Chapter 84084 Treatment of Smallpox
In the early morning light, Du Qingju rushed out of the main room and ran towards the pharmacy.
She hadn't slept all night, but her face didn't show any sign of fatigue. Instead, it was filled with excitement and eagerness.
Du Qingju picked up the scale and medicine dustpan and walked quickly to the medicine cabinet.
It’s not quite a medicine cabinet. It’s made up of cabinets spliced together. Each drawer contains several kinds of medicinal herbs, separated by thin wooden boards to prevent the herbs from mixing.
Du Qingju had just opened the drawer when a loud shout suddenly came from behind her: "What are you doing?"
Looking back, I saw the doctor from the provincial capital.
Du Qingju confessed, "I spent the entire night studying medicine and have some personal insights into prescriptions. I'd like to try to compile a prescription."
"Prescription?" The doctor's eyes were filled with suspicion. "What prescription? Could it be a cure for smallpox?"
Du Qingju nodded: "Exactly."
The doctor chuckled and pointed at Du Qingju: "Listen, she actually wants to develop a cure for smallpox!"
The doctors inside and outside the pharmacy were originally doing their own things, but after hearing this, they rushed in, looked Du Qingju up and down, and laughed.
"Developing a medicine formula? You're boasting at such a young age."
"Throughout history, countless medical experts have been unable to cure smallpox. How could a girl like you have the courage to say such a thing?"
"Do you really think that a prescription for curing smallpox is as simple as a prescription for reducing fever, and that you can just make it with a little effort?"
"You've also contracted smallpox, and your brain is confused, so you say such things?"
The doctors burst into laughter.
One of them stared at Du Qingju and suddenly asked, "I heard that a female doctor at Jishengtang performed a cesarean section on a woman a while ago. Could that female doctor be you?"
There was a "bang" sound. A doctor was so shocked that he accidentally knocked over the medicine basket.
"What? Caesarean section?!"
"Your body and hair are a gift from your parents. To disembowel them is disobedient and unfilial. You will be held accountable by your ancestors and struck by lightning!"
"No wonder you're capable of such crazy talk as developing a smallpox cure. You're even capable of such a bloody act as a cesarean section to deliver a baby. Is there anything a vicious woman like you can't do?"
"You're just like the women in the Qiong English Society. They learn to read and write like men, but they don't know how to respect their parents and serve their husbands and parents-in-law. You, a woman, actually want to practice medicine. You're just as heretical and immoral!"
Contemptuous looks and disdainful words came from all directions, turning into sharp blades, cutting Du Qingju all over her body.
But even so, her expression did not change at all, and she looked indifferent.
Because she has a strong and determined heart, no matter how sharp the words are, they can't really hurt her.
Du Qingju's eyes were calm and her tone was calm: "If the Xinglin Master failed to develop a prescription, that's their business. I just followed my heart and did what I wanted to do."
"Perhaps all it takes is an opportunity to develop a cure for smallpox."
"Instead of mocking me here, why don't you read more medical books and find ways to save more people infected with smallpox?"
"As for cesarean section, it's a matter of urgency. When it comes to life and death, nothing else matters."
Du Qingju glanced at the doctors present one by one: "You can call me a crazy and vicious woman, or a heretic who is immoral, but at least I saved that mother and child, saved two lives, and you all..."
Du Qingju raised her lips and smiled softly, and the figures of dozens of doctors opposite her were reflected in her clear eyes.
Under her gaze, everyone's thoughts were revealed.
The pharmacy suddenly became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Du Qingju no longer paid attention to the useless shouting of these people. She turned around and weighed the herbs with a scale and poured them into the medicine winnowing basket.
Her movements were neither hurried nor slow, and her gestures exuded a flowing beauty.
It was as if the doctors' words were just a gust of wind, blowing past her without leaving any trace.
Du Qingju weighed the herbs and went to the kitchen with the medicine winnowing basket.
