Sky Curtain: The Overlord Charges into Battle, Shocking Emperors of All Dynasties

Chapter 37 Smallpox, Cowpox

As Zhu Di listened to the music playing on the celestial screen, he sighed with emotion, lamenting that his mother and elder brother had died too young.

While sighing, upon reflection, listening to this music, I felt a secret joy. Although it was unfilial and I felt sorry for my elder brother, if Zhu Biao hadn't died young, Zhu Di probably wouldn't have had the chance to ascend the throne.

Liu Che was quite disdainful. She was just a woman. As an emperor, which one didn't have three palaces and six courtyards?

Why would someone be so heartbroken over a woman?

Compared to Empress Ma's death, Liu Che was more concerned about the early death of Crown Prince Zhu Biao, which was mentioned later. How come there are five emperors of the ages mentioned in the sky, and the crown princes of four of them seem to have had bad endings?

Almost forgot, Fusu wasn't the crown prince, but it didn't really matter. Fusu committed suicide, Liu Ying was forced by his mother to be a puppet, and eventually died in despair. Not to mention his own crown prince, now Zhu Yuanzhang's crown prince has also died young, leaving only Li Shimin who hasn't been mentioned yet. Liu Che looked curiously at the sky, wondering what fate awaited Li Shimin's crown prince.

After reading about Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma, people from dynasties before the Ming Dynasty were puzzled. "You are an emperor, how can you be so concerned about a woman like you? Could it be that the Hongwu Emperor was a lovelorn man?"

Before the Ming Dynasty, China had hundreds of emperors, both large and small. However, all of these emperors had numerous private residences and palaces, and women, or rather wives, were merely tools to them. Only Emperor Xuan of Han, Liu Xun, was an exception, whose legacy was described as "the love left behind in the Southern Garden, and the deep affection for the old sword."

Its deep affection has been passed down through the ages.

Compared to the incomprehension of those from high-ranking noble families, some common people could understand Zhu Yuanzhang. That was his wife, the founding couple who had gone through thick and thin together and risen to prominence. How could she be compared to other women?

[A cursed melody in the Ming Dynasty; every time it plays, someone dies.]

[Another one watching shrimp-themed animation]

[The Ominous Song of the Ming Dynasty, The Funeral Song of the Ming Dynasty, The Joyful Song of Zhu Di]

Follow-up comment: Zhu Di: (Sneer) [This song, paired with Zhu Yuanzhang's experiences, is too painful, simply too painful.]

It's a pity Zhu Yuanzhang never heard this song.

I have heard you!

Zhu Yuanzhang, in a fit of rage, thought, "We're already in such a terrible state, and yet later generations are still making fun of us!"

[The regrets of the early Ming Dynasty: Zhu Xiong Ying died in the fifteenth year of Hongwu's reign, Empress Ma followed him in the same year, and finally Zhu Biao died in the twenty-fifth year of Hongwu's reign.]

Follow-up comment: If Zhu Biao and Zhu Xiong Ying had lived, would the Ming Dynasty have been better than during the Yongle era? Follow-up comment: Definitely. If Zhu Biao hadn't died, Zhu Yuanzhang wouldn't have so ruthlessly purged the meritorious officials of Huaixi. Zhu Xiong Ying was personally groomed by Zhu Yuanzhang, so things wouldn't have been bad. [Many time-travel novels, where the protagonist travels to the early Ming Dynasty, focus on rescuing Zhu Xiong Ying, Empress Ma, and Zhu Biao.]

Follow-up comment: If I traveled back in time and saved them, would Zhu Yuanzhang have granted me a marquisate? A marquisate? A duke?!

Zhu Yuanzhang looked anxious. He was willing to grant his grandson and empress a dukedom and live with the country as long as they could be saved.

The officials secretly agreed, saying that if Zhu Xiong Ying could truly be saved, they would absolutely not stop His Majesty from bestowing upon him the title of Duke; they really wanted to live! [How Zhu Xiong Ying died is unknown, after all, infant mortality was so high at that time; even Zhu Yuanzhang lost several children.]

