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Whenever I read the "Biographies of Bian Que and Cang Gong" in the *Records of the Grand Historian*, reaching the part where Bian Que, skilled in treating diseases, was assassinated by an agent of Li Xi, the Imperial Physician of Qin, I cannot help but put down my book and sigh. I say: Have the jealousy of mediocre physicians towards talent reached such an extreme? Those mediocre physicians, who kill with medicine, are indeed limited by their talent and blind in their insight. Perhaps their hearts originally did not intend to mislead others, which would still be forgivable; if they could obtain secret techniques and transmit them, would it not be possible to transform a mediocre physician into a good one? Now, instead of being ashamed, they are mediocre in skill yet only know how to envy the virtuous and jealous of the talented. This is sticking to fixed prescriptions and harming people, which is essentially the same crime as secretly injuring others. They are thieves harming people for their entire lives.

I also lament Bian Que, who clearly could see through walls (symbolizing profound medical insight), yet failed to illuminate the danger from one side. Li Xi's jealousy and fear of his technique were sufficient to revive the dead, but his wisdom was insufficient to protect himself from harm. Is this not because the righteous path is difficult to tolerate? The sages and worthies of ancient times were all like this; it is not just those in the medical profession. As the saying goes: Scholars, whether virtuous or not, are envied once they enter a circle. Famous physicians and national masters appear only once every few generations; those envied for their talent, like Bian Que, have never ceased to exist in the world.

Over two thousand years later, there occurred the incident of Mr. Wu Chunyan being poisoned. His formal name was Zhenglun, courtesy name Zixu, and pseudonym Chunyan. The prescriptions found in works such as *Yangsheng Leyao* (Essentials for Health Preservation) currently circulated among physicians are his books and his person. Mr. Wu lost his father in childhood. His family was too poor to allow him to study under a teacher. In his early years, he raised chickens and saved eggs to buy books to read. He believed that Confucian studies must lead to passing the imperial examinations and becoming an official before one could save lives and benefit all things. However, one need not pass the examinations or become an official to save lives and benefit all things; nothing is better than medicine. Thus, he abandoned Confucian studies and devoted himself exclusively to medicine.

In his prime, he traveled to the capital. At that time, Consort Gui of Emperor Muzong was suffering from a persistent illness, causing her daily distress at the Imperial Medical Bureau. Repeated treatments were ineffective. An edict was issued seeking a skilled physician to treat her. Mr. Chunyan, as a commoner, responded to the edict. After taking her pulse and presenting a prescription, she recovered after taking just one dose. A certain Imperial Physician was both ashamed that his prescription was rejected and angry that a lowly commoner suddenly displayed superior skills while he held a high position. Fearing that the Emperor's favor would shift and his position would be usurped, jealousy took root, and the intent to kill emerged. He placed poison in a cup and offered it to Mr. Chunyan. They drank together and enjoyed themselves. Upon returning home, Mr. Chunyan lay down to sleep. Around midnight, he suddenly laughed several times. His second son, who was present, heard the laughter and suspected his father was pleased and proud that his prescription had worked so quickly. At dawn, when the quilt was lifted, Mr. Chunyan was stiff and had passed away. He was only forty years old at the time of his death.

Thus, Mr. Wu's skill was envied by the Imperial Physicians. Although he possessed the wisdom to preserve himself, he was caught off guard. This parallels the incident involving the Qin Imperial Physician (Li Xi). Ancient and modern figures encountering similar events share the same reality: the righteous path is hard to tolerate. Is it merely Li Xi's jealousy? Han Feizi said, "A doctor of Qin may be skilled at curing others, but he cannot flick away insects from himself." This applies even more convincingly to Mr. Chunyan. Petty individuals plot to harm the virtuous, but their writings and reputations ultimately cannot be destroyed or obscured. Although Bian Que was assassinated, he has been regarded as a fine physician throughout history. Although Mr. Chunyan was poisoned, his books continue to circulate today, and many in the Qi-Huang school (Traditional Chinese Medicine) regard him as a standard. His descendants have transmitted his legacy through generations.

Mr. Chunyan's great-grandson, Chongru Weng, said: "My late great-grandfather was skilled in writing. Several of his books remain, including *Huoren Xinjian* (Mirror of the Human Heart), *Yangsheng Leyao* (Essentials for Health Preservation), *Maizheng Zhifang* (Pulse, Symptoms, and Prescriptions), and *Xuche*. Only *Leyao* has been widely circulated for a long time. I still possess the secret 'Qingnang' (medical manuscripts). My descendants reproached me for not fulfilling this responsibility. Therefore, I carefully studied and collated these texts and had them printed for dissemination. *Maizheng Zhifang* is one of them. Chongru Weng also inherited the family learning. Patients from the prefecture often sought treatment at his door. Before the printing was completed, Weng passed away. His sons and nephews diligently inherited his will and fulfilled Mr. Chunyan's ambition, wishing to make this book publicly available. They asked me to write a preface. I nodded in agreement but did not reply immediately.

The following autumn, while serving as the Provincial Education Commissioner in Shaanxi and touring the region, I passed by Bian Que's tomb. I felt moved by Bian Que's high skill and tragic assassination, and again by the similarity between Mr. Chunyan's story and Bian Que's. I was also delighted that Mr. Chunyan's descendants continued the family tradition and that this book was published. Its circulation not only elucidates the ancestors' work and follows their prescriptions to save lives and benefit all things, but its merit to humanity is immense. Thus, I took up my pen and wrote this preface.

I learned that when Mr. Chunyan died, his second son, Mr. Jujing, stood by with concise words. He was only fifteen years old (the age of dancing with weapons) but strong enough to escort the coffin home. Both brothers studied, but they often suffered from a lack of grain and support. Mr. Jujing read his father's books and inherited his profession, using his resources to support his brothers' diligent studies. His elder brother, Ju Yi, named Xingsu, and his younger brother, Ju Ke, named Xingzhao, both passed the Mingjing examination and served as academic instructors, becoming quite famous. To this day, within the schools, descendants for five generations who study and understand medicine have followed one another without interruption. Mr. Chunyan's benevolence flows far and wide.

Written in bowing respect by Hong Cong, Provincial Education Commissioner of Shaanxi, in the tenth lunar month of the Guichou year of the Kangxi reign.