One hundred and ten
After the news of the letter from Wuling came back from the prefect Shen, County Magistrate Zhou told Fu Wei about it.
"The governor told me to be at ease and use you. If Wuling makes any moves, just tell him directly."
After saying this, County Magistrate Zhou looked at Fu Wei and smiled: "Just stay in the government office and relax."
Fu Wei bowed and said, "I would like to thank you for your protection."
Magistrate Zhou said, "Rather than saying that I protected you, it's better to say that you have earned this blessing through your own planning."
"Ever since you went to the county seat and dazzled at the banquet at the prefectural governor's mansion last year, you've been anticipating my current situation... No, it should be said that you've been planning this ever since you entered the government office."
Fu Wei lowered his eyes but didn't deny it. "To protect my family and myself, I have no other options. I only have this limited knowledge, and I can only rely on it to find a way out."
Magistrate Zhou didn't blame him. He simply said, "You relied on your own strength to protect yourself. You're not at fault." He then looked at Fu Wei's legs and asked, "Have you seen a doctor for your legs? Is there a chance they can be cured?"
After asking this, he felt something was wrong and changed his tone, "I heard Director Ji praise your wife's medical skills. He said that even in the entire county, no one of the younger generation could match your wife's medical skills. Your wife's medical skills are so amazing, she must have examined your legs. What did she say?"
Fu Wei pondered for a moment, then looked up at County Magistrate Zhou with a clear gaze: "Sir, do you know who broke my leg?"
Magistrate Zhou naturally couldn't express his suspicion directly, so he threw the question back to him: "Since you can ask this, it means you know I can guess it. Why keep me in suspense?"
Fu Wei continued, "Since Your Excellency has already guessed it, I might as well speak frankly. Huo Minzhi, who endured twenty-one years of hardship for me, hates me and doesn't want to see me enjoy a single day of good life for the next twenty-one years. If he knew that my legs were healed, I'm afraid he would have them amputated a second time."
County Magistrate Zhou raised his eyebrows, as if he heard something else in his words.
Slightly narrowing his eyes: "You mean you deliberately didn't treat it..."
She paused, her mind reacting to his words, and suddenly looked at his legs: "So, in order to conceal your presence, you're willing to rely on this plain carriage to travel, and even require someone to accompany you to the toilet?"
Fu Wei lowered his head and did not deny it, which was equivalent to his consent.
After County Magistrate Zhou understood, he couldn't help but shake his head and laugh.
This person had been working as his aide for several months under his nose, but he didn't even notice anything.
Although he was only twenty-two years old, his will was so firm that County Magistrate Zhou admired him even more.
"I have no choice but to conceal the truth. Please forgive me, sir."
Fu Wei also had his own considerations when he spoke about this matter.
The only people he wanted to hide were the father and son in Wuling County.
After getting to know each other for several months, he was no longer worried that County Magistrate Zhou would tell anyone about his legs being cured.
County Magistrate Zhou chuckled: "Just pretend. It will affect your daily life, but it won't cause any loss to me."
At this point, his smile faded, and he said solemnly, "It's easy to dodge a spear, but it's hard to guard against an arrow. If you attack openly, you have the governor to back you up, but if you attack secretly, you'll have to rely on yourself. Your elder brother is very strong and has some real martial arts skills, so he should be able to protect you."
Fu Wei bowed his head and thanked County Magistrate Zhou for his concern.
"That's it. It's almost March now, so the herbs should be sent out at the beginning of March. If you have anything to tell me, go find Luo Dianshi."
Fu Wei agreed, then turned the carriage and headed towards the door. When he reached the door, he called out to the outside.
The study door was pushed open, and a small yamen runner walked in from outside, saluted County Magistrate Zhou, and then pushed Fu Wei out of the study.
Seeing Fu Wei pretending to be really disabled, County Magistrate Zhou couldn't help but shake his head and smile.
You are really good at pretending.
As he watched the people leave, County Magistrate Zhou's smile faded.
You can pretend well. Take Goujian as an example, who slept on firewood and tasted gall to destroy the Wu Kingdom. Without a strong mind, you can't accomplish anything great.
*
At the clinic, most of the patients who come to Yu Ying for treatment are women.
