Chapter 947
Chapter 947
Chapter 947
Miaozhen looked at Pan Yun, who was deep in thought, and asked, "Junior Uncle wants to use Pu Min?"
Pan Yun: "Pu Si has pledged allegiance to the late emperor. If I'm not mistaken, Cao Jixiang is the one who was ordered to keep an eye on him. But the Maritime Trade Office is busy, and Pu Si is clever and cunning. Obviously, Cao Jixiang didn't keep an eye on him."
“Maritime trade is just beginning, and the Pu family’s strength is too great. With Pu Si’s shrewdness, and with the help of the royal family, I’m afraid that in a few years, Quanzhou’s maritime trade will be dominated by him.” Pan Jun said in a deep voice, “I want maritime trade to prosper, but no matter what industry it is, the most taboo thing is monopoly, especially since the Pu family has a history of such practices.”
"If Pu Min returns and joins forces with Pu Si, wouldn't that be helping the Pu family?"
“Although Pu Min and Pu Si are from the same clan, they are not related by blood. Pu Si will not completely trust Pu Min. Pu Min… guess what? His family members have unusual illnesses. Did Pu Si tell him? Tomorrow, check the illnesses of his mother and sister. Miao He, go and check their previous medical records and prescriptions.”
The response was wonderful and harmonious.
With their cultivation levels increased, investigating these matters was not difficult, especially for Miaozhen.
She changed her clothes and secretly went to the Pu family's residence. After secretly watching the Pu family mother and daughter for half a day, she had a clear understanding of the situation.
“It’s because Pu’s mother’s condition has worsened, and Pu Min’s sister, Pu Yue, has been taking care of her day and night, so she hasn’t been going out recently,” Miao Zhen said. “There are four servants taking care of them, a couple with their two children. They are very respectful in their behavior and there has been no sign of mistreatment.”
Pan Yun asked, "Given Pu Min's original family circumstances, he must have had servants or maids at home, right?"
"Yes, I asked their former neighbors and found out that a mother and daughter who used to work for them quit their jobs and went home two months after they moved to the Pu family's old house."
Pan Jun's lips curled slightly: "Let's wait for Miao He's news."
Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners rarely record pulse diagnosis when treating patients, but they do keep prescriptions.
Miaohe went directly to the doctor who used to work at Pu Min's house, and after demonstrating her skills, she started practicing medicine at his family's pharmacy.
In this era, doctors are rare, and female doctors are even rarer.
If a pharmacy has a female doctor on duty, it can attract many female patients.
For a time, Renxintang in Quanzhou was bustling with people, all of whom were women seeking medical treatment, ranging from seventy years old to five or six-year-old girls.
Tao Yanbai was very interested in seeing this and wanted to practice medicine there, but the doctor wouldn't hire him.
"She's a female doctor, so women are more willing to see her for treatment. Are you one of them?"
Tao Yanbai quickly replied, "I also have some knowledge of gynecology..."
"Am I short of patients? But many more women, especially young women, are unwilling. If she hadn't said she could attract many female patients, I wouldn't have spent money to hire someone to sit in my office."
Renxintang cruelly rejected Tao Yanbai, so he could only continue to practice medicine on the streets and alleys with his banner. Occasionally, when he was tired and there were no patients, he would sit opposite Renxintang and watch the long line in front of Miaohe with longing eyes.
Pan Jun sat down next to him without him noticing, propping her chin up and watching with him.
Tao Yanbai said, "Junior Uncle, this place is quite different from other places."
"Why is it different?"
“It’s more open here. In other places, women practicing medicine face a lot of discrimination, but Miaohe is very popular here.”
Pan Jun twitched the corners of his mouth. Unfortunately, this trend could not continue here. Two hundred years later, the women here would be oppressed to the extreme. In the centuries to come, the idea of valuing men over women would be ingrained in their bones and imprinted on their culture, and would be difficult to eradicate.
Two hundred years later, during the prosperous Qing Dynasty.
Pan Jun's eyes were as black as ink as he said, "People from Quanzhou are good at business, and merchants value profit. As long as a woman has the ability, she can gain a status here. Miaohe can bring more business to the pharmacy, so she will be hired. As long as her medical skills are good, she will be respected."
“The fisherwomen by the sea are also very capable. They go to the beach, go into the sea, and weave. They put in as much effort as men and earn just as much, so they can manage half the household,” Pan Yun said. “I heard that the fisherwomen by the sea can also kill pirates and protect their families and property. For this reason, they wear three hairpins on their heads, which are called hairpin knives.”
"Therefore, women are no less capable than men. As long as the world gives them the opportunity, they can earn the same amount of money and have the same status as men."
Tao Yanbai stared intently at Miaohe in the pharmacy, his eyes shining, and nodded firmly, saying, "I think Miaohe will be stronger than me in the future."
Pan Yun smiled and patted his shoulder, asking, "I've noticed your cultivation has stagnated lately. Is there a problem with your cultivation?"
