People of the same breath seek each other

Ningxi, 703.

As winter passed and spring arrived, many people left the Imperial Medical Bureau, while many new people joined.

Consort Liang was slightly unwell and summoned Master Wan to take her pulse.

Consort Liang's health was originally being treated by Attendant Yang. After Attendant Yang retired and returned to his hometown, he came to Attendant Wan's place.

Consort Liang spoke of Yang Gongfeng to Consort Wan with regret, saying, "I remember my mother used to often ask Consort Yang to treat patients. It's a pity that Consort Yang's medical skills were not passed down to any successor."

Consort Liang was polite and kind to Consort Wan, which Bai Shu found to be a stark contrast to the way she had belittled Consort Zhou in her palace that day. Standing to the side, Bai Shu secretly glanced at Consort Liang and noticed bright red spots on either side of her nose.

After Wan Gongfeng took her pulse, Consort Liang stopped, yawned, and asked, "What's wrong with me?"

Wan Gongfeng rose, his body hunched, and respectfully said, "Your Majesty, you are pregnant."

This was good news, but Bai Shu didn't see any joy on her master's face. Sure enough, she heard Wan Gongfeng say, "The red spots on your face must be melasma."

"Butterfly spots?" Consort Liang asked with curiosity and a smile. "What kind of condition is that? It has a rather elegant and pleasant name."

The patient suffered from yin-yang toxicity, melasma, and other difficult ailments, including "yin deficiency with excessive fire and stagnation of heat toxins." To make matters worse, Consort Liang was also pregnant at this time.

On the way back to the Imperial Medical Academy, Wan Gongfeng frowned and quickly reported the matter to the Chief Physician. The Chief Physician reported to the Chief Physician of the Imperial Medical Academy that six physicians, including Shen Gongfeng and Bai Gongfeng, had jointly examined Consort Liang and returned saying, "It is indeed a Yin-Yang poison."

The imperial physician was informed again, and he informed the empress. Shortly afterward, an imperial edict was issued from the inner court: "Preserve the pregnancy and save the life."

Under the supervision of the Imperial Physician, qualified physicians from the Department of General Medicine, Department of Minor Medicine, Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, and Department of Incantation Medicine gathered together. Xue Cheng, the Medical Assistant, the Pharmacist Assistant, and the Physician Assistant also arrived. Together, they discussed how to cure Consort Liang's illness and how to protect the pregnancy.

Fang Lingshan was promoted to the position of Imperial Attendant and mentioned an ancient prescription. However, Imperial Attendant Wan said it was not suitable, "Consort Liang is pregnant. Blood-activating medicine will disturb the fetus, and heat-clearing medicine is bitter and cold, which will damage the yang. Neither of them can be used. Your prescription is mostly ruined."

Bai Gongfeng, Bai Zhu's father, said, "This Yin-Yang Poison is a thorny disease caused by excessive heat and toxicity, and yin deficiency and blood heat. Pregnant women often have insufficient yin and excessive yang, which is similar to the pathogenesis of Yin-Yang Poison, making it even more troublesome."

Shen Gongfeng said, "If we can ensure it lasts until July, we can try to induce labor."

There are still more than five months left.

The physician asked Wan Gongfeng, who hesitated for a moment before replying, "It's hard to say."

Bai Shu and Pan Cheng, as Wan Gongfeng's students, followed behind. Bai Shu also knew the danger of this illness and whispered to Pan Cheng, "Consort Liang was discovered early and now that the fetus has been removed, she may still be able to save her life."

Pan Cheng gave Bai Shu a warning look and whispered, "This is the imperial heir."

Bai Shu knew this was the imperial heir. She looked at the officials in front of her, all of them talking in circles, but none of them dared to mention "abandoning the fetus to save the life." Even her father... her father's words, "the disease is caused by those of similar nature," were the most direct and explicit.

Bai Zhu sighed softly.

Someone knocked twice on the door. The Imperial Physician interrupted the discussion among the attendants. A young eunuch came in and reported, "Sir, Grand Master Liang has arrived."

