The Great Ming Demon Pill: Your Majesty, please address me as the Crown Prince!

The back hall of the Jurong County Government Office was brightly lit by candlelight.

Zhu Zhanjun sat in the main seat, with Zhou Wenqing, the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, two imperial physicians, and several local doctors from Jurong County standing below him.

A map of Jurong County was spread out on the table, with Dongliu Town heavily circled by a vermilion pen.

"Judge Zhou," Zhu Zhanjun's voice was clear yet carried an undeniable composure, "the 'smallpox' method I mentioned earlier must be verified immediately. The epidemic in Dongliu Town is raging; every moment of delay means another death."

Zhou Wenqing, around fifty years old, with a solemn expression, bowed and said, "Your Highness, we have carefully considered what you said. There are indeed scattered records in ancient books about milkmaids being less likely to contract smallpox, and there are also folk tales about 'cowwort protection'."

"However... this method of preventing smallpox is unprecedented. If it is rashly applied to the common people, it could lead to a great disaster if it fails!"

An elderly imperial physician surnamed Li standing nearby said in a trembling voice, "Your Highness, smallpox is extremely dangerous."

"I have heard of 'variolation' before, but I have only ever heard of 'human variolation,' which involves taking the pus from the pustules of smallpox patients and implanting it into the skin of a healthy person so that they can contract a mild form of the disease and gain immunity."

"But this method is extremely dangerous; one or two out of ten people will develop severe illness and die prematurely."

"This 'cowpox vaccine'... I have never heard of it before, how dare I try it?"

Zhu Zhanjun said with a smile.

"I understand your concerns. I am also aware of the method of 'smallpox' (variolation), which is indeed like walking on a knife's edge, with a very high price to pay."

He turned around and glanced at the crowd.

"But it is precisely because smallpox is dangerous that we need to find a safer way."

"I have inquired with several milking farmers who have been milking for generations. They are not completely immune to smallpox, but their symptoms are very mild. They usually have a fever for a few days, develop some rashes, and then recover. Moreover, they never get sick again after that."

"The cows they come into contact with often have a condition called 'cow sores,' which is similar to smallpox. If milkers accidentally touch the sores, blisters will form on their hands, but they will heal on their own very quickly."

A glint of light flashed in Zhou Wenqing's eyes: "Your Highness means... that the poison of 'cowpox' is far milder than smallpox, yet it can give people resistance to smallpox?"

"That makes perfect sense!" Zhu Zhanjun nodded. "I deduce that this 'cowpox' is actually 'cowpox'."

"Its toxicity is the same as that of smallpox in humans, but it is a hundred times milder."

"Inoculating people with cowpox plasma may safely confer immunity."

Imperial Physician Li still had doubts: "Your Highness, this is only speculation. If the smallpox vaccination is ineffective, it might even cause more serious illness..."

Zhu Zhanjun interrupted him, his tone resolute: "Therefore, we cannot use it directly on the common people. I already have a plan."

He walked back to the table and pointed at the map with his finger.

"Dongliu Town has been under lockdown for seven days. There are still many healthy residents in the town who have not yet been infected. They are in a dangerous situation and could be infected at any time. Rather than waiting to die, we should give them a chance."

"I have decided to recruit volunteers to conduct a trial vaccination program using cowpox!"

The people in the hall looked at each other in bewilderment.

Zhou Wenqing took a deep breath: "Your Highness, who would be willing to take such a dangerous risk? Even with a generous reward, I'm afraid..."

Zhu Zhanjun smiled slightly, but there was no hint of a smile in his eyes.

"I will recruit them myself. Furthermore..."

"By order of the King: Starting tomorrow, a notice shall be posted in front of the county government office to recruit volunteers for smallpox vaccination. Applicants must be physically strong and healthy, have no history of disease, and those whose family members have already contracted smallpox will be given priority."

"Those who volunteer, regardless of the success or failure of the trial planting, will have their families provided with rice, food and medicine by the government during the epidemic. If the trial planting is successful and they are immune, they will be rewarded with fifty taels of silver and their families will be exempted from taxes for three years."

"If...if someone dies during the trial planting, the imperial court will provide compensation to their family and support their parents and children."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Wenqing and the others were deeply shaken.

These conditions are extremely favorable, especially for those whose family members have fallen ill and whose own lives are precarious; they are like a straw to grasp at in a desperate situation.

Even so, it still takes immense courage to risk one's life and experiment with unknown methods.

Zhu Zhanjun looked at Zhou Wenqing and solemnly said, "President Zhou, I entrust the professional matters of finding healthy cattle with 'coccidiosis,' extracting the pus, and devising the inoculation method to the Imperial Hospital. Please be careful and record every step."

