Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

The candle wick crackled. Zhang Jingwei stopped joking and turned serious. "Today... you asked Douya to get close to me, and even wore that new spring shirt." He stared at Huangfu Ling. "I understand what you're thinking."

The smile on Huangfu Ling's face faded like the tide. She lowered her head, twisting the silk ribbon of her pajamas with her fingers, and her voice was as light as a mosquito: "You love me, how could I not know? But... if the Zhang family really dies out because of me, how will others... look at me? I..." The rest of the words turned into an almost inaudible sigh.

"Don't let your imagination run wild." Zhang Jingwei took her slightly cold hand back into his palm with a distressed look, squeezed it firmly, and immediately changed the subject: "Why not... listen to some new ideas I've come up with right now?"

Huangfu Ling raised her head and saw that he was focused. She also cheered up and snuggled up to him: "Well, I'm listening."

Zhang Jingwei picked up the prescription on the table and pointed his fingertips precisely at the word "Ziying". "Look at this prescription, Pharmacist Sun. This 'Ziying', also known as 'Purple Quartz' in the pharmacopoeia, is a stone medicine, and the dosage is quite high."

"'Ziying'..." Huangfu Ling leaned in for a closer look, a strand of hair dangling from the prescription. "From the name, I know it's something that warms the kidneys and nourishes yin, so it makes sense to use it as medicine."

"Yes, just looking at this recipe, there's absolutely no problem." Zhang Jingwei's eyes darkened as he analyzed, "But think about it, if someone were to combine the several 'stone'-containing herbs I need, and finally gather all five of them, wouldn't it be... another Five Stone Powder?"

Huangfu Ling suddenly opened his eyes wide and took a deep breath: "Yes! It can be like this!"

Zhang Jingwei pointed out that "what you can think of, others can think of as well."

Huangfu Ling said coquettishly, "Are you indirectly saying that I'm stupid?"

Zhang Jingwei chuckled and pinched her cheek affectionately. His smile quickly faded, and a gloomy look settled between his brows. "What I really want to say is that banning the Five Stones Powder is far more difficult and complicated than we initially imagined. It's easy to dodge an open attack, but it's hard to guard against an arrow from the dark."

Huangfu Ling saw his serious expression and asked worriedly, "Then... do you have any solution?"

At the mention of "drug control," Zhang Jingwei's eyes seemed to light up. Originally from Yunnan, he had been ingrained with anti-drug education since childhood, allowing him to eloquently detail everything from the dangers to the policies.

"This matter must be addressed from the root..." His voice grew deep and powerful, as he began his analysis with clear logic. He began by describing how the Five-Stone Powder eroded the mind and damaged the body, how it undermined human relations and brought disaster to the countryside; he then discussed the difficulties faced by government inspections, how to sever the hidden chain of circulation, and how to educate the public to recognize and resist poisons.

Huangfu Ling initially forced herself to stay calm, her gaze following him tenderly, nodding gently from time to time. Gradually, the deep, reassuring voice, combined with the fatigue of days of illness, enveloped her like a warm tide. Her head unknowingly rested on Zhang Jingwei's sturdy shoulder, her eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings before finally closing, her breathing becoming even and long. On the table, the cup of hot tea poured for her was no longer steaming.

"...Therefore, the most important thing is to cut off its source and its path. Only by doing both can we..." Zhang Jingwei was reaching the key point when he felt a weight drop on his shoulder. He glanced sideways to see Huangfu Ling, who had fallen asleep on his shoulder. Her long eyelashes cast a quiet shadow over her eyes, and a hint of relief lingered on her lips.

The unfinished words abruptly stopped. Zhang Jingwei gazed at Huangfu Ling's peaceful sleeping face, and the tension in his heart quietly relaxed. His endless talk about drug control now melted into a flood of tenderness. He carefully adjusted his position, gently picked her up, and carried her back to her room.

