Chapter 21: Framed Master's mouth curled up, and there seemed to be ice hidden between the words...
After all the threats and hints were fruitless, the people from the yamen felt frustrated and left with a haughty look on their faces, leaving behind some harsh words.
Under the manipulation of Liming Pharmacy, the conversation between the manager and the yamen soon spread throughout the streets and alleys.
In this context of officials protecting each other, anyone who dares to confront the county's primary officials head-on is tantamount to hitting a rock with an egg and seeking his own death.
Everyone admired the avant-garde spirit of Liming Pharmacy. Having offended the county's senior officials and Magistrate Li having connections above them, Liming Pharmacy would probably have a hard time in the future.
yamen.
Those in a higher position would not like others to go against their wishes. Liming Pharmacy was like a wild horse that had broken free from its reins and kept provoking the county magistrate, so the county magistrate was naturally not in a good mood.
"Liming Pharmacy, Doctor Xu, you really don't take my words seriously, very good!" The county magistrate picked up the porcelain cup on the coffee table and slammed it to the ground, "They think they are just going against me? They don't bow to power? I'm afraid they are secretly happy about how powerful they are?
Little did I know that if that person had not given me the order, how could I have gotten involved in this matter? Be obedient, keep a low profile, and live a bad life. You must go down a dead end, and see how capable this Liming Medicine Hall is. "
Thinking of the person above, the county magistrate felt an incomparable headache. His life would not be easy if he didn't get the job done. It was ridiculous that those people in Liming Pharmacy didn't even know who they had offended.
"Sir, how do we resolve the issue of Liming Pharmacy?" The lawyer asked hesitantly. He was worried that the county magistrate's anger would spread to him, but he had to ask this question because he was in a hurry to resolve the issue with Governor Fang.
The county magistrate glanced away, his eyes like a dark abyss with huge waves surging, as if to sweep him in and tear him apart. "What did Doctor Jiang say? Are you sure you can cure Governor Fang's illness?"
"Dr. Jiang said that he could only try his best, but the hope was slim. He also did not think that Liming Pharmacy would be able to cure the disease, so he asked the adults to just relax.
Since no one can do anything, it is understandable that the Pei family was helpless in treating the other governor's illness. We have not failed to fulfill his instructions and have somewhat saved some face for the Pei family pharmacy."
"Relax? How can I relax? 'Do my best', 'Not much hope', is Jiang Yi's reputation as a miracle doctor just for show?!"
The county magistrate sat back on the armchair and slapped the armrest of the chair. "Xu Yi was so confident last time. If he really has a way to cure Governor Fang, wouldn't Liming Pharmacy rise to prominence by riding on the reputation accumulated by Pei Family Pharmacy and Jiang Yi over the years? If that happens, how will the higher-ups explain it? You and I will have no chance of getting through it."
After the county magistrate had finished venting his anger, the lawyer bent his waist slightly, clasped his hands and replied, "At this point, there is no other way but to block it. Perhaps, we are not so passive after all."
The county magistrate looked at the lawyer deeply and asked, "What do you mean?"
The master's mouth curled up, and there was a cold poisonous snake hidden in his words: "Xitang County is our territory. Even if Xu Yizhen can cure him, we have the ability to make him incurable, right? The mediocre doctor is arrogant and murdered the imperial official. The crime is not small."
The county magistrate narrowed his eyes and stared at the master for a long while: "You are so brave, boy. He is the governor, and his official rank is the second grade!"
"It's because he came at the wrong time. It's a headache for us, isn't it?" The master smiled, but it made people feel cold. "Besides, Governor Fang and that person are in different camps. We..." The master wiped his neck, "It can be regarded as clearing a stumbling block for that person, which is a credit."
The matter of murdering an imperial official was no small matter. The county magistrate tapped the armrest of his chair with his fingertips anxiously and restlessly, unable to make up his mind for a long time.
The master waited for a while and urged: "Please make a decision as soon as possible. Governor Fang has already asked to meet Xu Yi from the Liming Pharmacy. If we wait for him to go to the Liming Pharmacy in person, we will be in a passive position. After all, compared with being treated in the county government office, being treated in the Liming Pharmacy is more beneficial to us."
A trace of cruelty flashed across the county magistrate's eyes. He clenched his hand on the armrest of the chair into a fist and looked up to tell the master: "Go and do it."
"Yes, sir." After receiving the approval, the master left the room and went to Liming Pharmacy with the unblocking order.
After the unblocking order was read out and it was clarified that Liming Pharmacy did not sell fake drugs, the master said to the manager: "We received a tip-off a few days ago that Liming Pharmacy was selling fake drugs. As part of our duty, for the sake of the people, we must investigate. Please don't blame me if I offend you."
"No, no, your Excellency's fairness is a blessing to the people and Xitang County." The manager of Liming Pharmacy smiled and answered slowly.
The lawyer came here only to take Pei Yixue to the county government for a consultation, and didn't want to waste any more time talking to the manager here.
He did not take over the conversation and said bluntly: "Now that the truth has been revealed that your pharmacy is selling fake medicine, please ask Doctor Xu to go with us to fulfill the bet we made with Doctor Jiang half a month ago."
The standard fake smile on the steward's face remained unchanged. "Since Liming Pharmacy was wrongly accused, has Master forgotten something?"
The master's expression was slightly hesitant. He didn't know what the steward was talking about, but he could tell that the steward had no intention of saying anything good and he would not put himself in a passive position.
So his eyes fixed, and he raised his authority: "What do you mean by this? Are you questioning the government's work? Or is it that your Liming Pharmacy is incapable of keeping the appointment and is deliberately stalling for time here?"
