Chapter 32: with translation of chapter title

Eunuch 39 (smallpox)

This paragraph is an image paragraph; please visit the correct website, close ad-blocking functionality, and exit browser reading mode.

The Grand Princess and her consort suddenly lost all sleepiness, their faces filled with shock, fear, and bewilderment.

Half an hour later, the Prince Consort wore a grim face, about to order the beating to death of the few servants who had contracted smallpox, only to discover that smallpox had already spread, with over a dozen servants in the mansion now infected.

The Grand Princess only felt a wave of dizziness, indicating that certainly more than those dozen or so people in her mansion had contracted smallpox; they just hadn't shown symptoms yet.

She gritted her teeth fiercely, "Prince Consort, pack up immediately—we're leaving the city!"

While the news hasn't spread yet, they can still sneak out; otherwise, once the palace learns of it, everyone in their mansion will be locked up to die.

Compared to a daughter, she believes her father the emperor cares more about the stability of the realm.

This paragraph is an image paragraph; please visit the correct website, close ad-blocking functionality, and exit browser reading mode.

As soon as the servants of the Grand Princess's mansion opened the gate, they saw a huge crowd of commoners packed outside; just as they tried to rush out, they were met with countless rotten vegetable leaves, stinking eggs, and foul sewage.

Never having been so insulted, the Grand Princess flew into a rage, cursing the troublemakers, and was about to order her mansion's guards to drive them out, when unexpectedly the Five City Military Command arrived swiftly.

The Five City Military Command wasn't there to help them drive away the populace; instead, they were responsible for sealing off the princess's mansion, putting it under lockdown—now not even people, not even the livestock inside, could get out.

The Grand Princess couldn't believe it; she pounded on the gate sealed from outside and shouted loudly, "Open the gate—I am the emperor's most beloved princess! The emperor will not forgive you!"

The Five City Military Command personnel who had sealed the princess's mansion remained unmoved, allowing the weeping and clamor inside to continue unchecked.

The old emperor truly was reluctant to lose his daughter, but he feared death even more.

Just thinking that he had seen the Grand Princess yesterday terrified him to death, so he hastily summoned all the imperial physicians from the Hanlin Academy.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, you will be fine." Xia Duo fu struggled to sit up from the bed to attend, "You forgot—you had smallpox when you were young."

Only then did the old emperor recall that he had once had smallpox; those who have had smallpox cannot be infected again, and he finally felt relieved.

Immediately afterward, another worry rose in his heart: he wouldn't catch smallpox, but what about the other princes and princesses?

Thinking of this, the old emperor flew into a rage at the Grand Princess; if she were to spread smallpox to a few of his brothers, he could chop her to pieces!

Since the Grand Princess's mansion was sealed, panic spread through the capital; everyone was terrified by the smallpox in her mansion.

That is smallpox, a contagious disease with an extremely high mortality rate.

The commoners chattered, "Surely it is Heaven's wrath; this imperial family has nothing good about it."

"Didn't the Grand Princess contract smallpox? Fortunately we got the news early and stopped her from leaving the mansion; otherwise we wouldn't know how many would die."

"Does the Grand Princess have no scheme in her heart? Everyone has smallpox, yet not only does she refuse to seal the mansion, she even wants to bring the smallpox elsewhere—she is simply inviting heavenly punishment!"

"I've heard that many wealthy families have recently left the capital, fearing that smallpox will spread in the city."

"Actually, the emperor should order the Grand Princess and her consort to be sent to a remote, scarcely populated place and confined there, so they won't run around spreading the infection."

"The entire princess's mansion is already infected; there are too many people, and it's already too late."

This paragraph is an image paragraph; please visit the correct website, close ad-blocking functionality, and exit browser reading mode.

The Grand Princess and her consort's illness developed slowly, but its onset was fierce, more severe than anyone else's in the mansion.

The Grand Princess lay in bed, mouth wide open, gasping for breath; she lacked the strength to sit up, feeling as if a fire had been lit in her brain, roasting her alive.

The attending mansion physician grimaced, "The princess and the prince consort are the same—this is a stroke."

He had never before seen a patient with smallpox who also suffered a stroke, and he simply did not know how to treat it.

