On the first day of class, Huang Youwei arrived early with his dorm mates at the classroom marked "Surgery Class One (Specializing in Anatomy, etc.)" on the doorframe.
Indeed, Huang Youwei discovered that all six people in their dorm were assigned to Surgery Class One.
The two adjacent dorms were also part of Surgery Class One, with one dorm housing only three people. The remaining dorms were all filled with Pharmacology Class students (specializing in studying various legendary prescriptions).
He had speculated yesterday that there might only be fifteen students in the Surgery Class. Today, upon entering the classroom, he confirmed it—there were indeed only fifteen desks.
When his dorm mates arrived, the students from the other two dorms were already there as well. Everyone gathered together, and the most discussed topic was why they had chosen Surgery.
Among them, three were genuinely interested in so-called surgical procedures, two had come out of curiosity, and nine had heard that the Fourth Princess was very interested in Surgery and wanted to take a shortcut—though they didn’t say it outright, Huang Youwei had already sensed it from their words and actions.
But when they asked him, he chose to lie as well. He said, "I’m from Qing Province. I once heard of Mr. Zhang’s name and felt even then that he was extraordinary. Now that he has gained the Princess’s trust, it proves he was right, so I came to study."
His first statement wasn’t entirely false. However, back in Qing Province, what Huang Youwei had heard were curses like "the Zhang family madman," not praise.
His ultimate goal in joining the Surgery Class was still for business.
As for the Pharmacology Class, he was already familiar with the subject. Although there might be some differences, at most, he would need to master the prescriptions provided by the Princess, build good relationships with the people there, and stay vigilant. But Surgery was an entirely new field of medicine—it wasn’t enough to just be cautious; he had to understand it. Only by understanding it himself could he sell its products.
The first to eat crabs always had to take some risks. He was willing to give up Pharmacology and seek knowledge (and business opportunities) in Surgery.
As long as something good came out of it, it would be worth it.
So when Zhang Yushu arrived, Huang Youwei focused all his attention on observing what he had to offer.
Hmm… in his left hand was a teaching ruler (ignore that), and in his right hand, he held a bamboo tube (?).
He wore a… white garment? Its style was quite peculiar.
But then, Surgery itself was peculiar.
Thus, all fifteen students in the class widened their eyes, forcing themselves to remain calm as they watched Zhang Yushu, making him visibly nervous.
It was his first time teaching, and he lacked experience. Fortunately, the Princess had asked him to prepare lesson plans in advance, so he wasn’t flustered. He briefly introduced himself and then took out the bamboo tube.
"This is called a stethoscope."
Using a bamboo tube as a stethoscope was the Princess’s suggestion, and she had even assigned a minor official from the Ministry of Works to help him with the measurements. After many trials, they finally created this bamboo tube that could hear the human heartbeat.
"Previously, when diagnosing pulses, we emphasized the Four Diagnostic Methods: Observation, Listening/Smelling, Inquiry, and Palpation."
But sometimes, certain conditions required listening to the heartbeat. If the patient was a man, it was manageable, but if it was a woman, it would be inappropriate to get too close, potentially delaying treatment. Moreover, listening through layers of flesh and skin made it nearly impossible to hear anything clearly.
Thus, "this stethoscope is essential. Come up and give it a try. Who wants to be the first… um, raise your hand?"
Raise your hand?
Huang Youwei hesitantly raised his hand, and Zhang Yushu breathed a sigh of relief.
“You, then.”
If no one had raised their hand, he would have been terribly embarrassed.
After that, it became unstoppable—everyone rushed to try it. When they heard the clear heartbeat, their expressions turned excited. “This is truly a wonderful thing, and so simple! How come we never made something like this before?”
Zhang Yushu replied with a hint of pride, “This is all thanks to Her Highness the Princess’s ingenious ideas.”
Her Highness the Princess—she truly is a wise one! How does she know everything!
Hearing this, Huang Youwei thought he couldn’t miss this opportunity. He stepped forward and expressed his admiration for the Princess to Zhang Yushu, then inquired about how to make it, hoping he could create some to take back and use for auscultation with his family.
He deliberately tried to build rapport, saying, “Mr. Zhang, I am from Qing Province. When I practiced medicine there before, I often thought that if there were something like the stethoscope you brought today, we wouldn’t be so helpless, and patients wouldn’t have to endure so much suffering.”
He had just realized that since Zhang Yushu brought it to the classroom, it must be something meant to be shared widely. He had to seize this chance. Moreover, it was the first day—if he wanted to make a move, he had to do it in front of everyone. Otherwise, he might not even find a place to stand later on.
Zhang Yushu nodded. “Teaching you this is precisely so you can use it and help spread the word. Feel free to make use of it.”
The expressions of the others also grew excited. They all understood what this represented and felt quite fortunate to be here.
Zhang Yushu, however, paid them no further mind. Instead, he reached into his sleeve and pulled out another item—a diagram of the human body.
“Now, let’s begin the formal lesson.”
One class lasted two hours, with a fifteen-minute break in between. At first, everyone was unaccustomed to this format, but later they felt there was some logic to it. After learning about Eye Health Exercises, Mu Hua, who had previously studied ears and eyes, began to have his own little thoughts.
He deliberately walked over to speak with Zhang Yushu. “Mr. Zhang…”
Zhang Yushu: “Hmm?”
Mu Hua wasn’t as thick-skinned as Huang Youwei. He stammered, “These Eye Health Exercises… could I—”
Though he didn’t finish his sentence, his meaning was clear enough.
Blushing, he added softly, “Mr. Zhang, actually, I’m also from Qing Province.”
Zhang Yushu: “…”
Zhe Qing was now very happy.
