Chapter 44 April 30th, Tianqing's Responsibility for Verification at the Medical Center
April 30th, sunny.
It is the season of transition between spring and summer, and the peach tree at the head of Wangxian Bridge is covered with new leaves, becoming even more lush and verdant.
The warm sun shines on the bluestone pavement, casting a pale golden glow. The streets are bustling with people, full of vitality.
Zhaoyutang has been open for more than half a month. According to the newly issued selection regulations for the official medical clinics, Zhaoyutang is now qualified to participate in the official evaluation. All the filing documents and application materials must be submitted today.
Therefore, Meng Yutong did not stay at Zhaoyutang today. She took Bai Zhi with her early morning and went to the Medical Academy to submit materials and documents.
Inside Zhaoyu Hall, Wu Ming was bent over his desk, sorting out the accounts of the past half month. The beads on his abacus clicked loudly, and he couldn't hide his joy.
The ink on the table, in a brief record of Zhaoyutang's revenue for half a month, is still clearly visible:
Calming Sachet: 398 sachets sold, earning 37.9 taels of silver.
Consultation and medication fees: Sun's follow-up care (one thousand cash), miscellaneous consultations and medications for headaches and fevers (about eight taels).
Total: Approximately forty-six taels of silver.
Zhaoyutang was just starting out, and Wu Ming had always been uneasy, fearing that it would lose money. Now, it seems that the clinic is doing quite well, far exceeding his initial expectations.
It's all thanks to Meng Yutong's intelligence that this time she came up with the idea of making a name for herself with calming sachets. When she initially sent Bai Zhi to distribute the sachets everywhere, he felt a pang of regret. Now it seems that Meng Yutong really has a knack for running this clinic.
Since the day Madam Ji generously bought fifty sachets, and with Li Jing's cronies also showing their support, the reputation of these calming sachets quietly spread among the noble circles of Lin'an City.
In the following days, many well-dressed young men and women came specifically to buy it.
Bai Zhi and Granny Gui worked day and night, selling almost every single one they produced. In just half a month, they sold nearly four hundred sachets! And most of the ones sold were the expensive sachets.
The sachets brought not only money, but also a steady stream of popularity.
Many visitors who come specifically for the sachets also stop by to take a look when they have a minor ailment.
Over time, a new clinic called Zhaoyutang opened on Peach Blossom Street. The young female doctor in charge of the clinic was renowned for her superb medical skills and ability to cure diseases with her medicine.
This news naturally reached the Imperial Street as well.
On Imperial Street, opposite the Imperial Ancestral Temple, is Jishetang.
Beneath the vermilion-lacquered sign with gold lettering, in a corner of the hall, one can see an elderly doctor, Shen Bing, with white hair and beard, intently taking the pulse of a middle-aged man with a sallow complexion.
The man repeatedly pressed his temples with his fingers, his face showing pain.
"Headache is characterized by pain on both sides, like being stabbed or pricked, and may be accompanied by tinnitus and a bitter taste in the mouth?"
Shen Bing spoke slowly and deliberately, quoting classical texts: “The Treatise on Cold Damage states: ‘The symptoms of Shaoyang disease are bitter taste in the mouth, dry throat, and dizziness.’ Judging from your pulse, which is wiry and tight, and your tongue coating, which is thin and yellow, this is caused by Shaoyang wind-fire disturbing the clear orifices.”
"Absolutely! My mouth is bitter and my throat is dry. You are absolutely right, sir!" The patient nodded repeatedly.
In the corner, a young man in his early twenties, dressed in a neat dark gray outfit, was idly picking through medicinal herbs.
Hearing this, he pursed his lips and couldn't help but interject, "Isn't this just migraine? My second great-uncle gets it every year, but after drinking a bowl of 'Chuanxiong Tea Powder,' he's perfectly fine."
Shen Bing frowned, glanced at the young man with displeasure, waved his hand, and said impatiently, "Master, today is the deadline for submitting the official register of the Medical Academy. This is an important matter, so don't delay here."
This old doctor, Shen Bing, was a respected elder in the medical profession who retired from the Imperial Medical Academy in his early years. He was highly skilled in medicine, especially in classical prescriptions.
Unfortunately, he developed a hobby of collecting rare birds and animals, which caused him to lose all his savings. In his later years, he had no choice but to accept the invitation of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works to work as a tutor at Jishetang to earn some money for his retirement.
He was extremely meticulous in his medical practice, always quoting classical texts and adhering to the principles of the *Huangdi Neijing* and *Shanghan Lun*. He was meticulous in prescribing medicine and disliked any unwarranted comments from others.
