episode_0010

Previously, I mentioned the spread of smallpox in the 18th year of King Taejong’s reign, but during this period when it was absent from the land of Joseon, I believed that the origin of the smallpox that spread at this time was from the Ming Dynasty.

The reason was inoculation.

He frequently engaged in wars, blocking the invasions of the Mongols driven north.

This story involved gathering soldiers from all over China and bringing them to Beijing.

During a time of inconvenient transportation, armies of gathered soldiers from various regions were said to be more dangerous than zombies.

Because zombies may be visibly apparent, but living soldiers are not.

Perhaps the dormant smallpox virus spread from Beijing and did not spread through interactions with traders visiting Joseon.

And finally, I found it!

“Oh, my guess was correct.”

The child lying weakly in front of the collapsing shack was covered in blisters all over his body.

I immediately approached, put him in my arms, and placed the food I had been carrying in front of him.

“Ahem. I’m sorry this is all I have to offer.”

I tore ten pieces of cloth into fragments and wiped the pus from the burst blisters on each piece.

Turning around and heading towards where my companions were, I stuffed the pus-stained cloth into ten empty self-made pockets.

“Yes! Jackpot!”

The smallpox virus that others would abhor and fear was precious to me above all else.

If a nuclear weapon were to detonate, casualties could reach up to millions.

What about the smallpox virus?

It was a terrifying virus that could potentially cause tens of millions of deaths.

No cure!

The smallpox virus was the deadliest pathogen in human history, estimated to have caused casualties exceeding hundreds of millions.

And now, I had obtained it.

Of course, there are weaker and stronger strains of the smallpox virus.

I didn’t know what type of smallpox virus I had stored in my self-made pockets, but it was a game-changing cheat.

As night fell, I practiced variolation and sneaked into the room where a certain lady resided.

Stealthily.

I sprinkled the dried scabs on the noses of not only the sleeping lady but also her maid and servant girls.

It might seem risky, but this was the variolation method, a preventive measure against smallpox.

The mortality rate for regular smallpox was around 20-30%.

However, with variolation, only about 2% of individuals died.

Although one could still die from variolation if unlucky, the lady was destined to die seven years later anyway.

Moreover, since crossing the Yalu River, I had never seen the lady smile once.

Since the incident(?), Lady Hwang’s face had become notably relaxed.

Without predicting the butterfly effect of my actions, I undertook the task simply out of pity.

“She should fall ill before reaching Beijing. It would be better if she survived a bit longer.”

Even with variolation, there was no guarantee that blisters wouldn’t form, allowing her to live as a carrier for life.

As time passed, just a day before arriving in Beijing, an incident occurred.

After the incubation period passed, the lady, along with her maid and servant girls caring for her, contracted smallpox.

As blisters appeared on their faces like with regular smallpox, the three women were immediately quarantined.

Furthermore, the entire envoy was not allowed to enter Beijing until it was confirmed that they were not infected.

Up to this point, everything went as expected, but an unexpected event unfolded.

The lady’s appointment as the royal concubine was canceled due to the confirmed outbreak of smallpox.

Even before the smallpox outbreak, this envoy had experienced various diseases, leading to rumors of curses and bad omens.

Now, facing the possibility of death or a lifetime as carriers of smallpox, who would want to accept them?

“While Lady Hwang’s case is still pre-outbreak, the order for Lady Han and the three infected women to return to Joseon immediately has been issued.”

The person speaking to me was the highest-ranking officer among the military officials.

“Sending sick people back to Joseon immediately? Shouldn’t they receive treatment first?”

“How can we treat smallpox? Is there any treatment?”

“…..”

That was it.

There was no cure for smallpox.

“If the disease spreads, they say you should leave immediately, even if it means death.”

“They are really going too far. Treating a sick person…”

“Hmm. Do you think they would bother with that? Regardless, the three women must return to Joseon, and you must take charge of their escort.”

“Pardon? Me?”

To freely shop in Beijing, Na had already stirred up Hwang’s estate.

Over the past few months, she diligently studied Chinese online.

