Chapter 50 Smallpox

Five days ago, just as Qin Xuan had ordered Zhuge Xuan to dispatch people to investigate the plague, an unexpected yet entirely plausible figure appeared in Beining City.

It was none other than Monkey!

This congenital dwarf had nearly died on the road during his return journey.

When the Divine Strategy Troops intercepted him, his entire body was covered in red rashes, and in some areas, blisters had already formed, leaking foul fluid.

"Your Highness, plagues are raging across all four cities of Danxia, and twenty hundred thousand refugees are heading this way. You must not open the city gates under any circumstances."

Lying weakly on the bed, Monkey forced out these words the moment he laid eyes on Qin Xuan.

Witnessing this, Qin Xuan felt a blaze ignite within his chest.

Zhuge Xuan, Monkey—which of them did not yearn to rescue the common people from the depths of misery?

Yet they knew that once those twenty hundred thousand refugees were admitted, it would inevitably spell disaster for the entirety of Beining City.

Thus, Monkey had willingly risked death on the road just to return and warn Qin Xuan of the dire severity of the situation.

He was afraid his Prince was too benevolent and would be exploited by the imperial court of Daqi.

"Monkey, you goddamn lucky charm of mine!"

Qin Xuan's seemingly random remark left everyone present bewildered.

Yet at this moment, Qin Xuan was intensely excited, the gloom previously shadowing his face completely swept away.

"Your Highness, you are..."

Zhuge Xuan asked, his heart brimming with confusion and unable to suppress his curiosity.

Knowing that these people would naturally be curious, Qin Xuan answered straightforwardly: "From Monkey's symptoms, I have already deduced the origin of this plague, and at the same time, I have conceived a method to resolve it."

At these words, the entire room fell into absolute silence.

A few moments later, Zhuge Xuan grabbed Qin Xuan's arm in overwhelming agitation, casting aside the etiquette of the ruler-subject distinction, and blurted out, "Your Highness, do you truly have a way to cure this plague?"

Qin Xuan nodded, then glanced at Monkey, who had just lapsed into unconsciousness from a high fever, and commanded urgently: "Immediately send people to wash Monkey's body, cool him down with cold water, and burn all his clothing while giving him a fresh set."

"Your Highness, why is this?" Zhuge Xuan, like an inquisitive child, persistently pressed for answers.

"This plague is actually known as smallpox. It is a highly virulent infectious disease that spreads through the air and via skin contact."

The moment Qin Xuan had spotted the pustules on Monkey's body, he had recognized the disease as smallpox.

Typically, those infected with smallpox first exhibit symptoms of coughing, headaches, and soreness in the limbs, followed by fever and diarrhea, sometimes even triggering other complications.

This constituted the second stage of smallpox. Beyond that came the eruption of full-body rashes, which subsequently developed into blisters and pustules, eventually leaking pus and blood until the victim suffered a painful death.

The entire process from infection to full outbreak took roughly half a month, during which the incubation period spanned seven to eleven days.

This was the primary reason smallpox continuously spread; often, one was entirely unaware of being infected while continuing to interact with others.

Moreover, in this ancient era, the concept of quarantine was virtually nonexistent.

"The air? Then Your Highness, wouldn't you..."

Zhuge Xuan's expression changed drastically. Qin Xuan could not afford any mishaps, or the entire city of Beining would descend into chaos.

"Although airborne transmission is easy, it is not one hundred percent guaranteed. Still, as a precaution, anyone who has had contact with Monkey along this journey, including you and me, is strictly forbidden from leaving this courtyard."

Qin Xuan issued his decree.

"Your Highness, how then shall this smallpox be treated?" Zhuge Xuan calmed slightly and inquired.

"This is as simple as it is difficult. Have men find a few cows that happen to carry cowpox, and then summon Gao Xiong here. I shall draw some designs for him to manufacture as quickly as possible."

Since it was smallpox, Qin Xuan naturally knew that the cowpox vaccination method was the most effective treatment available at present.

