Chapter 176 Practicing Medicine (Second Update)
His Majesty abandoned the incumbent who was about to take office and left without looking back.
He went to find the old priest.
The old chief priest didn't include his address in the letter, but His Majesty wouldn't be so incompetent as to lack that much knowledge.
The messenger said that a guest of the Donglai Inn had asked him to run an errand for him.
Donglai Inn is very good.
His Majesty went to the Donglai Inn in person, but when he arrived there, the old chief priest had already left.
"When did they leave?" asked the eunuch beside His Majesty.
The shopkeeper said, "He's been gone for a while. He goes out during the day and doesn't come back until very late."
"How many days has he stayed here?" the eunuch asked again.
The shopkeeper flipped through the ledger and said, "Five nights."
Donglai Inn is an inconspicuous inn, the kind that would be rejected even if used as a toilet for the emperor.
His Majesty was deeply saddened to think that the old chief priest had been confined to such a place for so many days.
Green tea's essential skill #1: Playing the victim!
The old master has a firm grasp on green tea!
His Majesty waited patiently at the Donglai Inn for most of the day, but the old Grand Master of Ceremonies never returned. He couldn't just keep waiting forever, as there was still a huge pile of memorials to deal with in the Imperial Study.
His Majesty had no choice but to leave with regret.
If he had seen it, that would have been fine, but if he hadn't, His Majesty always felt that something was not accomplished and kept thinking about it.
This is another essential skill for green tea: whetting the appetite.
In the realm of Machiavellian tactics in officialdom, the old Grand Chancellor has never disappointed. Back then, he used this method step by step to manipulate the late emperor, and only then did he banish the treacherous empress who brought disaster to the country to the cold palace.
Although the wicked empress who brought ruin to the country emerged in less than half a year, he still became the first person in the dynasty to bring her down.
After His Majesty left, the old chief minister returned to the inn... In fact, he hadn't gone far; he was just hiding in the teahouse across the street, observing His Majesty.
"Sir, someone came looking for you just now," the innkeeper said politely.
"Hmm," the old chief priest responded without any surprise.
The innkeeper then asked, "So, are you staying at the inn again tonight? Should I have someone prepare dinner for you, or should it be delivered to your room?"
The old priest said, "No, I won't stay."
If you achieve your goal and still want to stay, isn't that a waste of money?
Don't let the dilapidated appearance of this inn fool you; it costs two or three hundred copper coins a night.
He's been really short of money lately, having to cover household expenses and also deal with someone trying to rob him.
The thrifty and hardworking old priest decisively cancelled the room reservation.
He's going to disappear for a while.
Only by maintaining a delicate balance of closeness and distance can one truly captivate and entice the heart.
Besides, things that are too easily obtained are not valued by anyone.
Having been away from the court for so long, the Imperial Academy is no longer the same as it was three years ago, and he is no longer the carefree Chancellor of the Imperial Academy. His enemies are not just Empress Dowager Zhuang, who may wake up at any moment, but perhaps many more.
He needs His Majesty's absolute reliance.
The family in Bishui Hutong was completely unaware of the old chief priest's cunning.
The old lady hadn't seen the old priest for several days and assumed he had run away because he didn't want to hand over his secret stash of money.
"Grandma, I'm going to the clinic." Gu Jiao finished tidying up the house and went to the old lady's room to say goodbye.
The clinic opens today.
The old lady muttered to herself and waved her hand, saying, "Go ahead."
Gu Jiao gave her a strange look: "Auntie, what's wrong with you?"
The old lady frowned suspiciously: "I'm thinking of my name."
Gu Jiao was surprised: "Do you remember your name?"
The old lady shook her head: "That's what your great-uncle said."
It turns out we know each other; we can even remember each other's names.
"What's your name?" Gu Jiao asked.
“Zhuang Jinse,” the old lady said.
Is your surname Zhuang?
Gu Jiao remained silent.
Gu Jiao went to the clinic.
The second landlord was at a loss in the lobby.
Gu Jiao walked over: "What's wrong?"
The second landlord sighed, "The batch of medicinal herbs we ordered before the New Year was for the army to make wound medicine. We originally agreed to pay the balance next month, but now they are asking us to pay in advance, otherwise they dare not deliver the herbs to us."
