coobybook Chapter 1040 The Pandemic Ends
Chapter 1040 The Pandemic Ends
Hua Chang'an and Ma Zhong silently took off their dusty outer robes, revealing plain clothes underneath.
Fortunately, although the color of the clothes was not pure white, it was a light gray that was close to white, so it didn't look too out of place.
The two then signaled their attendants to wait where they were, and quickly walked towards the funeral procession of officials, silently merging into it.
Li Che sensed something and glanced back, recognizing the two people.
He remained silent on the surface, but secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
These past few days, besides Qian Bin, Li Che's biggest worry has been the epidemic situation in Qiongzhou.
Now that the two have returned, it seems the epidemic has been brought under control, and at least there's no need to send more people away.
Now that the war in Daqing has been initially settled and the chaos has ended, the people can finally rest and recuperate. We can't afford to lose any more lives.
The funeral procession eventually arrived in the western suburbs, where there was a small hill with a wide view.
The mountains here are serene and the pines and cypresses are verdant. Looking south, the outline of the capital city can be faintly seen.
Qian Bin chose this burial site himself before his death. He once joked, "It's quiet here, and I can still see the capital city that I've worked so hard for half my life. I won't be lonely."
Li Che was not satisfied with this. How could a dignified imperial tutor be laid to rest on a small hill? He had already decided to build a mausoleum for him.
It doesn't need to be too extravagant or cost too much money, but it should at least be in line with the scale of an important minister.
This place will eventually become a tourist attraction, where visitors from future generations can come to visit and pay their respects.
Of course, given the habits of later generations, the teacher's body and coffin will inevitably be dug up by archaeologists.
There was nothing that could be done about it; after all, Li Che himself couldn't escape this fate.
I wonder how other time travelers solved this problem. If all else fails, they might as well just have a sea burial.
The entire burial ceremony was presided over by Li Che himself.
From placing the coffin in the burial pit, covering it with soil, and erecting a monument, to reciting the eulogy and enshrining the spirit tablet, he personally completed every step meticulously.
The officials of the Ministry of Rites assisted him with trepidation, for they had never seen the emperor so strictly adhere to a set of funeral rites.
After all, the officials knew the emperor's temperament well. To put it nicely, he was unconventional; to put it bluntly, he was a man of moral decay.
Li Che has always looked down on those complicated rituals.
Today, Li Che treats the funeral with even greater solemnity than he did at his coronation ceremony.
This isn't a performance for anyone else; it comes from the bottom of my heart and is a sincere tribute to my teacher.
Li Che personally covered the tomb with the last handful of yellow earth, and the tall stone tablet stood firmly. The tablet was inscribed with the gilded characters: "Tomb of Qian Bin, Imperial Tutor and Grand Preceptor of Shu State, posthumously honored as Wenzheng".
Li Che knelt before the tomb and kowtowed three times.
Behind him, civil and military officials and the people who had come spontaneously knelt down in a dense, dark mass.
Hua Chang'an and Ma Zhong were also in the crowd, solemnly kowtowing.
The summer breeze swept across the hills, swirling up the unburnt ashes of the paper offerings, as if the old man were bidding his final farewell to the world.
After the ceremony, everyone silently returned to the city.
The immense grief that enveloped the entire city seemed to settle down with Qian Bin's burial.
. . . . . .
After returning to the palace, Li Che changed out of his mourning clothes.
Looking at his haggard reflection in the glass mirror, he splashed some cold water on his face, instantly dispelling his dejection.
The person is gone; there's no point in wallowing in grief.
The sadness is buried deep in my heart, but the responsibility remains on my shoulders.
Without even a moment's rest, Li Che said in a deep voice to Qiu Bai, who was standing to the side, "Go and summon Hua Chang'an and Ma Zhong."
"Now that they have returned to the capital, I need to know about the matter in Qiongzhou immediately."
"Here."
Qiu Bai accepted the order and strode out.
The epidemic situation in Qiongzhou affects the lives of countless people, and there is no time to lose.
If Qian Bin were alive today, he would surely urge him to quickly attend to government affairs and not let personal matters interfere with public duties.
Soon, Hua Chang'an and Ma Zhong, covered in dust from their journey, were led to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
At this moment, Li Che had changed out of his plain clothes and was sitting behind the desk in a black casual outfit, but his eyes had regained their usual clarity.
After Hua Chang'an and Ma Zhong finished their formal greetings, Li Che looked at the two weary officials below him and finally smiled.
"Rise, all of you, and take your seats." Li Che's voice softened. "I saw you in the funeral procession, but the circumstances made it inconvenient to greet you. Please forgive me."
The two looked terrified and repeatedly said they dared not.
Li Che then said, "You must be tired from your journey. I have already read the report on the matter in Qiongzhou."
"You handled the situation well, stabilized it, and prevented the plague from spreading. I am very pleased."
Then, Li Che first looked at Hua Chang'an.
Hua Chang'an's performance this time broke Li Che's preconceived notions about this envoy.
Aside from having known me for a long time and possessing excellent medical skills, Hua Chang'an had nothing particularly remarkable about him.
In retrospect, this person was not only highly skilled in medicine, but also courageous, insightful, and methodical in his actions.
More importantly, he was also the father of his future concubine.
Both publicly and privately, they deserve to be viewed differently.
After all, there were precedents for the problems with the imperial physicians, and the one who controls the medical power in the palace must be one of their own.
Li Che did not want his descendants to be like the Ming Dynasty emperors, all of whom were easily soluble in water.
"Hua Qing," Li Che leaned forward slightly, "what are the specifics of using cowpox vaccination to prevent smallpox?"
When the medical profession was mentioned, Hua Chang'an's eyes immediately lit up, and his fatigue faded somewhat.
He bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, the 'smallpox vaccination method' that Your Majesty has imparted is truly a miraculous technique for saving lives, unprecedented in history!"
"After I arrived in Qiongzhou, I saw that smallpox was spreading rapidly, so I dared to try the method Your Majesty suggested."
"To be on the safe side, we first selected several heinous prisoners of war to test the vaccine. Although these people experienced mild fever and local ulcers after vaccination, they all recovered safely. Afterwards, when they came into contact with smallpox patients, none of them were infected."
"Only after we have repeatedly verified that it is correct can we gradually extend it to soldiers, servants, and finally to the common people."
"To this day, no one in Qiongzhou who has been vaccinated against smallpox has contracted smallpox again!"
"The epidemic has been contained in the cities and villages in northern Qiongzhou, and new cases have disappeared as early as a month ago."
"Your Majesty's method has saved countless lives; it is a meritorious act beyond measure!"
Li Che was not surprised to hear Hua Chang'an's report.
The smallpox vaccination method was historically proven in its previous life, proving to be the ultimate weapon in eradicating smallpox. In this life, it will naturally be a game-changer.
It seems that the 'smallpox killer' that has ravaged humanity for thousands of years has no chance of ever escaping in Daqing.
This virus, the only one to be eradicated by humans, was quite unlucky; it became extinct in this world even earlier.
Smallpox: Li Che was a pest!
"Good, it's effective." Li Che nodded, then asked, "In your opinion, now that the epidemic in Qiongzhou is under control, are there any signs that the plague is spreading northward?"
"Should I, along with the officials, relatives, and even common people in the capital, be vaccinated in advance?"