The young man in gray was Song Yinshen, the son of the Vice Minister of Works and the young master of Jishetang.
He disliked studying from a young age but loved medicine and believed in the effectiveness of medicine in curing diseases. He felt that Chen Bing's method of citing classical texts and taking his time to treat patients was just showing off his knowledge and a waste of time.
In his eyes, a good prescription is one that can cure the disease, regardless of whether it comes from the "Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold Pieces" or a folk remedy.
Shen Bing viewed Song Yin as unorthodox and unconventional, treating his prescriptions and medications as child's play. Whenever Song Yin got into a good mood, he would come up with some strange and unusual combinations, which always made Shen Bing's heart pound with fear, and he had no choice but to patiently refute them one by one.
The two had conflicting beliefs and had long disliked each other.
"I sent Ah Chun a long time ago! He should be back by now!" Before Song Yinshen could finish speaking, he saw Ah Chun, the shop assistant, step lightly across the threshold. He immediately left Shen Bing and the patient and went to greet him: "How did it go? Is it all done?"
Ah Chun wiped his sweat and hurriedly said, "Don't worry, boss. All the documents have been submitted and there haven't been any problems. The people from the Medical Academy said that they will assign someone to liaise with us in a few days. From now on, we will have to go to the academy to 'report on our work' every now and then, and get together with other doctors from other clinics to talk about our clinical experiences, difficult cases, and so on."
"Tsk, what a hassle!" Song Yinshen said with a look of disgust. "The Medical Academy loves to make up all these fancy rules and regulations, wasting so much time! I'm so glad I didn't pass the exam!"
Shen Bing hissed. This brat, did he not want to get into the medical academy back then?
Not only did he fail the medical academy's exam, but he also failed the medical registration exam every year. His father had no choice but to invite him to teach here.
This brat is now putting down the Imperial Medical Academy; he's making a complete fool of himself.
“Master, you have no idea,” Ah Chun took a sip of water and hurriedly told him about what she had seen and heard that day, “Ever since this new policy came down, there have been so many new clinics popping up in the city! Even in a second-rate place like Peach Blossom Street, there’s a clinic called ‘Zhaoyutang’. When I went to submit my paperwork today, I even saw a female doctor registering for the clinic. She’s Manager Meng from Zhaoyutang!”
“Zhaoyutang? I know it!” Upon hearing this, the headache patient who was waiting for his appointment took out an apricot-yellow sachet from his waist and said, “My wife went to Peach Blossom Street a few days ago to buy this. She said it’s a calming sachet and it works really well! I’ve been sleeping with it under my pillow these past few days, and believe it or not, my head doesn’t feel so tight anymore!”
Shen Bing frowned and reached out to take the sachet.
He first carefully examined the stitches and embroidery, then brought it to his nose, closed his eyes, and took a deep sniff.
The aromas of several calming herbs, such as cypress seed, mimosa flower, and dried tangerine peel, are clearly discernible, but there also seems to be one or two elusive, slightly spicy herbal notes mixed in... This combination is quite rare.
A hint of surprise flashed through his mind, but he remained outwardly calm, simply handing the sachet back, shaking his head slightly, and speaking with the reserve and a touch of disdain of an old-school doctor: "The fragrance is acceptable, but the formula is rather mixed. It's probably just a lucky coincidence that it happened to be effective for insomnia. Practicing medicine without a solid foundation is ultimately not the right path."
Song Yinshen also came over, picked up the sachet with two fingers, turned it over and over to look at it, then sneered, his face full of disdain: "Pshaw! All that fancy stuff, all the effort is in the embroidery, what real substance could there be inside? Women's knowledge is limited to tricks and coquetry, how long can that last?"
One questioned its fundamental principles and rules, while the other scorned its clever and superficial approach.
In this young female colleague, these two people who had never gotten along surprisingly reached a consensus: Zhaoyutang on Peach Blossom Street was nothing but a showy facade that would close down sooner or later!
*
At the beginning of the hour of You (5-7 PM), on Peach Blossom Street.
When Meng Yutong and Bai Zhi returned to Zhaoyu Hall from the Imperial Physician's Courtyard, the daylight was gradually fading, and a faint orange-red sunset remained on the horizon.
Upon entering the hall, they found only Wu Ming standing guard. Seeing the two return, he hurried forward and asked, "Master, Bai Zhi, did the registration go smoothly?"
Meng Yutong placed the documents in her hand on the table with a calm expression: "All the necessary documents are ready. The clinic has been open for more than fifteen days and has treated more than fifty patients. The qualifications are also in line with the requirements."
