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

Chapter 214 Xishan Textile Workshop! Are good people destined to suffer?

Why are you so agitated?

Li Shizhen walked up to Zhang Yunxiu and pointed at his nose.

"But I must ask you, why do you disregard the people of Jiangnan? The floods in Jiangnan are severe. In Suzhou, Songjiang, Yangzhou and other prefectures, the dikes and embankments have all collapsed, turning the area into a vast expanse of water."

Needless to say, the Jiangnan region, as well as the areas of Zhengding, Shunde, and Guangping in Beizhili, suffered greatly from the famine, with countless people enduring hunger.

The people are suffering terribly and displaced, while you spend your days indulging in debauchery in the Western Hills?
Yet they have the audacity to ask this old man why he is so agitated.

Yu Xiangdou looked embarrassed and quickly comforted him, saying, "Doctor Li may not know that the court has already made arrangements for this disaster, so how can you blame Zhang Tongzhi? Doctor Li may have heard some rumors and misunderstood something."

In recent days, the Gyeonggi Ilbo has gradually gained popularity. Although it cannot match the influence of the Wanli Shinbo, it spreads rumors all day long, which is quite annoying.

“No!” Li Shizhen exclaimed, his eyes wide.

"I have not heard any rumors, but I would like to ask you, my lord, that 'a large boat carries a heavy load, and a swift horse can travel far.' With your extraordinary abilities, how can you be worthy of your power to save the world by engaging in profiteering business?"

In Li Shizhen's eyes, Zhang Yunxiu's talent was beyond question. Whether it was the invention of allicin or the promotion of various medical methods, they were all unprecedented feats.

In his eyes, Zhang Yunxiu's talent might even rival that of a sage like Wang Yangming in the future.

But this is the kind of person who refuses to conform to the expectations of most people and insists on being "unconventional" and doing absurd things.

Zhang Yunxiu narrowed his eyes and asked in return, "Does Mr. Dongbi think I'm being ridiculous?"

"Extravagance is a disgrace to the country and its people! If you were to focus on helping the people of Jiangnan, how many lives would be saved? Wouldn't that be better than getting tainted by money?" Li Shizhen retorted immediately, clearly still angry.

Zhang Yunxiu laughed in anger: "Then let me ask you, Mr. Dongbi, is it enough to just shout a few slogans to help the people? Or does Mr. Dongbi not need money to help the people?"

"The imperial court has its own funds," Li Shizhen wanted to argue, but he realized that he was still too narrow-minded; disaster relief funds were the most important thing.

He frowned, still harboring doubts.

"Otherwise, even if the auctions in the capital can earn silver, it is silver from the Western Hills, which is the imperial treasury. How can we guarantee that it will be used for the benefit of the people?"

Furthermore, with the prices of all kinds of treasures soaring, people throughout the capital lost their pragmatic spirit and spent their days thinking about making money through the Western Hills Auction.

"Ai--"

Zhang Yunxiu sighed and said to Yu Xiangdou, who was standing to the side.

"You may leave now. I will certainly take care of what I have instructed you to do."

"Yes."

Yu Xiangdou nodded, glanced at Li Shizhen, and left the study, closing the door behind him.

Zhang Yunxiu paced back and sat down on the large table, then suddenly changed the subject.

"Speaking of which, Renmin Medical Clinic sent people to Jiangnan to provide medical assistance to the people last time. How did it go?"

When this was mentioned, Li Shizhen's tone softened a bit, but his expression became even more serious.

"Since May, the prefectures and cities of Jiangnan have been hit by torrential rains. The rains have continued for three months, turning the area within a thousand miles into a sea. Houses have been submerged and dikes have been breached."

According to Yang Jizhou, who traveled to Jiangnan, countless people drowned in the flood, and corpses littered the ground!

"The imperial court has submitted a report," Zhang Yunxiu said succinctly. "Ten thousand hectares of farmland were flooded, and twenty thousand people drowned."