Yet, his baffling talk of cows and pox left Zhuge Xuan utterly bewildered.

Fortunately, Zhuge Xuan understood the gravity of the situation and immediately executed Qin Xuan's instructions.

As for Qin Xuan, he retrieved brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone, and set to work drawing diagrams.

The cowpox method required cutting into the cowpox lesions on a cow, extracting the fluid inside, and then injecting it into human skin to achieve both therapeutic and preventive effects.

This was because the cowpox virus was remarkably similar to the smallpox virus, yet possessed drastically weaker toxicity.

Upon contracting the cowpox virus, humans would not experience severe reactions, but their bodies would generate a unique antibody.

This antibody would remain permanently within the human body, which explained why anyone who had been vaccinated or survived smallpox would never contract the disease again.

Even so, the mortality rate of smallpox remained as high as twenty percent.

To the common folk of this era, such a probability was undoubtedly catastrophic.

Therefore, the items Qin Xuan was currently sketching were surgical knives, syringes, and face masks.

The masks were relatively simple; coarse cloth could substitute for gauze and be fashioned according to a standard mask design. After all, Beining City was currently developing its industry at full throttle, so mere face masks were hardly a challenge.

However, the surgical scalpel and syringe proved exceedingly difficult to forge.

The former required an extremely sharp blade, while the latter presented an even greater challenge. Although the barrel could be temporarily substituted with wood, the needle itself was the true obstacle; achieving the minute caliber of a genuine needle was undoubtedly beyond the reach of current technology.

Fortunately, vaccination did not demand absolute perfection. Qin Xuan simply drew the general shape and instructed: "Make the blade as sharp as possible, and for the syringe, keep the caliber as narrow as manageable. Time is of the essence right now."

Zhuge Xuan had previously reported that the refugees would reach Beining City in five days at the earliest.

Now that the plague had been identified as smallpox, Qin Xuan certainly would not stand idly by.

Furthermore, once the cowpox method was administered, rashes would appear within two to three days. The appearance of rashes signified successful vaccination, which was why Qin Xuan placed such paramount importance on time.

"Your Highness, are you alright?"

From outside the courtyard, Zhao Luoying's anxious voice suddenly rang out.

Qin Xuan hurried out to the threshold: "I am fine. You must not step inside, or else Beining City will be left without leadership, and chaos will ensue."

At that moment, Zhao Luoying desperately wished she could scale the wall and leap inside, but upon hearing Qin Xuan's words, she forcibly restrained herself.

Even so, her heart was filled with boundless worry and panic.

Knowing her concerns, Qin Xuan spent some time offering explanations and comforting words. Once Zhao Luoying's emotions had stabilized, preparations on this side were already complete.

A cow afflicted with cowpox, a crude surgical knife, and a syringe so rough it made Qin Xuan want to curse.

Yet, crude as the tools looked, they possessed all the necessary functionality.

Especially the syringe; although the needle was only slightly thinner than a finger, the carpenter had successfully crafted a wooden piston plunger capable of extracting fluid.

"Your Highness, should I handle this instead?"

Zhuge Xuan gazed at the implements and, concerned for Qin Xuan's safety, offered to take his place.

Qin Xuan merely smiled: "Military Advisor, am I not the one who usually wields the blade in battle?"

Without waiting for Zhuge Xuan to respond, he used the knife to slice open the cowpox lesion and extracted the fluid with the syringe.

Immediately afterward, Qin Xuan walked over to Monkey and directly administered the injection into his arm.

Having completed the procedure, Qin Xuan let out a breath and said, "Assign men to watch over Monkey. We should see remarkable results within two or three days."

"So fast?"

Zhuge Xuan was startled, his face laced with lingering anxiety.

Too lazy to offer further explanations, Qin Xuan called out to Zhao Luoying outside: "Luoying, make sure you closely supervise the production of the masks. At the same time, you must handle a few other matters for me; otherwise, by the time those twenty hundred thousand refugees arrive, even if we can cure smallpox, we must be thoroughly prepared in advance."