The Imperial Physician went out and returned a while later, saying, "The Emperor's unborn child is of great importance to the ancestral temple and the state. We must ensure the safety of the fetus and the well-being of both mother and child. The Chief Physician, the Chief Pharmacist, and the Chief Physician must work together to handle every matter, big or small, and deliberate carefully to ensure there are no mistakes. I hope that you will all perform your duties and live up to the Emperor's grace."

Xue Cheng, Assistant Physician of the Imperial Medical Bureau, said: "We have carefully remembered the instructions given by the Director of the Bureau. To ensure everything goes smoothly, the Assistant Physician is of paramount responsibility and must not be negligent. Any difficulties, no matter how minor, must be reported immediately without delay. Secondly, the Assistant Pharmacist must assist in ensuring that all medicines used by the Empress, including their preparation, processing, decoction, and delivery, correspond to the prescription, be double-signed, and be meticulously recorded for auditing purposes. Thirdly, and most importantly, the Prescription Assistant must strictly oversee the pulse records. From the pulse record to the addition or subtraction of prescriptions, everything must be checked by a designated person to ensure that the wording is precise, the reasoning is sound, the format is correct, and the style and wording of the documents are perfectly aligned, leaving no room for criticism."

The physician wiped his sweat and said respectfully, "Your humble servant will obey Your Majesty's orders. From this day forward, the departments of general medicine, minor medicine, acupuncture, and incantation will be divided into two shifts each day, entering the palace at dawn and dusk to take pulses. The staff of each department will gather daily to discuss and draft regulations. The pulse condition, the dosage of medicine, and how to report back to the Empress will all be recorded in detail, and someone will be specifically assigned to handle the paperwork with the physicians of medicine and prescription."

The Imperial Pharmacist replied, “Your Excellency can rest assured regarding the medicinal materials. I have established a special Imperial Pharmacy within the inner court. All medicinal materials entering and leaving undergo rigorous selection and processing, with the Imperial Physician and I jointly overseeing the preparation and decoction. Samples of each decoction are kept and sealed, and the prescription records require the signatures of the Imperial Physician, the Imperial Pharmacist, and the eunuch in charge of presentation. A copy is also made and sent to the Imperial Pharmacy for future reference. Everything is done in accordance with ancestral laws, without the slightest deviation.”

Fang Cheng bowed respectfully and said solemnly, “My office has a special document preparation room, staffed with experienced and meticulous officials, dedicated to reviewing all incoming and outgoing documents. If even a single word is incorrect in format, signature, date, or wording, the document is sent back for revision. All documents must undergo four procedures: proofreading, printing, mounting, and archiving. A list is compiled and submitted every ten days for auditing purposes. We will do our utmost to ensure that every document is watertight and to report back to Your Majesty.”

The officials gave their orders, and the servants responded accordingly.

The adults went out one by one, followed by the servants in twos and threes.

Bai Shu looked down at the clean notebook, wanting to write something down, but not knowing what to write.

Pan Cheng asked her, "Why aren't you leaving yet? It's time to eat."

Bai Zhu looked around. Huai Shu was gone, Senior Sister Su was gone, Senior Brother Qian was gone, and Senior Sister Qiu was gone too.

Bai Shu roused herself and gathered her paper and pen. Bai Gongfeng greeted her colleagues, came over to look at Bai Shu, and called out, "Girl."

When Pan Cheng saw Bai's father approaching, he addressed him respectfully as "Uncle" and did not disturb the father and daughter's conversation any further.

Bai's father told Bai Shu, "There's a young man who passed the imperial examination this year. He's good in character, appearance, and talent. When you're free outside the palace, you can meet him."

Bai Shu had considered resigning from her official post and returning home. She had told Taishi Yi about it, as well as her second brother. The Bai family then began to look for suitable husbands for her.

Bai Shu paused for a moment, then said sullenly, "But Father, I haven't thought about it yet."

"What?" asked Mr. Bai. "Have you changed your mind?"

“I don’t know,” Bai Shu said. “I want to resign, but I feel reluctant to do so.”

"If you haven't thought it through yet, then think about it some more. There's no rush," said Bai Gongfeng. "Girl, don't let yourself regret it. Your father will always be your support."

The three-courtyard house in the alley south of the city will always be Bai Shu's home.

Bai Shu smiled and said, "Yes!"

...

The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, which is often nicknamed "even dogs don't study it," is already notoriously difficult to recruit.

