Mu Lin didn’t respond to the professor’s words because he had his own thoughts. Currently, with his financial strength, he no longer needed to rely on his superb medical skills to earn money by treating patients. He simply wanted to promote traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in the Western world, allowing it to flourish and thrive there. This way, he would honor both his great-uncle and his teacher, who had taught him medicine, while also accumulating merit through these efforts.
At the moment, he was considering what methods he could adopt to eliminate the prejudice against TCM among Westerners. At the same time, he wanted to combine these efforts with local realities to genuinely benefit Chinese physicians living here, so they wouldn’t suffer disadvantages like last time, when Japan had taken advantage of the trade deficit. Based on the current situation, the best approach would be to first treat the most severely ill among them. After curing them, he would give a lecture on the fundamentals of TCM to the Senate and House of Representatives—the two bodies that held the most influence and shaped the basic policies of the Western world. By popularizing basic TCM knowledge among them, they would gradually change their negative perception of TCM, which in turn would improve the living and working conditions of Chinese physicians in the West. This would be a great contribution to the promotion and popularization of TCM knowledge.
Thinking of this, he glanced at the anxious expression on the professor’s face and, somewhat embarrassed, said to him, “I’m sorry, Professor! I was thinking about something and didn’t respond to your question in time. I apologize! Thank you very much for everything you’ve done for me. I completely agree to the conditions you mentioned. However…” Mu Lin hesitated.
That one “however” nearly caused Professor Chris Landen’s heart condition to flare up again. “Oh, Daniel, do you have any other conditions? Is it about the treatment fee? No problem at all! We’ll charge according to the highest standard here, that should be fine, right?”
Mu Lin had decided to use acupuncture for their treatments this time because acupuncture was an important component of TCM. Once the West acknowledged the effectiveness of acupuncture, a part of TCM, they would logically have to acknowledge the effectiveness of TCM as a whole.
This task would require a great deal of effort and a long-term commitment. However, it was impossible for him to accomplish this alone. Moreover, he still needed to cultivate his spiritual practices. After all, with so many TCM practitioners around, surely there would be others to continue this work.
Thinking of this, Mu Lin spoke to Professor Chris Landen, “Professor, you’ve done so much for me. Since this time you’re personally involved, how could I possibly charge any fees? I’ve decided, out of respect for you, to offer the treatment completely free of charge. I don’t intend to treat only the senators from your home country. There will certainly be many more people afterward. As long as they come to you for help, I will treat them all for free, and I will use acupuncture, a method of TCM, for the treatments.
However, I do have one condition. First, I would like to treat some members of the Senate and House of Representatives. Once their conditions improve, I would like to hold some lectures on TCM knowledge within these two bodies. Then, I will offer free treatment to those who attend the lectures. I hope to eliminate the concept of TCM as witchcraft from their minds. That’s all. What do you think, Professor?”
Professor Chris Landen opened his mouth wide, thinking to himself, “Shameless! Absolutely shameless!” He remained stunned for a while before finally regaining his composure. “You clever fellow! You’ve taken advantage of my reputation and achieved your goal. You even want to give lectures in the Senate and House! I just hope you don’t mess this up!”
Mu Lin thought to himself, “Old man is indeed an old man. As the ancients said, ‘those who live too long without dying become thieves.’ How true! I pondered for so long, yet he saw through my intentions in an instant.” Since everything had been settled, what remained was just to divide the spoils. The two schemers sat there, grinning like two foxes, continuing their haggling.
In the Western world, the legislative body is generally divided into the House of Representatives and the Senate. For example, in Country U, each state exercises representation in the House based on population, but every state is guaranteed at least one representative. The total number of representatives in the House is fixed by law at 435, and each representative serves a term of two years. The presiding officer of the House is called the Speaker. The bicameral system of Congress originated from the desire of the nation’s founders to have a “People’s House” that would be close to and follow public opinion, as well as a more cautious and aristocratic Senate to guard against the excesses of collective emotions. The Constitution stipulates that laws must be passed by both houses. The House is generally considered more partisan than the Senate. Many of the Constitution’s framers intended for the Senate (originally elected by state legislatures) to serve as a check on the directly elected House.
