Meetings and documents
Pan Cheng was so angry at Bai Shu's twisted logic that his liver ached. Pointing at the medical record, he said seriously, "This needs to be filed. Not to mention that Fang Cheng's people will have looked at it first, the Imperial Household Department, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and the Censorate will check it at any time. If you are caught making a mistake, you will be punished. It's fine if you two regard money as something external, but I will not allow it to implicate your master!"
Bai Shu listened with her head down, her hands behind her back, her fingers fidgeting. Su You handed Pan Cheng tea and advised, "Calm down. I can vouch for you; Junior Sister really doesn't know how."
Pan Cheng snorted coldly and said, "Ask her yourself, is she really unable to do it, or is she deliberately being unable to?"
Bai Shu, his thoughts exposed, lowered his head and remained silent. Pan Cheng took a breath and softened his voice, saying, "I know you sympathize with that little palace maid surnamed Zheng, but we are physicians, not historians or judges. We only record illnesses, not events. The most important thing in serving in the palace is to 'do our duty.' How can you be responsible to the patient by writing down medical records here?" Pan Cheng paused, then said, "Emotional illness is an internal injury; correct your mistake."
I wrote a medical record several times before it finally passed the scrutiny of Senior Sister Pan Cheng.
Bai Shu sent the medical record to Fang Cheng, who was also divided into many departments. Fang Cheng had even more people than the medical director. Bai Shu found the cabinet storehouse, where a nobleman from the inner court was on duty that day. He told Bai Shu to put the medical record on the shelf and sign it in the register, which was considered to be the filing.
Zhong Gui was cracking walnuts and couldn't free his hands for a moment, so he asked Bai Zhu to bring him the booklet to look at.
"Bai Shu?" The nobleman squinted, looked at the ledger and then at Bai Shu, and chuckled, "Why is such a pretty little girl like you called that?"
Having seen Su You's example before, Bai Shu was already used to the makeshift medical department of the Imperial Medical Bureau. He didn't argue with him and said with a smile, "You're right, sir. I also think the name doesn't sound good. It's just that it was given to me by my elders, so I'm used to it."
The eunuch waved his hand, signaling Bai Shu to leave.
Bai Shu rolled his eyes as he went out. It was hot in the summer, and his official robes were thick, so Bai Shu was covered in sweat and fanned himself with his hand.
Then she ran into her second senior brother, who greeted Bai Zhu with "One Coin Grass": "Junior Sister, are you here to submit your medical records too?"
Bai Shu said that he saw his second senior brother holding a medical record in one hand and two walnuts in the other.
The second senior brother wasn't very old either, only twenty-four or twenty-five, yet he was already playing with walnuts.
Seeing Bai Zhu's gaze, Yi Qian Cao raised his hand to show off his walnuts and said with a smile, "Don't underestimate these two walnuts. They can relax muscles and improve circulation, and are very beneficial."
Bai Shu said, "Senior brother has a refined taste."
After his second senior brother handed over his medical records, Bai Shu walked with him and asked, "Senior brother, are you on duty today? Where are you going?"
One-cent grass said, "Go to the meeting."
Bai Shu asked, "What meeting?"
“There are so many,” Yiqiancao said, listing them off as if they were her own treasures, “Formula Inspection Committee, Fire Prevention Committee, New Formula Seminar, Difficult Issues Discussion, Pricing Review Committee, Monthly Meeting, Instruction Meeting…”
Brother Qian said a long string of words, which made Bai Shu dizzy. She listened to it all but couldn't remember a single word. Then she heard Qian Cao ask her, "Don't you have anything to do? It just so happens that two gatherings are scheduled at the same time. Can you go and sign in for me?"
"Oh, okay." Bai Shu was a little confused, doing whatever her second senior brother told her to do. "When? Where am I going? What am I doing?"
Yiqiancao pointed out the place to Baizhu and urged her, "Go quickly and answer our master's name."
"Hey..." Bai Shu felt something was off, "Wouldn't it have been recognized at a glance?"