The Prince Consort likewise opened his mouth to gasp, inappropriately recalling how, years ago, he and the Grand Princess had decided to spread smallpox throughout Fengcheng.

Who knew smallpox could be this painful? They had doctors and medicine, yet they felt the impermanence of life and death watching them from nearby; what about the commoners lacking doctors and medicine? Perhaps they would truly die by the thousands in the city.

This paragraph is an image paragraph; please visit the correct website, close ad-blocking functionality, and exit browser reading mode.

This paragraph is an image paragraph; please visit the correct website, close ad-blocking functionality, and exit browser reading mode.

Because smallpox appeared in the Grand Princess's mansion, the nerves of everyone in the capital were tightened.

Sure enough, smallpox spread throughout the city, and soon commoners began contracting it.

Pedestrians on the streets grew scarce; everyone hurried to and fro, and if someone accidentally drew near, they seemed to feel as if they were on fire and hastily dodged away.

Who knows whether the person brushing past you has already been infected with smallpox?

The open ground in the north of the city had been cleared by soldiers, who hastily built countless thatched huts; inside lay smallpox patients. These huts were named "clinics," but privately everyone called them "waiting-to-die houses." The mere mention made everyone in the capital turn pale, fearing that if they were discovered to have smallpox and admitted, they could only await death.

This further increased the difficulty for the Five City Military Command to identify patients, leaving them only able to have neighbors report each other.

Emperor Liang Kang has not rested properly these days; every day consists of grand and minor court assemblies, with officials discussing only one matter: how to handle the smallpox epidemic.

That day, the court received another piece of bad news: "What? Smallpox has also been found elsewhere?"

The old emperor only felt a relentless headache; this bad news kept growing day by day, as if it wanted to destabilize his realm.

To add insult to injury, news came from the northwest of a Hu invasion.

Emperor Liang Kang's fingers twitched; he barely suppressed the sweet‑blood taste rising from his throat, read the eight‑hundred‑li urgent report, struggled to stay calm, and said, "This is merely a small‑scale operation; we must trust our frontier soldiers."

This paragraph is an image paragraph; please visit the correct website, close ad-blocking functionality, and exit browser reading mode.

But many people clearly understand that a small‑scale operation could easily become large‑scale if the Hu prevail.

This paragraph is an image paragraph; please visit the correct website, close ad-blocking functionality, and exit browser reading mode.

The old emperor ordered soldiers to build clinics, intending to isolate patients and make the capital safer, but instead it sparked public resentment; the populace thought entering meant certain death, and they went to great lengths to hide their infected family members.

Just as the old emperor worried himself gray‑haired, a palace attendant entered to report: "Your Majesty, the Fifteenth Prince requests an audience."

Upon hearing this, the dozen or so officials in the study turned toward the door; the old foxes revealed nothing on their faces, while the middle‑aged ministers wore grim expressions, now all feeling the pressure, as a mere child still played the game of vying for favor.

This paragraph is an image paragraph; please visit the correct website, close ad-blocking functionality, and exit browser reading mode.

They were very curious about the Fifteenth Prince, who had miraculously survived countless assassination attempts; after his deeds spread, the young officials all believed he was surely the child of destiny.

The youth, defined by the middle‑aged ministers as a contender for favor, entered wearing a white cloth over his face—a strange covering that concealed his nose and mouth—and in his arms he held a plump, similarly white‑clothed stray cat.

Seeing his attire, not only the old emperor but also the officials were struck dumbfounded.

What is this for?

The old emperor asked doubtfully, "Little Fifteen, what is this on your face…"

The young pure gentleman's voice came from the mask: "Father Emperor, this is called a mask; it should prevent infection from smallpox patients! I, your subject, have studied it—smallpox spreads via droplets or direct contact. Father Emperor, let the imperial physician try this mask, eh? Tongtong says it's good."

The old emperor's interest was instantly piqued; he stared at the fat cat in his hand: "Tongtong, is this really true?"

The cat wearing the mask meowed twice, still nodding, looking thoroughly approving.

The old emperor, flustered by smallpox, felt his spirits lift and gestured for his son to come sit.

Right, how could he have forgotten that there's still a miraculous cat in the palace?