As she had just said, she firmly believed that with just one opportunity, a medicine that could completely cure smallpox would be available, benefiting all people.
Even if she fails, at least she has tried her best and will have no regrets.
Du Qingju walked away, leaving the doctors in the pharmacy looking at each other in bewilderment.
After a long while, someone snorted disdainfully: "Her ambition is higher than the sky. I'll see how long she can be so proud!"
"Let her be. She'll feel the pain if she falls hard."
"Doctor Zhang is right. Instead of arguing with her, why not make a mulberry and chrysanthemum drink for the patient? It can at least relieve the symptoms. Unlike that woman, who only talks empty words but actually does nothing."
“That’s right!”
The doctors talked loudly, as if only in this way could they ignore the strange emotions in their hearts.
A little girl who only studied medicine for a few years actually wanted to develop a prescription that even they couldn't develop.
It's simply laughable!
She will definitely fail!
When the time comes and she cries loudly, they can just watch the fun from the sidelines.
I don’t know which girl would allow her to behave like this, and not be afraid that she would not be able to get married and live alone for the rest of her life.
......
Du Qingju put the herbs into the medicine pot, stood quietly by, and fanned gently with a cattail leaf fan.
Doctors came and went around her one after another, looking at her with disdain, and none of them looked her in the eye.
Du Qingju didn't care.
If smallpox had not broken out in Lin'an County, they would never have met each other. Why should they be distracted by some insignificant people?
After the medicine was ready, Du Qingju poured a bowl of it, put on a mask, put on an isolation suit, and took it to the intensive care isolation room next door.
Just as she was about to push open the door, a doctor noticed her and asked sternly, "Have you confirmed the efficacy of this medicine? Is it harmful to the human body? What if the patient's condition worsens after taking it?"
Du Qingju was about to reply when Doctor Yang came out of the kitchen and said slowly, "She has selected herbs that are pungent and cool, dispelling wind and clearing away heat. None of them conflict with each other, so the patient's condition will not be aggravated by taking them."
The doctor, feeling a bit of a squeeze, stiffened his neck and tried to defend himself: "As a doctor, I'm just asking a routine question. Why are you so anxious?"
Doctor Yang twirled his beard and said nothing, just smiled at him.
He watched the other party so humiliated that he snorted coldly and walked away.
Du Qingju looked apologetic and said in a muffled voice, "Uncle Master, I'm sorry to have caused you trouble."
Doctor Yang shook his head. "Those old fellows are so proud of their medical prowess that no one can compare to them. Your uncle is not one of them."
As he spoke, he waved his palm towards himself and said, "Go ahead. You have to give it a try to know the result."
Du Qingju pursed her lips, looked down at the steaming medicine, and resolutely pushed open the door of the isolation room.
The smallpox patients in the intensive care isolation room had blisters and even pustules all over their bodies. They were naked, covered only with a thin blanket, and lay on the kang, breathing out more than breathing in.
Even a layman could see that they were going to die soon.
Perhaps today, perhaps tomorrow, they will die tragically from smallpox.
No one can deny that when there is no cure, death may be a relief compared to living.
Du Qingju took a deep breath and explained the situation to the patient: "...I have only studied medicine for a few years, and I still have some shortcomings, but I can assure you that this prescription is harmless to the body."
As soon as the words fell, the room fell silent.
No one responded, and seemed lost in thought.
Du Qingju was not surprised by this. She was young and seemed less reliable than the older doctors.
Her eyes dimmed for a moment, and she picked up the medicine bowl and prepared to leave.
At this moment, a barely audible male voice came from the corner: "I want to try it, is that okay?"
Du Qingju was stunned for a moment, thinking she had misheard, and quickly stepped forward: "Are you sure you want to drink it?"
The middle-aged man squeezed out a "hmm" from his throat.
He is the pillar of the family, with parents above him and a wife and children below him.
What will happen to his family if he dies?
Since we are all going to die, we might as well give it a try.