Her medical school was developing well. On Zhang Yushu’s side, since surgery was a new field, he hadn’t yet produced any accomplished students. However, Imperial Physician Yu had selected several dozen promising talents to research more medicines with him.
For example, Allicin.
Compared to Penicillin, it seemed less widely known, but it was also a miraculous medicine. It could reduce inflammation, lower blood pressure, and more. Zhe Qing had pleaded for it for a long time on medical forums before finally obtaining it.
Allicin was also slightly easier to extract than Penicillin, so Imperial Physician Yu made quick progress. Then, they even developed an original wound medicine superior to Yunnan Baiyao, which was already being produced in batches and shipped to the border.
After these medicines were created, when Emperor Yu looked at Imperial Physician Yu and his disciples, it was no longer as if he were seeing a beauty—it was more like he was gazing upon saints!
Then, upon hearing that her daughter had also recalled a method to produce high-quality steel, she once again turned her "sage-like" gaze toward Zhe Qing. "A-Qing, is it true? Steelmaking?"
This was even more urgently needed than medicine.
Zhe Qing nodded.
Now that the medical school was basically established, all she needed was to wait for them to master their skills before opening a clinic in Jing Du, ready to receive money from people far and wide.
Those aristocratic families must have their share of ailments, right? And aristocrats were the most protective of their lives.
Their silver was the easiest to earn.
So, she immersed herself day and night in researching steelmaking materials. After finishing her notes, she suddenly felt a stirring and looked outside—someone was passing by in front of her.
Above their head floated five large characters: Genius in Biology, Physics, and Chemistry.
By then, it was already June, and the weather was stiflingly hot. Zhe Qing had stepped out for some fresh air and was reviewing her notes in a pavilion, so the person she saw was passing through the small garden. She immediately chased after them, running until she was out of breath before catching up and ordering the guards to stop the person.
It was a girl.
A young palace maid.
Likely from the laundry bureau. She was terribly timid; with guards blocking her path and the princess herself arriving, she was on the verge of fainting. Still, she managed to bow and greet Zhe Qing, trembling all the while.
Zhe Qing had no intention of frightening her little genius! She personally helped the girl up, desperately suppressing a grin, and said, "I see you have an extraordinary skeletal structure, a natural talent for studying… biology, physics, and chemistry. Would you like to work by my side?"
The young palace maid was named Xuesheng, only twelve years old. She was said to have been born on a snowy day, knew a few characters but not many. Yet, as a genius, she miraculously grasped some understanding of those chemical symbols.
"Although I can’t read them, hearing Your Highness’s descriptions, I can roughly understand a thing or two."
Zhe Qing spent day and night with her, teaching her biology, physics, and chemistry from the ground up (by reading chemistry books verbatim). After half a month of such teaching, once Xuesheng had a basic understanding, Zhe Qing handed her the crude steelmaking methods refined by later generations—these methods didn’t initially require knowledge of specific chemical principles. Zhe Qing’s idea was to experiment first.
Learning while experimenting, with the genius of three disciplines combined, she was sure to succeed quickly.
Since it was inconvenient to work within the palace, Zhe Qing asked Emperor Yu to provide a secret residence. She stayed there for a few days herself but soon grew concerned: this girl was pushing herself too hard.
Unlike Imperial Physician Yu and Zhang Yushu, who at least rested a few hours a day, Xuesheng did not. Even when ordered to rest, she would secretly memorize and recite her lessons.
One day, Zhe Qing discovered this and earnestly advised her to take a long-term approach, emphasizing that good health was essential for sustained learning. What if she died from overwork? To her surprise, the girl tearfully replied, "Your Highness, please don’t abandon me. I will learn very well."
Zhe Qing’s heart ached with sympathy! She had no choice but to insist that Xuesheng sleep at least two hours a day, while also arranging nutritious meals and specially ordering stews for her.
"Oh, and hair care too," she specifically instructed the imperial physician.
She couldn’t let the girl go bald at such a young age.
But despite Xuesheng’s relentless efforts, her weak foundation meant progress was much slower than when Imperial Physician Yu developed Penicillin. She still hadn’t succeeded.
"Once the steel is produced, our soldiers can upgrade everything from their armor to their weapons."
Emperor Yu said with a smile, "My child, this time, from medicine to steel, your father will create momentum and handle the aftermath for you. When the time comes, not to mention anything else, some of those old scoundrels who keep nagging and some of those foxes who are still watching from the sidelines will likely kneel before you and beg you, all for the sake of medicine and steel."
However, there was one thing he was still very curious about.
"I heard you said the same thing to Zhang Yushu, Imperial Physician Yu, and that little palace maid—'extraordinary skeletal structure.' Zhang Yushu and Imperial Physician Yu are one thing, but how did you know that little palace maid could understand steelmaking?"
Zhe Qing was stumped.
She made up an excuse, "There is a Bone-Reading Art that I learned myself, which is how I could recognize it."
Then she randomly scribbled a few pages of the Book of Changes and said, "This relies on talent."
She was already widely acknowledged as having a photographic memory. After all, so much medical knowledge could be "memorized" in her mind, so she must indeed have a talent for memory.
Emperor Yu took the paper, praising her for her good memory and talent while treasuring it. "I’ll see if I can learn it too."
Zhe Qing was his own flesh and blood. If his daughter could learn it, surely he could too.
Then he said to her with amusement, "For the past two months, you haven’t attended the academy even once. Some people are already starting to complain. Go to the academy today and take a look, so you don’t forget the faces of those eight study companions—they’re all quite good-looking. They’d make fine consorts for you in the future."
Zhe Qing: "…"
Such outrageous words!