Emperor Xuanwu no longer wished to hear that name—Tang Xinhua. It had somehow managed to entangle both his son and daughter far more deeply than he liked.
With a faint sigh, he lifted his gaze and glanced at Yun Shu.
"You said you still had something to report?"
"I already did."
Yun Shu's clear eyes sparkled with innocence. In one eye was written the character for "no," in the other, "guilt." If one could read the expression on her face, it might as well have said, "Father Emperor, are you daft?"
Emperor Xuanwu: "..."
A blue vein throbbed visibly at his temple.
He raised his hand and pointed toward the door with deliberate force.
"You may leave as well!"
"Oh."
This tone, which would send most people trembling in fear, had become something Yun Shu was thoroughly used to.
Calmly, she offered a respectful, "Your Daughter takes her leave," and with light steps, strolled out of the imperial study.
"Third Brother, you're still here?"
She wasn't at all surprised to find the Third Prince lingering outside.
Beaming, Yun Shu passed along some good news.
"Father Emperor has agreed to let you serve your confinement at the manor."
"Truly?!"
The Third Prince was so overcome with emotion that he stumbled over his words.
"Did Father Emperor truly agree?!"
"Of course. Why would I lie to you?"
Yun Shu raised a brow, watching him spin around as if to rush off immediately for the manor. She quickly caught his sleeve and halted him.
"Let me be clear, that manor is currently being used for medical trials and to treat patients infected with smallpox.
Even if my cousin has recovered, for the sake of the capital's safety, you both will still need to remain there until the imperial physicians complete their testing and confirm it is safe to return."
"In other words, I won't have to report to the Court of State Ceremonial every day, and I can stay with Miss Tang the whole time?"
The Third Prince lit up with joy.
"How long will the physicians need for their trials? Will ten years be enough?"
Yun Shu: "..."
Clearly, she had overestimated him. She had forgotten that her Third Brother was, at heart, an unrepentant slacker.
No court duties, and the chance to laze about? He was overjoyed.
Too bad ten years of leave existed only in dreams.
Roughly three months later, news arrived from the manor.
In the first round of trials, ten death-row convicts were given the medicine. Eight survived. Of the two who did not, one had suffered severe prior injuries, the other was too old to recover.
In the second round, after some adjustments, nine out of ten survived. The one who did not had a pre-existing illness.
In the third round, after further refinements, all ten convicts survived.
By the fourth round—twenty convicts—and through to the tenth round—fifty convicts—all of them survived.
"...Thus, We Imperial Physicians unanimously believe that the smallpox prevention method proposed by Her Highness the Crown Princess is entirely feasible!"
These concluding words, scrawled across the end of the letter, were written with such bold, sweeping strokes that one could almost feel the excitement surging from the brush itself.
The latest issues of Capital Weekly and Tian Sheng Weekly were hastily printed. News that the imperial court was offering free smallpox vaccination at the manor beyond the city walls quickly became the focus of attention both within and beyond the court.
"Have you heard about the smallpox vaccine?"
"How could I not? The court's footing the cost, offering it free to the people. Young folks and children get priority, but you'll need to live at the manor for a while."
The speaker was a rugged man with tanned skin, carrying baskets as he headed toward the market. His expression clearly spelled disbelief.
"I'm not sending my son Dazhuang. Who knows what this vaccine really is?
If it truly had no side effects and could prevent smallpox forever...
Then wouldn't those nobles be paying through the nose to snatch up the opportunity? Why would it be handed out to the likes of us for free?"
"You have a point."
A frail old man walking beside him sighed.
"But I can't help but feel His Majesty and Her Highness the Crown Princess wouldn't harm the people.
If this were truly a human trial, wouldn't they start with the elderly first?
If all the young and the children are gone, what future would Tian Sheng have?"
"Or maybe it's because the elderly can't withstand the medicine."
The robust man remained stubborn.
"Anyway, I'm not going. What if His Majesty and the Crown Princess are really doing this for the sake of all under heaven, and are willing to sacrifice some of us in the process?
To benefit the people, it's not unreasonable to lose a few.
But we each only have one life. Why should we be the ones sacrificed?
Even if we die for it, no one will remember us."
"..."
That line of thinking was far from unique to him.
In truth, even in modern times, when a new drug sounds too miraculous, especially if it is free or low-cost, countless people remain skeptical.
All the more so in ancient times, when lives were treated like grass, and even minor ailments required hefty sums to treat. With no reassuring scientific testing, fear of smallpox ran deep in the hearts of the common folk. Their doubts were perfectly natural.
It was not just the ordinary citizens. Even court officials and heirs of noble families showed no signs of stepping forward.
Two full days passed. The eunuch assigned by Emperor Xuanwu to oversee registrations returned from the manor.
On the roster... not a single name.
Wait—there was one.
Li Dehai's expression shifted several times as he read the name. Finally, he sighed and braced himself to report to the Emperor.
"Your Majesty, the day's registration list... has been brought back."
"Hm."
Emperor Xuanwu didn't even lift his head. Li Dehai's cautious tone already told him it would not be good news.
"No one volunteered today either?"
"There was... one."
"Oh?"
One?
That was already remarkable. The hardest part was always finding someone brave enough to be the first to try the "crab," as the saying went.
Once the first person took that step, the second, third, and countless others would follow.
Emperor Xuanwu had even begun considering whether to send some of the palace staff to the manor himself if volunteers failed to appear.
Yet by the second day, someone had already registered?
His gaze lifted with surprise.
"Who submitted their name? What is their identity—commoner or official?"
"Well..."
Li Dehai lowered his head even further and raised the register with both hands.
"It was... Her Highness the Crown Princess."
===
Can you believe it? We've already reached Chapter 300! ٩(ˊ〇ˋ*)و
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