Chapter 40 (Combined Chapters)
After bringing her to the back building, and seeing that she had indeed taken off her clothes, Miaozhen couldn't help but ask, "When did you contract this disease?"
Wei Wan sighed: "It happened when I was in postpartum confinement. I was afraid of being exposed to the wind during confinement, and I stayed in confinement for more than two months. When I came out, I was like this. I also saw a doctor, but it didn't help at all. Then I remembered you. Actually, I came here specifically for this."
Miaozhen was only proud of her medical skills, knowing that there were people who specifically sought her out for treatment.
"All leprosy is caused by exposure to wind and exposure to harmful substances. Prolonged postpartum confinement, especially in a stuffy, enclosed space, easily leads to imbalances in Qi and blood. If Qi and blood are insufficient, this disease can easily develop. Wind, cold, and dampness accumulate on the skin's surface, making moxibustion unsuitable for triggering the disease. The only approach is to first disperse and unblock the channels, clear stagnation and release heat. Recently, I saw a formula for Ginseng Detoxifying Powder in the *Taiping Shenghui Heji Jufang*, adding one qian of Forsythia, two qian of Honeysuckle Flower, and one qian of Gastrodia. Honeysuckle Flower is a holy medicine for sores, Gastrodia can calm wind and stop spasms, suppress liver Yang, dispel wind and unblock the channels, and Forsythia can clear heat, detoxify, and reduce swelling," Miaozhen said.
It's actually quite simple. It's just that the mother caught a cold after childbirth. Originally, if she had gotten it at the beginning, the ginseng would have been removed during treatment. But now that we need to invigorate her qi and strengthen her body, it can't be removed.
In addition to internal use, there is also external application. Miaozhen prescribed another dose of Hezhang Powder for her to apply to her body when she got home.
She wrote out the prescription, saw Wei Wan out, and then returned to wash her hands.
Then Mei asked, "Is moxibustion not needed this time?"
"This is not something that can be done with moxibustion, nor is it necessary for every disease. As a doctor, I must first identify the symptoms of each disease." Just like with any matter, you must first grasp the main contradiction and then take into account the secondary contradictions. Within the main contradiction, you must also grasp the main aspects. In this way, the general direction of diagnosis will not be wrong.
For some reason, Madam Mei found herself somewhat admiring of her daughter. Her illness had been treated by her daughter, who was straightforward and knew exactly what was wrong with her, and a few doses of medicine were all it took to cure her.
When Wei Wan returned home, he had someone prepare medicine and apply it to his skin. After about ten days, his condition improved.
Miaozhen went to the free clinic with Ru Shi again during these ten days. In the past, she listened to Ru Shi in everything, but now she can make her own decisions, and Ru Shi has to discuss things with her instead. This can be considered as progress.
When they returned, they heard from outside that Mrs. Qin had arrived. Miaozhen looked at her and said, "She's mostly recovered. She just needs to take good care of herself."
Leaving aside the generous gifts from Wei Wan, when one's health improves, one always feels refreshed and invigorated.
Mei sent over some osmanthus-flavored sweet soup with water chestnuts, which made Miaozhen very happy. If she could always do what she wanted and get some reward, she would live a very comfortable and carefree life.
It is also said that Wei Wan has connections with the Cheng family. She and her husband also run their own shop, so they frequently interact with the families of the Suzhou prefect and several ladies from Wu County and Changzhou County. When they get together, they naturally talk about local customs, beauty and skincare. One lady is only in her thirties, but she has already gone through menopause, which she finds very poignant.
Wei Wan immediately recommended Miao Zhen: "Your household has a female doctor surnamed Xu. She is young but has excellent medical skills. She often provides free medical consultations. Even the Cheng family in Jinling once consulted her when they had a serious illness. Why don't you ask her to take a look, Madam? She is also a direct disciple of Madam Yang from Wuxi. My illness will be cured after she takes a look."
