Tang Dynasty: Saving Lives and Helping Others, Li Lizhi Falls for Him

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

The experimental field in the imperial estate became a place that officials of the Ministry of Agriculture visited every day.

The corn seedlings grew uniformly to a foot tall, with broad, thick leaves that rustled in the wind.

Sweet potato vines covered the ground, a vibrant green expanse, with roots sprouting from every node and taking hold in the soil.

The potato stalks are thick and sturdy, the leaves are dark green, and you can vaguely see that the roots have begun to swell.

Shen Chang'an visited the imperial estate five times in the past two weeks. The first three times he taught the old farmers how to water, fertilize, and weed, while the last two times he went to check on the growth and pointed out some details.

He also sneaked into the royal estate twice under the cover of night and secretly used the [Spirit Rain Technique].

After the two magical rains, the crops in that plot grew significantly better than the surrounding plots, with greener leaves and thicker stems.

Zheng Yuanshou, the Vice Minister of Agriculture, was greatly surprised by this, assuming that Shen Chang'an's planting method was ingenious, and praised it repeatedly, completely unaware that spiritual energy was secretly nourishing it.

Aside from matters concerning the imperial estate, Shen Chang'an didn't miss a single day of his free medical consultations.

They set up their stall at dawn and closed at noon every day, without fail.

In half a month, more than 200 people were cured, and the merit points were gradually credited to the account, accumulating little by little.

Li Shimin and his family also visited several times.

Li Chengqian came for a follow-up visit every five or six days. His health had improved significantly; his complexion was rosy, he was in high spirits, and even his voice was strong.

Li Shimin came once, and his headache symptoms had basically disappeared, and his energy had recovered considerably. However, Shen Chang'an instructed him to continue taking the medicine and not to slack off.

Li Lizhi had come with Empress Zhangsun once, and Shen Chang'an had given her acupuncture and adjusted the prescription. Her complexion was better than before; although it was still pale, it was no longer as bloodless as before.

Because of her pregnancy, Empress Zhangsun could not go out frequently, but every time she came for a follow-up visit, Shen Chang'an could feel that her complexion was improving day by day.

A few days ago, the Imperial Hospital finally diagnosed that Empress Zhangsun was pregnant.

This incident surprised and delighted Li Shimin—surprised that Shen Chang'an had made the diagnosis more than half a month earlier than the Imperial Medical Academy, and he still felt that the Imperial Medical Academy was utterly useless; delighted that the baby in the Empress's womb was healthy.

In response, Li Shimin immediately sent one hundred taels of gold to Jishiju as a reward.

This time, Shen Chang'an did not refuse and accepted it.

He knew that the reward was not because of the food or the medicine, but because of the child in Empress Zhangsun's womb.

If he doesn't accept it, Li Shimin will think he has ulterior motives.

"One hundred taels of gold is enough to buy a lot of medicinal herbs."

Shen Chang'an carefully put away the gold, thinking to himself, "I can subsidize the cost of medicines from the free clinic in the future."

.........

After the potato, corn, and sweet potato business came to an end, Shen Chang'an fully resumed his usual routine, which was to hold free clinics in the morning and conduct consultations in the afternoon.

But to his surprise, on the very first afternoon of returning to normal life, an unexpected patient arrived.

Just past noon, Shen Chang'an was organizing medicinal herbs in the pharmacy when the sound of a carriage came from outside the courtyard gate.

He scanned the area with his divine sense and immediately knew who it was.

The person in the lead was Li Chengqian, and behind him were two strangers.

A young boy, about fifteen or sixteen years old, was wearing a light blue round-necked robe. He had delicate features, but his brows carried a maturity beyond his years.

The other one... lay in the carriage, breathing weakly, seemingly quite ill.

Shen Chang'an put down the medicinal herbs in his hand and walked to the courtyard gate.

Li Chengqian had already alighted from the carriage and was standing at the door waiting.