What if a miracle happens?
A burning light flashed in Du Qingju's eyes, and a smile appeared at the corner of her mouth under the mask.
-
After Du Qingtang rushed back to the provincial capital overnight, he first went to check on the condition of the prisoners who had been vaccinated against cowpox.
Cowpox has an incubation period, and symptoms usually appear two to three days later. Therefore, the prisoners selected to be vaccinated with cowpox were safe and sound, and there was no sign of abnormality.
Du Qingtang asked the doctor to pay close attention to their changes and record them in detail. He returned to the prefectural government and slept for two hours before rushing to the government office.
Xie Tongpan arrived at the government office on time and found Du Qingtang had returned. He hurriedly asked, "Sir, what is the current situation in Lin'an County?"
"There are 160 people in Zhaojia Village and 20 in the county seat. We cannot rule out the possibility that some people may have symptoms but have not reported them to the authorities."
"I have sent people to check every household. Anyone found hiding anything will be forcibly sent to the post station for isolation."
Judge Xie suddenly thought of something and said with a smile, "The women from the Qiongying Society have all gone to Lin'an County. I'm worried someone might take advantage of this opportunity to cause trouble, so I've arranged for yamen runners to secretly protect them."
Du Qingtang raised his eyebrows slightly, and Xie Kang acted like a gentleman: "Thank you for your help, sir."
Judge Xie waved his hands repeatedly: "Your Excellency is too kind. This is my duty."
Du Qingtang returned to the point: "I have important matters to attend to in the past few days. Liu Shoubei is in Lin'an County to coordinate the overall situation. Sir Xie, please contact him if you have any questions."
Xie Tongpan wanted to ask Du Qingtang what important business he had, but felt it was presumptuous, so he simply nodded and said, "Don't worry, sir. I will guard the government office well, calm the people's hearts, and send people to closely monitor the situation in Lin'an County."
Du Qingtang nodded and left the government office in the morning light.
For ordinary people, cowpox is full of unknowns.
If you want Emperor Qingyuan to believe that cowpox can prevent smallpox and let the people be vaccinated with cowpox, the best way is to try it yourself.
With Liu Shoubei in Lin'an County and Xie Tongpan in the government office, Du Qingtang had nothing to worry about and could get the cowpox vaccination with peace of mind.
After watching Du Qingtang ride off on his horse, Judge Xie returned to the government office and asked the clerk, "How are the people suspected of contracting smallpox doing?"
The day before yesterday, he ordered people to post notices, and one after another twenty or thirty people came to the government office and said that they had symptoms of smallpox.
Judge Xie did not dare to hesitate and immediately isolated them and asked doctors to check them to confirm whether they had contracted smallpox.
The final results showed that all these people were infected with smallpox.
The clerk had just returned from the quarantine room and replied, "Because I arrived in time, the symptoms weren't very severe, and my condition is now relatively stable."
Judge Xie waved his hand and let him go.
On the way back to the duty room, he looked up at the sky and said to himself, "If only there was a cure for smallpox, so that so many people wouldn't have died."
Then he shook his head and said self-deprecatingly: "What am I dreaming about? I might as well hope that they have better luck and survive this disaster."
......
After leaving the government office, Du Qingtang came to the house he had secretly purchased in the south of the city.
Du Yi prepared all the necessary supplies for the vaccination, his face showing no sign of concealing his worry. "Master, do you really want to get vaccinated? Why not let the prisoners get vaccinated first to make sure it's harmless? You can get vaccinated later."
Du Qingtang shook his head, his tone brooking no room for argument: "Let's get started."
It takes at least seven days for all symptoms of people who have been vaccinated with cowpox to disappear. The sooner the vaccination is completed, the sooner they can return to Lin'an County to take charge of the overall situation.
Smallpox was raging in the city, and her absence as the acting prefect could easily cause panic among the people.
Vaccinate the people with cowpox as soon as possible - even if there are only a hundred people, it can prove the preventive effect of cowpox on smallpox.
