Chapter 947

Seeing Miao Zhen looked at the brooding Pan Yun and asked, "Little Master, are you thinking of using Pu Min?"

Pan Yun: "Pu Si has defected to the new emperor; if I'm not mistaken, Cao Jixiang is the man sent to watch him—but the Maritime Trade Office is busy, and Pu Si is clever and cunning. Clearly, Cao Jixiang hasn't kept tabs on him."

"Maritime trade has just begun, and the Pu family's power is too great. With Pu Si's sharpness and the imperial family's backing, in just a few years, Quanzhou's maritime trade will be dominated by him." Pan Yun said gravely, "I want maritime trade to flourish, but in any industry, monopolies are the greatest taboo—especially given the Pu clan's past record."

"If Pu Min returns and teams up with Pu Si, won't that only strengthen the Pu family?"

"Though Pu Min and Pu Si are of the same clan, their blood ties are distant. Pu Si won't fully trust Pu Min. Pu Min… do you think he knows about the strange condition of his family's illness? Tomorrow, check on his mother and sister's health. Seeing Miao Zhen, you go and look up their past pulse records and prescribed remedies."

Seeing Miao Zhen and Seeing Miao He agreed.

With their cultivation levels higher, investigating these matters wasn't difficult—especially for Seeing Miao Zhen.

She changed her clothes and secretly visited the Pu family residence, secretly observing the Pu mother and daughter for half a day and already understanding the situation.

"It's the Pu mother's condition that has worsened. Pu Min's sister, Pu Yue, has been attending to her day and night, so she hasn't gone out recently." Seeing Miao Zhen said, "There are four servants caring for them—a husband and wife with their two children—who behave with great respect; no signs of abuse."

Pan Yun asked, "Given Pu Min's original household, didn't they have servants or hired help?"

"Yes. I asked their former neighbors. The mother and daughter who used to work for them quit and returned home two months after they moved into the Pu family's old estate."

Pan Yun's lips curled slightly: "Let's wait a little longer for Seeing Miao He's report."

Folk physicians rarely record pulse cases, but they do preserve prescription formulas.

Seeing Miao He went directly to the physician who once treated Pu Min's family, revealed her abilities, and began practicing at his pharmacy.

In this era, physicians were rare; female physicians were even rarer.

If a pharmacy had a female physician practicing, it could attract many female patients.

Soon, the Renxin Pharmacy in Quanzhou was flooded with patients—all women, from seventy-year-olds down to five- or six-year-old girls.

Tao Yan Bai watched with burning envy and wanted to practice too—but the physician refused to hire him.

"She's a female physician. Women prefer to see her. Are you?"

Tao Yan Bai hurriedly said, "I've also studied gynecology…"

"Do you think I lack such knowledge? But most women—especially young women—refuse to see male physicians. If she hadn't promised to bring in many female patients, I wouldn't have paid to hire someone to sit in."

The Renxin Pharmacy cruelly rejected Tao Yan Bai, so he could only carry his banner again, wandering the streets as a traveling physician. When tired and with no patients, he'd sit across from the Renxin Pharmacy, staring longingly at the long queue before Seeing Miao He.

Pan Yun had sat beside him at some point, propping her chin and watching with him.

Tao Yan Bai said, "Little Master, this place is quite different from others."

"How so?"

"It's more open here. Elsewhere, women practicing medicine face much discrimination, but Seeing Miao He is warmly welcomed here."

Pan Yun tugged at her lips. Too bad this attitude wouldn't endure here—and in two hundred years, women here would be crushed to the extreme. For centuries after, the bias toward men would sink into bones and be etched into culture, nearly impossible to eradicate.

Two hundred years from now would be the height of the Shengqing era.

Pan Yun's eyes were as dark as ink: "The people of Quanzhou are skilled merchants. Merchants value profit. If a woman has ability, she can gain status here. Seeing Miao He brings more business to the pharmacy, so she's hired. As long as her medical skill is good, she earns respect."

"The fishing women by the coast are also very capable. They gather shellfish, dive into the sea, spin thread—contributing and earning no less than men. So they hold half the household authority," Pan Yun said. "I've heard the coastal fishing women even kill sea pirates to protect their families and property, and for this, they wear three hairpins—called 'hairpin-knives.'"

"So, women aren't inferior to men. As long as the world gives them opportunity, they can earn the same wealth and hold the same status."

Tao Yan Bai stared intently at Seeing Miao He inside the pharmacy, nodding fiercely: "I think Seeing Miao He will be stronger than me."

Pan Yun smiled and patted his shoulder. "I've noticed your cultivation has stalled lately. Are you having trouble in your practice?"

