Zhu Biao sighed. "I asked several physicians as well, Father, and finally learned the reason from Physician Xia."
"Pain in the stomach region is a stubborn ailment. Mild cases are not fatal, but require careful treatment to recover. Severe cases, however-especially one as advanced as described in your imperial warrant-have already penetrated beyond all hope of cure. Neither medicine nor treatment can help."
"Even after discussing it all night, the renowned physicians could only offer treatments to ease the illness slightly, prolong the patient's life a little, and spare him some suffering. They have no confidence whatsoever in curing it."
"That is why none of the physicians dared settle on a treatment, not even Director Dai."
Zhu Yuanzhang understood, but remained puzzled.
"If it's incurable, why couldn't they tell Yunqi and have him come back to the palace to tell me? Why put on a show of discussing it all night?"
Zhu Biao gave Zhu Yuanzhang a rather helpless look. "These physicians did not know who in the palace had fallen ill. They feared that diagnosing it as incurable would make you take your anger out on them."
"Moreover, with so many physicians discussing the treatment together, there were indeed disagreements. That was why no one dared finalize a diagnosis or treatment."
"After learning of this, I told them on the spot that whether or not they could cure it, I would intercede with you, and you would never take your anger out on them. Had I not done so, they would probably still be discussing it without reaching any conclusion."
Zhu Yuanzhang was both astonished and furious at this. He could not help saying, "Afraid I'd take my anger out on them? Do I really look like someone who enjoys taking his anger out on others?!"
Previously, Zhu Biao