latelenovela Chapter 332 Smallpox
Chapter 332 Smallpox
In the spring of the twenty-third year of the Xiantong era, just as the magnolia blossoms of the Nanzhao Kingdom were climbing the palace walls, a nightmare quietly descended. The first strange phenomena appeared in the refugee settlements of Jiangnan Circuit, where children suddenly developed red rashes on their faces, followed by persistent high fevers, and within three days, half of them coughed up blood and died. As urgent memorials were placed on Xiao Qicheng's desk, the koi carp in the Imperial Garden swam leisurely, completely unaware that a catastrophe was about to sweep across the entire territory.
"This illness is quite different from a common cold." The head of the Imperial Medical Academy's hands trembled as he meticulously recorded the deceased's symptoms in his medical record book. "The patient had a high fever and convulsions, and smallpox appeared all over his body. Three days later, the smallpox pustules became purulent... I suspect it is... smallpox!" Before he could finish speaking, a wail suddenly came from outside the hall, and a palace maid with a face covered in red rashes rushed in, only to be stopped on the spot by the guards.
Shen Mingyue's fingertips, gripping the medicine box, turned white. She opened the medical book left by her great-grandmother, with dried mugwort tucked between the yellowed pages: "A hundred years ago, smallpox ravaged the land. My great-grandmother used inoculation to curb its spread, but the necessary scabs... had to be extracted from patients with mild symptoms." She looked at Xiao Qicheng, "But now the epidemic is raging, and the slightest carelessness..."
Xiao Qicheng slammed his hand on the table, knocking the inkstone off the table. "Issue an imperial decree! Seal all city gates and prohibit anyone from entering or leaving! Mobilize physicians from all prefectures to set up quarantine camps outside the city!" His gaze swept across the map. "Jiangnan Circuit is the hardest-hit area; I must go and see for myself."
Three days later, Xiao Qicheng's imperial carriage stopped outside the city gate of Jiangnan Province. Even from three zhang away, the stench emanating from the isolation camp could be smelled. The tents were crammed with patients; many had festering sores on their faces, pus and blood soaking through the bedding. A child clutched at his clothes, his voice weak: "Your Majesty...save my mother..."
Shen Mingyue squatted down, heated the silver needles over a fire, and then inserted them into the child's acupoints. She turned to the accompanying imperial physician and said, "Immediately brew a decoction to clear heat and detoxify, and repeatedly wipe the patient's body with well water to lower the fever." Suddenly, she noticed an old man huddled in the corner. Although his face was covered with pimples, there were no signs of suppuration.
"Quick! Remove the scabs!" Shen Mingyue's voice was filled with ecstatic joy. "This is a natural seed!" Ignoring everyone's objections, she personally used a silver needle to remove the scabs, ground them into powder, and carefully placed them into a porcelain bottle. Xiao Qicheng grasped her hand, which was covered in pus and blood: "Yue'er, this is too dangerous!"
“If we don’t take the risk, what will happen to the millions of people?” Shen Mingyue’s gaze was firm. “My great-grandmother did the same thing back then.”
The smallpox inoculation experiment took place in a heavily guarded annex of the imperial palace. Thirty death row inmates volunteered to participate. Shen Mingyue diluted the smallpox scabs and inoculated them using specially made bone needles. Every hour, she recorded the subjects' reactions. On the third day, five of them developed mild fever and rashes, but gradually recovered after seven days.
"It's a success!" Shen Mingyue cried with excitement. "Expand the vaccination program immediately!" However, after the news spread, rumors spread like wildfire. Some said that vaccination was an evil practice that would steal one's soul; some even gathered at the city gate to protest and smashed the carts transporting the vaccines.
Xiao Qicheng stood atop the city wall, looking down at the riotous crowd below. He suddenly ripped open his robe, revealing the scabs on his chest from the recent smallpox vaccination: "I have already conducted a trial vaccination! If the vaccination is ineffective, I am willing to die with you all!" Shen Mingyue also administered the vaccination in front of everyone; as the silver needle pierced her skin, her hand remained as steady as a rock.
