Every five days, the female officials and palace attendants of the Bureau of Palace Provisions assigned to various halls and pavilions would gather to listen to Pei Shangshi’s teachings, exchange recent experiences and insights, and discuss official duties. After finishing their work discussions, they often moved on to chatting about the latest interesting anecdotes and stories in the palace. Today was no exception. Once Pei Shangshi finished her lecture and her figure disappeared outside the door, Zhuang Lingzi animatedly said to the other women, "Have you heard? The Imperial Academy of Medicine recently held an examination to select and promote young medical officers. Originally, Han Suwen scored first, but several examiners discussed it and actually changed the rules, forcibly adding a 'Medical Officer Evaluation' section where senior physicians wrote comments on the candidates. As a result, Han Suwen’s score in this section wasn’t as good as the second-place candidate’s, and he lost the chance to be promoted to the seventh-rank Imperial Academy of Medicine medical officer."
Zhenzhen had also heard about Han Suwen’s failure to be selected before, but she didn’t know the reason. His current title was "Imperial Academy of Medicine Medical Scholar," a ninth-rank position. Although he was usually respectfully addressed as a medical officer, he was actually classified as a medical worker. This examination aimed to promote one medical worker to the seventh-rank "Imperial Academy of Medicine Medical Officer," which would make them a full-fledged imperial physician. Han Suwen had prepared diligently for this position for a long time, frequently seeing patients during the day and studying by candlelight at night. He was determined to secure the position, never expecting to lose due to the medical officer evaluation section.
The palace attendants sighed in sympathy, all saying that Han Suwen usually seemed friendly and had many friends, yet he was so disliked by his superiors.
Disliked by his superiors.
Zhenzhen quickly grasped the key point. She had been pondering recently how to make herself disliked so that she could be included on the list when the Emperor next released palace attendants from the palace, but she hadn’t come up with a feasible plan. Suddenly hearing about Han Suwen’s situation, she felt enlightened: Han Suwen was exactly the kind of person who was disliked by his superiors without committing any crimes! She had to find him as soon as possible and ask him to share some experience she could learn from.
Zhenzhen quickly found an excuse to request a medical officer’s inspection of ingredients and hurried to the Imperial Academy of Medicine. When she arrived, Han Suwen wasn’t there. Other medical workers said he had gone out on a call with Physician Deng but should be back soon, asking Zhenzhen to wait a moment.
Zhenzhen waited for a long time but still didn’t see him return, so she left the academy’s main gate, preparing to leave. Unexpectedly, she saw Han Suwen and Physician Deng returning from outside, each carrying a wooden medical chest.
Zhenzhen hurriedly strode forward to meet them. Han Suwen was delighted to see her and was about to greet her when he heard a "crack" sound. Turning his head, he saw that one end of the handle on Physician Deng’s medical chest had come loose from its mortise and tenon joint, causing the chest to sway precariously.
Han Suwen immediately reached out to support it, and Physician Deng quickly took hold of it, ignoring the handle and cradling the entire chest in his arms.
Physician Deng was over fifty years old, with a thin and small build. Carrying the medical chest seemed quite strenuous for him. Han Suwen suggested, "Physician Deng, my chest was issued last month and is very new. Why don’t we swap? I’ll use yours."
Physician Deng shook his head like a rattle drum: "That’s not appropriate, not appropriate. I’ve used this chest for many years, and it’s decayed and worn. How can I exchange it for your new one?"
"It’s fine," Han Suwen said with a smile. "Old chests are made of good materials. I’ll take it back, repair it, and give it a fresh coat of paint. It’ll be as good as new."
With that, he enthusiastically reached out to take Physician Deng’s chest: "You, sir, will have to go to the Northern Inner Palace for a call later. This chest definitely needs to be replaced promptly..."Imperial Physician Deng swiftly hugged his medicine chest and turned it toward a direction beyond his reach, firmly declining, "There are too many things in my chest; yours won't hold them all."
