Chapter 71

Listen, Sun Simiao!

When Luo Shixin heard this name, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

Another great man had emerged!

Perhaps Sun Simiao's fame does not match that of Emperor Taizong of Tang or the renowned generals like Li Jing and Li Shiji, but his influence on China and the world is no less significant, and in some ways, even surpasses theirs.

Sun Simiao, the Medicine King! He was the first to comprehensively and systematically study traditional Chinese medicine after the medical sage Zhang Zhongjing, making indelible contributions to the development of traditional Chinese medicine. He is the founder of medical ethics in China and is known in the West as the "Father of Medical Ethics."

When Luo Shixin first heard Li Yi introduce Lu Wenming, saying he was the best physician in the world, he was somewhat skeptical. In his view, the title of "best" should belong to Sun Simiao.

Sure enough, Luo Shixin heard these three words from Lu Wenming.

When Lu Wenming said this, it immediately caused a stir. The doctors gathered around were particularly stunned, unable to believe their ears.

Lu Wenming achieved fame at a young age and became the head of the Imperial Medical Bureau at the age of forty. He was a rare three-dynasty imperial physician, receiving the trust of Yang Jian, Yang Guang, and Li Yuan, who entrusted him with the full authority of the Imperial Medical Bureau. His reputation resonated throughout the medical community, making him a miracle in the medical field. Many doctors and renowned physicians took him as their role model and strived to emulate him.

Due to his remarkable achievements and exceptional medical skills, Lu Wenming's arrogance was well-known.

Compared to him, Sun Simiao was a generation younger and also achieved fame at a young age, but his life path was vastly different. Sun Simiao rejected all invitations from the nobility and traveled the world with a bamboo staff and his feet, treating people everywhere and achieving significant accomplishments.

People often compared the two, but Lu Wenming dismissed such comparisons, feeling that as the head of the Imperial Medical Bureau, he was the role model for all physicians, and Sun Simiao, who roamed the countryside, did not have the qualifications to be compared with him. Therefore, he was very averse to being compared to Sun Simiao.

However, now, in front of everyone, Lu Wenming admitted that he was not as good as Sun Simiao. If this news spread, it would certainly cause a significant storm in the medical community.

Luo Shixin, of course, did not know the reasons behind this and had no time to care. He simply asked, "In this vast sea of people, how easy is it to find one person?"

Lu Wenming smiled and said, "Mount Taibai, a month ago, he told me in person that he was going to Mount Taibai to study the herbs there. By the way, the Mount Taibai I'm talking about is the one in Goguryeo and Silla, not the one in the Qinling Mountains near Chang'an."

Luo Shixin only knew that there was a Changbai Mountain in Goguryeo and Silla, but he did not know about Mount Taibai. In fact, the Mount Taibai Lu Wenming was referring to was the well-known Changbai Mountain, just with a different name due to the different era. The name "Changbai Mountain" was established during the Southern Song Dynasty by the Jin and Liao dynasties. In this period, Changbai Mountain was not well understood and had various names such as Buxian Mountain, Immortal Mountain, Xitai Mountain, Zongbai Mountain, and Taizhuang Mountain, but "Taibai Mountain" was the most common.

"Mount Taibai stretches for a thousand miles. It's not easy to find one person. In my opinion, it would be better to send the princess back to Chang'an and have the imperial physicians treat her!" Li Yi was only concerned about himself and did not care about Pingyang's life or death. If Pingyang died during this expedition in his Dingzhou, it would have some impact on him.

"Didn't you hear me? The only person who can save the princess is Sun Simiao. Sending the princess back to Chang'an is no different from sending her to her death." Lu Wenming, being old and stubborn, saw that Li Yi was ignoring his analysis and, with his arrogant nature, did not hold back in his criticism.

"You..." Li Yi was angry but did not dare to say more. Sending Pingyang to Chang'an to die was a serious charge.

Lu Wenming, who was old but still strong, immediately saw that Li Yi and Luo Shixin were in charge. Since Li Yi did not recognize his judgment, he turned to Luo Shixin and said, "The Imperial Medical Bureau is my pride, and I always thought that the imperial physicians were the best in the world. It was only after meeting Sun Simiao that I realized that reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. Imperial physicians serve only the royal family, nobles, and high officials. When they have any illness, they use the most expensive herbs to treat them, and the illness is cured. There is no innovation or ambition. It's not that their medical skills are excellent, but rather that the herbs are effective. How many opportunities does an imperial physician have in their lifetime to truly encounter and study difficult and complex diseases? Who dares to conduct research on the royal family, nobles, and high officials? Sun Simiao is right. As a physician, one should have 'great courage and a cautious heart, wisdom that is flexible, and actions that are principled.' These are what the imperial physicians lack."

"Great courage and a cautious heart, wisdom that is flexible, and actions that are principled!" This phrase, like a truth, immediately caused deep reflection among the surrounding doctors when spoken by Lu Wenming.

Thinking back to the experience of Sun Simiao coming to learn medicine a month ago, Lu Wenming couldn't help but sigh and boast, "There are three hundred imperial physicians in Chang'an. How many of them have truly treated battlefield injuries? Let alone a five-year-old hidden old injury? They have no experience. Even if they were to treat it, they would only rely on medical books and theoretical knowledge. What are the chances of curing such a serious illness with theoretical knowledge? Sun Simiao is different. He has traveled the world, and in the past forty years, he has encountered countless difficult and complex diseases. He has ample experience and methods for treating various serious illnesses. Therefore, I still say that the only person who can treat the princess, as far as I know, is Sun Simiao."

"I will set out for Mount Taibai to find Doctor Sun!"

Lu Wenming's words not only convinced Luo Shixin but also moved Pei Qingyi, who expressed his willingness to set out immediately.

"Wait, even if you want to find Doctor Sun, you can't just go like that!" Luo Shixin knew the future of Princess Pingyang and naturally leaned towards finding Sun Simiao. However, Sun Simiao was far away in Mount Taibai in Goguryeo and Silla, completely out of the reach of the Tang Dynasty. Venturing into a foreign land to find someone was already extremely difficult, let alone considering the long-standing enmity between Goguryeo and the Central Plains. Going there rashly would not help in finding the person.

Luo Shixin patiently asked, "Doctor Lu, how long can you maintain the princess's condition if you treat her personally?"

Lu Wenming thought for a moment and said, "I have already devised a method to delay the progression of the illness. Given the princess's current condition, I can勉强维持两三个月的时间不让病情恶化。过了这段时间，病情进入膏肓，就算孙思邈来了也无力回天了！"

Luo Shixin glanced at Li Yi, who had his eyes turned upward, showing a complete disinterest and detachment from the matter. It was clear that he did not want to get involved to avoid endangering himself.

Luo Shixin knew that every decision he made at this moment could lead to Princess Pingyang's death and, in turn, bring disaster upon himself. However, a man must act with principles and not shirk responsibility. If no one dared to take on this burden, then he would shoulder it alone.

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**Note:** The last sentence in the original text was cut off. The translation reflects the content up to the point where it was cut.