Zhu Biao smiled and nodded. "Exactly."
Li Shanchang immediately spoke up from beside him. "Your Majesty, the crown prince's proposal is excellent. I believe we could summon renowned physicians from across Great Ming to spend some time in the capital, under the auspices of compiling medical texts and a pharmacopoeia."
"While compiling these works, they could also take the opportunity to exchange medical knowledge."
"I have heard that some physicians among the common people treasure their exclusive treatments and prescriptions like precious brooms, however worn. Perhaps official posts and monetary rewards could encourage them to make these secret treatments and prescriptions public."
"Then, once the medical texts and pharmacopoeia are completed, medicine in our Great Ming will surely undergo... development!"
Li Shanchang stumbled slightly over his final words, deliberately using the new term Zhu Yuanzhang had introduced.
Zhu Yuanzhang vaguely felt that the Rebel Army Group's advice to "value medicine and develop medicine" could not be so simple.
But he could think of no other way to "develop medicine" for the moment, so he said, "In that case, Biao'er will oversee this matter. Old Li, keep an eye on it too."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Then Zhu Yuanzhang hesitated slightly before adding, "One more thing-from tomorrow onward, morning court may be delayed by half a shichen. That way, Biao'er, you won't have to rise so early to attend court in my stead. Even getting up at the midpoint of the mao hour, six in the morning, will be fine."
Watching from the side, Li Shanchang thought, Zhu Yuanzhang truly cherishes the crown prince. He cannot even bear to make him rise too early for court.
Zhu Biao, however, knew that Zhu Yuanzhang feared his health would suffer from rising early every day. Warmth filled his heart, and he was all the more determined not to disappoint him. "Father, there is no need. Getting up a little earlier will do me no harm."
Zhu Yuanzhang's face hardened. "Does saying it will do no harm make it so? Just do as I say!"
Zhu Biao could only cup his hands. "I obey your decree."
By this point, Zhu Yuanzhang seemed to have exhausted all his mental energy. He rose and said, "Enough. Biao'er, go review the memorials in the eastern side hall. I'm returning to the inner palace to rest."
"Please take care of your health, Father," Zhu Biao said with concern.
"I know my limits."
For the following month, Zhu Biao attended court in Zhu Yuanzhang's stead.
Only at the court assemblies on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month did Zhu Yuanzhang fight off the urge to give up and go to the Hall of Heavenly Favor to receive the officials' homage, showing that he was not seriously ill and reassuring everyone.
Meanwhile, Zhu Yuanzhang's decision to delay morning court by half a shichen won the approval of the vast majority of officials. Their efficiency in handling government affairs even improved a little...
Nearly a month passed in the blink of an eye.
That day, Zhu Yuanzhang awoke on the dragon bed in the Palace of Heavenly Purity feeling full of vigor and fighting spirit. He could even be described as radiant with renewed vitality!
He was overjoyed.
"Ha ha! That disgusting Giving Up state is finally gone!"
With the palace attendants waiting on him, Zhu Yuanzhang washed, practiced a set of boxing forms, and exercised for a while. Only then did he eat a few pastries to tide himself over and head toward the outer court.
"What time is it?" he asked Yunqi along the way.
"Your Majesty, it is the midpoint of the mao hour."
Previously, Zhu Yuanzhang had set morning court-the hearing of state affairs at the palace gate-to begin at the midpoint of the mao hour. It generally lasted one or two shichen, ending in the early part of the si hour, between nine and ten in the morning.
Some officials lived far from the Forbidden City, and after arriving they still needed to rest, straighten their appearance, register their attendance, enter the city, and line up by rank. They therefore had to arrive at least the better part of a shichen early, before the beginning of the mao hour.
Even Zhu Yuanzhang had to reach a side hall of the Hall of Heavenly Favor before the beginning of the mao hour to review and organize memorials in preparation for hearing state affairs at the palace gate. Without advance preparation, relying solely on decisions made on the spot would not only be slow but also prone to mistakes.
Now that morning court had been delayed until the beginning of the chen hour, seven in the morning, the officials' assembly time and the emperor's preparation time had naturally shifted back by half a shichen as well.
After hearing Yunqi's answer, Zhu Yuanzhang smiled. "Then the crown prince should already be preparing in a side hall of the Hall of Heavenly Favor."
Yunqi smiled along with him. "The crown prince is diligent in government affairs. He must have arrived early."
When Zhu Yuanzhang reached the Hall of Heavenly Favor, he indeed saw lamplight in the eastern side hall.
He entered, and Zhu Biao, who had been reviewing memorials, hurried forward to bow and greet him.
After paying his respects, Zhu Biao looked Zhu Yuanzhang over and asked tentatively, unable to hide his delight, "Father, have you fully recovered?"
"Indeed." Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and nodded. "Biao'er, thank you for all your hard work over this past month."
Zhu Biao said, "Being able to ease your burdens is no hardship, Father."
