Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 65 The Medicine is Successfully Made!

Emperor Wanli gently lifted the lid, and even in the dimly lit compartment, the changes inside the petri dish were still clearly visible.

In the middle of the petri dish, the cotton ball soaked in allicin was still lying there peacefully. After more than a day of reaction, the cotton ball had not changed at all, but the golden-yellow bacterial colonies that were originally around it were now empty, as if they had been "eaten" away.

Finally, a transparent circular area was formed around the cotton ball. Emperor Wanli clearly remembered that Zhang Yunxiu called this circle the "antibacterial zone".

This change proves that allicin can inhibit the growth of so-called pathogens!

The Wanli Emperor's body trembled slightly, and the lid almost slipped from his hand and fell to the ground. Fortunately, it was placed steadily on the desk. He stared at the changes in the petri dish, his eyes gradually brightening.

For the Wanli Emperor, who had been reciting and reading dry and boring classics and historical texts since childhood, he had never seen such a change.

Moreover, all these changes were happening right under his nose.

From bringing the petri dish back until placing it in the compartment.

The only one who could have tampered with the petri dish was Zhang Cheng, who was deeply trusted by the emperor. However, the emperor was still cautious and made a small mark in the petri dish.

The situation is exactly the same at this moment!
I have succeeded!

Emperor Wanli's breathing became increasingly heavy, and his excitement was palpable.

Standing on tiptoe behind the emperor, Zhang Cheng finally saw the changes in the petri dish.

In fact, simply observing the emperor's emotional changes would be enough to know that the experiment had been successful.

In an instant, a feeling of jealousy arose in his heart. This kid Zhang Yunxiu was going to please the emperor again!

While thinking this to himself, Zhang Cheng did not hesitate at all, and immediately began to bang his head against the ground repeatedly. It was a skill to bang one's head loudly without hurting oneself.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! This is a blessing for all people. With this miraculous medicine available to cure epidemics, countless ordinary people will be saved. All of this is due to Your Majesty's good fortune."

The relevant words had been rehearsed countless times in Zhang Cheng's mind, and he spoke them fluently at this moment.

But the Wanli Emperor raised his head, put on a stern face, and reprimanded him, "Don't talk nonsense!"

Zhang Cheng was startled. Had he guessed wrong again?

But then the emperor turned his head to look at the petri dish again.

"No rush. Besides, it hasn't been verified. How can we prove that allicin can cure the epidemic?"

Despite saying this, the emperor grew increasingly pleased with the petri dish as he examined it, clearly trusting Zhang Yunxiu's words to a great extent.

Moreover, compared to seeing such changes in a laboratory, the impact of doing the experiment yourself is obviously many times greater!
After pondering for a moment, Emperor Wanli thought of the recent memorials regarding the plague and decisively said, "There is no time to lose. Zhang Banban, prepare yourself. I must leave the palace immediately to find Zhang Shiyuan!"

“Your Majesty,” Zhang Cheng said after a moment’s hesitation, “this is against etiquette.”

How can an emperor condescend to seek out his subjects every day?
"What's wrong with that!" Emperor Wanli said angrily. "This matter concerns the lives of millions of people in the capital and throughout the land. I need to verify it immediately! There can be no delay. Go and do it!"

Zhang Cheng immediately kowtowed and said, "This servant deserves to die!"

Not long after, a carriage drove out of the imperial city. The guards dared not stop it, for they all knew that it was the carriage of Zhang Cheng, the emperor's personal eunuch.

Logically speaking, Zhang Cheng, being a eunuch, should not have been able to ride in a carriage within the Forbidden City. However, recently, an imperial edict was issued, specifically ordering Zhang Cheng to communicate with the emperor both inside and outside the palace to understand the situation of the plague among the people, thus setting a precedent.

What they didn't know was that this carriage was actually used most of the time by the current emperor, the Wanli Emperor.

"Hurry up," Emperor Wanli ordered from his carriage, then added after a moment's thought.

"Let's head towards Chessboard Street and take a look."

Zhang Cheng understood that the emperor wanted to see for himself whether the epidemic in the capital matched the description in the memorial.

