"Li Zhanshi, how long will it take for the medicine to take effect?"
Li Er asked Li Zexuan with his hands behind his back after ordering all the servants to leave the room.
Li Zexuan replied, "Your Majesty, according to my estimation, the effect should be seen in the afternoon. By then, the frequency of Qing Que's defecation will obviously decrease. If we keep taking the medicine in the morning and in the evening, she will definitely recover within five days!"
"Are you that confident?"
"Your Majesty, I am confident!"
If he had only deduced the prescription based on his own understanding of the herbs at the beginning, he might not have been 100% confident. However, now that he saw Li Tai and the rest gradually recover after being fumigated by the toilet, he was even more convinced of the old village doctor's prescription.
Li Er nodded imperceptibly and said, "This time, the Blue Sparrow was suddenly attacked by cholera and almost lost her life. Thanks to your help, the Empress and I are very grateful. Whatever reward you want, just say it!"
Li Zexuan's eyes lit up but then dimmed. He sighed and said, "Your Majesty, I heard that Qing Que and Chou Niu suffered from cholera because they drank the water from the Ba River. Is that true?"
Li Zexuan actually did not want the reward that was delivered to his mouth. Li Er could not help being greatly surprised. Hearing Li Zexuan suddenly ask about this, he suppressed the doubts in his heart and said with a nod, "Indeed so! I have already sent people to check on the recent meals in Qing Que Mansion. There is nothing unusual. Also, I just received news that there are a few hundred more people suffering from cholera outside Chang 'an City! "
Li Zexuan's heart sank and said, "Therefore, I think that now is not the time to discuss the reward. The river is invisible and the pollution of the water source is the most difficult to control. When the time comes, the number of people suffering from cholera will definitely be more than this. The priority now is for the local government to step in and remind the people to pay attention to the hygiene of their drinking water to prevent more people from contracting cholera!"
Although he did not have the heart of a Bodhisattva, he did not want to see too many people suffer. Since ancient times, cholera was an acute infectious disease that was always more important to prevent than to treat. If there was not a set of perfect preventive measures, when the number of cholera patients reached a certain level, it would be impossible to control the disease!
Li Er heard this and could not help but look at Li Zexuan in a new light. He secretly thought that this fellow was usually slippery and cunning, but when it came to critical moments, he was able to distinguish the severity!
"Not bad, I am very pleased that you can think of this. However, I have already ordered the Governor to work together with the county magistrates of every county near Chang 'an City to inform the people not to drink the water from the Ba River. When your prescription is effective, I will let the Imperial Medical Department to prepare a batch of herbs and medicine ingredients and give it to the sick people free!"
Li Er looked at Li Zexuan with a gratified expression.
Unexpectedly, Li Zexuan shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, this solution does not solve the root of the problem! Although there are eight rivers around Chang 'an, namely Wei, Jing, Feng, Zhao, Bi, Bi, and Ba, and there are five canals in the city, namely the Longshou Canal, Qingming Canal, Yong' an Canal, Huang Canal, and Cao Canal, it can be said that the water source is abundant. Even without the Ba River, it can still satisfy the water needs of the people in and outside Chang 'an City. However, Your Majesty, do not forget that these eight rivers and the five canals are interconnected. As time passes, the water from the other rivers will also cause cholera! If Your Majesty wants to prohibit the people from drinking the river water, just the Ba River alone is far from enough! "
The Chang 'an of this era was not the same as the modern Xi' an. The surrounding areas were rich in water resources. Otherwise, it would not be enough to support this super city with a population of two million people! However, there was no running water in this era. The people's drinking water mainly came from the river. Therefore, Li Zexuan felt that Li Er's method was not reliable.
(The reason why the modern Xi 'an had a shortage of water resources and frequent droughts was mainly because of the Sui and Tang dynasties. The population of the Guanzhong area increased greatly, the Loess Plateau was overdeveloped, and the rapid disappearance of forests. Of course, the most important reason was the war at the end of the Tang dynasty.)
After listening to Li Zexuan's words, Li Er could not help but frown deeply. After thinking for a while, he glanced at Li Zexuan and said, "Looking at your confident appearance, you must have a plan in mind, right? Quickly say it, don't keep me in suspense! "
Li Zexuan secretly rolled his eyes. He thought to himself, Am I keeping you in suspense? This is called devising a strategy!
"Your Majesty, according to what I know, the reason why the Murky River's water causes cholera is because there are microscopic life forms in the river that cause cholera. These life forms are very small and cannot be seen with the naked eye. When they enter the human body, they are usually killed by the acid secreted by the human stomach. However, there will always be a portion that survives. The portion that survives will invade the human intestines and multiply in an extremely short period of time, producing highly concentrated toxins that are very lethal! The specific symptoms are like Qing Que's continuous vomiting and diarrhea yesterday! "
Li Zexuan began to instill modern medical theories into Li Er and Li Tai. Li Er could not help but be shocked. Li Tai could not help but tremble a few times. When he thought of the countless tiny creatures "giving birth" in his intestines, he felt terrified.
Li Zexuan continued, "The lives of the people cannot be separated from water. Therefore, Your Majesty's method of prohibiting the people from drinking the river water is not a long-term solution. I feel that rather than this, it is better to encourage the people to boil the water before drinking. This will greatly reduce the possibility of them contracting cholera!"
(Ancient people usually drank cold water. Only when the weather was cold would they boil the water to drink.)
Li Er asked doubtfully, "If the water is boiled, will it kill the tiny creatures in the water?"
Li Zexuan nodded and said, "Of course. In fact, it is not only these tiny creatures. Other things that can cause illness can also be killed by boiling the water!"
Li Er nodded lightly, but in his heart, he was thinking to himself that he should instruct the people to boil all the water in the palace in the future. Just now, when Li Zexuan said that the tiny creatures were multiplying in Li Tai's stomach, he was disgusted. He, Li Er, was the Emperor. He would not allow these little things to offend his imperial prestige!
"As you said, I will instruct the people in a while! Remember to write what you just said in Datang Daily later. It is best to let more people know the pros and cons! "
Today, Datang Daily had become a force of public opinion that could not be ignored. Many times, the imperial court's decrees had to be publicized through the newspaper.
Li Zexuan cupped his hands and promised. Even if Old Li did not say so, he would have done so.
"That … Yamachō, where did the tiny creatures in the river that caused cholera that you mentioned earlier come from?"
At this time, Li Tai, who was half leaning on the bed, asked weakly.
Li Zexuan turned his head and looked at the child sympathetically. He said, "According to my guess, it is very likely that the water in Ba River was contaminated by the feces of the patients who had cholera before. That is why there were these tiny creatures. After that, it happened that you guys …"
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