"After the medical officers from the Medical Academy verified the information, it was confirmed that there were no problems, and we are just waiting for further arrangements. In a few days, a dedicated medical officer will be assigned to verify whether the number of patients treated and the amount of medicine sold by our clinic each month are accurate. In addition," she paused and added, "the clinics that are included in the official register can receive free official medicines allocated by the Medical Academy on a regular basis."
“That’s a real benefit. It seems the physicians at the Medical Academy are quite capable,” Wu Ming said, arms crossed. As if remembering something, he suddenly lowered his voice and leaned closer to Bai Zhi, with a hint of mischief in his voice: “Bai Zhi, I heard that the head of the household’s ‘former lover’ is now working at the Medical Academy, isn’t he? Do you think… he might be assigned to manage our Zhaoyu Hall?”
The more he thought about it, the more amusing it became, and he couldn't help but grin. "If that's really the case, then we'll have quite a show to watch! I wonder if that Physician Ji, out of consideration for our past relationship, will do us any favors?"
Speaking of Ji Yun, even before the clinic opened, he knew that this physician had once come to Zhaoyutang to deliver a medical plaque.
He was taking a bath on the second floor at that time, humming a little tune as he walked out of the corridor to collect a dry towel, when he saw Ji Yun and Meng Yutong standing in the courtyard downstairs.
He vaguely heard the physician ask a question about the master's annulment of the engagement. He immediately perked up, stopped singing, and leaned out to see what kind of love-hate entanglement existed between the two.
Unfortunately, he didn't see what he wanted to see. The two talked about something, and then they sat down and started drinking.
So it seems there's a story between these two, and it's uncertain whether it will continue...
As he was lost in thought, Bai Zhi suddenly struck him in the ribs with an elbow strike.
"Stop talking nonsense!" Bai Zhi glared at him and said seriously, "There are rules for assigning which physician to each patient. How could it be such a coincidence? We practice medicine openly and honestly in Zhaoyu. Our patients and medications are all documented. It doesn't matter who verifies them!"
She paused, a hint of disgust in her voice, "As long as it's not that annoying Li Jing!"
Meanwhile, in the council chamber of the Medical Academy.
A group of physicians dressed in green official robes sat upright.
Li Jing, bored in the corner, was dozing off when a sudden itch on the tip of his nose made him twitch. He shrank his nostrils and then suddenly sneezed loudly, jolting him awake from his daze.
He rubbed his nose and slumped onto the table with an impatient look on his face.
At the head of the table, the Imperial Physician Zhu Zhizheng solemnly instructed: "...This area, east of the southern section of the Imperial Street, includes three medical clinics: 'Jishetang' opposite the Imperial Ancestral Temple, 'Zhaoyutang' on Peach Blossom Street, and 'Huichuntang' in Nanwazi."
He spoke at a steady pace, and when he mentioned 'Zhaoyu Hall', his gaze swept over Ji Yun, who was listening quietly with his eyes down. Seeing that Ji Yun's expression was calm and unchanging, he turned to the crowd and asked, "Who among these three halls is willing to take on the responsibility of verification?"
Zhaoyutang?
Li Jing's eyelids twitched suddenly, his drowsiness vanished, and he suddenly became much more alert, instantly sitting up straight.
Isn't that Meng Yutong's clinic?
He instinctively leaned forward, his eyes quickly scanning the surroundings. Seeing that no one responded, he cleared his throat and said loudly, "Your Excellency, this responsibility will be entrusted to me!"
Upon hearing this, everyone in the room turned their heads.
Ji Yun frowned almost imperceptibly.
Zhu Zhi was also taken aback. Li Jing was always an unapproachable figure in the Imperial Medical Academy, and Zhu Zhi had long planned to exclude him from such a meticulous, patient, and laborious task. He was genuinely surprised to see Li Jing volunteer for the task.
"Uh..." Zhu Zhi stroked his beard, quickly weighing the options. This young master was probably just indulging in something new for the moment, and would probably find it too troublesome and give up in a couple of days, at which point someone else could be found to take over.
Thinking this, he slowly nodded, about to speak: "Then I'll leave it to Li..."
Before he could finish speaking, a clear and calm voice sounded from the side, "Physician Li is new to this job and lacks experience. It would be more appropriate for me to take on this responsibility."
Zhu Zhi's expression changed slightly, but his reaction was extremely quick. He immediately changed his tone and said decisively, "...It is only right that Physician Ji should be in charge!"
Li Jing choked, his face flushed red, and he tried to argue, "It was clearly me who started it..."
Zhu Zhi, however, had already made his decision, brooking no dissent: "The allocation of resources among the various departments shall be determined according to what I have just said!"
