"Mr. Feng?"

"Mr. Lin, you recognized me..." Feng Sheng smiled awkwardly and removed the mask covering his face.

"Even though your face wasn’t visible, with your official attire, official boots, and your figure, it’s hard not to recognize you."

"Since Mr. Lin has recognized me, I won’t stand on ceremony. Let me tell you, lately I’ve been..." Feng Sheng lowered his voice and leaned toward Lin Miao, speaking in a hushed tone.

Lin Miao did not shy away. Although Feng Sheng is an official of the Arresting Department, coming to see a doctor does not necessitate hiding one’s face.

So, this ailment must be a sensitive one, not to be known by too many people, especially not by Sun Youwei, who sat opposite, with ears keen to listen.

This qualifies as a disease pertaining to men’s privacy.

"Bloody stools?" Lin Miao showed a slight surprise upon hearing the symptom. Bloody stools can be caused by various conditions. If it were due to a gastrointestinal disorder, it would be troublesome. But Feng Sheng does not seem too old; he shouldn’t have such a malignant disease.

"Mr. Feng, could you first show me your tongue?"

Feng Sheng opened his mouth and complied.

Tongue red, coating thin white, indicating internal heat.

Lin Miao further checked the pulse and found Feng Sheng’s pulse string-like, a typical sign of heat syndrome, with dry stool and large intestine heat, internal fire, bloody stools, no other specific ailments.

Lin Miao pondered slightly, considering that Feng Sheng might have hemorrhoids causing the bloody stools, but to confirm, a digital examination is necessary.

"Take off your pants and lie down; let me examine you."

"Examine? What else needs examining?" Feng Sheng froze upon hearing this, having to take off his pants.

"You’ll find out once you lie down." Lin Miao urged, a grown man needing such coaxing for an examination, so hesitant and indecisive.

"Mr. Lin, how is this examination done?"

"No need to explain, hurry up, I have other patients waiting." Lin Miao urged again, dilly-dallying, such unmanly behavior.

"Mr. Lin, please be gentle..."

"Rest assured, I will." Lin Miao nodded, letting Feng Sheng lie down, pants off, he placed a piece of sheep gut finger cover on his right index and middle fingers, then took castor oil.

"Turn to the side!"

Indeed, near the anal edge, an external hemorrhoid was visibly protruding, the sheep gut fingertip coated with castor oil, directly probing inward along the passage.

"Ouch, Mr. Lin, what are you doing?" Feng Sheng couldn’t help but cry out.

"Why scream, it’s just a hemorrhoid examination, nothing to fuss about." Lin Miao chided lightly, fingers probing and palpating.

Soft texture, it should have been there for some time.

Internal hemorrhoids combined with external hemorrhoids, mixed hemorrhoids, no wonder.

Extracting fingers, a trace of fresh blood remained.

This bloody stool should be due to large intestine heat causing dry stool, hemorrhoids blocking the passage, with Feng Sheng forcefully defecating, resulting in the bloody stool.

"Alright, get up." Lin Miao directly removed the sheep gut finger cover, throwing it into the trash, unsuitable for sterilizing and reusing, disposing is more fitting.

"Mr. Lin, can my condition be treated?" Feng Sheng asked apprehensively after dressing.

"No malignant changes, no major issue. I’ll prescribe medicine; consume it for a period, then boil the leftover medicinal residue in water, use it for wash and steam, it should heal in one or two months."

"One or two months?"

"Your condition has been there for at least half a year; hoping it heals just by taking medicine is unlikely." Lin Miao said, "One or two months to heal is already good."

After prescribing medication and giving medical advice, Lin Miao personally saw Feng Sheng off.

Ten men, nine with hemorrhoids, men often do not easily notice this ailment, by the time they do, they’re similar to Feng Sheng, exhibiting severe symptoms.

Feng Sheng is not an exception.

He was contemplating whether to make the Ma Yinglong Hemorrhoid Ointment, but the formula is confidential, making his own would likely take time.

...

Yangxin Hall - Warm Pavilion.

After examining Emperor Zhao Rui’s pulse, Fu Qingzhu stood and respectfully said, "Has Your Majesty been a bit fatigued lately? The pulse is somewhat unstable, it requires attention."

Zhao Rui smiled sheepishly, "Reviewed documents till late yesterday, am I alright?"

The national physician is consulted every three days for pulse-taking, a privilege only the emperor enjoys; anyone else?

"It’s fine for now, yet, Your Majesty must still exercise some restraint in the bedroom..." Only Fu Qingzhu dared utter such words.

"Beloved minister, I am not an ordinary husband, the concubines in the harem begin to speculate at the slightest hint, if I withdraw their favor, they may think my health is failing." Zhao Rui explained.

"Your Majesty, you must not continue using excessively tonifying, potent medications, proceeding in this manner, even I cannot ensure you last another three years."

"Can you not speak so bluntly, beloved minister?" Zhao Rui lifted his eyes, glancing at Fu Qingzhu, the eunuchs inside the hall had been dismissed, leaving only the two to speak so boldly, otherwise, even for Fu Qingzhu, misfortune would surely follow.

Fu Qingzhu was not foolish; in front of others, he certainly would not speak such words, but he was responsible for the emperor’s medical and health.

Should any incident occur, he would bear the responsibility, not merely speaking favorable words, would equate to digging his own grave.

If the emperor were to vent anger towards him, he would be the one suffering.