Chapter 56: Divine Medicine

The front courtyard of the Prince's Mansion.

Hu Langzhong rubbed his hands together uneasily and pleaded with Zhao Xu, "Your Highness, this commoner has a presumptuous request, and I hope Your Highness will grant it."

"Please speak, Hu Langzhong." Zhao Xu still held this top physician of Yan Commandery in high regard.

After all, he was a doctor; in case of any headaches or fevers, he would always be needed.

"Actually, I would like to have a few more jars of the Secret Medicine Your Highness concocted," Hu Langzhong said, revealing the purpose of his visit.

After he took the medicine back, the news spread like wildfire.

Originally, he had only prepared to treat three people, but in the end, six more arrived.

These people knelt at his clinic, unwilling to leave.

With no other choice, he had to thicken his skin and come back once more.

Zhao Xu had thought it was about Chang Wei's condition, and he had even felt a moment of tension.

Upon learning it was such a trivial matter, he said, "Hu Langzhong, take as much as you need. If it can save lives, it can be considered an act of charity by this Prince."

Hu Langzhong was overjoyed upon hearing this, thinking to himself that Yan Wang was indeed as kind and approachable as the common folk said.

"Many thanks, Your Highness," Hu Langzhong said, bowing.

Zhao Xu nodded and called over a servant to take Hu Langzhong away.

He was confident in the effects of Allicin, but if Hu Langzhong could successfully treat patients with it, he would have no more doubts.

Therefore, he was also happy to let Hu Langzhong conduct the experiment.

Following the servant, he went to the middle courtyard.

After getting three jars, Hu Langzhong returned to his clinic, beaming with joy.

Seeing Hu Langzhong return, the wounded in the clinic immediately began to plead.

"Hu Langzhong, save us..."

They were all injured people; because the weather was hot, their wounds were red, swollen, and festering, and they had already developed fevers.

"Alright, alright, I have begged for the medicine; whether you can be saved or not depends on fate," Hu Langzhong told his apprentice to apply the medicine from the jars to the patients.

Three times a day, with an interval of three hours each time.

This was what Yan Wang had instructed him.

After receiving the medicine, the injured commoners went home, only to return the next day.

Hu Langzhong examined them one by one and checked their temperatures again.

When he checked the temperature of a middle-aged man, he was surprised.

This man still had a fever, but it seemed slightly lighter than yesterday.

After checking everyone, he discovered that among the nine people, four showed slight improvement in their symptoms.

Following this, he administered the medicine to the nine people again for two consecutive days.

By the third day, the fevers of six of the nine had faded, and their wounds also showed signs of healing.

The three who were severely injured still had fevers, but their symptoms had also slightly lessened.

Such a result left him deeply shocked.

Because in his experience, if these nine people had used his own medicine, apart from the three who were physically stronger and less severely injured having a chance to survive, the others would basically have had no possibility of living.

"Divine medicine, truly divine medicine," Hu Langzhong muttered to himself, his body trembling slightly.

Besides practicing medicine among the common folk, he was sometimes temporarily conscripted by the authorities to treat wounded soldiers in the army when war broke out in Yanzhou.

During last year's Autumn Hunt by the Northern Di, the fires of war were everywhere in Yanzhou.

The Yuan Family and the Yan Pass Imperial Guard both sent troops to surround and suppress them, and there were countless wounded at that time.

What was most detestable was that the Northern Di Cavalry were extremely vicious; before battle, they would soak the arrowheads of their Arrow on feces.

Soldiers wounded by these arrows, even if not hit in vital areas, would often die later due to the festering of their wounds.

Thinking of the tragic scenes from that time, he still shuddered with fear.

It was precisely because of this that he had asked for the Secret Medicine after seeing Yan Wang save Chang Wei.

He knew clearly that the arrows that struck Chang Wei would also have been smeared with fecal juice by the Northern Di.

This was also the reason why he had said it was up to fate at the time.

"Divine medicine..." Hu Langzhong raised his hands high and roared toward the sky.

Remembering something, he immediately entered the room and picked up a brush to write a letter.

Coming out, he called over an apprentice and said, "Li Zhen, ride a horse immediately to Yan Pass in Ping County and deliver this letter to your martial uncle."

"

Responding with an "yes," Li Zhen turned and left.

