Chapter 23
The last person Chu Huan called awesome was Liu Yue, a remarkable woman who single-handedly spread syphilis throughout the imperial court.
The man Chu Huan called awesome was the Imperial Censor, a remarkable man who single-handedly spread his offspring throughout the capital.
The emperor didn't understand why his court was filled with ministers with strange habits?
The officials also didn't understand why their colleagues were such difficult-to-speak people.
System: [This person only picks on the wives of his close friends and brothers. It's not convenient for him to visit the homes of those he doesn't have a close relationship with anytime, anywhere, right?]
The censors of the Censorate asked their colleagues to search for the suspect based on the known clues, while officials from other departments tried to think about whether they had a censor friend with whom they had a particularly good relationship and who often visited their homes.
Some people's eyes lit up as they thought about it, obviously they had found the corresponding person according to the clues!
Some people also think about it and their faces turn dark, worrying that they are being cuckolded, raising someone else's child, or having syphilis.
System: [I personally think Wu Ru has a bit of a pig fetish, otherwise, most people wouldn't do such a thing. He even specifically seduces married women who have given birth, because he values their plump figures and fertility. His own wife and concubines are also of this type. Hmm, this guy's preferences are quite fixed, aren't they?]
[Among the victims are Ge Ye and Gao Qingwen, both officials at the Censorate... so many people combined, they could probably form a husband-hate alliance. Hmm? Sister Huan, what's wrong with you?]
emperor:? ? ?
Officials: ???
What's wrong? What's wrong with Chu Huan?
At this time, they were particularly annoyed that Chu Qin had a low official position. It was inconvenient for them to eat melons, and they could not see Chu Huan outside the palace.
Chu Hua: [It's okay.]
She glanced at the brightening sky and asked Liu Ziang next door, "Nothing's happening today. Is it almost time for court to end?"
Liu Ziang: "Yes, what's wrong?"
Chu Hua didn't say much: "I have something to do. I won't be going to the Hanlin Academy today."
Liu Ziang didn't ask any more questions, "Okay."
Chu Huan waited attentively for the court to end, so that the emperor and the officials would have nothing to eat and quickly deal with the remaining matters.
"Withdraw from the court——"
As soon as the voice came from the front, Chu Huan ran away hurriedly with her official robe in hand.
Seeing that she was running for her life, the officials turned to look at Chu Ping.
The official from the Ministry of Justice was close to Chu Ping and asked, "What is she doing?"
Chu Ping: "It seems that he was looking for someone to research some cowpox vaccine. He sent a message the day before yesterday saying he would be back. She waited for a whole day but he didn't show up."
Officials: ???
It turns out that Chu Huan didn't take leave to stay at home just to piss off Old Madam Chu.
And... medical vaccines?
The Imperial Hospital Envoy was old but had very good ears. As soon as he heard the word "Yi Miao", he ran over and asked, "Master Chu, what Yi Miao?"
"I'm not sure." Chu Ping really didn't know. He was just a loser who was led astray by his wife and daughter. How could he understand those things?
The Imperial Hospital Envoy did not hesitate: "Then tell me what you know."
The officials had stayed up all night earlier because they couldn't understand the information about medical seedlings revealed by Chu Huan and the system. When they learned that the information was about to be decrypted, they were in no hurry to leave. More and more people gathered around, completely surrounding Chu Ping.
Chu Ping was unable to move forward and had to try hard to recall: "Is it for the purpose of curing smallpox?"
"smallpox?"
"Is it really smallpox?"
"Did I hear that correctly?"
The officials were horrified when they heard the news, because once infected with smallpox, one could only leave it to fate.
The first crown prince of Dasheng died of smallpox accidentally contracted in his prime. No matter how many imperial doctors the emperor sent, he could not be saved, and most of the doctors who went died.
When the founding emperor heard the news of the death of the crown prince whom he had carefully cultivated for more than twenty years, he was so sad that he vomited a large mouthful of blood.
The emperor, who was born into a military family and had been exercising every day for decades and was in particularly strong health, aged a dozen years overnight and his health suddenly collapsed. He dragged his sick body to raise his grandson, but died of illness before the raising of his grandson was completed.
Since then, Dasheng did not dare to appoint a crown prince easily.
The princes can be trained wholeheartedly, or they can fight with each other, you roll me, I roll everyone together, but there is no rush to appoint a crown prince.
The current prince was appointed as the crown prince when the retired emperor was seriously ill. It is impossible for there to be a crown prince in this generation for at least ten years.