---

Returning to the quiet of his study, the thoughts that had been surging from his evening conversation with Huangfu Ling hadn't subsided. Instead, they surged even more violently, like a dredged canal. Zhang Jingwei's eyes were no longer tired, replaced by a sharp focus.

The title of the article is: "A Memorial on the Prohibition of Five-Stone Powder and the Strict Control of Stone Medicines"

"I boldly beg Your Majesty to review this... I believe the difficulty of banning stone poisoning lies not only in the depth of the addiction, but also in the persistent root cause. Those who consume stone poison are at the end of the poison, and those who suffer from it are truly pitiful. However, the root cause of the harm caused by stone poisoning lies not in the consumption itself, but in the four elements of trafficking, manufacturing, transportation, and storage! These four elements are like the head of a poisonous snake: if you cut off its head, even if you sever a hundred tails, it will eventually regenerate. Therefore, the key to banning stone poisoning lies in strict laws and punishments, destroying its roots and severing its network!"

He then proposed a highly operational punishment framework, using the ancient "Five Punishments" as a reference, corresponding to each link in the "stone harm" chain, and clearly defining the severity of the punishment to achieve a deterrent effect:

"...I believe that the five punishments should be imposed according to the severity of the crime:

Those who take drugs: First-time offenders will be beaten with a cane to make them feel guilty and repent; those who do not change after repeated warnings and take drugs in groups will be beaten with a stick as a punishment and forced to be isolated and weaned.

Those who "hide": Those who secretly store stone medicine or Wu Shi San without distributing it will be punished with "beating" and have their property confiscated; those who hide a huge amount or hide it for the purpose of selling it will be punished with a heavier crime and be sentenced to "prison" (hard labor).

Transporters: Anyone involved in the transportation and delivery of Shiyao and Wushisan, regardless of whether they were the master or the servant, was sentenced to prison (prison or hard labor). The length of their sentence and the distance of their exile were determined depending on the severity of the offense. Those who organized the transport on a large scale could be sentenced to exile (to a remote frontier) or death.

Anyone who privately sets up a workshop and refines Wushisan shall be sentenced to death for the principal offender and exile for the accomplice. Their property shall be confiscated and their workshop destroyed. Anyone who knows about this but fails to report it shall be punished with the same crime.

Traffickers: The ringleader of the trafficking is guilty of a heinous crime, bringing disaster upon the nation and its people, and shall be sentenced to death, with his head displayed in public as a warning to others. Participants in the trafficking shall be exiled or executed, depending on the severity of the offense. All stolen money shall be confiscated."

After writing about harsh laws and punishments, Zhang Jingwei shifted gears and addressed the key difficulties and solutions to the problem: how to meet legitimate medical needs while preventing stone medicine from being diverted for other purposes? He knew that a blanket ban on all stone medicines was not only unrealistic, but would also cut off the path for good doctors to save lives and force the medicines into the more hidden black market, making it even more difficult to seize them. Therefore, the court had to assume the core functions of leadership and supervision:

"...However, stone medicines (such as purple quartz, white quartz, red ochre, stalactite, and sulfur) are not inherently poisonous. They are valuable materials used by doctors to treat illnesses and save lives. Banning them out of fear of choking would leave the sick with no medicine to turn to, and that would be unkind. Therefore, the key to banning stone medicines is strict control rather than cutting off their source. The government should take drastic measures and establish a comprehensive management system to ensure that stone medicines are under control and used appropriately, preventing them from being misused!"

He outlined in detail the government's specific plan for controlling stone medicine:

Government monopoly, source monopoly:

Establishment of "Official Medicine and Stone Bureaus": "Official Medicine and Stone Bureaus" directly under the government were established in prefecture-level cities and even in important county-level cities. These were the sole legal institutions for the sale and preparation of all stone medicines. Private pharmacies and traveling doctors were prohibited from privately buying, selling, or possessing stone medicine raw materials.

