A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 437 Enjoying the show is the most important thing.
Faced with Song Xuan's boastful words, Zhang Fangping was speechless.

He had always known that Song Xuan was a person who could not bear loneliness.

Although Twelfth Brother dutifully spent his days in the private school, he had always been hiding his true self.

He would only go out to hunt with a bow and arrow when he wasn't in class, in order to suppress his mischievous heart.

Or perhaps his strange and unusual ideas couldn't be tolerated in the small villages of the countryside.

It is quite normal that my twelfth brother's articles were suppressed and criticized by the private tutor.

Now, after three years of silence, Brother Twelve has made a stunning debut, proving himself to the world.

Now that he is secretly plotting to overthrow the Liao Kingdom, he is unwilling to just watch from afar and wants to go closer to see the results of his actions.

Zhang Fangping remained silent for a long time, thinking that he had always been by Song Xuan's side and that there was not much difference between them.

Now, listening to his words of advice on governing the country, I realize that there is indeed a significant gap between myself and my twelfth brother.

Since becoming the magistrate of Kaifeng, Twelfth Brother has been either collecting taxes and fighting against wealthy households, or judging and punishing lawbreakers, and even has to find time to confront his enemies, the Chen brothers.

On top of all that, they still had to wipe out the bandits of Wuyou Cave, and since they had no money, they also had to find ways to raise funds to provide relief to disaster victims, dredge the river, and incidentally, they also had to take advantage of the Khitans.

Zhang Fangping had either personally experienced or heard about all of these things.

After Zhang Fangping passed the imperial examination and became a third-ranking scholar, he spent his days reading various documents from the imperial court.

But most of his time and energy was spent thinking about which family's banquet he would go to and which young lady he would meet after his shift.

Now that the marriage is settled, I'm shocked to hear about my twelfth brother's scheme.

Zhang Fangping also secretly resolved not to indulge in pleasure in the future.

He is temporarily serving as the magistrate of Kaifeng County, and he must make a name for himself and not let his twelfth brother down.

"Twelfth Brother, if things don't work out, you must preserve your life so that you can plan something bigger."

Zhang Fangping did not advise him against going to the Liao Kingdom: "Because there are many foreign people in the north, you might be ambushed."

Song Xuan responded:
"Yes, I will go in armor and also select some skilled guards from the Imperial Guard."

"That's good."

Zhang Fangping knew that his twelfth brother always treated ordinary imperial guards soldiers well.

Therefore, selecting some top performers will inevitably attract widespread media attention.

Those who serve him.

As for armor, Zhang Fangping didn't care at all.

He had seen the armor bestowed upon his twelfth brother by the Emperor Taizong, and after so many years of maintenance, it was still in pristine condition.

Even bystanders cannot easily impeach Song Xuan for secretly possessing armor.

"By the way, when you go back, pay more attention to matters related to overseas trade in Guangzhou, Quanzhou and other places."

Zhang Fangping nodded: "Twelfth Brother, are you planning to send someone to get involved in the maritime trade business as well?"

He knew that Tao Hong and his group's brick factory and iron furnace sales outside Dongjing City were very popular.

Last winter, in particular, many people in Tokyo were spared the suffering of frostbite, and the number of people who collapsed and died on the streets was significantly reduced.

The wealthy don't crave it, but those who aren't so wealthy, or the poor who can't bear the cold, are willing to give it a try.

The effect was surprisingly good; it not only saved a lot of firewood for cooking and getting through the winter, but it also had many other benefits.

The people of Tokyo who didn't use iron stoves that winter were filled with regret as they looked at the chilblains on their hands and feet.

Of course, cases of carbon monoxide poisoning have also occurred, and no matter how thorough the public awareness campaigns are, it is unavoidable.

Such things happen even in modern times, let alone in the Song Dynasty.

But since Master Song himself used it, we still don't believe in his wisdom. We deserve to be frozen.

After all, Song Xuan only promoted the iron furnace in detail among the disaster victims, while the people of Dongjing City did not agree with it.

Tao Hong's shop was extremely deserted.

When the tax refund period began, some people saw and felt the warmth emanating from the stove, and after inquiring about it, they went to buy one to use.

Once winter was over, many people who had used it said it was good, and they were naturally all smiles, praising Song Xuan.

They even plan to move it outside during the summer to save on firewood costs.

"Mix in?"

