Zhe Qing was filled with anticipation, but Emperor Yu dismissed it as childish nonsense. However, for reasons unknown, he didn’t order her to stop and instead let her be. Today, he had summoned Zhe Qing primarily to discuss her studies. Once that was settled, he sent her back and returned to reviewing memorials, summoning his trusted ministers to deliberate on delaying the establishment of the Imperial Crown Princess.
Zhe Qing offered no explanation—after all, Imperial Physician Yu hadn’t yet succeeded in his experiments. Even with the title of "medical genius," she dared not make any guarantees. So, while Imperial Physician Yu immersed himself in experiments day after day in the side hall, she assisted by researching and providing support. At the same time, she looked into methods for steelmaking and salt production through solar evaporation.
Steelmaking and salt production were comparatively easier. As long as someone experimented patiently, even without being a "genius," results could likely be achieved. However, once these innovations emerged, a fierce confrontation with the noble families would be inevitable. Moreover, deciding who would take the lead in implementing them would require careful consideration.
When the ruler is weak and the ministers strong, every move faces constraints.
If she wanted to embark on large-scale infrastructure projects, even the most basic funding would be beyond her reach.
After much deliberation, she realized this endeavor had to proceed gradually. For now, she could leverage her Golden Finger to make a name for herself in medicine. The medical field had yet to attract the attention of the noble families, meaning less resistance. By earning substantial profits, she could secure startup capital for other infrastructure projects—a prudent approach and a chance to establish her first reputation.
Zhe Qing was kept so busy she barely had time to catch her breath. While searching online, she also ventured out of the palace several times with her Hidden Guards, hoping to stumble upon someone with golden characters above their head, but to no avail. She could only console herself with the thought that these things took time.
Amidst this whirlwind of activity, the days flew by.
Eighteen days later, Imperial Physician Yu dragged his exhausted body to her. Though his eyes were weary and barely open, his expression was one of immense excitement. He joyfully announced, "Your Highness, the medicine has been successfully prepared. We tested it according to your method, and the results are highly promising."
These words were music to her ears! This proved that the software on her computer was reliable, and her path toward infrastructure development was viable.
Holding the bottle, Zhe Qing’s eyes gleamed with visions of wealth. Looking at Imperial Physician Yu, she saw him as a perpetual motion machine for drug production and said, "Imperial Physician Yu, I have another formula here called Mafei San. Give it a try."
Recently, while working alongside Imperial Physician Yu, Zhe Qing had come to understand just how backward medical practices were in this era. She recalled that in Chinese history, Mafei San and bone-scraping treatments had existed long ago, but here, Mafei San had yet to be invented, and no one dared attempt bone-scraping surgeries.
What shocked her even more was the absence of systematic medical texts like the Treatise on Cold Damage and Miscellaneous Diseases or the Compendium of Materia Medica. Each family guarded its secret remedies closely, with no unified medical knowledge to speak of.
A possibility immediately occurred to Zhe Qing.
"Yu Guo could perhaps become a revered sanctuary of medicine, admired by all."
She began formulating a plan.
Late at night, as Zhe Qing was preparing to draft her proposal for Emperor Yu, she was summoned to the Chengming Hall, where the emperor rested.
Her father pointed at four bound youths kneeling on the ground, each around fourteen or fifteen years old, and declared, "My child A-Qing, these are the study companions I’ve found for you."
Though he called them "study companions," his tone carried a roguish flair, as if he were saying, "These are the young consorts I’ve picked for you."
Zhe Qing followed his pointing finger and saw four young gentlemen with rather unpleasant expressions.
She didn't recognize them, but she could roughly guess who their fathers were.
—They must be the sons of those ministers who opposed her becoming the Imperial Crown Princess.
