Chapter Forty-Two
When the emperor heard the news about smallpox, his mind went blank.
Historically, smallpox has always been a devastating epidemic that has led to the massacre of entire cities. Since he ascended the throne, he has not encountered a smallpox outbreak.
When he heard about this, he felt a chill run down his spine. The smallpox epidemic was only 300 miles away from the capital, which was too close to the capital!
The sick people are wandering around everywhere; they've probably already made their way into the capital.
He thought about what to do, what to do.
The more the emperor thought about it, the more frightened he became. He ordered his trusted confidant to bring Li Heng to the palace immediately. "Bring Aheng in right away. Tell him I have something extremely urgent to discuss with him!"
The trusted confidant spurred his horse and galloped to the Prince of Dingbei's residence.
Li Heng received him in his study, and the confidant told Li Heng the whole story: "...At noon, the Duke of Ying requested to see the Emperor. Not long after he went in, the Emperor urgently sent me to find you."
Aside from the Liang tribe's invasion years ago, Li Heng had never seen his elder brother so impatient.
He put down the book in his hand and wanted someone to help him change his clothes, but his confidant wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "Oh, my prince, don't bother changing your clothes. The emperor has said that this is an extremely urgent matter. It is more important for you to get to the palace as soon as possible."
Li Heng had no choice but to hastily put on a robe before leaving the mansion with his confidant.
When Gu Leyao heard that the emperor's confidant had rushed over in a great hurry, she suspected that something serious had happened and wanted to ask Aheng about it.
Before he even reached the study, he saw his confidant pushing a wheelchair towards the front door.
Li Heng could only wave his hand helplessly at Gu Leyao, "We'll talk about it when we get back."
Gu Leyao opened her mouth slightly; it was the first time she had ever seen someone push a wheelchair out of the gliding motion.
She couldn't help but give a thumbs up, "Amazing, truly amazing! No wonder you've been trained by royalty! You're truly extraordinary!"
Gu Leyao sighed for a while, then was called away by the medical staff.
She had discussed recruitment with the Empress last time, and they recruited one hundred female doctors and thirty male doctors.
The Empress specifically instructed Gu Leyao to recruit more female doctors. It doesn't matter if their medical skills are slightly inferior. It's rare for women to study medicine, and most women learn it secretly. Under these circumstances, it's already very difficult to have some basic medical skills.
Gu Leyao shared the same sentiment as the Empress: there were only about half women and half men in the world, yet female doctors were extremely rare.
Many women fell ill but died because they could not find a doctor or the doctor refused to treat them.
Gu Leyao divided the hundred female doctors into two groups. One group taught at the medical institute, selecting young and clever girls who were orphans as students. The other group could go out and practice as doctors now, first trying to diagnose women in the capital.
Fewer male doctors are recruited. There are already many local male doctors in the capital, which is more than enough to treat the men in the capital. Gu Leyao recruits these male doctors mainly so that they can teach students. After passing the examinations, these students can be assigned to various prefectures to work as doctors.
...
Gu Leyao was summoned by someone from the medical department. The person said there was an emergency and asked her to come quickly.
Gu Leyao boarded the carriage at the Prince's residence and hurried off.
When they arrived at the medical clinic, Zhang Xiugu was pacing back and forth at the entrance, her face deathly pale.
Gu Leyao rushed over to her side, "What happened? Tell me properly, don't panic."
When Zhang Xiugu saw Gu Leyao arrive, it was as if she had found her pillar of support. She pulled Gu Leyao into the small office room used by the medical department.
This room belongs to Gu Leyao, and usually no one dares to come in.
As soon as Zhang Xiugu entered, she closed the door. Her lips trembled as she said, "Your Highness, something terrible has happened! Smallpox has appeared in the capital!"
Smallpox? Smallpox!
Gu Leyao knew that smallpox was an absolute city-destroying plague in ancient times. Once smallpox was discovered, the entire population of a city would likely die. No wonder Zhang Xiugu was so panicked.
Gu Leyao steadied Zhang Xiugu's arm. "Don't worry, tell me where you found the smallpox. Could it be a misdiagnosis? There hasn't been a case of smallpox in the Great Zhou for over ten years."
Zhang Xiugu's lips were white, and she shook her head tremblingly, "I can't be mistaken, Your Highness. I haven't told you before, but I've seen an old woman with smallpox whose face was covered in pockmarks. The smallpox she described to me was a layer of fine, dense red rashes on the skin, red, swollen, and congested. The patient would have a high fever. This disease is contagious and spreads extremely quickly. Your Highness, smallpox has appeared in the capital. The capital is in danger!"
Gu Leyao's mind wavered for a moment. She grabbed the chair next to her and slowly sat down.
At this time in her previous life, the original owner of this body had already gone to the northern frontier with Huo Pingyuan, and she knew nothing about what was happening in the capital.
In this life, Gu Leyao married Li Heng and chose to stay in the capital, only to be diagnosed with smallpox.
So, in his previous life, did Li Heng die of smallpox? Since Gu Leyao and Li Heng got married, she felt that Li Heng was a very strong person. He didn't seem like the kind of person who would die of depression because of other people's gossip.
With Aheng's safety at stake, Gu Leyao was in a state of utter confusion.