Perhaps influenced by the habits he had acquired during a month of "Giving Up," Zhu Yuanzhang had barely exchanged a few words before he instinctively sat down in the hall's only Grand Tutor's Chair.
He first asked about pressing military and state matters, as well as several affairs affecting the whole country. Once he had a fairly good understanding, he asked, "How is the summoning of renowned physicians from across the country to compile medical texts and a pharmacopoeia progressing?"
Compared with other pressing military and state affairs, this was not urgent, so Zhu Biao had not troubled Zhu Yuanzhang with it over the past month.
Only now, when Zhu Yuanzhang asked, did Zhu Biao give a faint, rueful smile. "Father, I oversimplified this matter before. I thought that as long as the court issued an order, offering official posts, monetary rewards, and even a chance to leave their names in the histories, renowned physicians everywhere would flock to the capital."
"But judging by what has happened over the past month, although many physicians have come, quite a few have refused for all sorts of reasons."
Zhu Yuanzhang frowned. "What reasons have those unwilling to come given?"
"Some say the journey is long and they are old, and fear they cannot endure the travel and might fall ill and die along the way. Others say they have local patients who require ongoing treatment and cannot abandon them. Still others say they themselves are ill and cannot conveniently travel to the capital."
"Some also say their medical skills are mediocre, that they cannot be called renowned physicians and are unworthy of coming. In short, the reasons are as varied as flowers in a field."
By the time Zhu Biao finished, his rueful smile had deepened.
Zhu Yuanzhang tapped his fingers against the desk. "Do you think these renowned physicians' reasons for refusing the summons are genuine?"
Zhu Biao said, "I have spoken with some of the renowned physicians who came to the capital over these past days. Most of the reasons given by those who refused are probably genuine."
"But some physicians do indeed harbor misgivings about coming to compile medical texts and a pharmacopoeia. They worry that if something goes wrong, they will not merely go unrewarded, but land themselves in prison."
Hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang could not help slapping the desk. "They worry about that? What, do they take me for a muddleheaded ruler or a tyrant who cannot tell right from wrong?!"
"As I see it, these people simply don't want to surrender their medical knowledge and prescriptions. They fear that once those are compiled into books and made public, fewer people will seek them out for treatment and medicine!"
During his days as a wandering monk, Zhu Yuanzhang had seen unscrupulous physicians reduce common people suffering from ordinary ailments to utter destitution. Now, he could hardly help believing that everyone refusing the summons was an unethical, unscrupulous physician.
But Zhu Biao said, "Father, I have thought it over. The court has promised only a handful of official posts for this compilation of medical texts and a pharmacopoeia, yet there are many exclusive treatments and prescriptions scattered among the common people."
"If the court offers too little money, then even if some physicians truly refuse to come because they are unwilling to disclose their exclusive medical techniques and prescriptions, that is understandable."
"There is a common saying: teach the apprentice, and the master starves. They hold something back even when teaching their apprentices, so how could they willingly make their exclusive medical techniques and prescriptions public?"
"If you were in their position, relying on a secret medical technique or an exclusive prescription to become renowned throughout a prefecture or county, with patients coming in an endless stream for treatment and medicine, would you readily publish it in a medical text or pharmacopoeia?"
Zhu Yuanzhang snorted. "They study medicine, yet saving the dying and tending the injured is not their chief concern. They care only about their personal gains and losses. Their hearts are truly rotten!"
"As I see it, we should forcibly summon such unscrupulous physicians to the capital and make them cooperate in compiling medical texts and a pharmacopoeia. If any refuse, throw them in prison and exile them to the frontier!"
Zhu Biao could not help saying urgently, "Father, if we force them like that, and those physicians deliberately write something incorrectly or leave something out of their techniques and prescriptions, people could die from the treatment!"
"They wouldn't dare!" Killing intent showed on Zhu Yuanzhang's face. "If that truly happens, have the physician's entire household executed! Let's see whether they choose to preserve their family's lives or their ancestral medical techniques and prescriptions!"
For a moment, Zhu Biao had no answer.
He thought of how Zhu Yuanzhang had just insisted he was no tyrant. Yet if he truly did this, how would he differ from one?
After a brief silence, Zhu Biao drew a deep breath and cupped his hands. "Father, since you have entrusted this matter to me, please allow me to try enticing them with fame and profit first."
Zhu Yuanzhang frowned slightly. He had intended to rebuke Zhu Biao and tell him that his idea would never work.
But recalling that Zhu Biao had died in his prime in the original course of history, his heart could not help softening. "Very well. We'll try your method first. If it still fails, we'll do it my way."
"Thank you, Father!"
"Enough. It's almost time for court. Make your preparations and come with me."
Zhu Biao was surprised. "Father, if you are attending morning court, must I still go?"
Zhu Yuanzhang rose. "From today onward, as long as you are in good health, you may participate in state affairs, so naturally you must attend court. As for your place among the court ranks... it will be equal to that of the left chancellor!"