Chapter 336: Mobilizing the Army
Baohetang in Tongliao County was originally run by Doctor Hua and his son, but they later fled, leaving it to Doctor You from Daliang Village. His medical skills were mediocre, and his business had long since declined.
It was late at night and there were not many pedestrians on the street where Baohe Hall was located. Only the two lanterns at the door of Baohe Hall were swaying in the wind.
Doctor You was fiddling with his abacus behind the counter, preparing to close the shop after finishing his account. He heard footsteps at the door and, without even looking up, asked, "What medicine would you like, sir?"
A woman's voice rang out: "Doctor You, I want to buy a medicine called Mu Zhongren."
Doctor You was checking off some accounts with a brush. When he heard this, his brush shook violently and drew a long line, canceling out several entries.
He dropped his pen and looked up at the person who came.
The person who came was a young woman he didn't recognize. She was dressed in a short dress, slender and toned, with a heroic air. Her sharp eyes stared at his frantic movements, as if wondering why he was so frightened.
"What Mu Zhongren?" Doctor You took a breath and slowly closed the account book. "You scared me. We don't have this medicinal ingredient in the clinic."
The young woman asked, "Doctor You really don't know about Madam Lin's husband from Daliang Village?"
Doctor You waved his hands repeatedly and said, "Stop talking nonsense late at night...If you don't want to buy medicine, leave quickly. I'm closing the shop."
As he spoke, he left the counter and walked quickly towards the back hall.
The young woman stared at Doctor You's back, standing there in thought. Soon, two more women entered the clinic. The leader placed her hands on her shoulders, lowered her head, and panted.
"Sister Ji, please walk slower too. I haven't had dinner yet. I'm hungry from running so fast."
These three people were exactly Shen Yuexi and her group. They were all furious when they heard Madam Lin's crying at her house.
Mei Dai, the calmest of the three, understood the importance of the situation and explained that their mission was to uncover the secrets of Daliang Village. However, Ji Yunyan insisted on seeking out Mu Zhongren, Lin Niangzi's unfaithful husband, to avenge her. Shen Yuexi also added fuel to the fire, declaring that such a bad man must be punished, a gesture of chivalry.
"An ancient person once said, 'Don't let a good deed go unrewarded, no matter how small it is. Besides, we still haven't figured out how to deal with that matter, so let's deal with this one first." Shen Yuexi quoted from classics and finally convinced Mei Dai.
After finding out that the person who brought the news was the village doctor Dr. You, the three of them rushed to the county town that day. As soon as they arrived at the county town, they went straight to Baohe Hall without even having dinner.
Ji Yunyan turned around and said, "I just spoke to Doctor You, and he said he didn't know any Mu Zhongren."
Shen Yuexi looked up at the empty counter: "How could I not know him? We're from the same village. Where are the others?"
"He went to the back hall," Ji Yunyan said, "but when I mentioned Mu Zhongren, he seemed a little flustered."
Mei Dai came to the counter and glanced at the brush and account book lying on the countertop, all covered in ink. She asked Shen Yuexi and the others, "Why would he leave something as important as the account book here?"
Shen Yuexi said: "Maybe he's in a hurry? Wait a little longer."
After waiting for a while, Doctor You still didn't appear. The three of them sensed something was wrong and went to the back hall to check. Shen Yuexi called out, "Doctor You, this is Madam Pei." She called out several times, but no one responded. Ji Yunyan checked each room, finding none empty.
Doctor You had actually run away a long time ago.
She said to Mei Dai, "Sister Mei, we just came to ask him about Madam Lin's husband. Why did he run away?"
"There are some things he doesn't want us to know," Mei Dai said, and then she instructed Ji Yunyan, "Yunyan, go and capture him. Don't hurt him. We'll wait here."
Ji Yunyan took the order and left, while Shen Yuexi and Mei Dai sat down at the counter with peace of mind. With Ji Yunyan's ability, even if Doctor You had eight legs, he wouldn't be able to escape.
"Others just wanted to ask for some information, but he panicked like this," Mei Dai said to Shen Yuexi confidently, "He obviously has some shameful secret."
Shen Yuexi said: "Wait until Sister Ji catches him and we can find out by asking. By the way, how is your health now, Sister? Has it improved?"
Mei Dai had a cold constitution and was unable to bear children, so Doctor Hua prescribed her some medicine to recuperate. As they sat in the clinic, she recalled this incident.
Mei Dai stretched out her hand and said, "I feel much better. Feel it."