Gu Jiao has very strict requirements for medicines. The wound medicine she makes is more concentrated than other wound medicines, so the amount of medicinal materials consumed is naturally huge.
They paid a 30% deposit before the Lunar New Year.
Although business was good after the clinic opened, the initial investment was too large, and the business had not yet been recouped. The second owner had to use all his savings to cover the 30% deposit.
The remaining 70% would amount to several hundred taels of silver, which he simply couldn't afford to continue.
Gu Jiao casually gave an "oh," then took out a stack of silver notes from her pocket and handed them to him: "Here you go."
The second boss thought Gu Jiao would ask why the other party suddenly changed her mind, but instead she directly threw the silver notes at him.
That's incredibly extravagant!
The second landlord was dumbfounded: "Where did you get so many silver notes?"
“Hmm…” Gu Jiao thought for a moment, “It was extorted.”
Second boss: "..."
I also want to extort that much, please help me!
Gu Chengfeng wasn't actually that rich. He didn't have more than a thousand taels of silver in his possession, and the other two thousand taels were borrowed from others.
To repay his debts, he had started secretly taking on side jobs. These were not as simple as shoveling a few piles of chicken droppings; those tasks were dangerous and arduous.
He was overwhelmed by homework during the day and by assignments at night, living a life worse than death; he was truly miserable.
On the first day of business after the Lunar New Year, the clinic had a lot to handle.
Gu Jiao and Doctor Song took some of the medicinal herbs out of the cabinet to dry, while the second boss went to take care of the final payment.
With money, one feels much more confident in getting things done.
"Dr. Song, thank you for this." Gu Jiao handed him a basket of herbs that she had counted. "Check if any are spoiled and which ones need to be thrown away."
Doctor Song said, "Actually, the capital is dry, so the medicinal herbs don't spoil easily. A little bit of moisture won't affect their efficacy; just let them dry in the sun."
Gu Jiao said, "We still have to pick them out."
Doctor Song understood that Gu Jiao's requirements for medicinal herbs were outrageously strict, so he didn't say anything more and obediently went to select the herbs.
There weren't many patients today; only four came this morning.
As noon approached, Doctor Song noticed she was still there and hurriedly said, "Miss Gu, why are you still here? Aren't you going back for lunch?"
There are cooks at the clinic, but Gu Jiao doesn't eat there; she wants to go home and cook for the old lady.
But now we have a great-uncle, and he can cook.
Gu Jiao shook her head: "No, I'll eat at the clinic today."
Doctor Song laughed and said, "Oh! Then I'll tell the kitchen to cook a few more dishes!"
Gu Jiao nodded in agreement. It would be good to have a more substantial meal for the first working meal after the New Year.
Gu Jiao continued to tidy up the medicinal herbs when suddenly a thin man walked in, his expression somewhat cautious: "Excuse me, is there a doctor here?"
Gu Jiao looked up and saw a handsome and refined man, but he was too thin, with a sallow complexion, looking malnourished.
"That's me, this way."
"No need, I'll just get some medicine."
Gu Jiao asked, "How can I get the medicine without looking?"
The man pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his starched, yellowed sleeve: "I have a prescription."
This man's demeanor was unlike that of a commoner, yet his clothes were just as shabby as those of the commoners.
Gu Jiao took the prescription, looked at it, and said to him, "This prescription is not suitable for your illness."
"Huh?" The man was taken aback. "But you don't know what illness I have, so how can you be sure the prescription isn't suitable for me?"
Gu Jiao handed the prescription back to him: "This paper is so old, it must have been used for a long time, right? But you don't look well at all. If the prescription were effective, you wouldn't be like this now."
The man felt pain in his upper right abdomen again.
He covered the painful spot, his brows furrowed tightly.
Gu Jiao held out her hand: "Give me your hand."
"Huh?" The man was in too much pain to react for a moment.
Gu Jiao simply grabbed his other hand and placed her fingertips on his wrist.
The man's face turned pale with anger: "Men and women should not touch each other!"
He tried to pull his hand back, but found that he couldn't exert any force at all.
Are young girls this strong these days?
