Chapter 19

Chen Ke looked at the speech in front of him, feeling very dissatisfied. This was a manuscript that had already been revised several times, yet Chen Ke still wanted to start over. Chen Ke knew why he was so dissatisfied; in this manuscript, he still had not spoken the "truth."

When Chen Ke went to see Xu Xilin, he wrote a grand piece. In that manuscript, Chen Ke did not need to say the "truth"; he only needed to write something that Xu Xilin could understand. "Being practical" did not mean "telling the truth." Instead, it meant understanding the other party's needs and knowing their desires. To put it bluntly, Xu Xilin was a wealthy revolutionary, whose wealth came from the old system. Xu Xilin wanted to overthrow the Qing Dynasty, but that did not mean he would agree to destroy the old system.

Chen Ke's goal was to gain Xu Xilin's support, not to guide him onto the true revolutionary path. To achieve this goal, Chen Ke had to speak according to Xu Xilin's expectations, making Xu Xilin believe that he was a "comrade with the same ideals." Of course, "moral scholars" might call Chen Ke a "liar," but such an evaluation was meaningless to Chen Ke. Chen Ke adhered to the principle of "being practical." From the results, Chen Ke achieved his goal.

Chen Ke's interactions with Qiu Jin, Cai Yuanpei, Tao Chengzhang, as well as Hua Xiongmao, You Gou, Zhou Yuanxiao, and Qi Huishen, required him to be like a chameleon, showing each person what they expected to see. This was also a practical attitude.

The speech in front of him made Chen Ke feel very troubled. Knowledge is power, but power does not equal justice. A kitchen knife is a necessity for preparing delicious food, but it is also a deadly weapon. From a practical standpoint, Chen Ke firmly believed that after learning the knowledge he imparted, some people would inevitably choose a different path from his.

As a communist and an inheritor of Chinese culture, Chen Ke knew the story of Shang Yang. Shang Yang first tried to impress Duke Xiao of Qin with the way of the emperor, but was called a "nonsense person" by Duke Xiao. When Shang Yang used the way of the king, Duke Xiao thought, "This person is okay, we can talk." Finally, when Shang Yang used the way of the hegemon, Duke Xiao was so excited that he talked with Shang Yang for several days and nights.

Chen Ke believed that his knowledge included the "way of the emperor," the "way of the king," and the "way of the hegemon." He was not optimistic that these comrades would prefer the "way of the hegemon." Chen Ke had limited contact with contemporary intellectuals, but even in this short time, most people believed that once China underwent a revolution, it would quickly become a first-class power. They did not understand the world and did not know the true gap between China and the great powers. If Chen Ke explained this huge gap, how many of them would join a "people's revolution" to destroy all the old systems, rather than a "bourgeois revolution"?

Chen Ke was not sure about this.

"Is this the manuscript for today's lecture, Wenqing?" Qi Huishen walked in from outside. He picked up a sheet and saw only the title. He looked at the other sheets, which also had only titles.

Qi Huishen frowned slightly. Since meeting Chen Ke, Qi Huishen had always felt that Chen Ke was different. It was a fundamental difference. Among the students he had seen, they always complained about the sky, the earth, and the air, complaining about the Qing Dynasty and the British Empire. They either complained about not having money to start factories, or about the high cost of equipment and the lack of it, or about the laziness of workers. These were the ones who could actually do something. The less fortunate ones cursed the heavens for not seeing their talent, and how they faced obstacles everywhere without any opportunities. Then they inevitably poured out their grievances against the court and the great powers, vowing to revolutionize and overthrow the Qing Dynasty and expel the foreigners.

These same "revolutionaries," once they had the opportunity to join the government or foreign companies, immediately became arrogant and powerful. Even when drinking privately, they still complained, but this time about how their superiors and foreigners were terrible, preventing them from getting benefits. This was why Qi Huishen's father deeply detested his son's revolutionary activities.

At first, Qi Huishen thought the court and foreigners were indeed terrible, but he felt that while the conclusion was correct, the reasoning was far off. They were indeed terrible, but not in the way the "revolutionary comrades" described. Qi Huishen always wanted to understand where the error lay. No matter how many "revolutionary comrades" he met or how many "learned" people he asked, he never received a satisfactory answer. Until he met Chen Ke.

