vrcanaries Chapter 111 Smallpox
Chapter 111 Smallpox
Zhang Heming smiled and stroked his beard, saying:
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness. It is a great blessing for me to receive such favor, but now I'm afraid..."
Zhang Heming stopped there, but the Crown Prince understood that he truly liked Jia Hu, but at this moment, his relationship with his father, the Emperor, had not yet been repaired to the point where he could act recklessly.
The Jia family is now a close confidant of the Emperor. If I were to acknowledge Jia Hu now, it would undoubtedly be like touching something belonging to the Emperor, and it would also arouse the Emperor's suspicion towards the Jia family. I like Jia Hu, but I am not here to cause trouble for the Jia family.
Jia Hu realized at this point that recognizing relatives wasn't so easy, at least not now.
The Crown Prince patted Jia Zhu's head with some regret, holding his hand in one hand and Situ Minghe's hand in the other, and smiled:
"Hu'er, I truly want to acknowledge you as my daughter. No matter what, let's acknowledge you today."
The Crown Prince then took out a jade pendant from his robes and handed it to Jia Hu, saying:
"It's really unfair to Hu'er that we're keeping things simple today. Let's get to know each other first, but not publicly. We can announce it later, okay?"
"Then your godfather will hold a ceremony for you so everyone can know, okay?"
Jia Hu obediently took the jade pendant and exclaimed:
"Godfather!"
This is the right way to go; playing it safe and developing your strength cautiously is the right approach. He's already being too high-profile; he can't be any more high-profile.
Only Jia She was angry there. How annoying! There were already many people vying with him for his son, and now there's another one. It seems he needs to treat his son even better in the future, so that his son will know that he is the one who loves him the most.
Everyone is satisfied with this result; it is indeed the optimal solution.
The Crown Prince still felt sorry for Jia Hu and promised to give him two hot spring estates in the suburbs of the capital, making them Jia Hu's private property.
Jia Hu was even happier when he heard that, because it was a hot spring resort! He had never been to a hot spring before.
My newly minted godfather is really generous; he truly lives up to his title of Crown Prince.
Seeing his son's bright eyes, Jia She pursed his lips. It's just a hot spring resort, isn't it? He has one too, also in the outskirts of the capital. It was left to him by his grandmother. It seems he'll have to take Hu'er to the hot springs when he gets back, so he'll know that his father also has a hot spring resort. Hmm! He'll give that resort to Hu'er when they get back.
Under Zhang Heming's direction, Jia Hu served tea and kowtowed, thus acknowledging his acceptance.
Jia Zhu felt that this trip was perfect. Not only did he gain a new sugar daddy, but he also got two hot spring resorts. He was in a very good mood.
Since her godfather was so generous, she couldn't be stingy.
Jia Hu suddenly touched his cheek and said:
"I'm sorry, Godfather! There's actually something else that Hu'er hasn't told you yet?"
The newly appointed godfather, the crown prince, was in a good mood and smiled:
"What is it, Hu'er? Just tell me."
Jia Hu said somewhat embarrassedly:
"Hu'er lied. In fact, after the beggar finished eating that day, in addition to giving me the recipe for glass and mirrors, he also wanted to take me as his apprentice."
I didn't know he had such great abilities at the time. I originally wanted to disagree, but I was too slow to answer, so the man said I agreed.
He also told me something else: after I meet my godfather, I should carefully examine him. Only if my godfather is a good person and a qualified prince can I give him the item; otherwise, I should forget about it.
Such a thing was too much to bear. Everyone in the room was surprised. Unlike the Crown Prince and the others who were genuinely surprised, Jia She knew that this whole thing was made up by the boy. He knew where the person who made it up was. It seemed that his son was up to something again!
The crown prince thought to himself, "Just as I thought. He really is a reclusive master."
The Crown Prince asked with a smile:
"Does Hu'er think her godfather is a good person, a qualified crown prince?"
Jia Hu nodded obediently, his soft head bobbing.
"I think my godfather is a very good person. He cares about the suffering of the people, has his own opinions on many things, and is willing to listen to opinions without being stubborn. So Hu'er thinks my godfather is qualified."
The crown prince smiled gently, clearly pleased to be praised by his godson.
"So what did your master tell you to tell me?"
Jia Hu was incredibly well-behaved.
"It refers to methods for preventing smallpox."
The Crown Prince abruptly stood up from his stool, losing his composure. Everyone else also stood up in unison, their eyes fixed on Jia Hu with burning eyes.
The crown prince, somewhat flustered, asked:
"Is what Hu'er said true?"
That was smallpox! Since smallpox first appeared, countless people have lost their lives, especially many children who couldn't survive it. It wasn't until the discovery of variolation that many people were saved. However, this method was not perfect, and many children who were vaccinated simply couldn't survive it.
Seeing everyone's reaction, Jia Hu was also taken aback.
This is terrifying. But when you think about what smallpox has caused in human history, you understand why people are so obsessed with methods to prevent it.
Jia Hu nodded firmly and said:
"My master said that using human variolation is unsafe, and using cowpox is safer than human variolation."
"Cowpox!"
The crowd was puzzled for a moment, and Jia Hu explained:
"Yes, the doctor said that using human smallpox is extremely dangerous, and many people still can't survive it, while cowpox is much safer."
The prince excitedly took a few steps, "Hu'er, where is your master? This is a great thing! This is a great merit! We should erect a monument for him."
Jia Hu's lips twitched. "Let's forget about erecting a tombstone," Jia Hu said, feigning confusion.
“My master said that we would meet again if we were destined to, but he didn’t tell me anything else. I have never seen what my master looks like.”
The Crown Prince said with some regret:
"Alas! He truly is a reclusive master."
Zhang Heming said excitedly, "Now that we know about this, we must quickly send someone to verify the effectiveness of this cowpox vaccine."
The Crown Prince laughed heartily, picked up Jia Hu, and said:
“Our Hu’er is truly a little fairy; this is a great achievement.”
Jia Hu said shyly, "Hu'er is not a little fairy, and I didn't do these things. My master told me to give them to the Crown Prince, which is to give them to my godfather."
Jia Hu dared not accept this credit. He was still so young, and having glass and mirrors was enough. If he were to have a major achievement like smallpox vaccination, he would attract too much attention and he didn't want to face open and hidden attacks every day. He just wanted to live a leisurely life and save more people. Wouldn't it be better to cling to someone's coattails?
The Crown Prince, with mixed feelings, put Jia Hu down, squatted down, and said to Jia Hu:
“You are still young, and you may not understand how great this achievement is. This is something that will be remembered for generations. Your godfather cannot keep such a great achievement just because you are young.”
Jia Hu quickly shook his head and said, "It's not mine, it belongs to my master. But my master told me to give it to my godfather, so it's given to my godfather."