Crane-Cry Tower was one of the capital's eight government-run wine houses.
Under the rules established in the early Hongwu years, government-run wine houses were not intended to turn a profit. They only hosted official banquets and received officials and tribute envoys from foreign countries. Commoners were allowed in to feast and drink only on a handful of holidays.
Thus, these eight conspicuous wine houses in the capital were usually deserted, serving as a foil to the bustling eateries nearby.
Yet on the morning of the fifth day of the fifth month, a long queue formed outside Crane-Cry Tower.
Many commoners arrived carrying gourds, their hearts full of anticipation, and left with smiles and the fragrance of wine. Some even brought several gourds, while a few simply carried away an entire jar of wine.
Some poorly informed people who came to eat at nearby establishments noticed this unusual sight and began asking those beside them about it.
"What's going on? This government wine house is selling wine for the Dragon Boat Festival too?"
"You haven't been out for several days, have you, brother? The court has lifted the alcohol ban!"
"Lifted the alcohol ban? Is that really true?"
"The authorities have posted notices. How could it be false? From now on, government-run wine houses will sell wine and Wine Qu to the public, not just on holidays."
"What's more, private merchants will be allowed to bid for licenses to brew wine and operate wine houses. Other eateries may also buy wine from government establishments to sell to the public."
At this, the man who had not left home for several days could not help wondering whether he was dreaming. Lifting the alcohol ban was one thing, but allowing private bidders to acquire wine-house operating rights as well? Had His Majesty Hongwu changed his nature?
Coming to his senses, the man immediately realized the enormous business opportunity hidden within this news and promptly asked, "Do you know what requirements there are for bidding on wine-house operating rights? And which government office handles it?"
"I don't know the requirements. As for the office, I think it's the newly established Wine Bureau. But I've heard that only four wine-house operating licenses are being released in this first batch in our capital. Unless you have solid connections at court, brother, don't even think about bidding."
Meanwhile, in a rather more refined eatery across the street, two scholars were also discussing the matter.
"I heard that His Majesty wanted to increase annual revenue, so he accepted the Duke of Han's proposal to lift the alcohol ban and put wine sales under government management."
"Government-managed wine sales? I remember my grandfather telling me when I was little that, to maintain its government wine business, the Song Dynasty strictly prohibited private brewing. Commoners could only pay to buy their wine. If our Great Ming adopts the same policy, won't the people also have to pay for all the wine they drink? And in remote places, I'm afraid they won't find anywhere to buy it even if they have the money."
"No. Though the court's wine laws draw on those of the Song Dynasty, they are different after all. The new law stipulates that commoners may not make Wine Qu themselves. If they want to brew wine, they must buy Wine Qu from government establishments, and the amount each household may purchase is limited."
"Furthermore, a household that privately brews no more than ten jin a year will not violate the law. Once it exceeds ten jin, the punishment ranges from a fine to exile!"
"No beheading?"
"What do you take His Majesty for? It's only privately brewed wine. Whatever else he might do, he couldn't possibly make that a capital offense."
As the two conversed, they entirely failed to notice a customer not far away listening intently, as though he meant to commit every word of their conversation to memory...
In a small courtyard at the Imperial College, south of Cockcrow Mountain in the northern part of the capital, three scholars were discussing another matter.
Two appeared to be in their fifties or sixties, while the third looked to be in his forties. They were the Imperial College's three most highly regarded teaching assistants: Bei Qiong, Zhang Meihe, and Nie Xuan.
At that moment, Zhang Meihe said with considerable agitation, "Brother Bei, not only has the court abruptly elevated the Imperial Medical Academy to stand alongside the Six Ministries and Five Courts, it has even established some Medical Academy and assigned its Academicians the Subordinate Fourth Rank, above even Hanlin Academicians, who hold the Principal Fifth Rank."
"If we let this go unchecked, won't physicians henceforth stand above us men of learning?"
Bei Qiong, already over sixty, sighed. "Jiushao"-Zhang Meihe's courtesy name-"how could I not share your concerns?"
"But these actions of His Majesty plainly show that he intends to promote and give greater weight to medicine. With his resolve so firm, how can you and I, mere teaching assistants at the Imperial College, possibly remonstrate with him?"
Zhang Meihe said urgently, "Are we to refrain from remonstrating simply because we cannot sway him? Since ancient times, no emperor has ever valued medicine more than Confucian learning. How do His Majesty's actions accord with the way of the sage kings?"
Hearing this, Bei Qiong could not help asking in return, "And when has His Majesty ever cared about the way of the sage kings when doing anything?"
For a moment, Zhang Meihe was struck speechless.
Then Nie Xuan, the youngest of the three, said, "Brother Jiushao, I have heard people say there is another reason for His Majesty's sudden interest in medicine."
"What reason?"
