Di Ming

Chapter 86 Hai Qingtian (Please Subscribe)
Zhu Yin knew that the head of the Imperial Medical Academy was the deputy of the head of the academy.

The head of the council is the president, and the vice president is the vice president.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, this was a sixth-rank official position.

The sixth rank sounds quite high, the same rank as the magistrate of Jiangning County.

In reality, because being a physician was not a legitimate path through the imperial examinations, they were always regarded as "miscellaneous officials" or "unofficial personnel."

The official rank of a physician was actually meaningless. He was not as good as a civil official, nor even as good as a military official.

The rank of a medical officer was actually just the rank of a doctor, not the rank of an official.

This is because doctors have a low social status and often face occupational discrimination, even less than businessmen. They are regarded by scholars as unorthodox and mere craftsmen.

In reality, high-ranking medical officials such as the Imperial Physician and Imperial Judge were essentially high-level craftsmen.

Therefore, the sixth-rank physician, the head of the academy, was actually far inferior to the eighth-rank registrar of Jiangning County.

The Nanjing Imperial Medical Academy did not have an "Academician," but rather a "Dean-Prefect," who was the highest-ranking official. The fact that the Dean himself had come to the scene was sufficient evidence that Hai Rui's condition had worsened.

Zhu Yin was also bullying someone. If he were a proper sixth-rank official, how dare he stop the other party's carriage?

However, since the other party was a sixth-rank physician, not a real government official, he dared to stop the other party's carriage.

"Hai Qingtian's junior?" The carriage stopped abruptly, revealing a head with sparse white hair. He was a thin old man wearing a tall, unified hat.

"Your Honor!" Zhu Yin boldly stepped forward. "We are the younger generation of Master Hai's wife's family. May I ask, Your Honor, how is Master Hai's condition?"

Seeing that there were only three children, and that the boy and girl looked anxious and worried, appearing quite pitiful, the judge had no suspicion whatsoever.
It wasn't just because Zhu Yin and the others were children, but also because he couldn't figure out why the other party was impersonating someone else.

It's not a good thing.

"Alas, I know not what's wrong. He's been experiencing alternating chills and fever, with a high fever like a raging fire. Grand Commandant Hai is advanced in years and has been overworked by the river, which has triggered this attack. It's come on fiercely, and I fear..."

Zhu Yin's eyes were brimming with tears. "Your Honor, please, Your Honor, use your miraculous healing skills to cure my old man..."

The court judge sighed, “I will do my best, but leave the rest to fate. Lord Hai is highly respected both at home and abroad, and loved by the people. Even if I am powerless, the Emperor will send a better imperial physician to Nanjing to treat Lord Hai.”

Zhu Yin actually had a low opinion of the medical skills of the imperial physicians in ancient times.

Imperial physicians often performed worse than renowned folk doctors. This was because they were in the officialdom, in the palace, serving the emperor with the constant fear of danger. They lived in constant anxiety, their lives hanging by a thread, and they had little control over their own destiny.

Don’t seek merit but seek no fault.

Over the years, even the best medical skills have fallen into disuse.

Many people in later generations used the incompetence of imperial physicians as an excuse to attack traditional Chinese medicine, portraying it as utterly worthless.

Little did they know that, compared to the medicine of the same period in the Ming Dynasty, traditional Chinese medicine was already unparalleled in the world.

Throughout history, the best doctors in China have always been found among the common people.

One who is a royal physician is not worth mentioning.

"Your Honor, I wish to go with you to take a look," Zhu Yin said pitifully, his young face full of anxiety.

"You are a filial child." The judge had no doubt whatsoever.
He liked Zhu Yin very much. He was sensible, filial, and polite.

"Let's go, let's go to the Censorate together! Get in the car."

"Yes!" Zhu Yin and Ning Caiwei then carried Ning Qingchen onto the judge's carriage.

That's the advantage of being a child.

If the three weren't children, how could the judge have so easily believed them and taken them to the Censorate?
Lancha and Ding Hongying followed at a distance.

What puzzles many people is that the Censorate, as the highest supervisory body in the country and on par with the Six Ministries, is not located in the Imperial City, or even the Inner City.

It was located in the outer city outside Taiping Gate, far away on the shore of Xuanwu Lake.

Far from the palace.

It wasn't just the Censorate. Along with the Censorate, located on the shores of Xuanwu Lake in the outer city, were the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review.

