Prefect Wu hesitated and said, "Who should manage it? These soldiers all have families to support, I’m afraid they won’t be willing—"

Yun Jiao was really impatient. This Prefect Wu was timid and indecisive, with too many concerns, making him difficult to deal with.

She took out the emperor’s handwritten decree and threw it in front of Prefect Wu, "This is personally written by the emperor, commanding local officials to follow my instructions on the epidemic matter. Prefect Wu, take a good look!"

Prefect Wu twitched his mouth and picked up the decree to look at it.

He had heard about the contents of the decree before, but the idea of listening to a woman did not sit well with him. He was unwilling to tie his career and life to a woman; he didn’t dare.

Yun Jiao said coldly, "Yangzhou’s Defense Office still has two thousand soldiers, let them manage these residences."

"Whether they are willing or not, they must comply. If anyone tries to stall or evade this matter, I will immediately send someone to deliver a message to the capital and ask the emperor for the Imperial Sword!"

Upon hearing about the Imperial Sword, Prefect Wu quickly bowed his head, "I will definitely convey Doctor Gu’s intentions to Zhou Shoubei."

"Immediately follow my requirements: find houses and recruit craftsmen to make screen doors and windows," Yun Jiao finished, put away the decree, and no longer paid him any attention.

If he dared to play tricks on her requests, she would indeed seek the Imperial Sword.

Outside, Yun Jiao saw that the juice from the Artemisia annua had already been squeezed into four or five buckets.

Yun Jiao instructed the soldiers, "Continue soaking and squeezing the juice at a ratio of one jin of Artemisia annua to one bucket of water."

"Once finished, Cai Ping will take people to bring it to the patients outside the West City Gate."

Cai Ping quickly agreed.

Yun Jiao had people cover the buckets with cloth, place them on the cart, and push it towards the northern city gate.

When the cart reached outside the city, Yun Jiao called for the patients to bring their bowls for the medicine.

No one paid Yun Jiao any attention.

The woman who had been crying earlier in the morning did scoop a bowl of medicine for her husband to take home.

A few Forbidden Army soldiers looked around, discontentedly shouting, "Are you deaf or blind?"

"Doctor Gu is a renowned miracle doctor of our time. The emperor specifically sent Doctor Gu to treat you, and now the medicine that can cure your illness is right here, and you refuse to drink it?!"

A patient, who wasn’t having an episode at that moment, seemed okay. He sat on a tattered mat, shook his head, and said, "A female doctor, heh, what use can a woman be?"

"Some time ago, the Magistrate sent for all the doctors in the city. They all said they’ve never seen this illness and didn’t know how to treat it."

"A woman, sigh—"

After sighing, he somehow found a chipped bowl, "Well, treat a dead horse as if it were alive. Since it’s free medicine, give me some."

Yun Jiao didn’t get angry; she first took a ladle herself and drank some, then also let the soldiers with her drink, "This can not only treat malaria but also prevent it; everyone should drink some."

The soldiers quickly drank theirs.

After drinking, Yun Jiao said, "Don’t blame them; they are both sick and hungry, without the strength to come over. Let’s deliver the medicine to them."

"Besides, those further away are unaware."

She reached out to lift a bucket, but Captain Fang quickly lifted it and walked over.

Yun Jiao picked up the ladle, scooped a spoonful of the medicinal juice, and poured it into the patient’s bowl.

Captain Fang carried the bucket as Yun Jiao went along scooping the medicine for people. While serving the medicine, she didn’t forget to remind them, "Wear long clothes and trousers, and be careful not to get bitten by mosquitoes."

"This illness is transmitted by mosquitoes." 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

The people were somewhat skeptical.

Overall, the majority tended to believe, after all, Captain Fang and the others were wearing official military uniforms.