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Mr. Gu Ming's son underwent variolation (smallpox inoculation). I was immediately invited to examine him. The vaccine pustules were pale red and distinct, containing a watery luster, bright and moist, quite lovely. Moreover, the particles were sparse, like morning stars adorning the sky. The physicians under his employment had previously praised them as "Zhuangyuan Pustules" (a term for excellent prognosis in smallpox). I was unaware of this.

After hesitating for a long time, I explicitly informed Mr. Gu: The heat from the pustules has not yet subsided; the head is heavy and the neck is soft; the spirit is restless and the mind is vexed; the stool is loose and greenish-white. This is entirely due to an external contraction of seasonal epidemic qi (pathogenic factors), combined with internal deficiency. If one uses the standard general-purpose medicines for pustular diseases, it will inevitably lead to danger.

Mr. Gu did not waver in his resolve. Coincidentally, the Second Yin (a local official) invited him to inspect and relieve famine victims household by household. He personally went out to the streets to supervise the matter. I hurriedly went to his relative's house and said, "I see that while Mr. Gu's son is undergoing variolation at home, his energy is fully devoted to famine relief. Although this is the act of a benevolent elder, others could substitute for him in such matters. Yet he takes on the responsibility without hesitation, speaking clearly and without looking back. This must be because some physician flattered and praised him, leading him to believe firmly. Otherwise, how could there be such counterproductive reasoning? These pustules require one or two doses of medicine to first expel the external contraction; then the pustules will heal spontaneously without specific treatment. If delayed by two or three days, it will be too late. Please trouble yourself to seek out Mr. Gu inside and outside Chaoyang Gate immediately and state my views directly." Upon hearing this, his relative set off. I also returned to my residence to write a letter to him. The words were urgent and impassioned, disregarding potential suspicion.

In the evening, a servant brought the letter back, threw it on the table, and left angrily. I thought Mr. Gu was reprimanding me. Opening the letter, it read: "Your father insists on receiving a prescription before he is willing to administer medicine." I then formulated a prescription and detailed its main principles, instructing my young servants to deliver it. The servants privately remarked that I was acting unwisely, running to the great man's door three or four times a day, thereby forgetting my own dignity. Alas, do I not value myself? It is just that when petty people obscure the truth, if I can manage to turn things around, many lives will be saved. Thus, I personally delivered the prescription to the gate, but the inner door was already locked, and the gatekeeper accepted it. The next morning, it was submitted. I walked secretly alone, covering six li round trip, seeking peace of mind. The following day, I entrusted his relative again to urge the administration of the medicine. They replied, "Since it is a Zhuangyuan Pustule, why take medicine?" From then on, although I wished to visit his courtyard, there was no way to do so. Alas, in the imperial court, those in office and those offering advice should complement each other. Had I been able to stand by his side, even if the child took no medicine, there would surely have been no fatal outcome. Because the child suffered from a pathogenic syndrome, yet fish, chicken, bamboo shoots, and other eruptive foods were mistakenly administered, compounding error upon error, which merely accelerated his demise. By the sixth day, the condition deteriorated, exactly matching the timeline for death caused by pathogenic syndromes complicating smallpox. If the pustules had emerged beautifully, even unexpected complications would likely have occurred half a month to a month later. Two days later, Mr. Gu's second son also began to develop fever and pustules, still complicated by seasonal external contraction. He still used the previous physician, and the result was also deterioration by the sixth day. Within ten days, two sons were killed by one physician. Mr. Gu took this as his own fault and established a clinic to distribute medicine at the City God Temple. I happened to see him and frowned, saying, "A person of great virtue fears and reflects upon himself. Would Heaven and Earth, and the bright spirits, not offer silent protection? However, rewarding good and punishing evil has its own course. Would the physician who killed children not have his lifespan swiftly shortened?" That night, this physician died suddenly. I was deeply alarmed and vigilant, yet there remained something unsatisfying: the sycophants around him had not received explicit punishment.

Mr. Hu Youchen said: "Slander and flattery obscure clarity; crookedness harms righteousness. This is the same rule in ancient and modern times. And the depth of hidden resentment can truly influence the auspicious or ominous actions of ghosts and gods."