Bringing the Railway to Daming

Chapter 12: Regular Physical Examinations, Establishing a Medical School [Seeking Follow-up Reading]

As soon as Liu Kuan finished thanking him, Zhu Biao came upstairs.

"Father, I have already instructed the local guards to form a railway guard. Also, Mother sent a message asking Father if you would like to prepare an extra lunch."

Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma had been married for many years. When he heard this, he realized that Empress Ma had probably learned about the "cross-river bridge and the strange man on the bridge."

He was reminded that he could host a banquet to entertain them - this way he could show hospitality and also make them feel closer.

He laughed heartily and said, "Young Master Liu has been here for six hundred years, so we should host a banquet in his honor. Send someone to reply immediately and tell them to prepare a family feast."

Zhu Biao was very happy to see that Zhu Yuanzhang treated Liu Kuan so closely. He nodded and went downstairs to pass on the message.

Liu Kuan just remembered that he had forgotten to mention Empress Ma.

Many people in later generations who like Ming history believe that Zhu Yuanzhang is an extremely sharp sword, and Empress Ma is the only scabbard that can hold this sword.

Therefore, when Empress Ma died, this precious sword not only hurt others, but also hurt herself, and ultimately hurt the Ming Dynasty.

Liu Kuan believed that with Empress Ma around, Zhu Yuanzhang would be more controlled and easier to get along with.

So, when Zhu Biao came up, Liu Kuan said solemnly, "There is one more thing I forgot to tell Your Majesty and Your Highness."

Zhu Yuanzhang was in a very good mood at this time, and asked with a smile: "What's the matter?"

Liu Kuan said: "According to later historical records, Empress Ma will die of illness in August of the fifteenth year of the Hongwu reign."

Liu Kuan's simple words once again made Lao Zhu and Xiao Zhu feel as if they had been struck by a bolt from the blue, and their heads went blank for a moment.

Empress Ma was four years younger than Zhu Yuanzhang. If she died next year, she would be fifty years old, or fifty-one in lunar age, which was not considered an early death.

But it can't be called a long life.

The most important thing is that Empress Ma is still in good health. Although she is the empress, she still personally prepares Zhu Yuanzhang's meals every day, and also personally takes care of the food and clothing of the princes and grandchildren. She can be said to be meticulous.

Therefore, the father and son were not mentally prepared for the sudden death of Queen Ma!

Zhu Biao came to his senses first and asked anxiously, "What disease did my mother die of?"

Liu Kuan sighed, "This incident is not recorded in history books, or perhaps it was recorded but lost in the flames of war."

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly shouted murderously, "These historians should all be killed! Such an important event, they either didn't record it, or they failed to protect it properly, causing the historical materials to be lost. What's the point of having them?!"

Liu Kuan and Zhu Biao were both shocked when they felt Zhu Yuanzhang's murderous intent.

Zhu Biao advised, "Father, the incident hasn't happened yet, and we don't know the cause. How can we blame the historian? What we need to think about most right now is how to deal with this matter so that our mother won't die of illness next year."

Liu Kuan said, "Your Majesty, there is still a year before the death of Empress Ma as recorded in later history. As long as we are well prepared, there is still a great possibility of changing this matter."

Zhu Yuanzhang took a deep breath, slightly restrained his murderous intent, and asked, "Master Liu, what suggestions do you have for this matter?"

Liu Kuan had already thought about this matter. Upon hearing this, he said, "There are three things we need to do right now."

"First, he instructed the Empress to take good care of her health, including her diet and daily routine. This was because later generations believed that some diseases often took root in daily life and therefore needed to be prevented."

"Secondly, have the imperial physician examine the Empress regularly—preventing illness is much easier than treating it once it has occurred."

"Especially for some diseases, patients don't feel anything at the beginning, and by the time symptoms appear, they are already difficult to treat."

"Therefore, in future generations, everyone from national leaders to the more affluent common people will have regular physical examinations. If they are healthy, they can rest assured. If they are sick, they can seek treatment early, as the sooner they are ill, the better."

"Third, establish a medical school in the capital and gather famous doctors from all over the world."

"First, it will allow them to exchange medical skills and promote the development of medicine; second, it will make it easier for us to consult with many famous doctors in time when the emperor's grandson or empress becomes ill next year."

The Ming Dynasty was not like later times. Transportation relied on either walking or horse-drawn carriages. It often took ten days, half a month, or even one or two months to travel from a slightly distant place to the capital (Nanjing).

However, some diseases cannot be delayed. They may be cured in the early stages, but they cannot be cured if they are delayed for too long.

For emergency patients, whether the famous doctor is local or thousands of miles away can mean the difference between life and death.

That's why Liu Kuan made the third suggestion.

In addition, he also wanted to take the opportunity to allow Daming to have a medical school as soon as possible so that medicine could develop as quickly as possible.

Putting aside the fact that it would be convenient for the common people to receive medical treatment, if he really could not return to the afterlife, he would have to stay in the Ming Dynasty, and his life would have to be protected by the doctors of the Ming Dynasty.

He did not mean to look down on the medical skills of Ming Dynasty doctors, but the medical level, medical conditions and even medicine at that time were really incomparable to those of later generations.

Many minor illnesses in later generations may be fatal at this time.

Liu Kuan didn't want to die from a cold just a few years after traveling to the Ming Dynasty. Some people in later generations seem to have speculated that both Empress Ma and Zhu Biao died of a cold?

