Liu Qi originally thought that Gan Ning had already gone to Eastern Wu by this time, and had no intention of going to Jiangxia to look for him. Unexpectedly, by some strange coincidence, he would come to his door on his own initiative, and he was overjoyed.
The three of them toasted each other, one was happy to have found a wise master, the other was happy to see his friend finally found a home, so they all put aside their worries and got drunk.
The next day, after seeing Su Fei off and returning to the government office, he saw Deng Zhi waiting with an old man with white hair and a youthful face, who looked very elegant.
Liu Qi was overjoyed and hurried forward, clasping his fists and saying, "Sir, you must be Zhang Changsha."
The old man returned the greeting and said, "I am Zhang Ji. I am grateful to the general for driving out the Cao thieves and stabilizing Nanyang. I wonder if you have any advice for me?"
This old man was none other than Zhang Ji, Zhang Zhongjing, the medical saint of later generations. He was born in Nanyang and had served as the prefect of Changsha ten years ago. Later, he resigned and lived in seclusion in Lingnan. He had only recently returned to his hometown. Liu Qi heard the news and asked Deng Zhi to go to his house in person to invite him.
Liu Qi first invited Zhang Ji to sit down and said, "I have heard for a long time that you are proficient in the art of medicine. My father and son were harmed by Cai and were poisoned. I wanted to visit you, but my father is unable to go out and I am busy with military affairs, so I had to trouble you to come and treat us."
Zhang Ji stroked his beard and said, "General, you are too kind. Your father and son are at the heart of Jingzhou's safety. We common people should serve you. Please extend your hand and take a look."
Liu Qi stretched out his hand, and Zhang Ji closed his eyes and took his pulse. His brows were sometimes furrowed and sometimes relaxed, which made Liu Qi feel nervous.
No matter how much authority you have or how much money you have, you will feel insecure in front of a doctor.
After a long while, Zhang Ji opened his eyes and said with emotion: "General, you are indeed poisoned. It seems that the poison is in your meridians. This poison is very strange and comes from Lingnan. If I had not lived in seclusion here in the past, and someone had accidentally eaten this poisonous grass, it would be difficult to find out the cause of the disease."
"Is there any way to detoxify?" Liu Qi's heart sank. He had been just guessing and trying to scare the Cai family before.
It turned out that the Cai family really used a secret remedy to harm people. No wonder none of the doctors in Xiangyang noticed it and thought the poison had been eliminated. Fortunately, Zhang Ji checked it again, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous.
Zhang Ji twirled his beard and pondered for a moment, then said, "I may give it a try, but General, remember to stop drinking. Don't drink again in the future. This poison is induced by alcohol, just like cutting meat to feed a tiger."
Liu Qi smiled and said, "The doctor also told me before that I have stopped drinking for several months. I just drank a few more cups yesterday because I was lucky enough to have a good general."
Zhang Ji said sternly: "Although virtuous people are hard to come by, the general is now responsible for the safety of the people of Jingzhou and the rise and fall of the Han Dynasty. How can he let one person mess things up?"
Liu Qi clasped his fists and said, "Sir, your teaching is correct. I will keep it in mind."
"Saving the dying and healing the wounded is a doctor's duty. I am sorry for being rude!" Zhang Ji also realized that his tone was too harsh, but seeing Liu Qi being so humble, he felt much more relieved.
Gan Ning, who was standing nearby, heard this and realized that Liu Qi had abstained from drinking for a long time due to illness, but made an exception for him yesterday. He was even more moved.
Liu Qi said, "I heard that you collected a lot of prescriptions, sorted out the prescriptions and compiled medical books. This is a great achievement for generations to come. I would like to do my best to invite you to Xiangyang to write books, so that you can also treat my father. What do you think?"
"This..." Zhang Ji frowned.
Unexpectedly, Liu Qi wanted to keep him in the office. He resigned from the post of Changsha prefect and lived in seclusion in Lingnan for three years because he did not want to be an official.
Liu Qi naturally knew Zhang Ji's thoughts and said, "I have always known that you are indifferent to fame and fortune, unwilling to take up an official post, and dedicated to curing diseases and saving lives. I just want you to sit in the hall and see patients like we did in Changsha, nothing else."
"Really?" Zhang Ji's hand that was pulling his beard trembled slightly.
