Tang Dynasty Little Godfather

Chapter 256 Don't learn this, absolutely don't learn this.

These wealthy women have never been particularly interested in "100,000 Whys." They come here mainly for beauty and skincare, with the children being just one of the reasons for their visit.

Of course, this reason was carefully designed by Wang Xi for them. Even in the Tang Dynasty, it was still somewhat inconvenient for women to go out.

But today, they were truly immersed in the opera, feeling both fear and anticipation.

Whether or not they have ever encountered smallpox, people today have an extreme fear of it.

According to the formula of the opera "100,000 Whys", the story usually begins with a problem, and then Wuweizi overcomes the difficulties and solves the problem.

Previously, theoretical knowledge such as gravity, buoyancy, and air force did not really resonate with people.

But this time it was smallpox!

Could it be that Wuweizi even has a way to cure smallpox?

No way!
No way!
Little did they know that this was a deliberate arrangement by Wang Xi and his associates, whose purpose was, of course, to help their fathers alleviate the pressure they faced in court. The more people who accepted this idea, the less pressure their fathers would face in court.

To be honest, they are very willing to spend money on their fathers, as long as they are willing to work hard.

While everyone was engrossed in watching the opera, Wang Xi and Xue Bao'er were secretly whispering sweet nothings to each other in the room, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

After a brief exchange of words, Xue Bao'er, her breath coming in short gasps, gazed at Wang Xi with eyes full of spring water.

Wang Xi playfully hooked Xue Bao'er's round chin with his finger and chuckled, "Sister Bao'er, you're so beautiful."

Xue Bao'er's lips curled up slightly, "You also deserve credit for this."

As she spoke, she pouted and said, "It's a pity, I have to turn back."

Wang Xi shook his head and said, "There's nothing I can do about it. If your father saw you like this, he'd beat you to death, and I'd be beaten to death too."

Xue Bao'er said, "But how come Ashina can do it?"

Wang Xi's eyes flickered and he said, "There's nothing we can do about it. She's my woman, and I allow her to dress like this."

Xue Bao'er suddenly sat up straight and gently patted his chest, "Am I not your woman? Besides... I'm the only one..."

This woman still hits hard. Wang Xi rubbed his chest and said, "Of course Bao'er is my woman too, but Bao'er isn't officially married yet, while Mi'er is."

Xue Bao'er asked, "Then when will you marry me?"

Wang Xi said, "I'm ready anytime, I'm not afraid."

"At least you have some conscience."

Xue Bao'er pouted, "But let's wait, I...I'm scared."

Wang Xi said, "Alright then, we're still young anyway."

As he spoke, his eyes lit up. "I do have a way to keep Bao'er's makeup looking the same."

Xue Bao'er asked excitedly, "What method?"

Wang Xi shook his head and said, "It's just that I'm drawing a portrait of Sister Bao'er."

Xue Bao'er's eyes lit up. "Yes! How come I didn't think of this method?"

Wang Xi said, "Isn't this a brilliant idea? How does Sister Bao'er plan to thank me?"

Xue Bao'er smiled shyly and snuggled closer to Wang Xi, saying, "I'm already yours, what more do you want?"

Wang Xi's heart melted, and she giggled, "Don't touch me, don't touch me, be careful not to burn yourself out!"

Immediately, he drew a portrait of Xue Bao'er, which was practically a contemporary art photograph, and Xue Bao'er took the initiative to offer him a sweet kiss.

"Grandpa, your grandson is back."

Zhang Dai hopped and skipped back home. When he saw Zhang Shuo sitting in the hall, he immediately ran up to him and bowed respectfully.

Within these families, discipline is extremely strict. No matter how dissolute a person may be outside, they must be absolutely respectful to their elders when they return home.

Zhang said with a smile, "Dai'er, did you go to see the opera or to perform it? Why are you sweating so much?"

Princess Ningqin, standing to the side, said, "Father, you may not know this, but this child has been studying Wuweizi all the way here without stopping."

"is it?"

Zhang asked with a smile, "What knowledge did Dai'er learn from Wuweizi today?"

In fact, he was also secretly observing this field of study. After all, it was something the emperor highly valued. As the Grand Secretary, whether he agreed with it or not, he naturally had to keep up. If he couldn't connect with the emperor, then his position as Grand Secretary would be over.

“What I learned today is truly remarkable,” Zhang Dai said proudly. “What I learned today is how to cure smallpox.”

"So it's a cure!"

Zhang suddenly paused, as if he had misheard, "Heal what?"

Zhang Dai boasted, "Smallpox!"

Zhang Shuo suddenly stood up and exclaimed, "Smallpox has been cured!"

"Ok!"

Zhang Dai shrank back in fright, "Grandson is not lying. If you don't believe me, you can ask Mother."

Zhang Shuo then looked at Princess Ningqin.

Princess Ningqing nodded and said, "The opera today did indeed tell a story about how to cure smallpox, but whether that method actually works, I don't know."

Zhang Dai immediately replied, "If Wuweizi says it can be done, then it definitely can be done."

Zhang Shuo glanced at Zhang Dai, unsure of what to say.

That's a bit of an exaggeration.

It's not just exaggerated, it's downright incomprehensible. To casually claim to cure smallpox—if that were true, everyone would need to read "100,000 Whys."