Song Xuan shook his head: "At least for the time being, I have no intention of getting involved. I just want to make use of the maritime merchants."

"Returning from Khitan to the Song Dynasty is not just a matter of land; if I need to return by sea, that's also a backup plan."

"Of course, I don't want to have to use this backup plan, but it's better to be prepared."

Zhang Fangping expressed his understanding.

He did know about the Jurchens who had fled from Goryeo to the Song Dynasty, and that the Khitan blockade was not so tight anymore.

Weakened control, coupled with the soldiers' apathy, is also a sign of a declining national strength.

Since Song Xuan could not obtain a map of the Khitan territory, he had to go there to examine it closely.

As for the translator, Guo Yanyu, the son of Guo Yanduan, the Jurchen who had come to seek refuge, should be taken along.

What if we could even communicate with the Jurchens?

In any case, the Liao Dynasty was a multi-ethnic state, so it was better to be prepared than not.

"To be honest, I am quite happy about this mission to the Khitan, because I doubt many people in the world can see through my plans behind the scenes."

Song Xuan couldn't help but laugh as he recounted this.

Zhang Fangping nodded slightly in agreement, "That's true."

How could anyone possibly guess what Twelfth Brother's true intentions were, given his erratic and unpredictable behavior?
Even the First Madam was unaware of Twelfth Brother's scheme.

"Twelfth Brother, I've noticed that the Empress Dowager doesn't seem to have any intention of returning power to the Emperor."

Although Zhang Fangping helped Song Xuan manage the river and provide relief to the people, he was still one of the emperor's secretaries.

He discovered that Zhao Zhen had almost no opportunities to face his ministers alone.

"Hahaha." Song Xuan couldn't help but burst into laughter a few times:

“Our Empress Dowager is very shrewd; to make her return power would be tantamount to killing her.”

Zhang Fangping was startled:
"Twelfth Brother, the Empress Dowager's regency is an abnormal situation. I remember that in order to dispel the concerns of the ministers, the First Empress personally wrote an edict and gave it to the regents, saying that she would return power to the Emperor when he came of age."

"Moreover, in the edict, she explicitly compared herself to the virtuous empresses Ma and Deng of the Eastern Han Dynasty, thus expressing her true feelings."

Song Xuan spread his hands and said:
"Now that the Emperor is getting older, he should logically be involved in government affairs, but as you can see, she has isolated the Emperor from his ministers and has always firmly grasped power."

"Do you believe she can keep her promise and return power to the government?"

Zhang Fangping sighed. Not only did he see it, but many ministers who had been appeased by Empress Liu also saw it.

Most of them are anxious and disappointed in their hearts, and dare not talk about it openly now.

After all, Empress Liu believed that it was thanks to her that the young emperor was able to successfully sit on the throne and that she had made great contributions to the Song Dynasty.

She will not hesitate to retaliate against anyone who dares to challenge her authority.

For example, Li Ruogu, the chief envoy to the Khitan last year, paid his respects to the emperor first, and then to Empress Liu.

This action displeased Empress Liu, who then ordered someone else to replace him on the mission.

"I can't say right now," Zhang Fangping shook his head.
"After all, the Emperor will come of age next year, and the Song Dynasty in its current state cannot afford any internal strife!"

"Internal strife?"

Song Xuan shook his head slightly: "I don't think it will happen, unless His Majesty has the same idea as Emperor Taizong of Tang, but unfortunately it is unlikely."

As the emperor's secretary, Zhang Fangping had a lot of contact with the emperor. How could someone who was so tolerant of even his servants not be tolerant of his mother?
Therefore, Zhang Fangping felt that the Xuanwu Gate Incident could not be developed further.

There are at least eight hundred people!

unless.

Zhang Fangping looked up at Song Xuan. His twelfth brother would lead eight hundred men on a mission to the Khitan, and upon his return, he would take these men as his confidants, in addition to the emperor's "imperial edict."

Otherwise, this matter will never succeed.

"Twelfth Brother, how many imperial guards do you plan to take with you on your mission to the Khitan?"

"This escort of the treasure is of great importance. I would like to request a thousand people, but I don't know if that's possible."

"A thousand people?" Zhang Fangping was shocked.

Song Xuan raised an eyebrow: "Isn't that too much? I could accept eight hundred."

Zhang Fangping was so startled that he jumped up, looking left and right to make sure no one was around.

