This stuff containing the smallpox virus was obtained through the Ouyang family. The Li family doesn't have that kind of ability to get their hands on it.

Those were scabs that had been applied to the prince's rash.

When he asked for this, he naturally didn't hide it from the Ouyang family; he spoke very frankly, saying he wanted to test the medicine.

Although the Ouyang family was shocked by the Li family's madness, they still gave in. After all, at this moment, the lives of the Crown Prince and the Empress were the most important.

Even if there's no result, a few more points would be good.

The Li family was interested, and the Ouyang family was naturally pleased.

It is now the third day, and the first group of people from the Li family who were tested have already shown symptoms of smallpox, experiencing discomfort, but it is very mild.

The second group of people also developed rashes after coming into contact with the prince's smallpox scabs.

Li Qingyao went back and forth between the rooms of the group to find out the details and recorded everything in detail. What he was writing down now might one day appear on the emperor's desk and in the medical books of the imperial physicians.

Li Qingyao made no embellishments, keeping Pan Jinhua's requirements firmly in mind: concise, direct, and to the point.

To facilitate the trial planting, Pan Jinhua specially ordered a row of rear-facing rooms to be prepared in the backyard, specifically to accommodate the six of them.

This period was agonizing, and Pan Jinhua was also feeling terrible. After all, it was her idea to have someone test the medicine, and it was one of her own people. Although she knew there would be no problem, she was worried that if something went wrong, it would be too late to regret it.

Wang Jiao showed great perseverance; in order to conduct the experiment better, he took the longest time.

During this time, it was not easy for anyone in the Li family to learn about the Crown Prince's situation through the Ouyang family, as the Eastern Palace is now under extremely strict control.

The Ouyang family repeatedly inquired about the Crown Prince's situation out of concern. They were blood relatives and natural allies, which the Emperor could understand. He wouldn't hold a grudge against the Ouyang family at this time.

However, the Ouyang family still reported their drug trials truthfully, because smallpox was contagious and any mishap could have serious consequences.

Logically, Ying Hao should have been furious, but at this critical moment, he acquiesced.

The first team had a very good effect. After Mo Qiaoniang and the other two were vaccinated against smallpox, they recovered in just a few days. Then Pan Jinhua found someone to vaccinate them against smallpox.

The person Pan Jinhua asked Bai Sha to find was someone who had previously had smallpox. People who had recovered from smallpox would have antibodies in their bodies and would generally not be easily infected again.

The smallpox vaccination was successful, but none of the three showed any symptoms of smallpox, which meant that antibodies had been successfully produced in their bodies. A few days later, they were discharged from the hospital.

As for Wang Jiao and his team in the second group, Li Xushi, who was the first to show symptoms after being vaccinated against smallpox, was the oldest and had a weaker immune system.

Wang Jiao was the second to show symptoms, while Li Qing was the last, which was within Pan Jinhua's expectations. Wang Jiao was rather frail, while Li Qing had always been restless and had a better constitution.

Time was of the essence, and there wasn't much time for them to experiment slowly. Pan Jinhua only needed to prove to the Ouyang family and the Emperor that this thing worked. Besides, the Ouyang family and the Emperor would definitely have to verify it as well, so the sooner the results came out, the better.

On the sixth day, the Li family received news that the Empress had contracted smallpox.

On the day the three were vaccinated against smallpox, Pan Jinhua specially invited people from the Ouyang family to come.

"Master, someone from the Li family has arrived. They say they've found a cure for smallpox!"

The butler, completely losing his usual composure, rushed in, panting heavily.

"really?!"

A man with graying temples suddenly sprang to his feet from his armchair. This man was none other than Ouyang Cheng's father, the elder brother of the Duke of Cheng'en, and the head of the Ouyang family.

As the head of the Ouyang family, he naturally understood the immense significance of a crown prince and an empress to the family. Therefore, in recent days, the head of the Ouyang family had been utilizing the family's manpower to the fullest, hoping to add as much hope as possible.

He was someone who had been involved in the Li family's affairs, so he naturally knew what they were doing, since they were working for the Crown Prince.

I knew about it, but I didn't pay much attention to the specifics of how it was done. It was just a matter of testing drugs on people, and I never thought that any real results would come out.

Of course, it would be great if it were there, but it's okay if it wasn't; at least they did their best.

Upon hearing the steward's message, the Ouyang family head was extremely shocked. Could it be that they could really find a cure for smallpox?

"Send it quickly!"

The visitor was Bai Sha, who had also gained considerable experience and now entered and exited the Ouyang family's residence without showing any fear.

"Greetings, Patriarch Ouyang!"

Bai Sha bowed respectfully to the head of the Ouyang family.

"Forget about such formalities, just tell me what your master said. Is there really a good cure for smallpox?"

The head of the Ouyang family spoke with agitation. He knew that the news coming from the palace today was not good. The Crown Prince had developed a high fever again last night and was still unconscious. The Emperor was furious and imprisoned all the imperial physicians who were on duty yesterday and their families.

With the Crown Prince in imminent danger and the situation of his niece unknown, the Ouyang family is deeply concerned.

"My lord, it's absolutely true! My matriarch has found a cure for smallpox!"

Unlike his previous calm and composure, Bai Sha now looked on with reverence and spoke with great excitement.

"The old lady once heard that cattle herders were not prone to smallpox, so she ordered her servants to find cattle. They found cattle that had been infected with cowpox. The master, mistress, young master, and young lady of the household risked their lives and split into two groups to test the vaccine. The first group was vaccinated with cowpox, and after they recovered, they were inoculated with the prince's scabs. Several days passed, and no smallpox symptoms appeared."

The other group received direct inoculation with smallpox scabs. Two people had already been vaccinated with cowpox in the past two days, and both showed significant improvement. Today was the last person to be vaccinated, and the old lady wished to request that Lord Ouyang send someone to witness the event.

"What is this cowpox?! It's effective against smallpox? Where did you hear that?"

"Very good, if it is really as you say, then the Crown Prince can be saved!"

"No need for anyone else, I will go myself!"

The head of the Ouyang family listened with great interest, his expression shifting between confusion and excitement. In the end, he made the final decision: he would go and see for himself to ensure that there were no mistakes.

The Li family soon welcomed the arrival of the Ouyang family head.

"The Pan family, along with the Li family members, pay their respects to Lord Ouyang."

"Student Li Qingyao pays his respects to Lord Ouyang."

"Student Gao Chuan greets Lord Ouyang."

The head of the Ouyang family did not actually hold an official position. He did before, but after Ouyang Cheng began to show his talent, the head of the Ouyang family quickly withdrew from public life and went into seclusion.

However, out of respect, it is still appropriate to address him as "sir" without overstepping the bounds.

"Madam Pan is truly knowledgeable and worldly-wise. I've heard about your idea of ​​regenerated rice before, but this is the first time I've seen it."

As soon as the head of the Ouyang family arrived, he immediately began praising Pan Jinhua.

After arriving in Beijing, Pan Jinhua mostly stayed in her residence or went sightseeing in the suburbs. Due to her advanced age, she was unwilling to kneel and bow to other people's families, so this was the first time she had met the head of the Ouyang family.

"Please forgive me, Lord Ouyang, but I prefer peace and quiet and rarely attend banquets."

"If you really manage to create something that can cure smallpox this time, you will have made a tremendous contribution. I'm ready to start anytime you want."