The emperor had already walked quite a distance after leaving the court when Lin You, who had been chasing him, told him about the smallpox. He suddenly turned around and said, "Go to court!"
He urged Lin You again: "Hurry up and go! Chase Chu Huan back with your horse!"
Horse racing was prohibited in the palace, but the emperor broke the ban because of the deadly smallpox.
"I obey your order!" Lin You knew that the matter was of great importance, so he ran all the way.
Riding a horse made Chu Huan's legs, which were wearing platform boots and could walk quickly, much faster, and the man was stopped before Chu Huan left the palace.
Lin You panted and said, "Master Chu, the emperor invites you."
Chu Huan:?
[System, what's going on?]
System: [Let me see. Oh, it's the cowpox vaccine you developed. Your father said it can cure smallpox. The emperor and all the officials know about it and are looking for you to return.]
Guards at the palace gate: ???
Passersby outside the palace gate: ???
A cure for smallpox? Really?
The guards and passers-by were looking everywhere for the direction of the person who was speaking, as this was related to their lives!
Lin You's heart tightened. Seeing that the guards and passers-by were about to discover Chu Huan, he quickly dismounted to block Chu Huan's figure.
"Master Chu, please mount your horse."
Chu Hua: "It's forbidden in the palace..."
Lin You: "It's a special case, the emperor allowed it."
I'm riding a horse under orders, okay?
Chu Huan stepped on the stirrup and mounted the horse swiftly.
Lin You handed the reins to Chu Huan and slapped the horse's butt. The horse ran away in pain, and he chased after the horse with his two legs.
Hearing the noise here, the guards and passers-by stared in surprise.
Unless the courier arrives within 800 miles, horse racing is forbidden in the imperial palace. Who is this person? What's going on? Is this related to smallpox?
When Chu Huan rode back, the emperor and all the officials had already returned to the court. Chu Ping was standing in the open space between the two sides of the queue, racking his brains to recall what his daughter had said.
"She really didn't say much."
"My daughter always tells me after she's done something."
"It's not confirmed yet, it's good that she can tell me."
"As for sweet potatoes, she only said that they are abundant in quantity and we should look for them after we form a caravan."
"What sweet potatoes?" The newly appointed Minister of Revenue, who was once wearing torn underwear, asked with a gleam in his eyes. "How much is the production?"
Chu Ping smiled slightly and said, "I didn't ask."
He was not an official from the Ministry of Revenue and was not sensitive to land information. Regardless, his family had enough food and drink, so it was good enough that he could remember one sentence.
emperor:"……"
Officials: "..."
To be honest, there is a reason why you have been at the fifth rank for so many years.
Fortunately, the Jinyiwei came to report that Lin You had caught up with Chu Huan in front of the palace gate, and the two were on their way.
After everyone's anxious wait, the person finally arrived.
As soon as the emperor saw a figure, he shouted, "Chu Huan, come to the front."
Chu Huan:?
No, you don’t even want to pretend?
The system was speechless: [Even now, Sister Huan, are you still going to court on behalf of Big Brother? I think you've been exposed, right?]
Chu Hua: […I knew from the beginning that disguising as a man wasn't a good idea. I don't know who came up with this idea.]
The wise emperor: "..."
Pretending not to hear everyone's complaints, he said, "I heard from Chu Ping that you developed a cowpox vaccine that can cure smallpox. Tell me more about it."
"If you can truly cure smallpox and free the people from fear of it, and benefit future generations, I will surely reward you handsomely!"
This is also the reason why the emperor called Chu Huan instead of Chu Qin. He couldn't put all the credit on Chu Qin, right?
No matter how close the relationship between siblings is, they would never give each other credit like this.
and……
Even with this plug-in system, the emperor still selfishly wants Chu Huan to attend court.
It was very difficult for women to attend court, and he couldn't do it on his own, so he could only pile up various merits. If he piled up enough, he could shut the ministers up.
Chu Huan didn't care whether she was rewarded or not. She had never lacked food, clothing, housing and transportation in her life, and she didn't have any strong material desires.
As for the smallpox vaccine, she really wants to promote it.
First, she had to correct one thing: "Your Majesty, the cowpox vaccine does not cure smallpox, but it can prevent smallpox. It is useless for people who have already been infected with smallpox."
The emperor leaned forward slightly: "Be more specific."
Chu Hua: "In Dasheng, people practice smallpox vaccination. Smallpox is too dangerous, and many people who get it don't survive. This is why most people don't want to get it."
This Imperial Medical Envoy had too much say, and the way he looked at Chu Huan was as if he had seen an unexpected confidant.