He lowered his voice and said, "Twelfth Brother, you don't really want to replicate the Xuanwu Gate Incident, eight hundred people it is, do you?"

"How can it be."

Song Xuan pointed at himself:
"If there really are eight hundred people, I can't even break through the palace gates. Who would open the gates for me?"

The success of the Xuanwu Gate Incident was due to a man surnamed Chang acting as an inside agent, opening the gate for Li Shimin; otherwise, the outcome would have been uncertain.

Song Xuan didn't think he had the ability to place any trusted confidants in the small imperial palace of the Northern Song Dynasty and have them sit in important positions.

If we really have to do it, then we'll have to get my father-in-law involved.

That also involves military rebellion, a taboo subject that cannot be touched in the Song Dynasty.

Even if they succeed, they will face fierce retaliation.

Therefore, in Song Xuan's eyes, this method was simply impossible to implement.

Because it relies too heavily on skill, not everyone can replicate it.

"That's true."

Zhang Fangping felt that his twelfth brother was really daring to do it.

However, Twelfth Brother should consider how to wrap things up later.

After much thought, none of these actions were worthwhile.

Zhang Fangping shook his head:

"Twelfth Brother, I don't think the Empress Dowager would do what Wu Zetian did. After all, all her power is based on the current emperor."

"Without the Emperor, the successor might stage a controversy to elevate the father to the throne, and even the Empress Dowager couldn't handle it."

"Don't think about women, especially female politicians, like men do. I often don't understand their way of thinking. Why do they exaggerate small things?"

Song Xuan said quite frankly, "Fang Ping, if it were anyone else, I wouldn't say these things."

“You’re right. The Empress Dowager is also filled with contradictions. She is currently unable to transform this power into a formal identity.”

"Just like Wu Zetian back then, she obtained the title of 'Two Saints' alongside Emperor Gaozong of Tang during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, which can be said to be comparable to the emperor."

"After Emperor Gaozong of Tang passed away, Wu Zetian ruled from behind the curtain as Empress Dowager and held real power."

"If she wants to have a truly legitimate status in the system, the only way is to ascend the throne and become empress."

"So at this point, the Empress Dowager also came to a critical juncture. Whether to move forward or retreat, she was still weighing the pros and cons and was undecided."

"I think many of the officials in the court have also sensed this trend, and quite a few of them want to do something to gain favor with the emperor."

The benefits of becoming a subject of the Empress Dowager's faction are obvious.

In particular, the Song-Song couple's governance of the city was automatically regarded as a model of the Empress Dowager's favored officials.

Which of those officials who had served in the court for many years didn't envy Song Xuan and Song Xiang?

So some impatient people jumped out, trying to encourage Liu E to go further.

Zhang Fangping nodded; he had indeed sensed a restless atmosphere in Tokyo.

“Twelfth Brother, but I think if the Empress Dowager really goes that far, she probably won’t make Liu Congde, who has no blood relation to her, the Crown Prince.”

"Perhaps we should still make the Emperor the Crown Prince."

Zhang Fangping shook his head to himself: "Twelfth Brother, but once this matter comes out, a large number of officials will oppose it."

"Of course I would object."

Song Xuan smiled again: "If the Empress Dowager could truly command a hundred responses, the whole world would have belonged to the Liu family long ago."

"Even though the Western Han Dynasty was founded and the world belonged to the Liu family, it wasn't just Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, who made the decisions."

"My desire for the emperor to take personal control of the government is actually partly driven by personal motives."

Zhang Fangping nodded. He had long known that his twelfth brother did not want to cultivate him into a saint, even though he often uttered saintly words.

Besides, who can live without selfish desires?

Even Confucius, the sage, punished heretics.

“It wasn’t just Twelfth Brother; everyone else opposed the Empress Dowager going that far, not only because they couldn’t accept the reality of a female ruler ruling the court, but also to prevent a second Wu Zetian from appearing.”

Zhang Fangping's eyes also revealed a deep look: "Actually, it's all about vying for control of the court."

Song Xuan nodded in deep agreement.

Even Fan Zhongyan often taught himself: "Those who have the emperor's right to speak are the most loyal!"
He also highly praised famous ministers such as Kou Zhun.

Throughout history, the struggle between imperial power and the power of the prime minister has been extremely fierce.

