In Biancheng, the people had been taking preventative decoctions for the plague; while this did not completely prevent infection, the symptoms after contracting the disease were significantly less severe than before. The mortality rate had also plummeted, which was a great relief. The people had begun to regain hope, which in turn bought precious time to develop a definitive cure.
For over a dozen days, Shen Yiru and the Imperial Physicians sent from the capital had barely slept more than four hours a day, pouring all their efforts into perfecting a prescription. Finally, they finalized the formula. However, this new prescription contained several toxic ingredients in fairly high doses, so they dared not use it on the populace without testing it first. Since Shen Yiru had spearheaded the development of this prescription, she decided to step forward and test it herself.
The decoction was brewed. Shen Yiru picked up the bowl, ready to drink it.
Chapter 286