Su Xi-er let go of Pei Qianhao’s hand and looked at one of the imperial physicians as she asked, “Imperial Physician Zhao, were you able to find out what made these commoners go crazy all of a sudden?”
Imperial Physician Zhao glanced at his colleagues, but all of them shook their heads with a sigh. He then bowed and said, “This subordinate is incapable. We weren’t able to identify exactly what caused it, but this definitely is the work of humans.”
Yu Xiao then said, “Let me take a look.” He then walked over to one of the commoners to take his pulse.
Imperial Physician Zhao was quite shocked to see that it was a young man who had come forth. It looks like he knows what he’s doing. He might just be able to find the cause of this.
However, the other imperial physicians did not think like Imperial Physician Zhao. They had decades of experience, and it would be extremely embarrassing if a teenager was able to accomplish what they hadn’t.
Su Xi-er saw Yu Xiao frowning before he stood up. “They’ve ingested Yinluo Grass, a herb that incites mania and lack of coordination in humans. This is likely why they rushed into the compound and caused a commotion.”
Pei Qianhao remembered reading about Yinluo Grass in one of his military books. The plant originated from the Gobi Desert in the Western Region.
Su Xi-er frowned upon hearing the name, having come to the same conclusion as Pei Qianhao.
The imperial physicians were baffled; such a plant had long been prohibited in Beimin, so why would it appear now? Everyone knew that the Western Region King was on his way to Beimin right now, and they had reason to wonder if the friendly relationship between Beimin and the Western Region was only a sham.
Imperial Physician Zhao bowed and said, “Prince Hao, it’s a serious matter if Yinluo Grass has entered Beimin. If all the commoners ingest it, the capital city will fall into a state of chaos.”
Pei Qianhao instructed Feng Changqing, “This Prince orders you to patrol the streets.” He then looked at another guard and said, “Go to the palace with my orders and request for His Majestyto issue an edict and announce publicly that the entire city should be on alert. With the exception of Mei’s Family Clinic, all clinics are to be closed for inspection. Inform Miss Mei and get her to come to the Commandery Prince’s compound immediately.”
Feng Changqing and two guards acknowledged the orders before going about their duties.
Pei Qianhao looked at Yu Xiao and asked, “Do you know how to neutralise the effects of Yinluo Grass?”
Yu Xiao pursed his lips before answering, “ I’m not sure about the exact method, but since their body temperatures have risen since ingesting it, we can try immersing them in cold water and feeding them cold food before giving them some medicine that can help to calm them down. That might help a little, but we’d have to wait for Miss Mei to discuss how we should approach this.”
Su Xi-er said, “Let’s just do that to treat the symptoms for now. Since the plant originates from the Western Region, they’d probably know how to neutralise its effects. We should stay calm and wait for the King of the Western Region to arrive.”
“That’s all we can do now.” Imperial Physician Zhao said with a sigh. With what Su Xi-er had said, it seemed that she truly believed in the good relationship between Beimin and the Western Region.
Pei Qianhao ordered the guards to house the commoners in a room before sending someone else to go to the county office to find out their identities.
Pei Qianhao knew that he probably wouldn’t be able to stop working tonight, much less return home. As such, he patted Su Xi-er on the shoulder and said, “I’ll get someone to send you back. I’ll definitely return before it gets dark tomorrow.”
Su Xi-er shook her head. “No, I don’t like to wait. I’m impatient just like you.”