At that time, the relevant data will be reported to the emperor and submitted to the imperial physicians of the Imperial Medical Bureau to verify the feasibility of cowpox.
This will take at least two months.
Du Qingtang can't afford to delay, she needs to return to Beijing as soon as possible.
Seeing that his young master was determined, Du Yi gave up trying to persuade him and went to wash his hands.
Du Qingtang rolled up her sleeves, and Du Yi dripped the serum on the inside of her arm, then pierced her skin with a needle, allowing the cowpox virus to enter the body through the wound.
Du Yi put down the silver needle and said respectfully, "My subordinate and the doctor are next door. If you feel unwell, just call me and I will come right over."
"I also follow your instructions for all three meals a day, preparing more soy products and vegetarian food..."
Du Yi gave a lot of instructions before picking up the tray and leaving.
Du Qingtang rolled down his sleeves, took a book from the bookshelf, and leaned on the chaise longue to read it.
Two days later, dark red papules appeared on Du Qingtang's face and limbs, accompanied by symptoms such as headache and high fever.
On the fourth day, the papules turn into blisters, and then the blisters turn into pustules.
During this period, it feels like countless ants are crawling under the skin, causing such an excruciating itch that one cannot help but want to scratch.
But Du Qingtang managed to hold back.
Once the blisters are scratched, they will leave scars and acne pits.
Although there is no rule in Daxia that people with disfigured faces are not allowed to serve as officials, having pits on the face is not very elegant after all.
Fortunately, the doctor specially prepared an anti-itch ointment for Du Qingtang. It has a cool feeling when applied to the skin and can relieve the itching to a certain extent.
......
However, Deputy Commander Zhang was ordered to come to Runing Prefecture to escort the guilty official Feng Shu to Beijing for trial.
When they came, they rode at full speed, but when they returned, Feng Shu was added, so the prison carriage could not gallop and the speed naturally slowed down.
After six days, the group left Henan Province and entered Shanxi Province.
The sun was setting in the west. After a day's journey, Deputy Commander Zhang gave the order for everyone to rest on the spot.
There is no village in front and no shop behind here, so we can only sleep in the wild tonight, with the sky as our roof and the ground as our bed.
The imperial guards built a fire and took out some dry food. Dozens of them sat around the fire, chewing on cakes as hard as stone and stretching their necks to drink water in big gulps.
Feng Shu was still locked in the prison car. He no longer had the high spirits of the past, nor the madness he had on the day he left Runing Prefecture.
He seemed to have lost his soul, like a walking corpse. Except for eating, his eyes were empty, staring into the void without saying a word.
The flames licked the branches, making crisp crackling sounds.
Deputy Commander Zhang quickly filled his stomach, asked two imperial guards to keep watch, and leaned against a tree trunk with his eyes closed.
The moonlight is like water, and the chirping of insects is accompanied by a gentle breeze.
The imperial guards fell asleep peacefully amidst this clear and pleasant music.
After a long time, the moon reached its zenith.
A sound of breaking wind tore through the air, breaking the water-like silence.
The imperial guards who were soundly sleeping opened their eyes alertly and jumped up with swords in hand.
A group of men in black rushed in from all directions and surrounded the imperial guards and the prison van.
The cold and flashing sword reflected the firelight, and the murderous intent was overwhelming.
Deputy Commander Zhang's eyes were calm, without a trace of panic.
He stood in front of the prison van and smiled slightly: "Finally."
Your Majesty truly has a plan that leaves nothing to chance.
-
Six days passed in a flash.
On the seventh day, the pustules broke and formed scabs.
At the same time, symptoms such as frequent high fever, headache, and sore limbs gradually subsided.
At noon that day, the doctor took Du Qingtang's pulse.
Du Yi and Du Er stood outside the door, staring at him intently.
Compared to the nervousness of the other two, Du Qingtang, the person involved, was the calmest.