So, the wife of the magistrate of Wu County actually sent an invitation to Miaozhen to come and see. This lady was a second wife. She had married a man in his fifties when she was young and was feeling depressed. She originally wanted to have another child, but she had already lost her menstrual blood.
Miaozhen bowed first, and after approaching, they exchanged a few pleasantries. The county magistrate's wife saw that Miaozhen was well-dressed and dressed, and was the daughter of a gentry. She had heard that Miaozhen often provided free medical consultations and medicine in the neighborhood, and concluded that she was an extremely kind person. She then told her about her illness: "I am only thirty-six years old now. Could it be that I have blood deficiency?"
“No, if it were blood deficiency, I'm afraid I would have lost my life long ago. This menstrual period is not blood, but the water from the kidneys. Do you have any symptoms? Like, not sleeping well, hot flashes, etc.?” Miaozhen asked.
The magistrate's wife hurriedly said, "To be honest, I not only suffer from hot flashes, but also have weak knees and am always sweating."
"How many months has it been since you last came?" Miaozhen asked.
The magistrate's wife sighed: "About two years."
Miaozhen took her pulse again and thought to herself that the Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic says that after a woman is thirty-five years old, her Yangming meridian begins to weaken, her face begins to look haggard, and even her hair begins to fall out. This lady's pulse is wiry and thin, which is typical of liver qi stagnation. So she said, "I think I should first give you a heart, liver and spleen powder, and then tonify your kidneys."
After saying that, he prescribed Yijing Decoction, a formula that nourishes the heart, liver, spleen, and kidneys simultaneously. Only by clearing away the stagnation can the body function properly.
She had treated the Cheng family, and even the wife of the River Conservancy Governor and the Prefect of Yingtian, so she was calm and composed. However, Madam Mei, who was outside, felt a little weak in the knees.
Seeing Miaozhen come out, he asked, "Can we go now?"
"We can go now. The magistrate's wife said she would have someone send us back in a sedan chair, but I said we have a carriage at home to send us, so it's not necessary," Miaozhen said with a smile.
When they got home, Madam Mei asked, "If you cured the magistrate's wife, wouldn't your status be elevated in the future?"
"Mother, let me tell you, there are very few people like Sister Wei. Most people treat doctors as if it's their duty to cure, and if they can't, they'll cause trouble for you." Just because someone is of high status doesn't mean they're a good person, but with Wei Wan's recommendation, I've at least gotten a feel for things, so that the top positions aren't monopolized.
Miaozhen only hoped that she could keep a good eye on people; as for anything else, she didn't care.
Meanwhile, Cheng Yuan of the Cheng family in Nanjing was overjoyed to have her marriage to the Xu family as she had wished. The Cheng family members were just waiting for Xu, the third-ranking scholar, to finish his mourning period before the wedding. However, her younger sister followed the same path as in her previous life and actually fell in love with Lu Shi'an.
Lu Shi'an's appearance was indeed impressive; he was handsome and talented, and no matter what she said, her younger sister wouldn't listen. Even Madam Zeng said, "Third daughter, I think Lu Shi'an is quite good. Your older brother says he's talented and has a good chance of passing the imperial examination next time. Why are you trying to stop him?"
"I'm not trying to stop him, but I think we should at least investigate his background thoroughly!" Cheng Yuan said, exasperated.
Madam Zeng waved her hand: "Your eldest brother has investigated and said that he lives in a temple and never goes to brothels. His family owns two or three hundred acres of land. His parents are both dead, and he was raised with the support of his aunt when he was young. He is also extremely filial to his aunt."
Cheng Yuan frowned: "How come I heard that Lu Shi'an has a cousin?"
"Oh, that doesn't matter. Which wealthy family doesn't have three or four concubines? So what if she's a child bride? Besides, Lu Shi'an said he only treats his cousin as a younger sister and sent her a dowry back." Madam Zeng was quite satisfied with Lu Shi'an and added, "That Xu Tanhua is still a widower, and you were willing to marry him. Why are you so picky about your sister?"
