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The eldest son of Mr. Xu Yushu suffered from dizziness (dizziness) in his childhood, which did not respond to various medications. I treated it as Liver Wind (Liver Wind), prescribing Guizhi Dihuang Tang (Cinnamon Twig and Rehmannia Decoction). Everyone claimed that dizziness was caused by Wind-Cold (Wind-Cold) and that a child should not easily consume Shudi (Prepared Rehmannia Root). Mr. Xu disregarded the dissenting opinions, had him take the prescription repeatedly, and he recovered. The following spring, he suffered from abdominal pain (abdominal pain) with vomiting and diarrhea. Upon consultation, I prescribed herbs to warm the Middle Jiao (Middle Jiao) and regulate Qi (Qi). After two doses, there was no improvement. His family became anxious and requested other doctors, inviting several daily. Some attributed it to parasites (parasites), others to Blood stasis (Blood stasis), and others to Fire (Fire), but none of the treatments were effective. The condition dragged on for over ten days with severe, unceasing pain and continuous vomiting and diarrhea, leading to neglect of sleep and eating. I was invited again to consult. His pulse was fine (fine pulse) and his complexion was cyanotic (cyanosis); he was moaning and exhausted. Considering the worsening condition, although Mr. Xu trusted me, the surrounding criticism made it difficult to proceed. I referred him to my colleague, Mr. Yu Langting. Initially, Wuling San (Five-Ingredient Poria Powder) was administered, followed by Zhenwu Tang (True Warrior Decoction), but neither worked. Mr. Xu firmly urged me to find a solution. I said, "It is not that I do not wish to plan for him, but his illness has been prolonged, so his Stomach Qi (Stomach Qi) must be depleted. Light doses will likely be ineffective. If we resort to a desperate measure, your lordship loves your grandson like a treasure; seeing the prescription, he would be startled and unlikely to allow him to take it." Mr. Xu pondered and said, "There is a good strategy. This morning, a friend mentioned a neighbor village where someone practices Fu Luan (spirit writing) for healing. My family wanted to seek a prescription there, but I scolded them. Please draft a prescription. I will tell my family that it was opened by a spirit immortal, so they will surely believe and accept it." I replied, "The strategy is indeed good, but the treatment method remains difficult. Your son's illness initially was merely Cold coagulation and Qi stagnation (Cold coagulation and Qi stagnation), which was not serious. Because you sought quick results, the treatments became chaotic. Prolonged pain damaged Qi (Qi), excessive vomiting damaged the Stomach (Stomach), and excessive diarrhea damaged the Spleen (Spleen), hence this debility. If we continue to treat symptoms individually, it will lead to Earth failure and Qi collapse (Earth failure and Qi collapse). The only way is to support Yang (Yang) and tonify Qi (Qi) to save the emergency. Therefore, I propose Fuzi Lizhong Tang (Aconite and Ginger Decoction to Regulate the Middle), decocted with rice water. This will consolidate Qi (Qi) and calm the Stomach (Stomach), allowing for conservative management." The next morning, Mr. Xu came to my residence, happily saying, "Previous medicines were like water thrown on stone (ineffective). Yesterday, after taking your prescription, not only did the illness subside, but he could also drink congee." His family believed it to be a miraculous pill and asked me to visit again to adjust the formula. I said, "The medicine matches the syndrome (syndrome differentiation), do not change it lightly. Take one more dose according to the original prescription today, and we will reconsider tomorrow." The next morning upon consultation, the condition improved significantly. Since his constitution was inherently Yin deficient (Yin deficiency), I removed Fuzi (Prepared Aconite Root) from the formula, and he took it for another two days. Subsequently, Shenling Baizhu San (Ginseng, Poria, and Atractylodes Macrocephala Powder) was used for regulation, leading to full recovery. In this case, without Mr. Xu's usual trust and flexibility, success would have been impossible. I record this to illustrate that for physicians in clinical practice, not only is the disease condition hard to discern, but the difficulty of navigating human relations is even greater.

An Bo's Note: The difficulty of human relations is even more pronounced nowadays. Old Xingxian lived during the prosperous era of Emperor Jiaqing and Daoguang; does he not see the hardships faced by doctors in the Guangxu era? Today's physicians must possess the skill to achieve results with one dose and cure with two, otherwise, patients will seek others. This shows that ancient virtues are lost, and morals decline further.