The people finally quieted down. Following the example of the royal family, smallpox vaccination began to be implemented systematically. Shen Mingyue led medical officials throughout the states, personally teaching the vaccination method; Xiao Qicheng ordered tax reductions in the vaccinated areas and allocated grain to relieve the disaster victims. The Nine-Tails was also busy; its nine tails emitted a faint glow, and wherever it went, the plague's aura would dissipate.
However, just as the epidemic was about to be brought under control, a new crisis quietly descended. Suspected cases suddenly appeared in Xianyang Palace, including several princes and princesses. Shen Mingyue stayed by their bedside, not closing her eyes for three consecutive days and nights. She tried various prescriptions, but with little effect. Seeing the children with high fever and coma, she was extremely anxious.
"Yue'er, look at this." Xiao Qicheng handed over a scroll of folk remedies collected from the common people, which recorded the method of applying toad skin to the affected area. Shen Mingyue's eyes lit up, and she immediately ordered someone to find a toad. When she applied the processed toad skin to the little princess's forehead, it miraculously began to cool down.
After a day and night battle, the princes and princesses were finally out of danger. The plague lasted for eight months, and the Nanzhao Kingdom paid a heavy price, but it also established a comprehensive epidemic prevention system. Xiao Qicheng ordered the construction of medical clinics to benefit the people, the compilation of the "Compendium of Plague Prevention and Control," and the promotion of smallpox vaccination to neighboring countries.
On the day the pandemic ended, a grand ceremony was held in front of Xianyang Palace. Xiao Qicheng and Shen Mingyue stood atop the city wall, watching the people sing and dance. A child who had been treated ran up, holding flowers. The acne scars on his face hadn't completely faded, but his smile was incredibly radiant: "Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Empress!"
The shadow of the smallpox epidemic had not yet completely dissipated, and the medical officials of Nanzhao Kingdom were still traveling around to inoculate people with smallpox. However, undercurrents were surging within Xianyang Palace. While sorting through the medical records of the Imperial Hospital, Shen Mingyue discovered several strange death records—the deceased were all young and strong people who had been vaccinated against smallpox. Their bodies were purplish-black, and black blood flowed from their seven orifices, which was completely different from the symptoms of smallpox.
“Your Majesty, there must be something fishy about this.” Shen Mingyue presented the medical records to Xiao Qicheng, the candlelight casting deep shadows on her eyes. “These deceased individuals had no underlying medical conditions before their deaths, and normally they should have recovered well after smallpox vaccination. Jiu Li Mao once said that their aura contained a trace of cold, evil energy.”
Xiao Qicheng frowned and unfolded the urgent report sent back by his spies: "Western Region caravans have been frequently entering and leaving Nanzhao recently, and the cargo manifests they carry even include datura flowers and physalis grass used for witchcraft." He slammed the report on the table, "The Netherworld Pavilion is likely using the epidemic as an excuse to make a comeback!"
Late at night, Shen Mingyue, accompanied by her medical officers, secretly performed an autopsy on the deceased's body. The moment they opened the chest cavity, a foul-smelling black fumes erupted out, nearly extinguishing the candlelight. To the officers' horror, they discovered that the deceased's heart had transformed into a writhing mass of black flesh, densely covered with intricate rune patterns.
"This is... the Soul-Devouring Curse of the Netherworld Pavilion!" The Nine-Tails suddenly appeared, its nine tails bristling. "They used evil magic to contaminate the smallpox vaccine, ostensibly to prevent smallpox, but in reality, they were spreading plague!" Its tail curled up a piece of blackened tissue. "The souls of these dead have already been extracted, turning them into walking corpses!"
The news spread, and the panic that had just subsided spread again. People frantically picked at the scabs from their smallpox vaccinations, and some even stormed into clinics and vandalized them. Xiao Qicheng summoned his ministers overnight, and the atmosphere in the hall was as heavy as lead.
"The smallpox vaccination must be stopped immediately!" the Imperial Censor cried out, kneeling on the ground. "The people are filled with fear and anxiety; if this continues, the nation will cease to exist!"
