Chapter 596
Imperial Medical Academy Director
It got dark.
The imperial physicians and minor officials lingered, reluctant to leave their posts and go home. They could only hide in the shadows and whisper among themselves. Some talked about the recent rumors surrounding Chen Ji, while others counted on their fingers how many people he had killed in the past few months.
From Guyuan to the capital, from Tian Ce Army to Yuan Wang, all things considered, the number of people saved was indeed more than the number saved by the Imperial Medical Academy in a whole year.
They looked toward the library.
In the dim light, only the last rays of twilight filtered through the window, and the woman in the red robe remained seated motionless. It was impossible to tell whether she was reading or asleep.
Only when the last vestiges of twilight had completely disappeared, and the words on the pages were no longer legible, did the old traces finally stir.
He slowly got up, closed the book, and walked out of the library.
The imperial physicians and minor officials hid in the shadows of the main hall, pharmacy, and corridors, peeking out half their heads to look around, only to quickly retreat when his gaze swept over them.
Chen Ji seemed not to have seen anything, but belatedly cupped his hands in apology to those around him: "I apologize for keeping you all waiting to leave. From now on, you can leave on your own, there's no need to wait for me."
He paused, then looked at the judge: "By the way, Your Honor, could you please light an oil lamp for me? I'd like to watch a little longer."
The court judge feigned reluctance: "Reporting to Viscount Wu Xiang, the library is a vital area of our Imperial Medical Academy, and open flames are not permitted. Why don't you go back and rest early, and take the books back to read? You can take whichever one you like."
“Going back would waste our family’s money on gas,” Chen Ji thought for a moment, then looked at the main hall of the Imperial Hospital, which was lit with candles. “How about I just find a seat in the main hall?”
The judge, forcing himself to speak, said, "There's really no room left among all the tables and desks in the main hall."
Chen Ji raised an eyebrow: "Aren't you guys going to break up the class?"
The doctor blatantly lied: "Doctors are benevolent, and they are most susceptible to catching colds at night. There are also elderly officials and nobles whose old illnesses often relapse. We have to be on duty at the Imperial Hospital, and we usually don't finish our shift until 9 PM."
"We can't have no empty seats, can we?" Chen Ji smiled and walked straight into the main hall of the government office, looking around. The imperial physicians sat in their seats, not daring to raise their heads, for fear of being spotted by him.
At this moment, Chen Ji pointed to an empty table: "Whose seat is this?"
The judge's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly replied, "I cannot sit here; this is the seat of His Excellency the Chief Justice."
Chen Ji said casually, "Where is the Imperial Censor? I just wanted to ask him about the Jing Dynasty's Military Intelligence Bureau."
The court judge said bitterly, "The Imperial Physician has gone to Changping to purchase medicinal herbs. Autumn is the time when northern medicine merchants gather in Changping. The Imperial Physician is selecting herbs and probably won't be returning to the capital for a while."
Chen Ji smiled and said, "That's perfect, I'll borrow it for a bit."
After saying that, he swaggered into the magistrate's seat and continued flipping through the book as if no one else was around.
The chief physician and the imperial physicians exchanged bewildered glances. Chen Ji, dressed in a robe adorned with a qilin emblem, sat behind the chief physician's desk, resembling a young prince making imperial edicts.
Chen Ji flipped through two pages of the book, then suddenly looked up: "The book says that after taking Guizhi Tang, one should eat hot porridge to help the medicine work. Why doesn't Ma Huang Tang do that? They are both diaphoretics, but the rules are different. It's because Ma Huang Tang is a strong diaphoretic, and its effect is already sufficient. If one eats porridge to help it work, the sweating may be too excessive, which may cause other complications."
The judge paused, a complex look appearing in his eyes. These words actually held some insight.
But he couldn't let Chen Ji treat the Imperial Medical Academy as a school, so he immediately said in a slow voice, "Reporting to Viscount Wu Xiang, I am unaware."
