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Mr. Shangqing, whose courtesy name was Yizhi and who held the official post of Zhuzheng (Chief Administrator), was the son of Mr. Anjie, who served as Zhushi (Censor). In his early twenties, he suffered from nasal congestion and an inability to sneeze for four years, accompanied by Bi Nu (epistaxis/nosebleed), which worsened in cold months. He experienced thirst and had phlegm nodules (phlegm condensations) at the side of his throat. His pulse at the Right Cun and Guan positions was Hong (surging) and Hua (slippery). I said: This is a condition of Phlegm-Fire in the Lung Meridian. I prescribed Qian Hu (Peucedani Radix), Qin Jiao (Gentianae Macrophyllae Radix), Ge Gen (Puerariae Lobatae Radix), Bo He (Menthae Haplocalycis Herba), Shi Gao (Gypsum Fibrosum), Tian Hua Fen (Trichosanthis Radix), Xuan Shen (Scrophulariae Radix), Bei Mu (Fritillariae Cirrhosae Bulbus), Shan Zhi Zi (Gardeniae Fructus), Gan Cao (Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma), Bai Yao Zi (Stemonae Radix), Jie Geng (Platycodonis Radix), and Dan Pi (Moutan Cortex). After four doses, the epistaxis stopped. At night, he held several pills of Niuhuang Sanqing Wan (Calculus Bovis Triple-Clearing Pill) in his mouth; immediately, his nasal breath became clear and he could smell odors. Within ten days, he recovered completely. In his youth, Mr. Shangqing devoted himself entirely to scholarship, indifferent to heat and cold, which led to these nasal ailments. Later, during the Ji-Mao and Geng-Chen years of the Wanli era, he ranked first in both the prefectural and county examinations twice but failed to be enrolled as a student in the local academy, causing him increasing depression and discomfort. At that time, I took his arm and said to him: Sir, why are you so eager for the Confucian scholar's cap? Based on your pulse, your success in the imperial examinations would not be inferior to your father's; even your two friends in the academy are destined for high office. By my humble opinion, Mr. Shi will pass first, you second, and Mr. Wu third. You should take these words as a guarantee and do not forget them. Later, all three gentlemen passed the examinations in succession, exactly as I predicted. In the spring of the Wu-Xu year of the Wanli era, I was summoned by Guozhan Wu. Mr. Shangqing and Shi Yulao, keeping their promise, wrote prefaces for my book *Xuanzhu* and recorded this event to witness our good fortune together.

Magistrate Song of Yixing was from Shandong. His mother, the Lady Tai, was over fifty years old and suffered from distending pain in the chest and hypochondrium. I was then residing at the home of Guozhan Wu. Messrs. Shengan and Anjie, both close friends of Magistrate Song by age cohort, invited me through them. Upon examining the Lady Tai's pulse, the Right Cun and Guan positions were Hong (surging), Hua (slippery), and elastic to the touch, like soybeans. The Left positions (Cun, Guan, Chi) were scattered and disordered, resembling a loosening rope. The two Chi positions lacked any spirit or vitality. Unable to determine the source of her illness, and since Magistrate Song did not disclose the cause, I suddenly asked: What disease does this pulse indicate? I replied: According to the Left pulse, it indicates a chronic deficiency condition; the Right pulse suggests injury from diet. It must be a recurring illness where the patient improves slightly only to relapse due to further injury. The situation is critical. Hearing "critical," Magistrate Song acted against my advice, appearing seemingly disrespectful. Seeing his demeanor, I took my leave. At the rear hall, various assistant officials and Scholar She were present. Scholar She, a fellow townsman of mine who also understood medicine, asked: How are the symptoms? I said: Incurable. He remarked that previous physicians showed no hesitation, asking why I said so. I replied: The lack of spirit in the two Chi positions is like a tree without roots, as stated in the *Nan Jing* (Classic of Difficult Issues). With the Left pulse scattered and the Right pulse hard and bean-like, death will occur within ten days. Indeed, she passed away seven days later. The scholars and common people of the county spread rumors that I could predict life and death.