Dongcheng is the most complex of the four major districts of Viet Cong, as it is located where the pier of the Beijing-Min Grand Canal, which runs through the north and south of the country.

The Beijing-Fujian Grand Canal starts from eastern Fujian in the south, reaches Huai County in the north, passes through the two counties of southern Hunan and Wanzhong, and is a canal dug by the Jin State of the former dynasty with huge manpower and material resources. After the establishment of the Yue Kingdom, the Grand Canal, which connected the four counties in China, became the most important waterway.

With the shipping hub, Dongcheng District has naturally become the commercial center of Yuejing, with an endless stream of caravans and a wide variety of goods.

There are many caravans, and the flow of people is naturally large, and there are not a few of them, and it is not uncommon for the porters at the docks and the men of each fleet to fight over the issue of interests. As a result, compared to other urban areas, Higashijo is the most chaotic place in the whole of Kyoto, and there are relatively many more cases.

After Jiang Xiaobai arrived in Dongshi, he found a more famous medical center, and as soon as he arrived at the door, he saw a middle-aged man with a tightly wrapped head and face coming out of it.

Sitting in the medical hall was an old man, who was packing the medicine bag, and when he saw someone, he greeted him: "Do the three of you want to see a doctor or grab medicine?" ”

Li Mu showed his token and said, "The official is handling the case." ”

As soon as he heard that it was someone from the government, Lao Langzhong was suddenly a little frightened, and Jiang Xiaobai smiled lightly: "Don't be nervous, old man, I just want to ask you about something." ”

The old man swallowed a mouthful of foam and said, "The old man knows everything. ”

Jiang Xiaobai pointed out the door: "The man who covered it tightly just now has a strange disease with black skin?" ”

"Yes." The old man was stunned for a moment and nodded.

"I'd like to know more about this strange disease."

"Hmm," the old man stroked his beard and muttered slightly, "The old man happened to go to see a patient, and he also had this strange disease. If you don't dislike it, sir, you can go with me to have a look. ”

To the east of the East Market there are rows of small courtyards, where most of the men who work for the wharves live, and this place is already a little close to the Grand Canal, and the roar of the porters can be heard not far away.

Lao Langzhong walked to one of the courtyards, stopped suddenly, his face seemed to be a little embarrassed, Jiang Xiaobai saw this, and said, "Old man, what's wrong?" ”

The old man looked left and right, and was embarrassed: "Official, there are more people..."

Jiang Xiaobai bowed his head slightly, signaled Xiao Nengshou and Li Mu to wait outside, and then followed Lao Langzhong into the courtyard. As soon as I entered the house, I smelled a foul smell of herbs mixed with wine, and a young woman was sobbing by the couch guarding her sick husband in bed.

Seeing the arrival of Lao Langzhong, the woman hurriedly cleaned up her appearance, and when she saw Jiang Xiaobai, her expression was slightly stunned: "Doctor, who is this?" ”

"He's a newcomer to the hospital." The old man simply coped, and then heard the woman say anxiously: "Doctor, my husband's illness is more serious than the last time. ”

Lao Langzhong was shocked when he heard this, and immediately took out a pulse pillow and put it on the side of the bed to take the pulse quietly. Jiang Xiaobai also stepped forward, and saw that the patient lying on the bed had purple lips, dark red all over his body, and his skin was full of black scabs, which had even spread to his neck, which was a little more serious than Yue'er's father.

Jiang Xiaobai looked around again, and found that in addition to the household furnishings in the house, there were also many empty wine bottles in the corner, and it was no wonder that he smelled the strong smell of wine for a while when he entered the house.

After a good day, the old man sighed lightly, slowly put away the pulse pillow, and the woman said urgently: "Doctor, how is the husband's illness?" ”

The old man didn't speak, just shook his head, and the woman immediately turned red and begged: "Doctor, please think of a way to save my husband..."

Lao Langzhong sighed and said, "Let's try a few more medicines." After that, he looked at the woman again, and her eyes were full of unbearability, "Do your best, obey the destiny of heaven, and you also... Be optimistic. ”

The woman's body was shocked, and she couldn't stop crying.