"Not at all," Han Suwen said, lifting his own chest to show him. "My chest is the same length and width as yours, and even a bit taller. No matter how many things you have, it'll fit."
As he spoke, he reached for Imperial Physician Deng's chest again. Deng repeatedly insisted, "No need," while tightly guarding his chest to prevent Han Suwen from touching it. Han Suwen assumed he was just being polite and, determined to do this good deed, proceeded to snatch the old chest without further discussion. After several rounds of back-and-forth tugging, Imperial Physician Deng's hand slipped, and the chest suddenly fell, its lid separating from the base. Medicines, instruments, brushes, inkstones, and prescription papers scattered all over the ground.
Two round, gleaming silver ingots leaped out from among them, shining with a snow-white brilliance under the sunlight. They rolled merrily along the ground, coming to a stop only when they reached Zhenzhen's feet.
Han Suwen fell silent instantly. He stared at the two silver ingots for a long time, gradually understanding why Imperial Physician Deng hadn't wanted him to touch his medicine chest.
These were almost certainly additional gifts of gratitude from the household he had just visited for a consultation. The amount was substantial, and according to regulations, Imperial Academy of Medicine physicians were not supposed to accept such gifts.
Once he realized this, he immediately rushed to Zhenzhen, took the silver ingots from her hands—she had just picked them up—and ran back to Imperial Physician Deng, respectfully returning them with both hands.
Imperial Physician Deng snorted, gave a heavy flick of his sleeve, and stormed off, leaving both the silver ingots and his medicine chest behind.
Han Suwen watched him depart, then glanced at Zhenzhen, who had come over, and offered an awkward smile.
What talent! What talent! This is precisely the kind of person I should seek out and learn from, no matter the effort!
Zhenzhen reaffirmed this conclusion once more.
"You've done this kind of thing quite often, haven't you?" Zhenzhen asked Han Suwen.
"Ah..." Han Suwen sighed wistfully. "I don't know how it happens, but every now and then, something like this occurs. I genuinely mean to do good deeds..."
Zhenzhen then asked about the medical examination: "What exactly did you do to make the examiners change the rules on the spot and team up with the senior physicians to fail you?"
Han Suwen replied, "I've thought about this too. Based on hints from my colleagues, I believe it's related to the time I declined a reward from the Third Prince... Last time, the Third Prince caught a slight cold, and Imperial Physician Wang took me to treat him. After Imperial Physician Wang made the diagnosis, he asked me to perform gua sha on the Third Prince. After I finished, the Third Prince was very pleased and rewarded both Imperial Physician Wang and me generously. I declined, saying that as officials of the Imperial Academy of Medicine, our monthly salaries are already far higher than the consultation fees of private physicians, and we don’t have to spend our own money on clothing or supplies each year. How could we accept such large rewards from nobles with a clear conscience? The Third Prince insisted, but in my urgency, I said, 'I came here to practice medicine, not to seek rewards.' The Third Prince had no choice but to relent, repeatedly praising my noble character... Then Imperial Physician Wang also declared he couldn't accept the reward and, with tears in his eyes, returned the silver in his hands..."
"Why did you have to speak such blunt truths?" Zhenzhen couldn't help but laugh. "By so righteously refusing the reward in front of Imperial Physician Wang, how could he have the face to accept it alone? Returning the silver with tears, who knows how much he cursed you in his heart. And when he went back and told the other physicians, many surely thought you were deliberately showing off in front of the Third Prince to mock them.""Indeed..." Han Suwen said gloomily, "At the time, I never considered that aspect. I was only focused on speaking my mind truthfully, never imagining it would offend so many people."
Speaking one's mind truthfully... Zhenzhen quickly distilled this golden rule for offending others.
Seeing her lost in thought, Han Suwen kindly advised, "Remember my lesson well. When speaking before superiors or esteemed individuals, one must be tactful and think thrice before acting. I merely failed the medical official examination, but you serve before the Emperor. If you make even the slightest misstep, at best you'll face cold treatment, at worst you'll be expelled from the palace. That would be unfortunate."