“So it is.” Li Shizhen gritted his teeth, his face filled with grief. It was only after reading the letter sent by Yang Jishi from Southern Zhili that he felt even more indignant, and finally rushed all the way to Xishan.

After thinking it over, he realized that he had been somewhat out of line today, so he cupped his hands in greeting to Zhang Yunxiu.

"Please forgive me, Your Excellency, I was truly unable to contain myself."

For a doctor, the most unbearable thing is to see such a human tragedy. He felt a deep sense of disrespect as he looked at the letter.

But thinking it over, natural disasters and man-made calamities are not solely Zhang Yunxiu's fault. Could the other party really be a celestial being descended to earth to save the world?

However, Li Shizhen's eyes were a little red.

“Mr. Dongbi, there is no need to worry.” Zhang Yunxiu shook his head and said. “Yang Jizhou went to the disaster relief on behalf of the medical clinic and what he saw was naturally much more tragic. However, according to the report from my Embroidered Uniform Guard, this natural disaster has come to an end. With Hai Gangfeng and Yin Zhengmao in charge, the water conservancy repairs and disaster relief matters should not be too bad.”

He squinted as he spoke.

"I am more worried about man-made disasters than natural disasters."

"Man-made disaster?" Li Shizhen asked, somewhat puzzled.

Zhang Yunxiu said meaningfully, "Mr. Dongbi has had dealings with the gentry of Jiangnan. Doesn't he know their methods?"

"This"

Li Shizhen looked somewhat embarrassed. In his early years, he traveled all over the world practicing medicine and had to make friends with some powerful and influential people. Otherwise, where would he have gotten the travel expenses and medicine money?
So I said it subconsciously.

"It's probably just human nature during a year of famine; it's simply about seeking advantage and avoiding harm."

"But the gentry of Jiangnan hoard goods and profit from people's misfortunes, yet they have never shown even a hint of concern for the suffering of the people?"

Zhang Yunxiu finally snapped.

"Why did you seek out me, Zhang Yunxiu, to confront me and demand an explanation, yet you also defend the gentry of Jiangnan?"
Just because Zhang Yunxiu is a good person, just because Zhang Yunxiu once helped people, does a good person have to suffer more losses?!

"This..." Li Shizhen was speechless, and sighed, bowing his head. "I am ashamed."

Zhang Yunxiu shook his head and said, "Mr. Dongbi, there is no need to worry about these things. I, Zhang Yunxiu, am a man of conscience and will definitely give the people a way to survive. This can be seen from the plague and Xishan."

“Shiyuan’s desire to save the world is known to all.” Li Shizhen nodded truthfully. Zhang Yunxiu said, “In that case, instead of coming to me, Mr. Dongbi, you should continue your medical research. There must be many patients in Jiangnan this time. If you organize the data, you can verify many of your past research theories.”

Li Shizhen agreed, saying, "That's exactly what I was thinking. I came here to say goodbye to Zhang Tongzhi and travel to various places in Jiangnan to assist Yang Jizhou."

Li Shizhen was a man who couldn't sit still. He might not have minded being kept at the clinic to do research, but that was still not as good as going out to practice medicine.

"Is Mr. Dongbi going to Jiangnan?"

Zhang Yunxiu was somewhat surprised, so he joked.

"Could it be that you're going to seek out old friends or acquaintances in Jiangnan?"

Upon hearing this, Li Shizhen immediately broke out in a cold sweat. It was quite obvious that Zhang Yunxiu's words had a hidden meaning.

Nowadays, it's clear to everyone that both the imperial court and Xishan are vying for power with the Jiangnan gentry.

During this extraordinary period, his position as the dean of the Ming Dynasty Medical College became somewhat awkward.

After thinking for a moment, Li Shizhen said with great determination.

"I have traveled the world for many years and made countless acquaintances, but there is one thing I have never forgotten: to do things that benefit the people of the world, rather than to aid and abet evil!"

