Chapter 126
After Xiao Yunzhou finished speaking, he found the Imperial Study Room in an eerie silence.
His brows twitched, and he could only repeat himself, "To fight poison with poison, what do you think, Head Imperial Physician Hu?"
The imperial physicians were stunned.
The Emperor and Liu Runnian, the brother-in-law of the Liu Family, shared such an understanding?
Even the radical method of fighting poison with poison, they were in complete accord!
This was no mere marriage alliance, but rather long-lost brothers reunited!?
The crowd fell silent.
But the Head Imperial Physician Hu, who was addressed, had to speak up, "I do not know Your Majesty's rationale for this method. Lord Liu had just proposed the same thing..."
Xiao Yunzhou looked at Liu Runnian in astonishment.
Liu Runnian cleared his throat and hurried to the front, explaining the rudimentary "fighting poison with poison" method that the Head Imperial Physician Hu had mentioned earlier.
"I do not understand medicine, but I have a vague feeling that the ancients' methods were not random shots in the dark, and may contain the true way to prevent smallpox."
"Slap!"
Xiao Yunzhou slapped his thigh, excited by what he heard, "Good! Well said, Runnian!"
He, the Emperor, was originally going to come up with reasons to tell the Imperial Academy of Medicine how he, the sovereign, had conceived of this inoculation method.
Now, this Liu Runnian had helped him tremendously!
The more Xiao Yunzhou looked at Liu Runnian, the more he admired him. He was indeed the intelligent person described by the Little Princess, the destined uncle of the Little Princess.
"Good, Runnian, I didn't misjudge you. I knew that if you could conceive of the method of artificial incubation, you would also be able to apply it by extension and give the Imperial Academy of Medicine an enlightening hint at a critical moment."
The Imperial Academy of Medicine: "...?"
The imperial physicians were utterly bewildered. What enlightening hint?
"Your Majesty, the method Lord Liu referred to has long been proven useless."
But Xiao Yunzhou stood up, looked at the Left Judge who spoke, and said, "Left Judge, did you ever contract smallpox in your childhood?"
The Left Judge was taken aback, and his face quickly flushed red.
He had.
In his childhood, he had contracted smallpox, which left pockmarks and uneven skin on the right side of his brow, a scar from the smallpox lesions.
"What does Your Majesty mean by this?" Don't hit a person's sore spot.
The Left Judge's chest heaved with indignation.
If the Emperor used this to mock and insult him, he would resign immediately.
He was a physician, not an official. Despite the blemish on his face, it did not affect the dignity of the Imperial Court in any way.
But as the Left Judge seethed with anger, he heard Xiao Yunzhou's next words, which thundered like a bolt of lightning!
"Left Judge, after recovering from smallpox in childhood, have you ever encountered smallpox patients again? And after recovering from smallpox in childhood, you never contracted it again, why is that?" Xiao Yunzhou narrowed his eyes.
His words stunned the Left Judge and all the imperial physicians of the Imperial Academy of Medicine.
Before them, it was as if an endless, pitch-black night had been suddenly pierced by a lightning bolt, bringing forth a blinding light!
Like parting the clouds to reveal the sun, they seemed to have grasped something.
Indeed, why did those who had smallpox in childhood never contract it again after growing up?
Seeing their look of enlightenment, Xiao Yunzhou nodded with satisfaction, "Earlier, when I ordered the arrest of the eunuch carrying smallpox pustules, I specifically appointed guards who had contracted smallpox in childhood. During the entire interrogation process, only officials from the Ministry of Justice who had contracted smallpox were involved."
"I do not want the smallpox epidemic to spread."
Xiao Yunzhou raised his head, basking in the sunlight and exuding an aura of wisdom, slowly saying, "But when I returned, I thought, since those who have had it won't get it again—could this be a way to prevent someone from contracting smallpox?"
"!"
"!!"
Everyone in the Imperial Academy of Medicine was shaken.
So this was what the Emperor meant by fighting poison with poison!
Upon careful consideration, it made some... sense.
"Your Majesty, you mean," the Head Imperial Physician Hu's voice trembled, "to deliberately infect someone with the smallpox virus before they contract the disease, letting them get it once first."
The Left Judge's eyes widened in shock.