Tao Yan Bai shook his head: "I've just hit a barrier. My dantian has enough primordial energy, but I don't feel the urge to break through. I think it's a lack of insight. Seeing Miao He feels the same, so lately we've only done daily cultivation and spent the rest of our time treating patients and studying medicine."

After all, we are Dao physicians, cultivating medical arts—and…

Tao Yan Bai smiled sheepishly: "Little Master, you and Seeing Miao Zhen aren't like us. You achieve sudden enlightenment through fighting and engaging the world. Seeing Miao Zhen gains insight by observing people and stars. Neither Seeing Miao He nor I have your talent. We can only keep treating patients, accumulating experience—and if that still doesn't work, we'll have to refine pills and take them to force a breakthrough."

Pan Yun: "You'll break through to the Fifth Stage soon, won't you?"

Tao Yan Bai nodded.

Pan Yun lowered her gaze: "Earlier, sending you to Japan delayed you."

"No, no, no—it didn't delay us," Tao Yan Bai hurriedly said. "The three of us reached the peak of the Fourth Stage in just half a year. Seeing Miao Zhen even broke through to the Fifth Stage—precisely because of all we experienced in Japan."

Tao Yan Bai told Pan Yun that after arriving in Japan, they didn't stay in Daisen Village managing the port and silver mines.

Almost as soon as Wang Cong set sail for trade, the three of them packed their bags and set out to wander the Japanese world.

Seeing Miao He and Tao Yan Bai treated patients along the way; Seeing Miao Zhen read faces and observed Japanese society, and at night they all studied the stars together.

"Seeing Miao Zhen even drew a map of Japan. But we didn't travel far, so the map's incomplete—we didn't show it." Tao Yan Bai said, "We also went to Heian-kyo. If the shogun's mansion hadn't been so chaotic in aura, we'd have gone inside to explore."

Pan Yun: "…"

"Seeing Miao Zhen cast a divination and said entering would bring great danger, so we didn't dare go in. Little Master, do you think we're too cowardly?"

"Being cautious is better," Pan Yun said. "We cultivate the Dao for immortality, not to seek death."

Tao Yan Bai scratched his head, grinning.

Seeing Miao He served as a resident physician at the Renxin Pharmacy for five days when Wang Cong's fleet returned.

Twenty-odd large ships arrived, and the entire city of Quanzhou erupted in excitement. Everyone rushed to the harbor to watch.

Workers eagerly waited to be chosen to unload cargo, while merchants already in town waved silver notes or dragged crates of silver and copper coins, ready to select goods the moment the ships docked.

The Maritime Trade Office also prepared its accountants and warehouses.

Official silver had to go into the treasury; goods entering customs had to pay tariffs—two separate funds, kept apart.

Moreover, among this fleet were two ships belonging to the Pu family.

The Pu family pledged loyalty to the imperial court, and part of their profits went to the Imperial Household Department.

Cao Jixiang, under secret imperial orders, managed these accounts.

With such excitement, even the Shopkeeper and physicians of the Renxin Pharmacy rushed to the seaside, having heard that one ship carried rare medicinal herbs.

"An entire ship full—nothing but scarce herbs imported from abroad."

"Rare indeed. In the past, returning ships carried all kinds of goods, but herbs were the least common."

"Do you know who brought them back?"

"Who is it?"

"It's the senior disciple of the State Preceptor, Wang Cong of Mount Sanqing—they're descended from Daoist physicians."

"So that's it. Clearly, you need your own people for sea trade—those outside merchants have no idea which herbs are good or bad."

"Exactly, exactly. Only those who understand medicine and medical principles can bring back proper herbs from sea voyages."

Everyone rushed off to watch the commotion, leaving the herbal shop empty; Miao He voluntarily stayed behind to guard the store, and the others gladly left.

Miao He had already become thoroughly familiar with the shop; while no one was around, she found the previous prescriptions for Pu Min's mother and younger sister.

She didn't put them away, but deliberately placed them in plain sight. When the Shopkeeper returned, she feigned casualness and asked: "Shopkeeper, while I was wiping the cabinets today, I found an old prescription. One of the formulas looked similar to the illness I saw yesterday, so I took a second look—I noticed the prescription had been changed. May I ask why you replaced Shu Di Huang with Shan Zhu Yu, and Huang Qi with Wild Ginseng?"

The Shopkeeper glanced at the prescription she had pulled out, his expression shifting slightly; he quickly snatched it back and whispered: "After taking the medicine, the pulse changed—naturally, the prescription had to be adjusted."

"Did the patient improve?"

"Yes, yes, they improved."

