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Mr. Gu Songyuan and I, Cheng Jian, share the relationship of father-in-law and son-in-law. Before I achieved success, my father, Mr. Chu Gao, had arranged a marriage alliance with Mr. Fu Zhanxian of Jinling. Prior to this, when Mr. Gu Songyuan was in his twenties, he had made a "Che-Li Alliance" (a vow of friendship that transcends changes in wealth and status) with Mr. Fu. After twenty years of separation, Mr. Fu passed away as a guest in eastern Guangdong. He had no sons but two daughters; one had already been betrothed to me but had not yet moved into my family. At that time, the orphaned Fu family was stranded in the south. My father, pitying their mother and daughter for having no support, welcomed them to Wu Commandery (Suzhou). One of the daughters became a child bride (yangxi). In the autumn of the Renwu year, during the provincial examination, I was fortunate enough to pass as a Juren (successful candidate). My interactions with Mr. Gu Songyuan became frequent and close. When discussing Mr. Fu, he sighed and said, "She is the daughter of an old friend. Since your marriage has not yet been consummated, I will contribute modestly to her dowry and gifts." At that time, I admired his lofty righteousness, which reached to the clouds, and never forgot his kindness. Although I did not have the opportunity to serve Mr. Fu, I regarded Mr. Gu Songyuan as another Mr. Fu. Thus, I viewed Mr. Gu as an uncle, and he viewed me as a son-in-law. Consequently, I became brothers-in-law with his adopted son, Zai. Though we were of different surnames, our bond was akin to that of biological siblings. I happened to see the manuscript of *Yi Jing* (Mirror of Medicine), copied and compiled by my brother-in-law. We read it repeatedly with great appreciation and gained significant insights. I then understood that Mr. Gu’s heart was loyal and sincere; he treated his adopted son as if he were his own, and thus treated his adopted son-in-law as his own child. A person of deep emotion does not neglect natural familial bonds; his benevolent intent extends to all living beings. Therefore, he exhausted his energy and effort to save people and refused to act like the mediocre doctors of the current times. Hence, his book is detailed, prudent, precise, and rigorous, undergoing multiple revisions and four major edits before its completion. I, feeling unworthy, held an official post in the prefecture and served in eastern Shandong. I accidentally contracted an illness. Due to endless official duties, physical exhaustion, and frantic running about, I sought medical treatment, but the remedies were as ineffective as water poured on stone. I nearly perished, and it took more than a year to recover. I specifically sent a letter home, requesting Mr. Gu to ask my brother-in-law to quickly copy and compile the book and send it to Shandong. This could save thousands of lives, thereby honoring both my father-in-law’s lifelong painstaking efforts and my brother-in-law’s years of labor in copying and compiling. I have drafted a preface following Mr. Gu’s own preface and await the recognition and support of contemporary distinguished scholars and officials to promote its publication, so that its blessings may be endless.
In the seventh month of the 58th year of the Kangxi reign, Cheng Jian, the adopted son-in-law, bowed and wrote this at the official residence in Shandong.