Liu Qi nodded and said, "I can open a clinic for you in Xiangyang, put up a notice to collect medical books, and recruit disciples. This way, you can cure diseases and save lives, and someone will help you write books. Isn't it killing two birds with one stone?"
Zhang Ji was overjoyed when he heard this. He stood up to express his gratitude and sighed, "There have been wars for years, and human lives are worthless. Every time there is a war, there will be an epidemic. I feel the pain deeply. I have been compiling ancient prescriptions for several years. I have already drafted more than a thousand articles of "Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases". I am worried that no one will compile it into a book. If you can help me, I will be very grateful."
Liu Qi hurriedly invited Zhang Ji to sit down and said, "Doctors save the dying and the wounded, which is the greatest kindness. We are ashamed to raise an army to fight against them."
Although both are the three great doctors of the Jian'an period, Zhang Ji and Hua Tuo are completely opposite. One was obsessed with official career and accidentally became a famous doctor, while the other gave up his official career to study medicine and was indifferent to fame and fortune.
What you can't get will always make you restless. Isn't this also the phenomenon of a siege
Soon the banquet was ready. Liu Qi served tea to Zhang Ji and asked, "Sir, you are very famous in Changsha, Lingnan, and Nanyang. You have also worked hard on writing books. I wonder how many disciples you have?"
"Disciple?" Zhang Ji was stunned, shook his head and smiled bitterly, "Those who study medicine must first learn to read, but most of those who can read and study the classics are obsessed with fame and fortune. Medicine is a cheap profession, and it is vast and complicated. If it weren't for the ancestors who taught it, who would be willing to do it?"
"What a foolish opinion!" Liu Qi sighed helplessly. In this era where Confucianism is the only official ideology and scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans are the only members, how easy is it to change this concept
In ancient times, not only medicine, but also craftsmen and other artisans were considered to be of lowly professions and were excluded by the high-ranking scholars, and had to survive in the cracks.
This is because doctors can cure diseases and save lives. Even the most noble people have to face birth, aging, sickness and death. That is why people do not destroy medical skills. Otherwise, they would be devalued like Mohism and Lumen.
This prejudice led to extremely slow development of science and technology in China, which did not make rapid progress until the open period of the Tang and Song dynasties. The Four Great Inventions appeared during this period.
But later it fell into silence again, and the smartest people went to study classics and eight-legged essays, which tied up their own trap.
Even though we had muskets and cannons, they were hidden and destroyed by some short-sighted people. We even experienced a technological regression and ended up being bullied. It is heartbreaking to think about the century of humiliation.
Zhang Ji never thought that Liu Qi had the same opinion as him, and he felt like a bosom friend. He finally nodded and said, "I don't have much time left, and I am willing to do my best for the Han Dynasty."
Liu Qi clasped his fists and said, "Sir, you save the dying and heal the wounded. If you can pass on the classics and teach disciples, you are no less than the ancient saints! Living people accumulate virtue, how much better than those old scholars who study classics and ruin the country, how much better is it?"
Zhang Ji was so excited that he said hurriedly, "How dare I compare myself with the ancient saints? If I can promote medicine and save more lives, that will be enough!"
Liu Qi smiled and said, "Don't worry, sir. When the Han Dynasty is revived, I will make medicine and Confucianism equal. Your achievements will also be passed down through the ages and passed down to future generations."
Zhang Ji's hand holding the wine glass began to tremble, and he choked up a little: "General, if you keep this promise, I will die with my eyes closed!"
Liu Qi smiled and said, "Sir, why do you say that? As long as you and I work together, we will definitely change the inheritance of traditional Chinese medicine. I have many other ideas. After the clinic is opened, I will discuss them with you step by step in detail."
"General, you are my mentor!" Zhang Ji was so excited that he raised his glass and said, "I am the best doctor in the world. Cheers to you, General!"
Liu Qi laughed and said, "It is an honor for me to have your approval, sir. I will make it known to you!"
Zhang Ji hurriedly said, "General, you are not allowed to drink."
Liu Qi waved his hand and said, "That's just one glass. Once you give me the prescription, I won't drink a drop of alcohol."
Zhang Ji was deeply moved. He stood up and drank more wine, and couldn't help but feel tears in his eyes.
Over the years, he had searched everywhere for prescriptions, spent all his family wealth, and endured countless cold stares and ridicules. Unexpectedly, his soulmate turned out to be Liu Qi, who was in his early twenties.