Chapter 73

New book, seeking recommendations, seeking collections.

Inside the most spacious and bright room of the Castle of Viterbo, which has now been set up as a temporary operating room, Louis Bonaparte has been anesthetized with ether, undressed, and placed on a teak long table. The hair on his abdomen has been shaved off, and a layer of antiseptic iodine has been applied, waiting for the incision.

The Bonaparte family members are waiting outside the room, not idle, all murmuring prayers for Louis Bonaparte. In the past few days, among the black slaves who were operated on for fun, two seemed to have had unsuccessful surgeries and had to undergo a second operation, leaving them in a critical condition. Such a thing must not happen to Louis Bonaparte!

Zhu Jishi put on a white coat, rubber gloves, and a mask, standing beside the teak table. He is the chief surgeon today. Maria Clementina, dressed in a clean white dress, stands by his side as a temporary nurse. Additionally, there are two Italian doctors: one surnamed Mario, an elderly monk with all white hair, a doctor of the Roman Catholic Church, sent by the Pope to treat Louis Bonaparte. The other, surnamed Canio, is younger and more handsome, with golden hair, seemingly of Germanic descent but considering himself Italian. He is the Bonaparte family doctor and is well-known in the Papal States. The two Italian doctors are now Zhu Jishi's assistants, one responsible for blood transfusion, the other ready to follow Zhu Jishi's instructions.

Zhu Jishi glanced at the two Italian doctors, who appeared very nervous, their foreheads covered in cold sweat.

"Scalpel," Zhu Jishi said softly in German. Maria handed him a carefully cleaned surgical knife. A straight line had already been drawn on Louis Bonaparte's abdomen with a pen, and Zhu Jishi just needed to cut along it. Due to long-term stomach problems, Louis Bonaparte was very thin, with almost no fat layer on his abdomen, and a light cut was enough to open it.

"Blood, wipe it off," Zhu Jishi said. "Maria, hemostat."

Seeing the blood flow, Zhu Jishi calmly gave instructions. Doctor Canio had already prepared a towel and quickly wiped away the blood, while Zhu Jishi used the hemostat to clamp the bleeding point.

"Stomach, I see the stomach," said Friar Mario, who, despite his age, had good eyesight and immediately spotted the problematic "Bonaparte stomach."

"It doesn't look ulcerated," Zhu Jishi felt relieved, gently pressing on Louis Bonaparte's stomach and said, "There might be a tumor inside." He looked at Canio, "How long has he had stomach pain?"

"About two years," Canio replied.

"It seems this tumor has been growing for two years," Zhu Jishi thought. "A tumor that has grown for two years without killing Louis Bonaparte suggests it's not highly malignant, and there are no visible lesions around the stomach... it might be benign, but a total gastrectomy is safer."

He said solemnly, "The tumor is large, so we'll do a total gastrectomy."

"Large?" Canio's face showed concern, "Sir Zhu, can the patient still be saved?"

In the eyes of the doctors of this era, the severity of a tumor should be related to its size.

"First, we'll do a total gastrectomy... there are no signs of cancer spread at the moment, so I think the patient's prognosis is good, the key is postoperative recovery," Zhu Jishi said to the young doctor, "Canio, the patient's diet must strictly follow the meal plan and frequency I provide."

"Understood, Sir Zhu."

"Alright, let's start the resection, Maria, hand me the scalpel."

Zhu Jishi took a deep breath, took the scalpel from Maria, and began the operation under the watchful eyes of the two nervous Italian doctors. To be honest, today's surgery is something that Western medicine of this era cannot imagine, possibly the first successful abdominal tumor resection in history. Its medical value is no less significant than the "Bacteriology" that Zhu Jishi "pioneered," as this surgery declared that cancer is no longer an incurable disease. At least in this timeline, Louis Bonaparte was cured by Zhu Jishi and lived for another 20 years, dying of heart disease in 1868.

"Sir Zhu, you... you really removed my stomach tumor?" This was the first thing Louis Bonaparte said upon waking up and seeing Zhu Jishi, "Can you tell me now if I have stomach cancer, and... how long I have left?"

Louis Bonaparte's sallow face turned even more ashen, like a prisoner hearing a death sentence.

"Your Majesty, how long you live depends on you, not me, because the surgery a few hours ago was very successful. Your stomach and tumor have been completely removed, so there's no chance of recurrence," Zhu Jishi said calmly. After the surgery, he had a long conversation with Doctors Mario and Canio, discovering that the doctors of this era had no understanding of cancer cell metastasis... so he confidently said, "It's very clear. Stomach cancer is a 'hereditary disease' in the Bonaparte family. Your two brothers and father died of stomach cancer, but you are no longer at risk because you no longer have a stomach, so you can't get stomach cancer again. Your stomach cancer is definitely cured."

"You said I no longer have a stomach..." Louis Bonaparte stared at Zhu Jishi, "Can I still eat?"

"You can start eating in 10 days, but there are many things you can no longer eat. I've left a special diet plan and meal schedule with Doctor Canio. In the future, you will have fewer pleasures in eating, but your life is saved."

"Really... I won't die?" Louis Bonaparte's face showed indescribable excitement.

"You won't die soon, but in 20, 30, or even more years, God will still call you back to His side," Zhu Jishi said with a smile, "I think you might witness the Bonaparte family regaining the throne of France."

"Then I'll take your good words!" Louis Bonaparte's heart was at ease, and he said happily, "If that day comes, I'll try to make you the President of the French Academy of Sciences and help you get a dukedom! By the way, the Duke of Ségur is quite old and reportedly seriously ill, he might die soon. Would you like me to arrange a marriage between you and Maria Clementina? The Ségur family was almost wiped out during the Revolution, and the Duke of Ségur has no children, so all his property and titles will be inherited by Maria..."

The political schemer in bed? Let's pass. Seeing Zhu Jishi's silence, Louis Bonaparte stopped talking. Zhu Jishi, however, did not realize that he had just missed out on a huge fortune! At present, the richest people in France are either bankers or vineyard owners. Although bankers appear to have more money, the true wealth lies with the vineyard owners. Especially after Napoleon III came to power, the turmoil in France ended, and land prices continued to rise. When the Rothschild family bought the Château Lafite, it cost 4.4 million francs, equivalent to 180,000 pounds! The Duke of Ségur owned no fewer than three or forty vineyards, each less valuable than Château Lafite, but the total value was still astronomical.

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