On the day Xiao Yunzhou heard his daughter's inner thoughts, he wrote a letter that very night and sent it by express courier to the Ministry of Works.
The letter contained only one request: for Liu Runnian to develop one of the disinfectants Chuchu had mentioned in her thoughts—high-proof alcohol.
As for other mystical substances like ether, Xiao Yunzhou had heard of them but didn't yet understand how to produce them, so he had to put those aside for now.
Fortunately, it was feasible to increase the alcohol content of Jing Country's existing spirits through distillation.
Liu Runnian indeed didn't disappoint him. This morning, he had sent new alcohol and a report by express courier!
"As luck would have it, Liu Runnian from the Ministry of Works just happened to produce this alcohol."
"I thought this would be perfect for the abscess problem Doctor Meng mentioned, wouldn't it?"
"Wei Zheng, bring in the alcohol. Let all of you try it," Xiao Yunzhou gestured to Wei Zheng.
[Oh!]
Xiao Chuchu had just washed her face in the sunlight and had some fragrant cream applied by Liu Chaniang. She was contentedly watching the live broadcast from Head Imperial Physician Hu's side inside the imperial tent.
She had just connected when she saw this scene.
[My goodness, I remember that in ancient times, before distillation technology, all alcohol was below 30 proof.]
[Only after distillation could high-proof alcohol be obtained.]
[My uncle actually managed to do it?]
Xiao Chuchu watched intently as Wei Zheng personally carried a clay-sealed jar of alcohol into the tent.
Before Xiao Yunzhou could speak, Meng Can called out loudly, "Let me!"
His eyes were bright, and his movements were quick yet careful. Before Head Imperial Physician Hu and Meng Chun could react, he had already removed the clay seal.
Meng Can leaned in to look into the jar, but immediately straightened up.
"So strong... The smell of this alcohol is so potent!"
Before it was even poured out, an unprecedentedly strong aroma of liquor spread out, forcefully invading the noses of everyone in the medical tent.
Wei Zheng, who usually attended to the emperor and never drank, stepped back instantly and covered his nose and mouth. "What a pungent smell!"
Even Xiao Yunzhou couldn't help but raise an eyebrow; this wasn't to his liking either.
But his eyes brightened. Just as the secret techniques from the Immortal Realm mentioned in his little princess's thoughts had said, the distilled liquor outclassed all of Jing Country's strong spirits, possibly two or three times the strength of the current spirits!
[Oh my, I hate that this system's live broadcast doesn't include smell and taste,] Xiao Chuchu grumbled. [System, you're not good enough, I can't even smell it.]
[But never mind, Father Emperor and Wei Zheng were scared off by the smell of this alcohol, so it must be very nose-stinging. A little baby like me who can't handle alcohol~]
Liu Chaniang listened intently beside her, her movements slowing as she stitched on the pigskin.
[Oh, Meng Can carefully poured out a small cup. Wow, it's white liquor...]
[Could it be over 70 proof?]
Xiao Chuchu marveled.
[Using this for disinfection would definitely be more reliable than the current low-proof alcohol.]
[Bacteria, I'm going to kill, kill, kill you!]
Bacteria... what could that be?
Liu Chaniang listened to Chuchu's commentary, her confused gaze gradually becoming dazed.
From Chuchu's tone, bacteria seemed to be something bad.
Liu Chaniang frowned.
The more she heard about the Immortal Realm, the more she realized how far behind life in Jing Country was.
[Oh my, Meng Can's collection progress has reached 39%! Hahaha!]
Xiao Chuchu was delighted when she saw the system prompt.
[It seems that as long as there are attractive medical techniques and remedies, we can lure him out of seclusion.]
Hearing this, Liu Chaniang felt happy for the common people and soldiers of Jing Country.
At this moment in the medical tent, Meng Can was taking a small sip of the shallow liquid in the bowl.
He actually didn't want to drink much at all.
Because if this new alcohol proved useful, it would be needed to treat people.
Drinking it... would be such a waste!
Thinking this, Meng Can let the sip of alcohol enter his throat.
In an instant, his eyes widened.
Smooth, fragrant, and then suddenly a fiery sensation surged into his internal organs!
Refreshing! Stimulating!
Meng Can's eyes lit up, and he wanted to drink more.
But in the end, he pursed his lips and resisted, his Adam's apple bobbing as he looked at Xiao Yunzhou and said, "This alcohol can be used."