"It's nothing," said Yiqiancao, waving her hand. "I have to rush to another event. Thanks."
Confused, Bai Zhu walked and looked around, and unwittingly arrived at the place her second senior brother had told her to go, where she happened to run into Xiao Fu.
"Little Bai Shu!" Xiao Fu waved to Bai Shu: "What a coincidence, you're here to help Master at the meeting too?"
A bewildered Bai Shu finally spotted an acquaintance and ran over to ask, "My second senior brother sent me here. What kind of gathering is this? What am I supposed to do?"
"Relax, don't panic." Xiao Fu smiled as she looked at Bai Zhu's serious and tense appearance. "It's nothing, just listen with one ear."
The two entered the house together. Xiao Fu led Bai Shu to sign in and then found seats at the back. Not long after, Fang Lingshan and Lang Dianxian arrived and, seeing Xiao Fu and Bai Shu, sat down together.
Afterwards, Bai Shu saw that her second brother had also arrived. Bai Erlang also saw Bai Shu, but Bai Shu was with Xiao Fu on her left and Fang Lingshan on her right, as well as Lin Shaoyin and Chang Zhifang. Bai Erlang didn't want to go near them, so he sat on the other side.
As more and more people arrived, Bai Shu asked Fang Lingshan, "Aren't all these people on duty? What are they doing here?"
Before Fang Lingshan could speak, Lang Dianxian leaned over and said, "Little Baishu, were you sent here by your second senior brother? Haha, I knew it. Senior Brother Qian is the chief steward of Wan Gongfeng's sect. He manages everything, big and small. Did he send you here without even telling you what the meeting was about?"
“I did tell him,” Bai Shu said, scratching his head, “but it was such a long list of names that I didn’t remember them.”
“You remember this,” Xiao Fu said, “small matters are handled in big meetings, and big matters in small meetings. The longer the names are drawn out and the more people are gathered in a group, the less valid the meeting is. You just need to listen carefully, and it will pass!”
Lin Shaoyin and Chang Zhifang both leaned in to listen, and couldn't help but chuckle. Lang Dianxian said, "Xiao Fu is right."
"Stop fooling around," Fang Lingshan gently interrupted them. "Lord Lingcheng has arrived."
This was the first time Bai Shu had met this deputy of the Imperial Medical Bureau—the Assistant Director of the Imperial Medical Bureau, Lord Xue.
Lord Xue was a portly man with a belly so large it resembled that of someone eight months pregnant. The jade belt around his waist hung down as if it were holding his enormous belly in place. Bai Shu was a little worried for him, afraid that the belt would break and his belly would fall off.
Accompanying Xue Lingcheng was the Imperial Household Assistant Minister of the Imperial Household Department, followed by the three chief officials of the Imperial Medical Bureau: the Chief Physician, the Chief Pharmacist, and the Chief Physician of the Department of Medicine.
Lang Dianxian and Fang Lingshan whispered and complained, "Why are the people from the Imperial Household Department here again?"
The gentle Fang Lingshan also sighed and asked Lang Dianxian, "How much were you punished last time?"
Lang Dianxian held up a few fingers.
Fang Lingshan gasped: "So ruthless?"
Lang Dianxian withdrew his fingers and shrugged: "Just consider yourself unlucky."
Bai Zhu only knew that failing to submit medical records on time would result in a salary penalty, and making mistakes in the medical records would also result in a salary penalty. He asked, "What are you talking about? Medical records?"
"It's a relief order for the palace servants." Seeing that Bai Shu was confused, Fang Lingshan whispered to her, "When the Empress Dowager was young, she suffered in the Yeting Palace and knew the hardships of the palace servants. Many young palace maids and eunuchs couldn't afford medical treatment and wasted their lives. Therefore, she specially approved funds from the Imperial Household Department to pay for the palace servants' medical treatment."
Bai Zhu said, "This is a good thing."
