Imperial Physician (Part-time)
Wan Gongfeng picked up a fritillaria bulb, pinched it, and said, "It's Zhejiang fritillaria. Did you all include Sichuan fritillaria in your prescriptions?"
The case is solved, Fang Lingshan and the others nodded.
Wan Gongfeng sighed, said nothing, hunched his slightly stooped back, and walked away with his hands behind his back.
Bai Zhu pressed Xiao Fu, "Fritillaria cirrhosa is the principal ingredient and cannot be changed. When can the medicine assistant supplement with Fritillaria cirrhosa?"
"Who knows!" Xiao Fu leaned out from behind the medicine table and said to Bai Shu, "Rumor has it that things are very chaotic in southern Sichuan. The Lin family and the Prince's Mansion are fighting there, cutting off the trade routes in the Jiange Mountains. It's completely blocked. All the places in Longyou combined can't even keep up with the production in southern Sichuan. The price of Sichuan fritillary bulbs on the market is outrageous right now. I think there's a good chance to make a fortune."
The shortage of Fritillaria cirrhosa was a devastating blow to the medical officers, including Atractylodes macrocephala.
But Xiao Fu continued, "It's not just fritillaria cirrhosa. Ginseng, Polygonum multiflorum, rhinoceros horn, and several other things have been out of stock for a long time! If you keep spending so recklessly, your coffers will be empty. Every penny spent is a loss, so be more frugal!"
Xiao Fu scratched her head in worry, and Bai Zhu scratched her head in worry too.
There are alternatives to fritillaria cirrhosa, but the supply of these other medicinal herbs has been cut off. What, are they going to follow Senior Brother Qian's example and use licorice as the only ingredient in their prescriptions?
Worried, scratching my head.
Bai Zhu asked, "If all else fails, shall we purchase it from outside the palace? After all, treating the illness is the most important thing."
"You're probably being a bit too naive," Xiao Fu said immediately. "Medicines from outside are dangerous! If something goes wrong, can even the Emperor himself take responsibility? Even if nothing happens, how many times can you do it? Smuggling medicine into the inner palace is a capital offense, and if we're caught, we'll all be in deep trouble. This path really won't work!"
Bai Shu recalled the "pearl theft case" that her second brother had told her, and thought of the Zhi Qiu Bureau and the Sticky Rod Office. She quickly said, "No, no, I was just saying it."
Xiao Fu said seriously, "Don't even think about it! You can't do that!"
If it's not feasible, then let's not do it.
This time, Bai Zhu was so worried that she wanted to bang her head against the wall even more.
What's this called? Yes, it's called—
The Yellow River is blocked by ice, and the Taihang Mountains are covered in snow.
—This job is unworkable; I might as well resign.
On the winter solstice, the female physicians of the Imperial Medical Bureau ate hot pot with mutton. When Bai Shu first entered the palace, she did not know how to drink alcohol. Nearly two years after entering the palace, on this day, Bai Shu got drunk for the first time.
Winter passed and spring came, and it was the year 702 of Ningxi.
From that year onward, all the physicians in the Imperial Medical Bureau became much more cautious in prescribing medicines.
The second senior brother, Yiqiancao, submitted his resignation to Wan Gongfeng.
Even a minor medical officer is still an official, exempt from corvée labor and with reduced taxes. Countless people desperately want to enter the Imperial Medical Bureau but cannot. Wan Gongfeng advised him, "You should reconsider," and suppressed his resignation.
Yiqiancao said, "Master, I come from a humble background and my family is not well-off. I have a wife and children, and parents to support."
Wan Gongfeng sighed and patted him on the shoulder, "Let's think about it for a while."
The news spread like wildfire, shocking the entire Imperial Medical Bureau.
Pan Cheng and Qiu Chuxin sighed. Bai Shu asked, and Pan Cheng told her, "When Junior Brother Qian first came to the Imperial Medical Academy, he wasn't like this. His temperament is somewhat similar to that of Attendant Yang. He needs to thoroughly investigate medical and pharmacological principles."