Xiao Yunzhou immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Beside him, Head Imperial Physician Hu and Meng Chun eagerly stepped forward to take Meng Can's place and try it themselves.
However, Meng Can thought of the next issue, one that made his brow furrow when he recalled it. "This alcohol is an improved method to prevent abscesses, but what about the pain relief for chest surgeries you mentioned?"
Xiao Yunzhou chuckled, thinking to himself, "If I told you, it would scare you to death. How could mere mortals comprehend the pain relief methods of the Immortal Realm?"
The celestial voice had mentioned ether and inhaled anesthetics... even he, the Son of Heaven, didn't understand how to produce them.
Xiao Yunzhou's expression became a bit pained as he thought about it. Having a treasure in hand but not being able to use it, who could understand this pain?
But it didn't matter. The simplified version of the anesthetic secret technique and other formulas from his little princess's thoughts seemed achievable.
Thinking of this, Xiao Yunzhou proudly began to speak, "Cannabis powder..."
As soon as he said this, Meng Can's eyes widened in shock. "How do you know about my Sleeping Saint Powder?!"
"Insolence, this is the Emperor!" Wei Zheng rebuked.
Xiao Yunzhou waved his hand. "It's fine, let's discuss the matter at hand."
But just as he was about to continue showing off in front of Meng Can, cold sweat suddenly broke out on his back.
Wait, he had almost forgotten that his little princess had a divine method of observing thousands of people and things from thousands of miles away.
Xiao Yunzhou abruptly stopped his intention to show off, his expression changing from smug to 'sincere' as he looked at Meng Can.
"How do I know about the Sleeping Saint Powder?"
"Of course, it's because Head Imperial Physician Hu wrote it in his report yesterday, saying it was a formula he had come up with, and submitted it to me. You can ask him."
Head Imperial Physician Hu: "!??"
Meng Can: "!"
The two men exchanged a glance, tension immediately rising between them.
"How did you know—"
"I... I..." Head Imperial Physician Hu drew in a sharp breath, gritted his teeth, and looked at Xiao Yunzhou. Seeing the Emperor close his eyes, he could only nod reluctantly to Meng Can, his face reddening. He really didn't know! "There are so many medical books in the world... I figured it out from reading!"
Meng Can glared at him and snorted heavily. "Well, that's not really a new method. I've been using the Sleeping Saint Powder for ten years already."
Xiao Yunzhou nodded. "Indeed, I hadn't finished speaking. Head Imperial Physician Hu's report mentioned other things as well."
Now Meng Can grew anxious and looked at Head Imperial Physician Hu. "What else is there? How much do you plan to use? How will you use it?"
His Sleeping Saint Powder had once caused a patient to become addicted due to overuse, suffering greatly before eventually dying.
Meng Can grew urgent at the thought. "Hurry up and tell me! Why are you being so mysterious? Do you need the Emperor to speak for you? Have you caught some princess disease?"
Head Imperial Physician Hu: "..."
Damn it.
Head Imperial Physician Hu could only look helplessly at Xiao Yunzhou.
Xiao Yunzhou nodded reassuringly and said, "Head Imperial Physician Hu's report mentioned datura, aconite, and daphne."
[Ah, it's confirmed! Head Imperial Physician Hu's report is just like the simplified version of anesthesiology I exchanged from the system!]
[These are all formulas that existed in our history. They were still used during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and there's also the Anesthetic Powder invented by the divine physician Hua Tuo.]
Xiao Chuchu recalled as she thought about it.
[The Anesthetic Powder only appears in legendary stories. It's said that during surgery, patients felt nothing and woke up after three days of sleep with no issues. But the specific formula has been lost.]
[I didn't expect the system to know the formula. These 100 points were well spent.]
Xiao Chuchu was delighted, feeling she had made a great profit from the stingy system this time.
Liu Chaniang listened with a heart as sweet as honey.
A lost secret formula!
This was no ordinary thing.
Sure enough, as they watched and listened to the live broadcast, a joyous exclamation of surprise erupted from the medical tent.
"So that's how it is!"
"Marvelous!"
"Simply marvelous!"
Meng Can's excited voice nearly spread throughout the entire tent area.
[Oh, Meng Can's collection progress has reached 71%!]
Xiao Chuchu looked and exclaimed internally.
[So fast, Uncle Meng is too efficient! This is the first time I've encountered an elite character with such a rapid strategy acquisition speed!]
[One more stimulating piece of information, and his progress should reach 100%, right?]