This is the Cat God!

The Fifteenth Prince gave a shy smile to the officials; though the mask hid it, his beautiful peach-blossom eyes curved upward.

He pulled out a large stack of masks and handed them out, saying, "Everyone, put these on; protecting yourself protects others."

The old emperor and the officials curiously picked up the masks and fumbled to put them on.

Whether it was a placebo or not, after putting on this strange covering, they immediately felt much safer.

The Fifteenth Prince also took out a sheet of paper from his bosom and handed it to the nearby eunuch.

"This is Tongtong—a prescription sent by the Cat God; I, your subject, asked the Cat God, and it said it's related to smallpox."

The old emperor couldn't help but rejoice: "Could this prescription cure smallpox?"

The Three-Colored Cat leapt onto the imperial table, its plum-blossom paw pointing at the prescription in the emperor's hand, and exclaimed: "Meow meow meow!"

The old emperor and the officials all said they couldn't understand; they were still a few cats away from understanding cat language.

Fortunately, they didn't understand, but the Fifteenth Prince did.

"The Cat God says it can be cured, but smallpox is mainly prevented; it says there is a way to prevent smallpox in the world, and we need to find it."

The officials' eyes lit up—being able to prevent it would be perfect; smallpox is their most dreaded fatal disease, and even just looking at the previous dynasty, half of the fallen states were due to smallpox.

The previous dynasty's Zhao Wendi was truly a good emperor, just unfortunate—he died of smallpox; after his death, the succeeding Zhao Lingdi was a blockhead, ruining the vast country.

If Zhao Wendi hadn't died, it's uncertain whether Liang would still exist.

Opening the history of smallpox, it is a history of blood and tears; once it spreads, the dead are literally city after city, ten miles without a soul, and the death toll rivals that of war.

There is only one solution: like the old emperor did, gather the patients, treat those who can be treated, and burn those who cannot.

One official, quick-witted, immediately jumped up.

"Wait, the Fifteenth Prince said it can be cured!" he exclaimed excitedly, "Your Majesty, did you hear? The Fifteenth Prince said smallpox can be cured."

Only then did the old emperor react; overjoyed, he leapt from the dragon throne, staring at the prescription as if it were a priceless treasure, and shouted, "Quickly summon the imperial physician to try this prescription!"

Li Character: Mingzhi took advantage of the old emperor and officials still discussing, quietly leaving while holding the fat cat.

Lu Shixian immediately sat down and, together with the Fifteenth Prince, flipped through books to search.

Actually, Liang is unsettled everywhere, though the capital barely maintains a facade of peace.

Good fortune, my ass!

"Master Lu!" the seven-year-old Seventeenth Prince excitedly looked at the comic in his hand and whispered, "Is this *The Fifteenth Lad's Travels*?"

The people of the capital felt no goodwill toward the Princess's mansion, and many even harbored resentment.

The old emperor immediately spread the news, and at the same time, the imperial physicians who had conducted the trials rushed one by one to the northern city's 'waiting-to-die place'—no, the treatment center—began to treat patients.

"It's almost been a month, the number of patients at the treatment center is dwindling, most of the imperial physicians have returned, and it's truly unexpected—smallpox really can be cured."

This was also one of the positions initially obtained by leveraging the Fifth Prince's influence; later, a superior recognized him and recommended him to the emperor.

The old emperor wisely decided to waive all medical fees: first, fearing that the common folk would skip treatment if they had to pay; second, the medicine for treating smallpox turned out to be surprisingly cheap—any physician who knows herbs can find it in the mountains, so he simply waived that fee; third, having cured this ancient scourge of smallpox during his reign, the history books will surely record it in vivid detail—how could he let such a trifling sum of silver tarnish his glorious image?

The Princess's mansion was the first to discover smallpox; the capital's commoners who lost family members all blamed the Princess's household as the culprit.

Of course this is just a fantasy; he put on a bitter face and told the fervent book fans: "Selling you the house won't help—heading east of the great river, you'll know it's me; at most I'll send him a letter when paying the manuscript fee, so he can write more stories."

As the recovered patients left the treatment center one by one, this time there was no need for neighbors to report; the sick voluntarily went to the treatment center for treatment.