The night he was dragged into a strange courtyard after being beaten by You Gou, Qi Huishen was really scared. But once he understood it was a misunderstanding and learned that Chen Ke was actually a "revolutionary," Qi Huishen initially did not believe it. A person busy in the workshop was a "revolutionary"? According to Qi Huishen's revolutionary experience, revolutionaries were idle. Only those with nothing to do would start a revolution. Who would start a revolution when they had a proper job?

Qi Huishen had followed the revolution for too long and had been unable to find the revolutionary path for too long. He even asked his father for money to study in Japan multiple times. His father, who knew his son well, clearly understood that his son's purpose was not to study but to find "revolutionary comrades" in Japan. So he cut off Qi Huishen's financial support.

Chen Ke, whom Qi Huishen met by chance, was a huge question mark in his eyes. With no other path left, Qi Huishen decided to take a chance, hoping that this unique "revolutionary" could answer his many questions.

Qi Huishen felt he had made the right bet. Chen Ke's lectures always revealed some problems that Qi Huishen could not understand, making him marvel. Chen Ke's style also earned Qi Huishen's deep admiration. Not only did Chen Ke hold meetings for others, but even when Chen Ke was exhausted and resting, others would hold private meetings. Chen Ke, who could start a business with just a few dozen taels of silver, was someone Qi Huishen had never seen before. Chen Ke, who would work tirelessly for days to save a colleague, was also someone Qi Huishen had never seen before. In this workshop, there were no sighs or complaints, only work and laughter. This was what a "revolution" and "revolutionary comrades" should be.

Qi Huishen was very happy that Chen Ke was starting to lecture again. To be honest, he was very dissatisfied with Chen Ke's lectures in the first few days. Compared to Chen Ke's previous inspired lectures, these recent lectures lacked the usual ease. The content was often contradictory and vague. Although no one said it directly in class, Qi Huishen, You Gou, Hua Xiongmao, and even Zhou Yuanxiao, were already very dissatisfied in private.

After hesitating for a moment, Qi Huishen finally spoke, "Wenqing, I have something to say, but I'm not sure if I should."

"Among comrades, what's there to hesitate about?"

"Wenqing's words always give me a feeling of wanting to say more but holding back. I wonder if there's something Wenqing is reluctant to say."

Chen Ke was slightly taken aback. Qi Huishen would not say such a thing casually. It seemed he had been thinking about this for a while and could no longer hold it in. Moreover, the other comrades around him must have similar thoughts. Since this was the case, Chen Ke decided to be honest.

"I'm afraid of leading everyone astray."

"Astray?" Qi Huishen was puzzled by the subtle wording. He probed, "Is it Wenqing leading us astray, or are we lacking in knowledge and thus going astray?"

"I wish I could compare myself to Xunzi, but his two famous students were Han Fei and Li Si."

"What about them?" Qi Huishen's knowledge of ancient Chinese history was not high, and he did not understand the metaphor.

"Xunzi was a master of Confucianism during the Warring States period. Han Fei and Li Si were representatives of Legalism. Han Fei's Legalist theories were highly favored by Emperor Qin Shi Huang and were implemented. Li Si was Emperor Qin Shi Huang's prime minister and also implemented Legalist policies."

"Then what? Did the teacher and students have a conflict?" Qi Huishen still did not understand Chen Ke's point.

"Not really. Although they were both students of Xunzi, they only learned part of his knowledge and applied it in completely different directions. The Qin Dynasty unified the country, abolished feudalism, established commanderies and counties, standardized writing and measurements. The world was forever indebted to the First Emperor. But Xunzi had already said that the Qin system had major structural contradictions, which would eventually lead to its collapse. Indeed, the Qin Dynasty fell after two generations. In the knowledge I have, there is the way of the king and the way of the hegemon. I am worried that instead of taking the difficult path of the king, everyone will choose the quick and easy path of the hegemon."

"So that's what Wenqing is worried about." Qi Huishen smiled.