The physical reactions these days were just the most basic symptoms of cowpox vaccination, but Du Yi and Du Er didn't know it clearly. At first, they thought she had also contracted smallpox. They were anxious like ants on a hot pan, pacing around the door.
After examining the right hand, the doctor switched to the left. He stood up, smiled, and bowed: "Congratulations, sir. Once the scab falls off naturally, the vaccination will be considered a success."
Du Yi and Du Er's hearts, which had been hanging in the air, suddenly settled down and they grinned.
Du Qingtang nodded slightly: "I understand. Thank you for your help these days, Du Yi."
Du Yi responded and went inside, handing the silver he had prepared long ago to the doctor.
The doctor did not refuse and accepted the twenty taels of silver calmly.
It is no exaggeration to say that the doctor observed the condition of the Tongzhi almost all day long, fearing that if something happened to the Tongzhi, he would be implicated.
I have managed to hold on until now only because of my perseverance and thirst for life. I feel dizzy when I walk and can fall asleep just by lying down on the ground.
After the doctor left, Du Qingtang touched the dark scab on his arm. The scab would probably fall off tomorrow and he would be able to go home the day after tomorrow.
Du Qingtang curled his lips and leaned lazily on the chaise longue: "How is the situation in Lin'an County?"
Du Yi told the truth: "Yesterday Du San sent me news that eight people recovered on their own and twelve died in the past few days."
Du Qingtang suppressed his smile and asked, "Has anyone contracted smallpox?"
"At the beginning, more than ten people were admitted to the inn for isolation and treatment, but there have been no more in recent days."
It seems that smallpox has been effectively controlled, but no one has yet developed a cure for smallpox.
Du Qingtang let out a breath and asked them to leave.
......
Lin'an County, Zhaojia Village.
After seven days of quarantine and observation, some villagers were confirmed to have no smallpox infection and were released to return home.
In the afternoon, the villagers had nothing to do, so they sat under the tree and chatted.
"The Tongzhi hasn't come for many days."
"There's more to Runing Prefecture than just our county. Your Excellency must have a lot of things to do. He will definitely come over when he has time."
"How are you these past two days?"
"Two people died the day before yesterday, but no one died yesterday. I don't know what will happen today. Will there be more people..."
Speaking of this, the villagers' mood became depressed.
They also have relatives who have contracted smallpox and are suffering in isolation houses.
Whenever they heard that someone had died, their hearts would jump to their throats, fearing that it was their loved ones who had died.
"Alas, smallpox only harms people and shouldn't exist!"
"It's been so long, and those doctors haven't come up with a rule yet. Are they just going to lie down and wait to die?"
"Aren't there some who survived?"
"There are one or two hundred people in the isolation room, and only five of them have recovered."
Everyone was speechless, looking at the rooms where the doctor lived and sighing.
"Bang!"
The door of the intensive care isolation room was suddenly opened, and the door panel hit the wall with a loud bang.
A beautiful, slender female doctor rushed out and ran straight to the pharmacy: "Uncle Master! Uncle Master!"
The female doctor went in for a while and came out soon, followed by a male doctor with gray hair.
The two returned to the intensive care isolation room, where the door blocked the villagers' inquiring gazes.
"No way? Someone else..."
"From the tone of his voice, it's almost certain."
"Alas, another one is gone."
The villagers were frowning, mourning the loss of another life, and the door of the isolation house opened again.
"Great! I must tell her the good news right away!"
The female doctor smiled, and the male doctor nodded: "Go ahead, I'll take care of the people inside."
The female doctor said thank you, uncle, and ran all the way wearing a mask and isolation suit.
"What are they laughing at?"
"How can a dead person still laugh?"
"Where is she going?"
"Looks like we're heading to the village entrance."
Du Qingju was indeed going to the village entrance.
During these seven days, Du Qingju experienced failure again and again.
Amid the doctors' sarcasm, she worked almost non-stop to read medical books, prepare new prescriptions, and have the patient take them.