During the first two emperors of the Song Dynasty, imperial power expanded to an extreme degree, and the emperor consistently suppressed the power of the prime minister.

However, in order to avoid the negative consequences of the military power that had grown too strong during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, the Song Dynasty emperors deliberately cultivated the power of civil officials.

Through the tireless efforts of three generations of monarchs, the power of the civil service was greatly enhanced.

The awakening of the civil service group's sense of self and their demand for more political power inevitably clashed with the monarch's authority.

This matter changed during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong, and has become even more intense now.

These officials opposed Empress Liu's continued regency and demanded that power be returned to the emperor.

In fact, it was also because Zhao Zhen was young and lacked political experience. Once Liu E let go, Zhao Zhen would inevitably rely heavily on the civil service group, thus causing the civil service group to grow stronger again.

As a result, the power of the monarch was weakened, and the power of the prime minister began to suppress the monarch's power.

This was something that Empress Liu E did not want to see, and it was also something that Emperor Zhenzong of Song did not want to see.

As an integral part of imperial power, Empress Liu naturally had to strive to maintain the mystique and exclusivity of imperial authority, but she was also indirectly suppressing imperial power.

Such contradictory practices encountered a group of civil officials who were influenced by Confucianism and unwilling to let Liu E rule for a long time, which led to a large number of relatives of the empress interfering in politics and even women taking the lead in ruling.

They also wanted to suppress imperial power themselves, rather than relying on someone like Empress Liu.

Anyway, as long as the civil officials don't rebel, if they fail, they can just go to Lingnan to eat insects.

"Twelfth Brother, since you can't teach martial arts, then you haven't taught the official family any literature?"

"Of course I taught him." Song Xuan held up two fingers: "I taught him to be filial."

"What's there to teach?" Zhang Fangping asked, puzzled.

"Because the Empress Dowager is not the Emperor's biological mother."

Upon hearing Song Xuan's words, Zhang Fangping's eyes widened, and he was completely stunned.

After much deliberation, he still felt that his twelfth brother's decision to emulate the Xuanwu Gate Incident was too impulsive.

After all, the mother and son are still connected by blood.

Unlike his twelfth brother, he didn't get along with their mother.

After all, they were essentially abandoned.

It turned out they were fake!
They weren't even as close as the relationship between Twelfth Brother and his mother!
Zhang Fangping struggled to process this news; he didn't believe Song Xuan would try to deceive him with something like this.

"In this way, many things can be explained."

Zhang Fangping took a few sips of tea:
"I never expected this!"

He didn't understand why his biological mother would be so harsh on her son!
Now he understood.

"Does the Empress Dowager know that the Emperor knows the truth?"

"I am not sure."

Song Xuan shook his head: "That's why I want the Emperor to appear extremely filial."

"Oh, Twelfth Brother. I understand." Zhang Fangping nodded repeatedly, a smile on his face.
"Since the Empress Dowager has no other children, if the Emperor humbles himself and continues to treat her as his own mother, and she is deeply moved, will that make it easier for her to return power to the Emperor?"

"No."

"No."

Song Xuan shook his head slightly, revealing his well-maintained teeth:

"I am making the emperor praise the Empress Dowager to death."

Zhang Fangping's eyes showed surprise, and he remained speechless for a long time.

"What do you mean?"

Zhang Fangping was puzzled for a long time but still couldn't figure out the ins and outs!
"I hope that Your Majesty can take the initiative to move the expression of filial piety between mother and son from the private place of the inner palace to the public occasion of the court, and make the standards of etiquette for the Empress Dowager no different from those of Emperor Zhenzong."

"This would further fuel her desire for power, making the Empress Dowager yearn to openly and legitimately enjoy the treatment of the Emperor."

"This will surely provoke more anger among the court officials and attract more sycophants."

"It'll be quite a spectacle then."

Song Xuan chuckled:
"Once I go to Liao to see what's going on, things will get lively in our Song Dynasty as well, and I won't have time to care about what I'm doing in Liao."

"Good guy."

Zhang Fangping blurted it out.

He really didn't expect Song Xuan to have this idea.

It's true that no one can afford to be idle.

"It's like adding fuel to the fire."

"Mm." Song Xuan nodded.

"I wasn't in the Song Dynasty during this argument, otherwise some people would have kept passing the buck to me, which would have been unpleasant."

Zhang Fangping nodded, "That's true."

