Zhou Wulang returned home to find Bai Shan already waiting. He asked, "Brother Zhou Wu, is there any word from Manbao?"
"No," Zhou Wulang replied, "I asked the guards, but they don't know either. I just heard that Director Xiao went in with Imperial Doctor Liu before dark last night and hasn't come out yet."
Bai Shan furrowed his brow, paced a couple of steps, and said, "I'm afraid something went wrong with the experimenters."
Zhou Wulang was anxious, "What problem? Will Manbao be held accountable?"
Bai Shan said, "After all, it's an experiment, and it's smallpox we're dealing with. It's normal even if someone dies, as long as it's not due to human error. However..."
Bai Shan furrowed his brow and said, "It's just that our experiments in the Western Regions went smoothly, and if it fails here, Manbao might not be able to accept it."
Zhou Wulang worriedly asked, "What should we do then?"