Just now, she was pleasantly surprised to find that the critically ill patient's fever had subsided!
Not only that, the patient himself admitted that the pain in his body was much relieved.
There are thirty critically ill patients in Zhaojia Village. So far, only one person's symptoms have improved, and that is the middle-aged man who took Du Qingju's prescription.
During these seven days, the man did not drink any medicine except the decoction prepared by Du Qingju.
This means that his improvement is most likely due to the effectiveness of the medicine!
Du Qingju couldn't wait to tell Du Qingtang the good news!
The entrance to the village was guarded by government soldiers; no villagers were allowed to go out, and no outsiders were allowed to enter.
Du Qingju rushed forward and explained the situation to the palace soldiers.
The soldiers did not dare to hesitate and quickly informed Liu Shoubei of the good news.
As the matter concerned the prescription and the life and death of nearly 200 patients, Liu Shoubei did not dare to make a rash decision and sent someone to inform the Tongzhi.
Du Qingtang was reading a letter when he received the good news.
Fu Ci sent a letter to announce the good news that she had won the top spot in the imperial examination, becoming the second youngest top scorer after Du Qingtang.
Winning three first prizes in a row at the age of twenty is indeed great news.
Unfortunately, Du Qingtang was far away in Runing Prefecture and was unable to celebrate for Fu Ci.
Just as he was happy for Fu Ci, Du Qingtang learned that the prescription prepared by Du Qingju alleviated the symptoms of critically ill patients.
Du Qingtang was stunned for a long time, muttering, "What a double blessing."
Even though he knew that Du Qingju was gifted, Du Qingtang never expected that she would be the first person to develop a prescription to cure smallpox.
Du Qingtang always thought that it would be those old doctors with decades of medical experience.
She couldn't imagine what kind of sensation this news would cause in Daxia.
Not only in Daxia, but also in Daqi.
Smallpox will appear wherever there are people. If you don't want to die, you must take this prescription.
Du Qingju is born to be a doctor!
But in his previous life, such a medical genius had his reputation ruined and ended up jumping into the river to commit suicide because of a few words from Zhu and Yuan.
Du Qingtang was filled with gratitude that she was reborn at the right time, preventing Du Qingju from repeating the mistakes of her previous life, and she has since had a new and glorious life.
"Tell the patient and his family about the prescription. If they wish, they can have Dr. Du treat them."
Officials should be fair in their dealings, but there are always exceptions.
Du Qingtang has always been protective of his shortcomings, while Du Qingju worked tirelessly and successfully formulated the prescription after countless failures. All the glory and praise from the people should belong to her alone.
The palace soldiers took the order and left. After arriving at Zhaojia Village, they conveyed Du Qingtang's order.
The villagers were in an uproar.
"Can it really cure smallpox?"
"Great, my man doesn't have to die!"
"Just in case, let's go and ask clearly."
The villagers flocked to the doctors' residences, vying to ask about the prescription.
At that time, Du Qingju and Dr. Yang were in intensive care isolation.
The doctors looked at the villagers with anxious and hopeful faces, and their hearts felt like a bottle of seasoning had been overturned, with mixed emotions.
That woman actually developed a cure for smallpox.
That would have been fine, but the Tongzhi actually agreed to let that woman treat the patient.
Why was she, a little girl, entrusted with such an important task by the Tongzhi and became the villagers' lifeline?
"Don't ask me, I don't know anything."
"I advise you to be cautious. How could she, a girl in her early twenties, have that kind of ability? It's probably just a lucky coincidence that the patient's condition has improved."
"A few days ago, I saw her walking with the Tongzhi, behaving intimately..."
The villagers looked at the doctor who said this, but the man covered his mouth with his hand.
No matter how the villagers asked, the doctor remained silent and had a secretive expression.
But it was enough to capture the villagers' imagination.
"The Tongzhi is about the same age as the female doctor. They don't have an unspeakable relationship, do they?"