Qiu Chuxin said, "He had a very good foundation, and many people advised him to go to the Dafangmai, including Bai Gongfeng. He said that healing and saving lives is the same everywhere, and the Xiaofangmai needed people, so he stayed in the Xiaofangmai. In the end, he was delayed."
Bai Shu said, "A doctor cannot heal himself."
“Yes,” Qiu Chuxin sighed, “these illnesses in the palace are beyond our ability to cure, yet we are the only physicians.”
Pan Cheng said, "We can cure diseases, but we can't cure people."
You can't govern the world, and you can't govern people's hearts.
Yang Huaishu also heard about this. Yang Huaishu had known Qiancao since he was very young, and Qiancao was also among the people who went to Yang Gongfeng’s mansion to discuss medical principles a long time ago.
Yang Huaishu knew that Yiqiancao resigned from his official post because he "had to support his family." After thinking for a while, he suggested, "Why don't we find some work to do in the palace?"
Her words made everyone turn to look at her. The shy girl blushed again and stammered, "Well... I heard that the palace servants often order snacks and side dishes from the kitchen, which costs extra. Why don't we learn from them? When we're not on duty, we can either make some nourishing teas or work with the kitchen to make some poria cocos cakes or medicinal dishes to sell in the palace?"
Bai Shu asked, "You mean, everyone's going to do part-time jobs?"
Bai Shu and Yang Huaishu didn't become the "Salted Fish Duo," but their impulsive and quirky nature made them the "Mischievous Idea Duo" of the Imperial Medical Bureau.
Yang Huaishu nodded repeatedly.
Fang Lingshan frowned and said, "How is this any different from that of a peddler or laborer?"
Pan Cheng also said, "We are different from the Imperial Kitchen. There are no dietary restrictions for us, so how can we prescribe medicine indiscriminately? Without seeing the patient and without proper diagnosis, problems will arise."
Yang Huaishu shrank his neck and said awkwardly, "What my two senior sisters say is true. I didn't think it through."
“But I think Xiao Shu’s method is feasible,” Qiu Chu thought. “There are so many ways to regulate health and wellness, why do we need a proper prescription for decocting medicine? Poria cocos cake, summer heat relief drink, and uterine warming patch are not difficult to make. Combining some fumigation bath formulas is also a way out.”
Pan Cheng still shook his head: "This is not something a doctor should do."
Su You chimed in, "Yes, our proper physicians have turned into peddlers."
"The best doctors treat illness before it occurs," Qiu Chuxin asked. "Why not?"
Bai Shu remembered what her senior brother Qian had told her: "Senior Sister Pan receives government subsidies every year," and "Senior Sister Fang has effective ways of providing for her..."
Bai Shu said, "I also think it's feasible. Senior Sister, Second Senior Brother can't hold on any longer. I've also heard that there are clinics outside that are offering Senior Brothers positions, with salaries much higher than ours."
Qiu Chuxin nodded: "Acheng, we have to save ourselves."
In the spring of 702, when the flowers were in bloom, stalls were set up in front of the Imperial Medical Academy, and the junior medical officers enthusiastically started their "side business".
Doing business inevitably involves Xiao Fu. The daughter of the wealthy Jin family of Jiangnan, she's a master of accounting and business. Seeing Bai Zhu and Yi Qian Cao setting up their stall in front of the Imperial Medical Academy, she panicked and said to them, "You can't do this! I have several people at the Imperial Medical Academy entrance; who would buy your stuff? You should set up your stall in front of the Nine Ministers' Office!"
Bai Shu blushed and said, "The Nine Ministers' Office is always bustling with people, isn't that inappropriate?"
Xiao Fu laughed at her: "That's exactly what we want, people coming and going, don't be shy, do you still want to make money?"
Bai Shu: "..."
Bai Zhu regretted it, but it was too late to back down now.
Xiao Fu walked ahead with her head held high and chest out, followed by Qian Yicao carrying two loads on her shoulders. Behind them were Bai Zhu and Yang Huaishu, two shy girls who slunk away, not daring to lift their heads, as if they were thieves.
