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Zu Xiong (Elder Brother of the same clan) Zou Han, aged over forty, appeared robust externally but was deficient internally. Pathogenic factors entered taking advantage of this deficiency, resulting in alternating chills and fever, cough, headache, and body pain. The pulse was large but powerless upon pressure. I initially prescribed a warming and dispersing method, but there was no improvement. I then switched to Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang (Tonify the Middle and Augment the Qi Decoction) with added ginger and jujube, to support healthy qi and expel pathogenic factors. I told his nephew: "Your uncle's condition is not light; do not overlook it." Others thought the illness was mild and the medication too heavy, so they changed doctors and paid little attention. After several days of delay, the condition gradually worsened. They invited Mr. Yu Langting, a colleague, for consultation. He refused to prescribe medicine, saying later, "Mr. Cheng lives next door; why not invite him to discuss together?" Thus, I was invited again. Observing that the symptoms had intensified—red face, red eyes, black tongue coating, cracked lips, confused consciousness, and a pulse that was wide, large, empty, and hollow—I realized the pathogen was about to sink inward. I consulted with Mr. Yu and decided to use a method of strengthening the middle and warming to support the body, referencing the formula Shang Liu Wei Hui Yang Yin (Six-Ingredient Decoction to Restore Yang from Injury). However, his household consisted mainly of women, and his young nephew did not understand medical principles. Some worried about the irritant heat, fearing that administering ginger and aconite would cause the patient to become restless and agitated ("climb walls and roofs"). Therefore, they hesitated and dared not administer the medicine. Due to further delay, the condition worsened. When they tried to invite Mr. Yu again, he did not come, causing panic in the family. The nephew, accompanied by Brother Bao Liping, came to my house to plead for treatment and requested that I write to invite Mr. Yu. I wrote the letter, and Mr. Yu finally arrived. Guests and friends gathered. At that time, Brother Jin Rongruo was present and whispered to me privately: "You can prescribe freely; I will take responsibility for the administration of the medicine." I deliberated with Mr. Yu again, deciding to stick to the previous prescription. Brother Jin waited until the medicine was decocted and supervised its ingestion personally. The next day, the patient's spirit slightly recovered, and the pulse began to consolidate. We removed prepared ginger and added Gouqi (Lycium Fruit) and Shanzhuyu (Cornus Fruit), administering another dose. The fever subsided, and the tongue became moist. We then halved the dosage of Fuzi (Aconite Root Lateralis Preparata) and added Duzhong (Eucommia Bark) and Shanyao (Dioscorea Rhizome). Subsequently, we administered Da Bu Yuan Jian (Great Tonifying Decoction), and after two months, the patient fully recovered.

In early autumn of the Jiazi year of the Jiaqing reign, Brother Mu invited me to examine his mother. He stated that his mother, aged over fifty, appeared robust externally but was deficient internally. She had been ill for eight days, presenting with upper heat and lower cold, excessive phlegm, scanty sweating, cough, and vomiting. She had a history of painful stranguria (Lin syndrome), which had recurred. Previous physicians treated her with wind-dispersing and summerheat-clearing methods without success; later, they suspected Liver Fire and proposed Long Dan Xie Gan Tang (Gentian Liver-Draining Decoction), seeking my judgment. I said: "Stranguria is the root, while the external contraction is the branch. Whether to treat the root or the branch depends on the urgency of the condition; one cannot make arbitrary judgments." Upon examination, her pulse was fine, her complexion was greenish-dark, her body was hot but her feet were cold. Despite the intense summer heat, she still covered herself with felt blankets. Her tongue coating was white and slippery, her chest and abdomen were distended and stuffy, and she had no appetite nor thirst. I told Brother Mu: "Your mother's condition is due to internal latent cold-dampness compounded by an external pathogenic invasion. Treatment should focus on warming the middle and expelling pathogens. The painful stranguria cannot be addressed simultaneously at this stage. The prescription is Cang Er Chen Tang (Atractylodes and Pinellia Two-Ingredient Phlegm-Resolving Decoction) modified with ginger, aconite, and Amomum fruit to warm the middle and dry dampness, along with Guizhi (Cinnamon Twig) and Qinjiao (Gentiana Macrophylla Root) to resolve the exterior." Brother Mu asked what signs would indicate efficacy and when she could expect recovery. I replied: "In Shaoyin/Taiyang diseases, the tongue is the key indicator. Once the tongue coating clears completely, the pathogen will naturally dissipate. This will likely take ten days (two 'hou')." After the first dose, the tongue coating slightly receded; after the second dose, half had cleared; by the fourth dose, chills and fever resolved completely, the tongue coating disappeared, and the stranguria ceased. However, abdominal fullness persisted, appetite remained poor, and bowel movements had not occurred. The next day, she suddenly experienced diarrhea several times. Everyone worried this was "Lou Di" (leakage at the bottom/slippage) associated with Cold Damage. I said: "No harm. As Master Zhongjing stated: 'When the stomach house is full, foul and rotten matter must be expelled.'" I changed the prescription to Liu Jun Zi Tang (Six-Gentlemen Decoction) with added Coix Seed, Ze Xie (Alisma Rhizome), Shen Qu (Medicated Leaven), and Gu Ya (Sprouted Grain) to strengthen the spleen and leach out dampness. Within three days, she defecated more than twenty times, after which her chest felt open and appetite returned. A few days later, she suddenly developed a fever, and her pulse was floating and large. I said: "This is a secondary infection." Brother Mu asked: "The patient has been lying in bed under curtains all these days; how could the pathogen enter?" I replied: "It is likely that due to the recent diarrhea, she got out of bed at night. Having been ill for a long time, her body is weak and susceptible to invasion." I used Liu Jun Zi Tang again, adding ginger, aconite, and Qinjiao. One dose brought immediate relief.