The pork butcher is smoother than a pig butcher!

Chapter 354 Direction
Xihua Palace.

Empress Dowager Yu was raging at a group of imperial physicians:
"What have you been doing? Three doses of medicine and the swelling still hasn't gone down?"

The imperial physicians knelt on the ground, trembling with fear, while the chief physician, steeling himself, replied:

"Your Majesty, His Highness is too young; we dare not use strong medicine!"

"Then why don't you find a gentler and more effective remedy? What are you still kneeling here for? Three days, I'll give you three days at most!"

"My lord, take your orders!"

The imperial physicians kowtowed and hurriedly left.

Not long after.

The chief eunuch bowed and entered the main hall:

"Your Majesty, I have just received confirmation that more than three hundred eunuchs and dozens of palace maids have swollen cheeks and high fever, and most of them have also contracted the plague."

Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Yu turned pale and cried out:

"Throw them out! Throw them all out of the palace! Have the imperial physicians examine everyone serving in the palace; anyone showing even the slightest sign of the epidemic should be eliminated."

"Leave none behind?"

The manager of the imperial estate, who was in charge of planting medicinal herbs, was taken aback upon hearing the order.

As he watched cart after cart of unconscious eunuchs and palace maids being brought in, his heart sank lower and lower.

Trying to advocate for these unfortunate children: "They've only contracted the disease; giving them a few more doses of heat-clearing and detoxifying medicine might cure them!"

The head eunuch, whose forehead was wrapped in gauze, said impatiently:
"They all deserve to die. They were the ones who brought the plague back from outside the palace and infected the young master. The Empress Dowager's mind is now entirely on the young master; she'll have to wait until she recovers."

The Empress Dowager's tyrannical temper was well-known even to the stewards of the imperial estate.

The chief eunuch added, "Giving them a quick death is better than letting them be tortured to death."

Yes!

These teenagers were all drugged with sleeping powder at night and had to be carried out.

If you're asleep, you probably won't feel the pain, right?

Their lives are insignificant.

The young master in the palace, even though he is not yet a year old, has access to the best medical resources in the entire Bei Kingdom.

The medicinal herbs used were the best available as tribute from all over the country.

The head of the Imperial Medical Academy led the medical team, and he and several imperial pediatric physicians had no rest time after the young emperor was diagnosed.

One consultation must be conducted every hour.

They didn't even need the palace maids to prepare their medicine.

Despite such meticulous care, the little emperor's condition showed no signs of improvement after three days.

There were faint signs of pus forming inside the mouth.

The worst-case scenario has occurred.

The chief physician knelt on the ground and pleaded with the Empress Dowager: "If the dosage of the decoction is not increased, I fear, I fear..."

Empress Dowager Yu's eyes were red and swollen. She clutched her chest, panting heavily, and squeezed out a few words through clenched teeth: "What do you fear?"

"I'm afraid they won't last three more days!"

"Will increasing the dosage cure it?"

"Perhaps there is still a glimmer of hope."

After a long pause, the Empress Dowager managed to utter two words: "Granted."

Several imperial pediatric physicians debated the dosage for a long time before finally settling on the final prescription.

The head of the Imperial Medical Academy personally prepared and decocted the medicine.
A bowl of warm medicinal soup was poured into the little emperor's mouth.

Half an hour later.

He finally let out a low whimper while in a state of unconsciousness.

Then I was woken up by the pain!
Upon hearing the child's voice, Empress Dowager Yu anxiously asked from outside the palace, "How is it?"

The abbot, wiping the sweat from his brow, came out to report:
"Your Majesty, it's working!" "Good! Very good! If you cure the Emperor, I will reward you handsomely!"

The abbot dared not take credit for himself, so he carefully considered his words:

“This kind of decoction is generally suitable for older children over six years old, but if the little master finishes this course of treatment, his spleen and stomach will be very weak in the future. He will have to be carefully cared for until he is ten years old.”

Weak spleen and stomach?

That's better than losing your life!
Empress Dowager Yu waved her hand:
"With so many chefs in the imperial kitchen, surely they can prepare meals suitable for the master?"

Dean: If that's how you put it, then we feel more at ease.

The young master's life is his life.

Even the imperial physicians have a life.

The next two days and two nights.

After the young emperor was given strong medicine, the most worrying suppuration in his mouth was finally relieved.

The red, swollen, and hard cheeks have shown signs of softening.

That's the right treatment!
It really hit the mark!
The imperial physicians were still busy recording the diagnoses, medication dosages, and changes in prescriptions.

The young emperor was not allowed to leave the palace until he had fully recovered.

They can't get out.

The people outside the palace were completely bewildered.

In just ten days, hundreds of underage children fell ill.

The patient's family took their child to every clinic still open in the city, but none of the doctors could provide a good prescription that would work quickly!
It's cured.

Not done!

The condition is showing signs of worsening.

The patient's family and relatives went out to inquire:

"Where did that renowned pediatrician, Physician Huang, go? How could his family's five-generation clinic suddenly close down?"

“That’s not right! They were still open about ten days ago! My child had a high fever, body aches, and couldn’t eat, so I went to them and got a prescription for Xiao Chai Hu Tang, which was very effective.”

"This time, the children didn't catch a cold. The doctor from Huichuntang said it's toad plague, which is most easily transmitted in spring and winter."

"Waaaaah, it's toad plague?! Can my two kids still be cured?"

Whether it's a treatable condition or not, doctors in ordinary clinics usually prescribe formulas for clearing heat and detoxifying.

Shangdu is too far from the Northwest, so news cannot be transmitted in a timely manner.

However, when the second wave of immigrants approached Lintao Prefecture, there were also cases of children contracting toad plague.

Just when the families were at their wits' end, some exciting news came from Jinzhou Pass across the border.

They say they've found a specific medicine that can cure toad plague.

This herb grows on the Flaming Mountain in the Nine Guards of Kansai!

These immigrants are different from the first wave of refugees; they all brought their belongings with them.

Some people then took a large sum of money to the prefect's residence to beg for medicine.

The prefect spread his hands:
"The first batch of medicine has all been sent to the border town, and the next batch is estimated to take another ten days or so to reach Jinzhou Pass!"

"Sir, does that cactus thing really have healing properties?"

“It really works! Before you, there were refugees who ran to Kansai. Some of them contracted the toad plague. It was a general who learned about this prescription when he was young and sought medical treatment in Shangdu.”

"Great! That's great! My child is saved! But adults, a child's illness can't wait ten days."

"Then have someone ride fast horses now, carrying the child, towards Guanzhong. If you encounter any Guan soldiers delivering medicine along the way, buy some; they shouldn't be charging high prices."

"Thank you for your guidance, sir."

Many patients' family members immediately heeded the advice.

The carriage couldn't go fast, so the family's strong servants had to carry the sick child and race towards Kansai.
(End of this chapter)