Volume One, Chapter Three: Treating Empress Ma, the Zhu Father and Son Receive the Smallpox Vaccine

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“What? The Empress has also contracted smallpox? Please, Divine Physician Xia, save her!” Zhu Biao folded his hands in a fervent plea.

“Divine Physician Xia, you have just brought my eldest grandson back from the brink of death—you are already a great benefactor to my Zhu family. You must save my wife. I apologize for what I did before; I shouldn’t have insisted you be buried with her,” Zhu Yuanzhang pleaded anxiously.

Xia Jingtian sighed inwardly—Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma truly shared a deep and devoted love. The Emperor of the Hongwu era was actually apologizing to him for the sake of Empress Ma.

Back when Zhu Yuanzhang was still known as Zhu Chongba and had joined Guo Zixing’s righteous army, his valor and martial prowess earned him repeated military achievements. To keep such a formidable general by his side, Guo Zixing gave his adopted daughter, Ma Xiuying, to Zhu Yuanzhang in marriage.

Not long after, Zhu Yuanzhang spoke out of turn and offended Guo Zixing, who punished him by locking him up and denying him food. When Ma Xiuying learned of this, she secretly made flatbreads, hid them in her clothes, and brought them to Zhu Yuanzhang. Even when she burned herself on the hot flatbreads, she made no sound, deeply moving Zhu Yuanzhang.

After Zhu Yuanzhang ascended the throne, he made Ma Xiuying his empress, and their story became one of the great love tales of the Ming dynasty.

“Your Majesty, Crown Prince, rest assured—I will save Her Majesty,” Xia Jingtian replied.

He then treated Empress Ma using the same approach he had used for Zhu Xiongying: administering penicillin injections and giving her Yin Qiao Detoxifying Pills to control the smallpox virus.

When Empress Ma’s treatment was finished, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao finally relaxed.

[Congratulations, Host! You have treated Ma Xiuying and earned 5,000 Virtue Points.]

You have gained Ma Xiuying’s skills in dealing with people.

Host: Xia Jingtian
Virtue Points: 15,000
Skills: Eidetic Memory, Social Acumen

Xia Jingtian reflected that now, with the empress’s skills for dealing with people, his emotional intelligence had improved—he would know just how to handle Zhu Yuanzhang.

“Divine Physician Xia, do you have any way to prevent His Majesty and my eldest son from being infected by the smallpox virus?” Empress Ma asked with concern.

Xia Jingtian admired her; worthy of being a good wife and mother—infected herself, yet worried about her husband and son.

“Your Majesty is truly a paragon of virtue, a model for all queens. Though unwell, you still think of the emperor and the crown prince. I can administer the smallpox vaccine to them. After vaccination, they will be able to safely interact with those infected by smallpox, and they will remain immune for life,” Xia Jingtian explained.

“A miraculous remedy indeed! Divine Physician Xia, please vaccinate Chongba and our eldest son at once,” Empress Ma urged.

“Please wait a moment, I will fetch the medicine,” Xia Jingtian replied.

He went to the medicine cabinet in the pharmacy, but his own clinic had no smallpox vaccine. He intended to use his system’s virtue points to purchase it from the mall.

With a thought, the Temporal Divine Physician System appeared before him. On the system interface, he found options for medical equipment and pharmaceuticals.

Xia Jingtian scrolled through the interface to find the smallpox vaccine—each vial cost 200 virtue points.

He exchanged for two vials, deducting 400 virtue points.

Host: Xia Jingtian
Virtue Points: 14,600

A flash of white light, and two vials of smallpox vaccine appeared in the medicine cabinet. Xia Jingtian was delighted—he would now be able to purchase any medication at will.

He took the vaccines and two syringes back to the examination area.

“Your Majesty, Crown Prince, please remove your shirts so I can administer the vaccine,” Xia Jingtian instructed.

Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao took off their shirts. Zhu Biao’s skin was fair and delicate—befitting a crown prince raised in comfort.

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Zhu Yuanzhang, however, was different. His build was robust and muscular, his skin tanned and covered in scars crisscrossing his body—gruesome reminders of his battles to win the country.

“You two needn’t remove your shirts entirely; just bare your arms,” Xia Jingtian said awkwardly.

“My sister has seen it all before—go ahead and administer this miraculous medicine,” Zhu Yuanzhang said nonchalantly.

“Father, did you get all these scars on the battlefield before founding the dynasty?” Zhu Biao asked, somewhat stunned.

“Yes, these scars are all from those years at war—more than once I nearly died. When I was young, I didn’t fear death in battle; now that I’m older, I fear it more,” Zhu Yuanzhang mused.

“Scars are a man’s badges of honor. Your Majesty fought to found the Ming Dynasty, drove out the Mongol Yuan, and restored the Han Chinese realm—a true emperor for the ages,” Xia Jingtian praised.

With Empress Ma’s skills in social interaction, his words delighted Zhu Yuanzhang.

“Scars are a man’s badges of honor—well spoken, Doctor Xia. I like that,” Zhu Yuanzhang laughed heartily.

Xia Jingtian found that with his improved emotional intelligence, he could flatter without blushing—his face thicker than the sole of a shoe.

