Xiao Moxian sat in his study and stared at the small wooden box. Inside was a piece of deep purple cloth—a mask to filter out plague particles from the air, Wang Jingyuan had told him when she came to visit. She had also brought him several large ceramic bottles of alcohol solution for disinfecting.
"You did not have to come all this way just to bring me these," Xiao Moxian had said, even though he was secretly pleased that she was thinking of him. "His Majesty recently approved a new division within the Imperial Academy of Medicine, called the Office of Epidemic Control, focused exclusively on tackling the plague. They are producing plenty of alcohol solution, which will then be passed out. I can get my supply from there."
