---

Medical Dispute

Wei Lan walked briskly with the teaching application materials to the Educational Office. The building of the office was solemn and imposing, with a tall vermilion-red gate flanked by stone lions that stood majestically. The stone-paved path in front of the gate had been worn smooth by the feet of passersby, radiating a sense of official grandeur.

According to the rules, she explained her purpose and presented the materials to the gatekeeper. The gatekeeper scrutinized Wei Lan, his gaze filled with some examination, and slowly said, “Wait here while I report inside.”

Wei Lan felt a little reassured and stood patiently at the side, waiting.

After receiving the materials, the gatekeeper turned and went inside, handing the materials to the clerk. The clerk carefully examined the materials before returning them and telling the gatekeeper to pass the message on to Wei Lan: “Matters regarding the medical teaching are under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Medical Institute. You should go there to handle it. This office doesn’t deal with such matters.”

Wei Lan, feeling anxious, hurriedly said, “But I just came from the Imperial Medical Institute. Lord Zhang of the Department of Medicine sent me here to handle it.”

The gatekeeper remained unmoved, waved his hand, and said, “Rules are rules. Go back.”

Wei Lan, frustrated, asked, “Can I at least meet the head of the Educational Office to explain things in person?”

The gatekeeper snorted coldly and disdainfully replied, “The head is extremely busy with government affairs and doesn’t have time to meet with someone like you. Do you think you can just see him whenever you want?”

Wei Lan stood at the entrance of the office, watching the people passing by, and felt increasingly upset. The Educational Office seemed so impersonal. She was a doctor, here to handle legitimate business, yet she was being turned away like this.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She felt as if she was being kicked around like a ball. What was she supposed to do to get the approval she needed?

With a heavy heart, Wei Lan returned to the clinic. Liu Mingyi immediately noticed her downcast mood and, knowing the matter was likely unresolved, asked, “What happened?”

Wei Lan sighed deeply and said, “This approval process is more exhausting than performing surgery. Lord Zhang at the Imperial Medical Institute at least met me, but the threshold of the Educational Office—I couldn’t even cross it.” Then she recounted the entire incident to Liu Mingyi.

After listening, Liu Mingyi furrowed his brows and thought for a while before saying, “This isn’t your fault. What Lord Zhang meant was to remind you that if you don’t have a strong backing, don’t easily compete for his spotlight. Lord Zhang is a very cautious person who does things by the book. He doesn’t seek achievements but avoids mistakes. The more you do, the more likely you are to make mistakes, so he naturally isn’t very concerned about your matter.”

After hearing Liu Mingyi’s analysis, Wei Lan began to understand. She slumped into a chair, dejected, and said, “I should have sensed something strange when he suddenly asked if I had a powerful mentor. I’m exhausted—I’ve been busy all day, and there’s still no progress.”

Liu Mingyi pondered for a moment and came up with three solutions. He first said, “The first solution is to attach Lord Zhang’s name to the midwife training program. He could use it to seek merit from the court, and the approval process will speed up. But, the efforts you made earlier will be in vain.”

Wei Lan interjected, “I don’t care for the title. I just want to get things done. Mingyi, if his name is attached, will he really help?”

Liu Mingyi smiled slightly and said, “Most likely. Lord Zhang once recommended me to take the examination at the Imperial Medical Institute, and we became friends. When it benefits him, he is usually very enthusiastic.”

Wei Lan, intrigued, couldn’t help but ask, “Then why didn’t you go to the Imperial Medical Institute? That’s a place many people dream of.”

Liu Mingyi averted his gaze, paused for a moment, and casually said, “I feel this place needs me more.”

Wei Lan thought to herself that the Imperial Medical Institute was an extraordinary place, akin to a top-tier hospital in modern times. Doctors there were close to the emperor, like the personal physician to the president, an honor every doctor would desire. Yet Mingyi had rejected it so casually.

She couldn’t help but feel a deep respect for Liu Mingyi—he wasn’t someone who pursued fame and fortune, but a person who truly valued benevolence and put curing illnesses and saving lives first.

She asked, “What’s the second solution?”

Liu Mingyi continued, “Lord Zhang’s words do make sense. Since you didn’t meet the head of the Educational Office, we can write a letter explaining everything clearly. Besides, don’t you want to establish a medical school? This will require the support of the Educational Office, so you should write it all in the letter. When the head sees it, he will surely support you.”

Wei Lan thought for a moment and said, “That makes sense.” She had always wanted to standardize medical education and establish a proper medical school. However, most educational institutions operated at a loss, and without the support of the government, it would be hard to sustain. She would eventually need to seek the backing of the Educational Office.

She then asked, “What’s the third method?”

Liu Mingyi said, “The third solution is to give up and issue a certificate recognized by our People’s Medical Clinic.”

Wei Lan rolled her eyes and said, “Humph! I’ll use both methods! The first and second solutions together!” Wei Lan was never the type to be easily defeated by difficulties. The harder the task, the more determined she became to tackle it head-on.

After months of hard study, Wei Lan had nearly mastered the traditional Chinese characters and daily vocabulary used in the Ming dynasty. However, when it came to writing formal documents, she still struggled. Therefore, the task of drafting the letter to the Educational Office naturally fell to Liu Mingyi.