Cheng Yuan was furious. Was she supposed to say that she had experienced a past life? Clearly, her mother didn't trust her.
For Miaozhen, to gain people's trust, one must achieve something significant, just like now, the county magistrate's wife, after taking medicine for more than a month, has started menstruating and immediately sent someone to express her gratitude.
Miaozhen humbly replied, "It is thanks to the great blessings that Grandfather and Madam are well. What am I compared to them?"
With the magistrate's wife's high regard, the Xu family was also honored. However, Miao Zhen was very low-key. She devoted herself to preparing prescriptions and reading medical books at home.
She didn't even go to her third uncle's birthday party. Jian Ge'er and Kun Ge'er went with their parents, but what she didn't expect was that Jian Ge'er was carried back.
Miaozhen was startled: "What's wrong, Father and Mother?"
Mei said anxiously, "Today, your third aunt's sister brought a dog to guard your grandparents' house. She tied the dog to the willow tree next to them. Your brother thought it was cute and wanted to go over to take a look, but he bit the dog's leg. The dog went berserk and couldn't be stopped."
"Could it be hydrophobia?" Hydrophobia is rabies.
Miaozhen hurriedly recalled that the "Elbow-Side Emergency Prescriptions" said: "When a dog bites a person, it will recur once every seven days. If it does not recur after three weeks, the bite will be expelled. It will take more than one hundred days for the bite to become a large rabbit."
In other words, this disease will manifest within seven days. If it does not manifest, one must wait twenty-one days to be considered cured. Only if it does not manifest after one hundred days can one be considered truly cured.
But at this moment, she couldn't gamble that the dog was alright. Fortunately, a few days ago she had come across a chapter in "Emergency Prescriptions to Keep Up One's Sleeve" titled "Treatment for Sudden Dog Bites," which said: "First, suck away the bad blood, then apply moxibustion to the wound ten times. The next day, apply one moxibustion daily until one hundred are reached."
Now that moxibustion and oral medication are needed, she quickly asked Laiwang to get the medicine: "Get it quickly according to this prescription. This is a blood-stasis-removing decoction. We can't just sit here and wait to die."
Xia Yuxue Decoction is a classic prescription from Zhang Zhongjing's "Essential Prescriptions of the Golden Chamber" in the Han Dynasty. It is mainly used to treat postpartum abdominal pain caused by blood stasis and blood stasis. However, after the liberation, many magazines recorded that it could be used to treat rabies, so Miaozhen naturally wanted to give it a try.
He immediately wrote down the medicinal ingredients rhubarb, peach kernel, and ground beetle, and sent his servant to the pharmacy to buy them.
Xu Erpeng, who was standing to the side, said, "Could the Bao family have done this on purpose?"
"How can we blame her? It was our son who touched that dog." Madam Mei had a vague feeling that this was very likely, but she had no evidence. Without evidence, how could she hold someone accountable? Just now, that woman surnamed Bao kept saying that Old Madam Xu had asked her to bring it, and that she hadn't accepted a single penny, making it sound like she was very aggrieved.
Upon hearing this, Miaozhen said, "Let's put this aside for now. If the dog is healthy, Jian'er will only suffer a superficial injury. But if he was bitten by a rabid dog, it's an incurable disease, and I can't help him. Right now, let's focus on treating Jian'er. You all need to keep an eye on him. Later, set up another chamber pot. If his stool contains foul-smelling substances like fish intestines or pig liver, or his urine resembles sappanwood juice, then he needs to continue taking the medicine. If everything is normal, then he can stop taking the medicine."
Even now, she cannot say for sure that her brother is out of danger.
Jian Ge'er said in a weak voice, "Sister, I was afraid of that dog, but several people said that it was cute to bow, so I went up to it."
"That's it. Someone must have tempted him. Even the maids and servants aren't doing their job properly." Xu Erpeng frowned, already showing suspicion.
Miaozhen said, "Healing people is the priority, Father. Tell Laiwang to hurry up. Oh dear, have you brought my moxa sticks yet? Quickly, have Xiaoxi bring them."
