Chapter 19 Putting the blame on someone
Emperor Zong Ming's general amnesty was completely beyond Gu Dan's expectations.
During the banquet, Andy Hui kept boasting about the grand scale of the ceremony and the extraordinary figures who attended, including the wonderful expressions on the faces of officials when Emperor Zong Ming titled himself "Ling Xiao Shang Qing Tong Lei Yuan Yang Miao Yi Fei Xuan Zhen Jun".
But it did not mention that Emperor Zong Ming also issued a general amnesty.
Grant amnesty to the whole nation and pardon criminals in the name of showing mercy.
Usually, the pardon is issued to demonstrate one's own grace when a new emperor ascends the throne, changes the reign title, establishes a queen, a crown prince, or when there is a major happy event.
But Emperor Zongming had been in power for twenty-two years, the crown prince had long been appointed, as had the empress, and the reign title had not been changed for more than twenty years - the last time a general amnesty was eight years ago, when the second prince offended the emperor in the Yangxin Palace and was exiled to the frontier. Then the emperor appointed the eldest prince as the crown prince, and issued an amnesty order to demonstrate his own grace.
It’s been eight years!
Under the amnesty, except for those convicted of treason, deceiving the emperor, and criminals tried by the emperor himself, the rest of the prisoners will be acquitted and will no longer have to suffer the consequences of imprisonment.
For the prisoners, this is great news and they should sing praises for it.
But for Gu Dan, this was real bad news.
The prisoners were all gone, where could he find a bunch of patients who would stay there obediently? "You dog emperor, you pardoned the whole world, but I lost my life!"
People’s joys and sorrows are incomprehensible. Compared with the smiling faces and gratitude of Ding Ji and others, Gu Dan just thought they were noisy.
Although he felt very upset, he still had some basic emotional intelligence. He forced out a smile that was uglier than crying and said, "Since you have been pardoned, you must start a new life after you are released and never commit crimes again. If you want to see me again in prison next time, I will not be polite."
"Master Gu, rest assured, we will turn over a new leaf and start anew!"
Some people patted their chests and made assurances one after another.
After a while, someone asked, "Master Gu, what is our illness?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the scene fell silent for a moment.
Everyone fell silent and looked at Gu Dan.
The emotion contained in the eyes is called expectation and hope.
Silent and powerful forces gathered together. Gu Dan met their gazes, and his originally troubled mood gradually calmed down.
"This is today's dose of medicine, you can take it. As for the future."
Gu Dan paused and continued, "I opened a medicine shop in Dongningfang, called the Health Medicine Shop, right next to the Mohist Martial Arts School. You can find out by asking someone. The consultation fee is not a big deal, and the medicine is not expensive. If you want to continue treatment, you can go and have a look."
It's funny that when they were still in prison, Gu Dan could still provide them with free medical treatment, and even the medicinal materials were provided by the Imperial Hospital.
But once he was released from prison, which should have been a great joy, his illness was no longer cured.
The Imperial Medical Bureau did have the duty to treat prisoners, although there was no regulation that required them to treat prisoners in prison, and no imperial physician had ever done so in the past.
But after all, since he has this responsibility, he has the right to act according to his own discretion.
Since they were not criminals, Gu Dan naturally had no reason to get medicine from the Imperial Hospital to treat them for free - this was the difference between public and private matters, which must not be confused.
As for paying out of pocket for their free medical treatment, it's not that we can't, but why? These people look pitiful in prison, but don't forget that they are prisoners.
Even though there are inevitably a few unlucky ones who are sent to jail out of helplessness, the vast majority of them are genuine criminals.
Feel sorry for them?
Who will feel sorry for the victims? He would rather go to the countryside to treat free medical treatment for the old farmers who may have never left the village in their lives, rather than pay out of his own pocket to choose to treat these people for free.
The scene fell silent for a moment, and the joy on many people's faces froze.
If no one heals me, that would be fine.
But it was obvious that Gu Dan was already treating them. As long as they persisted for another month or two, their illnesses would be cured!
Having no hope is not scary; what is most difficult to accept is seeing hope and then seeing it slip away.
"Sir, we are all from a poor family. How can we have any money after we get out of prison? Please be a kind person and save us!" A fat man with a big belly and a pale complexion spoke first in the crowd.
Life in prison is harsh, with two bowls of thin porridge every day, but this guy still has a big belly. It is obvious that he spent a lot of money in exchange for preferential treatment from the jailers.
When the people waiting here saw someone speak first, they immediately responded, "Yes, yes! We have no money left. Without you after we get out of prison, how can we see a doctor? It is said that doctors have a kind heart. Lord Gu is so compassionate. Please!"
"We, the common people, want to get treatment, but we can't do it even if we live frugally! You are from the Imperial Hospital, and you don't need to pay for the medicine, so please help us!"
"We know you are a good person, Lord Gu, please be kind!"
The voices gathered into a tide and rushed towards Gu Dan. Everyone in the crowd spoke, as if a thousand ducks were making a lot of noise.
Each of their faces was filled with anticipation and pleading, and each of them seemed to have its own difficulties.
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Among the crowd, only Ding Ji was staring at the group of guys behind him with jaws wide open.
Originally, these people said that they would stay here together to wait for Gu Dan and thank him for his treatment in the cell.
But Ding Ji had never expected that something like this would happen! "You guys are going too far!"
Even though Ding Ji had studied in a private school for a few years and had learned some classics, he couldn't find the right words to describe it at this moment.
"Excessive?"
The fat man closest to Ding Ji looked at him with disdain and said, "Oh, your injury has been cured and you have no worries anymore, so you're ready to cross the river and destroy the bridge?"
Ding Ji's face turned red, and he said hurriedly: "Nonsense! I stayed here just to thank Master Gu for saving my life!"
"Then what right do you have to speak here! Your illness has been cured, but ours has not!"
"That's right, this kind of person is just a jerk! After recovering from their own illness, they can't stand to see others getting better!"
"Hypocritical gratitude. If your illness hadn't been cured, would you have said that?"
Ding Ji's words caused public outrage.
The voices of condemnation gathered together, and in the blink of an eye he became a despicable and shameless person who was flattering, sycophantic and eloquent.
You talk and I talk, even if Ding Ji had a thousand mouths, he couldn't say a word at this moment.
"I, I didn't!" Ding Ji's face turned red as if it was filled with blood, but no one listened to him.
Everyone had surrounded Gu Dan. The fat man bowed and pleaded, "Master Gu, since you are willing to treat even Ding Ji, please save us!"
"Yes, no matter what, we will never be like Ding Ji who says one thing in front of others and another behind their backs."
"If you can cure even a man like him, how much more so us?"
The voices were chaotic and complicated, and Ding Ji, who was the first to say something fair, was immediately blamed and became a negative example in their mouths.
(End of this chapter)