Follow-up comment: It might be smallpox. Many children died young from smallpox back then. Follow-up comment: Kangxi had smallpox, his face was covered in pockmarks, but at least he survived. Kangxi was so angry that his forehead shone, and the pockmarks on his face were clearly visible. He was originally happy to hear the "Great Ming is Not Good" song. The "Great Ming is Not Good" song was a happy song of the Qing Dynasty. He even ordered the opera troupe to write it down so that it could be sung at the palace birthday celebration. But the screen said he was Kangxi. He was already very dissatisfied with the screen because he was not the first emperor of all time. Now they said this about him. It was already difficult enough that he survived.

Back then, there was no cowpox vaccine, so we could only rely on our own immunity to tough it out.

It's just like getting vaccinated now; first, you get antibodies in your body, then if you get infected later, your chances of survival are much higher.

[Most people were given the chickenpox vaccine when they were kids, and I doubt many of them died from it.]

Thanks to modern medicine

The words spoken on the celestial screen caused a great uproar in every dynasty, and even in times of chaos, they attracted the attention of the rulers.

"Quickly, write this down."

"Summon all physicians, both commoners and imperial physicians, to analyze and study day and night what this statement truly means."

It's no wonder they were anxious. In ancient China, smallpox was a killer of infants and was extremely contagious. Once a case occurred, it would quickly develop into an epidemic, known as "bean epidemic."

In ancient times, infants were the future of the entire dynasty. If a large number of infants died for various reasons, it would be a devastating blow to the entire regime.

Therefore, every family and every ancient dynasty vigorously encouraged childbirth, yet the number of children who survived was still small.

In times of chaos, it goes without saying that people couldn't even survive, let alone have children.

Now Tianmu is actually saying that there are methods in future generations that can basically eliminate smallpox, cowpox, vaccines, and antibodies?

Some experienced doctors know that smallpox does not only exist in humans; it can also appear in some animals, but the mortality rate for animals after exposure is not low.

During the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of Song, cowpox was used? Could it be that, unlike human variolation, smallpox was inoculated by taking smallpox extract from cows?

The eyes of the imperial physicians who had previously experimented with smallpox gradually brightened. Ancient China had considered vaccination as a preventative method, but the mortality rate of smallpox inoculation was extremely high, leading to a stalemate. Now, the words "Heavenly Curtain" gave them an instant epiphany. Sometimes, success is just a flash of inspiration away.

[Furthermore, if Zhu Xiong Ying hadn't died, Empress Ma would have lived at least a little longer. She probably died from illness caused by excessive grief.]

Follow-up comment: It doesn't seem so. Some people think she was just overworked, and she also had to keep an eye on Zhu Yuanzhang to prevent him from being too harsh on his officials and the people. She had too many things to worry about, so she was exhausted. Follow-up comment: Some people also say it was a lung disease, just like Empress Zhangsun's "Quickly, find us the best doctors in the country, especially those specializing in lung diseases."

"Send more people to expedite the smallpox vaccination experiment! We need to be quick!!"

"No matter what method you use, you have to tie him up and bring him to Nanjing!!!"

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand as if grasping at a lifeline. Although what the sky said was uncertain, he dared not gamble. He did not know which method could cure Empress Ma's illness, so he wanted to try them all.

He had no choice but to be anxious. It was already the fourteenth year of the Hongwu reign, and there was less than a year left before the death of his eldest grandson and sister, as mentioned on the celestial screen.

Zhu Yuanzhang seemed to have thought of something again, and hurriedly instructed his son Zhu, "Fifth son, don't you usually dislike reading the Four Books and Five Classics and prefer to read medical books?"

"Now that your father has shown you the skills, you should learn them from the imperial physicians and folk doctors."

Zhu raised her head, her eyes seeming to light up. She could finally do what she loved! "I understand! Your son will definitely find a way to cure Mother and my nephew!"

Zhu Yuanzhang thought that since his son had this talent, he should train a physician in the family. In case a method was found, even if something happened to Biao'er, it would be good to prevent it from happening in the future.

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