Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 718

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 718
Jin Cheon-hee decided to protect himself.
“Your Majesty, I humbly beseech your understanding! I am still young and inexperienced, and the position of Provincial Governor is beyond my capabilities. Moreover, even if Baekrin County were to become Baekrin Province, should not the position of Provincial Governor be determined by my Master, the Duke of Medicine?”
Yi Bu-sangeo seized the moment and began to shout.
“Behold this disrespectful wretch! Though the Duke of Medicine holds domain rights through his fief, he dares refuse Your Majesty’s command! This is treason!”
‘Perfect!’
Jin Cheon-hee immediately countered Yi Bu-sangeo’s words.
“Yi Bu-sangeo speaks truly. Therefore, I remain too inexperienced to accept the position of Provincial Governor. I humbly beseech your understanding!”
At Jin Cheon-hee’s words, Yi Bu-sangeo’s expression twisted strangely.
‘What is this? What trap is this?!’
Most would accept such imperial grace without hesitation, yet he was digging his own trap.
‘Surely he doesn’t actually dislike the position of Provincial Governor. Could this be an elaborate trap from the Jegallim Family?!’
If so, had he fallen into the trap himself?
The mind of Yi Bu-sangeo, who had survived through schemes and stratagems, churned rapidly.
He never imagined that Jin Cheon-hee might genuinely dislike the position of Provincial Governor.
Yet there was one who knew the truth.
Han Yi-jeong.
She observed this chaos and thought to herself.
‘Jin Cheon-hee. You’re trying to escape. But….’
Han Yi-jeong’s gaze turned toward her grandfather, the Eunuch General.
Grandfather simply smiled contentedly as always.
His true intentions were inscrutable.
Yet she knew he would not be so easily fooled, and above all, was the Emperor not smirking?
It resembled the cruel smile of an elder brother stealing his younger sister’s snacks.
“Provincial Governor Jin Cheon-hee, listen.”
‘No no no, I said I won’t, Provincial Governor!’
In that moment, Jin Cheon-hee subtly devised reasons for refusal, his next moves, and strategies using the Hyeonwon Jeondan Singeong.
All within the bounds of imperial law!
He had to survive first.
Ignoring Jin Cheon-hee’s inner desperation, the Emperor continued.
“Do you think I don’t understand your true intentions? You fear the burden of work that comes with a higher position, don’t you?”
“…!”
A direct hit.
Before all the court officials, the Emperor threw a fastball at 170 kilometers per hour.
Strike!
Everyone’s thoughts came to a halt.
Even Jin Cheon-hee, who had been circulating the Hyeonwon Jeondan Singeong, momentarily lost focus, uncertain if he’d heard correctly.
The Emperor spoke.
“You wretch, can’t you simply do your work obediently?!”
No schemes.
Abandoning all propriety and justification, they simply thrust forward—and so I, Jin Cheon-hee, had no choice but to swing the baseball bat.
“But Your Majesty, is this not a reward for me?”
Crack!
A refreshing answer, as if the ball soared into the clear blue sky.
Everyone gasped in shock.
But what came next was even more astonishing.
‘Questioning the Emperor about an official position?’
Yet the Emperor himself merely laughed heartily and boldly.
“It is indeed a reward. Did I not say I would force you to use soap regularly?”
“Ah, well, that’s…”
“Then do well in your duties, Jin Tae-su.”
This feeling.
Everyone sensed it.
Somehow, this didn’t feel like a sovereign and subject conversing—it felt more like Ju Wang and the Emperor speaking to one another.
Amid everyone’s astonishment, I alone held back tears of blood and spoke.
“Your Imperial Grace is boundless.”
‘I should have kept pretending to be blind. I really should have.’
Surely these madmen hadn’t actually given the position of Tae-su to a blind patient whose inner energy was sealed.
* * *
The Emperor’s office.
I sat with a sullen expression, studying the Emperor.
Amused by something, the Emperor laughed so hard that the crown upon his head trembled.
It was Pung Ha-eun.
“Where has Emperor Geum-wang gone?”
“He had matters to attend to, so I am handling the imperial duties.”
When distinguishing between the two, it is virtually impossible to do so by appearance alone. They deliberately erase distinguishing features so that even they cannot tell each other apart.
From my experience, Eun Wang-ya tends to be somewhat more mischievous.
Emperor Geum-wang is somewhat more stern.
Even so, only someone who has had prolonged contact and observed carefully could notice such nuances—certainly not from merely hearing the Emperor speak in the great hall just now.
‘Even I only suspected when I saw him throw that fastball at the end.’
In that fleeting moment, I had prepared five reasons for refusal and fifteen four-character idioms to express them.
I had even identified three people I could drag down with me as scapegoats.
But I never expected him to throw such a fastball without warning.
“Did you think I’ve only dealt with clever fellows like you a time or two?”
“Y-yes, Your Majesty.”
“Shaken by merely that much. To engage in palace intrigue, one must be at least on the level of Ga Wan…”
‘Yet that person was deeply contemplating whether to abandon her own child just recently…’
It was, how to say it. Darkness within darkness.
A place where each person is a game piece, and if necessary, even blood relations have their throats cut.
I have no desire to engage in palace intrigue, nor do I wish to contemplate it.
“I am Kang Ho-in. The Imperial Palace’s chirping chick—no, the Imperial Palace’s newborn, I suppose. I never imagined being called such things.”
“Well, you’re far too virtuous for that sort of behavior.”
Was being called virtuous an insult or a compliment?