In the flickering candlelight, Chen Ji said casually, "You, as the head of the academy, don't even know the basics of the general principles of medicine? Could you be a spy planted by the Jing Dynasty in my Ning Dynasty?"
The judge's expression changed drastically: "Wait, let me think about it!"
Chen Ji tapped his fingers on the table without urging anyone to hurry.
Two breaths later, the judge replied: "Guizhi Tang harmonizes Ying and Wei, and its effects are relatively mild. The porridge helps the medicine's efficacy by inducing a slight sweat, which neither harms the body's vital energy nor harms the pathogenic factors. As for Mahuang Tang, it is indeed as the Viscount said, that it does not require porridge."
Chen Ji said earnestly, "Thank you for your explanation, Your Honor. You may go about your business now; I'll sit for a while longer."
The judge, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon, cupped his hands in greeting, turned and left, saying, "I'm going to the restroom."
He had just walked out of the main hall with his head down when the headmaster suddenly appeared out of nowhere, grabbed him, and asked in a low voice, "Why is he sitting in my seat? Is he going to check my records?"
The judge glanced back at the main hall, his expression complicated, and said, "Sir, he probably really is here to study medicine."
Are they really here to study medicine?
The abbot stood in the shadows under the eaves and sneered, "As the saying goes, shamans, doctors, musicians, and artisans are despised by gentlemen. These days, anyone with real skills goes to take the imperial examinations, so who will study medicine?"
He subconsciously glanced at Viscount Wu Xiang, who was looking down at a book under the lamplight.
The person in front of us, who is at the center of controversy, may have a bad reputation, but he is also a newly risen powerful figure in the capital. How could he possibly be studying medicine?
The judge explained, "But he sat there all day, and the questions he asked were all from the general principles of medicine. He had clearly absorbed them."
The Imperial Physician pondered for a moment: "Even if I really want to study medicine, it's no use. He's a eunuch who's always in my Imperial Hospital. Even if we're upright and honest, we can't stop others from criticizing us. It's already difficult enough for us to keep this Imperial Hospital afloat. How can we get involved with such a person? We should get rid of him as soon as possible."
The imperial physician stroked his white beard and continued to complain, "Besides, which government office doesn't have its staff dismissed? Everyone has a wife and children. If he sits here, who dares to leave? Even for the sake of the imperial physicians, we have to get rid of this plague god."
The judge replied with a sound of surprise: "I'll think of another way."
Just then, a young man burst into the Imperial Hospital, holding a yellowed piece of bamboo paper in his hand, and shouted angrily, "Zhou Fangping, get out here!"
The chief physician frowned and looked at him: "Who are you?" The chief physician whispered: "Tang Shun."
Tang Shun strode up to the magistrate and slapped the prescription in his hand onto the magistrate's chest: "Seven days ago, my family invited Zhou Fangping to our residence to treat the old master. At that time, he could still speak and eat, but after seven days of getting medicine according to Zhou Fangping's prescription, he can no longer eat or speak!"
The judge looked down at the prescription in his hand: "Aconite, dried ginger, prepared licorice root... Si Ni Tang? Where is Zhou Fangping?"
An honest-looking middle-aged imperial physician ran out of the pharmacy: "Your Honor, I'm here."
The court judge handed him the prescription: "Is this the prescription you wrote?"
Zhou Fangping quickly replied, "It was prescribed by your subordinate. Old Master Tang is 83 years old and his pulse is weak. Only the Si Ni Tang method can be tried to restore Yang and reverse the decline. Logically speaking, the old master's internal organs are not yet weakened, so it should be effective. As long as he doesn't take any more ginseng or other strong tonics, he can at least prolong his life for another year or two."
The academy director looked at Tang Shun: "You didn't give the old man any tonics, did you?"
Tang Shun's face froze: "You're talking nonsense! Ginseng is a life-saving and longevity-promoting substance, how could it harm people?"
Zhou Fangping sighed, his face turning bitter: "The old man is too weak to take any more tonics, why don't you listen to my advice?"
