After receiving the written agreement, Sun Miaoqing swayed her hips and returned to Chuxiu Palace.
The fat orange cat was truly helpless. He was the emperor, and his words were law, yet this demon always insisted on making him sign a written agreement before she would give up.
Name, fingerprint, and seal are all indispensable, as if afraid he would renege on his debt.
Oh well, he can just treat it as a bit of fun. He can withdraw hundreds of thousands of taels of silver with a flick of his finger, so it's no big deal if he signs a few more.
However, the fact that this demon was willing to pay 400,000 taels of silver and even demanded coverage of a 50-mile radius around the capital shows that this epidemic is extremely fierce and extraordinary!
"Su Peisheng, go to the Imperial Hospital and summon Lu Jingsi. I have important matters to instruct you on."
"Your servant obeys."
Before long, Lu Jingsi arrived outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation with his medicine chest. Although the emperor's summons was not due to illness, it was still essential to keep the medicine chest with you at all times, in case of any unforeseen circumstances.
After being led into the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Imperial Physician Lu immediately knelt down to pay his respects, saying, "Your Majesty, this humble subject greets you. May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and peace."
The chubby orange cat said, "Get up."
Physician Lu rose and replied, "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty. May I ask what Your Majesty has instructed me to do?"
The chubby orange cat put down its busy imperial brush, stood up, clasped its hands in front of it, and took a few steps to the side as if to relax.
He said slowly, "It's only the beginning of winter, and although it hasn't snowed yet, it's already much colder than in previous years."
"The Imperial Observatory has also submitted a memorial, saying that this year is a year of extreme cold. The climate is not in harmony, and there is a fear of an epidemic. I think it is good to take precautions in advance."
Physician Lu did not expect that the emperor was talking about this matter. Winter is difficult, and every year countless people freeze and starve to death.
Although the capital was much better off than those impoverished areas, it was not without its problems. If the plague were added to the mix, tens of thousands of people might not survive.
Furthermore, with plagues, it's not that you can avoid infection just by taking strict precautions yourself, because others may not be taking the same precautions...
Although the Emperor was unaware that the Imperial Observatory possessed this capability, the fact that he specifically summoned him and gave him instructions suggests that the probability of an epidemic occurring was extremely high.
At that time, these imperial physicians will be the first to be affected, and they won't be able to escape it.
Lu Jingsi quickly replied, "Your Majesty's benevolence is a blessing to the people. Upon returning, I will immediately arrange for the Imperial Hospital to make preparations according to custom."
The chubby orange waved its hand, "No, the previous preparations were not enough. I think it would be better to make some changes. Now is a prosperous time, and the people should also enjoy the emperor's grace."
Physician Lu was taken aback. If the common people were to share in the Emperor's grace, then taxes should be reduced. How many poor people could there be in the capital? The majority of the people in the inner and outer cities were either Manchus or officials' families.
However, Physician Lu dared not utter a single word of these words. He was still young, had not yet had enough of the good life, and did not want to go to the mountains to dig for medicinal herbs.
"Your Majesty, I am foolish and ignorant. Please enlighten me on how this matter should be handled?"
The fat orange said, "I intend to follow the example of Zhang Mi and others, with the court funding the transfer of doctors to garrison towns and villages. However, the Qing Dynasty is vast and has a large population, so we will first take the capital as an example to see the effect."
"The period is three years. After the assessment, they will be sent to wealthy areas to practice medicine. During these three years, in addition to local epidemic prevention, teaching people how to strengthen their bodies and training local doctors, they must not charge consultation fees for treating poor people."
"If there are people who are destitute and need to buy medicine, the price of the medicine will be charged at 10%, and the rest of the cost will be borne by me."
"However, these can be implemented later. For now, we should stockpile more medicines for treating colds and epidemics for future use."
"First, prepare within fifty li around the capital. Instruct the doctors in the capital on how to avoid disease, and then send them to the villages and towns to teach the people."
"Of course, I will cover the expenses here as well."
Physician Lu was truly astonished. Following the emperor's instructions, whether there would be enough doctors was secondary. Even mountains of gold and silver couldn't withstand such extravagance.
Putting everything else aside, smallpox vaccination hasn't even reached the area within fifty li of the capital yet. We told them to be frugal before, but now they're spending money without the slightest hesitation.
Physician Lu was confused. Was the imperial court short of money or not? However, such a great thing that benefited the people could be described as unprecedented.
If he does well, wouldn't he, as the head of the Imperial Medical Academy who oversees all the doctors in the country, also be remembered for generations to come?
When later generations of physicians mention Hua Tuo and Bian Que, they inevitably have to mention Lu Jingsi as well.
"Your Majesty's benevolence is evident. Your humble servant will certainly live up to Your Majesty's high expectations and handle this matter properly."
"However, such a meritorious deed requires a lot of money and grain, and also the cooperation of the local officials."
The chubby orange had already thought of all this, and nodded, saying, "For this matter, Consort Cheng has voluntarily contributed 400,000 taels of her private funds. I will make up the rest if it is not enough."
"As for the officials below, I will issue an edict instructing them to cooperate fully. Prince Chun will be in charge of this matter. If you have any requests, just tell Prince Chun directly. If Prince Chun is unable to make a decision, then report back to me."
"Your Majesty understands."
Imperial Physician Lu was truly astonished. He knew Consort Cheng was wealthy, but he had no idea she was this wealthy. Four hundred thousand taels of silver could be taken so easily; no wonder the Emperor doted on her so much.
If it were him, he would definitely demand everything, and do whatever he wanted.
Looks, figure, and personality don't matter. No matter how beautiful a woman is, can she be more beautiful than a mountain of gold?
Big Fat Orange thought for a moment and felt he should add one more word of advice, "Although you don't need to worry about money, you can't use it for things you shouldn't. You have to use it wisely, understand?"
Sensing the underlying threat in his words, Physician Lu immediately suppressed his ulterior motives and bowed his head, replying, "Your Majesty, I understand. Every penny will be spent wisely."
*
On the other side, after Sun Miaoqing returned to Chuxiu Palace, she immediately asked Linglan to bring her paper and pen.
One sheet after another, and soon a thick stack of sheets was piled up, covered with epidemic prevention measures.
He chewed on the brush tip, thinking about what other methods he could use, until he couldn't think of anything else, and then he put down the brush.
"Give these to Physician Lu in a moment. If he has time, please ask him to come over. I have something to say to him."
"Yes, this servant will send someone to invite them right away."
Looking at these epidemic prevention measures, Linglan asked curiously, "But Your Highness, will following these instructions really be effective?"
"It's not that I don't believe you, it's just that I feel that things like water must be boiled before drinking, don't people usually just boil it and drink it directly without any problems?"
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