Chen Ke used a line from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, "Facing the Huarong Road, why does the Chancellor laugh?"

"I laugh at Zhuge Wenqing for not knowing military strategy." Qi Huishen also responded, "Justice lies in the hearts of the people. Did Xunzi only have two students?"

"Many students."

"Only Han Fei and Li Si were famous?"

"Indeed."

"Could Xunzi's ideas be known to the people?"

"After the Qin Dynasty, Chinese politics actually applied many of Xunzi's ideas."

"Since Xunzi's ideas eventually prevailed, why doesn't Wenqing brother teach us what he knows? We don't know what Wenqing wants to teach, so how can we know if the way of the king or the way of the hegemon is right or wrong? Wenqing, you are being so vague, it's making us anxious. Is this what Wenqing means by being honest with comrades?"

Qi Huishen's words were already quite frank. In fact, Chen Ke had already planned to teach everything he knew to everyone.

"If you want me to lecture, I can. But since you mentioned Xunzi's many students, we need to promote the school." Chen Ke smiled.

"Is Wenqing really going to teach everything?" Qi Huishen was immediately excited.

"It's not that easy to listen to my lectures."

"What do you need, Wenqing brother?" Qi Huishen quickly sat down and picked up a pen.

"Gather the friends you think can attend the lectures, and have You Gou gather her friends who can attend. Also, we need to post posters, saying that our school is opening and the teachers will give trial lectures. We welcome parents who want their children to attend our school to bring their children to the lectures. And, the poster should say that we also offer night classes for workers, welcoming workers who want to attend the lectures."

"Is Wenqing going to teach them about the revolution?" Qi Huishen felt Chen Ke was acting strangely.

"Teaching them about the revolution is openly inciting rebellion. I'm not that foolish. I will teach some basic courses, courses on how to understand the world."

"How does this relate to the revolution?" Qi Huishen did not understand.

"How did I become a revolutionary? If I couldn't have a correct understanding of the world, I couldn't become a revolutionary. A revolutionary must have some basic knowledge of the world. I'm saying this upfront, you must attend these classes. This is the foundation of everything."

Although Qi Huishen did not fully understand, he nodded.

"By the way, Huishen, how is my Shanghai dialect? Can people understand me?"

"I think they can. Actually, Wenqing's Mandarin is also quite good."

"Since we are posting posters, many of the attendees will be locals. If I speak Mandarin, they might not understand. We need to adapt to the local customs."

This sounded like the Chen Ke Qi Huishen was familiar with, meticulous and thorough in his thinking.

"Huishen, I'm going to make a schedule. Different classes will have different times. Let's discuss it together later."

"Alright, I'll go confirm the flyers first."

Having connections made a difference. A few days ago, Qi Huishen obtained a document from the British, and he had no trouble with the local government in Shanghai. Although the document required the Shanghai government to provide land and money, Qi Huishen wisely did not mention this. The school's and hospital's documents were processed quickly. On paper, the Shanghai Renxin Medical College was officially open.

The affiliated hospital was one of the first to open. In the past ten days, Wu Xingchen had sold the medicine very well, treating over sixty people. The doctor Wang Qian, whom You Gou found, had one patient die. Fortunately, a contract was signed before treatment, and the patient was a single member of the Heaven and Earth Society, so the matter did not escalate.

Chen Ke was grateful to Wu Xingchen. Wu Xingchen had already warned that the medicine was very strong and that one in ten patients might die. Each patient was repeatedly informed of this before treatment, so the matter was handled peacefully.

Venereal disease was incurable at the time, so having medicine to treat it was already a blessing. Not to mention, at least nine out of ten patients would survive. This was a significant improvement over traditional treatments.

Qi Huishen had never printed advertisements so openly, but the content had changed from revolutionary propaganda to advertisements. The hand-operated silk screen printing machine was new and worked very well. Qi Huishen was working hard, pushing the handle, when suddenly there was a commotion outside. He looked out and saw several foreigners shouting at the door.

The hospital was a simple courtyard with a two-story building. A red cross was hung on the door. The courtyard was sprinkled with disinfectant. Wang Qian had been out practicing medicine for the past few days, so there was no one in the hospital. Besides the foreigners, there was a translator next to them. Seeing Qi Huishen come out, the translator asked arrogantly, "Are you the doctor?"

