Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 128

“Hmm. I feel bad that I brought you there hoping to give you a break, but instead, it seems I’ve burdened you with dangerous work.”

“……No. That child is a doctor. I raised her to be one.”

I expected him to be resentful, but Heo Yeon-tae had a strangely complex, yet proud look on his face.

“Seong-ji will be fine. Please don’t worry too much.”

“Hmm. I understand.”

I thought he would be more worried, but Heo Yeon-tae was more composed than I expected.

“However, since it’s said to have spread from the *gibang* [a traditional Korean house of courtesans], I am still concerned. Of course, since the Hyeminseo [a Joseon-era medical institution] is aware, I believe they will handle it appropriately.”

“Hmm. Could those who visited the *gibang* be spreading it?”

“Even if they did visit, they wouldn’t readily admit it.”

That alone could make them a target of social avoidance.

“It would be best for you to return quickly, Princess.”

“Okay. Contact me if you need my help with anything.”

“Yes.”

The Hyeminseo said something similar, but I wonder if they will really contact me.

‘I don’t think there’s anything that would particularly require my help, though.’

The Hyeminseo is there, after all.

That meant that a certain amount of public authority was already involved.

But, contrary to what I thought, the very next day, a message came from the Princess, saying that there was something they hoped I could help with.

I went to the clinic next to Siyoung Academy to meet Seong-ji and found Heo Yeon-tae, Seong-ji, Se-hwa, and Chief Secretary Im, who was in charge of the Hyeminseo, talking with tired faces. They noticed me and quickly stood up.

“Seong-ji and… Se-hwa are here together?”

“I-Is it alright for you to be walking around like this?”

Seong-ji and Se-hwa were flustered when they saw So-yi, surprised, blocking my path, and they hurriedly made excuses.

“Ah, actually, neither of us is in danger of contracting smallpox, so you don’t need to worry too much.”

“Oh, have you had smallpox before?”

Once you’ve had smallpox, you develop immunity and it doesn’t recur. But these two have smooth faces without any pockmarks.

‘I heard there’s a type of smallpox that you can have mildly and get through it, is that it?’

Besides, I heard that the transmission rate during the incubation period is almost zero, so it should be fine.

“So, what happened yesterday?”

“Yes, among the maids who attended to the *gisaengs* [female entertainers], there was a child who had a fever, but there haven’t been any other people showing symptoms yet.”

“You look tired.”

“Haha, but thanks to the Hyeminseo doctors taking shifts last night, I was able to come out.”

“Hyeminseo doctors?”

“Yes, it’s also a matter for the Hyeminseo, for now.”

Well, Se-hwa aside, Seong-ji is just a private doctor. Of course, even private doctors have to cooperate in such matters, but it wasn’t something to be fully dedicated to.

Hyeminseo people would be better at working together.

“Of course, just in case, I burned the clothes I was wearing and scrubbed my body with soap before coming out.”

“I’ve heard that soap prevents the spread of disease, but is it effective against smallpox?”

“Well, maybe it’s better than not using it.”

Maybe it’s quite effective. I’m glad I supplied soap in advance.

“How is the patient?”

“It seems that rashes started to appear around the time we discovered them yesterday, so it’s still difficult to say for sure. We need to monitor the condition further. And Se-hwa Medical Woman said she had a request for you, Princess, so we dared to ask you to come in person.”

“To me? What is it?”

As Seong-ji gently continued, Se-hwa opened her mouth with a slightly nervous face.

“Actually, I want to make a disinfectant, but the Hyeminseo said it’s difficult, so I’m telling you, Princess.”

“Disinfectant?”

“Yes, by applying the method of making *soju* (燒酒) [a Korean distilled spirit], we can create distilled spirits with a higher alcohol content than regular drinking *soju*, and use it to disinfect wounds to prevent inflammation.”

Oh, is she talking about real rubbing alcohol?

“But distilled spirits… just making regular *soju* consumes a considerable amount of grain.”

“I know. Actually, I’ve mentioned it to the Hyeminseo several times before, but…”

As Se-hwa turned her gaze towards Chief Secretary Im, Chief Secretary Im opened his mouth.

“Unfortunately, it’s difficult to attempt due to the Hyeminseo’s financial difficulties.”

I figured… It’s not for nothing that they issue a prohibition order during famine years.

The amount of grain that goes into brewing alcohol is considerable.

‘Of course, it would be difficult with the Hyeminseo’s budget.’

But if we had not only soap but also disinfectant, we could definitely prevent secondary infections.

‘Hygiene really costs a lot of money.’

The resources consumed to make soap are also not insignificant.

But if we could make it, and if it could save someone who was going to die, it was worth trying.

“Do you know how to make it?”

“Yes, I happened to learn it from a drunkard a long time ago.”

Se-hwa showed me a pre-drawn blueprint and gave a simple explanation.

It was a briefing session to get investment, so the discipline was tight, but the introduction was a bit funny.

Hmm… It was the work of an alcohol lover who loved strong liquor.

Well, inventions are originally made unintentionally, and whatever the process, it’s good if we can disinfect wounds.

“If we can make disinfectant with this, that would be great. Let’s make it and test it first.”

“Thank you, Princess!”

Even though smallpox is… Ugh, I imagined pouring disinfectant on the burst blisters and felt like I was going to die of shock.

