Chapter 1693: Intercession

"A doctor must also be able to protect himself. Knowing it's impossible but still doing it is not kindness, but stupidity." Man Bao paused and said, "Wanting to exchange one life for another, but ending up with both lives lost is not acceptable."

"Then why did Xiao Yuanzheng ask this question?"

"Those are two different questions. If you haven't had any oil or water in your stomach for a long time, you can't eat a lot of meat and fish all at once. It will hurt your stomach. If someone doesn't know and chooses meat, it's understandable. But if someone knows and still chooses meat, that's greed. Putting greed above health and life is not advisable."

Mingda seemed to understand and asked, "So, if someone answers that they eat meat, some will be admitted and some won't?"

Man Bao said, "It depends on the situation. If there are people who answer better than them, we will naturally not admit more since we already have enough admissions. If there are not enough, then the shorter ones will choose the taller ones."

Because it was the first enrollment, the candidates were of varying types. There were young doctors who had studied medicine for several years, medicine boys who knew some medical knowledge, and even traveling doctors who came with their nephews and nephews.

But there were more people who could read and write in the capital and nearby areas, as well as young men and women who could not read but came to take the exam after hearing that the Imperial Medical Bureau not only provided them with training, but also provided them with food and lodging, and that they could become officials in the future.

Mingda asked: "Have you recruited enough people now?"

Man Bao shook his head. "Except for massage and spells, the other classes are still short of a few people. We really can't pick out the right ones. Dean Xiao said it's better to have a shortage than to have unqualified ones. After all, they will be deployed to various medical offices to treat patients in the future. It's better to have a shortage than to have unqualified ones."

Mingda nodded.

The quotas in the Imperial Medical Bureau were not full, so some people came to the Emperor and Empress, asking if their distant nieces could be allowed to go in and study, but the quota would not be counted towards the quota in the Imperial Medical Bureau.

Saying she is a distant niece is just an excuse. Most of the time, the surname is given to the maid in the family, and after she is released from the household, she is considered a distant niece.

The Emperor only paid for the Imperial Medical Bureau and had seldom been involved in these matters recently. Hearing this, he didn't think much about it and simply smiled and said, "My dear, are you still short of a doctor at home?"

There is no shortage of doctors, but there is a shortage of female doctors.

Although he didn't quite understand why his wife and daughter insisted that he keep a female doctor, but since his wife made a fuss every now and then, he decided to talk to the emperor.

The emperor didn't take it too seriously. After teasing him, he said, "This matter is handled by the Queen and the Crown Prince. Instead of asking me, you should ask the Queen."

When the ministers who had pleaded for mercy heard this, they felt relieved and asked their wives to go to the palace to find the queen.

They all had imperial decrees and were qualified to enter the palace.

So within two days, the Queen had no choice but to summon Manbao privately and ask, "How many vacancies are left in the Imperial Medical Bureau before they are filled?"

Man Bao said, "The physical therapy department is still short of two people, and the acupuncture department, pediatrics department, and sore and swelling department are all short of one person."

The Queen nodded slightly and said, "Several ladies have come to me, hoping to place their distant nieces in the Imperial Medical Bureau for training."

Manbao knew what was going on as soon as he heard it, and frowned without saying anything.

The Queen asked with a smile, "Why, you don't want to?"

Seeing that Manbao still didn't say anything, the Queen asked with a smile, "I heard that someone seemed to have come to you for help, but you turned them down. So, do you have any problems with these noble families and powerful ladies?"

Manbao shook his head. "I have no problem with them, and I can understand them, but Your Majesty, we have said before that the Imperial Medical Bureau is to train and send doctors to medical offices across the country, and the medical bureau is established for the people of the world."

The Queen nodded and smiled, "That's right, it's still the same today. Isn't it because you haven't recruited enough people?"

"Your Majesty, if we allow families to send people to the Imperial Medical Bureau before we've filled our quota this year, won't the Bureau be even less full next year? Year after year, we'll be able to recruit fewer and fewer students. In the end, we won't be able to recruit many, and the remaining places will have to be given to them."

As the queen listened, the smile on her face slowly faded.

Aunt Shang on the side looked at Zhou Man in surprise.

Man Bao said, "People are like this. As long as there is profit, they will find a way to make things develop in a direction that is beneficial to them. What we see as an insignificant matter now may be the root cause of the collapse of the Imperial Medical Bureau in the future."

She said seriously, "So, since the rules have been set, they can't be changed. We agreed on 300 spots per year, and if we can't fill them up, then we can't fill them up. But all students admitted within these 300 spots will be assigned to the Medical Department in the future."

The Queen pondered for a moment before asking, "Will this hospital be able to accommodate so many people in the future?"

Man Bao said seriously, "When you can't let go, there will naturally be ways to let go. When the time comes, the court can issue an edict or the local government can coordinate to let these doctors who have learned medical skills survive on their own. But now we can't see the time when doctors will be plentiful."

The Queen held her forehead and said, "It's right to follow the rules. I can't save face. Alas, I have softened my stance before, and now I refuse..."

Seeing the Queen's sadness, Manbao couldn't bear to feel sad too. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Your Majesty's 300 quotas, whether full or not, cannot be given to them. Instead, we will give them ten more places in addition to the 300 quotas."

The Queen raised an eyebrow. "You mean to set aside ten places specifically for them?"

Manbao nodded, "Yes, let them pay, and we in the Imperial Hospital will teach them."

Thinking that the emperor's private treasury had been almost emptied, and the Ministry of Revenue kept delaying the payment, Xiao Yuanzheng and Yang Xuexiong would always engage in verbal battles with each other, she felt very embarrassed being caught in the middle.

Especially recently, Xiao Yuanzheng has taken a liking to asking her to pass messages to Senior Brother Yang, which makes things even more difficult for her.

"It just so happens that the Imperial Medical Bureau is short of money to purchase some teaching materials. Dean Xiao and I will discuss a price later. You can ask them to send the people here. We will let them attend classes with the other students for these ten places and learn the same skills as other students. After they have learned, they can come and go as they please. We will not stop them."

Manbao paused and rolled his eyes. "There's no need for an exam. Just send them in and we'll teach them. But whether they can learn depends on their talent. We only give them ten spots every year, and there won't be any more."

The Queen was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said, "That's a good idea, but how do we decide on the number of people who will be selected?"

Manbao narrowed his eyes and smiled, "Your Majesty, please make the decision yourself."

After thinking for a moment, she said embarrassedly, "My Lady, I wonder if the people from the Yongzhou Li family have contacted you. If so, can you please reserve a spot for them?"

Queen: ...

Aunt Shang: ...

The Queen couldn't help but laugh out loud and asked, "Do you want to go back and discuss this with Xiao Yuanzheng first?"

Manbao thought about it and nodded. Although she was confident that she could convince Xiao Yuanzheng, it would be better for her to go back and discuss it. The price had to be determined.

See you at 9pm

(End of this chapter)