After taking his pulse, Gu Jiao used her hand to gently pull at his eyelids.
He was so frightened that he backed away repeatedly. Manager Wang just placed a stool behind him in time, and he bent his knees and fell on the stool with a thud.
No girl has ever been like this before.
He was completely dumbfounded.
Gu Jiao calmly withdrew her hand: "But do you often experience dry mouth, bitter taste, and aversion to greasy food?"
The man nodded.
Gu Jiao: "How long has it been hurting?"
Man: "One or two months, I don't remember exactly."
Gu Jiao: "Have you been taking this prescription all along?"
The man shook his head: "No, it was a different prescription before, but it didn't help, so I switched to another clinic."
Gu Jiao frowned slightly: "Are there so many quack doctors in the capital?"
He suffers from chronic cholecystitis, which is classified as liver and gallbladder qi stagnation type. Traditional Chinese medicine intervention has shown good results, and even Dr. Song, who only completed his apprenticeship last year, can treat it.
This person went to two different clinics but neither could get the right prescription for him.
The man lowered his head and remained silent.
Gu Jiao wrote out a prescription and asked the apprentice to fill it up.
"Miss Gu, it's ready!" The medicine boy tied the medicine packet with straw rope and handed it to Gu Jiao.
Gu Jiao handed the medicine to the man and said, "Take one dose a day, twice a day, morning and evening. Boil it over high heat, then simmer it over low heat for 15 minutes. Take it for five days, and come back for a follow-up appointment on the morning of the sixth day."
The man didn't immediately reach out to take it, but instead asked, "How much?"
Gu Jiao: "One hundred coins."
The man looked astonished.
Gu Jiao looked at him: "What? Is it too expensive?"
The man shook his head vigorously, as if taking a rattle, and asked incredulously, "Are you...are you sure you're not selling fake medicine?"
Gu Jiao: "..."
A dose of medicine costs only twenty coins, a price that is indeed rare in the capital.
This prescription itself doesn't require very expensive medicinal materials. Of course, if a distinguished person comes, they must get the best medicine, and Gu Jiao can also prepare a prescription that costs one or two taels of silver per dose.
The man paid and walked out with the medicine bag in his hand.
I was bumped into by someone as soon as I stepped out the door.
He fell to the ground, scattering his medicine packets everywhere. He hurriedly reached out to pick them up, but one of his feet stepped on one of the packets.
His slender figure was shrouded in the other's enormous shadow.
His hand, which was reaching for the medicine packet, paused.
The other man, with a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, stood with his hands on his hips, looking at him with a nonchalant air, and said, "Oh? Isn't this Young Master Liu? Out buying medicine again? What's wrong this time? Tell us, and we'll treat you for free!"
His henchmen behind him burst into laughter.
The man's face flushed with humiliation, his fingers pressed against the ground, his knuckles turning faintly white.
The burly man spread his legs and said to the man, "Crawl between my legs and I'll buy you medicine!"
Hahahaha!
"Drill through!"
"Drill through!"
"Drill through!"
Several of his underlings started jeering loudly.
The man's eyes revealed endless humiliation and ferocity.
Suddenly, a small figure stepped out and kicked the big man away!
"Who are you?" one of the henchmen rushed over.
Gu Jiao touched him, finding his hands dirty, and grabbed a stick from the doorway, knocking him away.
The remaining few were not too difficult to deal with; in the blink of an eye, everyone was knocked down.
The burly man was the most skilled, but he was completely powerless to fight back. He could only barely stand up, his legs still trembling.
He gave Gu Jiao a wary yet venomous look: "Where did this stinky woman come from?"
Gu Jiao casually swung the stick, knocking out four of the burly man's teeth!
The burly man was writhing in pain, clutching his mouth full of blood, and roared incoherently, "Do you know who we are?"
Gu Jiao said calmly, "I don't care who you are. He is a patient of Miaoshoutang. You caused trouble in front of Miaoshoutang, so you deserve to be beaten."
The burly man grinned maliciously: "You probably don't know who he is, do you? He's Liu Yisheng! No doctor in the entire capital dares to treat him. If you dare to cure him, you'll be in big trouble!"
The Liu family appeared in the chapter "114 Reunion".
(End of this chapter)
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