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

Inside the Qianqing Palace, the morning court session was nearing its end.

Zhu Di sat high on the dragon throne, listening to Xia Yuanji, the Minister of Revenue, report on the progress of tax collection this spring. His brows were slightly furrowed, but his mind was clearly not on this.

The civil and military officials standing in the hall remained silent.

Just as Xia Yuanji finished his report and returned to his entourage, the palace was about to fall into a somber silence.

"Report!!!"

A loud and urgent announcement came from outside the palace, growing louder as it approached!

A messenger dressed in the attire of a postmaster, looking travel-worn, practically tumbled and crawled into the main hall, guided by two palace guards.

His face was covered in dust, sweat mixed with grime that etched deep lines on his skin, but his eyes shone with an astonishing brightness, and he held aloft an urgent document with red and white feathers.

"Your Majesty! Urgent report of victory from Jurong County!"

"His Highness Prince Huai has dispatched me, traveling day and night, to present this to the Emperor!"

The messenger's voice was hoarse as he held the document high with both hands.

"Whoosh!"

An uproar immediately erupted inside the hall!

"Good news?"

"Good news from Jurong?"

"Could it be...?"

Everyone's eyes were instantly focused on the document, and even their breath caught in their throats.

Zhu Di suddenly stood up from the dragon throne.

"Bring it here!"

The chief eunuch Meng Ji practically ran down to take the document, then hurried back and respectfully presented it to the imperial desk with both hands.

Zhu Di grabbed it, quickly tore open the sealing wax seal, pulled out the letter, and scanned it with lightning speed.

Soon, a look of astonishment appeared on his face.

Immediately, astonishment turned into shock, and shock turned into ecstasy!

His hand holding the letter trembled slightly.

Zhu Di suddenly raised his head, looked around at the silent officials in the hall, took a deep breath, and handed the paper to Meng Ji next to him.

"read."

Meng Ji quickly took it and began to read it aloud.

"Your Majesty, I, Wang Jian, the magistrate of Jurong County, together with Zhou Wenqing, the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, extend our congratulations and report this great news!"

"His Highness Prince Zhu Zhanjun, having been ordered to oversee epidemic prevention in Jurong, has devoted himself wholeheartedly to the cause. Thanks to Heaven's blessing upon the Ming Dynasty, his proposed method of 'smallpox vaccination' has been successfully implemented in Jurong!"

"From the recruitment of volunteers for the trial vaccination, it took more than half a month. The first batch of 147 healthy individuals were vaccinated with cowpox, and not a single one contracted severe smallpox!"

"After repeated verification by the Imperial Medical Academy, it was found that when smallpox venom was directly applied to the skin of the recipient, the recipient remained unharmed, demonstrating that they had developed a strong resistance to smallpox and were free from this terrible disease for life!"

"Your Highness made a decisive decision to implement smallpox vaccination throughout Jurong County, starting immediately, with priority given to Dongliu Town and surrounding villages."

"Upon hearing the news, the people eagerly rushed to get vaccinated, with thousands receiving the service daily!"

"In the former Dongliu Township epidemic area, new smallpox cases have plummeted by 90%! Severe cases have been isolated and treated in a timely manner, and many patients' conditions have improved!"

"The people of Jurong were greatly reassured, their panic subsided, and they all said: 'His Highness Prince Huai is a reincarnation of Hua Tuo, a living Buddha!'"

"The smallpox epidemic has been effectively contained in Jurong, and the danger of its spread has been averted!"

"The capital region is safe! The Ming Dynasty is safe!"

"Your Majesty, we respectfully submit this report, along with detailed verification records from the Imperial Medical Academy and a list of the first batch of recipients. We humbly request Your Majesty's wise consideration!"

After Meng Ji finished reading the last word, the vast Qianqing Palace fell into a deathly silence.

But this silence lasted only a moment. Then, like a volcanic eruption, a huge uproar and shock swept through the entire hall!

"It worked? It really worked?!"

"Cowpox...can it really control smallpox?!"

"Heaven blesses the Ming Dynasty! This is an unparalleled achievement!"

"His Highness Prince Huai... at only seven years old, has healed this age-old ailment?!"

The civil and military officials could no longer remain calm. They began to whisper among themselves, their voices buzzing with exclamations of surprise, admiration, and disbelief.

Many people's faces were filled with shock and ecstasy.

You should know that smallpox doesn't discriminate between the poor and the rich.

If you get infected, you're doomed.

Even royalty and nobility are not immune to this custom.

Yang Rong, Jin Youzi, and other cabinet ministers exchanged glances, all seeing immense shock in each other's eyes.

Yang Rong stepped forward and loudly congratulated, "Your Majesty! This is a blessing for the nation and a fortune for all the people! His Highness Prince Huai stepped forward in this time of national crisis, solving an age-old problem with ingenious ideas. His merit is great for the present and will benefit future generations! I congratulate Your Majesty! I congratulate the Great Ming Dynasty!"

