Chapter 20 Homemade Penicillin
"This is Tianning Temple?" Princess Anqing was in front of Tianning Temple. Mao Xiang led the Jinyi guards to surround Tianning Temple several times.
The wars at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty also devastated Buddhist temples everywhere.
Tianning Temple is no exception.
Today's Tianning Temple is in dilapidated condition. There are overgrown weeds everywhere. There are only a dozen or so monks in the temple. Several old monks and some novice novices.
Mao Xiang said: "There should be no second Tianning Temple in Changzhou."
Princess Anqing flicked her skirt, and someone immediately brought up a chair. Princess Anqing sat down in front of the Main Hall. A dozen monks were brought over.
Princess Anqing said: "Which of you is the abbot?"
An old monk said: "The poor monk Fang Jue is the abbot of Tianning Temple. I wonder why Her Royal Highness the Princess is here to visit?"
Princess Anqing said: "Look for medicine."
The old monk said cautiously and doubtfully: "Looking for medicine?"
Princess Anqing leaned forward slightly and said: "Yes, seek medicine. Do you have a medicine here that treats fever because something moldy and green hair grows?"
The old monk Fang Jue said: "Your Royal Highness, there is indeed a medicine in the temple, but we are not too sure about its effectiveness."
Princess Anqing said: "Then take it out."
The old monk Fang Jue went down with several novice monks. After a while, the old monk Fang Jue brought a small jar as big as a fist and presented it to Princess Anqing.
Princess Anqing opened it and found a jar of unknown juice inside, which smelled musty. Princess Anqing's expectations for a panacea were all dashed. However, she still believed in her husband.
A few days later, this jar of mustard stew appeared in the Qianqing Palace.
The old monk Fang Jue talked eloquently in front of Zhu Yuanzhang and said: "There is an ancient legend in the temple that this thing is called mustard stew. First, a large amount of mustard greens are collected and stored in many large pottery jars. The jars are exposed to the open air day and night. , and pay attention to prevent rain. After being exposed to the sun and night dew, the mustard became mildewed until three or four inches of green mold grew. Then the pottery jar was sealed and buried in the soil, and the jar was opened after ten years. At this time, The mustard greens in the jar have completely turned into water, and the mold that grew before burial has disappeared, leaving them as they are now."
"In the peaceful and prosperous times, these temples were often found in the East and West. However, the world has been settled for the first time, and now there are only a few altars available in the courtyard."
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Xu Zheng."
Xu Zheng immediately stepped forward and said, "My servant is here."
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Find a geomantic treasure place outside Nanjing City. Let's build a Medicine Buddha Temple. Master Fang,"
Fang Jue said: "The old monk is here."
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "This Medicine Master Buddhist Temple is presided over by the master. I also ask the master to be compassionate. It is best to make more of these elixirs."
Fang Jue was so overwhelmed with joy that he exchanged a mere secret recipe for a temple outside Nanjing. What a great deal.
Fang Jue clasped his hands together and said, "Amitabha, the old monk must follow your majesty's benevolent heart, widely use medicine, and spread your majesty's compassion to the world."
Zhu Yuanzhang gestured slightly to Xu Zheng.
Xu Zheng asked Fang Jue to come down with a look in his eyes.
For a time, only Zhu Yuanzhang, He Xi, and Princess Anqing were left in the Qianqing Palace.
Zhu Yuanzhang frowned and said, "Is this the so-called panacea?" In his opinion, it was just a jar of unknown liquid. Not clean at all.
He Xi said: "Your Majesty, I have only heard of this thing but have never seen it. Your Majesty, do you remember penicillin?"
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "I know, it was written in your booklet."
He Xi said: "I don't know how to make modern penicillin. Even if I knew how to make it, it would be impossible to make it in this era. However, this drug is homemade penicillin, but it has many impurities and has many side effects. But maybe It’s the best solution at hand.”
Zhu Yuanzhang looked at the altar again, not knowing how to describe it. He said loudly: "Xu Zheng."
Xu Zheng immediately ran in from outside the palace.
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Take this to Jinyiwei and let Mao Xiang test the medicine. Be careful, this medicine does not contain much. I want to know as soon as possible, what is the effect of this medicine?"
Xu Zheng immediately said: "Yes."
Zhu Yuanzhang then said: "Anqing, go and accompany your mother, let her eat well and exercise well."
Princess Anqing said: "Yes."
Princess Anqing knew that the following things were not what he should know.
Zhu Yuanzhang looked at He Xi and said, "Are you ready?"
He Xi took a deep breath and said, "Ready."
