Chapter 444: Zhu Youjian's Plan

Zijuan, who had always presented herself as gentle and graceful, kowtowed once more before straightening up. There was no sorrowful look on her face—instead, it bore the ease and calm of one who had finally spoken her heart. The determination and stubbornness in her eyes made her true feelings unmistakable.

Empress Zhou had thought Zijuan would weigh everything carefully before making her choice, never expecting her to refuse the arrangement so decisively and directly.

Especially that final outpouring of genuine emotion—it brought tears streaming down Empress Zhou's face.

She rose from her brocade couch, hurried over to Zijuan, and pulled her up with both hands: "Silly girl, you're making me cry for nothing, aren't you?! This time we're not leaving—you'll stay right here in the palace and keep your elder sister company!"

Although Empress Zhou had always treated Zijuan as family, this was the first time she had set aside her dignity and called herself "elder sister" before Zijuan. This left Zijuan both fearful and deeply moved—she, who was always so composed, had tears streaming down her face in an instant.

Watching this scene, Zhu Youjian felt a surge of warmth in his heart, and Wang Cheng'en beside him was equally moved with sighs of emotion.

He understood Zijuan's feelings—was he not the same toward His Majesty?

Zijuan's conduct also reminded him that he should find an appropriate moment to beg a favor from His Majesty—that after he passed away, he too might be buried beside the imperial mausoleum, so that in the underworld he could continue to serve His Majesty.

"Alright, alright. Since you're unwilling to leave the palace, let's set this matter aside for now. I haven't finished speaking yet, hehe!"

Zijuan hastily wiped her tears with her sleeve, helped Empress Zhou to sit on the brocade couch, then returned to her original position and performed a crouching salute to Zhu Youjian: "Please forgive me, Your Majesty. I was rude today—I nearly forgot my place!"

"Zijuan, I know that many of the elderly palace women have served several emperors. Because of the isolation imposed by the palace, many have been away from home for years, and with the constant disasters and misfortunes over the years, much has changed in between—they have lost contact with their families, and some families may have even met with tragedy. Even if they are released from the palace this time, they would most likely have nowhere to go.

These elderly women without support will be placed in the Relief Institute for Women and Children. In this way, besides the release allowance, their final affairs will also be guaranteed by palace funds, and someone will see to their funerals, sparing them the worry of being alone and helpless in their old age."

Zhu Youjian waved his hand to stop Zijuan's apology, then went on to lay out his next plan.

In truth, without even sending anyone to verify, Zhu Youjian knew very well that there were many palace women in the palace now who had served four generations of emperors.

During the Wanli reign, Emperor Shenzong had on several occasions conducted broad selections of maidens for the palace. According to the rules established by the founding emperor, maidens entered the palace between the ages of thirteen and fifteen.

Suppose a maiden was selected to enter the palace at thirteen in the thirtieth year of Wanli, then lived through the Taichang and Tianqi reigns down to the present eleventh year of Chongzhen—that would be thirty-seven years in total, making her just about fifty years of age. Unless she had been engaged in heavy manual labor in the palace and suffered from hunger and malnutrition, her chances of survival would be fairly good.

If she had entered during the late Wanli period, or during the Taichang or Tianqi reigns, she would be even younger—those in their thirties and forties should be by no means few in number.

Of course, this "young" is relative to later generations. For ancient times, when the average lifespan was around forty, this age would already count as elderly.

"I shall bear that in mind. Is there anything else Your Majesty wishes to instruct me on?"

Zijuan performed a salute and asked.

"There are two more matters, also concerning the vital interests of the palace women, which you must arrange and oversee in the future.

First is the matter of palace women seeking medical treatment when ill. This time I shall issue an edict abolishing the outdated rule that physicians may not enter the palace when palace women are sick, and I shall establish a medical facility within the palace, with female physicians stationed there permanently, so that ailing palace women may receive timely treatment."

Zhu Youjian could well understand this rule that had existed in the imperial palaces of every dynasty.

Since ancient times, the vast majority of physicians had been male, and under such circumstances, women's health rights were very difficult to guarantee fully.

In the past, when strict separation of the sexes was observed, the number of palace women was considerable—and given the extreme shortage of female physicians, one could hardly have a group of male Bureau Directors running in and out of the palace every day, could one?

Since the only adult male in the palace was the emperor himself, the vast majority of palace women would never see the emperor even once in their entire lives, let alone be favored by him.

If at such a time they had the opportunity to come into contact with other men besides the emperor, driven by a desperate hunger, it would be hard to guarantee that scandals of licentiousness and defilement of the palace would not occur.

But ever since Zhu Youjian vigorously supported and encouraged women with the means to practice medicine, the palace's need for such precautions against the outside world had lost its meaning.

"Second, you shall work together with the other female officials of the various palaces to screen those who are to be released this time, selecting from among them those who are intelligent, well-versed in reading, and willing to study medicine. I shall order the Health Bureau to establish a Women's Medical Academy in suitable locations based on actual circumstances, and to arrange for highly skilled female physicians to take turns lecturing on medical arts, so that these women may acquire a skill to support themselves.

Once their skills are complete, whether they marry or pursue their own livelihoods, they will earn the respect of their families and the world, and they will be able to contribute to the people of the Great Ming—not fritter away their lives in mediocrity and ultimately turn to dust!"

In Zhu Youjian's plan, the Women's Medical Academy was a very important link, and an effective supplement to the Health Bureau's physician training programs.

Fang Li, who frequently entered the palace to treat the noble ladies, was now the chief female physician of Jing'an Hall. With her superb medical skills and excellent attitude, she had won widespread praise in the circles of upper-class ladies and young misses in the capital. Fang Li's family had also changed from initially being unwilling to let her show her face in public to practice medicine, to now encouraging and supporting her.

Generous income and a good reputation were the most direct factors driving the change in their attitude.

Those upper-class noblewomen, having received timely treatment for their ailments and recovered their health, would always reward her with no small amount of silver and gifts.

According to the regulations of the Health Bureau, these gratuities were to be turned over to the bureau office and kept as a charitable fund, used to purchase medicinal herbs and related supplies to aid female patients who could not afford treatment.

But at the same time, to motivate the female physicians, thirty percent of the gratuities would be returned to the physician who made the visit—this too had been approved by Zhu Youjian.

Following Fang Li's lead, several young female physicians with family-inherited medical skills—Hu Wenlan, Fang Qingxiu, Zhao Wenshu, and others—had successively joined Jing'an Hall, becoming female medical officials formally paid by the court.

As Jing'an Hall's reputation continued to grow, more and more women in the capital benefited, yet because of the shortage of female physicians and support staff, it was still impossible to help more of the poor.

Recruiting as many literate women as possible to study medicine was the only way to solve this problem.

And literate palace women would be an important source of female medical students.

Zhu Youjian did not harbor the extravagant hope that every woman who studied medicine would become a famous physician, but once they learned basic medical skills, pharmacology, and other fundamental medical knowledge, they would greatly lighten the burden on Fang Li and the other few female medical officers.

When the female physicians made their rounds or saw patients, these women would study and observe at their side, and handle whatever tasks they could manage. As time passed and they accumulated more experience, the female students' medical skills would naturally grow, which would provide excellent conditions for the expansion of Jing'an Hall.