The two of them sat around the desk, their heads close together, eagerly discussing the details. Occasionally, they argued heatedly over word choices, and at other times, they shared a smile over a clever sentence structure. It was a lively and engaging process.

After a long struggle, they finally finished a draft. Liu Mingyi took the draft and carefully copied it, each stroke and dot precise and meticulous.

Once the copying was completed, Wei Lan held the freshly written letter in her hands, her eyes full of joy. Liu Mingyi’s handwriting was elegant, poised, and graceful, like flowing water, making people want to read it carefully.

Wei Lan gently blew on the ink to dry it, then teasingly winked and said, “Mingyi, your handwriting is so beautiful! If I were the head of the Educational Office, I’d approve it on the spot without even looking at the content!”

Liu Mingyi smiled faintly and said, “The head of the Educational Office is not as shallow as you.”

Wei Lan carefully sealed the letter and handed it to Ban Xia, instructing, “This letter needs to be given to the gatekeeper at the office and sent to the head of the Educational Office.”

Ban Xia nodded, took the envelope, and left. At that moment, a commotion suddenly erupted outside the clinic. Wei Lan and Liu Mingyi exchanged a glance and hurried outside to check.

They saw a large group of villagers gathered in front of the pharmacy, blocking the entrance of Shunxing.

At the front was a young man, unfamiliar but with a commanding presence. He shouted loudly, “Shopkeeper of Shunxing, several of us drank the medicine you prepared and got severe diarrhea. Your medicine must have a problem!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd around them erupted into heated discussions. Some frowned and worriedly shared their own experiences, while others pointed at Shunxing, angrily demanding an explanation. The scene was chaotic.

The shopkeeper of Shunxing stood in the center of the crowd, calm and composed. He cupped his hands and said, “Everyone, please calm down. This pharmacy has been in business for a long time, and all the prescriptions are strictly followed. This diarrhea issue may have another cause, it cannot be generalized.” His voice was loud and his tone firm, not at all intimidated by the crowd.

He continued, “How about this: I invite a few villagers to bring their prescriptions, and we will have a doctor look at them carefully. If there is a problem, I, Shunxing, will not shirk responsibility and will give everyone a proper explanation.”

Wei Lan quickly scanned the crowd and immediately recognized a few familiar faces from her past patients, but there were others whose faces were unfamiliar, especially the leader. She leaned toward Liu Mingyi and whispered, “Mingyi, do you recognize the leader?”

Liu Mingyi frowned slightly, shook his head, and said, “I didn’t treat them. They might have come directly to pick up medicine.”

Wei Lan’s mind began to race. The pharmacy had been operating for a while and had always had a good reputation. How could such an issue suddenly arise? One person might have had a reaction to the medicine, but several people experiencing diarrhea at the same time—how could the prescription be wrong for everyone?

Her brow furrowed slightly as she thought: The diarrhea is real, but there’s something suspicious about it. Among the crowd, there are several unfamiliar faces, especially the leader. Even Liu Mingyi doesn’t know him. It’s clear someone is causing trouble.

Wei Lan skillfully squeezed into the crowd and introduced herself warmly, “Hello, everyone. I’m Dr. Wei from this clinic. I heard that the medicine caused diarrhea. I’d like to ask, were you all using our prescriptions? Is there anyone who hasn’t finished their medicine yet?”

The leader, seeing Wei Lan, became even more displeased. His tone was filled with suspicion and anger as he sharply questioned, “So you’re the famous Dr. Wei? What do you mean by this? Are you accusing us of trying to scam you? What benefit do we get from doing that?” His eyes widened, ready to take action, and the air around him crackled with hostility.

Liu Mingyi immediately stepped forward, blocking Wei Lan and speaking in a calm, steady voice, “We don’t mean any offense. We just need to look at the evidence.”

The crowd began to calm down as people whispered among themselves. At that moment, an elderly man with silver hair slowly stepped out from the crowd. It was Zhang Laobo, the usually kind and gentle elderly man.

He cleared his throat and spoke in a slightly hoarse voice, “I just want to say a few words of fairness. After I drank the medicine from your pharmacy, I did indeed experience diarrhea. I still have a pot of medicine left at home. If the two of you need it, you can take it for examination.”

Liu Mingyi thought to himself, Zhang Laobo was always a straightforward person, and he would not cause trouble for no reason. He cupped his hands to thank Zhang Laobo, saying, “Thank you, Zhang Laobo. I’ll send someone to collect the medicine from your house later.”

Then, he turned to the crowd and spoke in a clear, sincere voice: “If it turns out that the medicine from our pharmacy caused the diarrhea, I will compensate everyone fully for the money you spent, and on top of that, I will give each person an additional 50 wen. I hope you can give us some time to investigate and find out the truth, so we can make things right for everyone.” This statement was reasonable, and the leader found no reason to continue attacking.

Several villagers who were familiar with Dr. Wei and Dr. Liu’s character calmed down after hearing the offer for compensation. They nodded, showing their support. As they did, the noise of the crowd gradually subsided, and people began to leave.

Before leaving, the leader exchanged a subtle glance with several others in the crowd. They quietly disappeared into the crowd, retreating together.

This small action didn’t escape the eyes of Wei Lan and Liu Mingyi, who both thought to themselves that the leader and his companions had likely planned this, trying to stir up trouble on purpose.

---