Nie Xuan said, "Have you forgotten, Brother Jiushao? During the second and third months, His Majesty was unwell and missed morning court for an entire month."
"Thus, when the imperial edict raising the Imperial Medical Academy's rank and establishing the Medical Academy came down, some began speculating that something might be wrong with His Majesty's health."
"His Majesty came from humble origins and suffered every hardship from childhood. He joined the Red Turban Army in his twenties and spent more than a decade amid warhorses and battle before founding the Great Ming. Now he is fifty."
At this point, Nie Xuan glanced at the courtyard wall and gate before lowering his voice. "Since ancient times, few emperors have lived beyond fifty, let alone a founding ruler like His Majesty, who spent half his life at war. I fear there is very likely something seriously wrong with his health."
"Ordinary people fear death, and emperors even more so. Even one as wise and mighty as Emperor Taizong of Tang could not avoid trusting occult adepts in his later years because of illness and pain, taking elixirs in hopes of prolonging his life. His Majesty's decision to value physicians rather than occult adepts in order to treat his illness is already a wise one."
After hearing this, Zhang Meihe's eyes widened, and he no longer knew what to say.
Then Nie Xuan returned to his normal tone. "Brother Jiushao, the court's establishment of the Medical Academy in the capital is actually a good thing for us too."
"We who serve as officials in the capital, along with our families, inevitably suffer from one illness or another. If renowned physicians from across the realm can be gathered here, wouldn't that make things easier for you and me?"
Zhang Meihe frowned at this. "Now that you mention it, I feel all the more that we should urge His Majesty to abolish the Medical Academy. Gathering renowned physicians from across the realm in the capital does indeed make treatment more convenient for the imperial family and the capital's nobles, officials, and gentry, but it deprives the provinces of those same physicians."
"If commoners suffer from difficult illnesses and need renowned physicians, must they travel a thousand miles to the capital? His Majesty has always made concern for the hardships of ordinary people a cornerstone of his governance. Doesn't establishing the Medical Academy and competing with the people for renowned physicians contradict that?"
Nie Xuan said, "The provinces will lose some renowned physicians, but that does not necessarily mean there will be no benefit to the people. In the past, when commoners sought treatment and the local renowned physician could not cure them, they had no idea what to do."
"Now, knowing that renowned physicians from across the realm are gathered in the capital, they can come here for treatment. With so many renowned physicians present, perhaps one will specialize in treating a particular difficult or unusual ailment."
"Furthermore, according to His Majesty's edict on the first of the month, the original purpose of gathering renowned physicians at the Medical Academy is to have them delve into medicine and conquer the many illnesses that could not be treated before."
"At the same time, these renowned physicians will compile medical texts and pharmacopoeias, and pass on their respective medical skills to the graduate students who come to study at the Medical Academy, cultivating more people with exceptional medical expertise."
"And the reason it is called the Medical Academy is that it is meant to follow the example of the pre-Qin Jixia Academy and carry medicine forward to greater glory. This is a measure that can benefit the people of the realm for generations. For that, what harm is there in the provinces having fewer renowned physicians for the next few years?"
Zhang Meihe wanted to refute him, but did not know how.
In the end, he could only rise and say angrily, "Nie Xuan, I never knew when you became such a sycophant, fawning on those above you!"
With that, he swept his sleeve and left.
Nie Xuan was not angry. Instead, he smiled and asked Bei Qiong, "Master Bei, which of us do you think made more sense just now, Brother Jiushao or me?"
Bei Qiong said helplessly, "The Great Ming has been established for nearly ten years, yet the standing of us men of learning remains far below what it was during the Song Dynasty. Zhang Jiuxiao opposes the establishment of the Medical Academy because he fears that scholars' standing will fall still further, shaking the foundations of the court's rule."
Nie Xuan said, "The Medical Academy trains physicians, and a physician's purpose is to save lives. Thus, however much His Majesty values the medical profession, how could it replace us men of learning?"
After asking this, Nie Xuan saw that Bei Qiong had sunk into thought, so he clasped his hands in farewell and left.
Upon returning home, he went straight into his study, took out paper and brush, and began writing.
Before he finished, an ordinary-looking man entered the study without a sound.
"His Majesty wants to know how the Imperial College's teachers and students have reacted over the past two days to the lifting of the alcohol ban and the Medical Academy."
Without raising his head, Nie Xuan said, "You had better knock next time you come in, or I will become deaf and blind at the Imperial College."
The man frowned at these words, then said, "I will next time."
Soon, Nie Xuan finished writing. He placed the newly written sheets and several others into an envelope and handed it to the man.
After the man left, Nie Xuan could not help letting out a long breath. With guilt on his face, he murmured to himself, "Zhang Jiushao, I had no choice either... I only hope you come through this unharmed."