Now, Yang Gongfeng, Yang Huaishu, Qiu Chuxin, Yiqiancao, Su You, and Lang Dianxian all either left or scattered. Wan Gongfeng and Shen Gongfeng guarded Consort Liang and dared not leave her side for a moment. Bai Shu actually became the main general in charge of seeing patients.

Xiao Fu jokingly calls Bai Shu "Little Bai Gongfeng" and Pan Cheng "Pan Gongfeng". Xu Qingyan also laughed and said, "Xiao Shu has already gone to treat the princess. I think she's not far from becoming a Gongfeng."

"I still have a headache, don't laugh at me," Bai Shu said to Xu Qingyan reproachfully. "I feel like I've lost my ability to treat patients."

Xu Qingyan asked, "What do you mean?"

This all started with a recent "little patient" of Baizhu—the Ninth Prince.

The Ninth Prince had been suffering from abdominal pain lately. Several doctors, both large and small, had examined his pulse, but none could diagnose the problem. Finally, they came to Bai Zhu. Bai Zhu is now quite skilled in treating emotional disorders, and prescribed a formula to soothe the liver and relieve depression.

—It contains Bupleurum, which is quite bitter.

The young prince couldn't drink it and cried and made a fuss. His mother ordered Bai Shu, "You're a royal physician, can't you prescribe a medicine that isn't bitter?"

Bai Zhu said, "Your Majesty, good medicine tastes bitter."

"Don't spout those deceptive platitudes!" Consort Shu rebuked Bai Shu. "It's been days, and the Ninth Prince's illness shows no sign of improvement. Since your medical skills are inadequate, send someone who can actually treat the illness. Can you bear the responsibility for delaying the prince's health?"

Bai Shu also tried acupuncture, but it was the same. The Ninth Prince would hide behind Consort Shu whenever he saw the silver needles that were flashing with a cold light. As a result, Bai Shu was scolded by Consort Shu for his "incompetent medical skills".

Alright then, Bai Zhu rewrote the prescription—licorice root as the first ingredient, mint as a complement, along with jujube seeds and maltose, resulting in a cool and sweet bowl of "medicine." The Ninth Prince drank it quite happily, and the effect was also good.

Consort Shu was satisfied and rewarded Bai Shu with a considerable amount of silver.

However, the Ninth Prince's "illness" was difficult to cure completely, so he asked Bai Shu to treat him every few days. Bai Shu was very popular with children, and over time, she became familiar with the Ninth Prince.

Bai Shu would sometimes take the Ninth Prince for walks. Once, they encountered Consort Zhou in the palace and mentioned her aphasia. The Ninth Prince said to Bai Shu, "I think Consort Zhou's condition is quite good."

"How can you get better from being sick?" Bai Zhu asked in surprise, saying, "Who doesn't want to be healthy and live a long life? Everyone is afraid of getting sick, which is not a good thing."

“But Consort Zhou is ill, and Father Emperor has bestowed many rewards upon her and promoted her father and brothers. I used to get up at midnight to study and practice martial arts, and I am better than my brothers in everything, but Father Emperor has never come to see me more than once,” the Ninth Prince said. “But now that I am sick, I don’t have to get up early to go to school anymore, Father Emperor comes to see me, and Mother Consort doesn’t scold me for being stupid anymore. How wonderful.”

Bai Shu was speechless. She had also pretended to be sick to skip school when she was a child, but her grandfather saw through it at a glance. Pretending to be sick wouldn't work in the Bai family.

Bai Shu said, "Logic cannot be argued like this..."

The Ninth Prince scoffed, "I understand all your principles, but they can't put food on the table."

It was hard to believe that such mature words came from a child. Bai Shu said seriously, "Ninth Prince, do you still want to get better? You have to be willing to get better before I can help you cure your illness. If you don't want to get better from an emotional illness, no one can help you!"

The Ninth Prince honestly told Bai Shu, "I don't want to."

Bai Shu put her hands on her hips in anger. The Ninth Prince made a face at her and said nonchalantly, "I am a prince, a patient. You are the imperial physician. It's your problem if you can't cure the illness, not mine. You can't control me."

Bai Zhu was speechless.

If the soldiers are not of one mind, even the Heavenly King himself cannot win.