After walking out of the door, Lao Langzhong sighed and said to Jiang Xiaobai: "Official, the old man is helpless against this strange disease. ”

"You are the most famous Langzhong in the East City, can't you think of a way?" Jiang Xiaobai held his chin and said.

The old man said with some frustration: "The old man has been practicing medicine for most of his life, and he has never encountered such a strange disease..."

"Could it be the plague?" Jiang Xiaobai said suspiciously.

"Not really." Lao Langzhong shook his head and said slowly, "At first, Lao Yu also thought so, but the patient's body did not show fever, and the pulse was not abnormal. ”

Jiang Xiaobai exclaimed: "You said that their pulses are normal? ”

"Yes, that's what makes me so old." Lao Langzhong said slowly, "It stands to reason that the pulse of people who are sick should be disordered, but their pulse is very normal. ”

Jiang Xiaobai pondered for a moment, and then bowed his head and said, "Today's incident is troublesome to the old man." ”

Seeing off Lao Langzhong, Jiang Xiaobai immediately called Xiao Nengshou and Li Mu and instructed: "Check how many people in Dongcheng District have this disease, and whether they have any common characteristics." ”

"Yes!" The two of them answered.

At this time, a lady came out of the courtyard next door, carrying a vegetable basket in her hand, it seemed that she was going to the market, Jiang Xiaobai stepped forward and said with a light smile: "Auntie, is it convenient to inquire about something?" ”

The eldest lady was very enthusiastic, put down the vegetable basket and said, "Okay, young man, you say." ”

"I'd like to inquire about your yard next door."

"Oh, you're trying to ask Dayong about that strange disease." The eldest lady squinted her eyes and said.

Jiang Xiaobai nodded and said, "Yes, do you know, auntie." ”

"Hey, why don't these two neighbors know." The eldest lady lowered her voice and said, "I was scared earlier, but then I saw that his wife was fine, so I calmed down." ”

Speaking of this, the eldest lady sighed and said: "It's also strange and pitiful, the two have only been married for a short time, and Dayong doesn't know why he suffered from this strange disease, some time ago he was still alive and well!" ”

Jiang Xiaobai was slightly stunned: "Living dragons and tigers? ”

"But it's not, Dayong is a porter at the docks, and his health is getting better, and I heard other guys say that Dayong has been very motivated recently." The eldest lady continued.

"Was there anything unusual about him before he got sick?" Jiang Xiaobai asked again.

"Anomalous... I don't know if one thing counts or not. The eldest lady thought for a while and said, "Dayong loves to drink, and he hasn't made trouble when he gets drunk on weekdays, but a few nights, he surprisingly started a drunken madness on the street." ”

Jiang Xiaobai listened, held his cheeks and didn't speak for a while, then listened to the eldest lady again: "Young man, if there is nothing else, the eldest mother will leave first, and you have to rush to buy vegetables and cook rice." ”

Jiang Xiaobai came back to his senses and said with a smile: "It's nothing, thank you, auntie." ”

"Hey, you're welcome." The eldest lady said with a smile, lifted the basket and walked towards the vegetable market.

Looking at the back of the eldest lady leaving, Jiang Xiaobai fell into deep thought. Judging from the symptoms, Yue'er's father and Dayong should be suffering from the same disease, but according to Xiao Nengshou's oral statement, most of the people who suffer from the disease are people in Dongcheng District.

And why did Dayong, who has always been in good health, change this happened, why did he, who has never made trouble after getting drunk, launch a drunken madness a few nights before his illness? Why is there no abnormality in their pulses?

Many questions lingered in his heart at once, Jiang Xiaobai retracted his thoughts and decided to go back to Yue'er's house to have a look.

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Yue'er was pounding herbs at home, and when she saw Jiang Xiaobai, her little face was slightly startled: "Big brother, why are you here." ”

Jiang Xiaobai saw that there were only Yue'er and her father in the house, and couldn't help asking, "Yue'er, where is your mother?" ”

"My mother went to the streets." Yue'er replied softly.