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Okay, let's go to the Wenhua Hall."
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Wenhua Hall is the place where the prince studies. It is also the place where the sutra feast is held.
When Zhu Yuanzhang brought He Xi over, there were already many people in the Wenhua Hall.
A series of candidates including the prince, some civil servants in the East Palace, the Ministry of Rites, and the Hanlin Academy. They are all sitting in rows according to their positions.
As soon as Zhu Yuanzhang arrived, everyone below saluted.
Zhu Yuanzhang sat down and said: "Pingshen."
The officials below stood up one after another, and Zhu Yuanzhang said: "At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, I ordered Master Song to compile the "History of the Yuan Dynasty" to announce the establishment of the Ming Dynasty and the end of the Yuan Dynasty. However, the military was in a hurry at that time, so I could only order more than a dozen editors to compile it, and divide it into different chapters. The compilation is combined into one, and there are various omissions in it. One omission leads to thousands. I think about it now. It is indeed not in line with the face of the imperial court and will make people laugh forever."
"Therefore, I think it's okay to reconstruct the history of the Yuan Dynasty."
Zhu Yuanzhang first set the tone, and then said: "But how should it be repaired and by whom? I can't make up my mind for a while. Yes, I have invited you all to discuss it here. After all, the history of the Yuan Dynasty was crude before, and there were already Once again, this time when we revise the history of the Yuan Dynasty, we must set an example for future generations. I don’t want future generations to laugh at it.”
"What evening."
He Xi immediately stood up and said, "I'm here."
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "I heard that you are quite knowledgeable in the field of history, and you were the first to talk about rebuilding the history of the Yuan Dynasty. Today, you also want to talk about it. How do you think this history of the Yuan Dynasty should be revised?"
He Xi said: "Your Majesty, I think that when I compiled history during the prosperous times, I did not just compile the history of the Yuan Dynasty. The history of the Liao, Jin, Song, and three dynasties was compiled by Tuotuo of the former Yuan Dynasty. Among them, the history of the Song Dynasty is the most complicated and messy, and it also needs to be determined, and I believe that compiling history is not just for revising history. It is about summarizing the lessons of previous dynasties and applying them to the present. In recent centuries, what is the most important question to consider? Why did the Song Dynasty perish at the hands of foreigners? Since the Emperors Yan and Huang, China is in constant danger, but orthodoxy was destroyed by the Yi and Di, but only by the former Song Dynasty."
"This is an earth-shattering event."
When Liu Sanwu heard this, he immediately frowned. I thought to myself: "What a good topic."
It wasn't Liu Sanwu who thought the worst about He Xi. But for people who speak in the court, there are sounds outside the strings, and there are strings outside the sounds. Under one word, there is a surge of undercurrents, pointing to this and saying that, pointing to that and saying this. These are all basic operations.
Originally, when talking about revising the history of the Yuan Dynasty, shouldn’t we talk about the lessons learned from the fall of the Yuan Dynasty? But He Xi just talked about the lessons of the Song Dynasty's death?
Liu Sanwu believes that at the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the lessons learned from the fall of the Yuan Dynasty were carefully summed up. Zhu Yuanzhang also proposed that Yuan Yikuan lost the world. Kuan here refers to Kuan Zong losing control over the bureaucrats below. This is also the theoretical basis for Zhu Yuanzhang to govern the country with strictness and strict rules. So if we talk about it now, it will either have no new ideas or it will offend the emperor. So let's learn from the death of Song Dynasty instead.
To be honest, there is not much summary of the lessons learned from the fall of the Song Dynasty, and even if there is, it is superficial.
The Yuan Dynasty itself destroyed so many countries, but it did not regard the Song Dynasty as orthodox. Naturally, I won't take it too seriously. As for viewing the death of the Song Dynasty as the demise of orthodoxy since the Yan and Huang Dynasties, it is an unprecedented view.
There must be one lesson from the death of the Song Dynasty, that is, emphasizing culture over military affairs. There is another one, Neo-Confucianism.
It should be noted that Neo-Confucianism and Taoism, which were developed in the Song Dynasty, actually have a name, called Song Xue, which is opposite to the Classics of the Han Dynasty.
Liu Sanwu couldn't help but think of this. What did He Ximing say about the fall of the Song Dynasty? Basically, he wanted to attribute the lessons of the Song Dynasty to Neo-Confucianism. This move was indeed very insidious and cunning. Very dark heart.
Liu Sanwu was determined not to let He Xi's conspiracy succeed, and the Song family was a coward. He Liu Sanwu is not.
Just where to start?