Everyone was surprised and fussed when I shuddered.

“Are you alright?”

“Is there anything wrong?”

“No, I’m fine. It’s not that I’m sick, it’s just that I remembered hearing that it’s very painful to get smallpox.”

“Princess…”

No, this is not the time to be moved and warmed by my empathy.

I gave permission and called someone to send over the blueprint Se-hwa had drawn, and told them to bill me for the necessary budget later.

‘I wonder how long it will take to make that.’

I ordered it to be made as quickly as possible.

Since it was ordered in my name, it will probably be made with the highest priority.

“You should have said something sooner.”

“I’m sorry. Actually, I thought that if I told you, you might listen, but I thought it would be too presumptuous to ask you out of the blue, and besides, you’ve been too busy lately, Princess…”

“Ah……”

Could it be that revealing the fact that I was a writer was also a ploy to build some rapport and get investment? And after getting a little closer, I was kidnapped while busy.

And I haven’t been out much lately, so I couldn’t just give an idea briefing as soon as I saw you after a long time.

“I thought it might be necessary since there has been a case of smallpox.”

“Hmm.”

“And there are things I would like to tell you about the treatment and prevention of smallpox.”

“Oh?”

“!”

At Se-hwa’s words, both Heo Yeon-tae and I were surprised and impressed.

“You know the treatment and even the prevention method?”

“Yes, I learned it from my teacher who taught me medicine. However, it seems a little difficult for people to accept it, so I would like to ask for the opinions of others first.”

Well, you can’t just use uncertified treatments on people.

Was that why he brought Chief Secretary Im with him?

“But Se-hwa Medical Woman is confident that she does not get chickenpox because she has received preventive treatment with that method.”

“!”

At Seong-ji’s words, Heo Yeon-tae, who had been quiet until now, opened his mouth as if surprised.

“Are you perhaps talking about inoculation?”

Inoculation is a method of causing mild smallpox by rubbing the pus of a person who had smallpox on a person’s wound or inhaling it through the nose.

However, this method was too risky to readily recommend.

I also went back to the palace yesterday and asked the royal physicians if they had found anything about treatment or prevention methods, so I knew to some extent.

“I also asked the royal physicians, but I heard that inoculation has a high mortality rate, so they don’t recommend it.”

“No, it’s a different method from that. It’s actually…”

Se-hwa hesitated and opened her mouth.

“It’s a method using cowpox, or vaccinia (牛痘) [smallpox in cows].”

Oh. There it is, vaccination (種痘法) [the practice of injecting cowpox to create immunity to smallpox].

At those words, Chief Secretary Im also opened his mouth.

“Ah… I also heard a story that people who have had cowpox do not get smallpox while conducting a nationwide survey for the compilation of medical books this time. However, I heard that the evidence is insufficient and is being verified.”

“If you get cowpox, the symptoms are much milder than smallpox, but you become immune to smallpox. The procedure is similar to inoculation, where cowpox pus is directly applied to a person’s wound.”

“But there is no time to verify it.”

“That’s the problem. Not only is there no time to verify it, but there is also no time to treat people.”

“That’s right.”

Still, if the doctors knew something about inoculation, there was still room for persuasion.

But if the method Se-hwa knows is vaccination….

‘Is Se-hwa likely to be Yeo-ju after all….’

Sigh. I asked Se-hwa to reproduce the original work, what should I do… Is it not going according to the original?

“But how can you put cow pus into a person’s body?”

“It is true that people who have had cowpox have only mild symptoms and have not contracted smallpox since then.”

While several people were debating about vaccination, Heo Yeon-tae, who had been quiet, suddenly jumped up from his seat and asked me for permission.

“I have something to bring from home, may I leave for a moment?”

“I don’t mind, but…”

“Seong-ji, come with me for a moment.”

“Yes? Yes.”

Seong-ji, who was suddenly pointed out, followed him, not knowing what was going on.

‘What’s going on?’

Wondering, I also got up for a moment.

“Everyone looks tired, so take a break. I’m going to Siyoungwon for a while.”

“Yes, Princess.”

As I moved, Seong Gyeom-sa-bok asked me with a puzzled face as he watched those who were following me.

“Where are Doctor Heo and Doctor Seong-ji suddenly going?”

“Well, they said they’re going home, but I don’t know what’s going on.”

“Princess.”

I chuckled.

This old man has a severe occupational disease, even though he sings about wanting to retire.

“I’m going to Siyoungwon for a while, so Seong Gyeom-sa-bok should take a break too. You can rest assured that this area is safe, right? I’ll have Cheon-ho and So-yi with me, so don’t worry.”

“……Yes.”

At my words, Seong Gyeom-sa-bok looked a little troubled, but soon understood and disappeared.

Of course, he did not forget to leave a nagging message to Cheon-ho before leaving, telling him to take good care of the Princess.

“Where are you going, Gyeom-sa-bok?”

“It’s something.”

Unlike Heo Seong-ji, Seong Gyeom-sa-bok didn’t really like Heo Yeon-tae.

It’s probably because his impression hasn’t been very good since the day he fainted as soon as he saw me. He seemed to think there was something a little suspicious.

‘It is strange. He can’t seem to look me in the face.’

If he’s from Naeuiwon [the royal clinic], he should be somewhat familiar with royalty, but I wonder if there’s something that makes him so uncomfortable.