Sun Miaoqing said, "Uncle is very thoughtful. Human life is at stake, so it's only right that he be careful."
"It's better to go slowly than to be impatient for quick success."
Linglan said, "Your Highness, rest assured, your uncle knows what to do. But can this really cure smallpox?"
The people were extremely poor; after paying taxes, they were already doing well if they could maintain their basic needs. Without enough food and oil in their bellies, how could even the young and strong be healthy?
If they got sick, they would usually just tough it out, or go to the mountains to dig for medicinal herbs based on past experience, or find the barefoot doctor at the village entrance.
After going through all the treatments, the condition worsened, and finally, they went to a pharmacy to see a doctor.
If a village is hit by a highly contagious disease like plague or smallpox, very few out of hundreds of households can survive; you could count them on one hand.
If this method really works, how many lives could it save!
Sun Miaoqing said, "Of course, the method of smallpox inoculation has existed for hundreds of years, but it has not benefited the general public."
Linglan and the others were astonished. Wasn't smallpox inoculation something the late emperor had the imperial physicians do because the royal family was suffering from smallpox after entering the pass? How could it have existed hundreds of years ago?
Liuli exclaimed in surprise, "But if it existed hundreds of years ago, why didn't anyone know about it?"
“In some places, smallpox strikes every few years, often leaving nine out of ten houses empty.”
Sun Miaoqing recalled what she had learned in class in her previous life: during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of Song, Prime Minister Wang Dan had invited a Taoist priest from Mount Emei to inoculate Wang Su with smallpox.
Numerous medical notes from various dynasties have documented smallpox in detail, and most of them mention the method of inoculation.
However, due to both risks and a lack of effective promotion, it could only circulate in small places.
Sun Miaoqing said, "There are many records about smallpox in medical books from the Tang and Song dynasties. However, safe and effective smallpox vaccines are not easy to obtain and are often regarded as family secrets. Ordinary people have money but no way to get them."
"Not counting those who are hiding, the official records show more than 20 million people. How many of them can be vaccinated with the good smallpox vaccine?"
"Besides, many people will never get infected in their lifetime. Without the emperor's strong promotion, they would not use it out of caution."
Rose asked, "But those are all human smallpox inoculations. Can cowpox be used too?"
Sun Miaoqing said, "Li Shizhen's 'Compendium of Materia Medica' records that using buffalo lice can prevent smallpox."
"The cattle farm is already built, why not give it a try? If it really works, it will benefit everyone!"
In other dynasties, even if smallpox was successfully controlled, it would not have been easy to implement it throughout the country.
Feudal imperial power desired to bind a large number of people to the land, and personal control was extremely strict.
When Sun Miaoqing first arrived, she thought that if she hadn't been selected to enter the palace, she would have had money and leisure, as well as a pair of doting older brothers and sisters-in-law. She could go anywhere in the world.
But after a while, she realized that without a travel permit or official rank, she couldn't even leave the city.
Even if they were lucky enough to sneak out, they wouldn't be able to stay in a hotel or enter the city; they would have to settle in the wilderness.
Sometimes, plagues can even play a role in consolidating imperial power.
The situation was different during the Qing Dynasty due to differences in living environment and dietary habits. Manchus and Mongols had a lower resistance to smallpox than Han Chinese.
Shunzhi, Daishan's three sons, Dodo, Amursana, and Ligdan Khan, all died of smallpox.
Throughout history, only the Qing Dynasty vigorously promoted smallpox vaccination, but due to various conditions, it was not able to be popularized throughout the country.
After all this hard work, I should leave something behind.
Liuli said, "It will definitely work. To be honest, Your Majesty, I've never had a flower before in all my life."
“Every time I hear them talk about this, I feel incredibly scared.”
Sun Miaoqing said, "I'm the same way. But I've heard that Mongolian girls must have been vaccinated against smallpox or have had a birth defect before they can go to the capital for the imperial selection. I wonder if that's true?"
Liuli nodded and said, "There is such a rule, and the Qing Dynasty respects Mongolia. Every year, the Emperor receives Mongolian princes."
"But according to the rules, Mongolian princes who have never had smallpox are not allowed to enter the capital to meet the emperor."
"The reason why Emperor Shunzhi did not receive Mongolian princes for six consecutive years was because Mongolia was in turmoil at that time."
Rose said, "Your Majesty need not worry. At most, there will be results in two or three months."
"Once people have tested it and confirmed it's safe, they won't have to be afraid of seeing joy anymore."
Sun Miaoqing nodded. In any case, there hadn't been any trouble in the palace for the past ten years or so, so she didn't have to worry at all!
*
Bitong Academy
Big Fat Orange and Zhen Huan are admiring a painting called "The Heavenly King Sending a Child," which is said to be by Wu Daozi.
Zhen Huan exclaimed, "Before the Sage of Painting, everyone followed the method of drawing with fine, continuous lines, like a silkworm spinning silk."
"When the Sage of Painting created the orchid leaf drawing technique, the brushstrokes were so vigorous and powerful that they seemed to fly several feet in length, with the roots of the brush emerging from the flesh. The painting was highly praised by the world."
"If this painting wasn't done by the Sage of Painting himself, Huanhuan really can't think of anyone else who could have such skill."
Big Fat Orange put his hands behind his back, examined the painting, and said, "This 'Sending a Child Heavenly King' painting appeared during the Ming Dynasty. There is no seal on the painting, and there is no record of it before."
Although it is regarded as an authentic work by Wu Daozi, many people believe that it was copied by a Song dynasty artist or painted by a master of the Wu school.
"Even if it is not an original work by a master painter, it is still a rare masterpiece. The person who could have painted this could not have been an unknown figure."
"Even if he can't compare to the painting master, he's not far off."
Zhen Huan said, "I think if such a person really exists, it's not just that they are similar to him, but that they surpass him."
The chubby orange cat laughed and said, "If Huanhuan thinks the student has surpassed the master, then the student has surpassed the master."
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