Death of Huang Yuanyu — A Bloody Incident

Introduction

Huang Yuanyu passed away at the age of fifty-four. What went wrong? How did he die? Renowned herbal medicine practitioners typically lived much longer than ordinary people. For instance, Zhang Zhongjing of the Han Dynasty reportedly lived to over eighty, a remarkable age for that time. Similarly, Sun Simiao of the Tang Dynasty, though his exact age is debated, lived to at least one hundred and three years.

Even today, many elderly herbal medicine practitioners in China continue to treat patients well into their nineties. This longevity is a hallmark of their profession. Traditional herbal medicine not only aims to cure diseases but also teaches people how to live longer. Therefore, Huang Yuanyu’s death at fifty-four was highly unusual for a great medical practitioner.

The Bloody Incident

Huang Yuanyu’s death had both direct and indirect causes. The direct cause was a shocking event known as “A bloody incident caused by a medical diagnosis.”

In the twenty-second year of Emperor Qianlong’s reign, fifty-three-year-old Huang Yuanyu had been working in the Imperial Hospital for seven years. That autumn, the son of a prince in Shenyang fell ill, coughing incessantly and coughing up blood. Local doctors were helpless, so the prince sent an envoy to the capital to request the emperor’s best physician.

The prince’s son, being the emperor’s nephew, was of great concern to Emperor Qianlong, who dispatched his favored physician, Huang Yuanyu, to Shenyang. Time was of the essence, so Huang Yuanyu set off immediately, traveling day and night without rest.

Upon arriving at the Prince’s Mansion, Huang Yuanyu was immediately taken to see the prince’s son. As he entered the courtyard, he heard a cough and, without moving further, declared, “Is that your son in the East Chamber? There is no need to see him. He cannot be saved. His lungs are rotten.”

Historical records state that the prince was shocked, his face turning cold and dark. Although Huang Yuanyu was a superb doctor, he lacked social tact. Even if the patient was beyond saving, he could have offered some hope or at least pretended to try.

Doctors often follow a routine for incurable diseases, showing they have done their best before gently suggesting the family seek another opinion. However, Huang Yuanyu’s bluntness dashed the prince’s hopes, leading to a terrible reaction.

The prince, after a moment of silence, asked Huang Yuanyu to wait and left the room. Moments later, a scream was heard, and a servant entered with a plate containing a rotten human lung, filled with yellow pus and blood. The sight was horrifying.

The prince, covered in blood and holding a dagger, returned and saluted Huang Yuanyu, saying, “You are indeed a medical saint. I respect you. I took out my son’s lungs. As you see, they are as rotten as you said.”

Huang Yuanyu was terrified. He hadn’t expected the prince to kill his son based on his words. What if he had been wrong? This could be seen as deceiving the emperor, a crime punishable by death for his entire family.

He quickly told the prince, “There is nothing more for me to do here. I must return to the capital.”

Without eating or drinking, Huang Yuanyu left immediately. The shock of the incident made him ill, and upon returning to the capital, he wrote a report to the emperor and resigned.

He Died in His Hometown

In ancient China, it was believed that fallen leaves return to their roots. Knowing his time was short, Huang Yuanyu sought to die in his homeland. Emperor Qianlong, seeing his weakened state, approved his resignation.

Huang Yuanyu returned home, recounted the incident to his son, and prepared for his funeral. He explained that a wrong medicine taken in his youth had damaged his stomach and spleen, and the recent shock had further harmed his heart and bile systems. He predicted he had about one hundred days to live and began saying his goodbyes.

As practitioners of life cultivation, we emphasize the importance of maintaining bodily health with herbal medicine, which can lead to a long and healthy life, and even allow us to predict our longevity.

Looking ahead

We end our story-telling about Huang Yuanyu with his death. However, we will cover in great depth about his contributions to traditional herbal medicine, and how it helps in rejuvenating our health, stay tuned for the next episode.

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