Chapter 31: Secrets

Zeng Yi moved out of Shao Haibo's house, still with only that wooden box as his luggage. Shao Haibo initially disagreed and tried hard to persuade him to stay, but later thought that even if Zeng Yi moved out, he would still remain in Rongcheng, and his wish had been fulfilled, so he reluctantly agreed.

After tidying up the rented place and adding a few items, he finally had a place of his own in Rongcheng.

Once everything was in order, Zeng Yi placed the wooden box on the table and pressed the flower bud on the lid. There was a "click," and a crack appeared on the side of the box.

Ordinary wooden boxes open from the top, with a lid on top and the body of the box below. However, Zeng Yi's box opened from the sides. It first split from one side, unfolded 180 degrees, and then folded around the vertical axis on the other side, transforming into a small cabinet, much like a book opened and stood upright on a table.

The cabinet was divided into three layers: the top layer held over a dozen white porcelain bottles, which were embedded in recessed bases to prevent them from moving; the middle layer had four small drawers, and the bottom layer had two larger drawers.

This type of box is called a "medical hundred-treasure box," which was a common item for doctors to carry when making house calls in ancient times. The white porcelain bottles on the top layer usually contained external medicines and emergency drugs; the four small drawers in the middle held tools like stone needles, acupuncture needles, and cupping jars; the two larger drawers at the bottom contained writing materials for prescriptions and food and medical books for emergencies, as travel was inconvenient in those days, and a single house call could take several days.

With the passage of time, the contents of the box have changed, and in modern times, such old-fashioned items are rarely seen. The medical hundred-treasure box has been largely replaced by the modern medical kit used by Western doctors.

Zeng Yi pulled open the bottom drawer and took out two books. One was the "Huangdi Neijing" (Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon), which had slightly different content from the versions available on the market and included annotations by his grandfather. This book is essential for studying traditional Chinese medicine. The other book had no title or cover, and its contents were handwritten, compiling cases from his grandfather's medical practice.

Apart from Zeng Yi, no one else could understand what the book contained. The content was written in code, recording his grandfather's treatment of some of the founding figures of the nation. Many of these names are still frequently heard in TV shows and movies, well-known to all.

From these records, it was clear that his grandfather was indeed a renowned "imperial physician" with exceptional skills. However, strangely, Zeng Yi had never heard his grandfather mention this part of his life. The book was given to him by his grandfather on his deathbed, with no special instructions. Over the years, Zeng Yi had researched extensively and found that there had never been a "imperial physician" surnamed Zeng in the past century, which remained a mystery to him.

However, Zeng Yi was certain that the content of the book was genuine. All the cases had clear origins and outcomes, and some even hinted at secrets of top families, which were later confirmed by events.

When he had free time, Zeng Yi would often take out this book and read a section. The cases were incredibly insightful, and each reading brought new insights. Another reason was to find clues to understand why his grandfather, with such remarkable medical skills, chose to spend his later years in a small town at the foot of a mountain.

"I never thought I would follow in my grandfather's footsteps!"

Zeng Yi smiled, opened the book, and realized that he had not anticipated his current situation when he came to Rongcheng. He had become an expert at the Jiangnan Province Health Department, and the title of "imperial physician" was just a step away.

The next morning, Zeng Yi went out to find a place for breakfast. When he returned, he found someone standing at the door—it was Director Wang from the Chinese Medicine Association.

"Director Zeng, the place you chose is really great, very close to the Health Department!" Director Wang smiled and greeted him, "I've already processed the clinic's procedures and brought them over to you."

Zeng Yi quickly thanked him, "I'm really sorry to trouble you, Director Wang. You could have just notified me, and I would have come to your office to pick them up. Why did you go through the trouble of coming here?"

"Not at all, not at all!" Director Wang handed over the documents and rubbed his hands, saying, "Speaking of which, there's something I need to ask of you, Director Zeng."

Zeng Yi gestured, "Let's go inside and talk."

Inside, Zeng Yi poured a cup of water for Director Wang and smiled, "My place is quite simple, and I may not be able to offer you much, but please don't mind."

"How could I!" Director Wang waved his hand and looked around the room, "This is just a temporary arrangement. When I first started working, I lived in a unit-assigned house without a bathroom, which was even simpler than this. Director Zeng, as Secretary Fang's health care physician, your future is boundless."

"Since we're not strangers, let's skip the formalities!" Zeng Yi smiled, "What is it you need, Director Wang? If I can help, I will do so without hesitation."

Director Wang thanked him and organized his thoughts, "The chairman of the city's Mingshi Group is sick. I have an old friend who works at Mingshi Group. He knows I work at the Chinese Medicine Association and that I know many experts, so he asked me to help. We've known each other for decades, so..."

Zeng Yi understood, "Ah, that's it. No problem, I'll go with you. But I can't guarantee a cure; I'll do my best."

"I understand, I understand. I'm already very grateful that Director Zeng is willing to go," Director Wang said, repeatedly thanking him. He hadn't expected Zeng Yi to agree so readily. When he asked other directors, they were all very arrogant, and it took a lot of persuasion and flattery to get them to agree, and even then, they might not be able to cure the illness.

"There's one thing I need to clarify, Director Zeng. The chairman of Mingshi Group has been sick for a long time, almost two years. I've heard he's seen many famous doctors, but none of them could help." Director Wang mentioned this to avoid any blame later. He had invited many experts before, and they all refused when they heard about the case, fearing that they would damage their reputations if they couldn't cure the illness.

Zeng Yi waved his hand, "No problem, we'll see when we meet the patient."

Director Wang was very grateful, "When would be convenient for you? I'll contact them."

Zeng Yi thought for a moment, "The clinic hasn't opened yet, so I have no other commitments. Any day except the weekend is fine."

"Let me contact them!" Director Wang stood up, excused himself, and went outside to make a call. Two minutes later, he returned, covering his phone, and asked quietly, "Director Zeng, are you free today? They said we can go now."

"It seems the illness is urgent. Alright, I'll go with you," Zeng Yi stood up, "Wait for me downstairs, Director Wang. I'll go get some things."

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