The Medical Gauze Dilemma

The Palace of Heavenly Succession stood east of Kunning Palace, south of the Palace of Gathered Excellence, and north of the Palace of Benevolence. It had originally been the foremost of the Six Eastern Palaces, but now all its residential furnishings had been cleared out and replaced with twelve sets of weaving equipment.

Ma Enhui's reasoning was simple. The Palace of Heavenly Succession was right beside the residences of Consort Xian and Consort Ning, and it was not far for her to visit either. That made supervision convenient, and whenever research into medical gauze made progress, she could keep abreast of it.

Everyone involved understood the value and significance of medical gauze.

These handpicked weaving experts came from the palace's various directorates and bureaus, primarily the Needlework Bureau, the Weaving and Dyeing Bureau, and the Wardrobe Directorate, with others from the Laundry Bureau, the Needle Cap Bureau, and the like.

If the endeavor succeeded, they would receive generous rewards, the imperial harem would gain another source of livelihood, and the nation would benefit both its soldiers and its people, bringing blessings to the realm.

Even the proud Consort Ning took part herself. Consort Xian naturally refused to fall behind. Every day, as soon as she woke, she went to the Palace of Heavenly Succession to discuss improvements in technique with a palace maid. On several nights, she even worked on the problem until dawn.

For the imperial harem, producing ordinary gauze posed no technical difficulty. But what Zhu Yunwen wanted was medical gauze: it had to be thin, light, breathable, suitably soft, and free of loose cotton fibers.

Softness, lightness, and breathability made it easy for cotton fibers to shed. Preventing that meant increasing the density of the warp and weft, yet greater density reduced breathability...

It was an almost insoluble dilemma.

Ma Enhui was anxious too. Research had begun in mid-November of the previous year, and now, even with the advent of the Jianwen era, they still had nothing to show for it.

When she heard that Zhu Yunwen wanted to take a look, Ma Enhui said with a bitter smile, "I fear Your Majesty will be disappointed."

Zhu Yunwen took Ma Enhui's hand and led her out of Kunning Palace toward the Palace of Heavenly Succession. "How could creating something new ever be so easy? Give them some time. They'll find a way."

Ma Enhui tried to withdraw her hand, but Zhu Yunwen held it fast. Blushing, she looked at him and murmured, "The maids and eunuchs are all here."

"What of it?"

Zhu Yunwen spoke with commanding confidence.

Unable to free herself, Ma Enhui could only blush and ask, "Your Majesty speaks with such certainty, saying it can definitely be done. Yet I have searched the classics and consulted the imperial physicians, and none have ever seen or heard of medical gauze. Why are you so sure?"

Zhu Yunwen glanced up at the sky, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. "You know as well, my Empress, that wrapping a wound in cloth helps stop the bleeding. If the cloth itself is unclean, it can cause the wound to fester. Even clean cloth can stick to the scab when removed, reopening the wound, or leave fibers in the flesh that cause relentless itching and pain. Then the wound must be cut open again to remove them."

"If we approach it differently and weave gauze that is clean, breathable, and sheds no cotton, it will naturally help wounds heal. Removing it will cause no further harm either. What is so strange about such a simple principle?"

Ma Enhui frowned. "I only doubt whether such gauze can actually be woven."

Smiling, Zhu Yunwen asked in return, "Then first tell me, my Empress: is my reasoning sound?"

"Of course it is."

Ma Enhui answered with conviction.

Zhu Yunwen nodded. "Since it is sound, surely there can be no harm in putting it into practice? I believe we will succeed, and you should have that confidence too."

Ma Enhui considered his words and nodded.

When Zhu Yunwen and Ma Enhui entered the Palace of Heavenly Succession, all the palace maids put down their work and knelt, filling the floor. Hearing the commotion, Consort Ning and Consort Xian hurried out of the main hall, approached them, and offered their greetings.

"Rise, all of you. Consort Ning, Consort Xian, tell me how things are progressing." Zhu Yunwen raised a hand. Seeing how tired the two women looked, he sighed. "Thank you for all your hard work."

Consort Ning smiled sweetly. "Hard work is nothing. I simply feel that, if we succeed, this will certainly be more interesting than letting the years slip away."

Letting the years slip away?

This Consort Ning was interesting. She was reproaching him for never visiting the Palace of Gathered Excellence.

Zhu Yunwen pretended not to catch her meaning and turned to Consort Xian. She led the way ahead of them. "Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, though we have studied weaving day and night, we still cannot meet the standards Your Majesty set. Please look at this piece of cloth."

A palace maid beside them handed Consort Xian a piece of cloth, which she passed to Zhu Yunwen. "This was woven early this morning. It is light, thin, and breathable, but there is too little cotton, and the warp and weft are too sparse. A slight tug tears it apart. I intend to try covering it with a layer of fine gauze."

Looking at the cloth torn into two pieces, Zhu Yunwen handed one half to Ma Enhui and nodded slightly. "You can try several different methods. There is no rush. How about this: take two days off first, then resume your research."

"Rest? Your Majesty, we aren't tired."

"Yes, Your Majesty, we can keep working."

Consort Ning, Consort Xian, and the others all spoke up.

Zhu Yunwen smiled. "Only by balancing work and rest can you achieve results. These two days are for you to recover and return to the task full of energy. Besides, tomorrow is National Day, and the palace will hold a grand celebration too. Those who want to go shopping outside the palace may do so, and those who want to bask in the sun in the Imperial Garden may do that. In short, no one is allowed to come to the Palace of Heavenly Succession for the next two days."

Upon hearing this, everyone bowed again before leaving with some reluctance.

Consort Ning and Consort Xian watched Zhu Yunwen run his hand over the loom, then looked at Empress Ma, unsure what he was thinking.

Wouldn't it be better to develop it a day sooner?

At a time like this, wasting time meant wasting lives.

"You will succeed. I have absolute faith in you. But everyone here is human; you must not exhaust yourselves. Consort Ning, Consort Xian, you haven't rested properly for several days either, have you? If this continues and you collapse before the medical gauze is ready, what then?"

Zhu Yunwen patted the wooden frame as he explained.

At this, an unexpected warmth filled Consort Ning's and Consort Xian's hearts.

His Majesty cared about them.

After returning to Kunning Palace, Zhu Yunwen suggested to Ma Enhui, "I noticed there are still some empty rooms in the Palace of Heavenly Succession. Why not recruit more people to take part? Even members of the Arts Troupe could join if they are skilled at weaving and needlework."

Seeking advice from the masses and drawing wisdom from them-this was the thinking of Marxist-Leninist philosophy.

One had to believe in the inventions and creativity of the masses, in their boundless wisdom. They were the ones driving the heavy cart of history forward, pressing wheel ruts into the earth step by step and leaving countless civilizations behind.

Zhu Yunwen had no way to propagate Marxism-Leninism, but he could use its ideas as a guide. Hadn't the ancients also advocated that the flames rose higher when everyone gathered firewood? Since he wanted this fire to burn brighter, naturally he needed more hands gathering wood together.

Ma Enhui wholeheartedly agreed. That very day, she ordered thirty-six skilled weavers selected from the Laundry Bureau, the Arts Troupe, and elsewhere, and instructed them to report for duty at the Palace of Heavenly Succession on the sixth.

The fourth day of the first lunar month.

Great Ming welcomed its first National Day, and the Capital rejoiced.

Zhu Yunwen and Ma Enhui left the imperial palace to celebrate with the people, reveling together in National Day and sharing the joy of the new spring. Scholars wrote of it, townsfolk beat drums for it, and merchants cheered it. The Capital blazed with splendor, its festivities unceasing by day and night.