"I will personally oversee the recruitment and explain the advantages and disadvantages to the applicants. This matter must be handled quickly, but it must not be chaotic."

Zhou Wenqing bowed deeply and solemnly: "Your subject...accepts the order! I will do my utmost to live up to Your Highness's trust!"

The next day, in front of the Jurong County government office.

The notice had just been posted when it attracted a large crowd of onlookers.

Those who could read read the notice aloud, and gasps, discussions, and questions arose from the crowd from time to time.

"...Inoculating a person with the pus from a cowhide sore? This...this is unheard of!"

"Is His Highness Prince Huai going to use people as test subjects for medicine?"

"Didn't you read what it said at the end? Volunteer service, generous reward and compensation! My neighbor, Chen Lao Er, his mother and wife both collapsed in Dongliu Town, and he's been working odd jobs outside all day, living in constant fear. I think he'll probably go!"

"But... will this work? What if we don't develop immunity and instead contract smallpox and die?"

"Not going is just waiting to die! Dongliu Town is sealed off; who knows when the disease might drift over? Going offers a chance to survive and a reward!"

......................

Three days later, at the Eastern Palace.

Zhu Zhanji paced back and forth in the Eastern Palace, his face ashen.

He abruptly stopped and turned to Zhu Gaochi, who was sitting in a grand chair with a furrowed brow.

"Father! Look at that brat Zhu Zhanjun! He's repeatedly putting me down in front of Grandfather the Emperor!"

"He made a name for himself last time with the Japanese pirates, and now with the smallpox epidemic, he's jumping out again to pretend to be 'devoted to the country even at the cost of his life,' completely fooling the Emperor!"

"If this continues, how will Grandfather still regard me as the eldest grandson? The position of Crown Prince will likely fall into his hands!"

Zhu Gaochi, his obese body sunk deep into the chair, sighed, "Zhanji, calm down."

"Zhanjun went to the epidemic area this time, which is extremely dangerous, and he may not be able to succeed."

"While your imperial grandfather admires his courage, he may not necessarily..."

"Maybe what?!" Zhu Zhanji interrupted his father. "Father! Haven't you realized yet? Zhu Zhanjun is as cunning as a devil!"

"If he dares to go, he must be confident! What 'cowpox'? I've never even heard of it!"

"Even those old fogies at the Imperial Medical Academy are helpless against this age-old ailment, and he, a seven-year-old child, can cure it? You're kidding me!"

"This was clearly a play he had planned all along. First, he pretended to volunteer with righteous indignation, then he went through the motions of conducting some kind of 'smallpox experiment,' and in the end, he would either lie and claim success to gain great merit, or even if he failed, since he was young and willing to take the risk, his grandfather wouldn't punish him severely, but would instead pity him even more!"

"He's got the best of both worlds in terms of reputation!"

Zhu Gaochi frowned even more deeply and pondered, "You mean... his claim of 'using cowpox to prevent smallpox' is completely unfounded?"

"It's definitely a lie!" Zhu Zhanji said decisively, a ruthless glint in his eyes. "For a thousand years, countless renowned doctors have been helpless against smallpox. Where did Zhu Zhanjun get his secret method? He even claims that milkmaids are less likely to get smallpox... Can such a rural rumor be taken as evidence? It's utterly absurd!"

"Father, we cannot stand idly by and let him continue to deceive the world and mislead the emperor! We must expose him!"

Zhu Gaochi remained silent for a moment, then slowly asked, "So... what are your plans?"

Zhu Zhanji stepped closer and lowered his voice: "Father, we need to send someone to keep an eye on Jurong."

"Didn't Zhu Zhanjun recruit volunteers to try 'cowpox' vaccination? Let's start with his 'experiment'."

"If anything happens to anyone on the trial, whether it's due to ineffective treatment leading to illness or death from the vaccination itself, we can immediately impeach him in court for disregarding human life and deceiving the emperor!"

"Then secretly have someone spread the news."

"Until the entire city of Nanjing knew about his evil deeds."

"At that time, his grand pronouncements of 'I would risk my life for the country' will become the biggest joke!"

"Even my imperial grandfather will see through him; he's nothing but an arrogant brat who'll stop at nothing to gain empty fame!"

Zhu Gaochi's eyes flickered.

"This matter must be handled discreetly, and we must not allow anyone to find any fault with it."

"I will arrange for reliable personnel to infiltrate Jurong and closely monitor the progress of the smallpox trial."

A cold smile finally appeared on Zhu Zhanji's face: "Father, rest assured, I know what's important."

"This time, we'll make sure Zhu Zhanjun suffers a terrible loss, and he'll never be able to recover!"