The Wanli Emperor of the Ming Dynasty was extremely rebellious

Chapter 170 Do Whatever You Want

Wanli actually wanted to make money by selling medicine!
This was beyond the expectations of Li Shizhen and his son and the Wan brothers.

To be honest, most of the doctors these days are real doctors.

What they inherited was not the way to make money by selling medicine, but the way to cure diseases and save lives.

This doesn't mean they don't make money.

They also have to support their families, so naturally they have to earn some money.

However, the core of the medical profession is to cure diseases and save lives, not to make money by selling medicine.

It's like the core of a carpenter's trade is to make various wooden tools, and the core of a blacksmith's trade is to make various iron tools.

They also earn money to support their families, but they basically earn it through hard work, which is the so-called making a living by their skills. Making a lot of popular and valuable goods to sell for money seems to have little to do with their business. That is what merchants do.

Medical practitioners are similar. They basically do not import large quantities of medicine to sell, and they certainly do not make large quantities of ready-made medicines to sell.

They basically treat patients and save lives, and charge some labor fees and material fees to support their families.

This is the same as making a living by relying on skills. They will not deliberately raise the price of medicine and make money purely by selling medicine.

Of course, this also has a lot to do with the times. If they dare to deliberately raise drug prices, they will be arrested as long as someone reports them.

To put it bluntly, doing business is not encouraged these days.

What the Ming Dynasty court required was that all walks of life do their jobs honestly. Even all civilians were not allowed to leave their registered places at will. Without a travel permit issued by the government or a conscription from the court, civilians could not go anywhere.

This means that everyone should make a living by relying on their skills, and not be dishonest or take shortcuts.

Most feudal dynasties emphasized agriculture over commerce, or even emphasized agriculture over commerce. This has been going on for many dynasties and is not unique to the Ming Dynasty.

This made all craftsmen and doctors believe that making money through business was the job of merchants and had nothing to do with them.

The status of merchants was the lowest except for the lower classes, even lower than that of artisans.

It's okay for them to earn a little hard-earned money to support their families, but once they earn a lot and have no connections, they will be swallowed up by corrupt officials without leaving anything behind.

This may also be the key to the development of the three major families in Puzhou, because all three of them have produced court officials, and under their unscrupulous business practices, Yang Bo, Wang Chonggu and Zhang Siwei are all powerful and omnipotent.

Their backing can be said to be the strongest. Emperors have to listen to them, and if they don't, they will die.

Therefore, their businesses are all incredibly big.

Not only did they monopolize the salt business of Hedong Salt Field and Changlu Salt Field, they also monopolized the business with the Northern Tartars, and even the supply of military supplies, food and supplies for the border troops, etc. It would be strange if they didn't make a lot of money.

Of course, that was when they seized imperial power in history.

Things are different now. Wanli has almost taken back all the imperial power.

Now, if we compare the backings in this world, no one has a stronger backing than him as the emperor.

This is also how he makes money in business.

He can do whatever business he wants, and he will definitely make money.

It is not difficult for him to make a living in the medical industry.

He thought about it carefully, then asked, "Doctor Li, do you understand the properties of all the medicines in the world?"

I dare not say such a big thing.

Upon hearing this, Li Shizhen quickly said modestly, "Your Majesty, I dare not claim to understand the medicinal properties of all the medicines in the world. I only know the medicinal properties of more than 1,900 kinds of medicines, less than 2,000."

You are just being modest. If you ask me, I am afraid I can't even name two hundred kinds of medicine.

Wanli nodded slightly, then asked, "You should know how to cultivate these medicines, right?"

I dare not brag in front of you.

Li Shizhen still said modestly: "I can only say that I understand a little bit, and there are some things that I don't understand very well."

That's enough.

Wanli asked again, "Doctor Wan, are your family's prescriptions only passed down to descendants or can they be passed down to outsiders?"

We have always been proud of what we have.

Wan Bangzhong said without hesitation, "Your Majesty, our family's prescriptions can be passed on to others. My father even built a special communication room at the gate of our house. All his books and prescriptions are placed in it. Anyone can copy whatever they want. My father also often gives lectures to explain them to others."

You all really are doctors with caring hearts, very good.

Upon hearing this, Wanli decisively said, "My dear uncle, draft an imperial decree to confer upon the miraculous doctor Li Shizhen the title of Medicine Saint, and posthumously confer upon the miraculous doctor Wan Mizhai the title of Medical Saint."

what?
Li Shizhen and his son and the Wan brothers were all stunned when they heard this.

Then, they all stood up, prostrated themselves on the ground, and cried out in gratitude, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace." Saints these days are no joke.

There was a saying circulating during the Jiajing period: When a sage appears, the Yellow River becomes clear. This shows the status of sages in people's minds.

It is a great event for the current emperor to canonize them.

Wanli raised his hand slightly, asking them to stand up and sit down, and then said solemnly: "Er Zhang, you can write the inscription for the sacred road, right?"

of course.

Only those written by those of us who came from the Hanlin Academy can be considered authentic Shinto inscriptions. Those written by others are all fakes.

Li Tingji nodded repeatedly and said, "I will."