Looking at her younger brother lying there, Miaozhen thought of the little boy who usually obediently helped her make medicine. She felt very sorry for him. She was now extremely grateful that she loved reading all kinds of medical books, especially medical case studies, in both her past and present lives. She would read them whenever she had free time. Otherwise, what would have become of her younger brother?
To invite a renowned doctor to one's home, sometimes even a hundred or more families might not be able to get one. The queues for appointments are endless, but when it comes to actual treatment, they leave in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn—it's all very perfunctory. Therefore, one must be even more diligent in the study of medicine.
Not to mention the anxiety and distress of the second branch of the Xu family, at the old house in Fengqiao, Uncle Xu the third was complaining to Madam Bao: "Your sister is really something. That dog can bite people. She didn't even take precautions. It bit Jian'er. What should we do?"
“What can be done? He’s naughty. If he doesn’t provoke her, how will the dog bite her? If it weren’t for your mother saying that we live behind the shop and that the house is lonely, and that she wouldn’t spend a penny on other people’s dogs, my sister is being kind. Is it wrong to be kind?” Bao Shi shouted at the top of her lungs.
Uncle Xu explained, "I didn't say your sister was wrong."
Bao launched into a tirade of incoherent curses, and Uncle Xu, who had initially been only slightly angry, suddenly became five-tenths angrier. "If your nephew were bitten, let's see if you'd react the same way?"
Then Bao also shouted back.
Inside the house, Old Man Xu and Old Lady Xu were afraid to say a word, lest their second and third sons blame them.
Meanwhile, Miaozhen waited for the servant to bring the medicine. She removed the skin and tips from the peach kernels and the legs from the ground beetles, then suffocated them in wine. She then ground these three medicines into a fine powder, added about two mace of white honey, and simmered them in a pot with a bowl of aged wine.
After the medicine was brewed, she placed a piece of ginger on the dog bite mark on Jian Ge'er's skin, made a hole in the middle of the ginger, and then put the moxa stick into the hole to apply it.
Even though Xu Erpeng was very angry, he still discussed with Madam Mei: "If our son is not well, we will make the Bao family pay with their lives, if not theirs. If he is well, we can't say that he was bitten by a mad dog, otherwise people will look down on our son when he asks for a wife through the imperial examinations."
“Your son was bitten, we have to hold her accountable!” Madam Mei wiped away her tears, heartbroken.
Xu Erpeng sneered: "A gentleman takes revenge even after ten years. Our daughter will become a noblewoman in the future, and our son will wear the robe of a top scholar. If she is really heartless, she will eventually show her true colors. Why should we worry about not being able to deal with her? Maybe she even hopes we will make a scene and spread rumors that our daughter is sick. Tell me, our daughter can't marry into any family, let alone the Xiao family."
It is extremely difficult for a person to control themselves when they are in a fit of rage.
Miaozhen agreed. It wasn't for her own sake, but because she was afraid that others would look at her brother with prejudice. No matter what she did in the future, if people said she had hydrophobia or rabies, who wouldn't be afraid? It would be better to cure her brother secretly and then settle accounts with that person later.
After she finished moxibustion on the bitten area, she took out moxa wool and placed it on the outer mound of Xue to moxibustion. After she finished moxibustion, Xiao Tao said that the medicine had been decocted to seven-tenths of its original volume, and Madam Mei hurriedly served it to her son.
Fortunately, after three hours, Jian Ge'er's bowel movements and urination returned to normal. Although the dog had bitten someone, it did not have rabies. Moreover, he did not have any other problems such as shivering or itching. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
She also said that Da Bao's dog bit Jian Ge'er, but she went around complaining that she was wronged. "I brought a dog to your house to guard it, but your nephew insisted on teasing the cat and chasing the dog, and got bitten. Now you're blaming me. For no reason, you've harmed my dog."