Shen Yuexi smiled and said, "My dear guest, I am a quack and cannot take a pulse."
"It's not a pulse check," Mei Dai smiled and took her hand and placed it on the back of her own hand. "Look at my hand, isn't it not as cold as before?"
"Well, sir, your hands are indeed much warmer, and your complexion is much rosier," Shen Yuexi raised his hand seriously, pretending to stroke his beard, "I will prescribe two more prescriptions for you later. The consultation fee is ten taels of silver. No credit is allowed."
Mei Dai smiled and said, "Sister, you should take care of your health. Riding a horse all day, will it affect the baby?"
Shen Yuexi touched her belly and said, "Xiaobai is more comfortable running than riding in a carriage. The baby won't feel uncomfortable."
While we were talking, we heard a noisy sound in the distance, as if someone was shouting.
The two couldn't hear clearly, and just as they were about to stand up, Ji Yunyan rushed in from outside the Baohe Hall and said, "Hurry up, the government has sent officials to arrest us."
Shen Yuexi was puzzled and asked, "Why? We just came here to ask a question. Why is there such a big fuss?"
Although she asked, she did not hesitate at all. The three of them stood up and were about to leave the clinic when the noisy sounds outside the door had already reached nearby, and the firelight illuminated the ground in front of the clinic.
Ji Yunyan stuck her head out to take a look, turned around, grabbed her and Mei Dai's hands, and ran to the back hall.
Arriving at the clinic's backyard, before they even reached the entrance, they saw a bright fire in the distance and heard shouting and clamoring. The other party was actually surrounding them from both sides, as if they were determined to capture them alive. The three of them had no choice but to turn back.
Seeing that the situation was not good, Shen Yuexi whispered to Mei Dai, "Should we go and reveal our identities?"
Mei Dai shook her head and said, "Now Queen Wen and Xiao Beiheng are already our enemies. It is not appropriate for us to reveal our identities."
Ji Yunyan looked around and said softly, "Wait a moment."
She looked up at the eaves, jumped up, grabbed the eaves with both hands, then swung her legs back and forth, did a somersault, and landed neatly on the roof.
Shen Yuexi was stunned. Ji Yunyan's move was not complicated, but she couldn't jump up even if she tried her best.
At this time, the back door was surrounded by people, and the firelight illuminated the top of the wall. A man's voice said, "Hold on here and wait for the people in front to arrive."
Seeing the situation was getting worse, Shen Yuexi was about to call Daxiong for help when a belt dangled from the eaves. Mei Dai came over and wrapped the belt around her wrist, whispering, "Hold on tight."
Shen Yuexi followed his instructions and held on tight. As her belt tightened, she lifted herself off the ground and rose upwards. Ji Yunyan quickly pulled her up onto the roof, untied her belt, and whispered, "Get down, or you'll be caught in the firelight."
Ji Yunyan then pulled Mei Dai up with her. Just as the three of them were lying on the roof, the front and back doors of the clinic were almost simultaneously thrown open, and officers holding torches rushed in. The three of them were high up, so the firelight didn't reach them.
There was a crackling sound in the room, and a voice said, "Sir, we've searched everywhere, and the woman is not here."
Doctor You's voice rang out, "My Lord, she probably left because she saw I wasn't here."
"Are you stupid?" A slightly shrill voice whispered, "She came to see Mu Zhongren specifically, how could she leave without getting any information?"
Shen Yuexi's heart moved when she heard this, and she looked at Mei Dai beside her. The latter nodded slightly at her, indicating that she should listen.
They just came to look for Madam Lin's husband, but they actually alarmed the county magistrate, which shows that it was definitely not a trivial matter.
Doctor You was heard saying, "Perhaps she really was sent here by Madam Lin. Are we making a big deal out of nothing?"
"That man's case is minor, but the matter he's involved in is serious. I have to be cautious."
Doctor You said, "It's been so many years, who still remembers..."
"Silence," a shrill voice whispered. "Let's go back to the county government office and talk. Immediately seal off the entire county and make sure to find that woman. If there are any accomplices, arrest them as well."
Shen Yuexi didn't dare to say anything. After the officials had left, she stood up and said to Mei Dai, "Sister Mei, we've hit the jackpot. It seems that Madam Lin's husband is definitely involved in the secrets of Daliang Village."
Dr. You said "so many years have passed", which shows that this secret has been covered up for many years.
Mei Dai also nodded and said, "That's right. We have a lot of things to do now."
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