This method sounded outrageous and bold, "This method could be fatal, Your Majesty!"
Xiao Yunzhou's face darkened. There was no risk-free endeavor in this world.
Heaven had already bestowed the Little Princess upon them, bringing words from the immortal realm. The Imperial Kingdom had already received divine blessings.
Were they not willing to take even a slight risk?
"I summoned you here, not to sleep and dream up a way to combat smallpox!" Xiao Yunzhou took a deep breath, leaning forward and glaring at the Imperial Academy of Medicine.
"I summoned you here to think and experiment!"
"Experiment to find a safe way to inoculate against smallpox!"
Inoculation...
The members of the Imperial Academy of Medicine were all struck by this apt and precise term.
"Runnian, I'm tired. Help them out." Xiao Yunzhou waved dismissively.
The Imperial Academy of Medicine: "..."
Their lips twitched in dismay.
Liu Runnian smiled wryly and stepped forward, "I will do my best, but since I don't understand medicine, I still need the help of the imperial physicians."
Xiao Yunzhou stopped his modesty, rising from behind the desk, "I'll go rest first."
It wasn't that he didn't want to continue guiding the imperial physicians.
But the specific operational methods could only be determined by the knowledgeable physicians themselves.
After all, different fields were as distant as mountains. Even though he, the Emperor, had heard the Little Princess's wisdom, the secrets of inoculation did not explain the step-by-step process in such detail.
The imperial physicians had to figure it out themselves.
Moreover... the Little Princess would get tired too, right? He couldn't rely on the Little Princess for everything!
"You need to learn to use your own brains." Xiao Yunzhou looked at the Imperial Academy of Medicine and admonished them sternly.
"There are so many serious diseases in the world!"
"There are so many patients in the world!"
"How can I alone cure them all!?"
The Imperial Academy of Medicine: "..."
They watched the majestic figure of Xiao Yunzhou leave with his hands behind his back, unable to move for a long time.
"Alas, I've said it before, His Majesty's medical skills are likely profound, but you didn't believe me," the Head Imperial Physician Hu clicked his tongue and shook his head.
Liu Runnian's lips twitched as he cleared his throat lightly.
"Esteemed imperial physicians, your medical expertise is outstanding. After hearing His Majesty's enlightenment, I also have some immature thoughts. Would you care to listen?"
"For example, regarding the Left Judge's concern about inoculation leading to death, is it possible to directly use the pustules from a patient recovering from smallpox to inoculate?"
The Left Judge hissed.
Sometimes, the solution to a problem was so elusive, no matter how hard one tried.
But once someone pointed it out, it seemed so simple!
"Also," Liu Runnian had indeed heard the wisdom of his niece, "is it possible, combining the ancient method of making cakes with cowpox, to use cowpox to inoculate people? Would that be safer?"
"..."
"...?"
"...!"
The members of the Imperial Academy of Medicine were first astonished, then doubtful, and finally fell into deep contemplation.
"Don't say it, don't say it, the more I think about it, the more sense it makes!"
"Of course, these are just my foolish opinions. As for how to implement it, we need the advice of all the Imperial Physicians."
Liu Runnian was very humble, because truly he didn't know how to handle it.
He could raise ducks, after all he had done it as a child, but treating diseases he really didn't understand.
But as a child in the village, he had seen cows with smallpox.
"Those cows with smallpox, it didn't seem that terrifying for people."
The truth was just a fine line away!
"Let's try it like this, we'll split into several teams..." Head Imperial Physician Hu immediately began making arrangements.
In the blink of an eye, the Imperial Academy of Medicine was bustling with activity.
*
As Xiao Yunzhou walked out of the Imperial Study, preparing to go see his daughter, he stopped, suddenly remembering something.
Looking towards Wei Zheng, "Hmm, let the Ministry of Rites draft a reply."
"Tell the Khan of Wu Yun Country to wait a little longer before departing."
"Wait until my imperial nation has developed a method to prevent smallpox, then he can come without delay."
"...!"
Wei Zheng let out a surprised sound.
As a flatterer, this time he couldn't even offer flattery.
They hadn't written a single character yet.
The Emperor's arrogance was being directed all the way to Wu Yun Country!