In other words, only the Three Judicial Offices were located far away on the shore of Xuanwu Lake in the outer city.

Moreover, this situation didn't begin after the capital was moved. Back in the early Ming Dynasty, before the capital was moved, the Censorate, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Ministry of Justice were all located far away in the outer city.

Why is this?

This was the painstaking effort of the Ming Taizu (Emperor Hongwu).

He believed that Xuanwu Lake was a clear mirror, and the three judicial departments needed to keep that mirror high, using Xuanwu Lake as a mirror to reflect on their own conscience, not to bend the law for personal gain, and to handle affairs impartially.

Under such emotional and capricious circumstances, the Three Judicial Offices became an anomaly among the imperial government offices, all located far outside the city. As for how troublesome it was for the officials of the Three Judicial Offices to attend and leave court... sorry, that was not something the Hongwu Emperor should concern himself with.

What's wrong with taking a few more steps?
However, Zhu Yin complained endlessly.

Nanjing is a very large city.

The Imperial Medical Academy is in the south, and Xuanwu Lake is in the north. It's like going through the entire city of Nanjing, exiting the inner city through Taiping Gate, and then heading north.

This distance is farther than when Zhu Yin entered the inner city from Qingqiao.

After traveling through the city for more than half an hour, the carriage finally exited Taiping Gate and came into view of the vast Xuanwu Lake.

As you stroll north along the tranquil shores of Xuanwu Lake, the massive government offices of the Three Judicial Offices finally come into clear view.

At this time, many official sedan chairs were traveling north and south on this road.

Someone saw the Imperial Medical Academy's carriage and said, "Director Song has arrived! Let's see if Hai Gangfeng's condition has improved."

Some people said, "It's difficult! It's difficult! Hai Gangfeng is old and his illness is severe. Doctor Liu from the south of the city and Doctor Wang from the west of the city have both diagnosed him and said that once the autumn wind blows and the frost falls, it will probably be his time."

"Oh? So, it seems the Grand Commandant will have a hard time celebrating the New Year?"

"Celebrating the Lunar New Year? I'm afraid even the Double Ninth Festival will be difficult. Perhaps we can still celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival once."

Upon hearing these words, Judge Song remained silent.

These officials' arguments are all valid.

In his experience, few people of that age who get jaundice recover.

If that renowned physician Li, who lives far away in Huguang, could come here, perhaps there would still be a way.

Soon, the carriage drove directly into the office of the Censorate, the head of the Three Judicial Offices.

A line of guards stood at the entrance of the grand and solemn government office. Every carriage entering or leaving had to be inspected.

Judge Song's carriage will also be inspected.

"I am Song Xuanyang, a physician from the Imperial Medical Academy. I have been admitted to the hospital to treat Lord Hai."

Judge Song took out a ivory tablet.

After looking around, the gatekeeper glanced at Zhu Yin and the other two children, then waved and said, "Please come in, Your Honor. We hope you will do your best."

"That's for sure," Judge Song said calmly, and the carriage drove into the Censorate, heading towards Hai Rui's official residence.

The carriage entered through the ceremonial gate, then through the third gate, before finally arriving at the residence of the Censor-in-Chief.

Many cars and sedan chairs were already parked in front of the official residence.

As soon as Judge Song got out of the car, everyone's eyes turned to him.

The expressions on everyone's faces were complicated.

Many people were wearing red official robes.

The judge bowed to the crowd and then entered Hai Rui's bedroom.

Zhu Yin and Ning Caiwei were immediately a little excited.

However, once you enter Hai Rui's official residence, the simplicity inside contrasts sharply with the outside.

Logically speaking, the residence of the Censor-in-Chief should not be shabby, even if it is not luxurious.

However, upon entering Hai Rui's residence, one immediately senses a desolate atmosphere.

It's not even as good as a rural family's home.

Is this the official residence of a second-rank official?
Zhu Yin could hardly believe it.

He absolutely did not believe that this was simply because Hai Rui was poor.

Absolutely not!
Why is that?
Soon, the judge entered a bedroom filled with the smell of medicine.

It was already dusk, and the bedroom was very dark.

A group of people surrounded the hospital bed, on which lay an elderly man with white hair.

Hai Qingtian!
P.S.: I'm writing furiously right now; there will be another chapter in half an hour.

(End of this chapter)