Just one day later, the story of Wuweizi curing smallpox by vaccinating people with cowpox spread at an astonishing speed, and almost everyone was talking about it.

Smallpox is relevant to everyone, regardless of social class. Before, everyone was terrified of smallpox, so the sudden cure was a huge shock!

It can only be said that one song stirred up a thousand waves.

Even the emperor was alarmed. Upon learning of this, Li Longji immediately summoned Wuming.

Of course, this was within Wang Xi's expectations, after all, smallpox is no small matter!

However, just to be on the safe side, Wang Xi and Huangfu Sengnian still accompanied Tao Mo to the capital.

Besides Li Longji, Zhang Shuo and Yuan Qianyao were also in the hall.

"Sir, please do not stand on ceremony."

Li Longji was very attentive and gestured, saying, "Please sit down, sir."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Tao Mo came to the side and knelt on the cushion, while Wang Xi and Huangfu Sengnian stood on either side.

Li Longji asked Tao Mo, "I summoned you today to inquire about the opera performed at Qingyun Temple yesterday."

Tao Mo nodded slightly. "Your Majesty wants to ask about smallpox, right?"

"Exactly."

Li Longji nodded, then hurriedly asked, "Is the method of curing smallpox in operas real?"

Tao Mo stroked his beard. "Actually, many years ago, I used this method to help some children in the Jingchu region resist smallpox."

"really?"

Li Longji said excitedly.

Tao Mo nodded, "This humble servant would not dare to deceive Your Majesty."

Wang Xi and Huangfu Sengnian exchanged a knowing glance.

They will never escape the crime of deceiving the emperor; they have deceived far too many times.

Zhang asked, "I wonder what the intricacies of this method are?"

Tao Mo replied, "In response to your question, sir, based on my own observations, some patients who have had smallpox are no longer afraid of it."

Li Longji and Yuan Qianyao nodded simultaneously.

This phenomenon has been observed for some time.

Tao Mo continued, "I have some knowledge of medicine. In my opinion, our bodies contain a kind of energy that can resist invading evil energy most of the time."

This is why many diseases can be cured without medication.

Its characteristic is usually fever. Whenever the human body gets hot, it is because the qi in our body is fighting against the invading pathogenic qi, which causes the human body to get hot.

When resisting the invasion of certain evil influences, as long as the Qi in our body can prevail, it can change and generate an internal ability to defend against this evil influence.

In short, once the energy within our body develops the ability to defend against a certain type of evil energy, then we can avoid the invasion of such evil energy for the rest of our lives.

Smallpox is a similar case, except that its toxicity is so potent that most people cannot resist it. Based on this, I thought that if we could find a weaker form of smallpox, introduce it into the body, and allow the body to develop resistance to smallpox, then we would no longer fear smallpox, while also ensuring the body's safety.

By chance, the man discovered that cows seemed to have a strong resistance to smallpox, only developing a few smallpox spots on their udders. Therefore, the man believed that the smallpox spots on the cows might be the weaker strain of smallpox he had been searching for. After some experimentation, he finally found a way to implant this weaker strain into a human body.

In fact, "qi" and "evil qi" represent cells and viruses. However, Wang Xi attributed them all to Taoism, hence the use of "qi" to summarize them, which will make it easier for everyone to learn and explore in the future.

Li Longji nodded slightly.

Yuan Qianyao suddenly said, "Sir, your method is similar to that of the divine physician Sun Simiao, except that he uses pus from a person's body to apply to the skin."

Tao Mo stroked his beard. "I don't know this, but the name of Doctor Sun is renowned. After hearing what you said, Master Yuan, his method is indeed very similar to mine."

The only difference lies in the method; we both actually wanted a weaker form of smallpox. Pus from the human body is not a weaker form of smallpox, so Dr. Sun simply applied it to the skin to reduce its toxicity.

Li Longji asked, "But I wonder which method is better?"

Tao Mo remained silent, showing humility.

Wang Xi said casually, "Uncle, that goes without saying, of course the teacher's is better. The smallpox on people is not the weak smallpox, but the virulent one, and smallpox is so contagious that even if it is applied to the skin, you can get infected with smallpox if you are not careful."

Or perhaps the toxicity is too weak when applied to the skin to cause infection.

Cowpox is a weakened form of smallpox. While vaccination inevitably leads to infection, it is usually not fatal.

"Stop talking nonsense."

Tao Mo turned around and glared at Wang Xi, then said to Li Longji, "After all, smallpox vaccination requires opening a wound. Even if smallpox is not fatal, it may still introduce other evil influences."

Recently, I've been researching why even a small cut made with a clean knife can sometimes lead to pus, rot, and even death.

Only a blade that has been repeatedly burned can prevent this.

Li Longji hurriedly asked, "I wonder if you have figured it out, sir?"

Tao Mo shook his head and said, "I am ashamed! I am ashamed! I have not yet figured it out. However, I am getting old and I am afraid that my days are numbered. Therefore, I have handed these problems over to my students to study."

Li Longji then looked at Wang Xi and Huangfu Sengnian.

Huangfu Sengnian said, "We have some progress at the moment."

Wang Xi stopped Huangfu Sengnian with one hand, shaking his head and saying, "Uncle, with our mediocre knowledge, all we can do is reduce the number of soldiers who die on the battlefield and the number of arms that are broken. There's really nothing worth asking about. It's just a waste of time and energy for the country."

(End of this chapter)