Previously, all matters concerning the Empress Dowager's in-laws were handled by the Twelfth Brother.

Now, if any problems arise in the court, everyone will surely urge the Twelfth Brother to step in and help them achieve their goals.

Since the Twelfth Brother isn't in the Song Dynasty, let's see how they handle things.

"In that case, I will certainly keep detailed records and communicate with you if needed."

Song Xuan thought for a moment, then went to the bookshelf next to him and took out a copy of Journey to the West:

"Our communications are often long and difficult to complete without someone intercepting them halfway through to observe the content."

"I'll teach you a password; we'll use it to communicate from now on."

"it is good."

Zhang Fangping didn't understand what the secret was in his 12th brother's copy of Journey to the West.
However, he could sense that there was a conspiracy in Journey to the West.

Then, as Zhang Fangping listened to Song Xuan's explanation, a strange look appeared in his eyes: "It can be done like that?"

"Of course, we can use another book, that's easy too. The important thing is that the codebook doesn't get known to anyone else. You can also find a few other books to mix in." "Hahaha." Zhang Fangping couldn't help but laugh out loud twice.
"Twelfth Brother, don't worry. You only need to bring your own copy. You've already memorized the whole book."

This time, Song Xuan was stunned for a moment, almost forgetting the function of Zhang Fangping's portable hard drive.

What a pity I don't have that photographic memory!
Otherwise, even if you write down a few numbers, and someone else opens them up, they won't know what they're saying.

"Okay, then I have no problem. Let's communicate like this from now on."

"it is good."

Zhang Fangping readily agreed, eager to be the first to know how his twelfth brother was causing trouble among the Khitans.

This way, he can enjoy the gossip about the Liao Kingdom without interrupting his brother's enjoyment of the Song Dynasty's court intrigues; it's a win-win situation.

"By the way, Twelfth Brother, have Han Qi and the others written to you recently?"

"I did write it."

After finishing his business, Song Xuan chuckled softly:
He said his wife was pregnant and asked me to prepare a small gift in advance when we met again.

"Hahaha."

Zhang Fangping nodded in agreement. After all, everyone had become an official and couldn't leave their jurisdiction at will, so they mostly wrote letters to congratulate him on his marriage.

"Twelfth Brother, you've been married for a year, why isn't your wife pregnant yet?"

"Actually, my wife is also pregnant, but according to the older generation, it's not good to tell anyone during the first three months."

Song Xuan pointed to Madam Gu, who was waiting in another room:

“It’s normal for me to take her back at this time, otherwise I would have been given the maid to use.”

This was quite normal in feudal dynasties.

It's purely a tool for venting.

If the male master is in a good mood, she can be turned into a concubine; if not, well, that's it.

Zhang Fangping blinked: "Is that so?"

Although the Yang family wasn't highly regarded, they still had personal maids.

“Of course.” Song Xuan nodded: “When your wife is pregnant, or when she is not feeling well, she will do so without you having to ask.”

Zhang Fangping was greatly surprised.

For a moment, I didn't know what to say.

He didn't object to having multiple wives and concubines, but he never expected it to be handled this way.

"No need for that, I didn't know that before either."

Song Xuan stood up, opened the window, and looked at the pedestrians on the street:
"Currently, the status of a promising Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) is highly valued. Even the prime minister's three daughters are all marrying the same man one after another to keep this son-in-law out of the family. You don't need to worry too much about it."

"I see."

Zhang Fangping quickly accepted the problem he was about to face.

After all, since the third-ranked scholar chose the Yang family, the Yang family would inevitably express their willingness for Zhang Fangping to have many children and good fortune.

This is the only way to ensure that the marriage between the two parties can last and remain stable.

Although forming factions is forbidden in the imperial court, it has been impossible to prevent such factions from occurring throughout history.

Is the top scholar Song at home?

Upon hearing the visitor's question, Wang Bao asked him to reveal his family background and the reason for his visit.

After receiving confirmation, Wang Bao came up to the second floor to report.

“Alright, let’s go and take a look at Master Wang’s place.”

Song Xuan put down the book in his hand:
"I'll go tell them that we'll have a meal here when we get back tonight. After you return from the ancestral worship ceremony, we'll head back to Tokyo together."

"it is good."

The two left Song Xuan's house and headed towards Wang Zhu's house.

Zhang Fangping then learned that Master Wang's wife had passed away and his son was also nearing the end of his life.