The ladies of the aristocratic families in Yu County would also invite her to their homes for medical treatment, and she had gained some fame among the aristocratic families.
Yu Ying originally wanted to develop herself into an all-rounder, and never thought that she would become an ancient female gynecologist.
After examining the last woman, Fu An said there were no more patients. Only then did she stand up, twist her neck, and move her slightly sore arms.
At this time, a medicine boy came and called out, "Doctor Yu, the director wants you to come over."
Yu Ying was a little confused. It seemed like her monthly salary of nine hundred wen should be paid, but it wasn't normal for the director to pay it personally, was it?
Yu Ying walked to Manager Ji's pharmacy with doubts.
"Director, are you looking for me?"
Director Ji was sitting at the table with his head down, deep in thought. No one knew what he was thinking about. He didn't even notice Yu Ying entering the room. He suddenly came to his senses when he heard the voice and looked up.
"Madam Yu, please sit down."
Yu Ying sat cross-legged on the cushion opposite the low table.
Director Ji poured her a cup of freshly brewed tea. Besides the aroma of medicine, there was also a faint scent of tea in the pharmacy.
"I called you here because..." Director Ji put down the teapot and hesitated to speak.
"But what's troubling the curator?"
Director Ji nodded, then picked up the letter beside the table and handed it to her, saying, "Madam Yu, please read it yourself."
Yu Ying took it and read the contents of the letter.
There wasn't much content in the letter, but it clearly revealed who the sender was, and threatened Director Ji not to use Yu Liuniang again. If he did, he would close the clinic.
Yu Ying frowned slightly.
Isn't this little villain a fool?
Although his father was a prefect, not even the prince would dare to threaten people so openly.
Although his threats were somewhat lawless, Ji's Clinic was only a small clinic after all. Although he was highly regarded by the county magistrate, he was the son of the prefect after all.
Besides, the little villain is a vengeful person, insidious and petty. Even if he doesn't do it openly, he will use underhanded tricks in secret.
Yu Ying put the letter down and said calmly, "If Director Ji feels embarrassed, I will resign from my position as the chief physician."
Director Ji was stunned and said hurriedly, "That won't do. How can I let a talent like Madam Yu resign?"
Yu Ying smiled helplessly and said, "Director Ji should know this person."
Director Ji sighed and said, "This kind of scoundrel is notorious in Yu County. I know him a little bit."
"He can write a threatening letter, and he will send people to cause trouble one day. If I insist on staying in the clinic, I'm afraid something bad will happen."
Director Ji said solemnly, "His hands are so long-reaching, we, the county magistrate, can't just ignore it."
Having said that, he continued, "I asked Madam Yu to come here, not to ask her to leave, but to talk to her about this matter and ask you to be more careful in the future. As for this letter..."
Director Ji looked at the letter and was silent for a long time before he said, "If there are any problems with the clinic in the future, I will take this letter to the government office to file a complaint."
Yu Ying felt a little warm in her heart, but she still said, "Director Ji, you don't have to do this for me."
Director Ji shook his head and said, "I admire Madam Yu very much. Last night, when Zhu'er's father tested her, he was tested back. It was rare that her father couldn't answer the questions. Zhu'er can have Madam Yu as her teacher. Her future is worry-free. I cannot accept Madam Yu's kindness and then repay her with hatred."
This Lady Yu must have received excellent instruction and seen many medical techniques that he had no access to, so her knowledge and experience were truly eye-opening for him.
As for acupuncture and suturing, she knew much more than he did, so he wanted to ask Madam Yu for advice. How could he let go of this talented person?
After talking for a while, Director Ji did not agree with Yu Ying's resignation and asked her to go back and discuss with her husband to see if there was any good way to deal with it.
After dinner in the evening, Yu Ying told Fu Wei about this matter.
Fu Wei, who was taking off his outer robe, paused and looked at her: "Did Huo Minzhi also send a letter to the clinic?"
Yu Ying caught the word "also" and asked in surprise, "Did the county magistrate receive it too?"
Fu Wei nodded and said, "The county magistrate received it two days ago, but sent it directly to the county seat for Prefect Shen to review. The prefect told the county magistrate not to worry about it and to report any actions taken in Wuling County directly to him."