When Zhenzhen recounted Han Suwen's story to Fengxian, Fengxian couldn't help but laugh heartily. Zhenzhen then cautiously asked her, "In your opinion, sister, if I were to speak the truth to everyone like Han Suwen, would I quickly become disliked?"
"Yes," Fengxian replied, her smile fading as she grew serious. "Truth is something many are unwilling to face. If someone frequently speaks bluntly about others' flaws and shortcomings, or advises others to do what they should but don't want to do, they will become disliked. Everyone understands that honest advice is hard to accept, yet few can truly embrace it. Truth and those who speak it are like small pebbles in a boot or hangnails beside fingernails—they may not cause significant harm, but they are uncomfortable and must be removed as quickly as possible."
Zhenzhen felt reassured and smiled, "Then I've decided to always speak the truth from now on, hoping to be driven out of the palace as soon as possible."
Fengxian pondered for a moment before saying, "I think it could work. Merely making others uncomfortable isn't a crime, so the hope of withdrawing unscathed is quite high... However, you are clever and quick-witted. It would be difficult for you to offend people as effortlessly and unconsciously as Han Suwen does."
"I know that being naturally oblivious to worldly affairs like Han Suwen requires talent," Zhenzhen said. "I certainly can't match that, but I will learn."
Soon after, Zhenzhen found an opportunity to put this into practice.
That day, the Emperor received news of a victory at the frontier and was greatly pleased. He ordered the imperial kitchen to add two extra dishes to the midday meal.
The imperial chefs did not interpret the Emperor's "two dishes" literally. Instead, they prepared a feast according to state banquet standards, serving a total of thirty courses, not including pastries, fruits, or sweet soups. A procession of palace attendants carried these dishes to the Hall of Jia Ming, where they were passed through multiple layers of servants before being placed one by one before the Emperor.
The Emperor picked up his chopsticks to eat. Having worked tirelessly on state affairs for several nights, he had caught a chill. As he reached for a dish, he couldn't help but sneeze.
Hearing this, Zhenzhen stiffened, then realized it was a perfect opportunity. There was a blunt truth she had long wanted to share with the Emperor, but restrained by propriety, she had swallowed her words each time. Now that she had resolved to speak the truth at every turn, she might as well begin with this.
"Your Majesty," she bowed slightly toward the Emperor and suggested candidly, "in the future, when dining, may I prepare an extra pair of silver chopsticks for Your Majesty, specifically for serving dishes?"
The Emperor appeared visibly surprised and did not respond immediately.Zhenzhen continued to explain her reasoning: "Each time Your Majesty dines, there are at least ten dishes, sometimes dozens, and Your Majesty has never finished them all. The leftovers, as per Your Majesty’s instructions, are distributed among the eunuchs and palace attendants in the palace. This originally stems from Your Majesty’s benevolent heart, allowing ordinary palace staff to taste imperial cuisine, and all who benefit are deeply grateful. However, Your Majesty uses only one pair of chopsticks during meals—both for picking up food and bringing it to your mouth. Thus, to then bestow the leftovers upon the palace staff... is somewhat... unclean."
Zhang Zhibei, the Chief Eunuch of the Inner Palace Service standing nearby, was stunned and immediately rebuked her: "Chief Steward Wu, watch your words!"
Zhenzhen was also uneasy, feeling a faint tingling on her scalp, but she gritted her teeth and pressed on: "For example, today, Your Majesty has caught a cold. Saliva from the chopsticks you used has contaminated the dishes, and if these are then given to the palace staff to eat, they may very well fall ill as a result. Wouldn’t this contradict Your Majesty’s original intention in bestowing imperial cuisine?"
After she finished speaking, the hall fell silent, and Zhenzhen secretly let out a sigh of relief. Finally, she had voiced the thoughts long buried in her heart, and she felt a wave of relief wash over her. Moreover, she stole a glance at the Emperor and felt that her goal had likely been achieved—a triumphant first battle.
The Emperor’s face darkened as he coldly stared at the imperial dishes before him, remaining silent for a long time.
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