The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

Chapter 612

"Our Minister Xia is probably indulging in revelry every night these days."

Zhou Chu couldn't help but laugh as he listened to the prescription given by the Imperial Guards.

"Yes, in the days leading up to this, he won't notice anything wrong and will be very reliant on the medicine. By the time he realizes the problem, his kidney essence will probably be depleted and his body fluids will be almost gone. It will be difficult to replenish them then."

"That's what the Embroidered Uniform Guard said."

"What's your name?"

Looking at the Imperial Guard in front of him, Zhou Chu suddenly realized that this person was a talented individual with exceptional medical skills.

"Your subordinate, Shao Hui."

When Zhou Chu asked this question, the Imperial Guard was flattered and replied.

As the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Zhou Chu's ability to ask for his name meant that he had officially entered the sights of this powerful figure. Shao Hui, having served in the Embroidered Uniform Guard for many years, could not possibly be unaware of what this meant.

"Shao Hui, why does that sound like a woman's name?"

Zhou Chu looked at Shao Hui and teased her.

"In reply to your question, sir, I have been frail and sickly since childhood. My father gave me this name so that I could live, and he also made me become the godfather of an old willow tree. That's how I survived."

Shao Hui answered truthfully.

Zhou Chu nodded upon hearing this, not surprised at all, as this custom was not uncommon.

"Go down."

Zhou Chu waved his hand and said.

Upon hearing this, Shao Hui bowed respectfully and left the Zhou residence.

"Tell Lu Wanshan to promote Shao Hui. If the position of commander of a thousand is gone, surely there can be a deputy commander of a thousand? Such a talented person is only a centurion, it's a waste of his talent."

After Shao Hui left, Zhou Chu looked at Shen Lian, who was standing to the side, and said...

“It is indeed a waste of his talent. I learned a lot about pharmacology and pathology from him before. Compared with him, what I have learned is just the tip of the iceberg. But ordinary poisons cannot be hidden from my eyes.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Lian spoke from the heart.

To be honest, Shao Hui could be considered half of Shen Lian's teacher. Shen Lian had always been well aware of Shao Hui's talent, and now that Shao Hui had come into the adults' view, Shen Lian was naturally happy for him.

.......

With the train's transport capacity proven, Emperor Jiajing issued an edict ordering the Baoyuan Bureau to cooperate with the Southern Garrison Command in manufacturing trains and carriages.

The Baoyuan Bureau was originally used for minting coins, but during the Yongle era, it was mostly used by Zhu Di for shipbuilding, which led to Zheng He's voyages to the Western Ocean.

The Baoyuan Bureau had many craftsmen who could build anything, including the ships that the Ming Dynasty sank to sea a few years ago. Originally, during the Zhengde period, the Baoyuan Bureau was already in a semi-abandoned state, and the officials inside only received salaries and did not even have to go on duty.

Until a few years ago, after the Ming Dynasty opened its sea routes, the Baoyuan Bureau became extremely busy. Now, most of the official ships on the Ming Dynasty's coast are produced by the Baoyuan Bureau.

In the past year or two, the Baoyuan Bureau has not been as busy as it was at the beginning. After all, the Ming Dynasty's ships have become more stable, and they only need to produce a fixed number of ships each year to meet their quota.

In this way, the craftsmen from Baoyuan Bureau could be temporarily transferred to the Nanzhen Mansion to help Hai Rui and his team build trains and carriages in large quantities.

With the addition of the Baoyuan Railway Bureau, the productivity of the Southern Garrison Command was greatly improved. While locomotives still required a certain level of technical expertise, the carriages did not, and the Baoyuan Railway Bureau was perfectly capable of handling the task.

In this way, in less than a month, the Southern Garrison produced more than a dozen locomotives and countless carriages.

With these trains, the three railway lines can officially begin operation.

With the official operation of the three railways, those officials who colluded with the salt gang could no longer restrain themselves.

"Sir, it's time to make a move. Once these trains are running steadily, there's no point in taking action now."

One official looked at another third-rank official and said.

"Then let them make their move. They should make their move at midnight tonight. The location should not be too close to the capital, nor too far away, about thirty miles away. Let's choose the Jiangnan route."

"That's what the leading official said."

"Your Excellency is wise. I will make the arrangements immediately."

Upon hearing this, the official who had spoken earlier said happily.

On the other hand, Xia Yan followed that prescription for a month and indulged in revelry every night. He had never felt so vigorous before.

But after only about ten days, Xia Yan felt that something was wrong.

That feeling of rising sun disappeared, and slowly I felt it all.

This made Xia Yan feel extremely uneasy, and she immediately asked the housekeeper to restore the dosage of epimedium in the prescription to the original amount.

However, this was only a temporary fix. Xia Yan recovered somewhat by following the original prescription, but she no longer felt the same way as before. After a few more days, she took the same prescription again, but she still felt nothing.

What Xia Yan found most unacceptable was that she was originally doing alright, but now, without this prescription, she was completely hopeless.

Even if you take it, it won't have much effect.

Xia Yan was only in his forties, and this feeling made him extremely uncomfortable, even unable to accept it.

So he had his steward summon Dr. Zhang again to take his pulse.

"My lord, this is a sign of impotence, your kidney essence is depleted. You must exercise restraint."

When Zhang Langzhong saw Xia Yan's appearance, he was shocked. Xia Yan looked several years older than he had a month ago and appeared listless. He took Xia Yan's pulse and immediately understood the problem.

Is there any way to remedy this?

Xia Yan naturally didn't feel embarrassed about the doctor's words; he was a very thick-skinned person and rarely felt embarrassed.

"I might give it a try, but it might not be effective."

At this moment, Zhang Langzhong panicked. He had no idea how to treat this symptom. Once the kidney water is depleted, no amount of kidney tonics can be absorbed. His teacher had talked to him about a similar problem before. It wasn't that there was no way to remedy it, but it involved the Six Channels Differentiation and the internal connection between the five internal organs, which was too difficult for him.

He was afraid that if he prescribed the wrong medicine, he might make things worse for the powerful Minister Xia, and then he would probably not have a good ending. Rather than that, he would rather prescribe a mild and nourishing medicine. In any case, there would be no major mistakes. Even if Minister Xia had a problem, it was his own problem. What did it have to do with him?

After making up his mind, Zhang Langzhong wrote a prescription for Xia Yan to nourish her body. In order to make it different from the previous prescriptions, he also specially changed a few of the ingredients.

"My lord, these few herbs may be able to neutralize your condition."

Dr. Zhang pointed to the few new medicines he had prescribed and said...