He gestured for Chen Bin to take notes, then turned to the medical officers who had been assigned tasks, and said earnestly: "Selecting private medical clinics for inclusion in the official register is a new policy that our hospital has been working on for several years! Lin'an is a large city with numerous medical clinics, making management extremely difficult."
"Especially during times of rampant epidemics, relying solely on our hospital for coordination is insufficient. This time, we have selected ten excellent hospitals to be included in the list, and they will be assigned to different areas for treatment. We will hold regular meetings to discuss and share information. In case of difficult or complicated cases, we can pool our efforts to maximize the benefits to patients and improve the effectiveness of diagnosis and treatment."
"This strategy is a win-win situation for both the clinic and our hospital! Everyone must be impartial and fair, conduct a thorough investigation, and ensure that it truly lives up to its name!"
His gaze swept over the crowd, a hint of solemnity in his eyes: "Furthermore, from May of this year to May of next year, for a period of one year, you must maintain close contact with the clinics under your jurisdiction, meticulously verifying the records of their treatments and medications sold each month, down to the last detail!"
"Furthermore, we should regularly convene the heads of each clinic to hold lectures on standardized treatments for common ailments and effective strategies for dealing with difficult and complex diseases. Any serious or unusual illnesses that the clinics are unable to handle must be promptly reported to this hospital so that we can pool our wisdom and resources to find a solution. This will provide an opportunity for clinics throughout the city to exchange information and learn from each other, which is a blessing for patients and a boon for the medical profession!"
Zhu Zhi's eyes shone brightly, hinting at anticipation. He was nearing fifty, and his term was about to end. He only hoped that in this last year, he could do something truly meaningful for the people of Lin'an and for the medical profession.
The lengthy meeting did not end until dusk.
As everyone filed out, Ji Yun was about to leave when Zhu Zhi calmly stopped him.
Zhu Zhi stroked his beard and smiled, a hint of amusement in his eyes: "Huaizhi, you usually only care about studying medicine and nothing else. Why are you acting out of character today, taking the initiative to take on the responsibility of checking this clinic? Could it be..." He deliberately dragged out his words.
Ji Yun's expression remained unchanged, only a faint ripple flickered deep in his eyes, and his voice was as cold as ever: "The prototype of the new policy was proposed by me in my early years. Now that it has been implemented, I should personally take charge, firstly to observe its effectiveness and examine its drawbacks, and secondly to correct any obstacles in a timely manner. This is my duty, and Your Excellency has worried too much."
Ji Yun's answer was watertight; the initial outline of the new policy was indeed a concept he had proposed to Zhu Zhi shortly after entering the Medical Academy.
Zhu Zhi sighed inwardly, realizing that this child was not the foolish boy who buried himself in medical books, as the outside world had described.
His breadth of vision, the vastness of his mind, and the depth of his understanding far surpass his superb medical skills.
Such a person, even if not involved in medicine, would surely be exceptionally talented in any other field.
He clicked his tongue lightly, almost getting distracted by the guy, and quickly regained his composure, continuing with a smile: "Huaizhi, what you said makes sense, but when I was pointing out other clinics, why didn't you say anything? But when I mentioned 'Zhaoyutang,' you suddenly chimed in?"
He winked mischievously, his old face displaying a smile that seemed rather disrespectful for his age.
Ji Yun had already tidied up the documents on his desk and calmly got up.
His posture was like a bamboo swaying in the wind, and his steps carried an air of integrity and composure. His green official robe made him appear as if the bright moon were beside him, a graceful figure in the breeze, and no one could discern any ulterior motives.
"It's just on the way." His voice remained cool as ever, and he nodded slightly to Zhu Zhi. "If the Imperial Academy has nothing else to say, I have other important matters to attend to, so I will take my leave now."
“Eh? Huaizhi… why be so formal? What good would it do to talk to me…” Zhu Zhi was about to speak again, but saw that the man had not stopped walking and had disappeared into the shadow of the pillars outside the door in the blink of an eye, leaving only silence.
Zhu Zhi raised his hand and stroked his chin, lost in thought: He wondered who this Doctor Meng was, that even his cold-hearted and proud student had made such a rare "trip" to him.
Ji Yun had just stepped out of the council hall and around the corner of the long corridor when he saw Li Jing with his arms crossed, leaning against a vermilion pillar, clearly having been waiting for some time.
"Cousin, wait!" Li Jing saw him come out and stretched out his long legs to block his way. His tone was irritable and aggrieved. "Today in the hall, the head of the academy assigned the inspection of the medical clinics. I was the one who asked to take the task of Zhaoyu Hall first. Why did you, cousin, interfere and insist on taking it away?"
