Chapter 65 - Zhejiang starts immunization
That's a lot of medicine to prepare. Fortunately, Zhang Yi has already stockpiled the needed quantities of components. He could deploy it in only a couple of hours.
Yu Lexuan arrived at his room. Looking at the heavy sacks of raw material he had to move, he offered some help:
-Zhang Yi, let me help you?
-Your highness can but do not feel obligated.
-No problem, it is a pleasure for me to help you!
Yu lexuan smiles and helps Zhang Yi dropping the raw material and pouring water inside a large pot. Several smaller drops and pourings are needed until it is three-quarters full, and Zhang Yi can only prepare half of the required medicine. The largest he has can only safely hold half of the amount.
The pot is left to cool down after the mixture was left boiling for one hour. Zhang Yi then transfers it to medium-sized wooden containers light enough to be lifted by a single person. He filters the solution by passing it through several layers of silk.
The containers are then closed and put in a carriage.
After they finish, Yu Lexuan is tired:
-This is very demanding! You must have called me for help, Zhang Yi!
-I was worried this would keep your highness for something crucial.
-Nah, I can reschedule my appointments. You can always call me for help.
Feng Long arrives in the room. As he sees they are exhausted, he smiles:
-I can see that you have done some serious work here.
-Zhang Yi tried to do all that alone, can you believe it? - Yu Lexuan smiles.
-We are a team. Even I can participate in that if required, I am the emperor, but I don't care. I am just someone with a title.
The pot is left to cool down after the mixture was left boiling for one hour. Zhang Yi then transfers it to medium-sized wooden containers light enough to be lifted by a single person. He filters the solution by passing it through several layers of silk.
The containers are then closed and put in a carriage.
After they finish, Yu Lexuan is tired:
-This is very demanding! You must have called me for help, Zhang Yi!
-I was worried this would keep your highness for something crucial.
-Nah, I can reschedule my appointments. You can always call me for help.
Feng Long arrives in the room. As he sees they are exhausted, he smiles:
-I can see that you have done some serious work here.
-Zhang Yi tried to do all that alone, can you believe it? - Yu Lexuan smiles.
-We are a team. Even I can participate in that if required, I am the emperor, but I don't care. I am just someone with a title.
Yu Lexuan gets up, moving close to Feng Long:
-A team? We are brothers!
-Yes. We are pretty much in another level of brotherhood.- Feng Long smiles.
-So, your majesty, as you ordered, the medicine is ready. - Zhang Yi also gets up and bows to Feng Long.
-Excellent. I can move to the square and give my weekly speech in a few minutes as we have everything we need ready. Zhang Yi, how about the country areas?
-As we have done with the tests, I will dispatch the medicines for our health centers there. People will be able to get the medicines by age. Those who are elderly will get them first.
-As I thought. Well, do you think we will have many people to give the medicine here?
-Maybe not in the square, but I think it is not that relevant. I advise your majesty to wait for about a day after we give this medicine to younger people. We then can verify any side effects that may occur and also change the medicine if needed.
-Good. So, I will wait for you in the square in a few minutes.
-No problem. I'1l bring a small stove and some cups.
-A stove? - Feng Long raises an eyebrow.
-Yes, we do not have enough cups for everyone, and we can't simply reuse cups before cleaning them. I will bring some to serve about four people at once if Zhong Kunyi also helps us.
-I'll invite him too. So, are we set?
-Yes, as your majesty wants.
-Nice. See you later.
-A team? We are brothers!
-Yes. We are pretty much in another level of brotherhood.- Feng Long smiles.
-So, your majesty, as you ordered, the medicine is ready. - Zhang Yi also gets up and bows to Feng Long.
-Excellent. I can move to the square and give my weekly speech in a few minutes as we have everything we need ready. Zhang Yi, how about the country areas?
-As we have done with the tests, I will dispatch the medicines for our health centers there. People will be able to get the medicines by age. Those who are elderly will get them first.
-As I thought. Well, do you think we will have many people to give the medicine here?
-Maybe not in the square, but I think it is not that relevant. I advise your majesty to wait for about a day after we give this medicine to younger people. We then can verify any side effects that may occur and also change the medicine if needed.
-Good. So, I will wait for you in the square in a few minutes.
-No problem. I'1l bring a small stove and some cups.
-A stove? - Feng Long raises an eyebrow.