“It’s a good thing,” Lang Dianxian said, “but it’s a bottomless pit. The Imperial Household Department’s accounts only have so much silver, and there are so many places to spend money. Besides, His Majesty is in his prime, and in recent years he has taken in many concubines. Every year, several princes and grandsons are born, and palace servants come in batch after batch. It’s not like the days of the Jingyu and Jinxiu dynasties when the harem was empty. But the money is still the same amount. How can it be enough?”
"Huh? What should we do then?"
Xiao Fu said, "They'll fine us for our salaries. First they'll take your medical assistants' pay, then they'll squeeze our pharmacists' pay. We'll all be sitting here waiting for the wind to blow our bellies open!"
Bai Shu: "Huh?"
Lang Dianxian once again agreed with Xiao Fu, saying, "That's right, if the imperial physician can't calculate, he'll work for nothing all year."
After listening to the meeting, Bai Shu felt that she had gained a lot.
Bai Shu realized her three vital survival tasks at the Imperial Medical Academy—
First, preserve your own life;
Second, to save the patient's life;
Third, to keep her alive with her meager food rations.
After the meeting, while everyone was still there, Xiao Fu asked, "Are you all on night duty tonight? Shall we hang out?"
"No, no," Lang Dianxian said. "I have to go back and finish the medical records. I've been in meetings these past two days and haven't had time to write them. I'm going to be late."
Fang Lingshan said, "Me too, I haven't had a chance to look at my junior brother's medical records yet."
Lin Shaoyin also said, "I also need to supplement the drug testing and inventory records."
Bai Zhu also needed to go back and study pharmacology intensively. Everyone was busy with their own things, so Xiao Fu could only say, "Okay, let's play together again in a few days."
Bai Shu felt that she couldn't just keep studying books; she needed to "see a doctor."
Zheng Xiaoniangzi's case was a lucky accident; later, Senior Sister Pan analyzed it for her in detail, and she suddenly had an epiphany.
Bai Shu remembered her father's "persuasion" technique and went to persuade Pan Cheng again: "Senior sister, senior sister, please take me under your wing! I'll serve you tea, pour you water, carry your medicine box, copy medical records for you, and massage your shoulders and back! Please take me under your wing, senior sister, senior sister, my dear senior sister—"
The tone of the last syllable shifted three times, becoming both coquettish and clingy, giving Pan Cheng, who usually disliked getting too close to people, goosebumps all over.
"Alright, alright," Pan Cheng said, feeling dizzy from being shaken. "If you want to learn, just follow me. I've never chased you away. I'm going on house calls tomorrow. If you don't have anything else to do, come over."
Bai Shu beamed with joy, then stretched out his arms and gave Pan Cheng a tight hug, exclaiming, "Senior Sister, I love you!"
Pan Cheng awkwardly struggled for a moment, then said to Bai Shu with disdain, "Let go. It's the middle of summer, and you're covered in sweat. Aren't you hot?"
Bai Zhu chuckled.
Pan Cheng was an excellent doctor with a good reputation. Although she was a bit aloof, she was very responsible to her patients, and many palace maids loved to seek her out.
When Pan Cheng made house calls, many palace maids came to see her. Bai Shu sat next to Pan Cheng, and she looked at whatever Pan Cheng looked at. When Pan Cheng took her pulse, Bai Shu also took her pulse. She listened to what Pan Cheng said and took notes in a small notebook.
Bai Shu thought she could learn the shorthand method used by the historians from the Taishi Yi.
In half a day, Pan Cheng examined about twenty palace maids, most of whom suffered from menstrual cramps. Taking advantage of a break, Pan Cheng asked Bai Zhu about the different types of menstrual cramps. Bai Zhu pondered and recited, "There are qi stagnation and blood stasis syndrome, cold coagulation and blood stasis syndrome, damp-heat stagnation syndrome, qi and blood deficiency syndrome, and liver and kidney deficiency syndrome. The first three are excess syndromes, mainly caused by poor qi and blood circulation, which obstructs the uterus; the latter two are deficiency syndromes, caused by qi and blood deficiency, which leads to insufficient nourishment of the uterus."
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