She racked her brains trying to recall her memories of smallpox. In modern times, smallpox has become a very common disease. Every newborn is vaccinated against smallpox at birth and will never get smallpox.
She recalled that every time smallpox was mentioned, the related short videos would talk about vaccinating cattle to get infected with the smallpox virus. If people then touched the infected cattle, the virulence of smallpox would be greatly reduced. They would still get rashes, but after about ten days, the rashes would dry up and fall off, and the patients would recover.
Gu Leyao had a plan in mind and felt her hands and feet slowly regaining warmth. "Xiugu, I have a solution in mind. Don't panic, I can handle this."
Zhang Xiugu couldn't believe it! This was smallpox!
She thought Gu Leyao had gone mad.
Gu Leyao beckoned Zhang Xiugu to come closer, "We need to keep the sick person under control and prevent him from running around. I'll send someone to find some strong oxen..."
Gu Leyao plans to use herself as a test subject first. Her soul comes from the modern world, and she knows that it is safe for her to do so. She will succeed, and she can save the people of the capital, and many, many people.
In this life, Gu Leyao doesn't want Li Heng to die, nor does she want the people of Da Zhou to be easily killed by smallpox.
Gu Leyao called Chun Tao over and told her to return to the manor to inform Li Heng that she would not be going back tonight.
Sometimes when she was busy, she wouldn't go back to the Prince's Mansion, but would rest at her residence in the Medical Office.
...
*
When Li Heng arrived at the palace, the emperor sat blankly on the dragon throne, and the Hall of Diligent Governance was quieter than ever before.
Li Heng immediately had a bad feeling.
He told Li Qi to close the door and leave.
Li Qi left, and wisps of white smoke rose from the incense burner in the Hall of Diligent Governance. Neither the Emperor nor Li Heng spoke, and the hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
After a long while, Li Heng took the initiative to ask, "Brother, what exactly happened? Whatever it is, we brothers will face it together, don't be afraid."
The emperor looked up, and Li Heng saw that his eyes were bloodshot and he couldn't help but frown.
The Emperor grasped Li Heng's hand, "Aheng, smallpox has appeared around the capital!"
Smallpox, a plague that wiped out entire cities, led to massacres of cities and villages, leaving very few survivors.
When the Emperor heard of this illness, he was struck dumb. He dismissed the Duke of England who had come to deliver the news, as if in a daze, his mind in complete chaos.
Could it be that he was negligent in his duties as ruler? But he didn't do anything heinous or immoral. He lived a simple life with the Empress and didn't harm any loyal ministers or generals!
Smallpox hasn't appeared for decades.
Despite the late emperor's incompetence, smallpox never appeared during his reign. The current emperor always believed that he was doing a good job as emperor. Every day, he would rise before dawn to attend court and return to his palace to rest only after dark. For ten years, he did this every day without ever slacking off.
How could smallpox, a disease that can wipe out an entire city, appear on the outskirts of the capital?
What about within the capital? Could there be patients who have contracted smallpox but dare not speak out?
The Emperor felt a chill run down his spine just thinking about this possibility. Smallpox was highly contagious and spread very quickly, and he dared not think about it too much.
Faced with Aheng's concerned question, the Emperor couldn't help but reveal a hint of vulnerability, "Aheng, smallpox has appeared around the capital."
Li Heng was quiet for a while. "Brother, this disease is very serious. Anyone who gets it will die. But if we brothers lose our composure, the capital will be in complete chaos."
The Emperor slowly exhaled a few breaths. "Aheng, you're right. We can't panic. Everyone has to die, but we can't die in a chaotic state."
"Take control of the people in the Imperial Medical Bureau and have the chief physician of the Imperial Medical Academy come up with a few prescriptions to prevent smallpox. Don't worry about whether they work or how much the medicine costs, as long as they are effective. In addition, impose martial law in the capital, close all eight city gates, and prohibit entry or exit. Anyone who violates this rule will be executed immediately! Right now, no one knows about smallpox, so let's do as much as we can."
The emperor gradually came to a decision. That night, Li Heng did not leave the palace. He sent Li Qi home with a message that he would not be returning home that night.
*
Dingbei Palace.
evening.
"The young lady said she's staying at the hospital today and won't be coming back to stay!"
"The prince said he's staying at the palace today and won't be coming back to stay."
The two voices spoke at the same time.
After speaking, Li Qi and Chun Tao looked at each other in bewilderment.
"What? Her Highness the Princess isn't coming back tonight?"
"What? The prince isn't coming back today?"
...
Chuntao and Liqi were both amused.
The couple has come to the same conclusion, neither of them will be living at home anymore.
"Then I came back for nothing! The medical clinic isn't close to the Prince's residence!" Chun Tao puffed out her cheeks, a little unhappy. She wanted to stay with her mistress!
Li Qi gently ruffled Chun Tao's twin buns. "It's still early. You can go and chat with the steward. He's not young anymore and likes to have someone with him!"
Chun Tao thought about it and realized that made sense; she could go to the butler!
Chuntao skipped and hopped off to find the housekeeper.
Li Qi watched her retreating figure and couldn't help but shake his head, "She still has the temperament of a child!"
He went back to his room to rest.
Li Qi had no idea that this would be the only good night's sleep he would get in the next three months.
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