Chapter 8 Epidemic Prevention in Gongji County
Zhao Xiaofei went to the back court with County Magistrate Hu and entered Doctor Hu's room wearing a mask. Doctor Hu was a little confused at this time. He thought the visitor was here to deliver medicine and said, "Put down the medicine and get out!"
"Doctor Hu! I'm here to treat you! Please lie down, I'm going to give you acupuncture!" After Zhao Xiaofei said this, he took out the medicine and started sucking it out with a syringe without caring whether Doctor Hu was willing or not.
Doctor Hu had never seen such a treatment tool before, and he focused on watching Zhao Xiaofei prepare to give him an injection. At this time, he could only ask, "Who are you? What method are you using to treat me? I have never seen it before!"
"Doctor Hu! I'm the Second Prince of Nan'ao. This is my dynasty's unique method of saving lives. We inject the medicine directly into the bloodstream, allowing it to take effect more quickly. Please lie down; it might be a little painful." Zhao Xiaofei said as he inserted the needle. Doctor Hu's arm trembled slightly, and the injection was quickly completed. After applying alcohol and applying a band-aid to Doctor Hu's wound, Zhao Xiaofei left the room.
At this time, the maid brought water. Zhao Xiaofei washed his hands and took off his mask. County Magistrate Hu hurried forward and asked, "Sir! How is my father?"
"Fortunately, the old man discovered it early and in time. If the abscess on his body had ruptured and turned into an abscess, even a Daluo Jinxian would not be able to save him." Zhao Xiaofei said.
"Thank you, Prince! Is it time for my father to wake up?" asked County Magistrate Hu.
"Probably tomorrow afternoon! The old man is old and recovers slowly. When he wakes up tomorrow morning, give him some porridge and then give him this medicine. One pill each morning and evening, don't take more!" After Zhao Xiaofei finished speaking, he took out two cephalosporins and handed them to County Magistrate Hu.
"Thank you, Your Highness! If my father wakes up, I will reward you handsomely!" County Magistrate Hu bowed.
"Master Hu, you're welcome! I admire your medical ethics. Not everyone can personally lead the city's epidemic response at such an advanced age. So, Master Hu, don't thank me. This is what a junior should do." Zhao Xiaofei spoke the absolute truth. Upon hearing that County Magistrate Hu's father, a physician at the Imperial Hospital, had come to Wanping County to oversee epidemic prevention, he was truly impressed. In ancient times, reaching sixty was considered a truly long life. The average age in the Ming Dynasty was only thirty, so Doctor Hu's presence at the front lines of epidemic prevention at the age of sixty was undoubtedly admirable.
"Thank you, Your Highness! I won't say anything else. The Minister of Rites, Mr. Huang, is my tutor! Tomorrow I will write a letter myself to inform my tutor of the matter and ask him to do his best to help Your Highness come to the capital to meet the emperor as soon as possible!" said Magistrate Hu.
Zhao Xiaofei thought to himself: Hey! You old boy! So you were just doing business before! Now that you saved your father, you say that the Minister of Rites is your teacher. What were you doing before? However, Zhao Xiaofei could only complain in his heart, and on the surface he had to be polite: "Then I'll have to trouble Master Hu! However, the epidemic in Wanping County is probably out of control! If even the old man gets the disease, this Wanping County will be in danger!"
Magistrate Hu was so frightened when he heard this that he almost fell to the ground. He asked anxiously, "Is what the prince said true?"
"Of course I dare not deceive you, sir. Everything I said is true," said Zhao Xiaofei.
"Prince! Could you please sell more of your medicine to this county? If Wanping County becomes a dead city, even if my father and I survive, we won't be able to escape the court's punishment." Lord Hu was so anxious that he almost cried. His face turned pale and he felt weak all over.
"Sir Hu! I can help you control the epidemic, but all the bailiffs and constables must listen to me." Zhao Xiaofei said.
"Okay! Tell us how to prevent the epidemic?" asked County Magistrate Hu.
"First, all the sick people must be locked up together. I'll give them injections and medicine one by one. Secondly, all the bodies of the sick and dead must be cremated!" Zhao Xiaofei had just said this when County Magistrate Hu quickly waved his hand and said, "No, no! The dead should be buried in peace. How can we burn them so easily? I'll be scolded. If the court knew, those censors would impeach me for violating moral principles."
Many people don't understand why cremation wasn't allowed in ancient times, especially during the Ming Dynasty. This story begins with the founding emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang. Before his brother Chongba became emperor, he and his subordinate, Tao An, once climbed Nanjing City Wall. They saw smoke and a foul odor filling the air. He covered his nose, looking very unhappy. Tao An said, "In ancient times, there was an order to bury bones and flesh, extending grace to the dead. In recent times, people have accustomed themselves to the barbarian customs, sometimes burning bones and throwing them into the water. How could a filial son or grandson bear to do that? Nothing is more damaging to grace and morality than this."
Tao An meant that cremation and water burial were barbaric customs that completely disregarded the affections of family members and were the height of moral degradation.
Zhu Yuanzhang gave 24 thumbs up after hearing this and said, "This is the true kingly way!"
From then on, when he went out to fight, he would properly bury any unburied bodies he saw on the roadside. After he became emperor, this practice was further implemented throughout the country. In the third year of the Hongwu reign, "cremation and water burial were prohibited in Zhejiang and other places. The Secretariat and the Ministry of Rites decreed that civilian deaths must be buried. If there was no land available, officials would establish public tombs for burial, and cremation was not permitted. Violators would be subject to severe punishment. If the deceased died in a distant place and their descendants were unable to return for burial, they would be allowed to do so. The Ministry of Justice issued a decree to this effect."
It can be seen that prohibiting cremation and water burial is the ancestral precept of the Ming Dynasty.
But it’s not that there are no people who cremate their bodies. Those are the bodies of Buddhist families or refugees whose bodies are not claimed.
Zhao Xiaofei heard this and said helplessly, "Master Hu! If you don't do as I say, I'm afraid it will be difficult to control the epidemic. I'm sorry, I can't do anything." After that, he and Xiao Si left the county government office, leaving only County Magistrate Hu sitting in the yard, anxiously running around.
The next day, Doctor Hu regained consciousness, his fever gone. Magistrate Hu came to his father's side and said joyfully, "Father, you're finally awake. It seems the prince's medicine is very effective!"
Doctor Hu was helped up by his son and sat beside the bed. He calmed down and said, "Did anyone treat me yesterday?"
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