Housekeeper of the Hundred Blossom Palace

“And so, the consort’s maids and court ladies feared the curse, and they refused to nurse her.”

The crown prince took over in narrating Ziliang’s story, and he stated the reason why he didn’t want the woman to return to his palace.

The palace maids and court ladies attending to a high ranking concubine were brought with her from her family home, or they may come from well-to-do families. Because of that, they naturally valued themselves more than their jobs. It was a harsh reality, but if the position of concubine was vacated, then it would also be their chance. It was not surprising that there were court ladies and maids who did not take the initiative to do their work.

“So, Doctor, can you do me this favour?”

“….Oi, Yui Mei.”

Ziliang, who was once again requested by the crown prince, looked imploringly at Yui Mei. Even if he didn’t say it aloud, Yui Mei already knew what Ziliang wanted. He probably wanted  her to nurse the crown prince’s consort. He had no choice but to rely on her, since there were no assistant court ladies available.

“I understand. I can do it. But in exchange, please inform the higher-ups regarding the current circumstances. But before that –“

Yui Mei crossed her arms before the crown prince, and declared.

“Your Highness, you and your attendant must be disinfected. If we do not do anything, you will become infected. You too, doctor!”

“Disinfect, is it?”

The crown prince looked bewildered upon hearing the unfamiliar word, so she explained further.

“Disinfecting means eliminating the bacteria—the source of illness that adhered to your body.”

 Yui Mei’s original purpose was to obtain the utility sake that she needed to make the alcohol-based sanitizer.

After going in rounds, she finally reached her goal.

And so, Yui Mei got the utility sake, and started to make the sanitizer.

The formula was easy; she just had to mix 7 parts of alcohol and three parts of water.

She would have preferred if it was purified water for storage purposes, but since she would not be storing it, she made do with water taken from a well. She just had to put it inside a sprayer, and the preparation was complete.

“What a novel use of sake.”

Apparently, Ziliang did not use alcohol to disinfect wounds, and so he was impressed.

“Then I’ll go first.”

Yui Mei disinfected herself first. It was not to demonstrate that it was not poison; Yui Mei prioritized herself since she did artificial resuscitation earlier.

‘I’ll definitely get infected.’

That was also the reason why she did not remove her mask earlier despite standing before the crown prince, even when Ziliang kept on shooting her suspicious glances. She wanted to get some medicine from Ziliang later so she can drink it as soon as possible. Early medication was the key in dealing with influenza.

Yui Mei disinfected her hands carefully before doing anything else. She put alcohol on her palms, and meticulously rubbed each of her fingers from the base to the fingertip, then the back of her hands, down to her wrists. After she was done with her hands, she sprinkled alcohol over herself, since she couldn’t change her clothes as precaution. Afterward, she gurgled with tea as finishing touch. Tea had antioxidant properties, as well as anti-virus properties too, so it was surprisingly effective.

It was the crown prince and the attendant’s turn.

“Please do it exactly as I did.”

Yui Mei instructed them to remove their rings and bracelets and other jewelry before giving them alcohol. She then advised them that it would be better if they refrain from wearing those things, unless absolutely necessary.

“The source of illness naturally sticks to jewelry, so they must be disinfected first. So it would be best if you remove it first. This disease will subside once the weather is warmer, so please refrain from wearing jewelry until then.”

“You did say that it would be better to lessen the danger, am I correct? I understand.”

After getting the crown prince’s consent, Yui Mei vigorously sprinkled the antiseptic solution on the prince’s whole body. Ziliang quickly drew back in shock at the same time.

“Yui Mei, you sure have guts…”

Ziliang commented as he watched Yui Mei’s natural movements.

How will they progress if the doctor himself had that attitude? Be it the crown prince or the commoners, everyone’s equal in the face of influenza’s crisis. Besides, even if the newly sprinkled alcohol stank, the smell would dissipate soon enough.They just had to bear with it for a while. Yui Mei had them gargle tea afterward.

“Tea is very effective in killing the source of the disease.”

“Hmm, is that so.”

The crown prince was impressed at Yui Mei’s explanation.

“People who drink tea are less prone to catch colds. It is also known among the physicians.”

Ziliang also supported Yui Mei’s claims. Apparently, the properties of tea had also been discovered in this world. After Ziliang was also done disinfecting and gargling, Yui Mei sprayed the antiseptic solution on the handle of the clinic door, which was touched by everyone. She did this to prevent the spread of infection.

“It is important to note the room’s ventilation and the level of humidity to prevent contagion. This disease thrives in arid and stagnated air. So pay attention to the airflow, and boil water in the middle of the room to raise humidity.”

Yui Mei warned the eunuch. The eunuch probably thought she was a physician’s assistant. Regardless of his suspicious stare, he did listen obediently, so she did not dare disclose the fact that she was a low-ranking court lady.

“Speaking of which, I heard that boiling water has recently become popular among Father’s concubines.”

The crown prince said, as if he just recalled it.

That was probably started by Lady Wang.

‘I see, so it became a trend, huh.’

Indeed, she did explain it as protection against colds.

At that time, she didn’t know the whole picture, so it might be considered as luck.

It was said that the concubines poured hot water in several beautiful containers, and since it’s a good opportunity, they also dripped perfume oils in it to enjoy themselves. The lives of the concubines were also in danger should they get infected with influenza, so they must have been willing to try anything no matter how trivial it may seem.

Aside from that, this method was cheaper and more convenient compared to buying high-grade medicine. This was also one of the factors why it became popular.

“Then, it is also time for me to return to the palace.”

The crown prince seemed to be in high spirits.

“By the way, you said your name is Yui Mei?”

“Yes.”

Yui Mei was taken aback when the crown prince suddenly questioned her, so she wasn’t able to come up with a lie, and just answered honestly.

“Were you born on a rainy day, perhaps?”

The character Yui was written as rain, and Mei, written as sister, could also mean girl. The history of her name could be gleaned with just a single glance.

“Indeed, I was a girl born on a rainy day, so it’s Yui Mei. I also wished my parents carefully thought it out before they named me.”

The crown prince narrowed his eyes at Yui Mei as she pouted and grumbled.

“Oi, give me some of that ‘antiseptic solution’, I want to bring it back.”

“Alright, I’ll make some more.”

The eunuch was observing the crown prince’s interested demeanor, so he requested Yui Mei to give him some. She obligingly made another container of sanitizer, and she also taught him the method.

But there was something strange about this eunuch.

Eunuchs were castrated males, and hormonal imbalances caused them to have feminine appearances and high-pitched voices. But this eunuch attendant of the crown prince, though possessing a beautiful face, was exuding an air of indomitable masculinity, and his voice was also attractive, albeit low.

‘Let’s not think about it too deeply.’

Yui Mei instincts, being the die-hard Chinese drama fan that she was, screamed that it was not something that she should meddle with.

——

T/N: Suspicious eunuch, indeed. ?