Sun Miaoqing thought of the plague in the drama, where corpses were being pulled out of the palace, not to mention the common people outside.
Natural disasters and man-made calamities, natural disasters and man-made calamities...
No matter the time, there will always be people who profit from human suffering and make a fortune from disasters.
Drug prices are already high, and with some people hoarding them for speculation, they become even more outrageously expensive.
Sun Miaoqing said, "As the weather gets colder, we should prepare as many medicinal herbs as possible for treating colds and other ailments. My maternal uncle's family can also lend a hand."
"If everything goes smoothly, that would be best. If someone tries to sabotage things, Prince Chun will take charge, and it won't be difficult to handle."
"I wonder which imperial physicians Physician Lu plans to take with him?"
Lu Jingsi said, "Your Majesty, since the last incident, although the Imperial Medical Academy has promoted a new batch of imperial physicians, they are still not as good as before."
"If too many imperial physicians are transferred this time, it may delay matters in the palace and among the princes and ministers."
"If we rely solely on those folk doctors, while there are many skilled physicians like Doctor Li, there are also charlatans who deceive the world, so the quality is inevitably mixed."
"Therefore, Your Majesty, I plan to bring along Imperial Physician Yu, Imperial Physician Qiao, and Imperial Physician Liu, along with Doctor Li. We will first gather all the doctors in the capital and explain the preparations for epidemic prevention to them."
"Then let these doctors and your ministers explain to the people together. This will be much faster than if only a few of us ministers were to do it."
Sun Miaoqing asked, "Didn't you say before that Physician Wen's medical skills were quite good? I've noticed that you two get along well in the past, so why didn't you bring him along?"
"With Physician Wen's help, you can give instructions with more peace of mind."
Physician Lu's eyelids twitched. He had only mentioned Wen Shichu's excellent medical skills to Consort Cheng a few months ago.
He never mentioned his close private relationship with Wen Shichu. Consort Cheng knew all this so clearly; thankfully, he had never harbored any disloyalty...
Physician Lu became even more respectful, "Reporting to Your Highness, Physician Wen's medical skills are indeed excellent, and he is kind and ethical."
"But Consort Wan and Consort Hui have always been cared for by him, and he is unwilling to let other imperial physicians take their pulses."
"Furthermore, since I am leading people out of the palace, we must leave enough people behind in case of any unforeseen circumstances. Although the medical skills of Physician Yu, Physician Qiao, and Physician Liu are not as advanced as those of Physician Wen, they are quite accomplished in the treatment of typhoid fever and other miscellaneous diseases."
"Taking the three of them down is appropriate. If Your Majesty thinks Physician Wen is better, then let him come out of the palace to handle this matter."
Sun Miaoqing said, "That's good. Time is tight and the task is heavy. Physician Lu, you've worked hard."
Lu Jingsi said, "This is my duty. To tell Your Majesty the truth, if this matter is accomplished, it will also be of great benefit to me."
"Whether it is for the Emperor's and Your Majesty's orders, for the sake of the people, or for our own sake, we, your humble servants, will do our utmost to accomplish this task."
Sun Miaoqing said, "With Physician Lu's words, I am relieved. It's getting late, Physician Lu, you should go back and prepare."
After Lu Jingsi left, Sun Miaoqing continued to recall the details of the epidemic. After all, quite some time had passed, and many things had changed beyond recognition.
Just like Shen Meizhuang, who was originally supposed to be demoted to a low-ranking concubine and placed under house arrest in Xianfu Palace because of her false pregnancy. But now she holds power in the palace and has become Consort Hui, and everyone in the palace except Consort Hua treats her with utmost respect.
An Lingrong originally gained favor through her singing voice and was always considered dispensable by the emperor. But now, the emperor favors her just as much as he does Zhen Huan. And any good things are reserved for her.
And then there's the Empress. Every time I see her, I feel like she doesn't even need to eat; she could live on just a few sticks of incense.
Nian Gengyao was completely different; he was not greedy for power at all and reverted to the cautious and prudent manner he had when the late emperor was still alive.
Every so often, he would fall seriously ill, and each time Madam Nian would be so anxious that she would burst into tears, crying and begging people to call her two sons back.
Everyone said that General Nian probably wouldn't make it this time, but each time he was saved by the doctors.
Thanks to General Nian's good fortune, this doctor's reputation has soared, and his value has also increased dramatically. Many officials and their families like to consult him when they have any misfortunes or illnesses, and he is now a well-known and respected physician in the capital.
Overall, however, most of the things are good.
Sun Miaoqing couldn't remember many things, but she did remember that the illness had spread from outside the palace into the inner palace, and that Wen Shichu was the first to find a cure.
They put Wen Shichu into the team and sent him to the front line, hoping to contain the disease at its earliest stage.
It's best to keep it from getting into the palace if possible, as she's afraid of catching these things!
*
Prince Chun and several imperial physicians initiated medical reforms in the capital without consulting the court. This greatly concerned the ministers in the court, and rumors and gossip abounded.
Minister of Revenue Zhang Tingyu was the first to want to jump up in anger; the emperor really did things on a whim. So much silver—in the end, wouldn't it all come out of the Ministry of Revenue anyway?
The national treasury has a small surplus now, and they're already eager to spend it. What if next year the weather turns bad, with floods, droughts, locust plagues, or something similar? What will they use to provide relief?
He directly led several ministers to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to meet the emperor. As soon as they arrived at the door, Su Peisheng told them that Consort Cheng was still inside and asked them to wait.
Zhang Tingyu's brows were so furrowed they could trap a fly. Wasn't Consort Cheng visiting the Hall of Mental Cultivation far too often? He had encountered her so many times.
Inside, Sun Miaoqing was playing chess with Da Pangju, and the more they played, the more serious Da Pangju's expression became.
I've seen bad chess players before, but I've never seen one this bad. Even Consort Qi is better than her; there's no one in the harem worse than her.
He had absolutely no idea what to do next, and no matter how hard he racked his brains, he couldn't figure out where Sun Miaoqing would go next.
Although he won, the victory was extremely boring. Big Fat Orange felt frustrated, as he had never seen himself so recklessly headed for his own death!
They ruined my good mood; this is not something that can be taught.
But this imp was still full of energy, insisting that the student had surpassed the master, and wouldn't be satisfied until he won a game...
Sigh, losing to this vixen is no easy feat!
Seeing that Sun Miaoqing had once again put himself in a dead end with a single move, the chubby orange-haired man helplessly put the chess piece back into the chess tube.
"No more, no more. You should study with Consort Wan and the others for two years first, and then come to me for guidance."
Sun Miaoqing's beautiful eyes widened, and she said unhappily, "Does Your Majesty intend to go back on your word?"
"You promised to teach me how to play chess, but you've already gone back on your word after just a few games. What kind of golden words are you spouting? You're just trying to fool a mere woman like me."
"He even claimed to be a good teacher, having trained An-meimei into a talented woman proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Is this how he taught her?"
Big Orange wasn't annoyed and said directly, "You don't even have this much foundation, you don't even know the basic moves. Consort Jing is both intelligent and eager to learn, she understands things quickly, and she practices diligently every day."
"If you could be as diligent as her, it would be easier for me. You still need to find a mentor first, and once you've learned a few tricks, I'll give you some pointers before you can show off my skills."
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