Thus, the Senate alone holds the power of “advice and consent,” such as the authority to ratify treaties. The House, on the other hand, has exclusive powers: the right to initiate revenue bills, to impeach government officials, and to elect the president in the event of an Electoral College deadlock. However, all these powers of the House can be countered by the Senate.
The Senate generally holds more prestige than the House and its representatives. Senators serve longer terms, the number of senators is smaller, and in most cases, each senator represents more constituents than a representative does. The House chamber is located in the south wing of the Capitol in the capital district, while the Senate meets in the north wing of the same building. The Constitution provides that the president can only appoint officials and sign treaties after receiving the Senate’s “advice and consent.” The House plays no constitutional role in either process. Therefore, the Senate holds broader powers than the House.
Each state in Country U is represented by two senators, regardless of population, making a total of 100 senators. Senators serve six-year terms, with approximately one-third of the seats up for election every two years. The Vice President serves as the President of the Senate but is not a senator himself; he may only vote to break a tie. The Senate is generally considered more deliberative than the House. With fewer members and longer terms, it allows for more academic perspectives and party affiliations, making it more insulated from public opinion than the House.
The Senate holds several powers enumerated in the Constitution that are not granted to the House. Most importantly, the president must obtain the Senate’s “advice and consent” to ratify treaties or appoint key officials.
The bicameral Congress was the result of compromises reached at the Constitutional Convention. Representation in the House is based on population, while each state has equal representation in the Senate. The Constitution requires that laws be passed by both houses.
The powers exclusively held by the Senate are more significant than those held exclusively by the House. As a result, the Senate (the upper house) bears broader responsibilities than the House (the lower house). These factors determined that Mu Lin should first popularize TCM knowledge among these influential figures, and this effort would be limited to education and not involve politics. This top-down approach would gradually lead them to accept TCM.
It would also change their perception, so they no longer regarded TCM as witchcraft but as an equal to Western medicine, both being inheritances of human civilization. When they formulated relevant policies, they would no longer adopt a discriminatory or even hostile attitude toward TCM. This would allow TCM to enter the commercial and government health insurance systems of the Western world, creating favorable conditions for its development.
What Mu Lin wanted to do was to instill a sense of caution in them: “Don’t forget, I can cure diseases that Western medicine cannot, so please keep a place for TCM.” He wanted to firmly plant the roots of this tree of medicine in the soil of the Western world. As for helping it grow strong, that would require the joint efforts of many TCM practitioners. After all, this was just his side job; his main pursuit was the path to ultimate enlightenment.
On the third day, Mu Lin received a notice from the United Family Medical Association of Country U, informing him that he would be undergoing a medical licensing examination. Mu Lin hadn’t expected the professor to act so quickly or for these people to have such strong influence. After all, in this country, to become a registered physician, one must spend four to five years studying medicine followed by three to four years of clinical internship. In total, a person would need at least seven to eight years before even qualifying to take the exam. Moreover, due to the high difficulty of the exam, only about 40% of candidates passed each year. In other words, a person would generally need nearly a decade to obtain a medical license.
Mu Lin glanced at the exam paper and found it even more difficult than previous years. He guessed that someone had deliberately made things hard for him, but this didn’t faze Mu Lin. He quickly completed and submitted the exam. The next day was the clinical knowledge oral exam, which required specific treatment measures based on actual cases. During his three years of traveling and studying, Mu Lin had performed many surgeries, and with an additional year of formal study, he had already mastered the most advanced Western medical knowledge currently in use.
His answers caused the examiners to nod in approval repeatedly. Chapter N begins on Qidian.
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