Yes, sir.
You mean we have to leave?
I want to stay here and look after my husband.
I must look after him.
Don't worry.
We'll send Officer Wang and Dr Ma back to the capital
so he can get treated in Hanlin Hospital.
At the same time, we'll look for a cure for the villagers.
No, since Dr Li is the origin of the disease, his condition is the most serious.
You should ask Dr Ma
to return to the capital with him immediately for treatment.
Sir...
Mrs. Wang.
I don't feel well either.
Please let me stay and look after my husband. Honey.
Honey, this is an extraordinary time. You should consider the big picture.
Stop bargaining, OK?
Honey I don't want to part with you.
Don't worry, Mrs. Wang. We will cure him.
I still want to play chess with him.
OK. Honey, I'll leave then.
Honey, can I look at your face one more time before I leave?
Honey, can you help me turn my head?
Oh...
My neck is stiff from sleeping.
Honey, why were you so careless? Easy...Easy...Come on...Be careful, honey.
The bleeding has stopped already? How can I ask my husband to suck my wound?
Are you serious?
You want Shaoyou to suck your wound? That's so disgusting.
Why can't I?
Of course you can.
Let's find him quickly and ask him to suck your wound then.
Why is the place so different from the last time I was here?
There's no one around?
Hey, there are soldiers. Let's ask them where my husband is.
Hey.
Go.
Sir, where's Officer Qin?
I don't want to leave. I want to stay here with my family.
Go...You're sick. You must be quarantined. Go now.
Hey, don't be scared.
Officer Qin will make the necessary arrangements.
You'll all be taken care of Get some rest.
You'll see your family again very soon.
Thank you.
Go...Those behind follow them too. Are you villagers here? Are you infected?
It's so obvious that we're not from here.
We're here to see Officer Qin.
Honey? Si?
Honey. Hey.
As a safety precaution,
you must cover your nose and mouth when you go out.
When you're inside the house, you must soak the towel in vinegar.
Is the situation really that serious?
You think I came here for fun?
Why did you come here? Why did you come here with her?
Your wife asked me to. I couldn't say no. Was I supposed to let her come alone?
I didn't come here for fun.
You left a glove behind. I had to bring it to you.
You're really so nice, honey. No, I mean you're so petulant.
Yes, I'm petulant. Because I really miss you
So I made an excuse to come see you.
I haven't even told Brother Dongpo.
He'll really scold me now.
I'm here already. I can help you. Let me help you look after the patients, OK?
How? There's an epidemic here. It's contagious.
You must leave as soon as possible.
No.
No?
She's here already.
Just let her stay for a couple of days and keep you company, OK?
That's right. Let me stay.
Hey, your hand got cut?
Yes, it got cut twice. Once when I was taking a carriage here.
And just now when I struggled with a woman, I got cut again.
Honey, suck my wound for me please.
Someone's here.
Oh, there's no one here...You two carry on...
Come on.
Sit down. Let me clean your wound first. Then I'll suck it.
See? Does it really hurt?
Yes.
Do you feel better now?
It seems less painful now.
You're so careless. Why could you be so careless?
So are you. You didn't know you left the glove behind.
I'm talking about you. You're talking about me instead?
Why not? You're careless.
Promise me not to go out during this period.
You could easily get infected. Do you understand?
OK. Can you suck my wound now?
Oh, Sis Xiaomei, you must be hungry. So am I. Hey, what is there to eat?
The sweet shrimps of Silk Village are very tasty. I wish I could eat that
Isn't that be bad for your wound?
How about eating just one?
Just one? OK. Just eat one.
Happy things come in pairs.
Happy things come in pairs? You're cheating. Look at your finger...
Hey, I'm starving.
It's hurts so bad...
Suck it for me.
Hey, did you hear me? Hey, you two. I'm starving...
Come again? What are the symptoms?
Your Majesty, I noticed that the people in Silk Village
sometimes felt cold and their muscles ached all over.
Sometimes all the symptoms would suddenly disappear.
I couldn't figure out the origin of the disease.
So we called this the mutating virus.
We've observed this Dr Li for so long.
It appears he's fine. He's not moving at all
It's so unpredictable The villagers must be in danger.
Before I left Silk Village,
Officer Qin had taken all the patients to the relay station.
Then he gathered all the healthy villagers in the same place for observation.
It's a measure for safety.
I've already modified Emperor Taizu's dragon club.
It's now a double dragon staff. I dare you to come closer...
Wow...
Protect His Majesty...
Your Majesty...
I'm fine. Check on them first.
Your Majesty, Dr Li's dead.
Dead? Why did he lose it just now? And he was so strong.
He kept attacking me like if he didn't feel any pain at all.
I don't know. Perhaps that's the symptom before dying.
Your Majesty, the two of them have been wounded by Dr. Li.
Their pulses are highly irregular.
They must be quarantined for observation as a safety measure.
This disease is so terrible.
What if more people get infected? Then they'll kill each other.
I hereby order all the officials and officers to find a cure.
I don't care it it's orthodox medicine or some alternative medicine.
I want a cure tor the mutating virus. Do you understand?
What? Dr Zhu, you do a test too.
What? It's really unbelievable.
How can I not worry?
The imperial doctors and the officials are still looking for a cure.
We don't know when they'll find one that can save the people.
There are so many able people in Song. I'm sure there'll be a solution very soon.
I'm afraid before we find a cure...
Please don't worry.
If in the end there's no cure, then we must try all medicine randomly.
Will that work?
Of course it will.
