PDLP Chapter 288 The medical book from the northern Liaodong Peninsula has also time-traveled? 20
Chapter 288 The medical book from the northern Liaodong Peninsula has also time-traveled? 20
Just then, a man at the next table stroked his beard and said, "Young Master Du has been back from Yingzhou for several days. Have you heard of the newly compiled 'Fengtian Gazetteer' in Liaodong? I have observed that its format is extensive, with a whopping one hundred volumes."
Du Xiaobing put down his teacup: "Oh? I'd like to hear the details. Years ago, when I accompanied my father to the Protectorate General of Andong, I only saw the broken city walls and steles, but I never saw such a magnificent inscription."
The man unfolded the map: "This book is divided into ten volumes, tracing back to the ancient history of the Yan Kingdom during the Qin and Han dynasties, and down to the tributary prefectures and counties of this dynasty. The 'Records of Mountains and Rivers' alone details more than twenty waterways in Liaoze, and also records more than thirty ruins of Goguryeo mountain cities."
Du Xiaobing leaned forward: "Is it a record of the beacon tower diagrams from the Sui Dynasty's conquest of Liaodong? Back then, when Emperor Taizong personally led the expedition, my grandfather served as the military commander and said that Liaodong was the most dangerous place."
The man nodded and said, “Exactly! The ‘Treatise on Military Preparedness’ details the strategic location of the ancient city of Xiangping, and even more rare is the ‘Treatise on Metal and Stone’ which made a rubbing of the inscription on the bronze tiger tally of Xuantu Commandery from the Han Dynasty. Yesterday, I saw the rubbing at Chongwen Hall and wrote on the desk with my chopsticks dipped in water—the four characters ‘Prefect of Xuantu’ still retain the style of Qin seal script.”
Du Xiaobing said softly, "Wonderful! So, the 'Records of Products' must record the sable fur of the Mohe people and the fine horses of Fuyu? I once saw a tribute envoy from Yingzhou bring a gyrfalcon with golden eyes and jade claws..."
The man laughed and said, “That’s not all! The ‘Customs and Traditions’ records the Goguryeo ‘Three-Day Sacrifice’ and the Khitan ‘Sun Worship Ceremony’, and also records the style of the birch bark script of the Shiwei people. The most amazing thing is that the ‘Records of Disasters and Anomalies’ records that in the first year of the Yuanfeng era of the Han Dynasty, the Liaoze Lake was frozen and thousands of deer froze to death, which can be corroborated by the records in the ‘Book of Han’.”
Du Xiaobing sighed, "It seems that this is indeed an essential book for guarding Liaodong. If I am appointed as the governor of Yingzhou in the future, I will ask the emperor to bestow this precious book upon me. However, with a hundred volumes, I'm afraid it will require a whole caravan of camels to transport it." She gestured with her chin towards the camel caravan outside the window.
The man stroked his beard and laughed: "Why go to such trouble! I have already asked a painter to paint the strategic mountains and rivers on a ten-zhang-long scroll. It is just waiting to be mounted as a scroll. It will be able to reach Youzhou in three days by fast horse... At that time, Young Master Du will take the scroll to inspect the border and have the geography of Liaodong in full control!"
The evening drum sounded softly outside the teahouse, and the two put on their robes and stepped out. The banners of the West Market were bathed in the crimson afterglow. Just then, Si Zi hurriedly crawled back.
Xiao Nangjun raised an eyebrow and asked, "Sizi, you went to eavesdrop again? The book you're talking about sounds like a 'time capsule,' filled with the secrets of history. Which library did you see it in?"
"Hmm, in my dream, there are many libraries, do you believe it?" Si Zi's eyes sparkled. "From the Qin and Han dynasties to the end of the Qing dynasty, domestic and foreign affairs, civil and military affairs, all the major events, as well as the anecdotes of famous people, it's like giving historical figures a 'celebrity interview'!"
