The fierce grandson of the Ming Dynasty

The Imperial Desk.

Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath, gripped his beloved grandson's arm tightly, and said in a trembling voice, "Of course we trust our grandson. Tell me, how did you manage to do it?"

Noticing the excitement and urgency in Old Zhu's eyes...

Zhu Xiong Ying understood.

On the one hand, this concerns the lives of millions of people!

On the other hand, the large-scale arrests of officials and wealthy households due to grain theft cases gradually led to unrest among the people in various regions.

If there is a way to prevent smallpox, why worry about not being able to influence public opinion and achieve divine blessing?

Who dares to criticize?

From this perspective...

The timing of the announcement—from the development of the smallpox vaccine by the Imperial Medical Academy to its dissemination at this moment—was perfectly timed and opportune!

He reached out and helped her up, saying slowly, "Grandfather, as you know, I contracted smallpox three years ago... If it weren't for your and Grandmother's meticulous care, I might never have seen you again!"

"From then on, my grandson kept thinking, is there any way to eradicate this disease so that no one in the world has to suffer! Children can grow up healthy! Soldiers in the north can guard the border with peace of mind!"

"So, my grandson started reading some medical books, and with your permission, he often consulted Mr. Dai..."

"Until last year, my grandson read the 'Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Pieces of Gold for Emergency Use' and 'Prescriptions for Universal Relief' from the previous dynasty, and saw that famous doctors in ancient times had already developed methods of using poison to fight poison for some diseases!"

"I have also heard that in some rural areas, some doctors have tried to prevent smallpox by having healthy children wear the undergarments of infected children, a method known as 'smallpox clothing'... However, this method is extremely dangerous; three or four out of ten people contract the disease and die!"

"My grandson was thinking at the time, since the latter was effective, could we try a different approach and find a more reliable alternative?"

After a brief pause, he said seriously, "Perhaps there is a divine will at play here!"

"That day, my grandson left the Duke of Wei's mansion and passed through the market. He vaguely heard someone say that a farmer who worked with oxen year-round had smallpox sores on his hands. Several months later, his whole family contracted smallpox, but he alone remained unharmed!"

"Upon seeing this, the grandson went to find the physicians of the Imperial Hospital and confirmed everything. It turned out that most of those who had raised cattle for many years and had been in contact with cowpox were no longer afraid of smallpox."

"The grandson then guessed that cowpox and smallpox were diseases of the same origin. However, cowpox was extremely weak and only caused small sores, yet it could help people avoid smallpox."

"If that's the case, isn't it a perfect preventative measure?"

"Then, the grandson told Mr. Dai! He first tested it on livestock, and then selected death row inmates, and did the same thing. He picked smallpox from the oxen, and used a silver needle to apply the fresh pus to the skin of the test subjects' upper arms and behind their ears..."

"More than a hundred people were tested, and not a single one died, nor did any of them contract smallpox!"

"Upon learning of this news during the day, the first thing I did upon returning to the palace was to tell you this good news!"

Partly true, partly false, detailing the process.

I noticed that Lao Zhu's mood had calmed down considerably.

Zhu Xiong Ying picked up the teapot and quickly poured two cups.

He handed one of the cups to his grandfather.

As for the other cup, he drank it all by himself.

Upon hearing this...

Zhu Yuanzhang, holding his teacup, suddenly remembered something.

Last winter, Biao'er did report to him that the Imperial Hospital needed to find some prisoners to be executed in the autumn from the death row for testing!

I now entrust all the important affairs of the court to my beloved son!

At the time, he didn't pay any attention, little did he know that our eldest grandson was behind it all!

As for the emergence of that preventative method, just as Ai Sun said, it could save countless lives!

Suppressing his unease, Zhu Yuanzhang took a sip of tea, his suspicions largely dispelled. He then smacked his lips and exclaimed, "Throughout history, countless renowned physicians and skilled doctors have been utterly helpless against this incurable disease that wipes out entire families—smallpox!"

"Our eldest grandson actually discovered a solution from folk remedies! This is an unparalleled achievement!"

Speaking of this...

The gaze he gave to the eldest grandson of the emperor showed even greater tenderness and affection.

Before Lao Zhu could continue praising,

Taking advantage of the momentum, Zhu Xiong Ying quickly offered credit to Dai Sigong and the others, saying, "Your Majesty, you are wise! My contribution is limited; the greatest credit belongs to Imperial Physician Dai and the others!"

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and said, "Don't worry! We will certainly remember the merits made by Dai Sigong and his men, and we will definitely not treat them unfairly!"

The next moment, the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty vanished from his smile, turned towards the palace gate, and loudly proclaimed, "Guards! Convey my decree: immediately summon the head of the Imperial Medical Academy to the palace for an audience!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

While waiting for Dai Sigong.

Because the matter was of great importance, although Zhu Yuanzhang appeared calm on the surface, deep down he had long since lost any interest in handling state affairs.

Looking down at the sack below, he couldn't hide his curiosity and asked, "My dear grandson, what's this?"

Zhu Xiong Ying pulled Old Zhu's arm, blinked her eyes, and said, "Grandpa, come with me and you'll understand!"

We need to give Old Zhu a lesson in finance!

"good!"

Zhu Yuanzhang sat for quite a while.

I just got up to stretch my muscles.

They walked for several feet.

But what Da Sun took out of the sack were ordinary rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea.

Zhu Yuanzhang's expression turned serious. Could it be that something was wrong with the daily necessities of the people?

at the same time.

Zhu Xiong Ying laid everything out and slowly revealed the answer to the mystery.

"Grandson remembers that, according to the rules set by His Majesty, ten years ago, one string of paper money was worth one thousand copper coins!"

"But today, while passing through the market, I happened to witness Censor Wu Yong being executed. My grandson promised to help him collect the body, so he sent someone with precious paper money to buy a coffin... Guess what happened?"

Upon hearing that the man surnamed Wu had been killed, Old Zhu, who had long been disgusted, gave a noncommittal snort.

Then, listen attentively.

"The coffin shop owner absolutely refused to accept paper money. If he wanted it, he would have to offer a huge discount: one string of paper money for two hundred copper coins..."

He then recounted the situation.

Zhu Xiong Ying picked up the millet bag again and sighed, "My grandson doesn't believe in superstitions, so he sent people to the rice shops and taverns, and without exception!"

"So that's why they were afraid they wouldn't be able to spend the paper money if they collected it! Besides, it's becoming less and less valuable, and it's all small-scale business, but having a string of coins stuck in their hands would actually lead to losses..."

in fact.

Several years ago, Crown Prince Zhu Biao had already mentioned this matter, expressing his deep concern about the impoverished people's livelihood.

Zhu Yuanzhang not only understood this, but also reformed the system several times.

He even issued an imperial edict strictly prohibiting private gold and silver transactions, and anyone who dared to refuse to use paper money would be exiled to the army or beheaded!

But the results were minimal!

Finally, they had no choice but to proactively change the conversion ratio in exchange for economic stability.

Who would have thought that the eldest grandson would tear off this fig leaf again!

As Zhu Yuanzhang's expression shifted, he was about to shout, "These unscrupulous merchants and treacherous people dare to disobey my orders! Execute them!"

However, Zhu Xiong Ying gave him no chance and continued in one breath, "Grandfather! This matter is not as simple as it seems. In my opinion, the issue of the paper money is not just superficial; it also concerns the very survival of our Great Ming Dynasty!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang murmured, "How can it be that my great Ming Dynasty is about to perish again, as told to my grandson?"