Hearing what he said, Yu Ying breathed a sigh of relief.
"At the clinic, tell Director Ji the truth about the governor's support. If he's afraid of trouble, you can leave."
Yu Ying smiled and shook her head: "It was me who suggested leaving, but Director Ji disagreed."
Hearing this, Fu Wei smiled and said, "Director Ji is someone who values talent. If I were the director, I wouldn't give up a capable female doctor like you just because of this threat."
Yu Ying's cheeks flushed slightly when she suddenly heard Fu Wei's praise: "You only say nice things."
Fu Wei's smile became even more intense.
"There's always someone to support you, so you don't have to worry too much."
As he said this, he took off his coat and hung it on the rack.
Yu Ying pounded the medicine for the ointment. After pondering for a moment, she asked, "Does Magistrate Huo know about these two letters?"
Fu Wei walked over, took the pestle and mortar from her hands, and said, "I'll do it."
He lowered his eyes while pounding the medicine, and said nonchalantly, "Maybe he knows, maybe he doesn't."
"If he knew, how could he not know that Huo Minzhi had crossed the line?"
Fu Wei said calmly, "If you don't want to tell me whether you know or not, then just say you do. Huo Minzhi and I have a grudge, so he has a legitimate reason to go after me. Even if Governor Shen asks Huo Shanrong why he crossed the line, he can pretend to be ignorant and at most say he'll teach his eldest son a lesson. That's acceptable."
At the end, he chuckled slightly and said, "He may not treat this eldest son who was exchanged back sincerely."
After raising a child for twenty-one years, he would abandon her just like that without any mercy. How could he care about blood ties?
"My biological father was killed by Huo Shanrong, so I have every reason to believe that even if Huo Shanrong knew about it this time, he would probably still use Huo Minzhi to suppress me."
"If it were a magistrate who was concerned with preserving his own safety, he would have definitely expelled me from the yamen. But he clearly didn't know Magistrate Zhou's character, nor did he know that I had already appeared before Prefect Shen. How could I be so easily manipulated by them, father and son?"
At the end of his words, a smile appeared on Fu Wei's face.
Yu Ying could see that even though Fu Wei concealed all the darkness in front of her, the smile in his eyes was cold when he talked about his adoptive father Huo Shanrong.
Not only was his smile cold, but his body also emanated an uncontrollable chill that made people shudder.
Yu Ying reached out and held his hand which was placed on the edge of the mortar.
Fu Wei raised his eyes and looked at her.
Yu Ying said gently, "You can be angry and resentful, but don't let them control your emotions and affect your judgment for too long."
Fu Wei realized that he couldn't hide the gloom in his heart from her. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at her gently: "Ah Ying, don't worry. As long as you are safe, I will not let them control my emotions."
Fu Wei's biggest weakness is Yu Ying, who pulls him out of the darkness and brings him back to the sunshine.
When Yu Ying heard his words, she did not feel happy because of how much he cared about her. Instead, she felt solemn.
It would be best if she could be safe and sound, but there are too many accidents in this world. Who can ensure that everyone can die peacefully?
It was as if she had suddenly been transported to another time and space, without even having the chance to say goodbye to her family. Despite this, she only wanted her family to move on from their grief and continue living their lives as normal, rather than dwelling on the sorrow of losing her.
Thinking of this, Yu Ying took out the medicine pestle from Fu Wei's hand and put it on the table.
Under Fu Wei's gaze, she took two steps forward, hugged his strong waist, and buried herself in his arms.
Fu Wei was stunned and looked down at her. Although he didn't know why she was like that, he still hugged her.
Yu Ying called his name in a gentle tone.
"Fu Wei."
"Um?"
Her voice became gentler: "If one day I am gone, I may go home. Don't feel sad for me."
As soon as he finished speaking, the hand holding her suddenly tightened, as if it wanted to embed her into her flesh and blood, which made Yu Ying feel a little uncomfortable.
"I won't stop you from going home, but you can't go before me, so don't say these words."
Fu Wei's voice was tense. Yu Ying couldn't see his expression, but she could guess how serious it was.
Yu Ying was silent for a moment. Not wanting him to get too nervous, she replied, "Okay, I won't say anything more."
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