-Yes, we do not have enough cups for everyone, and we can't simply reuse cups before cleaning them. I will bring some to serve about four people at once if Zhong Kunyi also helps us.
-I'll invite him too. So, are we set?
-Yes, as your majesty wants.
-Nice. See you later.
Feng Long smiles and moves away. Zhang Yi and Yu Lexuan take two barrels of medicine, a small stove, a large pot with cold water, and eight cups, so four cups will be kept in boiling water for a while for cleaning.
Feng Long moves to Zhong Kunyi's room. When he arrives, Zhong Kunyi was finishing his bath and was completely naked. He smiles:
-Zhong Kunyi.
-Majesty. - Zhong Kunyi blushes.
-We will start giving the medicine to our people in the square in a few minutes. I invite you to help us if you can, not feel obligated.
-I'll follow you on it, no problem at all. Just let me get dressed.
-Let me dress you. - Feng Long smiles.
-As your majesty wants.
Feng Long helps Zhong Kunyi to get dressed. He carefully adjusts his garment to look nice. He brushes his hair using his fingers, kissing Zhong Kunyi after he finishes:
-You are gorgeous now. - Feng Long smiles.
-Your majesty is the only one to blame for it.
Feng Long smiles and takes Zhong Kunyi's left hand:
-Let's move to the square. I'll give a speech there, and Yu Lexuan and Zhang Yi will be there as well.
-As your majesty desires. - Zhong Kunyi smiles.
Yu Lexuan and Zhang Yi move the required tools to the square using a cart. They assemble the needed structure quickly, being overlooked by the passersby. Feng Long arrives with Zhong Kunyi next, drawing more attention from the small crowd now forming nearby.
While Yu Lexuan and Zhang Yi make final adjustments, Feng Long stands in the square, waiting for the crowd to grow. Once it achieves a considerable size, he moves to an elevated position to be seen and heard.
People start to gather in a more orderly way, facing him. They bow to him:
-Your majesty brightens our day!
-You all can rise, please.
-Let's move to the square. I'll give a speech there, and Yu Lexuan and Zhang Yi will be there as well.
-As your majesty desires. - Zhong Kunyi smiles.
Yu Lexuan and Zhang Yi move the required tools to the square using a cart. They assemble the needed structure quickly, being overlooked by the passersby. Feng Long arrives with Zhong Kunyi next, drawing more attention from the small crowd now forming nearby.
While Yu Lexuan and Zhang Yi make final adjustments, Feng Long stands in the square, waiting for the crowd to grow. Once it achieves a considerable size, he moves to an elevated position to be seen and heard.
People start to gather in a more orderly way, facing him. They bow to him:
-Your majesty brightens our day!
-You all can rise, please.
Feng Long smiles and waits until everyone rises:
-What I'm going to say is not just an ordinary statement but life-changing information for everyone under my power. It will affect our empire from now on, may affect others. We have kept the epidemic virtually out of Zhejiang, we are recording more cases, but we worked out how to prevent you from getting infected. We have not achieved it alone, though our Minister of Health, Zhang Yi, created the medicine. Our partner, from our now friendly neighbor, Huangshan, Emperor Ding Qi, helped us. He tested and improved it, and he is having talks with other emperors as well. We have enough medicine for every citizen of Zhejiang, but we will start with the elderly and the ill, as those are the more vulnerable ones. We should be able to give medicine to every single citizen of the empire in a week. For a good start, I would ask everyone in this crowd older than 65* to queue. Everyone else, your time for the medicine will arrive shortly.
People applaud Feng Long. He moves closer to his subordinates which also line up to give the medicine to those in the queue.
Feng Long and his subordinates spent most of the day giving the medicine to the selected group. Zhang Yi accompanied those who got it. There were no side effects. He smiles:
-Feng Long, I'm pretty sure now our medicine is safe.
-I hope so. Don't you think a couple of hours is too early?
-Last time, we experienced side effects in about half of this time. We tested it in the most vulnerable and fragile, and nothing happened. We can increase the coverage tomorrow for the young.
-I agree with you. I was worried something might go wrong, so I asked you to slow down.
-Your majesty is correct.
After they finish, Feng Long and Yu Lexuan move back to the palace. They write a letter to be sent to Ding Qi, showing the progress of the first round of immunizations.
*In ancient China, life expectancy was as low as 25 years. Those who make it to 30 years or over were lucky or part of the nobility. In this fanfic, people are likely to live just as much as today.
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