This shows that the mortality rate of colds in ancient times was not low, and it was the same for everyone, and if you were unlucky, even if you were rich and powerful, you couldn’t be cured!
Thinking of this, Liu Kuan felt more and more that the development of Ming Dynasty medicine should be regarded as the most important thing to do.

After hearing Liu Kuan's words, Zhu Biao said, "Young Master Liu, the first two points you mentioned are easy to handle, but the third one...Young Master Liu, do you know how many famous doctors there are in the Daming Imperial Hospital now?"

Liu Kuan really didn't know about this, so he asked, "How much?"

Zhu Biao said, "Even if we count the Court Envoy and the Court Judge, there are only six famous doctors. In fact, the Court Judge and the Court Envoy only got their positions because they followed my father earlier and were trusted. They are only famous doctors in the county."

"In fact, there are four imperial physicians. They were all recruited from various places after my father founded the country. They are famous doctors in their prefectures and even provinces. Each of them has amazing medical skills."

Liu Kuan was surprised to hear this. He didn't expect that there were so few famous doctors in the Daming Imperial Hospital during the Hongwu period, with only four truly worthy of the title.

He felt that although this could not be said to be the main reason for the successive deaths of Zhu Xiongying, Empress Ma, and Zhu Biao, it certainly played a certain role.

What he didn't understand was how Zhu Yuanzhang, who always valued his own family (or protected his own shortcomings), could make such a "mistake"?

Zhu Biao continued, "A few years ago, someone wrote to the emperor saying that the Imperial Hospital had too few renowned physicians, a disgrace to the royal family, and asked my father to recruit more renowned physicians to gather in the capital."

"Then an imperial censor came to the rescue, saying that there were a number of renowned doctors throughout the country, and if all these doctors were gathered in the capital, the local people would have no access to treatment for their difficult and serious illnesses, which would be inhumane."

"My father believed that the censor was right, so he rejected the previous person's suggestion. As a result, there are only four famous doctors in the Imperial Hospital now."

"Therefore, if, as Master Liu suggests, we gather all the world's famous doctors in the capital, the local people will be unable to seek medical treatment, and the people will also accuse our royal family of being selfish and unkind."

Zhu Biao actually said this with some hesitation.

Firstly, in order to save his son and mother's lives next year, he wanted to summon all the famous doctors in the world to the capital.

Secondly, he clearly knew that this approach was detrimental to the local people and was selfish and unkind.

However, just as Zhu Biao finished speaking, Zhu Yuanzhang said, "I used to think that the censor was right, but I didn't know that your mother, Xiongying, and you would all die of illness early!"

"Now that we know about this, how can we care about the local people? When we return to the palace, we will issue an imperial decree to summon famous doctors from all over the country to the capital!"

Zhu Biao was stunned when he heard this, probably because he didn't expect Zhu Yuanzhang to say such a thing.

Liu Kuan was not surprised.

Zhu Yuanzhang, who came from a poor family, certainly loved the people, but he loved his family even more. This is a reflection of human nature - after all, there are only a very small number of people who can be selfless in love.

Liu Kuan didn't expect that there were so many details about "gathering famous doctors in the capital".

He thought for a moment and then said, "Your Majesty, Your Highness, we can first recruit famous doctors from all over the world to gather in the capital for a year or two. When the emperor's grandson and the empress are well next year, we can let most of them return home."

"At that time, only a small number of famous doctors will be retained. First, the number of famous doctors in the Imperial Hospital will be increased, and second, a medical school will be established."

"From now on, we can ask famous doctors from all over the world to come to Beijing every two or three years to hold a medical exchange conference to promote the development of Ming medicine."

"In this way, in a dozen years, not only will medicine advance, but more famous doctors will be trained."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded immediately. "That's a good idea. No matter what, let's get the world's most famous doctors to the capital first. We can't just sit there and watch our loved ones die!"

Zhu Biao also felt that if he only gathered famous doctors from all over the world in the capital for one or two years, it would not cause too bad an impact on the local area, so he did not say much.

After deciding to establish a medical school, Liu Kuan decided to take the opportunity to talk about another matter so that it would be difficult to talk about it later.

He said, "Your Majesty, in fact, from the perspective of us later generations, whether it is the death of the Empress, the Emperor's grandson, or later the death of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Your Majesty bears an unshirkable responsibility."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Biao immediately became nervous for Liu Kuan and thought to himself: Mr. Liu, you are so bold to say that - the last person who spoke to my father like this is still in jail.

But to Zhu Biao's surprise, Zhu Yuanzhang was not angry at all. Instead, he asked seriously, "What responsibility is it, Master Liu? Just tell me. As long as it can help my sister live longer, I am willing to correct it."

"Old Zhu really loves Empress Ma."

After sighing, Liu Kuan said, "Your Majesty, please be mentally prepared. What I am talking about involves the Secretariat and the position of Prime Minister, which Your Majesty abolished just last year."

This time, Zhu Biao was not only nervous, but his heart was also hanging in the air.

The "Hu Weiyong Case" is a taboo topic in the Ming Dynasty. Although more than a year has passed, no one dares to mention the matter in front of Zhu Yuanzhang.

Zhu Biao didn't expect Liu Kuan to dare to do that, and he was likely to express doubts and opposition.

He couldn't help but wonder, are people in later generations as brave as Liu Kuan?
　Please collect it and read it.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)