Because he sent the invitation, Wang Zhu had just returned home and was unable to attend to other matters, and he also sent some wedding gifts.

Zhang Fangping had planned to host a private banquet, but this unexpected incident occurred.

When they arrived, Wang Zhu's face was still very pale, and he was also very thin.

He was somewhat surprised to see Zhang Fangping arrive and blocked the doorway:

"Zhang Dalang, you should leave my house at once, lest you spoil your joy."

"Master Wang, how can I turn around and leave after hearing what you've said?"

Zhang Fangping didn't believe in these so-called clashing omens; otherwise, no one could survive.

If you do things exactly as described in the book, then there will be contradictions.

Song Xuan didn't waste any time, but asked about the child's condition and whether any worms had come out of his stomach.

"A lot of them did come out. As you instructed, we put them all in the jar. Although they drank the medicine today, no more insects came out."

Song Xuan nodded, covered his mouth and nose, and went over to observe the number of insects.

Wang Souchen's belly has shrunk, but after several days of vomiting and diarrhea, his complexion is sallow.

Wang Zhu asked anxiously, "Twelfth Brother, has he completely expelled all the worms from his stomach through diarrhea?"

"Master, do you want to hear the truth, or a comforting lie?"

Wang Zhu was taken aback, and finally sighed: "I hope Twelve Lang will tell the truth so that I can be prepared."

"I do not know either."

Song Xuan shrugged and sighed:

"I don't have the skills of Bian Que or Hua Tuo. I need to open your son's stomach to check if there are still worms inside, but these worms have eggs."

"The adults have been expelled, but the larvae may still exist."

Wang Zhu was teetering on the brink of collapse; he hadn't expected there to be any insect eggs.

Song Xuan then took out the prescription:
"The next seven days will be for me to properly nourish my body."

"Once the Master's son's health improves, these insect eggs may have grown up. Then he can continue to take medicine to kill the insects."

"In this way, the larvae can be expelled before they mature and mate inside the body, and the number of eggs left inside the body will decrease."

"The process will continue, and we need to observe the results before we can confirm whether it has been completely cured."

Looking at his son lying on the bed with a sallow complexion, suffering so much pain, Wang Zhu felt a pang of pity.

"Is there really no other way?"

"Fighting poison with poison is the only way to have a chance of survival."

Song Xuan patted the teacher on the shoulder:

“I understand your feelings, Master, but this is the nature of the illness, and I have no other options.”

"Ah."

Wang Zhu quickly composed himself.

At least his son is not in too much pain now, and he no longer wakes up in pain at night.

"For the tonics, just continue to get the prescriptions that Doctor Wang's apprentice wrote earlier."

Song Xuan added a reminder: "In short, it's for keeping someone alive."

Even a strong man can't hold on for long after three bouts of diarrhea, let alone a child.

Then he definitely needed to nourish himself properly. In fact, Song Xuan didn't know how many rounds he could withstand, but the insects were just that ruthless.

If you're not ruthless, the number of worms inside your body will increase, and all your previous efforts will be in vain.

The three chatted for a while longer before Song Xuan and Zhang Fangping said their goodbyes.

“Master Wang is too thin. You can drink a bowl of that nourishing medicine.”

Song Xuan waved his hand and turned to leave.

Wang Zhu's worry remained. He was now torn between giving up on his son to spare him suffering and making him endure this pain before starting the exam.

After all, Song Xuan said that the success rate wasn't high; it was simply a matter of fighting poison with poison, with no other way.

After watching Song Xuan and the other person leave, Wang Zhu made up his mind again.

No matter what, things have come to this, so just endure this torment. Even if I can't save you, I've truly done everything I can, and I have a clear conscience.

"Twelfth Brother, is Master Wang's son truly beyond saving?"

"I don't know." Song Xuan shook his head.

"I'm not a professional doctor. I only know a little about taking pulses, prescribing medicine, and dispensing medicine. How could I be an expert in everything?"

"Even among doctors, there are many different kinds: those who treat typhoid fever, those who treat children, and those who treat women."

“I always feel that when you say you don’t know, it means you’re somewhat confident. It’s just that when lives are at stake, you don’t like to make promises you can’t keep.”

Zhang Fangping understood his twelfth brother's intention in doing this.

Others, however, were unaware of this.

How can we prevent those insects?

