Chapter 205: Brotherly Consultation

Hongwu Year 10, the eighth day of the second month.

At dawn in Yingtian Prefecture, the study in the rear courtyard of Wu Wang Fu was already lit.

Zhu Yong sat at the writing desk, a thick stack of papers spread before him.

The paper was densely filled with characters; it was the material he had been transcribing night after night for a month, copied piece by piece from the system inventory's Barefoot Doctor Handbook.

His hand grew sour from copying.

But there was no choice; he couldn't produce the original all at once—it would be too shocking.

He could only transcribe in batches and present them in batches.

He rubbed his wrist and looked up toward the window.

A pale dawn just began to spread across the sky, the mansion was silent, save for the occasional footstep of a night patrol servant.

Yesterday he had arranged with his elder brother to bring the Sixth Prince today.

Zhu Su, that youngster, turned seventeen after the New Year and had liked to run to the Imperial Hospital since childhood.

While other princes study and practice martial arts, he is content to hold a medical book and read it all day.

Empress Ma has mentioned him several times, yet he does not change; Zhu Yuanzhang does not intervene, saying let him be.

Last month his elder brother suggested that these medical matters be handed to the Sixth Prince to tinker with.

Zhu Yong nodded then; professional matters belong to professionals, that's certainly correct.

"Prince, dawn is near; have you been up all night?" Xiao Zhu's voice came from outside the door.

"Hmm, come in!" Zhu Yong tucked away the papers on the desk.

Xiao Zhu pushed the door open, carrying hot water and a towel.

She is now twenty‑two, still composed, the chief maid of the mansion.

"Prince, you stayed up again," Xiao Zhu handed the hot towel, her tone tinged with helplessness.

"Couldn't sleep, so I copied some things. Has the princess gotten up?" Zhu Yong wiped his face, feeling a bit more awake.

"She's up, currently feeding the young prince!" Xiao Zhu said.

Zhu Yong nodded, rose, and headed toward the main room in the rear courtyard.

In the main room, Guanyin Nu sat on the couch feeding Zhu Qiong Jiong.

The little fellow was over three months old, chubby and white, slurping milk noisily.

On the small bed beside him, Zhu Huanhuan was still snoring soundly; the five‑year‑old maid lay sprawled, the blanket kicked to one side.

Zhu Yong walked over and gently tucked the blanket over her.

"Prince, another sleepless night?" Guanyin Nu looked up at him, her eyes filled with concern.

"Couldn't sleep, thinking about how to handle those things," Zhu Yong sat at the edge of the couch, watching his son nurse, feeling oddly grounded.

Guanyin Nu whispered, "Prince, don't overexert yourself; those matters can be taken slowly."

"Hmm, today elder brother brought the Sixth Prince over to discuss this; the Sixth Prince likes medicine, so handing it to him is just right," Zhu Yong said.

Guanyin Nu nodded, saying nothing more.

Having married into Wu Wang Fu for several years, she had long become accustomed to her own prince occasionally bringing out strange curiosities from 'dreams.'

At first she was surprised, but later grew indifferent; after all, they were all good things, all making the Great Ming better and better.

……

At the Chen Hour, the carriage from the Eastern Palace stopped at the gate of Wu Wang Fu.

Zhu Biao stepped down from the carriage, followed by a thin, small boy, Sixth Prince Zhu Su, dressed in a teal everyday robe, his eyes bright with a sprightly spirit.

"Second Prince!" Zhu Biao laughed as he walked inside.

"Elder brother, Sixth Prince," Zhu Yong greeted, ushering the two into the study.

The study already had a charcoal brazier burning, warm and cozy.

Xiao Zhu served tea, then stepped out, closing the door.

Zhu Su sat down, his eyes immediately scanning the writing desk.

There was a stack of papers there, the top sheet faintly showing the characters "cowpox."

"Second Prince, elder brother said you have something good for me to see?" Zhu Su couldn't help asking.

Zhu Yong didn't beat around the bush, fetched the stack of papers, and placed them before Zhu Su.

"Sixth Prince, take a look at these."

Zhu Su took them, the first sheet detailing the cowpox cultivation method.

He stared for a while, his brows furrowing, then relaxing, then furrowing again.

"Second Prince, can this cowpox… prevent smallpox?"

"The paper says it can," Zhu Yong replied.

Zhu Su inhaled deeply and continued reading.

The second sheet described the alcohol extraction process: fermentation, distillation, filtration—a clear, step‑by‑step procedure.

The third sheet outlined the penicillin extraction method; he didn't quite grasp it—what strain to cultivate, what purification, he recognized the characters but couldn't piece them together.

The fourth sheet, an excerpt from the Barefoot Doctor Handbook, covered wound treatment, common disease diagnosis and treatment, and even… Cesarean section?

Zhu Su's hand began to tremble.

He lifted his head, his eyes reddened.

"Second Prince, these things… these things…"

"Take your time, don't get worked up," Zhu Biao patted his shoulder.

Zhu Su inhaled several breaths, forcing himself to stay calm, but his voice still trembled: "Second Prince, if this cowpox truly can prevent smallpox, then no one under heaven will ever have to fear that disease!"

"This alcohol—how many soldiers on the battlefield have died from wound infections; with this, how many could live! This penicillin—though I don't quite understand it, just the name tells me it's a good thing! And this medical book, this surgical technique, this Cesarean section…"

He couldn't continue speaking, tears pattering down.

The seventeen‑year‑old boy, obsessed with medicine since childhood, had read every medical text of the Imperial Hospital and deeply understood how many helplessnesses plagued the medicine of this era.

He knew how many illnesses could not be cured and how many people could not be saved.

Now, with these things placed before him, it was like a lamp suddenly lit in the darkness.

Zhu Biao looked at him, his gaze carrying a hint of satisfaction, then turned to Zhu Yong and said, "Second Younger Brother, what you've brought out this time is far more impressive than the Spinning Wheel's white sugar."

Zhu Yong scratched his head, gave a simple smile and said, "Things that can save lives are, of course, impressive."

Zhu Su wiped away his tears, solemnly said, "Second Prince, entrust these things to me! I will definitely produce them so that all people under heaven can use them."

Zhu Yong nodded and said, "It was meant for you from the start, but Sixth Prince, there are a few points that need clarification."

"Second Prince, you speak."

"First, cowpox is the most urgent and also the simplest; start by finding some prisoners in the jail to test it, step by step, don't rush. Over at the Imperial Hospital, have Director Zhang assist you; he is trustworthy."

Zhu Su nodded seriously.

"Second, alcohol extraction; this can be coordinated with the Ministry of Works. In recent years they have been building steam engines, and their distillation setup is already mastered, so a slight modification will make it usable."

"Third, penicillin is the most troublesome; this requires cultivating the strain and repeated trials, and it may take one or two years to succeed. Don't lose heart; test slowly." Zhu Yong paused briefly and said.

"I'm not afraid of trouble." Zhu Su said firmly.

"Fourth, this medical text is only the first part; there is more later. First teach the people of the Imperial Hospital, and once they have mastered it, teach the next sections."

"Especially the cesarean section technique; you need bold yet meticulous people, and only after they are well‑practiced can it be used." Zhu Yong pointed at the stack of papers and said.

Cesarean sections are indeed a good method that can save many infants.

Nowadays, if a woman wishes to bear a child and any accident occurs, it could mean both mother and child die; with this technique, things improve greatly.

Zhu Su memorized each point.

Zhu Biao, listening nearby, suddenly spoke, "Sixth Prince, have you thought about how to arrange these things?"

Zhu Su was startled, then immediately understood his elder brother's meaning.

These things are too important to be casually leaked outward.