Chapter 1299: Chapter 1277: Suggestions
"You’re just one person, how many students can you teach?" Bai Shan asked, "Even if you don’t go to Jishi Hall to treat patients, don’t study, and stop making visits, can you handle twenty students at a time?"
"These twenty students would have to follow you for ten years before they become independent practitioners. By then," Bai Shan lowered his voice and said, "it’s uncertain if the Empress will still be around. If she’s not around, who would still remember this Female Imperial Hospital?"
Manbao shivered, startled by another realization. "Oh no, does that mean I would have to stay in the palace for ten years, solely focused on this one thing? That’s way too terrifying."
Bai Shan nodded and said, "Which is why you cannot accept this position."
Manbao looked troubled and said, "Then can the Female Imperial Hospital even be established?"
Manbao hadn’t been idle over the years; she had read numerous historical anecdotes from books labeled ’miscellaneous histories’ at the Book Collection Tower, many of which might actually be records of ancient times in their world. She was acutely aware of the immense importance this Female Imperial Hospital held for women across the land.
She said, "Taking this step forward may fulfill half of my aspiration. If I retreat now, I might end up becoming a traitor to the people in the future."
Bai Erlang nodded, "If someone records this incident, rest assured, future generations will definitely curse at you."
Manbao: ...
Bai Shan pushed Bai Erlang aside and turned to Manbao, saying, "Don’t mind him. Although you won’t take the position, the Female Imperial Hospital can still be built, but not in this way."
Manbao: "Then how should it be built?"
Bai Shan thought about it—the survival of the Empress ten years later was uncertain. This initiative had been her proposal, and if she were no longer there, Manbao would undoubtedly find herself in an awkward position.
If she could resign her post, it wouldn’t be too bad; she could start anew, and the students she’d previously trained would at least contribute to society.
But what if resignation wasn’t even an option?
There’s a fundamental difference between women holding official positions and men doing so; even female medical practitioners had ranks, though not official ones.
Throughout history, female practitioners were either dismissed from the palace to marry after reaching a certain age, or were consigned to lifelong service due to criminal convictions. No one had ever heard of female practitioners resigning and going home before reaching appropriate age.
Bai Shan didn’t want Manbao to be trapped in the palace for her entire life.
He said, "If the Empress wants to establish the Female Imperial Hospital, let her proceed. Keep the positions vacant for now, and fill them later with suitable candidates."
"I believe whatever we’ve considered, the Empress must have considered too. So, the female medical practitioners she’s sent to you to study medicine will certainly have had some experience," Bai Shan said. "They can read, are familiar with herbs, know some prescriptions, and have a basic understanding of medical principles. Teach them for five or six years, and they’ll be ready to go. At that time, let them handle things."
Manbao’s eyes gleamed, "So, in that scenario, all the officials in the Female Imperial Hospital would come from my disciples!"
Bai Shan nodded and smiled, "You don’t need to teach too many students—just take three or four. Let them come to Jishi Hall to study under you. Once they’re proficient, they can each take three or four junior disciples themselves. You can occasionally supervise and answer their questions. This way, you won’t be overworked, you can pursue more of what you want, and they can practice with real cases. Isn’t that ideal?"
Manbao nodded repeatedly.
Bai Shan lowered his voice and said, "If possible, you should work with the Empress to formalize the Female Imperial Hospital’s guidelines—mirror the current Imperial Hospital’s system. Define the appointment process, promotion criteria, resignation protocols, salaries, and rewards. All these procedures need to be meticulously established."
He said, "Only an institution with formalized procedures can endure. If it relies solely on your passion and enthusiasm, it may fall to ruin within a generation."
Manbao nodded, "That’s true. The Imperial Hospital mostly serves the royal family and high-ranking officials, with few public welfare initiatives. The Female Imperial Hospital aims to train female doctors who will be dispatched across the empire to treat the common people. Without established procedures, this effort may fade into obscurity once the Empress leaves."
Bai Shan nodded but lamented, "The Imperial Hospital has always been independent of the Six Ministries, answering only to the royal family. If they were integrated into the court system, subject to regular rewards and censure like other officials, it would be so much better."
Manbao scratched her head and asked, "Has the Imperial Hospital always been this way?"
Bai Shan thought for a moment and said, "I think not. I vaguely recall reading about a medical textbook compiled by the Imperial Medical Office from the previous dynasty. It included records of teaching medical students. I’ll go and look for it at the Book Collection Tower in the Imperial Academy when I get the chance."
This was all thanks to Manbao studying medicine; he wouldn’t have flipped through such texts otherwise.
Bai Erlang turned the venison over, sprinkling some salt and spices upon it. The venison sizzled, releasing a delicious aroma into the air. He interjected casually, "Wouldn’t it be easier to just ask the teacher?"
Manbao found his suggestion reasonable, so she turned and ran off to invite the teacher.
Bai Shan glanced at Bai Erlang and then went out to grab a small stool, bringing it inside and placing it down. He said, "Can’t you handle this minor problem yourself?"
Bai Erlang looked up at him, baffled, "There are so many books in the Book Collection Tower. Finding one book would be such a hassle. I’m just thinking of you!"
Bai Shan said, "Thank you very much."
Bai Erlang snorted, "You’re welcome!"
The two of them bickered while Mr. Zhuang arrived, having been invited by Manbao. Seeing they had already started roasting the venison, he chuckled and said, "Good thing this isn’t in the study room, or the scent would permeate all the books."
Manbao said, "It smells wonderful! Let it permeate then."
Mr. Zhuang gently patted her head and said, "Naughty."
Bai Shan said, "Aren’t you worried that reading books with that scent might make you feel hungry?"
Bai Erlang thought about it for a moment and said, "That wouldn’t be too bad."
Mr. Zhuang also gave him a light tap on the head, and the teacher and students all laughed cheerfully.
Mr. Zhuang looked around and said, "It’s just us? That won’t do. Go invite Young Master Xiang and the others to come as well."
Daji went to invite them, carrying Xiang Mingxue over with Xiang Chao.
With that, Daji’s room became even livelier. He sighed softly and thought to himself, "Fine, let it smell fragrant then."
Bai Shan and Bai Erlang finished cooking the first batch of venison, serving it to Mr. Zhuang, Xiang Mingxue, and Manbao before preparing the second batch.
As they ate and chatted, they asked, "Teacher, how was the Imperial Hospital structured in the previous dynasty?"
Mr. Zhuang wiped the corners of his mouth with a silk cloth and smiled, "The previous dynasty didn’t call it the Imperial Hospital. It was called the Imperial Medical Office. Actually, in our dynasty, it is also officially called the Imperial Medical Office. It’s unclear when people started calling it the Imperial Hospital. Over time, the name stuck."
Manbao blinked and said, "Now that you mention it, the plaque on the Imperial Hospital does indeed say ’Imperial Medical Office.’ I thought there was no difference between the two names, so I never paid much attention."
Mr. Zhuang laughed, "There are some differences."
He explained, "In the previous dynasty, the Imperial Medical Office was under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Ministry of Rites. In addition to treating the royal family, it occasionally trained medical students. However, the last emperor of the previous dynasty was cruel, and not only did the Imperial Medical Office fall into disrepair, but even the Imperial Academy stopped recruiting students. When our dynasty was established, the country was in chaos and affairs were overwhelming, so the previous and current emperors probably forgot about this matter, and medical students were no longer recruited."
"The Imperial Medical Office is nominally still under the Imperial Ministry of Rites, but in practice, it has long since separated from it and now answers only to the emperor. As time passed, people began calling it the Imperial Hospital instead of the Imperial Medical Office."