"Your Majesty, we offer our congratulations! We offer our congratulations to the Great Ming!" The officials in the hall seemed to awaken from a dream, bowing and shouting in unison, the sound almost lifting the roof off the hall.

Zhu Gaoxu, his face flushed with excitement, laughed heartily, "Good! Good lad! You're worthy of being my son, Zhu Gaoxu's! Well done!"

Zhu Gaochi stood to the side, his expression extremely complex.

After the initial shock came a deep sense of awe, followed by an indescribable feeling of loss and bitterness.

He glanced at Zhu Zhanji behind him, whose face had turned deathly pale and whose body was swaying slightly, and sighed heavily in his heart.

It's over... After this incident, the prestige of Zhanji and Zhanjun in the Emperor's heart, and even in the court and among the people, is now worlds apart.

At this moment, Zhu Zhanji felt a buzzing in his ears and his vision blurred.

Every word in the good news felt like a heavy hammer blow to his heart.

"Trial planting a great success", "No severe cases", "Lifelong immunity", "Epidemic contained", "A life-saving bodhisattva"... These words intertwined and shattered all his previous confidence, calculations, and sarcasm!

He felt like a clown; all his plans and expectations seemed so ridiculous in the face of Zhu Zhanjun's earth-shattering achievements!

He clenched his fists tightly, his heart was ice-cold, filled only with endless resentment and despair.

How is that possible... How could he really do that?!

Zhu Di took in everyone's reactions, feeling immense pleasure and pride.

He slowly sat back on the dragon throne and said in a deep voice.

"The Prince of Huai and his physicians successfully conducted the first smallpox trial in Jurong. This is a blessing from Heaven for the Ming Dynasty and a boon to all its people!"

"However, the epidemic prevention plan is a matter of fundamental importance to the nation and must be handled with utmost care."

He glanced at the assembled officials in the hall and continued, "Although the smallpox vaccination method has shown effectiveness, to ensure complete safety, I intend to observe for another month."

"Within this month, Jurong must meticulously record the status of all those vaccinated, especially the consequences of contact between vaccinated individuals and smallpox patients, ensuring that the data is detailed and without any omissions."

"At the same time, the Imperial Medical Academy must work with the Jurong medical officers to further improve the vaccination process and post-operative care methods, so as to ensure that this method is safe and reliable and can be promoted throughout the country."

Zhu Di paused briefly.

"If, after one month, the epidemic in Jurong does not recur and all those vaccinated remain healthy, I will issue an edict to gradually implement smallpox vaccination throughout the city, starting with Nanjing!"

"At that time, all citizens of our Great Ming Dynasty will receive this divine grace, and the scourge of smallpox will be eradicated forever!"

"Your Majesty is wise!" Yang Rong immediately stepped forward and echoed loudly, "Epidemic prevention is a matter of national importance, and we should indeed seek progress while maintaining stability."

"Your Majesty's actions demonstrate responsibility for the lives of the people and lay an unshakeable foundation for the smallpox vaccination program. We are deeply moved!"

Jin Youzi, Huang Huai, and other cabinet ministers also bowed, saying, "Your Majesty's considerations are thorough; we second that proposal!"

"Your Majesty is wise!" The officials in the hall responded in unison, their voices shaking the roof tiles.

Everyone's face was beaming with excitement.

If smallpox could truly be promoted to the entire population, then the Ming Dynasty would no longer be ravaged by smallpox. This would be a meritorious deed worthy of being recorded in history!

Zhu Gaoxu's face was radiant.

"Father's decision is wise!"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Zhu Gaochi forced a smile and joined the crowd in offering their praise, but his heart grew heavier with each passing moment.

He glanced at Zhu Zhanji beside him and saw that his son's face was ashen and his eyes were unfocused, as if all his strength had been drained away.

Zhu Di nodded slightly, turned his gaze to the messenger who was still kneeling in the hall, and said gently, "You must be tired from your journey. Go and rest for now."

"Meng Ji, convey my imperial edict: All officials, medical officers, soldiers, and volunteers in Jurong who participated in the epidemic prevention efforts shall be commended with the highest merit and shall be rewarded together after the epidemic has been completely quelled."

"Prince Zhu Zhanjun of Huai... has made outstanding contributions. When he returns to the capital, I will reward him handsomely!"

"This servant obeys!" Meng Ji quickly replied.

The messenger was so moved that he kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "On behalf of the people of Jurong, I thank Your Majesty for your divine grace!"

The morning court session ended amidst high spirits and hope.

As the officials filed out of the Qianqing Palace, almost everyone was discussing the effectiveness of smallpox vaccination and the upcoming nationwide vaccination, their tone filled with anticipation for the future.

Only Zhu Zhanji followed Zhu Gaochi, looking lost and unsteady on his feet.

Stepping out of the main hall, the blinding sunlight shone on his face, but he only felt a chill run through his body.

The praises of "Your Majesty is wise" and "Prince Huai has made great contributions" kept echoing in his ears, and every word felt like a needle piercing his heart.