Ask Sword

Chang'an City, Tai Chi Palace, Ziwei Palace.

The silk and bamboo are soft and the dance music is elegant, but Li Nanlei, the daughter of King Zhao and the owner of Le'an County, is not in the mood to appreciate it.

She held up the wine glass and took a sip. Out of the corner of her eyes, she glanced imperceptibly across the row opposite the palace. The handsome young man sitting in the corner and always smiling calmly—the ninth prince of Emperor Yu, Li Shan.

Today is the day of the annual clan banquet, which coincides with the time of the final exam of the academy.

According to the rules, the emperor and empress will gather with the clan in the Ziwei Hall in the afternoon, and in the evening in the Liangyi Hall, they will have a banquet to meet the school disciples who passed the final exam this year.

At this moment, the emperor and empress were sitting in the first seat, chatting with the clan elders on the left, while on the right stood Prince Li Si and Fourth Prince Li Hui.

Li Si is tall and handsome, loyal and honest; Li Hui is brilliant, intelligent, and extremely favored by the emperor. The status in the middle is far higher than that of other princes.

Especially Li Shan.

From Li Nanlei's perspective, one can clearly see the imperceptible loneliness in Li Shan's eyes.

His position is below other princes, and he doesn't have any clan cousins ​​who are willing to chat with him - just because his biological mother's concubine is named Wu.

The Wu of the "Holy Queen".

Although it was fifty years ago that the Holy Empress was abolished, the late emperor who personally launched a coup and forced the Holy Empress to abdicate has also been in control of Bintian for more than twenty years.

But fifty years ago, when the Holy Empress was in power, the memory of massacring Li's family members in order to consolidate the rule is still unforgettable.

Li Shan's mother is the grand-niece of the Holy Empress, and Li Shan has Wu's blood on her body.

This heavy identity is so embarrassing that no clan or courtier is willing to have too much contact with him.

When the crown prince's east palace is gradually being completed, the fourth prince Li Hui is recruiting scholars and guests, and other princes and princes are also looking for talents to enrich their prince's mansions,

In front of Li Shan's mansion, there is still no one there.

Like a transparent person.

Li Nanlei's father is King Zhao, and his maternal grandfather is General Youwuwei, Governor of Wangzhou, and Duke of Yue, Cai Zong.

Relying on the assets of the Prince's Mansion and her own dowry, the mother runs more than a dozen industries, spanning textiles, dyeing, sugar, mansions, chariots, banks, restaurants, and many others in the East and West cities. Hu Shang as the agent.

As the eldest daughter of Prince Zhao's Mansion, Li Nanlei can already advance her exorbitant dowry in advance like her mother, to make money from business operations, and even help Li Shan improve his situation.

"It is too easy to leave traces on money matters, so be careful and careful,"

Li Nanlei thought silently: "In comparison, talents are easier to find.

Yong Hongzhong will definitely be admitted to the school, and Qiu Jinghuan may also have hope.

For those poor students who performed well in the initial and re-examinations and were most likely to be admitted to the academy, I also asked my subordinates to secretly invest and win over through double or even triple relationships.

At that time, they will be able to become a good brother's help."

Tread Tread.

The deliberately light footsteps passing behind interrupted Li Nanlei's thoughts.

I saw an eunuch in yellow, bowing slightly, leaning against the wall of the Ziwei Hall to the first seat, and said something to the emperor and empress.

Empress Xue covered her mouth in astonishment, and the emperor also raised his eyebrows, stood up, and walked to the back courtyard with the empress and the eunuch in yellow.

There are already three people waiting in the courtyard.

Zhang Jingting, Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, and Qing Quanhan of Taichang Temple lived in Xiuxiu on a tour with the Academy.

The emperor waved his hand and interrupted the salutation of the three, and looked at the Hubu Shangshu, "Where are the things?"

"it's here."

Zhang Jingting, Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs, took a long wooden box from Cheng Juxiu. After opening it, three newly-made silver midwifery forceps, drawings and instructions were revealed, "Your Majesty, this thing was invented by a student from Yizhou. Midwifery forceps.

