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Qin Mu sent people to investigate Li Zixuan in detail and found out that she was actually a descendant of Li Shizhen, which made Qin Mu even more interested in her.
Two days later, the mansion sent someone to invite Li Zixuan in to do a routine pregnancy check for Bian Yujing. Qin Mu took some time out and asked Yang Zhi to call him to the flower hall in the backyard.
This time she was carrying a small medicine box, with a scarf tied on her head, and dressed like a scholar. She bowed and said, "I, a commoner, greet the King of Qin."
Qin Mu raised his hand and said, "Miss Li, there is no need to be polite. Please take a seat."
"I dare not." Li Zixuan did not dare to look up at Qin Mu, and her expression was a little nervous. "I wonder what order King Qin has for me to come here?"
Yang Zhi stepped forward, took her hand, and said kindly, "Zi Xuan, don't be so reserved. Come, sit over here with me."
"No, no, no, how dare I be so arrogant in front of the King of Qin and the Queen? I am deeply grateful for the Queen's kindness, but I dare not accept it."
Qin Mu saw that she insisted and felt uncomfortable if he continued to be polite, so he said, "I heard that you are a descendant of Li Yuanpan, who wrote the book Compendium of Materia Medica. You have inherited your family's medical knowledge since you were young and have extraordinary medical skills. It's rare, really rare."
"Your Majesty, you are too kind. I only know a little about medicine, but I cannot say that I am an expert. I am ashamed."
"You don't have to be modest. This time, I asked you to come here because it is very inconvenient for women to see a doctor, so many people have delayed their medical treatment. I intend to appoint you as the imperial physician and take charge of the gynecology department of the Imperial Hospital. In addition to treating patients, your duties include selecting one hundred girls of appropriate age from the people and having you teach them medical skills. What do you think?"
Li Zixuan was surprised at first, and then she quickly declined, saying, "The King of Qin has chosen me, and I really don't deserve it. I am young and inexperienced. I am afraid I cannot take on such a heavy responsibility. Please take back your order, King Qin. I am terrified."
Qin Mu watched her every move, trying to see if what she said was true. "Why are you so scared? Is it because your family's secret skills cannot be passed on to outsiders?"
"Your Majesty, you have misunderstood. It is not that my family knowledge cannot be passed on to outsiders. After my ancestors wrote the Compendium of Materia Medica, they never kept it to themselves. It is really that my knowledge is shallow and I am not qualified to take on such an important task. Please ask Your Majesty to find another great scholar. I..."
"If I could find another great doctor, I wouldn't bother you. In fact, I don't expect you to teach all 100 girls to be great doctors. There's a saying that goes, 'The master brings you in, but it's up to you to practice.' You just need to teach them your medical skills with all your heart. How much they can learn depends on their own luck."
"King Qin. I really..."
"Well, you go ahead and refuse first. Go back and think about it, of course. You have to discuss it with your grandfather. The king will also discuss it with your grandfather when he comes to Japan."
After sending Li Zixuan away, Yang Zhi finally understood why Qin Mu paid attention to Li Zixuan. She said a little embarrassedly, "Husband, are you really going to make her the imperial physician?"
"Your husband, I do have this intention, but you can see that it seems that the flowers are affectionate, but the flowing water is ruthless."
"Husband... you are never serious. What will others think when you say such words?"
"Haha, first of all, this woman's medical skills are really good. It's much more convenient to have her here. I don't want you to ask others to diagnose your pulse if you feel unwell in the future. If they can really diagnose the condition, I can kill Dorgon with a palm strike from a distance."
Yang Zhi rolled her eyes at him and said, "My husband, if you want to summon Li Zixuan to the Imperial Hospital, the ministers may not say anything, but if you want her to teach a hundred girls, I'm afraid many people will object."
"Oh? Madam, tell me why this is so."
"Isn't it obvious? Recruiting Li Zixuan to the Imperial Hospital is an exception. The ministers may tolerate it. If she is asked to teach a hundred girls, the nature of the matter is different. As the saying goes, a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent. My husband, you should think twice before doing this."
Qin Mu half-closed his eyes and thought for a while, then said, "Well, thank you for your reminder, madam. I want to ask, do you object to me doing this?"