The commoners secretly cursed the Princess's couple for their good fortune, unaware of how miserable they were at that moment.

Thus, Lord Lu Shixian quickly became famous, and his residence gained fame as well.

Some things, if overdone, are not good; he is still young, and it's not appropriate to burden himself with a pile of merits now.

Not to mention if it were a daughter; even if the culprit were a prince, the emperor could only let him die.

There was an arrogant and domineering Princess mother-in-law; as her daughter-in-law, she never had a good day, and she would surely "filially obey".

Merchants have a keen sense of smell; they immediately found some painters to copy the gourds, hoping to make a big profit.

Moreover, some merchants wanted to find the owner of the comic strips, hiring him at high pay to draw more comics for their bookstores to sell.

Even physicians wanted that fame.

The soldiers guarding the city gate strictly prohibited anyone from leaving; those with power and influence naturally could not bear having their escape routes blocked, and a chaos seemed inevitable.

The princes nodded vigorously.

In the Huangong, the prescription presented by the Cat God made the emperor overjoyed; he knew full well what it meant to be able to cure smallpox.

Several young princes gathered around, each with bright eyes fixed on the picture book in his hand.

After the news spread that the Princess's couple had contracted smallpox and even suffered a stroke, panic gripped the capital; those who could fled the city, while outsiders began to shun those coming from the capital.

She turned her head to glare at the prince consort, her heart full of resentment—this incompetent, careless one had transmitted smallpox to her.

The emperor didn't lie; the prescription that can cure smallpox is genuine!

Those book fans were too crazy; group after group came to interact with the author, and even some wealthy idols flung silver notes onto the table with a slap, saying they wanted to reward the author as long as he updated more.

"I recall smallpox spread from the Princess's mansion, right? I heard the Princess's family was also saved—what good fortune." The speaker's expression and tone were completely opposite, as if saying it's too bad that the Princess's family didn't die.

"I heard that aside from those who were too severely ill or in especially poor health who died, ninety percent of people survived." The speaker's words were full of joy.

From Ruan Wuhe we learned that the source of smallpox was indeed the first to appear in their mansion; the Princess suffered a major blow.

Prevent smallpox? Lu Shixian's brow twitched slightly.

The prince consort's eyes held regret—was it not that they had previously plotted to spread smallpox in Fengcheng, provoking heaven's wrath, which is why they're so unlucky?

The two lay in bed, unable to move, able only to communicate through their eyes.

Lu Shixian's eyes rolled, and he readily replied, "Done!".

Lu Shixian smiled as he handed the comic books to several princes, saying, "You can't read these in class! If they're confiscated, the tutor won't intercede for you.".

Lu Shixian is now one of the tutors teaching the princes in the palace.

Now, it looks like it can't be sustained any longer?

"Tutor Lu, come help quickly." He handed Lu Shixian a stack of medical books, saying, "I recall there's a method to prevent smallpox, but I just can't find it.".

"The city gates are also open, and I hear that those outside the capital who contracted smallpox are also receiving treatment."

Official Lu readily agreed.

"In the past, whenever smallpox appeared, nine-tenths of the people died; the emperor's benevolence is truly vast!"

Lu Shixian clung tightly to his clothes, which were almost being torn off.

The crown prince impatiently brushed away her hand; he still couldn't accept that this woman, her face covered in scars, hideous, mouth open drooling, was his mother.

He felt that his reputation for fame in history was being dragged down by the foolish Long Princess and her family! This news has spread; the people's curses alone could force him to issue a self-blame edict.

Ruan Wuhe was ordered to go to the princess's mansion to investigate the source of smallpox, and he quickly found the result.

The Long Princess and her prince consort had tears in their eyes; their smallpox had been cured, but they were covered in scars left by the disease— that was bad enough, yet their strokes still hadn't healed.

After those who had smallpox recovered, the capital returned to its former bustle, and no one thought of fleeing the city.

At least twenty times!

Li Character: Mingzhi lifted his head; his eyes were bloodshot, dark circles obvious, a look of desperately needing sleep.

Fortunately, the cat god brought the prescription; otherwise his throne wouldn't be secure! Perhaps smallpox would kill half the capital's people, and then this emperor would bear the brunt of the people's anger.