Xiao Nangjun was itching to read it: "I really want to borrow it and read it! Especially those officials, literati, and military generals, these 'historical bigwigs' must have a lot of interesting gossip hidden in them!"
"That's amazing!" Si Zi jumped up. "The best part is the section on gold and stone inscriptions. It has collected all the gold and stone inscriptions from various dynasties. It's practically an 'encyclopedia of turning stone into gold'!"
"Is this book from a dream real? It could be a treasure trove of natural and social history!" Xiao Nangjun exclaimed.
"The whole series is a hidden edition!" Si Zi grinned, revealing her little tiger teeth. "I imagine the book must have been quite expensive! But the content is really interesting! I'll slowly recall it, and if I could turn this knowledge into a script and perform it on the street, I'd definitely earn a lot of 'knowledge points'!"
Xiao Nangjun lightly tapped Si Zi's lapel with his fingertip and chuckled, "Young man, why are you so obsessed with profit and fortune? Are you blinded by money? We should stick to our professions, diligently study traditional Chinese medicine, cultivate the fields of herbs, and skillfully raise livestock and cook animals... The dream scrolls you speak of are like mirages; we haven't seen any signs of them yet. It's best to be practical and not indulge in unrealistic fantasies!"
Si Zi's eyes gleamed with cunning. He curtsied and said, "Brother, don't worry. I will follow the prescription and use the medicine precisely, striving for miraculous results. How could I dare to act like a quack doctor and cause a 'medicine' malpractice? We will only prescribe the right medicine for the right ailment, and we will never create a mountain of 'medicine' as a joke! Nor will we try to emulate those immortals who ascend to heaven—flying too 'celestial' and acting absurdly! Would that even make us feel like we've ascended to heaven?!"
Upon hearing this brilliant reply, Xiao Nangjun clapped his hands and laughed heartily, his voice echoing throughout the courtyard: "Si Zi can actually speak our language now! He's a promising young man!"
That night, Si Zi tossed and turned on his straw mat, the magnificent library in his dreams always appearing before his eyes. Suddenly, a gentle breeze carrying moonlight wafted through the window, and there were several yellowed pages beside his pillow. The writing on them shimmered faintly in the moonlight; they were fragments of the classics he had seen in his daydream.
"Brother, come quick!" Before dawn, Sizi rushed into the medicine shed, holding a piece of paper. Xiao Nangjun was pounding medicine, the pestle clanging loudly in the stone mortar.
He put down the pestle, took the paper, and found that it contained a secret recipe for treating a livestock plague during the Eastern Han Dynasty. Next to the writing, there were faint, dynamic images, showing the ancients brewing the medicine...
He rubbed his eyes. "Where did Sizi get this? This... this must be a gift from an immortal!" Xiao Nangjun trembled as he stroked the pages. Wherever his fingertips touched, the herbal formula turned into golden specks of light and floated into his mind.
That afternoon, Old Man Wang from the neighboring village rushed over in a panic, saying his ox had contracted a strange disease, foaming at the mouth and convulsing. Sizi and Xiaonangjun exchanged a glance, then, following the prescription on the paper, hurriedly began preparing the medicine in their shed…
As dusk settled over the banners once more, the scent of medicine mingled with the rising smoke from Old Wang's house. The ox, which had been on the verge of death, slowly rose, swishing its tail and munching on its fodder. The villagers who had gathered were both astonished and delighted, and the news spread like wildfire throughout the surrounding villages…
After the ox was treated, new content appeared on those few pages—this time, it was a record of ancient diplomatic secrets, and a map of a mysterious cave was hidden among the text…
Si Zi gripped her brother Xiao Nang Jun's burning hand, her eyes shining with astonishing brilliance: "Brother, you're amazing! This isn't just an ordinary book; it's clearly a treasure that can change the world! Look at this picture..."
Little Nangjun gazed at the ever-changing light and shadow on the pages, feeling both excited and apprehensive. He knew that a wondrous adventure across time and space had begun...