"Master Chu is absolutely right! The Imperial Hospital has had a smallpox vaccination department for over a decade. Many colleagues have devoted their time and energy to researching various vaccination methods, including smallpox coats and pus. However, there are far too few people willing to perform human smallpox vaccination."
After all, if you plant it, it may die now, but if you don’t plant it, it may not die - you are just relying on a lucky mentality.
There is no difference between ancient and modern people when it comes to vaccination.
Chu Hua continued, "Cowpox is much less dangerous. After vaccination, you'll develop a few pox. It's not as aggressive as smallpox and is easily cured. Cowpox and smallpox are not actually the same disease, but if you recover from cowpox, you won't get smallpox again."
As for technical terms like viruses and antibodies, she herself didn't quite understand them, so she decided not to mention them.
The Imperial Medical Bureau envoy heard for the first time that cowpox could replace human pox, and that the risks were not high. In his excitement, he remembered to ask, "Is there anyone who has been vaccinated against cowpox?"
Chu Hua shook her head. "Two months ago, I sent some people to various locations to search for cows and people who had been infected with cowpox. The cattle farmers were accidentally infected while raising cattle, so strictly speaking, no one has actually been vaccinated against cowpox yet."
"I heard earlier that they had returned with five cows that had been infected with smallpox. Vaccination with cowpox requires an experiment, so I sent them to a farm outside Beijing to wait."
She had explained it in such detail that no one else had anything to ask. Only the Imperial Physician's eyes lit up: "Master Chu, how did you come up with the idea of using cowpox instead of human pox?"
Chu Huan was silent for a moment: "Because I don't want to die?"
emperor:"……"
Officials: "..."
The expression was hard to describe: If you want to lie, find a more reliable lie so that they will believe it.
"Two months ago, I heard that there was an outbreak of smallpox in a village. To prevent the smallpox from spreading to other places, the village was burned down."
It was also at that time that Chu Huan learned that the Great Sheng Dynasty was suffering from smallpox, and was even so frightened that it killed people and burned villages.
Since she knew that cowpox could prevent smallpox, why didn't she do it quickly?
Upon hearing this, the emperor and all the officials fell silent.
The emperor sighed, "Smallpox spread so quickly. When it was discovered, half the village had contracted it. By the time the news reached the capital, the local prefect had already sent people to surround the village and dispatch doctors to treat it."
"But... smallpox has such a bad reputation that few doctors are willing to go and treat it. And when the doctors who went died, even fewer people went."
How can we prescribe medicine without a doctor?
How can patients not be afraid without a doctor in charge?
When people are afraid and desperate, they don’t even know what they will do.
Maybe he escaped quietly, or maybe he dragged others to die with him. In any case, it must have been a desperate red purgatory.
By the time Chu Huan heard about it, the matter had already been settled. The only thing she could do was to develop the cowpox vaccine as soon as possible so that the people of Dasheng would no longer be afraid of smallpox.
The old Grand Tutor stepped forward and asked, "I wonder if Lord Chu would be willing to work with the Imperial Hospital to preside over the cowpox vaccination?"
"Me?" Chu Huan was slightly stunned.
Before she could say anything, the Minister of Revenue jumped out anxiously: "She doesn't know any medical skills, just let the Imperial Hospital study the cattle and the person. She has been transferred to the Ministry of Revenue, you can't compete with me for her!"
Chu Hua: ???
She was transferred to the Ministry of Revenue? When did that happen?
It would have been fine if the Minister of Revenue didn't mention it, but as soon as he did, the old Grand Tutor became furious.
That day, he even brought out "This is the only wish I have before I die", but he still couldn't defeat the people from the Ministry of Revenue. Who let them hold the purse strings of Dasheng?
The old Grand Tutor had been feeling aggrieved for several days and was just worrying about having no place to vent his anger when he met the Minister of Revenue and landed himself in the crossfire.
"What happened to the Ministry of Revenue? Can the Ministry of Revenue compete with the Imperial Hospital for people? Can it compete with the people of Dasheng for people? Can it compete with countless people in the future?"
The censors silently suppressed the urge to criticize others.
The old Grand Tutor is still in good health, worthy of being a senior who came from the Censorate. He has never forgotten his duties over the years!
The Minister of Revenue was stunned.
Isn't it the job of the Censor to criticize others? Why does the old Grand Tutor keep throwing bigger and bigger hats at him?