Strict Control of Sources: The imperial court designated a small number of government-run mines to produce raw materials for stone-based medicine. The entire process of mining, transportation, and storage was closely monitored by government agencies (such as the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Revenue, and local inspection offices), with records maintained and accountability assigned to individuals. Private mining and trading of stone-based medicine ore was strictly prohibited.

Prescription review and strict dosage control:

Prescription-based medicine purchases: A doctor (who must be a registered and legal practitioner recognized by the government) will write a prescription based on the patient's condition. The prescription must clearly state the name of the stone medicine, preparation requirements (raw, calcined, etc.), the exact dosage (in cents), the number of days/number of times the medicine should be used, the patient's name and place of origin, and a brief description of the symptoms. The prescription must also bear the doctor's signature and official seal.

Official Review: Patients or their families present their prescriptions to the "Official Pharmacy." These pharmacies employ dedicated pharmacists responsible for rigorously reviewing prescriptions. They focus on the rationality of the prescription, the necessity of the stone medicine, and whether the dosage exceeds the prescribed safe range (guidelines for the maximum safe single-dose and single-dose dosages of various stone medicines are regularly issued by the Imperial Hospital or provincial medical offices). Pharmacists have the right to reject or request further explanation of any questionable prescriptions.

Dispensing according to prescription: After approval, pharmacists must strictly adhere to the prescribed dosage, not giving a single cent more. The dispensing process must be witnessed by a pharmacy clerk or government official. Dispensed stone medicine must be sealed in a specially made, official-sealed medicine bag, marked with the drug name, dosage, dispensing date, the pharmacist's signature, and the patient's name.

Drug tracking and closed-loop management:

Registration and Filing: Every sale of stone medicine must be recorded in detail by the official stone medicine bureau, including the patient's name, address, age, illness, name of the physician, prescription (including the name of the stone medicine and exact dosage), date of sale, quantity sold, and name of the pharmacist. This register is submitted to the county government and prefecture government for filing on a regular basis (e.g., every ten days or every month).

Medication Follow-up (Spot Check): Officials (permitted by village heads, medical officers, or pharmacy clerks) conduct random follow-up checks on selected patients who purchased Shiyao. This check verifies whether the patient has taken the medication according to the prescription, whether the remaining amount is correct, whether there are any abnormal reactions, and whether the official seal on the medicine bag is intact. Special attention is paid to patients who use large quantities or purchase medicine frequently.

Abnormal reporting: Pharmacists, doctors, village heads, etc. are obliged to report to the authorities immediately when they discover abnormal prescriptions (such as multiple people holding similar prescriptions containing large doses of stone medicine in a short period of time), patients experiencing non-therapeutic reactions after taking the medicine (especially symptoms similar to stone powder), or inconsistent dosage of medicine.

Severely punish violations and hold all parties accountable:

Medical practitioners who violate regulations: those who prescribe stone-containing medicines indiscriminately, falsely report symptoms, or seriously exceed dosage standards will be investigated to see if they provide convenience for disguised "manufacturing" and "selling" of these drugs.

Medical officers who violate regulations such as lax review, excessive dosage of medicine, and private sale of stone medicine will be subject to severe punishment.

Patients who violate the rules by giving away or selling the official stone medicine to others, or not taking it according to the prescription or keeping the remaining stone medicine privately will be regarded as "hiding" the stone and will be punished according to the law.

Official dereliction of duty: Officials responsible for supervision who neglect their duties and cause the uncontrolled outflow of stone medicine shall be punished with the same crime and the crime shall be aggravated.

……

The pen moves quickly and the writing is fluent and flowing.

When Zhang Jingwei finished writing the last sentence, "Only when the government takes strong leadership, strictly controls circulation, and enforces strict laws and regulations, can we correct the root cause and clear the source, preserve the good medicine to save the world, and stop the stone from poisoning the people! I beg for your judgment.", it was already dawn outside the window.

He put down his pen, rubbed his sore wrist, and pressed the acupuncture points on his eyes based on the faint memory of eye exercises in his mind.