The speech at the Royal College of Medicine went even better than Jiang Fei had imagined—it was a complete success, and the results couldn’t have been more ideal.
You could tell just by looking at the hundreds of Western medical elites seated in the auditorium below. After listening to his lecture, each of them wore expressions of surprise, deep contemplation, and serious reflection.
In all honesty, he had Dean Capone to thank for that—the very man who had initially tried to embarrass him and make him lose face. Only because Capone had prepared such a barrage of challenging questions did Jiang Fei have the perfect stage to showcase his medical prowess!
It’s like someone who has learned the art of slaying dragons—if there are no dragons in the world for him to slay, how can he demonstrate his skill to the world?
No matter how brilliant Jiang Fei’s medical abilities were, without someone to set the stage, how could he fully display them?
Thinking of this, Jiang Fei couldn’t help but glance over at Dean Capone, seated not too far from the podium.
At that moment, the dean’s eyes, like most others’, reflected shock. He hadn’t expected Jiang Fei to effortlessly answer every single harsh and tricky question, and even dismantle their ultimate “killer move” with ease. This had shaken his inner convictions. In a sense, he no longer believed that Traditional Chinese Medicine was unscientifically validated, useless, or even harmful.
However, beyond the shock, there was also a clear trace of chagrin in Capone’s eyes—the look of someone who had “gone for wool and come back shorn.” His expression was somewhat strained.
Fortunately, that embarrassment wasn’t overwhelming; it was still overshadowed by astonishment and respect—the basic qualities of a doctor with professional ethics.
Medical ethics aren’t exclusive to TCM practitioners. Some Western doctors—at least a fair portion—also uphold basic ethical standards. They aren’t all money-grubbers with no principles.
The wise are teachers to us all.
Previously, Capone had dismissed Jiang Fei and considered Prince Charles’s decision foolish and reckless. That was simply because he didn’t understand TCM and believed it served no purpose.
But after Jiang Fei’s speech and his on-the-spot dismantling of their “killer move”—effortlessly saving a “critically ill” patient—Capone had to admit he was thoroughly convinced by Jiang Fei’s medical skill.
A truly skilled physician, whether in TCM or Western medicine, deserved his respect and attention. He wouldn’t try to suppress or smear someone just because they belonged to a different school of thought—that wasn’t in line with his principles.
Capone had already decided that after the speech, he would find the time to personally visit Jiang Fei for an in-depth discussion on medical matters. He wanted to seriously and deeply understand what TCM was really about.
Of course, compared to Capone’s relatively magnanimous character, Dean Clayman of the Royal Hospital was far less gracious.
Watching Jiang Fei “slay all comers” on stage, leaving a string of Western medical elites speechless and the audience astounded, Clayman showed no surprise on his face—only gloom and displeasure. By the time the auditorium erupted in thunderous applause, he couldn’t even be bothered to offer Jiang Fei a single clap. With a cold sneer, he turned and walked away.
He had neither the leisure nor the inclination to be won over and sing praises for someone who had just metaphorically slapped him across the face.
Capone had lost his bout, but Clayman hadn’t lost his yet.
The final verdict would only come after the TCM delegation conducted their consultations at his hospital!
Sitting on stage, Jiang Fei accepted the applause with a smile. But his eyes quietly took note of everything. Both Capone and Clayman had left an impression on him—they were people he’d need to keep a close eye on during this trip.
Reading their expressions, he could already guess roughly how things would unfold.
He had managed to win over Dean Capone, a man of decent ethics and character. As for Clayman, however, it wouldn’t be a solo effort—the entire TCM delegation would have to step up. By then, Jiang Fei would need to caution all members to tread carefully.
In truth, the vastly different attitudes of Capone and Clayman weren’t without reason, and Jiang Fei could guess why.
Capone was the dean of a medical university—someone involved in academic research. Such people often had solid medical ethics. More importantly, he only misunderstood TCM; he held no hostility toward it. Whether TCM flourished or floundered had no bearing on his work or interests. So even if TCM became popular in London or the West someday, it wouldn’t affect him.
Clayman, however, was a different story.
He was the dean of the Royal Hospital—a working hospital.
If TCM were to become popular in the West, his status and interests would be directly threatened! If everyone started going to TCM practitioners and taking herbal medicines, where would that leave him?
So Jiang Fei wasn’t surprised that Clayman harbored such deep animosity toward TCM.
The speech ended on a high note. The entire TCM delegation was overjoyed, feeling that Jiang Fei had fired the first successful salvo in TCM’s expansion into the West—a lucky start that would make the rest of their journey smoother.
However, the delegation’s schedule wasn’t tightly packed. There was a three-day gap between Jiang Fei’s speech at the Royal College of Medicine and their scheduled consultations at the Royal Hospital.
During those three days, the reception team arranged for the delegation to explore London freely—they could visit any sights they wished.
Since every member of the delegation was a cream-of-the-crop TCM expert with no one lacking in skill, none of them were particularly anxious about the upcoming hospital consultations. Seeing they had three days off, they didn’t bother preparing further and instead paired up to go sightseeing.
Jiang Fei could only shake his head helplessly. He didn’t want to say too much—after all, for these doctors, treating patients was second nature. There was no need for them to lock themselves away for last-minute cramming.
As for Jiang Fei himself, he didn’t have the luxury of leisure these days.
Right after the speech, he had to dive straight back into work with Lin Moli, focusing on the Jiangshi Pharmaceutical Company and the Jiangshi Clinics.
