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

Chapter 98 Is a son better than his father?
"Quick! Fetch some hot water and wash your father's face!"

"And all these medicinal herbs, take them all away!"

"Open the windows to let in some fresh air!"

Suddenly, chaos erupted in the study.

Having understood Zhang Juzheng's intentions, Zhang Maoxiu was clearly unwilling, but he could not disobey his father's orders. His father's glare made it difficult for him to resist due to his childhood habit of obedience.

It only took the time it takes to set up all the disguises for him.

After everything was tidied up, Zhang Juzheng, the father, still sat upright on the bed and calmly tidied his clothes.

Even though sitting upright caused him excruciating pain, he still maintained a calm and composed expression.

"At that time, the memorial was brought to me for my father to review."

With this composed demeanor, the image of a capable, resolute, and decisive father was once again established.

Zhang Maoxiu watched from the side, his eyes twitching.

How could my father do this to my younger brother?
But he is a completely different person to himself, even though he was once a top scholar!

The transformation took only a few months.

After being selected as the top scholar in the imperial examination last year, Zhang Juzheng valued him far more than his other brothers.

But all of this changed completely when Zhang Shiyuan suddenly appeared.

envy?

From the eldest brother Zhang Jingxiu to Zhang Maoxiu, the three brothers were educated by Zhang Juzheng in their early years and became exemplary Confucian scholars of gentleness, kindness, respect, frugality and humility.

Therefore, she wasn't jealous of her father's favor towards her younger brother.

In fact, in Zhang Maoxiu's view, it was less that his father had raised his fifth brother to be a "good son," and more that his fifth brother had raised his father to be a strange person.

Just as Zhang Maoxiu was sighing inwardly, he suddenly heard Zhang Juzheng beside him speak again.

"After you and I have exchanged some questions, Shi Yuan will probably be heading to the study soon. Don't let him suspect anything."

Zhang Maoxiu said helplessly, "What should I ask?"

Suppressing his cough, Zhang Juzheng thought for a moment and said...

"Let's discuss the understanding of 'without bias or partisanship, the kingly way is vast and boundless' in the Book of Documents, Hong Fan. We need to be more profound and not just recite the text verbatim."

Zhang Maoxiu noticed that recently his father would always add the phrase "Don't just read from the book" at the end, which was obviously influenced by his fifth brother, Zhang Yunxiu.

After all, Zhang Juzheng was no longer satisfied with his fifth brother's brilliant answers every time, and thus raised his expectations for his brothers.

For the older brothers, this was an undeserved disaster.

However, Zhang Maoxiu was the most knowledgeable among his brothers, so answering these questions was no problem for him.

He thought for a moment and then answered.

"The so-called impartial and non-partisan."

He had barely begun when Zhang Juzheng interrupted him: "I'm not asking you to actually answer. Just answer as you normally would. Once Shiyuan enters the room, he'll surely have some novel insights. Remember to immediately write them down and study them carefully when you get back."

"what?"

Zhang Maoxiu couldn't believe his ears.

"Do as instructed!" Zhang Juzheng said sternly.

"Yes."

Zhang Maoxiu sighed. For a moment, he even had a fleeting urge to be that "rebellious son."

Zhang Yunxiu is very busy, literally busy.

In the past, when he ran a newspaper or a garlic extract workshop, he was able to do it all with ease.

But as the business expanded, he realized how difficult management and coordination truly were.

There are fifteen Renmin Medical Clinics in the capital, and I often have to travel around to check on patients. There are also unruly doctors who need to be trained from time to time.

What's most disheartening is that Zhang Yunxiu started the field of "modern medicine" himself, intending to have Yang Jishi, Luo Xian, and other imperial physicians conduct their own research.

Unexpectedly, it was like opening Pandora's box, and the situation spiraled out of control!

Just as he had predicted, these imperial physicians were not mediocre at all; on the contrary, they were all top talents in the field of medicine. However, due to the limitations of the times, they lacked a unified direction and a systematic methodology.

Once Zhang Yunxiu pointed them in the right direction, these people would eagerly seek out the most advanced medical theories, much like people walking in the desert.

Research is naturally demanding, but nothing beats extracting insights from Zhang Yunxiu!
The imperial physicians realized that a few casual words from Zhang Yunxiu could save them from taking more than a decade of detours.

So the imperial physicians went crazy, like unsatisfied women, constantly pestering Zhang Yunxiu to give them lessons.

Even though she was already incredibly busy treating patients during the day, she still had to keep her eyes wide open at night, searching for Zhang Yunxiu to fill in any gaps in her knowledge.

This enthusiasm is even greater than that of "internet addicts" in later generations.

Even Yuan Zongdao, Liu Dongding, and Geng Zaichu in the laboratory became so engrossed in the experiments that they couldn't extricate themselves.

Recently, people have begun to use citrus fruits and other fruits to extract molds in order to achieve the same or even stronger antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects as allicin.

The three men didn't understand the significance of "garlicin" at first, but after seeing how it helped countless people, it truly ignited their passion.

Confucian sages once said that scholars should "establish a heart for heaven and earth, establish a destiny for the people, continue the lost learning of the past sages, and usher in an era of peace for all generations." In the past, there was only one way to achieve such ideals: to enter officialdom.

And it is difficult to see results in the short term.

But now things are different. Yuan Zongdao and the others have truly seen the significance of "creating peace for all generations".

How many lives could be saved by the advent of allicin?
In comparison, the so-called study for officialdom does not seem so important. How long would it take to "establish a livelihood for the people" after ten years of hard study?

Therefore, Yuan Zongdao and his companions stopped going to the Imperial Academy and spent their days hiding in the laboratory, devoting themselves to research. Their enthusiasm was no less than that of the imperial physicians.

As the boss, how could Zhang Yunxiu not have a headache with such a large group of "graduate students" under his command? He also had to take care of the plague in the capital and be wary of the corrupt nobles who might cause trouble.

Time travel is no easy feat!
That's why it's only now that Zhang Yunxiu has the opportunity to seek out Zhang Juzheng.

In fact, he still admired Zhang Juzheng's abilities to some extent; this "feigning illness" was a two-birds-with-one-stone strategy.

This not only delayed the court officials' strong opposition to the "plague plan," but also caused many previously hidden opponents to finally emerge.

To paraphrase a famous minister, "The treacherous minister has already revealed himself!"

While pondering, Zhang Yunxiu had already arrived at the door of the study in the backyard.

It's a bit of a helpless situation, really. Ever since his last conversation with Zhang Juzheng, this old man has been doing the dirty work of "usurping someone else's place".

They claimed that the study in the backyard had excellent feng shui, and moved their usual office for handling state affairs there.

Zhang Yunxiu did resist, but what could he do when Zhang Juzheng was still the head of the family?

Thinking that he would have a good talk with Zhang Juzheng later and seek some compensation in this regard, Zhang Yunxiu raised his hand to knock on the door, but suddenly heard the conversation inside the study.

"Not favoring any one person, nor indulging in any one thing—this is Cai Jiufeng's commentary on the Book of Documents from the Southern Song Dynasty. As the top scholar in the imperial examinations, how can you simply recite it verbatim?"

He suddenly frowned, as if a string in his heart had been touched, and he couldn't help but think about how to answer.

(End of this chapter)