The promotion of the new fertilizer went very smoothly, and Emperor Kangxi planned to use the same "trade-in" method used by Shen Jia'an to subsidize the new agricultural tools.
As for the money used for subsidies, it was directly drawn from the money earned from selling fertilizer.
This method is good, but it requires the person implementing it to have a conscience; otherwise, the subsidy money may not be delivered.
In response, Emperor Kangxi decreed that any problems with the subsidies could be reported to the Chief Censorate.
And just like that, autumn is almost over.
"Your Majesty, one of the eunuchs who serves the Fifth Prince has contracted smallpox."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Kangxi was so shocked that he stood up abruptly.
When was it discovered?
"Only then did we realize that what we initially thought was just a common fever had gradually developed into smallpox. It was only when the imperial physician came to examine us that we discovered it was smallpox."
Emperor Kangxi deeply abhorred smallpox; he himself had nearly lost his life to it.
"All classes at Jingxing Pavilion have been suspended, and everyone who had contact with that little eunuch has been quarantined. They're being treated the same way they would have handled smallpox in the past, and the servants on duty will be selected based on their survival history..."
Despite issuing a series of orders, Emperor Kangxi still couldn't breathe a sigh of relief. Smallpox! A disease that struck fear into the hearts of many.
The news reached Kangxi's ears in the afternoon, and Youqing heard about it while having dinner that evening. She immediately slapped her forehead and exclaimed, "How could I have forgotten about this!"
He then immediately said to Cheng Ying, "Send someone to His Majesty and tell him that I want to discuss something related to smallpox."
Youqing is a post-90s generation. In her time, smallpox was extinct except in some laboratories. Her parents had been vaccinated against cowpox, but none of them had been vaccinated against cowpox, so it was no longer necessary.
She had only seen some pictures in high school biology class, and they gave her goosebumps; they were terrifying.
When she arrived in the Qing Dynasty, she hadn't thought about this matter, since no one had mentioned it. Now that she heard that someone had contracted smallpox, she remembered that smallpox could really kill people in ancient times, and then she thought of cowpox.
Emperor Kangxi was also anxious. When he heard that Chengying had come to find Youqing, and that it was related to smallpox, he rushed over in a hurry.
"I just heard about the smallpox too. What's the situation?"
"Two people have been diagnosed with smallpox, and two others have fevers; they all live in the same room."
Do you know about vaccination to prevent smallpox?
Kangxi knew this, of course, and he nodded: "I know."
Know?
Youqing was confused.
"Then why wasn't vaccination promoted to prevent smallpox?"
“Vaccination is inherently dangerous. People with poor health may develop a fever during the vaccination process and die. Furthermore, vaccination cannot completely prevent smallpox, so many people are unwilling to get vaccinated.”
Youqing frowned; this was different from what she knew!
"No, there's no danger in getting vaccinated, and besides, isn't cowpox a complete preventative against smallpox?"
Upon hearing this, Kangxi grasped the key point: "What did you say, smallpox?"
"Yes, cowpox, what other kind of pox is it?"
The smallpox vaccination that Emperor Kangxi mentioned refers to human smallpox, while the cowpox vaccination that Youqing mentioned was unknown to Emperor Kangxi.
After some explanation, Youqing realized that the two of them were not talking about the same "pox".
"You mean vaccination with smallpox can completely prevent smallpox?"
"right"
She was certain of this; although she had never experienced smallpox, those images remained vivid in her memory, and she couldn't forget them even if she wanted to.
"Thanks."
The smallpox epidemic had a particularly severe impact on Emperor Kangxi, especially in Mongolia, where many people died as a result.
If smallpox could have completely prevented smallpox, the Qing dynasty would have been more stable.
The next day, Emperor Kangxi ordered the start of smallpox trials. At this time, human beings were used in the trials. In this era, there were no human rights. Death row inmates were used. Regardless of whether the trials were successful or not, the families of the death row inmates would be given a sum of money.
The death row inmates themselves agreed to it.
And so, half a month later, all fifty death row inmates were vaccinated against smallpox. After being vaccinated, they were all unharmed when they came into contact with things that had been used by smallpox infected people.
Cowpox was indeed completely effective in preventing smallpox.
After the experiment yielded results, the four people around the Fifth Prince were all lucky; they survived and the virus did not spread.
Subsequently, Emperor Kangxi ordered that smallpox vaccination begin gradually throughout the country.
After the news spread that cowpox could completely prevent smallpox, Emperor Kangxi's prestige among the people reached its peak. First, new agricultural tools and fertilizers improved people's livelihoods, and then cowpox solved the threat of smallpox to life.
For ordinary people, whoever can make their lives better will be their emperor. Now, Kangxi has accomplished many things that no emperor could do. Regardless of whether he was Han or Manchu, he was a good emperor.
By the time this trend subsided, it was almost Chinese New Year. This year, the sycophantic letters sent from various places were much more heartfelt than in previous years, and there were even many joint letters of thanks from local people.
Kangxi was pleased to see all these things. As an emperor, he used to compare himself to Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, but now he felt that he was better than him.
In my lifetime, the Qing Dynasty may well have achieved the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty.
With the smallpox outbreak behind us, another piece of good news has arrived.
"Your Majesty, Lord Dai has sent word that he has created a mother-and-child cannon. He would like to ask when Your Majesty will go to see its power."
Emperor Kangxi, beaming with delight, asked, "The mother-and-child cannon has been successfully manufactured? Has anyone described its specific effects?"
"Lord Dai said he would guarantee His Majesty's satisfaction."
Kangxi gave Dai Zi excellent treatment, and naturally his expectations were very high. He also knew that Dai Zi was not one to boast, and he knew in his heart that the power of the mother-and-child cannon would not be small.
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