"But if she doesn't come to the Ministry of Revenue, the Imperial Hospital won't have the money to conduct research." The Minister of Revenue launched a direct financial offensive. "How can five cows be enough? We have to buy cows that have had smallpox, right? We have to buy grass for the cows, right? We have to find people willing to vaccinate, right? Researching cowpox is the court's business. You can't expect the Chu family to provide the farm, the cows, the grass, and the people, right?"
The honest and upright man's face was full of expressions of "No way, no way? You wouldn't really do this, would you?", leaving many people speechless.
The old master choked, "... no matter how good she is at making money, there's no way she can make millions in just a few days at the Ministry of Revenue!"
The Minister of Revenue said, "I just heard that she has a debit-and-credit accounting method, which makes it very convenient for accounting. If she can find ten or eight corrupt officials, wouldn't millions of taels come in?"
He looked at the Minister of Works and said, "The money for the Star Picking Tower is now available, and the project can be completed on time."
The Minister of Works looked up at the sky silently. He was not after money, really not!
When the Minister of Revenue looked over, he saw the Minister of Justice and passed him by without even a pause.
Chu Ping is in the Ministry of Justice. Dasheng does not allow father and son to be in the same department. The Ministry of Justice cannot compete with the Ministry of Revenue at all, so there is no need for him to waste his breath.
The Minister of Justice who hadn’t won the argument with him last time: “…” Hey, why is he so angry?
The Dali Temple official who didn't even get a glance: "..."
He wanted to be angry, but what the Minister of Revenue said last time was right. The Ministry of Revenue could still use the excuse of "auditing accounts" to transfer Chu Huan there, so what could the Dali Temple use?
He could only wait for Chu Huan to make achievements in the Ministry of Revenue, and then transfer her over with the excuse that "she has a sharp eye and might be able to find some clues." For this reason, he could only endure it.
The same thing actually happened last time in the Imperial Study, and ended with the Minister of Revenue winning a great victory, so there was no quarrel this time.
"That's it." The emperor had nothing else to say and withdrew from the court.
The Imperial Hospital envoy immediately rushed to grab the person: "Master Chu, I will go back to the Imperial Hospital to pack up my things and call a few people, and then go to the manor with you."
Chu Huan also wanted to arrange things as soon as possible, so she agreed.
This made the Minister of Revenue very angry, as he had been fighting for a long time but was beaten to the punch, but he also knew that this matter would not be delayed for long.
"Forget it, go back to the Ministry of Revenue after you've made your arrangements."
Chu Huan, who suddenly became popular, said: "...Yes."
When the group packed up and set off for Zhuangzi, they were accompanied by many Jinyiwei armed with swords, protecting the weak imperial doctors along the way.
The Imperial Medical Bureau Director and Chu Huan rode in the same carriage, accompanied by the imperial physicians from the smallpox vaccination department.
"Master Chu, how did you come up with the idea of cowpox?"
"Is the cowpox vaccination similar to the human smallpox vaccination?"
“Is cowpox really not that dangerous?”
Chu Huan picked out the ones she understood and replied:
"There was a maidservant nearby who raised cattle when she was young and happened to have contracted cowpox."
"I'm not sure how to plant it specifically, so I'll have to rely on you adults to research it."
"The danger is definitely not as great as human pox."
Chu Huan doesn't know any medical skills, but she has some relatively complete modern knowledge of epidemic prevention, such as how to disinfect and how to prevent it.
She told them everything she knew without leaving out a single word, just wanting them to avoid taking detours as much as possible, be safer when doing experiments, and benefit the people of Dasheng as soon as possible.
"We have some high-concentration distilled alcohol on hand for disinfection. If you need it during the research, please feel free to ask."
The imperial doctors were delighted: "Master Chu is so kind!"
More than an hour later, Zhuangzi arrived.
Chu Huan brought back so many imperial doctors and Jinyiwei, and she was still wearing her official uniform, which shocked the people in the farm. Everyone was in panic and didn't dare to come over and talk to them.
Fortunately, the leader of this cowpox incident was Bai Tao, Chu Huan's former personal maid.
Bai Tao recognized Chu Huan who was wearing makeup, but she didn't ask why she was dressed like that and why she was surrounded by so many officials.
"Master," Bai Tao changed the address and reported calmly, "There were quite a few Jinyiwei coming and going outside the city yesterday. They were in a hurry, causing panic among the people. I didn't know what happened in the capital, so I didn't send any news to the city."
Jinyiwei: “…” Feeling a little guilty.
Chu Huan: "No problem."
After a brief conversation with Bai Tao, the next matters were coordinated by Bai Tao and the imperial doctors, with her occasionally helping out.