He didn't answer the question directly, but his words came from the bottom of his heart.

"The heart of Mr. Dongbi is witnessed by the world."

Zhang Yunxiu did not criticize him harshly on this matter. After all, to be a good "leader," one must know the art of playing dumb, and not everyone can be perfect.

If you want to succeed, you need to make a lot of friends.

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Yunxiu grinned and said, "That was just a joke."

He did indeed downplay it, but Li Shizhen broke out in a cold sweat. He was genuinely afraid that the other party might kick him out of the research of modern medicine at the slightest disagreement.

Now, Li Shizhen understood all too well that the so-called development of modern medicine was less due to the efforts of the Ming Dynasty Medical College and more due to the guidance of Zhang Yunxiu alone.

But then Zhang Yunxiu said meaningfully, "However, Mr. Dongbi still cannot go to Jiangnan."

"Why?" Li Shizhen frowned deeply. "Does Shiyuan still not trust me?"

"No."

Zhang Yunxiu shook his head; he had only wanted to test the waters a little.

In fact, judging from his historical life trajectory, Li Shizhen was definitely a virtuous gentleman and a physician who was purely dedicated to the study of medicine.

"However, there is one thing I need to ask Mr. Dongbi."

Zhang Yunxiu's eyes suddenly turned strange.

"Shiyuan, what ancient books and wonderful methods have you found this time?" Li Shizhen raised his eyebrows, a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

“No.” Zhang Yunxiu shook his head again. “I’ve heard that the clinic has recently recruited quite a few female doctors, so it must have grown to a considerable size by now.”

"A female doctor?" Li Shizhen was even more puzzled, but he still explained, "Since the refugees entered the city, a group of women and children have lost their livelihoods. Following Shiyuan's method, the clinic has indeed selected clever and quick-witted people to assist the clinic in treating patients."

At first, Li Shizhen found it a bit strange when Zhang Yunxiu mentioned the female doctor.

It was only later that I realized the importance of female doctors. After all, due to the constraints of feudal ethics, most women who contracted diseases could not abandon the separation between men and women, especially pregnant women.

Human life is at stake, and the female doctor certainly made things much easier for the clinic.

"In addition, some female nurses are much more meticulous than the men, making it much more efficient to take care of the patients."

But when Li Shizhen finished praising him, he looked up and found Zhang Yunzheng staring intently at him, which made Li Shizhen feel a little uneasy. He said in a very unsure tone.

"What does Magistrate Zhang mean by this?"

Zhang Yunxiu squinted and said, "In that case, Mr. Dongbi must have quite a bit of experience in managing women, right?"

In an instant, Li Shizhen's face turned red, and he stammered in defense.

"What are you saying, Magistrate Zhang? How could I possibly be capable of that?"

But Zhang Yunxiu spoke with an air of unquestionable certainty.

"Then it will be up to Mr. Dongbi to take charge."

"What exactly is Shi Yuan's intention?"

Zhang Yunxiu smiled and said, "It's nothing serious. The previous efforts to take in refugees were very effective, but not all female refugees were able to enter the clinic."

Female doctors and nurses still need to be literate, but what about women who can't read?

Thinking of this, Li Shizhen sighed and said, "This is the crux of the problem. Life in the capital is not easy. After the workshops were established in Xishan, women with men in their families could still rely on their husbands to help them in Xishan."

But if one is alone, some are destined to fall into despair.

Li Shizhen was unwilling to go on to say more. In that era, it was extremely difficult for both men and women to find a decent way to make a living. In the end, men had to risk their lives and women had to sell their bodies.

"I am here precisely to resolve this predicament."

Zhang Yunxiu nodded and said, "A new textile workshop will be established in Xishan. Women cannot work in the mines, but they can weave textiles in the workshop."

That should be enough to support quite a few people.

(End of this chapter)