Zhe Qing: "…"
She could also understand Emperor Yu's frustration. She heard he had been angered again in court today, and the more he thought about it afterward, the angrier he became. After angrily devouring seven large bowls of rice, he was so full he couldn't sleep all night. In the middle of the night, he got up with a sword in hand and shouted, "For me, tie up the youngest sons or grandsons of those four who jumped the most fiercely!"
Thus, the imperial guards tied them up and brought them here in the middle of the night. However, judging by Emperor Yu's demeanor, he was still fuming. So, Zhe Qing didn't order anyone to untie the young gentlemen. Instead, upon hearing that the emperor only wanted them to serve as the princess's study companions, the four young gentlemen suddenly felt as if they had escaped death.
Just being study companions—how wonderful!
One of them even shuffled closer to where Zhe Qing stood, speaking with utmost respect, completely unlike his detestable father, and said, "To serve as the Fourth Princess's study companion is an honor that would make my Qin ancestors' graves smoke with joy. I imagine our forebears in the underworld would happily burn a few more sticks of incense in celebration."
Emperor Yu liked people who flattered so openly. He pointed at Qin Kuan. "You, very good."
Qin Kuan smiled.
Emperor Yu then slammed his palm heavily on the dragon throne. "You are nothing like that old scoundrel father of yours. You definitely aren't his biological son but picked up from the streets. How about this—I'll change your surname and find you a new father."
Qin Kuan: "…"
His smile vanished.
Zhe Qing: "…"
Truly something her imperial father would say.
However, she swept her gaze over the four on the floor, knowing this was the result of everyone's calculations. They might become her study companions, perhaps even hoping to become her husbands and father her children. But she, too, would make use of them.
Her imperial father could remain on the throne for another decade or more without issue. A decade from now, the world would belong to the younger generation. Whether these study companions and their families would become blades in her hands or blades turned against her would depend on her abilities.
Zhe Qing took a deep breath: The future was still long.
She waved her hand, instructing the young eunuch to take them to a side hall to rest first. After everyone had left, seeing her imperial father still seething, she shared some good news: "Imperial Father, the Penicillin I mentioned to you last time has been successfully made."
The medicinal properties of Penicillin were truly miraculous. Even though Zhe Qing had explained it once before, Emperor Yu still found it hard to believe.
"I remember you said your prescription was something you noted down three years ago while reading in the small study," Emperor Yu frowned. "But three years ago, the small study caught fire, and all the books were burned."
"Three years have passed. How can you be so sure what you remember is correct?"
Zhe Qing smiled. "Imperial Father, you're overthinking it. The medicine has already been made. Could what I remembered possibly be wrong? Imperial Physician Yu has confirmed it through experiments on rabbits. Even if you don't believe me, surely you trust Imperial Physician Yu?"
Emperor Yu still had his doubts, especially since after hearing about the medicine's miraculous effects, he had gone to observe Imperial Physician Yu preparing it. But…
"That rice water, oil… and urine you used… Are you sure what you made is usable?"
Zhe Qing nodded, "Father, how could I joke about such a matter? This medicine is intended for the battlefield. Soldiers wounded by blades or swords would have a greater chance of survival with this medicine—how could I dare joke about something like this?"
Emperor Yu's expression gradually turned serious, his heart pounding wildly. "Take me to see it immediately."
Knowing his impatient nature, Zhe Qing had no choice but to nod. "Follow me."
A young eunuch led the way with a lantern, followed by a retinue of palace attendants. The two walked in the middle, hurrying—almost running—the entire way. Emperor Yu, with his long strides and urgency, moved as if flying. Zhe Qing, only fifteen and of average height, had to run to keep up. By the time they finally reached the side hall in Chanming Palace where Imperial Physician Yu was conducting his research, she was completely out of breath and exhausted.
Emperor Yu was somewhat dissatisfied. "A-Qing, your riding and archery still need more practice."
The four eunuchs guarding the door day and night hurriedly knelt. Before Zhe Qing could respond to Emperor Yu, she asked, "Is Imperial Physician Yu still awake?"