When I finished the work here and returned to the city, it was time to go off duty.
Chu Huan had been sitting in the carriage for most of the day, and her whole body was almost shaken apart. She was tired and hungry, so she went home to eat and did not go to the Ministry of Revenue again.
The next day, she still stood on the side of the Hanlin Academy when she went to court, and after leaving the court, she was surrounded and escorted back by her colleagues in the Ministry of Revenue with great enthusiasm.
"Master Chu, you are already a member of our Ministry of Revenue. You should stand with us from now on."
"Master Chu, you are now a sixth-rank official in the Ministry of Civil Affairs, so of course you should step forward."
"Master Chu, let's go back to the Ministry of Revenue together."
Chu Hua: ???
After returning to the Ministry of Revenue, she found that she had just taken office today, but her desk was polished to a shine, the pens, ink, paper and inkstone were all new, and even the abacus was her favorite wooden abacus.
Chu Huan smiled and exchanged pleasantries with her colleagues, but inwardly she was furiously prodding the system: "Tong'er, something's wrong! Help me see, are they deliberately trying to delude me, then frame me with pre-prepared false accounts, and try to get me to go along with them?"
System: [Alright!]
Ministry of Revenue official: ???
Ministry of Revenue official: !!!
This, this is really more unfair than Dou E!
If they could not be exposed, they would have cried in front of Chu Huan on the spot, accusing her of how much harm her suspicion had caused them.
The system disappeared for a moment, then returned with a look of surprise: "No, they're just desperately short of money, and they want you to find a few more corrupt officials so the Imperial Guards can raid their homes and replenish the treasury."
Chu Huan: “…” You really think highly of me.
The emperor's words are golden and there is no room for negotiation.
She has already been transferred here. If she does not do a good job, she will offend the emperor, and if she does a good job, she will offend her colleagues. It is really a thankless job.
Chu Huan's character and principles did not allow her to do things perfunctorily, so she decided to do it in a big way.
There are many account books piled up on the table. A quick look shows that from left to right are the account books for the four years from four years ago to the present.
Is this for her to choose?
Chu Hua: [Tong'er, which year has more melons?]
System: [Of course it was four years ago! ]
Chu Hua: [I guess so. That year, there were natural disasters everywhere, and everyone was short of money. Everyone was desperate, so they were robbing Peter to pay Paul. It would be hard to detect any tampering. Okay, let's start from here.]
"Let's start from four years ago."
The entire Ministry of Revenue was in motion. Some people were moving the account books from four years ago, while others were learning the debit and credit accounting method, Arabic numerals, and mental arithmetic skills from Chu Huan. They were busy as hell.
Chu Huan was busy settling accounts, while the system was frantically watching the show, occasionally popping up to give a reminder.
The local prefect embezzled 30% of the disaster relief grain, and the rest was made from a thin porridge made from a large amount of old rice and water.
[The cotton clothes here are half the price. They say they're shipped from south to north, which takes a lot of time and costs a lot of money. But in fact, they're forced to buy them from local wealthy merchants at a low price that's half the market price. They're profiting from both ends. It's really a scam!]
The price of soybeans here has indeed increased, but not as much as reported. This is mainly due to an information asymmetry...
With the help of the system's cheats, the entire Ministry of Revenue spent a busy morning checking accounts and happily eating melons. Only the Jinyiwei were so tired from keeping records that their hands were almost broken.
After lunch, Chu Huan found a sunny spot to sit and bask in the sun to promote calcium absorption.
It seems like he has his eyes closed, but he is actually chatting with the system: [Can I get more melons today? ]
The system's tone was quite cheerful: [That's a lot, over 3,000 already.]
Although Chu Huan was busy, she was in a good mood. After all, being busy was the only way to reflect one's own value - a self-comfort method for office workers.
[Tong'er, there's one thing I haven't asked. How long will you bind me?]
System: [Until the moment you die.]
Chu Hua: [What will you do if I die?]
System: [Go back.]
Chu Hua: [Will you continue to eat melons without being bound to a host?]
System: [No, that would lead to repeated eating of melons. A world can only have one eating melon system.]
An official from the Ministry of Revenue who was taking a walk after dinner: ???
Officials who came to visit and eat melons: ???
The hidden Jinyiwei:???
Chu Huan died, and the system disappeared?
Ah, this...
Someone frowned and said they had to strengthen the protection of Chu Huan.
Some people were ecstatic. As long as they killed Chu Huan, those secrets that they didn't want to reveal would be buried forever!
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