Chapter 560: Chapter 197 Others
A sudden, light breeze sprang up from nowhere, and thick clouds drifted in from the distance overhead, completely obscuring the sun.
The courtyard became somewhat gloomy.
Miao Liangfang continued to speak.
"That young lady fed a poisoned little girl a medicinal pill, and after the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, the little girl vomited a pile of filth and gradually woke up; her life was saved from then on. At the time, the onlooking crowd clapped for her in unison, but the young lady stood up, boarded her carriage, and left."
"Seeing that the young lady was dressed luxuriously, I asked the shopkeeper who she was. The shopkeeper told me it was the Mo Family’s carriage."
Lin Danqing asked, "The Mo Family?"
Miao Liangfang slowly smiled.
"Imperial Physician Mo Wensheng, who initially served in the Hanlin Medical Institute, was someone I heard of when I worked as an assistant. He was old, his medical practices rigid, sticking to outdated remedies without any willingness to adapt, yet due to his advanced age and longevity, everyone trusted him; his prescriptions were conservative, which endeared him to the nobles in the court."
"Mo Ruyun is Mo Wensheng’s granddaughter."
This name was somewhat unfamiliar to all present.
Miao Liangfang paused for a moment before continuing.
"Word spread quickly through the Shengjing Pharmacy; I was quite interested in this young lady’s medical skills at the time, so I asked a few more questions. I learned that Miss Mo’s way of practicing medicine was completely different from her grandfather Mo Wensheng’s."
"While Mo Wensheng was conservative, Mo Ruyun used medicine in a fierce and domineering manner. Yet she was a genius; difficult and complex diseases that stumped the medical practice were easily solved in her hands. It is said that she also briefly attended the Imperial Medical Bureau when she was young, but she stopped going after a while, calling the medical principles taught by the masters there extremely outdated."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Ling sneaked a glance at Ji Xun.
This seemed to be an indirect insult to Ji Xun as well.
Ji Xun, oblivious, looked at Miao Liangfang with confusion, "If Miss Mo had never attended the Imperial Medical Bureau, and her grandfather’s medical approach is so different from hers, could it be she had another great teacher?"
"No."
"Then how does she practice medicine?"
There are naturally geniuses in the world, with intelligence and quick wit far surpassing that of ordinary people. Some may have photographic memories, or a strategist’s mind, but practicing medicine is entirely different from these skills; without personally seeing a large number of patients and their symptoms, it is difficult to reach such a level simply by reading a few medical classics and understanding pharmacology.
Miao Liangfang smiled and waved his hand.
"Doctor Ji, don’t be in a hurry, let an old man continue his story—"
He sighed, "In any case, Miss Mo was like a legend, her reputation outshining even the current Doctor Ji. People in the medical field say that even though Miss Mo has never studied at the Imperial Medical Bureau, once she reaches the appropriate age, she will naturally enter the Hanlin Medical Institute and become an Imperial Physician in the future, surpassing her grandfather in achievements."
"Such a genius, I, at the time, only thought of as a character in rumors. After all, her status was not low, and she wasn’t someone who could be seen by us commoners every day."
"I was doing quite well in that pharmacy. Two months later, as I was busy working, the woman who previously brought in the poisoned little girl appeared at the door, this time alone."
Lin Danqing became anxious, "Did the little girl die?"
Miao Liangfang shook his head, "She disappeared."
Lu Tong’s fingers stiffened slightly as they clutched the wine bowl.
"The woman looked haggard and worried, saying only that the little girl had recovered after a few days back home. Who would have guessed that one day she went out to fetch wine and did not return after half a day; when she was searched for, she was nowhere to be found."
"The woman came to ask if anyone at our pharmacy had seen the little girl, but none of us had."
Miao Liangfang sighed.
"Actually, during that period, children were often disappearing in Shengjing. The City Guard said it might be the work of kidnappers. The abducted children were mostly from impoverished backgrounds; the Imperial Court was impatient with searching, and their parents could not afford the effort, so after a few days of searching, they would give up."
"Seeing that woman so pitiable, having gone gray overnight, I wanted to help. But despite watching carefully and asking many people for a long time, I saw no sign of her."
"Later, after half a year, I had left that pharmacy, and another child went missing in Shengjing."
He said, "This child was no ordinary one."
Duan Xiaoyan was curious, "Who was the child?"
"The son of the Ministry of Justice Director Li!"
The crowd looked at each other, astonished.
For the kidnapper to target the household of a director from the Ministry of Justice was truly audacious.
Miao Liangfang stroked his beard, "Director Li is henpecked; his wife at home only birthed him twin daughters. He then took a concubine down in Huaihua Alley, who bore him a son, just five years old."
"Fearing his wife’s discovery, Director Li was extremely cautious. The mother and son did not dare to show off, so others thought they were just a moderately well-off widow and orphan who had come to the capital city to live."