Tao Yanbai shook his head: "We've reached a critical point. I have enough Yuan energy in my dantian, but I don't feel a breakthrough. I think it's because my understanding is insufficient. Miaohe feels the same way. So lately we've only been practicing our daily cultivation, and we spend the rest of our time seeing patients and studying medical techniques."
After all, they are Taoist healers, trained in medical arts, and...
Tao Yanbai smiled sheepishly: "Junior Uncle, Miaohe and I are not like you. You can gain enlightenment through fighting and entering the world, while Miaozhen gains knowledge through observing people and stars. Miaohe and I do not have your talents. We can only keep treating people and accumulating experience. If that doesn't work, we can only refine medicine and take medicine to force a breakthrough."
Pan Yun: "If you break through again, you'll reach the fifth level, right?"
Tao Yanbai nodded.
Pan Yun lowered her eyes: "I'm sorry I made you go to Japan before."
"No, no, no, it didn't delay anything," Tao Yanbai quickly said. "The reason why the three of us were able to reach the peak of the fourth time in just half a year, and Miaozhen even broke through to the fifth time, is because we experienced a lot in Japan."
Tao Yanbai told Pan Jun that after they arrived in Japan, they did not stay in Omori Township to manage the port and silver mine.
Almost as soon as Wang Cong set sail to do business, the three of them packed their bags and set off to explore the world of martial arts, specifically the world of Japanese martial arts.
Miao and Tao Yanbai treated patients along the way, while Miao Zhen read faces and observed the social situation in Japan. At night, they stargazed together.
“Miaozhen also drew a map of Japan, but we haven’t been to many places, so the map is incomplete and we didn’t take it out,” Tao Yanbai said. “We also went to Heian-kyo. If the atmosphere in the General’s Mansion wasn’t so chaotic, we would have liked to go in and have a look around.”
Pan Yun: "..."
"Miaozhen divined the future and said that if we went in, the chances of survival would be slim, so the three of us didn't dare to go in. Junior Uncle, don't you think we were too cowardly?"
“It’s good to be a little cowardly,” Pan Yun said. “We cultivate the Tao for longevity, not to seek death.”
Tao Yanbai scratched his head sheepishly.
Miaohe served as a resident doctor at Renxintang for five days before Wang Cong's fleet returned.
With the arrival of over twenty large ships, the entire city of Quanzhou became lively, and everyone rushed to the harbor to see what was happening.
The workers excitedly waited to be selected for unloading, while the merchants who remained waved their silver notes excitedly or brought in boxes of silver and copper coins, planning to select goods as soon as the ship arrived.
Meanwhile, the Maritime Trade Office excitedly prepared its accounting and storage facilities.
The silver on official ships had to be deposited into the treasury, while the customs duties on goods entering the country had to be paid. These two sums of money went to different places and had to be kept separate.
Moreover, two of the ships in this fleet belonged to the Pu family. The Pu family was loyal to the imperial family, and a portion of the profits came from this arrangement to the Imperial Household Department.
Cao Jixiang was given a secret order to manage this part of the accounts as well.
The place was so lively that even the manager and doctors of Renxintang went to the seaside to join in the fun, because they had heard that there was a ship full of rare medicinal herbs on the ship that was returning this time.
"The entire ship was filled with rare medicinal herbs imported from elsewhere."
"It's really rare. In the past, ships that returned carried all sorts of things, but they carried the least amount of medicinal herbs."
Do you know who brought it back?
"Who?"
"He is the Grand Preceptor's eldest nephew, Master Wang Cong of Sanqing Mountain. They are all Taoist doctors from Sanqing Mountain."
"I see. It seems that we need our own people to do this maritime trade. How would those merchants outside know which medicinal herbs are good and which are bad?"
"Yes, yes, only those who know medicine and understand medical principles can bring back medicinal herbs from the sea."
Everyone rushed off to see what was going on, leaving the pharmacy empty. Miaohe volunteered to stay and watch the shop, and everyone happily agreed.
Miaohe had already familiarized herself with the pharmacy and, taking advantage of the absence of others, found the prescriptions that Pu Min's mother and sister had previously used.
Instead of putting it away, she deliberately placed it in a conspicuous spot. When the shopkeeper returned, she asked casually, "Shopkeeper, when I was cleaning the cabinet today, a prescription book I had written before fell out. I noticed that one of the prescriptions looked somewhat similar to the illness I saw yesterday, so I took a closer look. But I found that the prescription had been changed. I want to ask, why was Rehmannia glutinosa replaced with Cornus officinalis, and Astragalus membranaceus replaced with wild ginseng?"
The shopkeeper glanced at the prescription she had found, his expression changed slightly, and he quickly put it away, saying in a low voice, "This, after taking the medicine, the pulse has changed, so the prescription has naturally been changed."
Is it getting better?
"Yes, yes, it's getting better."
"But if the condition improves, why switch to wild ginseng as the main ingredient? The efficacy of the medicine has increased significantly, and the condition has been relieved. We should gradually replenish the body. Suddenly administering strong medicine will not only cause the body to be unable to absorb the tonics, but also increase the cost of the medicine."