He wanted to offer advice, but having been rebuffed before, he kept quiet and immediately ordered the eunuchs outside to head towards the Daming Gate.

Outside the Daming Gate lies Qipan Street.

The Wanli Emperor cradled a petri dish in his arms, peering through the curtain at the passing scenery. Since Zhang Yunxiu's arrival, he seemed to be acting increasingly "unconventionally."

In the past, Emperor Wanli would never have dared to do something like leaving the palace without permission.

Just now, when he paid his respects to Empress Dowager Li, he almost thought that his secret departure from the palace had been exposed, but unexpectedly, he escaped unharmed.

However, Emperor Wanli did not feel regret; on the contrary, he was quite fascinated by this feeling of "rebellion" and "absurdity".

The more a person lacks something, the more they crave it; the more they suppress it, the stronger the rebound will be.

As the carriage traveled along Chessboard Street, its speed gradually slowed down.

"Your Majesty, we've arrived at Chessboard Street," Zhang Cheng reminded him from the side.

"Ah."

Emperor Wanli turned his gaze out the window again and was nearly frightened by the scene on the street.

At this moment, the bustling Qipan Street of the past is gone, replaced by a deathly silence. Many shops are closed, and there are few pedestrians on the road, except for a few funeral processions.

However, once you reach the area around some clinics, you'll find a completely different scene. These folk clinics are often overcrowded, and patients can be seen lying on the ground everywhere on the streets outside.

The sounds of weeping, sorrow, and pain were incessant, nearly causing the Wanli Emperor to break down.

Upon seeing this change, Zhang Cheng immediately offered his advice.

"Your Majesty, you cannot watch any longer. This place is dangerous. Let's go to the workshop first."

Emperor Wanli felt his heart clench; the shock he witnessed was hundreds or thousands of times greater than the words on the memorials!
At this moment, he began to understand how ridiculous the tears he had shed while reviewing memorials at his desk had been.

With a sigh of relief, the Wanli Emperor nodded and said, "Go to the workshop immediately. I need to see Zhang Shiyuan right away."

The eunuchs were also afraid of this chessboard street, so they immediately spurred their horses on, cracking their whips loudly, for fear of contracting the plague.

The carriage rumbled along, speeding past a sign that read "Yang Family Medical Clinic".

Despite the dust that rose up, the number of patients at the clinic's entrance remained unchanged, but the scene inside the clinic was quite different.

These past two days, Yang Jishi has been constantly on the go, either going to the clinic to prescribe medicine and treat patients, or staying by his son Yang Tiancheng's bedside.

Yang Tiancheng had already taken the allicin and was filled with anticipation, but Yang Jishi was still uneasy.

Zhang Yunxiu confidently claimed that this thing could cure the plague, and even most diseases and epidemics, but it had never been tested on humans, so it was hard to say whether it was effective.

What Yang Jishi feared most was that the allicin would not only have no effect, but would also worsen his son's condition.

Just as Yang Jishi was lost in thought, he caught a glimpse of Yang Tiancheng's eyebrows twitching out of the corner of his eye.

"Perfect!"

Yang Jishi was overjoyed. He immediately stepped forward and used the back of his hand to feel the temperature of the other person's forehead. The fever had indeed subsided!
"Perfectly formed~"

He called out twice more, and those two calls brought tears streaming down Yang Jishi's face. He grabbed his son's hand and cried his heart out.

"Tiancheng! I'm so sorry, your father!"

Amidst the cries, Yang Tiancheng struggled to open his eyes. His face was still pale, but he seemed to have recovered somewhat.

Upon opening his eyes, Yang Tiancheng noticed his father, who was weeping uncontrollably. He looked around and realized that he was already aware of his condition.

Upon waking, his first thought was that his condition seemed to have improved. Could it be that...?
Yang Tiancheng grabbed his father's hand, looked at his disheveled hair, and felt a pang of sadness as he spoke with emotion.

"Father! You really succeeded! The new prescription works, doesn't it? Which ancient book does it come from? The people of the capital are saved!"

(End of this chapter)