First fry, then add
After nearly a year, the punishment of "too many numbers to display" from the Imperial Household Department finally fell on the heads of the medical officers of the Imperial Medical Bureau.
After a year of anxiety and three rounds of struggle, it still died.
Many new regulations followed, such as those concerning prices.
Bai Shu looked at the newly issued edict from the Imperial Physician with a headache. She was compiling the "Collection of Medical Classics" and now knew everything about diagnosis, prescriptions, and prices.
“This won’t do,” Bai Shu said. “This price might be acceptable for pharmacies that collect their own medicines and have their own clinics, but we are the Imperial Medical Academy. Every pen, ink, and oil costs money. Besides, we need to replace shelves in the cabinets today and change cabinets in the pharmacy tomorrow, but the Imperial Household Department doesn’t allocate any money to us. This won’t do.”
But it was just something she mentioned in private. Su You gently tapped her on the head as a reminder, "It's getting hot, the cicadas will be climbing the trees soon."
Bai Zhu fell silent.
Qiu Chuxin asked Bai Shu to bring over the medical book: "Let me see, where can we reduce it a little more?"
The price is something to be settled later; it's not the most pressing issue right now. The most pressing issue is—
Decoction of medicine.
Yes, decoct the medicine.
As we all know, different medicinal properties require different steps in the preparation of a single herbal decoction. For example, minerals and shells, such as dragon bone, oyster shell, and gypsum; toxic herbs, such as aconite and monkshood; and herbs that require long decoctions, such as gastrodia elata, must be decocted separately beforehand. On the other hand, most herbs that are pungent and cooling and relieve exterior symptoms, such as mint, patchouli, perilla leaves, and cardamom, should be added at the end of the cooking process, otherwise their medicinal properties will be compromised.
Therefore, the Imperial Household Department determined that it was unreasonable to boil the first and last herbs in the same pot simultaneously in a prescription, suggesting a possible falsification of the prescription. Thus, in addition to the prescription and records of the movement of medicinal materials, a new verification document was added—
It must show when, by whom, and what medicinal materials were used; this is called a "ledger".
The Imperial Medical Bureau's Assistant Director Xue met with the Assistant Director of Medicine, the Assistant Director of Pharmacy, and the Assistant Director of Prescription, and they each announced the new rules to their subordinates.
The process must be compliant and traceable. Because of this "ledger", the time when all medicinal materials are put into the pot, taken out of the warehouse, and placed down must be recorded, must be signed, must be rigorous, and must be clear and verifiable.
Yes, that's the problem, the same thing!
The old method of a physician writing down all the ingredients on a prescription, followed by the pharmacy dispensing, packaging, and decocting the medicine, is no longer feasible. Now, the imperial physician must meticulously record the patient's condition. The imperial physician prescribes one ingredient, the pharmacist dispenses that ingredient, and the pharmacist prepares the remaining ingredient. The timing of prescription dispensing and refilling is crucial. If a prescription contains five ingredients, five prescriptions are written and five prescriptions are filled; if it contains ten ingredients, ten prescriptions are written and ten prescriptions are filled. Every document and signature is mandatory.
...
The Imperial Medical Academy is in an uproar!
Xiao Fu, that hot-tempered girl, immediately went berserk, yelling at the apothecary, "Are you out of your mind? I've got seven or eight pots of medicine boiling on the fire, and you expect me to run off to find a physician to prescribe something? Aren't you going to delay things?"
The medicine master said, "What's so difficult about that? You just need one more person to guard the medicine furnace."
Xiao Fu's eyes widened: "My goodness, do you know that means we need to add half the staff? That'll be supporting so many idle people, and you'll be paying their salaries?"
Su You asked the physician, "Are we supposed to spend all day not seeing patients or making house calls, but just watching the pharmacist prescribe medicine and writing down pulse records? I'm asking you, how can I prescribe medicine when I'm making house calls in the palace? How can I prescribe medicine?"
The physician said, "I know you are in a difficult situation. This is the order from the Imperial Household Department and the method set by Xue Cheng. There is nothing we can do about it. Please bear with it."