"What is Prince Fifteen looking for? Do you need my help?" Lu Shixian asked.

If the emperor hadn't given the prescription for treating smallpox, the capital's people who lost family members would have rushed to the Long Princess's mansion to kill her whole family!

Since its emergence, smallpox has claimed at least tens of millions of lives; each outbreak throws people into panic.

Only if all medicines were free at the clinic would they not be so foolish as to stay home waiting to die.

Five days later, when the mild cases walked out of the clinic, countless capital residents watched from afar and cheered.

After sending off those young princes, Lu Shixian went to the palace's library.

"Demote the Long Princess and her family to commoners!" the old emperor coldly issued an edict.

As Lu Shixian passed a bookstall, he saw that "The Travels of Prince Fifteen" had been updated to volume two; even smallpox couldn't stop children's determination to read comic books.

Sure enough, he found Prince Fifteen there, sitting cross-legged on a small stool with books piled on the ground. Lu Shixian took a closer look— they were all medical texts!

The reason the Long Princess hasn't been put to death is that both she and her husband suffered strokes, which are said to be worse than death, and the people would rather see them suffer a fate worse than death.

"I truly don't know; the books are just dumped in my courtyard, and I keep the manuscript fees in a fixed place." Lu Shixian said, as usual, adding that their master's identity must absolutely remain unknown.

Ruan Wuhe couldn't help shaking his head; the Long Princess and her husband were basically done for, fortunately the emperor found a curative prescription, otherwise Great Liang would have lost so many people that the emperor's throne wouldn't be secure.

"Yes." The crown princess replied gently, covering the smile at the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief.

"Look after your parents." The crown prince said coolly to the crown princess, "Make sure everything they need is taken care of."

Smallpox hasn't completely ended; although people no longer panic at the mere mention of it, it still leaves them uneasy.

He couldn't fend off wave after wave of high-status book fans.

The shopkeeper, seeing Lu Shixian pass by, hurriedly grabbed his collar, demanding he reveal who "The River Flows East" really is, and burst into tears, snot and all, pleading, "Official Lu, who exactly is the author of these comic books and storybooks? If you don't tell me, my shop will be crowded to collapse!".

Official Lu certainly wouldn't agree, thinking that ten times the silver he used to buy his house would suffice? What a fantasy!

The people finally breathed a sigh of relief; great, they don't have to die.

Lu Shixian realized that even he, a fairly learned adult, was captivated by the books' strange imagination— let alone the impressionable children.

What he hated most was that, because of his parents, the Long Princess's mansion had offended everyone in Great Liang; from now on his family could only hide like turtles, and he daren't even step outside, fearing that victims who lost family members might stab him.

"We want the comic books too!" the fans shouted, those comics were so fun— the overseas figures with their rainbow-colored hair and eyes truly opened their eyes.

Solving smallpox during his reign would mean leaving his name in history, and it would mean his realm would be secure!

She made a hoarse sound in her throat, grabbing her son's hand to tell him that everything was his father's fault.

Many considered themselves clear-sighted, and pessimism began to rise in their hearts.

One can only say the Long Princess and her husband brought it on themselves; back then they tried to frame the Sixth Prince, storing the smallpox virus; although they later stopped, the contaminated clothing remained hidden in a specially dug pit, also an ideal environment for the virus to survive; over time the couple assumed it was harmless and forgot about it, never expecting a servant to accidentally get hold of those clothes.

The shopkeeper gritted his teeth, "What should I do? I'll just tell those people that only you know how to contact the author."

Ruan Wuhe presented his findings to the imperial court, and Emperor Liang Kang couldn't help but fly into a rage.

There are many wealthy people in the capital; they're eager to get the updates and are discussing with Official Lu buying his residence.

This prescription is so miraculous that, once smallpox is cured, even the physicians will go down in history; at that point no one will refuse it.

In the capital, taverns big and small were all discussing smallpox.

Or rather, it should be that the whole city was under lockdown, preventing anyone from going out, which instead made them even more obsessed with comic books and storybooks.

Please move the unaltered original content to the vinegar. Slip' er, literature# official! website. If already there, please turn off ad-blocking features and exit browser reading mode.