"But if they improved, why switch to Wild Ginseng as the main herb? The potency increased sharply. If the condition eased, you should gradually tonify—suddenly using strong medicine won't just overwhelm the patient's weakened state, it'll also inflate the cost."

oC〇

"Didn't I replace Shu Di Huang with Shan Zhu Yu? Since her condition improved, at this stage you prioritize tonifying qi—naturally, Wild Ginseng should be the main herb."

"But from the prescription, the patient clearly had weak spleen and stomach. Shu Di Huang nourishes blood, moistens yin, and replenishes essence and marrow. For years, the prescriptions centered on Shu Di Huang. If the condition improved and you wished to shift toward tonifying qi, you could use Jing as the main herb. Using Wild Ginseng won't just cause the patient to be unable to absorb the tonics, it'll raise false fire—and increase the patient's financial burden…"

The Shopkeeper suddenly flew into a rage: "Miao He, are you accusing me of prescribing incorrectly?"

Miao He was startled, but she wasn't one to fear arguments; she immediately placed her hands on her hips and retorted: "I didn't say that. I was merely discussing medical principles with you."

Then Miao He was fired—she didn't even receive her five-day wages, and was thrown out of the shop outright.

Miao He: …

Miao He returned to their rented courtyard, her herbal box on her back, furious; upon seeing Pan Yun, her eyes turned red: "Little Master Aunt, I've been bullied."

Pan Yun immediately took Seeing Miao Zhen and Tao Yan Bai to block the entrance of the herbal shop and demanded payment.

In the evening, Quanzhou's streets were still crowded, especially since many ships had returned today; stalls and restaurants alike were working hard to prepare food, waiting for returning travelers to enter the city for a meal.

Four young Daoist Priests in robes stood at the entrance of Renxin Tang, pointing at the Shopkeeper and shouting insults; everyone peered out curiously.

Had they not been busy preparing tonight's meals, they'd have gathered to watch.

Those who weren't busy didn't hesitate to gather around, openly drawn to the spectacle.

They heard Pan Yun and the others, hands on hips, berating the Shopkeeper: "If my disciple misdiagnosed or prescribed wrongly, you fire her—I won't say a word and leave right away. But because we merely discussed medical principles and you lost the argument, you fired her? Do you have any shame?"

Seeing Miao Zhen: "You're old and shameless. You broke the contract—refusing compensation is bad enough, but now you won't even settle her wages?"

Tao Yan Bai: "My little sister worked five full days for you—every day, she arrived at Chen hour and didn't leave until Xu hour. Seven hours a day. Even oxen aren't worked that hard."

Miao He stood to the side, wiping her tears.

Seeing Miao Zhen fumed: "How many patients did my little sister treat for you these five days? How much money did she earn for your shop? Everyone saw it. Now you've used my little sister to treat every gynecological case in the entire city, then you throw her out? Do you think we're wild oxen you can use and discard?"

"No wonder your shop doesn't make money—you're short-sighted, heartless, rotten to the core."

"I heard Tang the Physician of Renxin Tang was kind-hearted. How did the shop turn so foul under your stewardship? Did your father never teach you—or have you forgotten your old man?"

The three took turns, hurling insults that turned the shop's clerks and resident Physician red-faced—but their eyes kept darting toward the back chamber.

Miao He stayed beside them, wiping her tears.

The resident Physician, Fang, watched as their insults escalated—from "you forgot your father" to "maybe your ancestral grave's feng shui is broken, giving birth to something not even human…"

Fang wiped his face, rushed to the back chamber, dragged out the hiding Shopkeeper, and pleaded: "They can't keep shouting like this—if they do, will your shop even stay in business?"

Tang the Shopkeeper: "Do you think I don't know? But I can't argue back—I was driven in here by their yelling."

"Oh come on, why are you only thinking of yelling back? Just pay them and get rid of them!"

"If I pay them now, won't that mean admitting I was wrong?"

Fang stamped his foot: "What time is this to care about that? Just pay them off now! Besides, you were in the wrong to begin with—you can't just fire her like that. How old is Miao He?"

Tang the Shopkeeper: "How is it my fault? I think she had ill intentions, trying to harm me. I merely fired her—didn't even curse her—that's already generous."

"Oh come on, why are you only thinking of yelling back? Just pay them and get rid of them!"

"You don't understand—she dug up the old prescriptions…"

"Regardless of what she dug up, did she break any rule of the herbal trade? Did she openly do anything wrong?"

The Shopkeeper fell silent.

"If she didn't, you have no grounds to fire her. Even if you didn't want her, even if you threw her out, you still owed her five days' wages."

"She only worked five days—why should she get paid?"

Fang the Physician: "…She did a great deal in those five days. The number of patients she saw equals two months' worth for this shop. If you'd paid her her wages and sent her off politely, would any of this have happened?"