When they arrived at the destination and started to put on airs, Xiao Fu looked down on their shameful appearance and laughed at them, saying, "It's not like there's anything shameful about it, why are you two acting like you're stealing cattle? Don't be shy, shout it out! We sellers have to have loud voices, only when we shout will people come to buy!"
Bai Zhu sighed, while Yang Huaishu blushed crimson. Yi Qiancao, having gone all out, shouted, "Tranquilizing and calming tea, specially made by the Imperial Medical Academy..."
But being a scholar, he couldn't help but feel embarrassed about doing this for the first time. So he raised his voice so loudly that it attracted the attention of passing officials and palace servants, who then lowered their voices.
"How can this work? Watch me shout!" Xiao Fu pushed aside the angelica and stood in front of the stall, calling out, "Don't step on me, passersby! Calming tea, sleep-inducing tea, sleep until the sun is high in the sky! Come and have a sip, or you'll have to wait until next year!"
Xiao Fu's voice was crisp, bright, light, and lively, and soon attracted many people to ask her questions.
Xiao Fu spoke fluently and clearly, promoting her stall's items to the officials and palace servants who came to inquire. Yang Huaishu, his ears burning red, kept his head down, hurriedly packing up the poria cocos cakes and calming tea one by one. Bai Zhu helped Xiao Fu with the accounts, collecting the money in a small basket. After learning for a while, Yi Qian Cao finally overcame her shyness and started shouting out her wares.
The four-person stall team was working with great enthusiasm.
Soon, everyone in the Nine Ministers' Offices knew that the junior physicians of the Imperial Medical Bureau were setting up stalls.
What are some novel part-time jobs?
Let's go check out the fun.
More and more people gathered around the stall, and Yang Huaishu became more and more skilled at packing the food. Suddenly, the crowd fell silent.
The officials and palace servants who had been surrounding them suddenly dispersed. As soon as the sky brightened, Bai Shu looked up and saw a familiar face—Ruan Yeting, the Director of the Imperial Household Department.
Two female officials followed behind Ruan Yeting. She stepped forward and asked Bai Shu, "What are you doing?"
Ruan Yeting recognized Atractylodes macrocephala.
The Director of the Imperial Household Department was in charge of internal palace affairs.
Bai Shu's heart tightened, and she subconsciously took half a step forward, partially shielding the stall and Yang Huaishu, whose face had turned pale, behind her. She steadied herself, forced a smile, and gave a proper bow: "Greetings, Ruan Yeting. Reporting to Commander Ruan, the Imperial Medical Bureau has recently... well, developed some seasonal health-preserving teas and pastries, thinking of letting the palace staff in various departments try them out to regulate their bodies and prevent illness before it occurs."
Bai Zhu frantically tried to justify himself, speaking euphemistically and avoiding mentioning money. But given the scale of the operation, the bustling atmosphere, and the lively atmosphere, it was clear to everyone that they were "doing business."
Ruan Yeting's face remained expressionless as her gaze swept across the simple stall: the poria cocos cake, the paper-wrapped tea, and the small packets of medicinal herbs. Finally, it landed on Bai Zhu's forced composure. She didn't speak, but simply reached out, took a packet of "calming tea," opened it, poured out the herbs into her palm, and examined them one by one.
The air seemed to freeze. Beads of sweat appeared on Yiqiancao's forehead, Xiaofu also lost her clever demeanor, standing aside with her lips pursed, and Yang Huaishu even softened her breathing.
After a while, Ruan Yeting put down the medicinal herbs and asked, "Why do the physicians of your Imperial Medical Bureau also hold this position of market clerk?"
The voice wasn't loud, but it made Bai Shu and the others feel a chill in their hearts.
“Your Majesty, I must say,” Bai Shu said, her voice dry as she forced herself to speak, “It is true that… there are some unspeakable difficulties within the department recently. We… we only wish to make a small contribution, not to overstep our bounds, and we dare not delay or err.”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com