At midnight, after eating the dumplings to welcome the God of Wealth, everyone was still in high spirits and pestered Zhao Jiaqi to stay and play mahjong with them.
This was a new game developed by Zhao Jiaqi herself. If she left, wouldn't it be boring for these half-baked beginners?
So, Zhao Jiaqi sat by the table and watched them play all night. She remembered that someone once said that mahjong could cure all diseases. Looking at the queen mother's energetic demeanor, it was indeed true.
Now, when it came to Zhou Baihe, Yao Jingyun's stomach didn't even hurt. The silver coins on the small stool beside her were almost piled up like a mountain, which showed that her luck was exceptionally good.
In contrast, Pingting pouted and muttered about her mother, wondering if she could not win her hand. What kind of mother would win against her own daughter and take her daughter's money!
"What are you mumbling about? There's no such thing as mother and daughter at the gambling table. Hurry up and play!"
Pingting pursed her lips, "One of the bamboo slips!"
Yao Jingyun put down her tiles, her eyes lit up, and she happily shouted, "I won, thirteen orphans, give me the money!"
Zhao Jiaqi covered her face. All night long, Pingting had been triggering the cannons, big and small, all around. She was sitting on the cannon, and there was no way to get off. Among them, she was the unluckiest.
Seeing Pingting on the verge of tears, Zhao Jiaqi said, "Stop playing, it's almost morning. What do you want to eat?"
Zhou Qiangwei said, "I'm not hungry!"
The mother-in-law said, "I'm not hungry either!"
Yao Jingyun's mind was still full of playing cards, so she was even less hungry. Pingting, in order to win back the money she lost, didn't even need to eat. Seeing this situation, Zhao Jiaqi also felt out of place.
Just as she was preparing to return to her sleeping quarters for a nap, she saw Sixi rushing over: "Your Highness, the Emperor wants to see you in the Imperial Study. It's urgent!"
What urgent matter could there be during the New Year?
Zhao Jiaqi followed Sixi to the Imperial Study. When she entered, she found that all the imperial physicians in the palace were there, and even the retired former imperial physician Qi Xuan was present.
Everyone stood there with worried expressions, occasionally whispering among themselves. When they saw her arrive, they all fell silent.
"What's wrong? Who is sick?"
Zhao Jiaqi scanned the room. Her husband was here, and the children had all run off to sleep. Who could be sick to have all the imperial physicians come to see them?
In other words, who had the ability to summon all the imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital to see a patient?
Fan Zehao frowned and said in a deep voice, "Smallpox has appeared in the capital. Children and the elderly are most affected. This type of smallpox is highly contagious. The imperial physicians have always believed that you should lead the children out of the capital to avoid the disease!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Jiaqi's face turned pale.
Smallpox, this was a highly contagious virus, no different from an epidemic here.
Once infected with smallpox, the situation faced was death, and it was not easy to treat. As far as she knew, in a certain dynasty, an entire village was massacred to treat smallpox, and many people died.
"Let the children and the elderly leave the capital to avoid the disease. I will stay. Perhaps I can help!" Zhao Jiaqi could not possibly allow her husband to stay in the capital while she went to hide.
Besides, although she had never encountered smallpox, she knew a little about it. If she could give the imperial physicians some pointers, perhaps they could treat the smallpox!
"What can you, a woman, do by staying here? You don't know medicine, and the children need you more. You will go back to the inner city with Zong Han!"
Fan Zehao said sternly. This was the only time he had spoken harshly to Zhao Jiaqi!
But Zhao Jiaqi was also stubborn. She refused to leave.
"I'll pack the children's things and have mother take the children back to the fiefdom. I'll stay!"
She didn't explain much, and couldn't explain. How could she explain that she knew what could cure smallpox?
Let her husband be angry. When this disaster passed, he wouldn't be angry anymore.
Returning to her sleeping quarters, she instructed Chunfen and Xiazhi to pack the children's and the elderly's belongings and send them back to the fiefdom with escorts.
When Fan Xudong and Pingting learned of this, they were thunderstruck. Both of them wanted to stay, but Zhao Jiaqi sent them away.
"Second brother, the safety of the children and the elderly is entrusted to you. With the outbreak of smallpox, it will not be controlled in a day or two. You must ensure the safety of the children. On the way back, remember to wear masks, wash your hands frequently, bring enough dry food, and even if the journey is a bit difficult, do not eat in crowded places, especially do not associate with people who have fever and cough!"
Fan Xudong looked at the six children. They were their future. He glanced at the two elders, who had given birth to them. After careful consideration, he nodded.
"Sister-in-law, I've noted it all down. I'll go prepare now!"
After her husband left, Pingting tugged at her elder sister-in-law's sleeve, wanting to stay too. Before she could speak, Zhao Jiaqi blocked her words: "The children are my life. If I'm not with them, you help me look after them! I'm entrusting my life to you, so you, as their aunt, must take good care of them!"
Pingting, who was about to speak, swallowed her words and finally nodded heavily: "Sister-in-law, don't worry, as long as I'm here, the children are here. I absolutely will not let any harm come to them!"
Zhao Jiaqi believed her promise, so she confidently handed the children over to her.
When Jun Jun learned that she had to leave the capital to avoid the disease, she shook her head in refusal, refusing to leave no matter what: "Mother, although my medical skills are not very good, preparing medicine is not a problem. I'll stay and help father and mother overcome this difficulty!"
Zhao Jiaqi rubbed her head. She had sent her to study medicine to take care of herself, but she didn't expect it to be used to help them!
"There are many imperial physicians here. You don't need to help. It's just that we're afraid we won't have time to see you married!"
Her coming-of-age ceremony was just a month away. It was already a pity that she couldn't tie her hair for her personally, and now she couldn't even see her off at her wedding. This was a great regret in her heart.
Ren Junying understood her parents. In this situation, it was not something they could control.
"Mother, if smallpox isn't cured, I won't get married."
Ren Junying declared and returned to her sleeping quarters.
Zhao Jiaqi felt weak and tired. She couldn't scold her, nor could she hit her. Her child had good intentions, and she couldn't beat her for this. It would hurt the child and herself. Alas, she would let it be!
Back in her bedroom, Zhao Jiaqi thought hard for a long time and wrote a small booklet.
A Handbook to Prevent Smallpox Infection, containing only a few rules!
1: Close the city gates, and each household should be quarantined at home. If anyone in the family has a fever, weakness, headache, or pain, and develops rashes on their body, they must be isolated in a room without delay, waiting for a doctor to examine them.
2: Those who have not contracted smallpox or have not come into contact with patients should start making masks.
3: For all confirmed smallpox patients, their personal clothing must be burned, and they must be centrally isolated. The places where they have stayed must be disinfected with wormwood, three times a day.
4: The capital is a dangerous area, and no one is allowed to enter or leave.
These four rules were the methods she could think of at the moment. This step was to isolate the sick from the healthy and to prevent more people from being infected.
She hoped that this would reduce the possibility of normal people being infected. If too many people were infected, it would be no small matter.