Chen read the documents submitted by the Academy, which contained records on the use of midwifery forceps.

And consulted more than a dozen elderly midwives in Chang'an City,

It is determined that this thing does have the function of helping women with dystocia and helping childbirth. "

The emperor said in a deep voice, "What did the imperial medical office say?"

The Imperial Medical Administration, which is in charge of Yu State's medical administration, is under the Taichang Temple. The Minister of Taichang Temple said: "The physicians of the Imperial Medical Administration also believe that the forceps are reasonable in structure, easy to use, effective, and easy to promote."

"Your Majesty, this is Xiangrui."

Empress Xue said softly: "I don't know how many poor women and babies in the world have died due to the misfortune of childbirth. Even wealthy families are unavoidable."

Not only are wealthy families with a better birth environment, even among wealthy families who can ask a master to condescend to help deliver babies, it is inevitable that there will be dystocia and death.

"Auspicious."

The emperor, who had been sitting on the throne for twenty years, took a deep breath, and his eyes were bright, "Chang'an and Wannian counties, how many babies are expected to be born this year?"

"The combined population of Chang'an and Wannian counties is 1.93 million. Counting the migrant population, it's 3.11 million."

The Minister of the Household Department seemed to know what the emperor wanted to ask, and said without thinking: "Among them, there are 1.7 million men, 1.4 million women, 420,000 women of childbearing age, and the number of newborns is about 100,000."

"One hundred thousand."

The emperor murmured, 100,000 newborns are just data on paper, and the maternal mortality rate during and after childbirth is as high as 1.5%.

The neonatal mortality rate was sometimes as high as 20 percent.

Every time I give birth, I linger before the gate of hell.

If the forceps did work, it is unknown how many lives could be saved.

It is indeed true to say that it is an auspicious object of Wanjiashengfo.

"Where is the student from Weizhou who invented this? Let him come to see me."

The emperor immediately realized that midwifery forceps can not only solve dystocia in the long-term, save pregnant women and newborns, but also increase the population of Yu State.

It can also be donated to other countries in a short period of time in exchange for tangible and political benefits.

"this."

Hubu Shangshu and Taichang Temple Minister looked at Cheng Juxiu, who smiled wryly and cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, the student from Weizhou who invented this thing is my younger brother, surnamed Li Mingang.

At this moment, he should be taking the final exam in the palace. "

"oh?"

The emperor raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Isn't he a disciple of the palace? His surname is Li and his name is Ang. He is from Weizhou and has a medical biography in his family?"

"Your Majesty, I seem to have heard of this name before."

The Minister of Taichang Temple hesitated and said: "Duke Yan has been suffering from heat and poison for a long time, and he was cured by famous doctors from all walks of life. He suddenly improved a lot a while ago. It seems that a student surnamed Li from Weizhou cured it. I don't know if it is not him."

"Yan Yundang?!"

The emperor and empress said in astonishment at the same time, Yan Yundang, the Duke of Yan, is a great general of the town, and also a master of martial arts, and a humerus veteran who assisted in overthrowing the holy queen and keeping the Li clan during the Shenlong coup.

"Your Majesty, I heard from the head of the mountain last time that this year's final exam in the palace is extremely difficult. You might as well ask the servant to wait outside Honglu Temple. Once the exam is over, invite that student."

Empress Xue made a suggestion, the emperor was about to nod his head in agreement, but saw the eunuch in yellow hurrying over and said softly: "Your Majesty, the head of the mountain and Siye Tantai Leshan are asking to see you.

"The head of the mountain?"

The emperor frowned slightly. Although the head of the mountain had the right to enter and leave the imperial city at will, he was not very willing to come to the Taiji Palace, let alone asked for an audience, and brought Tantai Leshan, a doctor of engineering.

The emperor asked in a deep voice, "Have you ever said why?"

The eunuch replied, "It seems to be because of malaria."