Upon seeing Shen Chang'an emerge, he quickly cupped his hands and said, "Mr. Shen, I apologize for disturbing you."

"Your Highness is too kind."

Shen Chang'an returned the greeting, his gaze falling on the young man behind him.

The young man stepped forward, bowed respectfully with hands clasped, and said with great courtesy: "My name is Qin Huaidao, and my father is Qin Qiong. We have long admired the name of Dr. Shen, the divine physician, and have come here specifically to seek his treatment."

Qin Huaidao.

Shen Chang'an's heart stirred, and his understanding of Qin Qiong came to mind.

Qin Qiong was granted the title of Duke of Yi and General of the Left Guard by Li Shimin, and later became one of the twenty-four meritorious officials of Lingyan Pavilion.

He was a famous general at the end of the Sui Dynasty and the beginning of the Tang Dynasty. He was brave and skilled in battle and followed Li Shimin in his campaigns, making great achievements.

However, due to years of fighting, he had countless old wounds on his body, and in his later years, his health deteriorated, and he was said to have been bedridden for many years.

Qin Qiong was a top-tier martial artist in Tang Dynasty history, and his strength in official history was even greater than that in the novel.

He was also very interested in Qin Qiong.

"So it's General Qin."

Thinking of this, Shen Chang'an returned the greeting with a cupped hand, his gaze becoming more solemn. "General Qin has suffered from numerous injuries and illnesses for the sake of the country and its people. I will certainly do my utmost to treat General Qin."

A glint of light flashed in Qin Huaidao's eyes, and he quickly said, "Thank you, Mr. Shen! My father is already in the carriage, may I...?"

"Please come in."

Shen Chang'an stepped aside, "Carry General Qin to the main room, and I will take his pulse first."

Li Chengqian waved his hand, and several guards carefully lifted the carriage curtain and carried the person out of the carriage.

Qin Qiong was about fifty years old, with a robust build, but was extremely thin, with high cheekbones, sunken cheeks, a sallow complexion, and deep-set eyes.

His eyes were closed, his breathing was weak, and he coughed occasionally, his voice hoarse, as if squeezed from deep within his chest.

Shen Chang'an frowned slightly and led the group to carry Qin Qiong into the main room and place him on the prepared soft couch.

"Young Master Qin, please tell me in detail about your father's condition."

Qin Huaidao took a deep breath and recounted his father's illness in detail.

"My father fought in battles in his early years and suffered more than a dozen knife and arrow wounds. He didn't receive proper treatment at the time, which left him with chronic illnesses."

"I have been experiencing frequent fevers, coughs, chest and rib pain, and general weakness over the years."

"The imperial physician said it was due to old injuries and overwork, resulting in a deficiency of both qi and blood. He prescribed a lot of tonics, but they were ineffective."

"Since the beginning of spring this year, my condition has worsened, and I can no longer get out of bed."

Shen Chang'an nodded, sat down on the soft couch, and placed three fingers on Qin Qiong's wrist.

[Spirit Eye Technique] Silently activated.

The spiritual energy probed in and slowly traveled along Qin Qiong's meridians.

Shen Chang'an closed his eyes, his face calm, but he was secretly alarmed.

Qin Qiong's health was worse than he had imagined.

The meridians are blocked in many places, hindering the flow of qi and blood. Cardiopulmonary function is severely impaired, and the liver is also damaged.

Even more seriously, he suffered excessive blood loss from an injury in his early years and did not take proper care of himself, which severely damaged his vital energy and fundamentally harmed him.

To put it simply, Qin Qiong's body was like an oil lamp that was about to burn out, with very little oil left and the flame flickering in the wind.

Shen Chang'an examined her for the time it takes to brew a cup of tea before withdrawing his hand.

"Mr. Shen, my father's illness..." Qin Huaidao asked anxiously.

"It's serious, but it's treatable," Shen Chang'an replied crisply.

Qin Huaidao and Li Chengqian both breathed a sigh of relief.