Some informants also told Xu Erpeng, and Xu Erpeng had already kept it in mind. He was filled with hatred and planned to make her suffer when the time came.
Because of her younger brother's illness, Miaozhen had carefully studied hydrophobia. Within a month, Jian Ge'er had fully recovered, and Miaozhen's pulse was also normal. However, he was frightened and couldn't sleep at night. Sometimes he would be frightened awake, so she personally prepared Tianma Fangfeng Pills for him.
So when the Mid-Autumn Festival came, Miaozhen suggested that her parents take her younger brother out for a walk. The family played at Shenggongtai, Qianrenshi, and Hejian, making a lot of noise and fun. As the night deepened and people gradually dispersed, the family rowed back by boat. There were six food boxes of various sizes on the boat, and the family ate and went back with smiles.
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, Jian Ge'er gradually forgot about the incident. As a child, he had new experiences to share and no longer woke up in fear at night.
By the time of the Double Ninth Festival in September, Miaozhen had many miscellaneous matters to attend to this month, so she only planned to provide free medical consultations on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month, and take a good rest on the full moon day.
Unexpectedly, Mrs. Yao urgently sent someone to invite her over. Before she could even put on her shoes properly, the old woman urged, "Miss Xu, please hurry."
"I wonder what illness you have?" Miaozhen asked.
The old woman said, "Our little boy was bitten by a rabid dog. He has a low-grade fever on his forehead, is sensitive to noise, and says he is itchy all over."
Miao Zhen thought to herself that if she hadn't helped Jian Ge'er with his medical treatment last time, she would have definitely told them to find someone else today. If Jian Ge'er had been bitten by an ordinary dog, the child would probably really have rabies.
The Yao family's situation is actually a bit complicated. Mrs. Yao is a widow who remarried. Her first wife gave birth to a daughter, who reportedly died in childbirth. She was actually the younger sister of Mrs. Xiao's second wife.
Mrs. Yao was gentle and kind, but Yao's eldest daughter was sharp-tongued. Once, when Miaozhen went to visit the Yao family to check on her illness, she saw one of Yao Miaoshan's maids being punished by being naked and having a stone placed on her head.
How could a perfectly healthy guy be bitten by a rabid dog?
"Don't worry, I'll bring the medicine over right away." Miaozhen brought over the medicine she had given to Jian Ge'er earlier.
Soon she arrived at the Yao family in a sedan chair. Mrs. Yao just cried. Miaozhen first took the child's pulse and saw that it was weak. She said, "I have three medicines here that can clear the blood stasis, but I see that the boy's pulse is weak. I'll add some ginseng and licorice to them. I don't know if you have any at home?"
Mrs. Yao said, "I happen to have a ginseng root at home."
After saying that, she had someone bring the medicine over. Miaozhen used the same method as before, applying moxibustion with ginger over the child's bite wound, and then gave him medicine. She also had to comfort Mrs. Yao: "I'm afraid I would have difficulty treating anyone else with this kind of hydrophobia. It's fortunate that it's you. Don't worry, after my medicine is taken, if he can pass bad blood in about three hours, he will gradually get better. If he doesn't get better, you will have to find someone more skilled."
Now, the first time this young man from the Yao family defecated, there was foul-smelling matter. The next two times, there was some fresh blood, and afterwards, his urine became cloudy.
When Miaozhen returned the next day, the boy's symptoms had improved considerably. He was no longer afraid of water or noise, and his body was no longer itchy. However, he was not sleeping well, his tongue coating was yellow, and his pulse was wiry, thin, and slightly rapid.
Then she added, "I have some Purple Snow Pills here, which I made myself. I don't usually give them out, but I'll give them to this young man now."
Mrs. Yao said, "Sister Xu, you are our savior. Don't worry, I can afford any amount of money."
"One pill is three ounces. Take five days' worth first. I've given it to the boy." Miaozhen spent a year collecting all the materials to make this Purple Snow Pill, and the medicine-making process took a long time, but now she's giving it to the patient first.