I couldn’t say. But at least he didn’t seem to dislike my response, for he continued smiling.
“That’s precisely why I rely on you so much.”
“…Surely your servant knows nothing of Emperor Geum-wang’s departure?”
“You know nothing. If you did, it would spell disaster.”
Disaster seemed to mean far more than merely filling the new flush toilets with water.
It surely meant death—and not a dignified one at that.
‘Then why did you teach me this in the first place?’
Damn it, I wish you’d let me live in ignorance.
“So you mentioned wanting to import goods from the Damjin Kingdom at lower unit costs?”
“Yes. I believe we could produce high-quality toothpaste in large quantities at significantly reduced prices.”
Mass production. Superior efficacy.
Both mattered. From the Emperor’s perspective, expense wasn’t the issue. What mattered was whether the product worked better.
“Hmm… You’re saying you can create toothpaste superior to what Geum uses exclusively? Then what if you went as an envoy yourself?”
“Me, Your Majesty?”
Jin Cheon-hee’s eyes widened slightly.
“Yes. I hear there are several problems there. Resolve them while you’re at it, and establish trade routes as well.”
At those words, Jin Cheon-hee’s expression turned openly reluctant.
“Well, I need to know what the problem is first…”
“Plague. They cannot contain it themselves. I worry it might spread to our Hwa Empire…”
“…I shall go.”
“Your expression changes immediately for such matters. The Eunuch General will prepare the intelligence for you. Review it before you depart.”
“Understood.”
“If you cannot cure it, feel free to abandon the effort. We’ve already given up because we lack another doctor anyway.”
Jin Cheon-hee nodded, then asked again.
“There are no diplomatic complications, correct?”
“None. Though Geum did mention burning the border regions to ash if the plague crosses over.”
“…”
The Hwa Empire is a demon.
I suddenly felt sorry toward Hwang-gu. I should correct myself.
The Hwa Empire is a demonic beast.
I know such thoughts themselves constitute grave treason in this era.
Now I understood why the nomads had over twenty curses for the Hwa Empire.
Remarkably, Gold and Silver would still be remembered as decent Previous Emperors in Hwa history.
“Doesn’t the Jegallim Family traditionally dislike the Hwa realm?”
“Ah… Our family prefers peace?”
Did this fool snort up the Battle of Red Cliffs through his nose?
Jin Cheon-hee spoke.
“While I’m here anyway, let me give you both a proper examination. I should check your teeth as well.”
“Ugh, isn’t that just for Geum?”
“Both of you will receive one.”
Eun Wang-ya reluctantly extended her wrist, as if pricked by guilt.
Let me start with taking her pulse and reading her qi. This woman.
* * *
After the examination, in the Eastern Palace office.
“So you’re saying he ordered you to do that?”
The Eunuch General spoke with a grin spreading across his face.
“His Majesty doesn’t really have high expectations, if I’m being honest.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes… well, the court physician only knows how to treat people. How could he possibly save beasts?”
“…?”
Wondering what he meant, I studied the information the Eunuch General had brought for a long time.
I examined the intelligence reports at length, read through diplomatic correspondence, and hours passed in this manner.
And then I understood.
‘This looks like cattle plague…’
I wasn’t certain, but the timing, the various symptoms appearing in the cattle, and the fact that it was harmless to humans—all of it matched.
Most of all…
‘The timing fits when cattle plague would be spreading in this era.’
Cattle plague is literally a contagious disease targeting cattle.
It’s harmless to humans, but it kills cattle with terrifying speed.
Moreover, though called cattle plague, it’s a horrifying epidemic that kills not just cattle but all even-toed ungulates—pigs, goats, and other hoofed mammals—indiscriminately!
Throughout the thousands of years humans have lived alongside livestock, this disease has appeared regardless of climate or region, leaving countless livestock dead in its wake.
‘One might think it’s fine since only cattle die and humans survive… but this causes tremendous damage.’
The problem is that in Earth’s history, this cattle plague brought famine to the African region.
‘About 80 to 90 percent of livestock died, and wild animals like giraffes also perished, they say.’
It was due to cattle plague spread by livestock imported from Italy in 1887.
With all the livestock dead, farming using those animals naturally became impossible.
In the wild, large herbivores died off, so the creatures that periodically grazed on weeds disappeared.
Naturally, large carnivores also declined sharply.
‘Nature is organic.’
With large herbivores unable to graze, weeds grew rampant.
Insects dwelling in those weeds bred prolifically and spread disease.
The tsetse fly.
The primary culprit behind sleeping sickness.
Starving people had no immunity to fight it.
It was like dominoes—an environmental catastrophe began to unfold.
Not just famine, but epidemics began to rage.
‘Europe filled the empty spaces left by the deaths of native peoples with their own development zones.’
This is a story that doesn’t appear in textbooks.
One shouldn’t assume relief just because humans cannot contract the disease.
And now.
In that distant kingdom, rinderpest is raging and spreading widely.
‘Rinderpest… rinderpest indeed…. It’s definitely in my memory.’
The Hyeonwon Jeondan Singeong even retrieves a memory I once glimpsed from the past and presents it to me.
‘On Earth, the official announcement that the rinderpest virus had gone extinct was… in June 2011?’
But could it truly be rinderpest?
As always, there is no certainty.
Even if my suspicions lean that way, there’s no guarantee the disease is identical to Earth’s version.
Looking at the Hyeolseonggyo, they’re the type of people who can genuinely curse cattle to death in droves.
‘In human history, rinderpest was eradicated with these two weapons: tissue culture methods and immune serum therapy….’

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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