Pan Cheng questioned, "The point is to show that the medicine should be decocted first and then added. The pharmacist should just remember to do so when decocting the medicine. What does that have to do with our prescription?"
"That's what Lord Xue instructed, and we're doing it according to the rules," Fang Cheng added. "Let me emphasize this: the ledgers must also be filed and sealed in the records. Be careful, don't be sloppy or falsify anything, and strictly follow the regulations for recording and archiving. If anything goes wrong, you'll be responsible for it yourselves; I won't cover it up."
After finishing their business, the three adults politely declined each other's invitation and left together.
The medical officers were filled with gloom.
Some people went berserk and cursed, like Xiao Fu and Su You; some people smiled bitterly and sighed, like Qiu Chuxin and Fang Lingshan; some people secretly wrote their resignations—that's Yi Qiancao.
Miss Su's temper was a bit scary, so Bai Shu avoided her and went to find Yang Huaishu. The two youngest second-generation doctors were scratching their heads in worry.
Yang Huaishu handed a handful of melon seeds to Bai Shu and said, "I'll be making house calls on my own next month, what should I do, senior sister?"
Bai Shu said with a bitter face, "I don't know either."
What should we do?
There's nothing we can do but resign or follow the rules.
There's no way around it.
Some time later, when Bai Shu was making a house call, he encountered Yang Huaishu in Yongxiang Lane. The little girl was running hurriedly with her head down. Bai Shu called out to her and asked, "Slow down, what's the rush?"
Yang Huaishu was anxious and said she wouldn't tell Bai Shu anymore: "Master has two prescriptions to write, but she's seeing patients in the emergency room and can't go back right away. She asked me to go to the pharmacy to write the prescriptions first. I'm running out of time, see you later, Senior Sister Bai."
"Hey..." Yang Huaishu dashed off in a flash. Bai Shu chuckled and shook his head. Really...
That is to say, Xiao Huaishu runs fast.
Difficult to assess.
Bai Zhu picked up her medicine box and headed towards the kitchen.
But after taking only a few dozen steps, they faintly heard a scream—
"Help!"
Bai Shu was taken aback; it was Yang Huaishu's voice.
The Yongxiang Palace was deep and winding, with imposing red walls. The mournful cries for help echoed over the palace walls.
Bai Shu was terrified. He turned and ran toward the sound.
Yang Huaishu fell into a pool of blood.
A few palace servants stood at a distance, but the murderer had vanished without a trace.
Vermilion palace walls, crimson blood, lifeless... Xiao Huaishu.
Bai Zhu's blood turned ice-cold in an instant, as if he had fallen into an ice cave.
"Huai Shu!"
Bai Shu rushed over, picked up Yang Huaishu, and checked her breathing. Her body temperature was still warm, but her pulse was gone.
The palace servants watching were discussing amongst themselves in twos and threes.
"The little girl doesn't look very old."
"Yes, he looks so young."
"The one who killed someone said she ruined the patient's health?"
"You saw it?"
"I saw it. Let me tell you, it was terrifying. It rushed up and smashed its head against my head. I'm afraid its head is broken."
"Oh my, that's terrifying."
...
"Help!" Bai Shu frantically tried to cover Yang Huaishu's wound, but she couldn't stop it; blood seeped through her fingers. Bai Shu touched the shattered skull and something soft and sticky...
Bai Zhu knew what it was.
Bai Shu was a physician, but at that moment, everything was black before her eyes, her mind was blank, her body was cold, and her hands were trembling... She didn't know what she could do, and could only repeatedly shout to the palace servants watching, "Quickly go to the Imperial Medical Bureau to call for help! Save someone!"
"Senior sister! Senior brother! Help!"
...
Soon Su You arrived, Qiu Chuxin arrived, and Yang Gongfeng also arrived, supported by his disciples.
Ruan Yeting has arrived, the Imperial Physician has arrived, the Palace Attendant has arrived, and the Palace Attendant has also arrived.