"Didn't I change Rehmannia glutinosa to Cornus officinalis? Her condition has improved, and at this time the focus is on replenishing Qi, so wild ginseng should be the main ingredient."
"However, judging from the prescription, the patient seems to have a weak spleen and stomach. Rehmannia glutinosa nourishes blood and yin, and replenishes essence and marrow. The prescriptions for the past few years have all used Rehmannia glutinosa as the main ingredient. If the condition improves, we can switch to tonifying qi and use Polygonatum sibiricum as the main ingredient. Using wild ginseng will not only cause the patient to be unable to tolerate the tonic, leading to increased internal heat, but it will also increase the patient's financial burden..."
The shopkeeper suddenly flew into a rage: "Miaohe, are you saying I prescribed the wrong medicine?"
Miaohe was startled, but she wasn't afraid of arguing, so she immediately put her hands on her hips and said, "I didn't say that. I was just discussing it with you."
Then Miaohe was fired, without even receiving her wages for five days of consultations, and was directly kicked out of the pharmacy.
Miaohe:……
Miaohe, carrying her medicine box, returned angrily to their rented house. Upon seeing Pan Yun, her eyes reddened: "Junior Uncle, I was bullied."
Upon hearing this, Pan Jun immediately led Miao Zhen and Tao Yanbai to block the entrance of the pharmacy and demanded that they pay their wages.
In the evening, there were still many people on the streets of Quanzhou, especially since many boats were returning today. Whether it was stalls or restaurants, everyone was working hard to prepare food, just waiting for the travelers returning from afar to come to the city for a meal.
Four young Taoist priests in robes blocked the entrance of Renxintang and started cursing at the shopkeeper. Everyone peeked out to watch curiously.
If we weren't busy preparing dinner, they would definitely have come to watch.
They weren't idle, but there were plenty of other people who were, and they didn't hesitate to gather around and watch the spectacle.
Hearing Pan Yun and the other three stand with their hands on their hips, pointing at the shopkeeper and cursing, "If my nephew had misdiagnosed the patient or prescribed the wrong medicine, I would have left without saying a word if you fired him. But just because you discussed medical principles, you couldn't argue with him and fired him. Don't you have any shame?"
Miaozhen: "You are disrespectful to your elders! It's clear that you breached the contract, and not only do you refuse to pay compensation, you also refuse to settle your wages!"
Tao Yanbai: "My junior sister worked at your house for five days. She arrived at Chenshi (7-9 AM) and didn't leave until Xushi (7-9 PM), working seven hours a day. You don't even use an ox like that."
Miaohe wiped away her tears.
Miao Zhen said angrily, "Everyone has seen how many patients my junior sister has treated here in the past five days, and how much money she has made for your pharmacy. Oh, now you've used my junior sister to treat all the gynecological diseases in the city, and then you turn around and kick her out of the pharmacy. Do you think we're some wild oxen?"
"No wonder your pharmacy isn't making money. It turns out you're all short-sighted, heartless, and rotten to the core."
"I used to hear that Dr. Tang from Renxintang was kind and benevolent. How come the pharmacy has changed since it came into your hands? Did your father not teach you that, or have you forgotten your father?"
The three of them, each uttering a sentence, berated the pharmacy clerk and the resident doctor until they were red in the face, but their eyes gleamed as they kept glancing towards the back of the room.
Miaohe was responsible for wiping away her tears.
Seeing that the three men were getting more and more agitated with their insults, the doctor Fang, who was sitting in the clinic, went from saying "You've forgotten your father" to "Maybe there's something wrong with the feng shui of the ancestral graves, resulting in the birth of a worthless wretch..."
Doctor Fang wiped his face and hurriedly ran to the back room to pull out the shopkeeper who had been hiding. He said with great distress, "We can't let them keep cursing. If they keep cursing, how can this pharmacy do business?"
Shopkeeper Tang: "Don't I know? But I can't argue with them. I was brought in because they argued with me."
"Oh dear, why are you only thinking about cursing back? Just hurry up and pay them off and send them away."
"If I hand over the money now, wouldn't that be admitting I was wrong?"
Doctor Fang stamped his foot: "What time is it and you're still worrying about this? Just send them away first. Besides, you were in the wrong first. No matter what, you can't just kick them out and be done with it. How old is Miaohe?"
Shopkeeper Tang: "How can it be that I owe her anything... I think she had bad intentions and wanted to harm me. I was already being lenient by simply kicking her out and not scolding her."
"Oh dear, why are you only thinking about cursing back? Just hurry up and pay them off and send them away."
"You don't know, she went through the old prescriptions..."
"Regardless of what she turned over, she broke the pharmacy's rules. Did she do something wrong on the surface?"
The shopkeeper remained silent.
“Since there’s no reason for us to kick them out, even if you don’t want them and kick them out, you should at least settle their wages for the past five days.”
"She's only worked for five days and she wants to be paid? That's outrageous!"
Dr. Fang: "...She's done a lot in these five days. The number of patients she's seen in these five days is equivalent to the number of patients the pharmacy sees in two months. If you had paid her her wages and sent her off politely, this disaster wouldn't have happened."
(End of this chapter)