He had recently suffered repeated setbacks in front of Meng Yutong and Ji Yun, and the nameless anger in his chest had been burning fiercely.
If the person in front of him hadn't been his cousin, whom he had respected since childhood, he probably would have overturned the table in the council hall just now, given his usual temperament.
Ji Yun was always aloof and indifferent to others, like a high mountain or ice and snow, but Li Jing felt that he treated him differently.
Because of his mischievous behavior as a child, he was punished by his father to kneel in the ancestral hall, his knees swollen from kneeling, but he remained stubbornly silent like a mule.
At that time, it was this seemingly cold-hearted cousin, who was not close to him, who for the first time spoke up to plead for him, personally helped him up, and took him back to his room to silently apply medicine to him.
Ji Yun once told him, "A real man should not act impulsively."
From that time on, he liked to follow Ji Yun around.
Unfortunately, Ji Yun was always busy. At the age of twelve, he was already studying vast medical texts every day and enduring his grandfather's rigorous medical skills examinations.
Li Jing would excitedly rush to the Ji residence, only to find it empty nine times out of ten.
Later, at the age of seventeen, Ji Yun entered the Imperial Medical Academy with his extraordinary medical skills and became the youngest medical officer.
Li Jing was extremely envious and clamored to go in as well.
But he was an ignorant fool who knew nothing about traditional Chinese medicine.
Princess Rong doted on her son. Seeing that he wanted to do "serious business," she spent a large sum of money to buy him a sinecure as "the one in charge of medicines for the emperor" and put him in the Imperial Medical Academy.
Even in the medical academy, he still preferred to follow Ji Yun.
Although Ji Yun was taciturn, he would occasionally show him some care. Over time, Li Jing developed a closeness and respect for him that was difficult for others to match.
Even though outsiders compared him to his genius cousin and belittled him, he didn't care at all, and was even willing to be the dim star that set off the bright moon.
When the Ji family and the Meng family got engaged, Li Jing was the one who spoke out most vehemently on behalf of Ji Yun.
He was certain that his cousin was a man worthy of even a celestial being, so why should he be matched with an ordinary merchant's daughter?
That's why he was so angry when he first heard Ji Yun speak up for Meng Yutong in the teahouse. He didn't visit for a long time out of spite, fully expecting his cousin to come and explain.
Unexpectedly, what awaited them was yet another ruthless interruption in the council chamber today.
This time, he was truly angry and felt wronged.
Ji Yun stopped, his brows furrowing slightly as he looked at Li Jing with a hint of helplessness: "My engagement with the Meng family has been dissolved, and the past should be forgotten. Why do you, a prince's heir, still cling to a weak woman and do such shameful things?"
Upon hearing this, Li Jing knew that his brother already knew about those things, and the color drained from his face instantly. He hurriedly explained, "Cousin! What happened before... what happened before was not my intention! It was all that scoundrel Zheng Hui who deceived me, pretending to comply while secretly disobeying! Now that I have found out the truth, I will never... I took the initiative to take on the responsibility of investigation this time because I wanted to..."
"Alright." Ji Yun interrupted him, his cool gaze fixed on the roof ridge of the Imperial Medical Academy in the distance, the twilight casting a somber golden hue over its solemn silhouette.
His tone was serious and earnest: "The implementation of this new policy has been fraught with twists and turns to reach its current state. You have been in the Medical Academy for two years now, and you should know how to act with discretion. How can you continue to act impulsively and recklessly?"
“Cousin, I…” Li Jing tried to explain, “I really didn’t mean it that way! I didn’t mean anything by taking on that job this time…”
“If you truly have a heart of repentance,” Ji Yun suddenly withdrew his gaze. His usually calm eyes were now like black jade soaked in a cold spring. Although they still had that cold appearance, Li Jing could clearly feel an unprecedented anger. “The person you should apologize to is not me. If you remain stubborn and cause trouble for others, don’t blame me for not showing any mercy.”
After speaking, Ji Yun didn't look at him again, turned around with a flick of his sleeve, and quickly disappeared at the end of the corridor.
Li Jing stood frozen in place, scratching at the golden crown that bound his hair in frustration.
What he did was somewhat unethical.
How could someone as the dignified heir of Prince Rong lower himself to bow down and apologize to a woman?
Absolutely impossible!
The thought had just crossed his mind when Ji Yun's cold gaze flashed through his mind, and he felt a surge of unease.
Something's not right! He thought angrily: Why is my cousin scolding me again because of her?!
This woman is truly his nemesis!
In short, he will absolutely not apologize!
He turned around and kicked a pillar behind him, his face twitched, and then he clutched his leg and jumped around twice.
It hurts so much, it hurts so much...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