Thanks to this, her Chinese proficiency improved day by day, along with her confidence.

But now they were telling her to leave Beijing just like that?

This was unacceptable. Truly unacceptable.

Why was misfortune striking her!

“Why specifically me?”

She asked, her heart heavy.

“You aren’t even qualified to come along!”

“…..”

She couldn’t argue against the notion of qualification. However, she quickly regained her composure and asked,

“Fine. Then will Lord Hanhwak Busajung accompany us?”

Officially, Hanhwak was the head of the embassy and held the position of Busajung.

“He wouldn’t bring himself close to smallpox, being so cold as to offer his sister as a concubine. He said he couldn’t leave until his mission for His Majesty was complete.”

“…..”

“I’ll provide a carriage and assign 20 soldiers for the escort. Depart immediately.”

Immediately!

They had to leave without staying even a single more day.

“Darn it. I didn’t go through all this trouble and spend money and effort for this.”

Her heart was in agony, but she couldn’t stay put.

On her way here, she visited her closest military official friend, offering emergency funds and making a request.

“Glassware?”

“Yes. The cleanest and as much as possible.”

“But glass might break. I’m not confident in preserving them all the way to Joseon.”

“I hope they don’t break, but if they do, please don’t blame me. Just bring them back from Joseon and give them to me.”

“What’s the point of broken ones?”

“You can melt glass and remake them.”

“Oh! Is that so?”

“So please don’t throw them away, bring them back.”

If she mentioned the future plans earlier, the military official friend kept his promise and bought a lot of glassware.

Some were completely shattered, some slightly cracked, and some intact.

But there was an issue.

“The transparency is terrible.”

With glass in such a state, how could she make a telescope?

A microscope? It was laughable. At least glass bottles could be used.

“Phew, is the answer a reflection telescope using mirrors? But it’s a shame to waste this, how can I salvage it?”

So, she deliberately smashed all the glass and selected only the pieces with good transparency.

She melted them, made concave and convex lenses, and created a telescope.

Of course, she didn’t do this alone.

Melting glass required high heat, so she needed to take it to a forge and melt it in a furnace, requiring the help of a blacksmith.

Making molds to pour the molten glass into also required the assistance of skilled craftsmen.

The finished telescope had about a 10x magnification.

With this, she could observe very distant objects.

Anyway, that’s a story for later. For now, without a proper protest, she had to turn back on the road with the three women in the carriage and the 20 soldiers of the escort.

“Sobbing. My lady. Sobbing. My lady.”

Even in pain, the maid cried tears.

“You’re feeling dizzy. That’s why you should stop crying.”

“But… If we return like this, won’t you have to live alone for the rest of your life, my lady?”

The maid’s words were indeed correct.

The women who had gone to Beijing as concubines.

Caught multiple diseases on the way.

A woman carrying a curse that extends to the second floor, who even bears traces of a bear on her face. Who would want to marry such a woman?

Having returned to the Joseon era, I decided it was time for me to practice indubitably.

The land of Joseon is expected to be widely affected by the curse in the future. Shouldn’t we take preventive measures to avoid danger?

Since those afflicted by the curse are not very contagious, I had no fear of contracting it even when near the three women with the curse.

Therefore, I took out the pus remaining in my self-made pustule container and inhaled it into my nose.

As a result, not long after, I developed a fever and blisters appeared on my face.

“Ugh, Sir…!”

Squelch.

Upon seeing the blisters, the guards panicked and took a step back.

I couldn’t ride the carriage anymore. But since others were too scared to approach, I ended up driving the carriage myself.

“You handle the carriage quite well. The horses obey you well, don’t they?”

Mr. Han occasionally spoke to me on the way back.

“Yes? Haha. That’s right.”

Even the coachman praised my carriage handling skills.

Furthermore, whenever we stopped at villages for meals on the way back, I took charge of negotiations each time.

Even when the curse showed on my face, I dealt with it while covering my face with a veil.

Despite suffering from the curse, I took matters into my own hands because delegating to others didn’t yield satisfactory results and could lead to rejection or even homelessness.