Five days later, the boy's symptoms had almost all disappeared, except for insomnia. She then prescribed Zhusha Pills according to the "Taiping Huimin Heji Jufang". If he was frightened and cried at night, she told him to mix them with peppermint water for him to drink.
Seeing the little boy lively and energetic, Miaozhen breathed a sigh of relief.
Mrs. Yao was extremely grateful. She not only sent someone with one hundred taels of silver, a pair of silver sachets, and six bolts of blue and red silk, but also arranged for her son to become the godmother of Madam Mei, hoping to foster good relations between the two families.
Madam Mei also prepared tea and food at home and invited Mrs. Yao and her son over to talk. After a few rounds of drinks, Mrs. Yao said, "As the saying goes, you can guard against a thousand things but it's hard to guard against a thief in your own home. I was ambushed by someone and almost lost my son's life. If it weren't for your family's help, I would have been heartbroken."
"I don't know who is so sinister as to not even spare my son's family." Madam Mei herself felt the same way. Although her son did not actually suffer from hydrophobia like this little boy, he was still close to it.
Mrs. Yao pouted angrily: "She's just holding a grudge against us for taking the Yao family's furniture. Doesn't she realize she can't give all the furniture as part of her dowry? My family doesn't need it; it's just that her father doesn't want to give it to her."
This clearly refers to Yao Miaoshan. The character "Miao" in the Ming Dynasty was similar to the modern character "Zihan". Miaozhen originally intended to name herself Miaoshan, but Xu Erpeng said that "embracing simplicity and returning to truth" was excellent, so she was named Miaozhen instead.
It turns out she was the one who did it. This person is so cruel, targeting children. She's inhuman.
Madam Mei advised, "She's not young anymore, and she'll be getting married soon. Once she's gone, things will be fine for you."
Mrs. Yao felt much better after speaking her mind, and then teased Miaozhen, "The young lady will be getting married next year. Our family has some dealings with the Xiao family, and everyone says that your husband has a discerning eye. The second young master of the Xiao family is talented, handsome, and good at making money. When he saw that the imperial court had ice-shipping ships, he cleared rice paddies to make ice cellars and persuaded his father to also set up an ice-shipping ship, which only transports goods from the south to the north. The two of them are a match made in heaven."
"Amitabha Buddha, I just hope my daughter can have a happy marriage, that's more important than anything else." Madam Mei just smiled.
Mrs. Yao immediately invited Mrs. Mei to go to Baiyun Temple to worship Buddha.
Meanwhile, Jian Ge'er was doing very well, and his reading became even more brilliant, which made Bao Shi feel distressed. Although she didn't say anything because her own son couldn't keep up with him in his studies, she spent two taels of silver to buy Buddhist books from the nuns at the temple to recite, hoping that her son could also become more intelligent in his studies and, ideally, surpass Jian Ge'er.
Just then, her younger brother from her maternal family came rushing over, saying, "Sister, why are you still chanting scriptures here? Your nephew has been captured, and our sister has been gored by a cow."
Bao asked anxiously, "What do you mean?"
“I don’t know either. It seems like it was over a dispute about land, and several families got into a fight. You know my nephew’s temper; he can’t stand being provoked. He stabbed someone in the back, and my older sister knelt down and begged for forgiveness. That family originally agreed not to see the officials, but somehow they changed their minds overnight and are going to send them to jail. Sister, please come with me!” said Bao’s younger brother.
Bao was startled and reached for her knife to leave, but Old Man Xu and Old Lady Xu quickly closed the door. It was Uncle Xu who rushed back and said, "What's all this commotion about? Who are you going to kill?"
At least he managed to persuade the person to stop. He thought to himself that it was good that his second brother had told him about the seriousness of the matter. If Bao had been confused and harmed someone, he didn't know how his family would have been implicated.
Bao was only pretending at first, but when Uncle Xu persuaded her, she took the opportunity to back down.
Only the eldest daughter-in-law and her son were imprisoned for fighting.
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