"He is awake. Lord Yu hasn't slept at all."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Yu took long strides, pushed the door open with a bang, and peered through the flickering lamplight at Imperial Physician Yu's deeply wrinkled face. He thought to himself, how strange—today, Imperial Physician Yu seemed as radiant as a peerless beauty.
He walked over with a smile. "My dear minister, I hear you have successfully produced Penicillin and tested it, finding it highly effective?"
Imperial Physician Yu was sixty years old and had been staying up late for two months straight. Under Emperor Yu's "enthusiastic" gaze, his sagging skin trembled uneasily, and he knelt in trepidation to pay his respects.
Emperor Yu helped him up. "If this miraculous medicine has truly been produced, you will have rendered a great service, worthy of being recorded in the annals of meritorious officials and remembered for generations."
Imperial Physician Yu's eyelids trembled, and tears of emotion welled up in his eyes. He did not forget to credit Zhe Qing for her contribution. "This humble minister dares not claim credit for this achievement. It is all due to the Fourth Princess. It was she who provided this extraordinary formula to me, and when I strayed from the right path, it was also the Fourth Princess who reminded me, allowing me to correct my course in time and produce this miraculous medicine so quickly."
Zhe Qing: "…"
She didn't deserve such praise—she had the support of Baidu.
Moreover, Imperial Physician Yu truly lived up to being someone with a progress bar, managing to grasp what she had explained in such a short time.
For example, during the extraction process of Penicillin, mold was required. She didn't know what this was and had to look it up, but Imperial Physician Yu quickly understood. He extracted mold from a piece of spoiled rice and placed it into a porcelain vessel already prepared with a mixture of rice water and sweet potato water.
He explained, "This humble minister actually understands this. Among the poor folk, if someone injures their hand, they often apply moldy paste to it."
After that, she no longer needed to pretend to think hard beside him (while actually searching Baidu in her mind). Imperial Physician Yu took charge of everything.
Zhe Qing coughed lightly and said, "Father, besides Penicillin, I actually learned about other medicinal uses from those burned medical texts… I think if Penicillin is real, the other things likely aren't false either. With only Imperial Physician Yu researching, his energy is limited. Why not select some people interested in medicine to study together?"
She had thought it over: things like Penicillin that required research could be left to Imperial Physician Yu. However, other aspects of traditional Chinese medicine—such as some later-developed herbal formulas she had researched—along with basic theories of Western medicine, could be taught at a medical college she would establish. There, these individuals would undergo centralized training. In time, her medical college would undoubtedly become the foremost medical institution in the world.
Whether in later generations or the present day, hospitals and medical clinics have always been among the most profitable ventures. As long as they were managed well, they were sure to yield excellent results.
Yet, Emperor Yu discerned a deeper meaning in her words. "What are you planning?" he asked.
"Father, medicine used for the people is a virtue that heaven and earth can attest to. Used for commerce, it becomes a significant source of revenue for the national treasury."
Emperor Yu listened quietly, nodding without immediately refuting Zhe Qing's evidently well-considered words.
"What else?" he inquired.
Zhe Qing hesitated before continuing, "Additionally, six months from now, I will administer a test to them. Some may continue their studies and research, while others will leave Jing Du to immerse themselves in the common folk, taking root in the countryside. There, they will begin practicing and teaching the basic medical knowledge they have acquired."
"For the latter, I wish to call them Barefoot Doctors."
She wasn't sure if Barefoot Doctors would be feasible in Yu Guo, but if successful, it would be a great boon. Handled well, it could even become a network under her influence.
She also painted a grand vision for Emperor Yu, "Father, in the future, our Yu Guo will become a medical powerhouse, a sacred land of healing revered across the world, a paradise they yearn to reach."
The more patients who came seeking fame, the more silver would flow into their hands!
Emperor Yu glanced at her and laughed heartily, "Excellent! May my daughter's wishes come true."