苏轼跋曰。先朝值夷狄怀服。兵革寝息。而又体质恭俭。在位四十有二年。宫室苑囿无所益。故民无曝赋。
而生齿岁登。垦田日广。至于法令。则去苛惨尚宽简。守令则进柔良退贪残。牛酒以礼高年。粟帛以旌孝行。广
惠以廪 独。宽恤以省力役。除身丁之算。弛盐榷之令。用能导迎休祥。年谷登衍。其裕民之德。固已浃肌肤而
瀹骨髓矣。然犹慊然。忧下民之疾疹。无良剂以全济。于是诏太医集名方。日简要济众。凡五卷。三册。镂板模
印。以赐郡县。俾人得传录。用广拯疗。意欲锡以康宁之福。 之仁寿之域。已而县与律令同藏。殆愈一纪。穷
达之民。莫或闻知。圣泽壅而不宣。吏之罪也。乃书以方版。揭之通会。不独流传民间。痊 愈疾。亦欲使人知
上恩也。后之君子。傥不以为诮。岁一检举之。使无遗毁焉。（东坡大全集）
苏轼在跋文中写道：前朝正值夷狄归顺臣服，战争停息，加之皇帝体质恭谨节俭，在位四十二年，宫室苑囿没有过度兴建，因此百姓没有沉重的赋税。
人口逐年增长，开垦的田地日益扩大。至于法令方面，则去除苛刻残酷，崇尚宽简；地方官员则提拔温和善良者，罢黜贪婪残暴者。以牛酒之礼敬奉高年老人，以粟帛表彰孝顺行为。广泛施行恩惠以供养鳏寡孤独之人，宽缓体恤以减轻劳役。免除身丁税，放松盐铁专卖的法令。能够以此引导迎接吉祥瑞气，使年成丰收丰衍。其裕民的美德，确实已经深入肌肤骨髓了。
然而（皇帝）仍然心中不满，担忧下层百姓的疾病疹患，没有良方良药来全面救济。于是下诏太医们汇集名方，编撰《简要济众方》。全书共五卷，三册，刻版模印，赐给各郡县，使人们得以传抄记录，用来广泛拯救治疗。意图是赐予百姓康宁的福分，进入仁寿的境界。不久之后，该书与律令一同收藏起来，大概过了一纪（十二年），无论穷困还是显达的百姓，没有人听说过。圣上的恩泽被堵塞而不能宣扬，这是官吏的罪过。于是将书写在木板上，悬挂在交通要道，不仅流传于民间，治愈疾病，也想要让人们知道皇上的恩德。后世的君子，如果不对此加以讥笑，每年检查一次，使其不致遗失毁坏。（出自《东坡大全集》）
Su Shi wrote in his postscript: In the previous dynasty, barbarians submitted and served, warfare ceased, and the Emperor was personally respectful and frugal. Having reigned for forty-two years without excessive construction of palaces or gardens, the people were spared heavy taxation.
The population increased annually, and reclaimed land expanded day by day. Regarding laws and decrees, harshness and cruelty were abolished in favor of leniency and simplicity; local magistrates promoted gentle and virtuous officials while dismissing greedy and cruel ones. Cattle and wine were offered as rites to honor the elderly, and grain and silk were bestowed to commend filial conduct. Broad benevolence was extended to support widowers, widows, orphans, and childless elders, while relief measures alleviated corvée labor. The poll tax on individuals was abolished, and regulations on salt and iron monopolies were relaxed. Thus, auspicious omens were invited, and harvests became abundant. His virtue of enriching the people had indeed penetrated their skin, muscles, and marrow.
Yet, he remained dissatisfied, worrying about the diseases and rashes afflicting the common people, lacking good remedies to fully save them. Consequently, an edict was issued to the Imperial Physicians to collect famous prescriptions and compile the *Jianyao Jizhong Fang* (Essential Formulas for Saving the Masses). The work consisted of five volumes and three fascicles. It was woodblock printed and distributed to commanderies and counties, enabling people to copy and record it for widespread therapeutic use. The intention was to bestow blessings of health and longevity upon the people, guiding them into a realm of benevolence and long life.
However, shortly thereafter, the book was stored away alongside legal codes. For nearly a cycle of twelve years, neither the poor nor the wealthy knew of its existence. The imperial grace was obstructed and not disseminated, which was the fault of the officials. Therefore, the text was inscribed on wooden boards and displayed at major thoroughfares, not only to circulate among the populace and cure illnesses, but also to make people aware of the sovereign's kindness. May future gentlemen not ridicule this effort, but rather inspect it annually to ensure it is not lost or destroyed. (From *Dongpo Quan Ji*)