The Lucky Farmgirl

Director Xiao did not speak, so Manbao had to take the initiative. Of course, she did not directly complain. Bai Shan had mentioned that the emperor actually disliked seeing his ministers argue in front of him; after each reception—no, after meeting the squabbling, complaining ministers—the emperor would silently be angry for a while.

Therefore, Manbao directly brought up their purpose, first mentioning the effectiveness of the variolation method, then its prospects, and finally saying that they wanted to cultivate variolators specifically at the Imperial Doctor’s Office.

After all, the imperial doctors of the Imperial Hospital couldn’t keep traveling back and forth between the palace and the royal estate. It might be okay for one or two years, but ten or twenty years would require a lot of extra time due to part-time work.

The emperor looked at the two of them with mild surprise and asked, "So your Imperial Doctor’s Office wants to establish a subject specifically for nurturing seed viruses and preventing smallpox?"

Manbao replied with a "yes," and added, "Your Majesty, there should be ways to prevent and treat all the diseases in the world. Although current medical techniques make it difficult, I believe that with dedicated research, we will eventually achieve results. Hence, the Vaccination Department will not only target smallpox but also other prevalent diseases in the future."

There are many kinds of infectious diseases, and regardless of the type, each is very harmful, causing many deaths whenever they appear.

Not only the emperor, but also the other ministers in the hall couldn’t help but sit up straighter and take the matter more seriously. Wei Zhi asked, "How much will it cost to establish a new department?"

As one of the Prime Ministers of Great Jin, this is one of his most pressing concerns.

Manbao then looked at Director Xiao.

Director Xiao was the most knowledgeable about this, as he had only recently submitted a document with the detailed expenses to the Imperial Ministry of Rites.

Being a subordinate department, and the Imperial Hospital not being very close to the Imperial Ministry of Rites, there is a natural distance between them.

This distance is determined by the special nature of the Imperial Hospital, which takes orders directly from the emperor. Of course, it also listens to the Ministry of Rites, but does the Ministry of Rites dare to order the Imperial Hospital?

The Imperial Ministry of Rites doesn’t even dare to check the medical records in the Imperial Hospital.

If the head of the Ministry of Rites dared to look, he might barely step out of the Imperial Hospital before the Censorate accused him of spying on the emperor.

This is a major taboo.

Moreover, the expenses of the Imperial Hospital are applied for through the Ministry of Rites and national treasury, while another half is subsidized by the emperor’s private treasury.

Purchasing ordinary medicinal materials involves listing them, having the Ministry of Rites stamp them, and then sending them to the Ministry of Revenue to allocate funds.

But if it involves purchasing very rare medicinal materials, like Tian Shan Snow Lotus or centuries-old ginseng and ganoderma, going through the Ministry of Revenue for funds is too cumbersome, requiring multiple procedures. The emperor’s private treasury usually directly allocates these funds.

Thus, the Imperial Hospital and the Ministry of Rites are not very close.

The Imperial Doctor’s Office was set up by the Imperial Hospital itself, naturally following the same pattern, so due to this distance, when writing the document, Director Xiao sincerely tried to minimize expenses to avoid the Ministry of Rites rejecting it with excuses like excessive costs or insufficient funds.

But who would have guessed that the Ministry of Rites still rejected it, without providing any excuse, which is simply outrageous!

At this moment, Director Xiao did not inflate the costs and directly reported, "Due to the special nature of smallpox, cultivation of seed viruses and vaccination should not be conducted within the Imperial Doctor’s Office. Hence, I thought of continuing to use the royal estate."

He stated, "The things in the royal estate are ready-made and do not require additional expense."

The emperor nodded slightly; after all, the royal estate was his, using it to research smallpox would only occupy some space, and apart from the workers supplied by the Ministry of Public Works, the royal estate could also provide staff, saving money and effort, which is quite favorable.

Director Xiao continued, "As for the Imperial Doctor’s Office, all it requires is the construction of two more classrooms and two dormitory supervisors. The teaching books, acupuncture, etc., can be shared with other departments inside the office. Aside from that, only the medicinal cost for preventing and treating smallpox is needed, and the document has already been submitted; it’s not too expensive."

Only then did the ministers nod slightly, with Wei Zhi speaking on behalf of everyone, "Your Majesty, thus it can be established, but would the imperial doctors inside the Imperial Hospital be able to manage?"

Director Xiao immediately stated, "Imperial Doctor Lu has considerable expertise in the prevention and treatment of smallpox. I propose appointing him as the Chief Officer responsible for this matter, with Imperial Doctor Zhou and other doctors assisting in teaching. Though it may be strenuous, it should be manageable."

Prince Gong, who had been sitting all along, interjected, "Wasn’t Zhou Man credited with the foremost achievement in the development of the smallpox vaccine? Why appoint Imperial Doctor Lu as the Chief Officer?"

Manbao just glanced up at him and replied, "In response to Prince Gong, I dare not claim credit. Imperial Doctor Lu has diligently contributed enormously to the prevention and treatment of smallpox over the past two years, especially in the past six months when he worked tirelessly, personally involved in every piece of data submitted to Your Majesty, achieving great merit. Hence, appointing him as Chief Officer, I’m truly convinced and satisfied."

Humph, Prince Gong wouldn’t kindly point things out. He’s either trying to sow discord or exhaust me; regardless of which, she wouldn’t let him succeed.

Manbao flattered Imperial Doctor Lu, crafting his image somewhat. Director Xiao glanced at her before saying, "Indeed, Imperial Doctor Lu has made significant contributions in smallpox research, and his other medical skills are also commendable, which Prince Gong should be aware of."

Manbao’s eyes brightened, immediately looking at Prince Gong with spirited eyes. Yes, Prince Gong used to prefer Imperial Doctor Ji, and after Imperial Doctor Ji retired, his favorite to invite was Imperial Doctor Lu.

Humph, you’re undermining Imperial Doctor Lu in front of the emperor; does Imperial Doctor Lu know?

Prince Gong was momentarily choked, maintaining a calm exterior while feeling disdainful inside.

As a prince, he wouldn’t stoop to bribing medical practitioners; it’s the medical practitioners who choose to side with him actively.

But whether it was earlier or now, neither Imperial Doctor Ji nor Imperial Doctor Lu expressed allegiance; he was just accustomed to using them. After all, for medical care, it’s better to find a familiar doctor.

General practitioners also prefer treating the same person repeatedly, even for Manbao, despite her preference for diverse new cases, having a long-term patient allows easy grasp of changes in illness.

However, such matters are never spoken of by doctors, as it’s considered inauspicious.

When people visit jewelers or gold stores, they might be told, "Dear customer, visit us next time." But can a pharmacy or clinic say the same?

The emperor, seeing his son deflated, couldn’t help but glance at him, puzzled about his thoughts. Despite losing confrontations with Zhou Man, he never learned from it and kept engaging her next time.

The Crown Prince was quietly enjoying his tea, utterly ignoring his previously hot-tempered brother whenever they met.

The emperor mused for a moment before decisively addressing a matter he had held for months, "If so, let’s establish it. Let’s name it ’Vaccine Department,’ dedicated to researching formulas for preventing diseases like smallpox vaccines."

The emperor continued, "Currently, only smallpox can be prevented, so let’s start with smallpox."

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