Chapter 1656: Fixing the loopholes
Manbao said, "I think there must be a lot of people like this. We have to find a way to plug this loophole."
Xiao Yuanzheng asked, "How to block it? Can't be a slave within three generations?"
Manbao shook his head. "That's too absolute. I was thinking that after they finish their studies, they need to work in the medical department for a certain number of years. Only after that can they freely choose where to go."
Xiao Yuanzheng rolled his eyes and asked, "Free?"
Man Bao said helplessly, "Xiao Yuanzheng, it's His Majesty who paid for it, not you, so why are you so worried about the money?"
Behind a wall not far away, the prince almost spit out the tea in his mouth. He glanced at Yang Heshu sitting opposite him, then glanced at Kong Jijiu sitting next to him, and silently put down his teacup without saying a word.
The two people standing in the quiet corner knew nothing about it. Xiao Yuanzheng thought about it and nodded, "Okay, how many years do you want?"
Koko hesitated, unaware of the ill intentions of the three people in the room. Its program made its own assessment, concluding that what the host said wouldn't harm the other party's interests at the moment, so it remained silent without giving any reminders. Manbao hesitated, then asked, "Ten years?"
"No," Xiao Yuanzheng said, "It takes ten years to train a good doctor, and they let him go right after he's been trained. Aren't we the ones who suffer the loss?"
Man Bao said: "Not really. It's been ten years. I think five years is better. The first five years should be spent on medical treatment and study. The last five years should be considered as recovery."
"You can't judge others' abilities by your own talent," Xiao Yuanzheng said. "Let's not even talk about the distant past. Look at Imperial Physician Zheng. He's been at the Imperial Hospital for ten years and only became chief physician last year."
It was because the imperial physician who led his plan was chopped by the prince, and he was unwilling to work in the Imperial Hospital anymore and resigned, so it was his turn.
"Not to mention that he had already trained for several years before joining the Imperial Hospital. We only accepted him because of his reputation." Xiao Yuanzheng looked Manbao up and down and shook his head. "Master Zhou, your situation is different. You will have to extend the average training period a little longer."
Manbao asked, "How long do you say it will take?"
"Twenty years."
Manbao: "...This is too long. What if your medical department treats me unfairly? I've been working for you in vain my whole life."
"Why is it for me? It's for His Majesty! Besides, it's for pay, how can it be for free?"
Manbao thought for a moment and said, "We need to add one more condition: they can come and go as they please in any medical department in the world. As long as they pass the exam and are selected, no medical department in any place can forcibly detain them."
"What if everyone chooses the medical department in the capital and doesn't go elsewhere?"
"The number of people in each local medical department is limited. If they can't be selected, they will naturally have to go to other medical departments," Man Bao said. "Give them a time limit. If they exceed the time limit and can't find a medical department to accept them, they will be forcibly assigned."
She said, "But I've been wanting to say this for a long time, Xiao Yuanzheng. The salary you initially set was so low. It's OK for a family of three, but what if the man has many parents, wives, and children?"
Xiao Yuanzheng said: "That was not decided by me, but by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
He cried out in injustice: "The Ministry of Revenue is unwilling to pay too much money now. All the budgeted money comes from His Majesty's private treasury. His Majesty says there is no money. What should I do?"
Manbao muttered for a while, "The Ministry of Revenue is too stingy. They just bully us because the Imperial Medical Bureau is an engineering department..."
Xiao Yuanzheng agreed, "That's right..."
The old man and the young man were silent for a moment, and Manbao said, "We need to discuss this matter again. We can plug the hole without harming the interests of the students."
Xiao Yuanzheng said, "There is also the interests of His Majesty." He said, "The money is provided by His Majesty, so you must consider His Majesty first."
Man Bao frowned. "Your Majesty, please put it last. The Imperial Medical Bureau was originally established to facilitate the people and allow even the poor to see a doctor. If the epidemic can be controlled, the people must be put first. Then we can think of how to get everyone to work in the local medical bureaus. It would be best if everyone rushed to go. Your Majesty, you will be very happy to see peace and prosperity in the country."
Prince: ...
Xiao Yuan was frowning, but when he saw Man Bao's serious expression, he felt that there was no point in arguing with a child. They couldn't make the final decision on this matter anyway, and in the end, it would definitely be the Ministry of Revenue and the Eastern Palace that would decide. So he nodded perfunctorily and said, "Alright, whatever you say is what it is. Anything else?"
Manbao shook his head, then suddenly lowered his voice as if remembering something, "Xiao Yuanzheng, you can't tell anyone else that I was the one who said this."
Xiao Yuanzheng: "Why?"
Manbao sighed sadly and said, "I can't help it. The person who wanted to use my backdoor was a friend of mine, but not only did I not help her, I also blocked her way. If this gets out, she will definitely be sad and angry, so please don't tell anyone else."
Xiao Yuanzheng: ...
Zhou Man's action was beyond Xiao Yuanzheng's expectations, but he still couldn't help but wonder, "Who is this friend of yours?"
Manbao immediately shut his mouth and said nothing.
Xiao Yuanzheng slowly observed her expression and guessed, "Is it Madam Tang, Madam Yang, Madam Cheng, or the eldest or fifth lady of the Han family?"
Manbao's eyes widened, and he looked at Xiao Yuanzheng in disbelief. "Xiao Yuanzheng, how did you guess that?"
Xiao Yuanzheng said complacently, "Anyone who wants to send their servants to the Imperial Medical Bureau to study medicine and then bring them back to be their own doctors must be either from an aristocratic family or a noble family. How could it be an ordinary family?"
He said, "Who in an ordinary family would think of keeping a doctor at home?"
Xiao Yuanzheng continued to ask, "Whose family is this? I'll ask if there's anyone else who secretly accepted bribes and agreed to her promise."
Manbao immediately shook his head. "Then there must be nothing. She just asked, but she didn't bribe me. If you want to check, you should check someone else's house."
Although Manbao felt itchy, she held back and didn't tell anyone. She hadn't even told Bai Er about this, so how could she tell Xiao Yuanzheng?
So she took a long breath and held it, then said to Xiao Yuanzheng, "Don't ask anymore. I won't tell you even if you ask me again."
Xiao Yuanzheng couldn't get the answer, but guessed that it was just those few families, and even if he knew, he couldn't do anything to them. He was just an imperial physician, not a censor, so how could he impeach them?
Xiao Yuanzheng sighed and asked bluntly, "Have you finished your self-examination of 'Acupuncture'?"
"Now that we have checked, we can take it for engraving."
"Then you should go back quickly. I have a detailed record of what we have done on my desk. The next five volumes are your responsibility. Try to finish them within a month."
Manbao immediately hung his head. "This is too much. I still have a medical book to finish."
Xiao Yuanzheng said: "It's called the capable should do more work, and you don't have to be on duty at the Imperial Hospital. We have to repair the books and be on duty at the Imperial Hospital at night."
See you later
(End of this chapter)
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