"Oh..." Jiang Xiaobai nodded, his eyes fell on Yue'er's father, at the moment, although Yue'er's father's illness is not as serious as Dayong's, there is no doubt that if he can't find a way to continue to develop from the disease, Yue'er's father will be in danger of life.

Thinking of this, Jiang Xiaobai couldn't help but feel a little sad, glanced at Yue'er, and said softly: "Yue'er, the immortal I mentioned last time suddenly went to Yunyou, and it won't be back until a few days later." But don't worry, the big brother will definitely let him treat your father. ”

Jiang Xiaobai's expression was all in her eyes, and she pretended to be happy and said, "Well, when the immortals come back, Daddy will be saved!" ”

Jiang Xiaobai sighed secretly, how could he not see Yue'er's pretense, and for a moment, he didn't know what to say.

Yue'er diverted the topic first and asked, "Big brother, how long will you stay in the capital, and when will you return to Guangfu?" ”

"I don't know, I'll go back if I have the chance." Jiang Xiaobai said truthfully.

"What is the big brother doing in the capital now?"

"Hmm... It should be regarded as an official errand. ”

"Really?!" Yue'er blinked and said, "Yue'er also wants to be an official in the future!" ”

Jiang Xiaobai was curious: "How could Yue'er have such an idea? ”

"Because..."Yue'er put her finger on the corner of her mouth, and her eyes turned, "Officials can catch bad guys!" ”

Jiang Xiaobai smiled: "Then we have to wait until Yue'er grows up." He wanted to say that from ancient times to the present, he has not seen a woman as an official, but he thought of Jing Ke, the Criminal Health Division... It's also an official errand.

"Uh-huh!" Yue'er nodded heavily, and suddenly asked, "Is the big brother homesick?" ”

"Huh?" Jiang Xiaobai was stunned, and then he realized that meeting Yue'er again could be regarded as a hometown acquaintance, recalling what he had experienced, for a while, he sighed a lot and said: "Of course I want to, I miss my family, I miss my friends, and I miss the wine of Guangfu..."

Yue'er also seemed to be infected by Jiang Xiaobai, and said with a gloomy expression: "Daddy also likes Lingnan wine, and he specially bought a bottle when he came back..."

"Wine?!" Jiang Xiaobai was shocked, "Show me the wine your father bought." ”

"Hmm!" Yue'er put down the medicine, turned around and took out a bottle of wine from the cabinet and said, "Big brother, this is the bottle." ”

Jiang Xiaobai took the wine and looked at it carefully, the wine bottle was very ordinary, and the surface was not printed with the logo of the winery, but the ink at the mouth of the bottle was a unique mud printing technique of the Lingnan winery.

Picking up the cork at the mouth of the bottle, Jiang Xiaobai poked the silver needle into the bottle, but the truth disappointed him, because the silver needle did not appear black.

"Looks like I'm overthinking it." Jiang Xiaobai laughed at himself.

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At sunset, Xiao Nengshou and Li Mu returned to the White Tiger Yazhong, and the two stood straight in front of Jiang Xiaobai's case, Li Mu said respectfully: "Master Jiang, there is a result, there are a total of seventeen people in Dongcheng District who suffer from this strange disease, they are all porters who work at the docks, and they all like to drink on weekdays. ”

Jiang Xiaobai was surprised when he heard this, and hurriedly said: "You drank the same kind of wine?" ”

Li Mu shook his head and said, "No, there are all kinds of styles." ”

"This is strange..."Jiang Xiaobai held his chin, these seventeen porters all love to drink, Yue'er's father also bought a bottle of wine from Lingnan, but the porters drank not the same kind of wine, and there is no problem with the bottle of wine in Yue'er's house, the spearhead of everything seems to be pointed at wine, but it seems to have nothing to do with wine.

While thinking about it, I heard Xiao Nengshou say: "Boss, I also heard a piece of news, which was spread by a group in the southern suburbs. It is said that the immortals in the sky can't bear to see mortals suffering from strange diseases, so they put the elixir in the Taoist temple last night and will distribute it to the world tomorrow. Many people in Dongcheng District already believe in this news and are ready to go to the Taoist temple tomorrow to receive medicine. ”