CHAPTER 143: CHAPTER 123: SPY

Several days passed, and at the Chang’an East Market sick house, a profound transformation had occurred.

A layer of lime powder now covered the muddy ground, and the courtyard, previously overrun with weeds, had been thoroughly cleared. Outside the door, a table held a bottle filled with pure wine, used by visitors to cleanse their hands. Occasionally, one could spot a worker donning a cotton mask.

Of course, the most notable change was the condition of the patients in the sick house.

"COUGH, COUGH!"

An elderly patient lay in bed, incredulously looking at the cotton cloth in his hands. Previously, he had suffered from fever, chest pain, and coughing up pus-filled blood, nearly driven to despair by his illness. Now, the cotton cloth showed only a bit of phlegm, with no trace of blood or pus.

The patient on the adjacent bed experienced similar relief. The swelling from a pus-filled abscess on the back of his hand had subsided. Through the gauze stopping the blood, one could see the wound slowly healing after being drained.

The sick house, once filled with an eerie silence and atmosphere of despair, finally echoed with genuine laughter and joy.

「In the Academic Palace, at the supervision building.」

"External abscess patients, after using Allicin, show significant improvement in 80% of cases, improvement in 15%, and ineffective or worsening symptoms in 5%.

Internal abscess patients, after using Allicin, show significant improvement in 70% of cases, improvement in 20%, and ineffective or worsening symptoms in 10%.

After dilution, a 10% Allicin solution can be effective, with 5% still showing strong effects..."

Sacrificial Officer Chen Danqiu’s hands trembled slightly as he set down the paper carrying the observation records. "Mountain Master, the disease of Blood Sores can truly be cured."

"..."

Mountain Master Lian Xuanyao sat with his eyes closed, deep in thought. After a long while, he finally opened his eyes and looked eagerly at Li Ang. "Very good, very good..."

He repeated "very good" thrice and stood up, his face breaking into a faint smile. "This time, even if Emperor Yu wishes to suppress it, I fear he won’t be able to stop the common people from erecting a living temple in your honor."

"Uh..."

Li Ang shook his head helplessly. It felt strange to have a temple being built for him while he was still alive. And how would people refer to these temples?

Li Ang Temple? Risheng Temple? Great Compassionate Child-Giving Scholar Temple?

Surely it wouldn’t be the Gynecology Saint Temple.

"Don’t fret over it."

Su Feng, noticing the unease on Li Ang’s face, smiled and said, "As a scholar of the Academic Palace, being spontaneously honored with a living temple by the common people is a tremendous privilege.

Throughout history, only a handful of Doctors have earned such enduring remembrance and temple tributes from the public for their innovations and acts of alleviating suffering.

This honor is something others can only envy."

As they chatted, the copper bell on the Mountain Master’s table vibrated inexplicably—

Suddenly, Mou Zhengqing from the Academic Palace entered with a gleeful expression, announcing that Emperor Yu had arrived at the Academic Palace.

THUD. THUD. THUD.

Emperor Yu Li Shun strode ahead, leaving his guards and court eunuchs behind as he swiftly ascended the supervision building and pushed open the door.

Chen Danqiu and Su Feng had just risen to greet him when Emperor Yu gestured for them to stop.

"I have received the report from the sick house of the Imperial Hospital."

Li Shun stared at the test tube on the table containing a pale yellow oily liquid and asked in a deep voice, "Is this the Blood Abscess Medicine?"

Li Ang nodded. "Yes."

"What are the costs? How complex is the production process? Are there any long-term hazards after use?"

Emperor Yu asked several questions in a row. Li Ang, as if anticipating these questions, pulled out a thick stack of explanatory documents.

Emperor Yu took the papers. Though he could hardly conceal his excitement, his expression stiffened for a moment. The diagrams of the procedures were incredibly complex, outlining every detail from the size of each distillation flask and the thickness of every glass vessel, to even the screws on the recirculating water vacuum pump.

Next to each component, there were extensive explanatory texts.

He couldn’t understand it.

Even Emperor Yu, who reviewed every issue of the Academic Palace’s Natural Science journal without fail, felt as if he was reading a Heavenly Book—each word was comprehensible, but strung together, they seemed as obscure as a cryptic sacred text.

At this moment, the guards and court eunuchs of the Imperial Palace had also gathered outside the hallway. Emperor Yu, without a change in expression, skimmed past the incomprehensible text and continued turning the pages until he reached a section he could understand.

"Name of the medicine, ingredients, characteristics, indications, specifications, dosage, special populations, possible adverse reactions..."

The more Emperor Yu read, the hotter his joy burned, and his hands trembled slightly as he held the instruction manual.

If the prevention and control of malaria was more about "prevention," then the advent of Allicin meant that ailments like Blood Sores and toxic ulcers, which had tormented people for many years, could now truly be "cured."

In the past, from nobles and generals to common people, even a minor cut on a finger could lead to Blood Sores and toxic ulcers, ultimately leading to death after years of suffering.

Now, just a little bit of Allicin was needed for healing and recovery.

Not only could the health of the common people be greatly protected, but the Yu Country army would no longer have to worry about losing a healthy soldier over a minor wound.

With the addition of blood transfusion techniques, the hope of expanding territories was gradually becoming a reality.

"Speak."

Emperor Yu slammed the instruction manual onto the table, looked at Li Ang with a serious tone, and said, "What do you want?"

A title? An official position? Wealth? Honor?

Li Ang could clearly feel the burning envy in the eyes of the guards (many from noble families) in the hallway. They had struggled all their lives for what Li Ang could simply reach out and ask for.

"..."

Li Ang pondered for a moment and asked, "Your Majesty, how do you plan to use the Allicin?"

"Hmm?"

Emperor Yu was not expecting that question. He thought for a moment and said, "The patent rights will definitely belong to you and the Academic Palace. As for its use... should we have the Imperial Medical Bureau handle production?"

"I do not think that is suitable."

Li Ang shook his head and said, "The Chang’an Imperial Medical Bureau has limited manpower. Even with Doctors, Medical Doctors, apprentices, and clerks together totaling just over three thousand people, the medicine they produce would be insufficient for even Chang’an City, let alone meet the needs of the entire Yu Country."

The guards and eunuchs standing in the hallway watched Li Ang in disbelief—he was the first person, apart from important ministers and Imperial Censors, to openly contradict Emperor Yu.

Emperor Yu then said, "What if the Construction Supervision took over production?"

The Construction Supervision was located outside the Imperial City, directly north of the Ministry of Justice.

"That likely wouldn’t be suitable either."

Li Ang said, "Allicin has a short shelf life and can easily lose its effectiveness with even a slight increase in temperature. Even if stored in ice, it can only be preserved for about a month. If production is entirely left to the Chang’an Construction Supervision, it might not be dispatched to the various State Mansions in time."

In Emperor Yu’s view, Allicin, a medicine capable of treating Blood Sores, should naturally be tightly controlled by the Royal Family.

If it were restricted to the Chang’an Construction Supervision and secretly produced by a handful of court eunuchs, it would provide the Li Yu Royal Family with a decisive tool. Whether used to reward meritorious officials and foreign rulers, or to manipulate and restrict the military, it would be a powerful asset.

However, Li Ang’s purpose in creating Allicin was not merely to fortify the Li Yu Royal Family but to benefit a wider population.

"I suggest that Allicin be treated as a regular patent, assigned to various State Mansions, businesses, and sick houses for independent production."

Li Ang looked directly into Emperor Yu’s eyes and stated firmly, "Its taxes should be submitted to the court, with a portion allocated to the sick houses in various State Mansions. This would enable local sick houses to maintain their operations independently."