As he praised them, he disinfected Zhu Yuanzhang’s arm with an alcohol swab and injected the smallpox vaccine. Then, after switching syringes, he repeated the procedure for Zhu Biao. When both were dressed again, the emperor and crown prince regained their dignified bearing.

“Divine Physician Xia, how long until my eldest grandson and my sister recover?” Zhu Yuanzhang inquired.

“The imperial grandson’s blisters will fester, scab, and fall off, and then he’ll be healed—in about half a month to a month. Since he’s young and weak, it may take more than twenty days. Her Majesty was just infected and has no obvious symptoms yet. With medication, she should recover in five to seven days. But during this time, they need to be treated in isolation and cannot leave the clinic.

There are two luxury wards upstairs—they can stay there. I’ll take you to see them,” Xia Jingtian replied.

“Take us upstairs. Eldest son, keep an eye on Xiongying,” Zhu Yuanzhang instructed.

Xia Jingtian led Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma to the second floor. First, he showed them the communal lavatory and bathroom, then the general ward with eight beds, and finally a three-bed room with its own bathroom.

Opposite the general ward was a luxury suite, complete with a patient’s bed, a companion bed, a sofa, a small table, a television, air conditioning, and a private bathroom—though the room was only twenty square meters.

“This room is rather small—can two people stay here?” Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

“It’s a bit small, but it has a private bathroom. Let me show you,” Xia Jingtian said.

“This is the tap—just turn it and water will flow. Blue on the left is cold water, red on the right is hot,” Xia Jingtian demonstrated, turning on the tap so clean water flowed out.

When he turned it off, the water stopped.

“Amazing! The water is so clear,” Zhu Yuanzhang exclaimed with curiosity.

“The water comes out on its own—very convenient for washing,” Empress Ma said, satisfied.

“This is the shower; it provides hot and cold water for bathing. Hold the showerhead to rinse off. There’s also shower gel, a washcloth, everything you need,” Xia Jingtian explained, turning on the shower.

“We usually bathe in wooden tubs—what a novel way to bathe,” Zhu Yuanzhang remarked.

“This is a flush toilet—for relieving oneself. Just press this button and the waste is flushed away,” Xia Jingtian demonstrated, throwing a wad of tissue into the toilet and flushing it.

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“This flush toilet is marvelous—it completely removes all filth,” Empress Ma praised.

“This ward also has air conditioning and a television,” Xia Jingtian continued, but Zhu Yuanzhang interrupted with a shout.

“Eldest son, bring Xiongying upstairs—be careful not to jostle him,” he called.

Soon, Zhu Biao carried Zhu Xiongying into the upstairs ward.

“The imperial grandson’s clothes are dirty; he needs to change into a hospital gown. This is a new, sterilized children’s gown—put it on him,” Xia Jingtian said, handing over the garment.

Empress Ma removed Zhu Xiongying’s clothes, revealing his body covered in chickenpox blisters—a heart-wrenching sight.

Once dressed, Zhu Xiongying curled up on the bed. Empress Ma quickly covered him with a quilt. It was only early May, and the weather was still cool.

Xia Jingtian picked up the remote and turned on the air conditioner. Warm air began to flow, making the room as comfortable as spring.

“This is the air conditioner—it controls the temperature,” Xia Jingtian explained, remote in hand.

“Doctor Xia, everything here is unlike anything we’ve ever seen. Where exactly are we? Is this the realm of the immortals?” Empress Ma asked curiously.

“We are from different times. My era is over six hundred years after the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty. That’s why my medical skills and this hospital’s facilities are more than six hundred years advanced compared to yours,” Xia Jingtian answered truthfully.

“No wonder this clinic is so miraculous, and Divine Physician Xia’s skills so superb—you’re from over six hundred years in the future. We are truly fortunate that Father brought Xiongying here. Thanks to Divine Physician Xia’s intervention, Xiongying has returned from death,” Zhu Biao marveled.

“Divine Physician Xia, you have not only saved my eldest grandson, but also my wife. You’ve even vaccinated me and my son with this miraculous medicine. Such a great favor cannot go unrewarded. Eldest son, grant Divine Physician Xia five hundred taels of gold in gratitude for saving our lives,” Zhu Yuanzhang declared.

“Yes, Father!” Zhu Biao responded.

A thousand taels of gold!

Xia Jingtian kept a calm expression, but inside he was overjoyed—he was about to make a fortune!

“Eldest son, now that Xiongying is out of danger, go and have someone prepare some food for him so he doesn’t go hungry,” Empress Ma instructed.

“The patient is weak and should avoid spicy foods. Prepare some porridge, vegetables, and fruit for him,” Xia Jingtian advised.

“Sister, you stay here and look after our grandson. My son and I will head back,” Zhu Yuanzhang said, somewhat reluctant to leave.

With that, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao left the clinic and walked into the courtyard.

Zhu Biao sighed, “It’s truly a blessing that Divine Physician Xia saved Xiongying.”

“When we leave, have the Imperial Guards watch this door—no one is allowed near. I will personally investigate who had contact with Xiongying and passed the illness to him, and to your mother as well,” Zhu Yuanzhang said as the two pushed open the gate and stepped outside.

There, they saw palace maids, eunuchs, and Imperial Guard officers standing in attendance. As Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao reappeared, everyone was utterly astonished.