Tang Shun flew into a rage, grabbed Zhou Fangping by the collar: "It's clearly your prescription that's the problem, yet you're trying to frame me?"
The chief physician, his face flushed with anger, exclaimed, "Nonsense! I clearly instructed you not to consume any tonics, how can you blame it on my Imperial Medical Academy? This is outrageous! My Imperial Medical Academy consists of physicians of the imperial palace. We are not at your beck and call unless ordered by the palace. We are already grateful that you are willing to come and provide consultations..."
Tang Shun glanced at him sideways: "Do you know who my father is?"
With a single sentence, he silenced the judge, leaving him speechless and unable to utter a word.
In the silence, a calm voice came from deep within the main hall: "Who is your father?"
Tang Shun glared at him angrily: "My father is Tang Zheng, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review..."
The three vermilion doors of the Imperial Medical Academy's main hall were wide open. Inside, more than twenty candles were lit, and a person dressed in red sat under the lamplight, engrossed in reading. He hadn't even raised his head when the question was asked.
Tang Shun's gaze fell on the Qilin insignia on the other man's chest, and he swallowed back the words he was about to say. The hand that was gripping Zhou Fangping's collar unconsciously loosened its grip.
He stood there, looking at the person sitting in the center of the lamplight, unsure whether to go forward or retreat.
Chen Ji didn't look up, but simply turned a page of his book: "Get lost."
As soon as he finished speaking, Tang Shun fled in panic.
The judge sighed. He subconsciously glanced at the elderly magistrate, then at Chen Ji, who was quietly reading in the main hall.
He was single-mindedly trying to get rid of the other person today, but just now he felt that the other person sitting there seemed to be more effective than the academy magistrate.
It's also more dignified...
A moment later, Chen Ji closed the book, stood up, and walked straight out of the Imperial Hospital: "It's too late today, I'll come again tomorrow."
As he passed the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, he suddenly stopped: "The Imperial Medical Academy is a third-rank government agency. How can we allow an ignorant and dissolute young master to bully us?"
After holding back his frustration for a long time, the imperial physician finally let out a long sigh: "In this capital, imperial physicians live worse than eunuchs. They have no power and can only be ordered around. When they meet powerful people, they have to be obsequious. When they encounter difficult and complicated cases, they are either scolded or lose their lives. To be an imperial physician, you not only have to know how to treat diseases, but you also have to know how to play the fool. Otherwise, what do you think Imperial Physician Yao meant by writing that couplet?"
The abbot standing to the side also sighed.
Hearing the sigh, Chen Ji turned to look at the academy envoy and asked with interest, "And who is this?"
The envoy, who had just been so angry that he was about to lose his composure, suddenly remembered that he should be in Changping at this moment.
The court official quickly tried to smooth things over: "This is our chief clerk from the Imperial Medical Academy."
Chen Ji smiled enigmatically: "So it's the Registrar... See you tomorrow."
After saying that, he strode away.
The next morning, the traces of the past appeared as expected.
He was still wearing his bright red robe adorned with a qilin emblem, and walked straight into the depths of the Imperial Hospital. The imperial physicians stepped aside, but unlike yesterday, they didn't completely hide.
When Chen Ji arrived at the main hall, the academy magistrate was writing furiously behind his desk, seemingly engrossed in something.
Only when the light in front of him was blocked by a large shadow did the abbot finally raise his head. When he saw the Qilin insignia so close to him, he suddenly leaned back and asked, "What are you doing?"
Chen Ji pointed to the academy magistrate's desk: "Excuse me, this is my seat for reading."
The abbot was so angry that his white beard trembled: "Nonsense, this is clearly my seat."
Chen Ji said, "Oh, isn't this the envoy's seat?"
The abbot was stunned, then, clutching his documents, he sheepishly got up and went to the pharmacy: "Please sit down."
The imperial physicians exchanged bewildered glances from a distance… It seemed the head of the Imperial Medical Academy had changed. (End of Chapter)