Yang Huaishu's body was already completely cold.
...
...
The strongmen and eunuchs carried away Yang Huaishu's body;
Yang Gongfeng was persuaded and carried back by his disciples;
Qiu Chuxin couldn't believe that her little apprentice had died in the short time it took to write a prescription. Pan Cheng and Lang Dianxian helped her back. Before leaving, Pan Cheng was worried about the distraught Bai Shu and said to Su You, "Take good care of your junior sister."
Su You nodded silently, "Mm."
The eunuch dispersed the palace servants who had gathered to watch, and it was getting dark.
Su You stayed with Bai Shu for a while, then said softly, "Little Shu, let's go back too."
Bai Shu looked down at his hands, where the blood had begun to congeal. He looked down at his official robes, where patches of blood were turning dark.
Bai Shu remembered that there was still a small bag of melon seeds in the wide sleeve of her official robe, the melon seeds that Yang Huaishu had given her a couple of days ago that she hadn't finished eating.
Bai Shu suddenly burst into tears.
Su You patted her gently, "Let's go, it's getting dark, the palace gates will be locked soon."
...
...
...
News of Yang Huaishu's death spread.
Yang Huaishu's death was like a heavy stone weighing on the hearts of all the imperial physicians.
The Imperial Medical Bureau issued an order forbidding any unauthorized discussion.
Yiqiancao handed over his final resignation letter and said to Wan Gongfeng, "I am grateful for your guidance over the years, but this time, my mind is made up."
This time, Wan Gongfeng did not stop him. The hunched old man only sighed and said, "If you can't be a good prime minister, then be a good doctor. The best doctors govern the country. It's good that you go on to pursue an official career."
Yang Gongfeng fell seriously ill. He had fainted from anger after being angered by the Shaofu (a high-ranking official). Bai Shu's father examined him and said that given his age, he needed to rest and avoid further anger. However, after only a few days of recuperation, the devastating news of his granddaughter's passing struck. Yang Gongfeng fell seriously ill, and his son submitted a petition for retirement on his behalf. Yang Gongfeng's son was also Yang Huaishu's father. Bai Shu had met him once; he had lost his daughter in middle age and his hair had turned white overnight.
Qiu Chuxin also fell ill. In just a few days, she lost a lot of weight, refused to eat or drink, and kept saying that she was the one who harmed Huai Shu and shouldn't have asked her to go back and prescribe medicine.
"She's been in the palace for less than a year, and she's been with me every day. Who could she possibly have made an enemy of?" Qiu Chuxin said, looking haggard and blaming herself. "It's my fault!"
Fang Lingshan and Lang Dianxian took turns caring for Qiu Chuxin, while Pan Cheng went to inquire about news from Ruan Yeting. Within the palace walls, the murderer had nowhere to hide and was quickly apprehended and imprisoned in Yeting Prison.
“The murderer was a palace servant from the violent chambers,” Pan Cheng told Bai Shu. “According to his confession, his sister had caught a cold a few days ago but could not be saved. He believed that the physician had made the illness worse and wanted to pay with his sister’s life.”
Bai Shu asked, puzzled, "What does this have to do with Huai Shu?"
“It has nothing to do with it,” Pan Cheng said. “It’s just that Xiao Shu ran into him and was alone.”
"This..." Bai Shu was speechless, anger filling his chest. He asked, "Why?"
Pan Cheng did not answer, and no one could answer. Everyone was feeling bad.
Two knocks sounded at the door. Su You opened it, and came in the physician and several officials dressed as outer court officials.
Sensing hostility, Su You stood in the doorway and asked warily, "What do you gentlemen want?"
“These are the officials from the Censorate and the Department of Clerk and Prison,” the physician said. “Someone has accused Qiu Chuxin, a physician in the Imperial Medical Bureau, of taking advantage of her temporary assignment from the Court of Imperial Sacrifices to practice medicine at the Music Bureau to make a fortune through outpatient clinics. Therefore, we have asked Physician Qiu to go to the Department of Clerk and Prison to ask her a few questions.”
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