Uncle from a poor family

Chapter 72 Don't Listen, Don't Ignore, Don't Ask
Zhang Luan personally saw Tan Yun off.

After Qin Yun left, he hurried back, called his son to the main hall, closed the door, and asked in a cold voice: "What's going on?"

Zhang Yanling shrugged and said, "Dad, I told you, it should be a liver and spleen disease... This kind of disease may not be very painful. Judging from the symptoms above, it is most likely a liver disease, which we cannot cure."

"What nonsense are you talking about? You can tell it's liver disease just by looking at it?"

Zhang Luan was very angry, but seemed powerless.

The main reason is that he can't do anything with his son.

Zhang Yanling pursed his lips, meaning that it’s okay if you don’t believe it, because no one asks you to believe it anyway.

Zhang Luan said, "If it really is a symptom of liver and spleen disease, then treat it according to the prescription. I can use it. There are many prescriptions for treating liver and spleen diseases recorded in medical books."

"Dad, do you know who the sick person is?" Zhang Yanling asked.

Zhang Luan shook his head naturally.

Zhang Yanling said: "If my guess is correct, the person who is ill is a noble in the palace, and a big shot that we absolutely cannot afford to offend. Or it could be Concubine Wan herself."

"Stop talking nonsense!"

Zhang Luan was surprised and said, "Empress Wan? That's...are you tired of living? Even if it's true, with so many doctors in the palace, do you still need your father to diagnose her?"

Zhang Yanling said helplessly: "Father, do you know what it means to seek medical help in desperation?"

"Uh...you mean, she is terminally ill?" Zhang Luan asked.

Zhang Yanling said: "Her symptoms may not be terminal, because liver disease only causes yellowing of the whites of the eyes and body, fatigue and loss of appetite over a long period of time, but once a certain period of time has passed, the condition will take a turn for the worse and may kill a person within a few days or even hours.

"This patient has obviously not yet reached the outbreak stage, but it will be soon."

Zhang Luan stood there, muttering to himself for a long time, but he didn't understand what his son said.

"I should have kept the list at that time. I could have studied it overnight or shown it to others for their consideration." Zhang Luan said with regret.

Zhang Yanling poured cold water on him, "Father, do you know the key to the prescription? If someone knew about it, and father took Concubine Wan's medical records to others for discussion, it would be a serious crime. Concubine Wan's illness has not been leaked to the public, and few people know about it."

Zhang Luan asked: "Then how do you know?"

Of course Zhang Yanling knew that in history, Concubine Wan died on the tenth day of the first lunar month of the following year. Now it was the end of the twelfth lunar month, and there were only a dozen days left before her death.

Although Concubine Wan had not shown any signs of being terminally ill, her condition was clearly getting worse. There is some controversy over the cause of Concubine Wan's death in history. The "Records of Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty" records:

"…When he went to the suburbs to offer sacrifices, there was a thick fog on his way back, and everyone was surprised. The next day, after the celebration banquet, the emperor returned to the palace, and was suddenly informed that Concubine Yun had passed away. The emperor was shocked and mourned, and stopped attending court for seven days. He gave her the posthumous title of Gongsu Duanshen Rongjing, and buried her in the southwest of Tianshou Mountain. All funeral rites were followed."

Concubine Wan died suddenly.

There are two common theories. One is that she had a sudden heart attack. After all, when she died, Concubine Wan was already 57 years old, which was definitely an elderly age. It was very likely that she died suddenly from some cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease. Another theory was that she had liver disease.

As the name suggests, liver disease means problems with the liver. To use the easy-to-understand terms of later generations, the liver becomes inflamed and swollen. It may be alcoholic liver disease and fatty liver disease, but because the living standards were generally not high in that era, even the royal family could not afford to eat meat and fish every meal. In addition, there were special imperial chefs responsible for meals, and they paid more attention to balanced nutrition. The chance of Concubine Wan Guifei suffering from fatty liver and alcoholic liver disease due to overeating was not high, so viral hepatitis was more likely to be the case.