"Perhaps the prescription is useless, and the Tongzhi allowed us to use it just to build momentum for the female doctor."
Everyone gasped.
"I originally thought she was a good official, but I didn't expect she was such a jerk who was obsessed with women!"
"She disregards the lives of ordinary people for her mistress. She's nothing. What's the difference between her and that bastard official surnamed Pang?"
Some people believed the doctor's words and cursed Du Qingtang and Du Qingju.
Some people also hold on to a glimmer of hope, perhaps the prescription can really save lives?
Their loved ones were in intensive care units, suffering from smallpox and their lives were in danger.
Let's try our best to save the situation.
Even if it doesn't work, the situation won't be any worse than it is now.
As a result, a very small number of villagers took the initiative to find Du Qingju.
They didn't know Du Qingju's real name, they only knew that she was the only female doctor among dozens of doctors.
"Doctor, my husband is Zhang Dachun, who is in the intensive care unit. Can you save him?"
"Doctor, my mother is Liu Wenfang, who is in the intensive care unit. Can you save her?"
Du Qingju met several pairs of cautious yet hopeful eyes and nodded without hesitation.
-
On the eighth day, the scabs on Du Qingtang's face fell off.
Because she did not scratch with her hands during the vaccination period, there was not a single acne pit on her face or body, not even an acne scar.
The next day, after nine days, Du Qingtang stepped out of the room for the first time.
I practiced two sets of boxing in the yard, took a shower and changed clothes, and then went to the dining room for breakfast.
Du Yi and Du Er stood aside.
"Sir, do you want to go back to Tongzhifu first or go directly to Lin'an County?"
Du Qingtang put down his bowl and chopsticks, took the handkerchief and wiped his mouth: "Go directly to Lin'an County."
The government office is headed by the judge Xie Kang. Xie Kang is usually not serious and lazy, but he dare not be negligent in important matters, for fear of suffering the same fate as his former colleagues.
On the contrary, in Lin'an County, although smallpox was effectively controlled, Du Qingtang was worried about the people who had contracted smallpox.
Go over and see Du Qingju's progress and recruit volunteers for vaccination.
An hour later, Du Qingtang arrived at the Lin'an County Government Office.
Liu Shoubei had just dealt with a group of people who tried to break through the palace guards and went to the next county to avoid smallpox. When he learned that Du Qingtang had arrived, he hurried to see her.
"I am honored to see you, Your Excellency. It has been a few days since we last met. Have you finished your official duties?"
Since Du Qingtang had not appeared for many days, Liu Shoubei was curious and couldn't help but ask Xie Tongpan a few more questions.
Xie Tongpan did not dare to speculate rashly, and only said that the Tongzhi was busy with official duties and really had no time, so he had not been to Lin'an County for many days.
Liu Shoubei had no suspicion of anything and had been guarding Lin'an County diligently these days, and nothing went wrong.
Du Qingtang paused, his expression normal: "It's done."
Du Qingtang asked a few more questions and went to the isolation house in the county town to check on the patient's condition.
Some people have recovered on their own, and fortunately no one has died from smallpox.
Once the situation in Zhaojia Village stabilizes, we can start treating patients in the provincial capital and the county town.
Du Qingtang thought so and rode his horse towards Zhaojia Village.
When the government soldiers guarding the village entrance saw the Tongzhi coming, they hurriedly saluted and let him pass.
After entering the village, the villagers sat together in groups of three or five.
Seeing Du Qingtang show up, and thinking about the rumors of the past two days, the look in his eyes gradually became strange when he looked at her.
Du Qingtang was so perceptive that he noticed the abnormality at the first moment.
Just as he was about to ask what was going on, a dark shadow suddenly jumped out from the side.
"Go to hell, you dog official!"
The man cursed loudly and threw the clothes picked up by the branch at Du Qingtang.
There were exclamations one after another.
"What is Dazhu doing?"