The thought of those twisted worms made Zhang Fangping feel unclean.

"Of course, you should drink boiled water."

Song Xuan's gaze remained fixed on the future: "It's just that many ordinary people don't have that kind of means."

Zhang Fangping used to not understand why his twelfth brother insisted on drinking boiled water, but it turned out it was to prevent worms from growing in his stomach.

Without realizing it, Zhang Fangping also rarely drank unboiled water anymore, without even noticing it himself.

"After Twelfth Brother goes to Liao, in addition to preventing water and soil incompatibility, he should also drink boiled water frequently to avoid insects entering his body."

"Okay." Song Xuan thanked him, saying he would be careful.

"Especially the Khitans, who had a habit of eating raw meat and fish to show off their bravery, which I don't eat."

"Ah."

Zhang Fangping now thinks the Khitans are fools, that they're not afraid of the worm eggs entering their bodies and ending up with their bellies full of worms, dying from the pain.

When Wang Zhu's servant went to the pharmacy to get the medicine, Wang the Divine Physician's apprentice inquired about the situation carefully, after all, he was the actual head of Yingtian Academy.

He also hoped that his son would take the imperial examination and enter officialdom in the future, instead of continuing to study medicine like him.

After all, in the current environment of the Song Dynasty, passing the imperial examination is still a more promising path.

When he heard that Wang Fuzi's student, the top scholar Song, had actually given him a prescription and expelled all the worms from his body, he was horrified.

How could Song Zhuangyuan dare to perform such a risky treatment?

In this situation, it's better to avoid making a mistake than to take unnecessary risks!

Otherwise, the patient's family will blame you, the doctor, for the patient's death, instead of blaming the illness itself.

Do you really think there were no medical disputes in the Song Dynasty?
Song Zhuangyuan was truly foolish!

So he didn't even bother to grab his medicine box and ran straight to Wang Zhu's house to try and stop them.

He first looked at Wang Souchen's belly, and saw that it was flat.

However, his face was sallow, so he quickly went to check his pulse, but there was no sign of him dying immediately.

Wang Zhu thought that Song Xuan's method was wrong, so he quickly explained that when he said there was no hope, it was Song Xuan who begged his student to use this method of fighting poison with poison.

"Master Wang, is it true that the top scholar Song really knows medicine?"

"I do not know."

Wang Zhu shook his head repeatedly.

The apprentice of Doctor Wang knew that his master was on par with Song Xuan because he had given his master a fine treasure.

It is said that it can observe insects hidden in the water, so after seeing it, the master prefers to boil water to drink instead of drinking raw water.

In this day and age, it's perfectly normal to drink water from a river when you're thirsty.

Only in winter, when it's cold, will I get some hot water to drink.

Could it be that the worms in Wang Souchen's stomach were caused by drinking unboiled water?

"Master Wang, what else did the top scholar Song say?"

"He instructed me to drink the tonic you prescribed for another seven days. After seven days, he sent someone to deliver the medicine to continue expelling the worms, repeating the cycle until there were no more worms in my stomach."

The apprentice of Doctor Wang nodded, indicating that it seemed that Scholar Song had not given the prescription for expelling insects to Doctor Wang.

How is my son?

"A deficiency of both qi and blood does indeed require slow and gentle nourishment."

He stroked his beard and exclaimed, "Song Zhuangyuan is truly an extraordinary man. At this moment, the young master's illness has improved by more than half."

"what?"

Wang Zhu was greatly surprised.

Because Song Xuan looked particularly dejected, he didn't seem to have the air of having it all under his control.

Wang Zhu had seen that confident feeling countless times on Song Xuan's face at the academy.

The confidence of the strong.

However, in terms of medical skills, Wang Zhu only knew that Song Xuan would take the pulse of the ailing Zhang Zhuangyuan, tell him not to overwork, and also perform a set of health-preserving exercises such as the Five Animal Frolics.

Zhang Zhuangyuan is indeed in much better spirits, unlike before when he was sickly and often collapsed in the classroom.

However, one should not overwork oneself.

"Don't try to deceive me."

How could I dare?

Doctor Wang's apprentice shook his head, his face showing excitement:

“I don’t know what method Song Zhuangyuan used, but I can be sure that your son survived the first round, so he can obviously survive the second round as well.”

"what?"

Wang Zhu was clearly somewhat incredulous.

The surprise came too suddenly.