Yang Zhi squatted in front of his knees, resting her head on his legs, and said with some attachment: "The husband sings and the wife follows. No matter what the husband wants to do, I will always stand firmly behind the husband... Besides, I think that what the husband does is a good thing for us women. In addition, this can also be considered as accumulating some merits. The world has been in war for many years, and many women are helpless. Instead of letting them be sold into brothels as prostitutes, it is better to teach them a skill so that they can survive on their own."
Yang Zhi's words touched Qin Mu again. Yes, the wars over the past few decades have killed tens of millions of people. At the same time, countless orphans and widows have also been produced. Although there has been no specific statistics, the number of this group is absolutely astonishing.
In war, the casualty rate of men is certainly much higher. Although the fate of women is also miserable, and they even suffer inhumane ravages, the fact is that women have a much higher chance of survival than men.
If you look at the household register of any county now, you can see that the number of women far exceeds that of men.
In this era, women basically depend on men for survival. Now, although they have survived, how they live is an issue that needs to be seriously addressed.
According to rough estimates, the population at the end of the Ming Dynasty was about 100 million. The wars and famines in the 20 years since the first year of Chongzhen resulted in the deaths of at least 40 million people, and young and middle-aged men accounted for the largest proportion among them.
Huguang and Jiangnan had suffered less from war and famine, and with the influx of a large number of refugees from the north, there was no shortage of labor;
However, many places north of the Yangtze River are now barren land with extremely sparse population. Once the Qin Dynasty unifies the north, it will immediately face the problem of severe labor shortage.
Moreover, since the phenomenon of more women than men is very serious, and women are a vulnerable group that depends on men for survival, they not only find it difficult to become the main labor force, but may even become a heavy burden on the entire society.
How to unleash the capabilities of women and transform them from a burden into a force for promoting social development is an issue that needs to be addressed urgently.
So, simply recruiting 100 women to study medicine is obviously not enough to solve this difficult and urgent problem.
Qin Mu stroked Yang Zhi's cheek gently while thinking deeply.
In the past, he wanted to wait for the wave of thought promoted by Fu Qingzhu, Gu Yanwu and others to continue for another year or two, and for people to gradually adapt to the new ideas before issuing an order to ban women from binding their feet;
But now it seems that we can’t wait any longer. Many women with bound feet need help to walk. Can we expect them to become part of the labor force and be self-reliant
However, under the constraints of Zhu Xi and Cheng Yixue, releasing the role of women would undoubtedly encounter huge resistance, and if not handled properly, it might even shake the rule of the Qin Dynasty.
"My dear, come here and let me hug you. I need some courage."
Although Yang Zhi didn't understand why he suddenly said that, she could tell that her husband was not talking nonsense, so she leaned into his arms tenderly, embracing him with her feminine tenderness like water.
"My husband, as long as you don't rush things, there will always be a solution to everything. Although I haven't read much, I know that the highest virtue is like water, and that virtue can carry all things. I hope that my husband can rule the world like water, go with the flow, and tolerate everything."
Qin Mu hugged her tighter, feeling slightly touched. In fact, Yang Zhi's "indulgence" towards him had almost reached an unprecedented level, always caring about his feelings and never complaining.
Qin Mu sighed and said, "My wife, you are more in line with the characteristics of 'the highest virtue is like water'. When I am high, you retreat, never drowning my strengths; when I am low, you surge forward, never exposing my flaws; when I move, you follow, never leaving me alone; when I am still, you stay, never disturbing my peace; when I am hot, you boil, never hindering my enthusiasm; when I am cold, you solidify, never ignoring my coldness; my wife, it is my honor to be married to you in this life."
Yang Zhi's eyes were filled with heat, and she leaned her head against his chest and gently rubbed it, saying, "My dear, I am not as good as you say."
"Okay, you've always been the best." Qin Mu held her tenderly for a while before continuing, "My lady, let's go see Hanyan. Your husband has something to discuss with her."
"Since you have something to do, then please go, my husband. I will go see Sister Bian first. Zixuan just wrote a prescription. I will go see if the medicine is ready."
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ps: My ranking on the monthly ticket list is still falling, and I've been stabbed in the ass again. At this rate, I'll be kicked off the list in less than two days. I've updated twice a day for the past few months, so I'm pretty diligent. As the end of the month approaches, the monthly ticket battle is so fierce, brothers, please support me and let me get through this.
Please give me a monthly ticket!
Urgently seeking monthly tickets!
.(To be continued..)
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