Wanli said without hesitation, "Then you will personally write the inscription for the stele of the Medical Saint Wan Mi Zhai. Have the father-in-law summon stonemasons to carve a large stele with my name on it. This will be sent to the tomb of the Medical Saint Wan Mi Zhai as an imperial stele and erected as a memorial."

Upon hearing this, Li Tingji hurriedly bowed and said, "Your humble servant obeys your order."

Upon hearing this, the Wan brothers were so moved that they burst into tears.

This is not over yet.

Wanli then gave detailed instructions, "Er Zhang, you must publish another special issue of the imperial gazette, detailing the life stories and medical works of the Medical Saint Wan Mi Zhai and the Medicine Saint Li Shizhen. Publish it within a month, and print a large number. This must be delivered to all prefectures, counties, and governorates of the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty, as well as to all military governorates, garrisons, and chieftains."

Li Tingji bowed without hesitation and said, "I understand."

Wanli then gave detailed instructions: "Jianzhong, you must issue an order to the Imperial Hospital to recruit the sons of all medical families in the country to come to Beijing to study medicine with the Medicine Saint and the Son of the Medical Saint. Every family must send one son, and if there are no sons, send a daughter.

I will send someone to inform Qianji to open all the post stations along the way to the children of doctors, and their food and lodging will be paid by the court."

what?
What is this going to do?
Li Jianzhong was stunned for a moment after hearing this, then he bowed and said, "Your humble servant obeys your order."

Wanli thought for a moment and then asked, "Doctor Li, are there enough medicinal herbs on the market now? I mean, are there enough for all the people of the Ming Dynasty?"

This one.

Li Shizhen slowly shook his head and said, "There aren't many medicinal herbs on the market right now. Commonly used herbs may not be fully available in every county. For the less commonly used herbs we need in our medical practice, we have to go to the mountains to collect them ourselves."

That's good.

Wanli asked again, "Doctor Wan, for commonly used prescriptions, for example, those for treating typhoid fever, clearing away heat and fire, removing toxins, regulating the five internal organs, including those for replenishing blood, replenishing vital energy, and refreshing the mind, if you take all of them together, how many kinds of medicinal materials do you estimate are needed? Can they all be bought on the market?"

How do you want me to calculate this?
Upon hearing this, Wan Bangzhong asked cautiously, "Your Majesty, how many kinds of prescriptions are you talking about?"

I don't understand medical principles and medicinal properties.

Wanli pondered and said, "You decide. Anyway, it needs to be able to treat all common diseases, regardless of whether it affects adults or children, men or women. Also, it needs to include a few nourishing and health-promoting products."

That's a lot.

Upon hearing this, Wan Bangzhong estimated, "Your Majesty, according to what you said, we need to prepare at least thirty or forty kinds of prescriptions, and the herbs used must be at least two hundred. These are probably all available on the market, but I don't think I have many of them, so I'm afraid we won't have enough to make a large amount of medicine."

This is easy to handle.

Wanli pondered and said, "The Nine Frontiers are mountainous, and the soldiers on the frontiers also know some herbs. How about this? We first send the Compendium of Materia Medica to each of the military headquarters in the Nine Frontiers, and give each of the hundred households a copy. When they are free, they can go up the mountain to collect herbs, and we will buy them.

Then, based on the origin of the purchased medicinal herbs, we will distribute the herbs that are suitable for local growth, along with seeds and planting methods, and let them open up wasteland and plant herbs in the mountains. Is that enough? "

Uh, I don’t understand this as well as Dr. Li.

Upon hearing this, Wan Bangzhong simply looked at Li Shizhen.

Li Shizhen estimated, "The Nine Borders are vast and rich in resources. There are probably thousands of medicinal herbs that can be grown. However, some medicinal herbs are specific to their location. For example, Lingnan, Yunnan and Guizhou, Bashu, Huguang and other places have many unique medicinal herbs that cannot be grown in large quantities in other places."

This is also easy.

Wanli nodded slightly and said, "Well, you discuss the prescription with Doctor Wan and the others, and then see which herbs are suitable for the Nine Borders, and which are suitable for Lingnan, Yunnan and Guizhou, Bashu, and Huguang. When the time comes, I will have the Five Military Commandery issue an order to the military headquarters in Lingnan, Yunnan and Guizhou, Bashu, Huguang and other places to open up wasteland for planting."

This caused an uproar in the court again.

I’m afraid the little emperor is seriously ill!
It would have been fine if he had just issued an imperial decree to replace all the directors and judges of the Imperial Medical Service, but he even issued an imperial decree to confer titles of the Saint of Medicine and the Saint of Pharmacy!

Can this saint be conferred arbitrarily?
What happened next was even more outrageous. He actually ordered the Imperial Medical Bureau to order all doctors in the world to send their children to learn medicine from the Medicine Saint and the Son of the Medical Saint!

Immediately afterwards, he actually issued an order for the border garrisons and the garrisons of the various military headquarters in Lingnan, Yunnan and Guizhou, Bashu, and Huguang to collect and grow herbs!
This kid might be seriously ill.

And he has a brain disease.

What's the point of this mess?

Wanli doesn't care about these.

Now he does whatever he wants to do and does whatever business he wants to do.

(End of this chapter)