Viral hepatitis has certain transmission characteristics. Hepatitis diseases such as hepatitis B, hepatitis A and hepatitis C are considered liver diseases in this era and require timely isolation after contracting.

Unfortunately, due to the limitations of the times, many people did not have this knowledge. Therefore, Emperor Chenghua Zhu Jianshen, who lived with Concubine Wan day and night and ate at the same table with her for many years, was probably infected with liver disease. So in history, Emperor Chenghua passed away just half a year after Concubine Wan died. It is very likely that Emperor Xianzong was also infected with viral hepatitis, and developed liver cancer at the same time as his beloved concubine, and eventually died.

At this moment, there is a high possibility that Concubine Wan's liver disease has entered the outbreak stage, that is, the late stage of liver cancer, which is very consistent with the characteristics of sudden death from illness.

The list that Zhang Yanling was looking at happened to be a typical diagnosis of liver disease in middle-aged and elderly women of this era, which met the characteristics of "imbalance of yin and yang". In clinical applications, this theory is mostly applicable to postmenopausal women. A list that could be directly brought to Zhang Luan by a captain of the Jinyiwei, and was so cautious, made Zhang Yanling think of Concubine Wan.

Zhang Yanling said sternly, "Even if it wasn't Concubine Wan, but just a high-ranking official or a noble, would father dare to diagnose her or even treat her? Father is confident that his medical skills are better than those of the imperial doctors in the Imperial Hospital?"

Zhang Luan thought about it, and this time he felt relieved and shook his head.

How could he dare to wear such a big hat if his head wasn’t that big?
If something goes wrong, wouldn't that be a risk to your head?

That's not necessary!

Zhang Yanling said, "Since we don't know how to treat it, wouldn't it be better for us to just sit back and watch the fire from the other side of the river? Anyway, it's none of our business, so there's nothing to be ashamed of."

Zhang Luan glared, "Who said it's none of my business? Isn't my father trying to get into the Imperial Hospital? He might get in after the new year, and by then, won't he be honored as an imperial physician... I'll have to take care of this disease sooner or later, so isn't it better to get in touch with him sooner?"

"In that case, father should not go to the Imperial Hospital," Zhang Yanling suggested.

Zhang Luan was displeased: "You were the one who encouraged my father to treat others, and now you are the one who is saying that you don't want my father to go to the Imperial Hospital... Yanling, we should have principles and not be fickle."

To put it bluntly, Zhang Luan just couldn't bear to give up his position as imperial physician.

In the Ming Dynasty, the rank of imperial physician was not low. The director of the hospital was a fifth-rank official, the judge of the hospital was a sixth-rank official, and even ordinary imperial physicians were eighth-rank officials. Zhang Luan had been jealous of them for a long time, so how could he just give up?
Zhang Yanling smiled and said, "Dad, I never said I wanted you to work in the Imperial Hospital. Or rather, that was just a last resort. You are the father of the Crown Princess, and you will be the father-in-law of the emperor in the future... Why would a father-in-law of the emperor work in the Imperial Hospital? Isn't it better to stay at home and be a noble official?"

"Hey, you talk so smoothly in your sleep, are you taking your daydreams seriously? I will ignore you, you little brat, and go do your homework!"

"The child doesn't even go to school, and doesn't even have a teacher to teach him, so where does he get his homework?"

"Then stay in your room and be quiet. Don't run around these two days. I should find someone to look after you. You are full of tricks and are more troublesome than your elder brother."

Zhang Yanling pondered the meaning of his father's words.

Perhaps, Zhang Heling is stupid to a certain extent, so he can be a relief. It is he, who is smart and clever, who has become an unstable factor in the family.

Zhang Yanling thought to himself, it's better to stay with your stupid son. I'm so smart that I entered the Zhang family, which is really an insult to talent. Of course, this is just a joke. Who said that Zhang Luan was so successful in history? Maybe this is what they call stupid people have stupid luck. Things like fate are really hard to figure out.

(End of this chapter)