You were the one who said you couldn't be saved before, and now you're the one who says you can be saved!

Faced with such a dramatic turn of events, Wang Zhu would have truly wanted to hit someone if he hadn't possessed exceptional self-control.

It seems that Dr. Wang's apprentice is still somewhat lacking in skill compared to his master.

“Master Wang, what I mean is that Scholar Song’s method of fighting poison with poison has truly broadened my horizons.”

After he bowed to Wang Zhu:
“I wrote to my master to describe the illness. My master was also in the capital looking up prescriptions. I never expected that the top scholar of the Song Dynasty had such a folk remedy. It is truly a good thing.”

"Please follow Scholar Song's instructions and give your son some nourishing medicine. I will go and visit Scholar Song."

Wang Zhu watched as the divine doctor's apprentice ran away quickly, a smile on his face.

It took him a long time to come to his senses.

"Could it be that Twelve Lang's method of fighting poison with poison is truly effective!"

Wang Zhu's bitter expression vanished, replaced by a burst of laughter that brought tears to his eyes.

When the servant returned with the medicine packet, he gave Wang Zhu a long lecture.

Wang Zhu simply asked him to brew two doses of medicine, as he also needed to nourish his body.

This period of time has been too mentally taxing and has been a huge blow to him, causing him to wake up suddenly at night.

"Scholar Song, my name is Liang Yuanjie, and I am a disciple of Doctor Wang."

Liang Yuanjie politely bowed to Song Xuan and explained his purpose.

It concerns the illness of Master Wang's son. His wife had suddenly died from a serious illness, and he, as a doctor, was unable to treat her.

Furthermore, coroners are generally not required to examine corpses, so the body is buried directly after the funeral.

However, Wang Zhu's son was treated by doctors, but it was too dangerous; even with treatment, his body couldn't withstand it.

Song Xuan didn't seem to care and simply pushed the prescription over:
“Even if you don’t come, I will ask my classmate and good friend Wang Xiuyong to give you the prescription before I leave.”

"I don't think he'll stay in his hometown for more than seven days. As for the changes in the condition of Master Wang's son, we'll need the help of Master Wang's disciple."

Liang Yuanjie was overjoyed. Instead of immediately taking it to look at it, he said these flattering words.

“Scholar Song, I also have a question in my mind: did you ingest these worms from drinking water?”

"It wasn't just drinking water, but also eating raw fish and meat; that's how Chen Deng died."

"Oh, I remember Chen Deng from Romance of the Three Kingdoms."

Liang Yuanjie nodded repeatedly: "No wonder such a resourceful person didn't seem to target the Sun family of Jiangdong later!"

"Avoid eating raw fish and drinking boiled water to prevent intestinal worms."

"I can only say roughly." Song Xuan shook his head slightly.
"I only know these two methods. As for whether there are other ways for insects to get into the stomach, I don't know."

Liang Yuanjie expressed his understanding, saying that it was already quite an achievement to discover these two points.

This shows that Song Zhuangyuan had witnessed people die in this way before, so this was not the first time he had treated Wang Fuzi's son.

With this, Liang Yuanjie felt much more at ease. She then picked up the prescription and examined it carefully, and indeed found that some medicinal herbs she didn't know about had been added.

"With such medical skills, the top scholar Song is sure to become famous throughout the world!"

"It was just a lucky discovery." Song Xuan poured him a cup of hot tea.
"The people of Yingtian Prefecture are all my hometown folks. I hope they won't be tormented by these insects. If Master Wang's son can really recover, then Doctor Liang will need to spread the word to the people."

"sure."

"Thank you, Scholar Song."

Liang Yuanjie hurriedly stood up and bowed to Song Xuan.

I am so grateful that they gave me such a great opportunity to become famous.

There are few people like Song Zhuangyuan who always cared deeply for their hometown and its people.

"It's alright, it's alright. I'm afraid I wouldn't be very convincing if I were to step in."

Song Xuan smiled and said, "If your master asks about this, just tell him. As for the others, there's no need to mention my name."

"Scholar Song, how can this be allowed?"

Liang Yuanjie is young and easily burdened by material possessions.

He also longed to become famous like his master, but he was also a little shy.

"Go ahead and do your best."

Song Xuan took a sip of tea and chuckled, "Who in the world would believe that a young top scholar like myself would understand the art of medicine?"

(End of this chapter)