Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 73 Li Shizhen

Xu Xuemo narrowed his eyes, and finally took out a document from his pocket and pushed it onto the desk.

Yang Keli was overjoyed when he saw the signature on the document, which was that of the Imperial Observatory.

He said excitedly, "As expected of the Minister! With the help of the Imperial Observatory, this matter will surely succeed."

Xu Xuemo clasped his hands together, unwilling to elaborate, and simply said, "It all depends on your wisdom, sir."

Yang Keli and Yang Sizhi raised their eyebrows, clearly aware of just how important this "gentleman" was.

No longer able to restrain himself, Yang Keli poured the warm yellow wine into his mouth, slammed the wine cup on the table, and said.

"I cannot avoid this either. I have recently become acquainted with some sorcerers in the streets, and I believe I can lend a hand under this great trend!"

He narrowed his eyes.

"This time, we must make sure that Zhang family father and son are brought to justice and executed!"

In Baodi County, Tongzhou, Beizhili, several more reed-mat sheds were erected along the official road leading to the capital.

The young doctor had lost count of how many times he had stopped his carriage, set up a medical tent by the roadside, and treated the sick people along the way.

He glanced at the corpse lying by the roadside, its face swollen and purple, then immediately looked away and at the group of people whose faces were swollen to varying degrees. He sighed and said...

"Mr. Dongbi, we're running low on medicinal herbs, and you're already exhausted. If this continues, I'm afraid you might catch this plague too. We're still quite a distance from the capital."

Li Shizhen glanced at the young apprentice and took out a carefully sewn face towel from the medicine box on his back. It emitted a scent of rice vinegar mixed with herbs.

With practiced ease, Li Shizhen carefully covered his mouth and nose with a face towel and tied it behind his head.

"Over the past few days, the use of masks seems to have been effective. With this protection, one can surely avoid the harm caused by the epidemic."

The apprentice noticed Li Shizhen's choice of words and said with some surprise.

"Sir, did you also believe in Zhang Shiyuan's so-called 'theory of plague' and 'modern medicine'?"

He could glimpse a dozen well-preserved copies of the Wanli Xinbao newspaper in Li Shizhen's medicine box, which had been publishing these kinds of articles in recent days.

“At first I didn’t believe it.” Li Shizhen’s face showed a hint of helplessness. “But now I believe it to some extent. The so-called plague is caused by strange energies from heaven and earth. Wearing masks can isolate these energies, and ventilation can help curb the spread of the plague. Haven’t we recently verified this?”

In fact, because of his friend Wang Shizhen, Li Shizhen did not have a good impression of Zhang Juzheng, and even less so of Zhang Yunxiu.

But he was a pragmatic person; right was right, and wrong was wrong.

After trying out many of the epidemic prevention measures reported in the newspapers and experiencing their real effects, Li Shizhen, without any prejudice, wrote them into his revised medical book and used them to treat the people.

This is especially true for face masks.

Li Shizhen, referring to the template drawn in the Wanli Xinbao, improved and invented the "mask" himself. He soaked the face towel in aged vinegar and sewed a medicine packet containing mugwort, atractylodes, and drynaria inside.

Originally intended as an experiment, it unexpectedly proved remarkably effective, leading Li Shizhen to take notice of the contents of the Wanli Xinbao.

To be honest, Li Shizhen himself was afraid that one day he might actually be captivated by this "modern medicine" and become, like his colleague in the capital, a "lackey" of the纨绔 (wan ku, a spoiled and dissolute young man) Zhang Shiyuan.

Li Shizhen had naturally heard about what was happening in the capital these past few days.

Thinking of this, a self-deprecating smile appeared on his face. All the medical experts in the world had devoted themselves to research, yet they were not as good as Zhang Shiyuan's nonsense.

Speaking of the mask, the medicine boy quickly put one on himself. He was quite pleased with its effects and sighed as he spoke.

"These masks are good, but they are not easy to make. We are already exhausted from making and washing them every day, so we really can't take care of distributing them to ordinary people."

Zhang Yunxiu's "Treatise on Epidemics" states that masks should generally not be reused, and if necessary, they must be boiled in water for disinfection.

The young apprentice didn't know what disinfection was, but he silently memorized it.

Li Shizhen's eyes flickered as he turned his gaze toward the capital and muttered to himself.