"Isn't that the dress his wife wore before she died?"
"My Lord, get out of the way!"
But it was still too late.
The red clothes fell on the Tongzhi Lord, and the bright color diluted the indifferent aura lingering around him, adding a bit of elegance.
However, no one had the heart to appreciate such a beautiful scene.
"It's over, the Tongzhi has also contracted smallpox!"
"Zhao Dazhu, are you crazy? You actually threw your wife's clothes on the Tongzhi!"
When Du Qingju heard that her youngest son had arrived, she went out to greet him as she was free at the moment.
I happened to hear this when I was halfway there.
Lord Tongzhi?
Contracted smallpox?
Tang Ge'er!
Du Qingju's eyes went dark, her legs went weak, and she almost fell to her knees.
Her lips were trembling, and she bit her lower lip to prevent herself from screaming. She ran forward desperately, like a madman.
When the villagers saw her, their eyes darted around and their expressions looked strange.
Zhao Dazhu also noticed it, sneered, and said with gritted teeth: "My wife was burned to death by a corrupt official. I thought our village was saved, but I didn't expect another corrupt official to come and disregard our lives for his mistress."
"You two, a pair of bastards, have done so much harm to others. If God doesn't punish you, then I will punish you on His behalf!"
Du Qingtang ripped off his clothes and threw them on the ground, completely confused: "What mistress?"
"At this point, you're still pretending, you bastard official!" Zhao Dazhu pointed at Du Qingju who was running from a distance, "That's her!"
"You don't take the lives of ordinary people seriously. You let a little girl who doesn't know how old she is prescribe medicine. Aren't you just sending people to hell?"
Du Qingtang: “…”
Du Qingju: “???”
In the past two days, Du Qingju devoted her heart to the critically ill patients and did not pay any attention to the rumors about her in the village.
Now when I heard it, I burst out laughing.
"Who said I was her mistress?" A cold expression appeared on Du Qingju's beautiful face. "You fabricated facts out of thin air and spread rumors maliciously. Do you really think I, Du Qingju, am easy to bully?"
The villagers were stunned.
"What's her name?"
"Du Qingju."
"Why do you have the same surname as the Tongzhi?"
The Tongzhi cleared up their confusion: "Her name is Du Qingju, and mine is Du Qingtang. Isn't our relationship clear enough? We are siblings with the same father and mother."
Everyone was stunned, and Zhao Dazhu was even more shocked by her words, with his eyes wide open.
"Siblings?"
"Not a mistress?"
"Oh my God, we've got it all wrong!"
The villagers only knew that there was a female doctor, but they didn't know her name.
When I heard the rumor the day before yesterday, I was half-believing and half-doubting, and just treated it as a fun thing.
I didn't expect that they were actually siblings!
"It's all over now. Dazhu made a mistake and even caused the Tongzhi to contract smallpox."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone - including Du Qingju - looked horrified.
"Tang'er!"
Du Qingtang gave Du Qingju a soothing look and said in a clear voice, "Everyone, I came here today not only to visit the smallpox patients, but also for a very important matter."
Everyone was worried about the condition of the Tongzhi and listened attentively.
"Ten days ago, I accidentally discovered that people who had been infected with cowpox would not be infected with smallpox again, so I immediately arranged for the prisoners to be tested."
"The test proved it was true, so I was also vaccinated against cowpox, and it was just completed yesterday."
Someone couldn't wait to ask, "So, sir, you won't get smallpox?"
Du Qingtang had just nodded when Doctor Yang came running over: "Ju girl! The patient who took the medicine the day before yesterday has two pustules that have broken and seem to be scabby and healing!"
“The prescription really works!”
"Girl Ju, you really have developed a cure for smallpox!"
Du Qingju was stunned at first, but after she reacted, her eyes curved and her smile was brighter than the sun.
Instead, the doctors who were hiding in the dark and watching the excitement were dumbfounded, with burning pain on their faces.
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