You can test the medicine one by one on the infected.
There must be one that can cure them.
You're really so thoughtful.
OK. I'll order the imperial doctors to test the medicine on Jixiang and Pingan.
What if this doesn't work? Is there a plan B?
I dare not say it. It's too cruel.
Don't worry. Just tell me.
Tell me please.
As long as it can stop the epidemic, it won't be cruel.
When I was a little girl,
an old man said there was an epidemic in a Western country.
Lots of people died in a village. The doctor couldn't cure the patients.
Soon the disease spread to another village.
What did they do? How did they stop it?
The king came up with a very drastic and risky solution in the end.
I really don't want to tell you. The solution is too inhuman.
Tell me what it is. I pardon you for saying it.
You must promise me that you will never resort to such a solution.
Never.
In the end, that king decided to burn down the infected villages
to stop the epidemic from spreading and causing further casualties.
So all the villagers were burned to death?
Yes. The epidemic was under control. But lots of people lost their lives.
So you mustn't do that.
How could I do that?
I'm sure the officials will find a cure. I have great confidence in them.
That's right. I'm worrying too much.
Qin Cao, I'm glad you're here for me.
Pingan...
What's the matter?
I hope Dr Ma can figure out a way to cure us.
I want to carry on serving His Majesty.
Me too. I don't want to die so young.
Me neither.
Separate them immediately. Do you want me to repeat myself?
Jixiang...Open the door, Jixiang. Open the door.
Your Majesty, I'm sick. I can only serve you in my afterlife.
No, Jixiang. Open the door.
Jixiang...How are you, Jixiang?
He's just passed out.
Your Majesty, please get some rest.
We'll report to you after we've studied this.
How are Jixiang and Pingan?
Jixiang is getting some rest in his bedroom now.
There's no sign that he's lost his mind. But Pingan's dead.
Dead? He got infected not long ago. How could he be dead already?
I believe the mutating virus is transmitted person to person.
The disease worsens faster each time.
Officer Su, have you found a cure yet?
The mutating virus resembles the flu and rabies.
There are other symptoms too.
We've found many different prescriptions in the medical books.
We'll test them on Jixiang one by one to find out which is effective.
One by one? So how long will that take?
I don't have an answer.
It could take four to six hours, five to seven days or even...
Five to seven years? By then everyone will be dead.
I don't care. We must try all the medicine randomly.
Sorry, Your Majesty.
I understand that Your Majesty is worried about the people.
But there are so many prescriptions.
The only thing we can do is find the effective cure as soon as possible.
I don't care, you must cure Jixiang and the villagers.
Otherwise you'll all have to die too.
We've tried several kinds of drugs already.
It seems that none work. He's vomited all of them.
We can't worry so much now.
Keep making him drink the medicine until he stops vomiting.
Yes.
Cover his mouth... It seems he's swallowed it.
Right. He hasn't regurgitated it. Does that mean this medicine is effective?
I hope this medicine can cure Jixiang.
Your Majesty, it's cold. You must mind your health.
Right. It's not good if I get sick, right?
You're so humorous, Your Majesty.
Of course it's not good to get sick. Who likes getting sick?
That king finally decided to burn down the infected villages
to stop the epidemic from spreading and causing further casualties.
Your Majesty, I'm sick. I can only serve you in my afterlife.
I believe the mutating virus is transmitted person to person.
The disease worsens faster each time.
Doctor, has Jixiang gotten better?
His pulse is much more stable than before. It's no longer irregular.
This shows the cure for rabies
as recorded in Ge Hong's Prescriptions for Emergencies is effective.
It's effective. Yet there's still an unsolved problem.
What's that?
How long did it take
for the medicine to work after Jixiang took it?
About four to six hours.
That's the problem.
During that window of four to six hours,
there's still a chance that the patient will become deranged
and attack people.
Who will make them take the medicine under such circumstances?
So you must work out a cure
that can help the patients get well within the shortest amount of time.
That's right.
Is the cure for internal use only? Aren't there other methods?
We've tried acupuncture and external application.
They're not effective.
Don't tell me that there's no other method.
You're the best imperial doctors.
How could you run out of options unless you lack the determination?
Sir, please give us sometime.
We'll work out a solution as soon as possible.
That's what I want to hear.
Your Majesty, I've found a cure. It was tested on Jixiang.
Observation last night shows that he's getting better.
Good.
Your Majesty, please let me
take the cure to Silk Village to help the patients there.
I was afraid the epidemic would get out of control.
I've already ordered Officer Jiang
to take some soldiers there to burn down the village.
What? Then I'll leave for Silk Village right away.
You send a message there by courier pigeons
to stop Officer Jiang from burning down the village.
OK. Let's do that.
Goodbye, Your Majesty.
OK.
The onset of the mutating virus really varies with the hosts?
The onset of the disease varies among the first batch of patients too.
Some have already become deranged. Some don't even feel cold at all.
According to my observation,
the more recent patients get sick sooner.
If this carries on, the patients could become deranged at the same time?
Too bad we still have no idea
how this disease is passed on and how to prevent its spread effectively.
Actually I have some idea.
All of Dr Li's patients are infected. They all had wounds on their bodies.
So I surmise that the disease
is transmitted through contact with wounds.
OK. I'll tell them to take precaution against that.
Thank you, Dr Li.
Your hand got cut?
Yes, it got cut twice. Once when I was taking the carriage here.
And when I struggled with a woman just now, I got cut again.
Honey...Are you there, honey? Honey...