"The people of the capital should be able to use them, right? You should also remember to teach patients how to make these masks when you are treating them."

If the mask method can be widely adopted, it will surely save countless lives!

"Boil the three yellow gypsum soup over a fire."

"Apply silver needles." "This pulse is floating and rapid, the tongue coating is thick and yellow like accumulated dirt; the mumps have entered the blood level. Prepare a decoction of Universal Relief and Detoxification."

Li Shizhen held the old man's pulse, shook his head and sighed, then looked at the young man beside him and said...

"The old gentleman was already in poor health, and now he is suffering from this serious illness. Puji Xiaodu Yin may not be able to cure him. Young friend, you should prepare it as soon as possible."

Seeing that the young man was a scholar, Li Shizhen spoke very tactfully.

Even so, the young man in the tattered long robe still had tears in his eyes, filled with grief and indignation.

"Mr. Xie has made his point, and I understand."

Ordinary doctors, to avoid disputes or to earn more money, would certainly not speak frankly.

Li Shizhen's words saved young people a lot of money from seeking medical treatment.

Watching the scholar walk away with heavy steps, carrying his elderly father on his back, Li Shizhen sighed. This has always been the case for the poor.

"Doctor Li! I've heard news from the capital that a comet invaded the Purple Palace last month, and the Imperial Observatory says it signifies the emergence of an evil spirit."

An old man squatted in the corner of the medical tent, wrapped in a patched short jacket, his cloudy eyes filled with fear as he spoke.

Without even looking up, Li Shizhen steadily inserted the silver needle into the Hegu acupoint of the patient in front of him.

"In the thirty-sixth year of the Jiajing reign, a comet passed through the sky, and that year there was a great harvest in Jiangnan. Instead of believing in celestial phenomena, we should learn how to make masks, which can help prevent the spread of infectious diseases."

However, the people in the medical tent seemed not to have heard Li Shizhen's words. Once the old man ignited their resentment, they immediately started talking.

"That's not the case. A few days ago, I heard from a wandering Taoist priest that a demon has appeared in the court. Grand Secretary Zhang's land survey also angered the local earth god, which is why the plague god was summoned."

"I've also heard that Zhang Shiyuan's newspaper business has caused chaos in the cosmology world."

"The lords of the capital act with impunity, while we common people suffer. What kind of justice is this?"

A commotion erupted inside the medicine shed, and Li Shizhen immediately frowned deeply.

It was past midnight.

Li Shizhen, along with his group of servants, settled in a City God Temple beside the official road.

He found some wooden planks and set up a simple desk. By the light of an oil lamp, Li Shizhen revised his medical books. He first wrote down his treatment experiences from the past few days on manuscript paper, and then summarized and copied them into the medical books.

It was a tedious process, but Li Shizhen did it with great patience.

After an hour, Li Shizhen finished copying all the contents of the manuscript, and then rubbed his aching hands.

Looking up, he saw a drowsy medicine boy.

"Cough cough~"

Li Shizhen coughed once, and only continued speaking after the young apprentice opened his sleepy eyes.

"You should be more careful about the disputes among the people during the day, and avoid arguing with them in the future."

Earlier, after listening to the people's discussions, the young apprentice felt indignant and couldn't help but argue with them, making the already tense diagnosis and treatment even more chaotic.

The apprentice felt somewhat guilty, but still spoke indignantly.

"Sir, the people are too ignorant. They actually believe in some plague god, such mysterious and mysterious things. If there really is a plague god, they should just go and worship the plague god. Why are they looking for us!"

“It’s not that the people are ignorant,” Li Shizhen said, shaking his head. “It’s that someone is deliberately stirring things up.”

"You mean the imperial court?" The young apprentice was taken aback.

Li Shizhen looked at the flickering oil lamp and said meaningfully.

"The epidemic is not terrible; what is most terrifying is the human heart. If the officials in the court could all abandon their selfish desires, how could the Ming Dynasty have come to this? How could the common people have come to this?"
The so-called public service and high-ranking positions are nothing more than a pretext for pursuing personal gain.

In my opinion, none of these officials in the court are as capable as Zhang Shiyuan.

Upon hearing this, the young apprentice opened his mouth slightly. He truly hadn't expected that Li Shizhen's evaluation of Zhang Yunxiu would improve so dramatically in such a short period of time.

(End of this chapter)