"The doctor is not here." Qi Huishen replied coldly. Upon closer inspection, the foreigners were all suffering from venereal disease, with sores on their faces and mouths, looking quite disgusting.

"Come back the day after tomorrow. There are no doctors today or tomorrow." Qi Huishen said bluntly.

The translator, seeing Qi Huishen's unyielding attitude, quickly turned to the foreigners and said a few words. To Qi Huishen's surprise, the foreigners shouted at the translator and then smiled at Qi Huishen. The smile, though polite, was even more disgusting with the sores. Qi Huishen, a graduate of the Imperial University, still knew English. The foreigners were dissatisfied with the translator's attitude, but Qi Huishen did not bother to deal with them and pretended not to understand.

The translator, after being shouted at, lost his arrogance and asked with a fake smile, "May I ask your name, sir?"

"My name is Qi Huishen, and I am the dean of the medical college. I am not a doctor and cannot treat patients."

"Then, Mr. Qi, when will the doctor be back?" The translator still asked with a fake smile.

Given the hospital's British affiliation, Qi Huishen did not want to turn the foreigners away. He checked his watch; it was 11:40. Wang Qian had said he would come to pick up the medicine at noon. He should be back soon. Qi Huishen replied, "Please wait a moment. The doctor should be back soon."

The hospital did not have an outpatient room. Although Chen Ke had included this in the construction plan, he was too busy with You Gou to treat the patients and had no time to set it up. They found a ward and let the foreigners in. Qi Huishen, knowing the transmission routes of venereal disease, felt disgusted and left the ward. At this moment, Wang Qian had returned. Qi Huishen explained the situation to Wang Qian and quickly returned to the printing room to continue printing the flyers.

The printing did not last long before an argument broke out in the ward. It was not really an argument; the translator was almost screaming in the room. The foreigners were also talking, but their voices were low. Qi Huishen sighed; these problems never seemed to end. He had to go and resolve it. As expected, Wang Qian told the foreigners that they had to sign a waiver. The medicine could cause death. Before the foreigners could say anything, the translator started screaming.

Wang Qian, who had made people sign such contracts many times, firmly told the translator that they could either sign the contract and be treated or leave. Pretending to be deaf was no longer an option. Qi Huishen, in English, said, "Gentlemen, our rule is either sign the contract or leave. There are no other options. Especially for foreigners, we cannot afford any trouble."

The foreigners and the translator did not expect the man in a dark blue short coat, with sleeves rolled up and hands covered in ink, to speak fluent English.

After the foreigners asked about the effectiveness of the medicine, Qi Huishen told them that the medicine was very strong and the mortality rate was about one in ten. The foreigners thought about it and discussed it. Finally, they agreed. Qi Huishen took Wang Qian to the printing room, took out the printed forms, and set the price at ten pounds per person for the medicine.

"This price..." Wang Qian hesitated.

"Doctor Wang, do you think it's too high?" Qi Huishen asked.

"I think it's too low." Wang Qian answered honestly.

"Two injections for this price, not the entire course. I think it's reasonable." Qi Huishen said casually.

"Then it's reasonable." Wang Qian replied.

Qi Huishen looked at Wang Qian for a moment. He noticed that Wang Qian did not seem to care much about the money. He was curious but decided to focus on the foreigners outside and investigate later.

This price was really high, and Qi Huishen did not believe the foreigners could afford it. He set this price mainly because Chen Ke had insisted on it at the meeting. Additionally, Qi Huishen did not want to treat the foreigners. If they were scared off by the price, it would be perfect.

As expected, after reading the English prescription, the five foreigners looked hesitant and started discussing among themselves.

Qi Huishen thought, "Just leave already."

Finally, the discussion reached a conclusion. The most severely ill foreigner stood up, "I'll sign the contract first."

Although Qi Huishen was disappointed, he had no reason to turn the patient away. He watched the foreigner sign the waiver and pay ten pounds. Then he called Wang Qian to start the treatment.

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