Chapter 696 Do not underestimate yourself; you deserve this respect.
Cui Liu never expected that Li San Niang would be able to discern something about her in just one meeting.
While Cui Liu was still in a daze, Chun Tao picked up where Li San Niang left off: "Doctor Li is truly amazing!"
Isn't that right?
Cui Liu's period started today. Dr. Li, don't be fooled by her seemingly fine demeanor; she's actually in considerable pain every time she has her period, but she just endures it.
Li San Niang nodded and took out a pulse pillow from her medical kit, indicating that Chun Tao should take the lead and check her pulse first.
Chun Tao didn't expect that before they had even exchanged two words, Li San Niang would start taking her pulse.
However, Chun Tao was not the kind of person to be coy. She could tell that Li San Niang knew that they were the girls in the brothel, but Li San Niang did not show any disdain on her face.
So Chuntao obediently rolled up her sleeves and placed her wrist on the pulse pillow.
Li San Niang had already honed her skills in treating the women in this brothel during her time at Shi Hua Lou.
She knew that although Chun Tao and the other three looked healthy on the surface, how could people who sold their bodies in those places be healthy?
After removing the makeup and no longer pretending to be happy, Chun Tao and the other three must all be suffering from at least three different illnesses.
After taking her pulse, Li San Niang began to record her thoughts on the paper and pen that Qiu Xiang had laid out.
As Li San Niang wrote, she asked Chun Tao, "If you can tell me, could you tell me how you all became addicted to the drug?"
Besides this, are there any other areas of discomfort you experience?
It turns out that Chun Tao and the other three were able to be sent here because they had done a great service.
The fourth-class brothel where Chun Tao and her three friends lived usually catered to traveling merchants or lower-ranking servants in caravans, so they came into contact with all sorts of people from all walks of life.
After the two wardens of Pingkang Ward first came out of the Jingzhao Prefecture, they reported the unusual situation in Pingkang Ward to the officials of the Jingzhao Prefecture. That time, Edward was captured.
Later, Pingkang Ward became the most valued area in Chang'an City. It was thoroughly searched three times by the Jingzhao Prefecture, the Imperial Guards, and the Bad People.
But even the smallest people have their own ways of doing things; that's what they mean by "cats have their ways, and mice have theirs."
Therefore, there are always some who slip through the net and are not caught by the officials.
But the officials weren't without options, so they contacted the women in the third and fourth-class brothels in Pingkangfang and asked them to keep an eye out and report any unusual activity to the madams in the brothels.
Why would you only say this to the girls in the third and fourth class brothels?
Firstly, opium was mostly spread through traveling merchants, and its initial target audience was low-class men who had little money and could only afford to go to third- or fourth-class brothels.
Meanwhile, the dissolute sons of the wealthy and powerful mostly frequented first- or second-class luxury apartments, and the opium scams targeting that class took a different form.
The more upscale the place, the easier it is to control.
It was very convenient for the government to investigate, and the facts proved it. Sure enough, after the Imperial Medical Bureau made the decision, when the Jingzhao Prefecture, the Imperial Guards, and the Bad People went to arrest people, they were very accurate. As many as 40% of the dissolute sons of the powerful and wealthy families in Chang'an were arrested.
However, it is much more difficult to catch those at the bottom who are addicted to and spread opium, which is why the help of the women in Pingkangfang is needed.
Secondly, these men at the bottom of society really can't control their lower bodies, and starting with brothels is a way to catch them and thus solve the problem.
Chun Tao and her three companions were the smartest, or rather, Chun Tao was the most shrewd among the four. She kept an eye on the traveling merchants and servants who were spreading opium.
Afterwards, the government kept its promise. Not only did it release the four women and allow them to leave Pingkangfang and become law-abiding citizens, but it also sent them to this drug rehabilitation center to treat their illnesses.
"...That's how it is. In order to get the information, we had to flatter them a bit, and that's how we ended up absorbing some of it. That's why the officials sent us here."
Li San Niang was genuinely surprised; she truly hadn't expected that Chun Tao and the other three could have gone to such lengths.
You guys are really amazing!
"To help the authorities arrest people truly requires extraordinary courage, and coupled with a strong sense of righteousness, it's incredibly impressive."
Li San Niang stood up and solemnly bowed to the four of them. This bow made Chun Tao and the others very nervous and uneasy. "No, no, it's not as good as Doctor Li said."
We just wanted to get rid of our citizenship and hope to gain some merit and become law-abiding citizens. We really didn't think about any grand principles.
Dr. Li, please don't do this; you're making us feel uncomfortable.
Li San Niang put down her pen and shook her head: "Don't be so self-deprecating. You did a good job and deserve my respect. You are capable enough to be called amazing."
Don't worry, I will definitely treat you properly.
Afterwards, Li San Niang also gave Chun Tao and the other three a physical examination. Wasn't Cui Liu suffering from menstrual cramps?
Li San Niang also gave her acupuncture to help relieve the pain.
"Once the prescription is ready, I will send it directly to you. Someone will be able to deliver the medicine later, and I will come back then to tell you how to prepare the medicine."
After all that work, it was already noon. After putting down her medical kit in the room where she and Qiu Xiang were staying, Li San Niang left the residence of the nun with her waist token and headed to the dining hall that Physician Ning had recommended.
Although it wasn't early, there were still quite a few people eating there. Li San Niang and Qiu Xiang got their food and found a place to sit down.
Just as they were finishing their meal, a voice called out "Doctor Li" made Li San Niang look up. It was Tang Mingyue leading the two of them over.
"You just arrived for dinner? Are there many people at your mother's place?"
When Tang Mingyue saw Li Sanniang looking at the two people beside him with a puzzled expression, she quickly introduced them to the three of them: "This is Doctor Li. Doctor Li was the first to discover the opium problem."
"Dr. Li, this is Dr. Zhao from Hemingtang, and this is Dr. Wang from Sui'antang."
Li San Niang put down her chopsticks and stood up to bow to the other two.
"We have disturbed Dr. Li."
I'm so sorry.
After bowing to Li Sanniang, Doctor Zhao looked at her with great interest and asked, "I am really curious. I wonder if Doctor Li could explain the acupuncture technique used to treat people poisoned by opium?"
Without waiting for Li San Niang's reply, Doctor Zhao took down the pouch hanging from his waist, picked up a needle from it, and stuck it directly into the back of his hand in front of Li San Niang.
Li San Niang was completely speechless; even Tang Mingyue hadn't expected Doctor Zhao to be so reckless.
However, Dr. Wang, who was familiar with Dr. Zhao, smiled awkwardly and explained, "Dr. Tang and Dr. Li, please don't take offense. Dr. Zhao is just like that. Sometimes he can be quite reckless and doesn't know the occasion."
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