This endeavor was no less important or troublesome than the TCM exchange delegation.
After discussion, Jiang Fei and Lin Moli decided to first open a Jiangshi Clinic branch in London, followed by three Jiangshi Pharmaceutical outlets as the vanguard, gradually carving out a presence.
Opening pharmacy outlets was relatively straightforward as long as they had the capital.
The clinic, however, was trickier. The paperwork and requirements for establishing a medical clinic were far more complicated, and even with Prince Charles’s help, it wouldn’t be easy.
Moreover, the clinic would need a roster of doctors—highly skilled elites. Otherwise, instead of paving the way for TCM’s expansion, the clinic might end up embarrassing TCM and creating a negative impression.
So after consulting with Lin Moli, Jiang Fei decided to start with just one Jiangshi Clinic in London. The rest would come step by step.
The day after the speech, Jiang Fei and Lin Moli had just finished visiting several locations and were about to find a place for lunch when his phone rang. Seeing that it was Cui Xiuping calling, he answered and said, “Make it quick—I’m busy and don’t have time to play tour guide around London.”
Jiang Fei had his hands full with the company’s matters, so naturally, he couldn’t lead the TCM delegation on sightseeing trips. Now that Cui Xiuping was abroad, he was doing pretty much the same job as back home—acting as the president’s secretary.
Jiang Fei was the delegation leader; Cui Xiuping was the deputy.
“Jiang Fei, something’s happened!” Cui Xiuping didn’t waste words or joke around. His tone was grave.
Without waiting for Jiang Fei to ask what happened, he rushed out in one breath: “Today, two of our delegation members were sightseeing at Big Ben. In the crowd, they accidentally bumped into an old lady. She collapsed on the spot, passed out, and couldn’t get back up!”
Accidentally bumped into an old lady, and she collapsed, unconscious, unable to stand?
Jiang Fei’s gut twisted the moment he heard it.
Wasn’t this a classic case of “staged accident” scamming from back home?
In China, seeing an elderly person fall leaves you afraid to help—help them, and you’re branded a fool.
Had this unsavory practice, now all too common in China, somehow spread to the capitalist West—the land so many romanticize?
“And how is this grandmother now? Couldn’t our own doctors take her pulse and figure out if she’s really hurt or not?” Jiang Fei asked, frowning.
“That’s exactly the problem,” Cui Xiuping said grimly. “Our two doctors are renowned—they’re highly skilled. They immediately tried to treat her. But unexpectedly, the old lady turned out to be a severe heart patient. Her body was already in its final stages—basically beyond medical help. After being bumped, she had a sudden attack. She wasn’t carrying any medication, and before our doctors could do much, she had already stopped breathing.”
“What!” Jiang Fei was stunned.
This wasn’t a scam—this was a genuine piece of porcelain being shattered!
The old lady hadn’t pretended to be injured to extort compensation; she had actually died. For the TCM delegation, this outcome was infinitely more serious than any scam—it could be catastrophic.
Cui Xiuping didn’t need to spell it out. Jiang Fei’s mind immediately raced through the possible consequences.
A death caused (or so it would seem) by the TCM delegation in London—”healing” an old lady to death.
Even if the delegation was innocent, this incident would be exploited by those with ulterior motives as ammunition to fiercely attack and discredit TCM.
“I’m at the scene now. Our two doctors are surrounded by a mob of onlookers, all shouting things like ‘murderers’ and ‘quacks.’ The London police have already arrived, cordoned off the area, and are preparing to arrest our doctors,” Cui Xiuping said, his voice filled with anger. The background noise was chaotic, and Jiang Fei could hear people cursing TCM in English.
Jiang Fei’s mind worked rapidly. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he asked in a low voice, “Was this incident orchestrated?”
“I… can’t say for sure yet. We don’t know if someone is pulling strings behind the scenes.”
Jiang Fei thought for a moment longer and decided to set that question aside for now.
Whether this was staged or not, the deed was done. The TCM Association would have to bear the blame. The top priority was to handle the situation carefully and properly.
Quickly running through possible solutions, Jiang Fei gave instructions: “There are three things you need to do immediately. First, make sure the police secure the scene—especially the body. A forensic examination must be conducted to prove that this had nothing to do with our doctors or TCM. Second, if the police want to take our doctors in, let them go peacefully. Don’t cause any more trouble. If they’re innocent, they’ll be released soon enough. Third, find out the old lady’s identity as quickly as possible—look into her family and medical history.”
“Understood. I’ll get on it right away,” Cui Xiuping confirmed.
“I’ll come to the scene too.”
With that, Jiang Fei hung up.
“What happened?” Lin Moli asked, worried, seeing his anxious expression.
“There’s been an incident with the TCM delegation. I need to go there immediately. If we don’t handle this properly, TCM’s expansion might be derailed halfway, and our Jiangshi Clinic won’t be able to stay open in London either,” Jiang Fei explained as he turned around and walked out of the restaurant they had just entered—they hadn’t even found a seat yet.
Time was of the essence. Every minute wasted would worsen the situation. Jiang Fei had to get to the scene as soon as possible.
Lin Moli was equally shocked.
No matter how successful the Jiangshi Pharmaceutical Company was, it was built on TCM. They rose and fell together. If TCM’s future looked bleak and people stopped trusting it, even the best medicines wouldn’t find a market.
“I’m coming with you,” Lin Moli said immediately.
