Chapter 647: Scrambling to Sign

Chapter 647: Chapter 647: Scrambling to Sign

Among practitioners outside the mainstream, many true inheritors of Chinese medicine revere Zhongjing’s classical formulas.

They know that as long as Xixin is used in a decoction and boiled at a high temperature for an extended period, most of its volatile oils dissipate, greatly reducing its toxicity and making larger doses safe.

As the renowned Qing dynasty physician Zhang Xichun once said, Xixin’s fragrance is exceptionally strong. It is adept at opening up knotted qi, dispelling stagnation, reaching upward to the crown of the head, and circulating throughout the entire body.

Internally, it can open the Collateral Meridians of the organs; externally, it can circulate qi and blood to permeate the very skin.

For a deep-seated, stubborn illness like Wang Guoliang’s—rooted in the three yin meridians and characterized by cold coagulation and blood stasis—Xixin is the sharp knife that can pierce through solid ice and expel the affliction. It can have the miraculous effect of a near-instantaneous cure.

Unfortunately, it has been unjustly maligned for too long, and to this day, no one dares to use it.

This time, however, Li Xu was quite restrained. He didn’t use 45 grams as Zhongjing had, but instead used 15 grams, the same amount as the ephedra and Cinnamon Bark.

Looking at the prescription as a whole, if judged by the modern Materia Medica, Li Xu was prescribing a severe overdose. This constituted a violation of regulations. If anything went wrong, not only would he be bankrupted by the damages, but he would also face criminal charges and even lose his license.

But according to the true measurements and formulation principles of Zhongjing’s classical formulas, Li Xu hadn’t broken convention. He was simply upholding the traditions of Chinese medicine and preserving the soul of the classical formulas.

In the eyes of his fellow TCM practitioners, Li Xu was not only blameless but had in fact performed a great service.

But in the face of cold, hard legal judgment, sentiment is useless. He would likely face a lawsuit.

Lin Guorui’s heart was filled with a mix of emotions.

Li Xu was young, promising, and brilliantly talented. He was the hope of the TCM community, his future limitless.

If he were dragged into a lawsuit over this and his career was ruined, it would be a terrible waste. It would also be a great loss for all of Chinese medicine.

’My life has pretty much peaked. I’ve gone as far as I can as a director, and I don’t have any great ambitions.’

’I might as well be the one to take the fall,’ Lin Guorui thought.

’Even if something goes wrong and I get reprimanded, it won’t be a big deal.’

’He trusted Li Xu’s character. When Li Xu rose through the ranks and truly held power, he wouldn’t forget him.’

At this thought, Lin Guorui took a deep breath and made up his mind.

He picked up the pen on the table, and in the signature line of the prescription sheet, he signed his own name—Lin Guorui.

Then, holding the prescription, he looked up, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the room, and said in a calm tone, "I wrote this prescription..."

Everyone in the room was stunned.

Li Xu whipped his head around, looking at Lin Guorui in disbelief.

He never expected that Lin Guorui would actually take all the responsibility upon himself.

After all, the two of them weren’t master and apprentice, just colleagues who got along well. They even had occasional academic disagreements.

At such a critical moment, this showed incredible camaraderie and integrity.

Li Xu was deeply moved.

"Director Lin, you don’t have to do this. I was the one who insisted on writing this prescription. I should be the one to bear the responsibility..."

Lin Guorui smiled and interrupted him, "Dean Li, say no more. You’re a doctor, but so am I."

"..."

For a moment, a thousand words caught in Li Xu’s chest, melting into a warm surge of emotion.

Lin Guorui shook his head slightly at Li Xu. "This patient was my responsibility to begin with, and I was the one who called you in for the consultation. I’m the Director of Internal Medicine, and you’re here to help. If something goes wrong, how could I let you take the blame?"

The other TCM practitioners in the room felt their eyes sting as they watched the scene unfold.

A physician’s compassion should extend not only to their patients but also to their peers.

The courage to step forward and take responsibility at such a difficult time was deeply moving.

...

However, the practical problem still remained.

Director Si of the ICU frowned deeply. Though he too was moved, he had to abide by the regulations.

"Director Lin, Dean Li, I appreciate that you’re willing to take responsibility. However, a prescription like this is a serious violation of the Materia Medica’s regulations. The pharmacy’s system won’t clear it, and the Pharmacist won’t dare to dispense the herbs. This prescription... it can’t be filled."

It was an impasse.

Just then, Liu Kan, the Director of the Pharmacy Department who had been watching from the sidelines, walked forward.

He snatched the prescription from Lin Guorui’s hand. Without a single glance at it, he whipped out a pen and, with a few quick strokes, scrawled his full name in the approval box.

Lin Guorui and Li Xu both stared at him, dumbfounded.

After all, Liu Kan had been harshly confronted by Li Xu during the counterfeit medicine scandal and had nearly lost his position over it.

By all rights, he should have been the one who hated Li Xu the most and was most afraid of taking on any responsibility.

Liu Kan looked at their astonished expressions and gave a wry smile.

"What? Did you think I had no backbone?"

Liu Kan shook his head in self-mockery. "For years, I’ve been chasing fame and fortune, playing politics, scheming my way up... I almost forgot why I went into pharmacology in the first place. I almost forgot that I’m a doctor too—a Pharmacist."

"Lin Guorui, you’re not entirely right. This patient isn’t just your patient. He’s a patient of our Pharmacy Department, a patient of our entire hospital."

"That whole mess in the pharmacy recently left me too ashamed to face anyone. Today, I’m approving this prescription, and that’s final. I refuse to believe Zhongjing’s classical formulas are wrong, and I refuse to believe it’s wrong to save a person’s life!"

"We are going to save this patient. As for the responsibility, put my name—Liu Kan—down for a share. Worst comes to worst, I’ll quit this director position and go home to sell sweet potatoes."

Everyone was shocked.

The Director Liu who was normally so slick and cautious, always playing it safe, was suddenly showing such backbone.

The patient’s wife’s eyes reddened again as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Director Si of the ICU also looked at Liu Kan in astonishment, as if seeing this colleague of many years for the first time.

"Count me in, too."

Suddenly, Hu Qiming raised his hand from within the crowd. "My position may be humble and my words may not carry much weight, but I’m a TCM doctor too. I also want to help save him."

"Count me in. I don’t believe Zhongjing was wrong, and I refuse to believe that thousands of years of clinical experience are wrong. If saving a life is a crime, then I am guilty as charged."

Another young TCM doctor stood up, his eyes resolute.

"Count me in!"

"Me too!"

"And me!"

...

In that moment, one after another, the TCM doctors in the office stood up.

There were interns fresh out of school, attending physicians with years of experience, and even old, white-haired experts.

Everyone was left speechless.

No one could have imagined that in a public hospital, with its strict hierarchy and countless regulations, a scene of such fiery passion and collective defiance could ever occur.

Even though this was a serious breach of protocol, even though it could destroy their careers, every single TCM practitioner present was willing to share the responsibility—all to save a patient they didn’t even know.

This was the backbone of Chinese medicine!

This was the soul of a physician!

The patient’s wife could no longer hold it in. She covered her face and wept.

This time, it wasn’t the numb, despairing tears of a puppet, but tears of gratitude, of hope, of complete emotional release.

Li Xu’s and Lin Guorui’s eyes reddened as well.

Li Xu was reminded of Sun Simiao’s teaching on the "Great Physician’s Sincerity."

If Great Physicians do not step forward, what hope is there for the people?

At that moment, Li Xu seemed to truly see the embodiment of a Great Physician. He saw the hope for the revival of Chinese medicine.

As long as this spirit endured, Chinese medicine would never die.