"No!" Shen Mingyue stepped forward, holding the purified smallpox vaccine in her hand. "The Netherworld Pavilion is trying to use this to sow discord among the people. We only need to improve the inoculation method, using mugwort fumigation and cinnabar sealing, to remove the evil spirits!" She turned to Xiao Qicheng, "Your Majesty, when Great-Grandmother faced the plague, she also overcame all doubts and objections."
Xiao Qicheng rose, his dragon robe fluttering in the wind: "Issue an imperial decree! Close all private clinics and replace them with royal physicians escorted by the army for unified smallpox vaccination. Anyone who dares to spread rumors and cause trouble will be punished for misleading the public!" He gripped Shen Mingyue's hand tightly. "I trust you, and I trust the judgment of the people of Nanzhao."
To test the new smallpox inoculation method, Shen Mingyue once again risked her life. She inoculated herself with the improved vaccine on her arm, while the Nine-Tails stayed by her side day and night, ready to suppress any abnormalities with its spiritual power. Three days passed, and Shen Mingyue only had a slight fever, without showing any symptoms of evil spirits.
Royal physicians traveled to various states carrying specially made inoculation kits. These kits had peach wood bases, lined with cinnabar-painted talismans to ward off evil, and the seed sachets were adorned with the tail fur of a nine-tailed fox. Upon arrival at each state, the physicians would first set up an altar, burn incense, and chant purification mantras before inoculating the people.
However, the Netherworld Pavilion would not give up so easily. When the smallpox vaccination team reached the Qianzhong Road, they were suddenly attacked by a group of men in black. These men had pale skin and eerie green pupils; they were puppets controlled by the Soul-Eating Curse. They wielded poisoned curved blades, the blades engraved with ghostly face totems.
"Protect the smallpox vaccine!" The general leading the team drew his sword to meet the attack. At the critical moment, Shen Mingyue took out a golden silk whip, and the spirit pearl pendant at the tip of the whip burst forth with dazzling light. The puppets touched by the light instantly turned to ashes, revealing the curled-up mummies inside.
After the battle, Shen Mingyue found a bronze token on the puppet, engraved with the words "Xuanming". A chill ran down her spine; she knew that the Netherworld Pavilion's true objective was not simply to spread the plague.
Meanwhile, Xiao Qicheng launched a large-scale search in Xianyang Palace. His secret guards found a large quantity of materials used to refine the Soul-Devouring Curse in the warehouses of Western Region merchants, as well as a secret letter that mentioned, "The Nine-Aperture Exquisite Heart has appeared in the world, and the evil god is about to be resurrected."
As Xiao Qicheng gazed at the various epidemic hotspots marked on the map, he suddenly realized that they had formed a massive array. He immediately sent someone to recall Shen Mingyue and ordered the palace's defenses to be strengthened.
When Shen Mingyue rushed back to Xianyang Palace, the palace was already under martial law. Xiao Qicheng held her hand, his expression grave: "Yue'er, the Netherworld Pavilion's ultimate target is you. They want to use your Nine-Aperture Exquisite Heart, in conjunction with this plague array, to awaken the evil god!"
Before the words were even finished, dark clouds suddenly filled the sky, and a bolt of lightning struck the ancestral temple. The hall storing the spirit orbs trembled violently, and the three orbs simultaneously floated in the air, emitting an eerie red light. The Nine-Tails' fur stood on end, and it let out a shrill cry: "Oh no! The array's core has activated!"
Xiao Qicheng drew his Xuan Tie sword, and Shen Mingyue gripped her golden silk whip. The two stood side by side in front of the hall. With a sinister laugh, a man in black robes appeared from the clouds, holding a pitch-black Dharma wheel in his hand, inlaid with countless shimmering souls.
"Xiao Qicheng, Shen Mingyue, do you think you can stop me?" The black-robed man's voice seemed to come from the depths of hell. "This plague is nothing but an appetizer. Today is the end of Nanzhao!"