"How could that be possible?" The steward was not intimidated by this aura, and a smile spread across his face. "I was just saying that Master had forgotten! Since Liming Pharmacy was wrongly accused, the losses caused to us when the officials sealed up the pharmacy should be compensated together, right?
The 7,800 taels of silver, minus the 5 taels of loss allowed by the laws of Daqing, still leaves 7,795 taels. Ah, 7,795 taels, my doctor has been muttering this number every day for half a month and has lost his appetite. He has lost more than ten pounds. We are just waiting for the officials to clear our name today and make up the money."
The lawyer's eyelids twitched. Seven thousand seven hundred and ninety-five taels was not a small amount. The county magistrate's annual salary was only ninety taels. To make up for the loss, he would have to go without food and drink for his entire life to pay it back.
Besides, they did smash the Dawn Pharmacy, but how could that little thing be worth so much? They never thought about paying it back.
The laws of the Daqing Kingdom are one thing, and their enforcement by the government is another. I have been in this profession for many years, and I have never met anyone who dares to say that the government has done too much damage during a search and comes to the government to ask for compensation.
If I go to the government to pay back the money, I'm afraid I'll lose my life.
Seeing such a group of weirdos for the first time, the master suppressed the murderous intent in his heart, thinking that these people’s heads were about to be in danger, so he didn’t want to care too much about it.
He smiled and said, "It's our fault for not considering it carefully. We haven't prepared all the money yet. It just so happens that Doctor Xu is going to the government office for a consultation. We will give it to Doctor Xu to take back together."
The master offered a way out, but the steward refused to accept it: "That's true, but my doctor has a bad temper. He won't go out unless he sees money. He is old and won't listen to advice.
However, it just so happens that the official has not prepared the money yet. Governor Fang will be treated by Doctor Jiang first. If he can cure the disease, my Liming Pharmacy will admit defeat. This is a good time to prepare money for the master. If Doctor Jiang can't cure the disease, the master can take the money, and I can also persuade my own doctor to help. Isn't it the best of both worlds? "
The master took a deep breath. In order to bring the miracle doctor from Liming Pharmacy over, he endured: "Miss Doctor Jiang has already treated Governor Fang and was helpless, so we came to ask Miss Doctor Xu to come to the appointment."
"Oh, there's nothing we can do." The steward said with a long and meaningful tone, "In this case, I'll have to trouble you to make another trip. My genius doctor will definitely not leave without money."
After the steward repeatedly refused, the master's face turned completely black despite his best efforts to control his anger. "Steward, please spare me a moment to talk."
The steward glanced at the master and thought, "Who would want to talk to you if you look like you want to eat me?" Wouldn't it be safer to be in public with someone watching?
He glanced at the pedestrians who were watching the excitement at the entrance of Liming Pharmacy and said, "Master, if you have anything to say, just say it directly."
The master's fists were clenched hard under his sleeves, and he almost gritted his teeth and said, "I am really ashamed to say this. You don't know that the county magistrate and I have only been in Xitang County for half a year, and the deficit in the government account has not yet been made up. I really can't pay so much, so I can only repay the losses of Liming Pharmacy in installments."
"So that's what you want to say, Master? That's easy to say." The steward sent someone to get paper and pen, "But this matter needs a written document."
After negotiating with the legal advisor on issues such as how many installments to repay and how to calculate the interest, the manager asked the yamen staff to take the document back to the county government office and have it stamped with the county magistrate's official seal.
The trip to the county government office was not far, and the IOU with the official seal was quickly sent back.
After taking the IOU, the steward went upstairs to present it to Pei Yixue.
As Pei Yixue carefully read the terms of the IOU, the steward hesitated and said, "Boss, I always feel strange. This IOU was obtained too easily. Seven thousand seven hundred and fifty taels is not a small amount, but the county magistrate did not even bargain."
Pei Yixue handed the paper back to the steward and said, "Ask a few smart guys to go with me to the county government to treat Governor Fang."
"Hey, does the boss want to go over now?" The steward looked serious. "Do you need to make some arrangements? In order to avoid mistakes in the treatment process, it might be safer to let Governor Fang come to the pharmacy to treat the patient."
"When water comes, earth will cover it. When soldiers come, we will stop them." Pei Yixue stood up with his hands behind his back and chuckled, "I was afraid that they would not have the chance to make trouble."
Pei Yixue's words were like a reassurance pill, which finally settled the manager's uncertain heart. Since Pei Yixue knew the situation himself, he naturally didn't need to say more and could only follow the arrangements.
Taking the pharmacy clerk with him, Pei Yixue followed the people from the yamen to the county government office.
The county magistrate's men started to act shifty and curiously from the moment they entered the room. It was unclear what they were trying to do.
Governor Fang's condition was much more serious than he thought, but it was not to the point where he could only wait for death.
After writing the prescription and handing it to the waiter to boil the medicine, Pei Yixue began to perform the first acupuncture treatment on Governor Fang.
Pei Yixue was giving acupuncture in the house, while on the other side the county magistrate was anxiously waiting for news from his subordinates, so anxious that he could not help pacing back and forth.
"Creak." Hearing the sound of a door being pushed open, the county magistrate looked in the direction of the sound and found that the person coming was none other than his lawyer whom he had been waiting for.
When the lawyer entered the room and closed the door again, the county magistrate immediately came forward and asked anxiously, "Is it done?"
"It's absolutely safe." The master smiled, his eyes seemed to be filled with poison, "The poison is colorless and tasteless. No matter how skilled Xu Yi is, he will never be able to detect it. When the medicine is taken, Governor Fang will die instantly."
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