Before long, the sound of hoofbeats rang out, and Li Zhen galloped away.

Ping County.

It bordered Yan Commandery, and it was no more than three hundred li from Yancheng to Yan Pass.

In one day and one night, Li Zhen arrived at Yan Pass.

Looking at the towering, steep, and solid city walls ahead, with soldiers in bright armor patrolling the ramparts, a sense of solemnity rose in his heart.

General Mo Di, who held command over Yan Pass, was over fifty years old and came from a famous family of military generals in the Great Song.

Since joining the army, he had accumulated numerous battle merits.

When leading troops in the Northwest, he had defeated the Xiliang army several times, causing the enemy to flee without a fight upon seeing his banners.

When the situation in Yanzhou tended toward chaos, this old general was dispatched here to become the pillar guarding Yan Pass.

After stating his identity and the soldiers reporting it, he was permitted to enter Yan Pass.

At the Medical Officer's office, he met his martial uncle, Li Xingjian.

Originally, this martial uncle and his master had jointly operated a medical clinic.

But after being conscripted last year, this martial uncle entered the Medical Officer's office.

As for his master, he claimed to be a free spirit and remained in Yan Commandery.

At that moment, he handed the letter to Li Xingjian and stood to one side.

"... Yan Wang's Secret Medicine, all nine wounded have recovered, specially informing Junior Martial Brother." Li Xingjian's thick eyebrows arched slightly.

In the letter, his senior martial brother first reminisced, then spoke of a recent strange occurrence.

After reading the contents of the letter, he could not help but feel somewhat alarmed.

If it were not for his martial nephew delivering it personally, he would certainly have thought this was nonsense.

At the end of the letter, his senior martial brother Hu Yan asked him to personally request the Secret Medicine to test it on the wounded soldiers in Yan Commandery, so as to distinguish truth from falsehood.

"This matter is of no small importance." Li Xingjian's expression was grave.

Northern Di Cavalry often provoked them outside the pass, and Yanguan would also send out Cavalry to scout beyond the pass.

Therefore, Yan Wang had soldiers injured almost every month.

Although these sporadic losses were not many, they added up to quite a lot.

"You rest here for a while; I will report this to General Mo immediately."

Having said that, he took the letter and went to the General's Mansion.

In the pavilion of the General's Mansion, he saw General Mo Di, whose hair was gray but whose complexion was as ruddy as an infant's.

This old general had a sturdy build; even at over fifty years old, he could eat three bowls of rice in one sitting, and his vigorous energy made him feel inferior by comparison.

After performing the salute, he stated the reason for his visit, and Mo Di, who had been reading a book, turned his head sharply.

"Yan Wang's Secret Medicine!" Mo Di's gaze was burning, "It truly has such miraculous effects."

"Senior Martial Brother would not fake it." Li Xingjian had always respected his senior martial brother, and he trusted him.

Mo Di nodded slightly.

He also knew that the pitiful Ninth Prince had been demoted to Yanzhou by the current Emperor.

He had even heard about Yan Wang's brain ailment healing on its own.

After all, these idle generals at Yanguan loved nothing more than to spread such absurd stories from the imperial court.

"This Yan Wang is interesting; from being obscure to now causing an ever-growing stir. It is said that even Yuan Li has personally visited him. Hmm, it seems that for the sake of this miraculous medicine, this old man will have to make a trip as well." Mo Di tossed aside his book.

Li Xingjian said, "Even if it were not for this miraculous medicine, the General should go; by drawing Yan Wang in as an ally, it could at least cause some trouble for the Yuan Family."

Mo Di nodded.

No matter what, Yan Wang was an Imperial Prince, and his Mo Family had been loyal to the Imperial Clan for generations.

Now that the world was in chaos, he had no ulterior motives.

It was just that, being isolated in Yanzhou, he often felt uneasy in his heart.

After all, if Yanguan were lost and the Northern Di entered directly, the Great Song would see its mountains and rivers shattered.

And since the Yuan Family harbored the hearts of wolves and tigers, he dared not trust them lightly.

If he went to Yan Commandery this time and observed that Yan Wang was usable, he would memorialize the current Emperor to order Yan Wang's Yan Commandery and Yanguan to form a pincer formation to garrison Yanzhou.