Chapter 13: Becoming a Laborer

Hua Changxi stood at the corner of the square for a long time, ultimately not daring to walk over and directly confront Physician Sun Nu; just as she turned to leave, bursts of clamor drifted from the courtyard next door.

"I'm itching to death!"

"Help!"

Pharmacist Xu had just instructed Hua Changxi not to wander freely within the Medical Bureau, and she had intended to leave directly, but as she passed the courtyard gate, she heard Eunuch Jia Lu's voice.

"Everyone be quiet for me; I have already sent someone to fetch a physician."

Hua Changxi halted her steps, standing at the courtyard entrance to peer inside.

Inside the courtyard, more than twenty people were wailing continuously, constantly scratching their hands and arms; even though their arms were scratched raw and bloody, they did not stop.

Hua Changxi swept her gaze over the medicinal herbs piled in the courtyard and immediately understood what was happening, then shifted her attention to Eunuch Jia Lu.

Earlier in the square, when Physician Sun Nu faced Eunuch Jia Lu, he had been completely suppressed; even when mocked, Physician Sun Nu did not dare to make a sound, from which it was evident that this Eunuch Jia Lu held no ordinary status.

Hua Changxi looked up at the plaque above the courtyard gate: Hall of Laborers.

She was eighty percent certain she would not become an apprentice; with limited access to medicinal materials outside, she could not afford to waste a whole year waiting for the Medical Bureau to recruit apprentices again next year.

If she could enter the Hall of Laborers as a laborer, it might also be an opportunity.

Since it was an opportunity, she could not miss it.

Thinking thus, Hua Changxi stepped forward, clasped her fists, and bowed to Eunuch Jia Lu: "This humble girl pays her respects to Eunuch Jia Lu!"

Eunuch Jia Lu was already extremely irritable; suddenly hearing someone call him, he frowned, turned around, and discovered it was someone he did not recognize at all, his expression instantly turning gloomy.

Seeing this, Hua Changxi quickly explained: "Eunuch Jia Lu, please forgive my offense; this humble girl was passing by the Hall of Laborers, heard people shouting inside, and thus took a look."

Then, pointing quickly at those still screaming in agony, she said, "The problem with these people is easily solved; grind up Frost Grass and apply it to their arms, and they will improve within a quarter of an hour."

Eunuch Jia Lu had intended to order someone to seize Hua Changxi, but upon hearing her words, he changed his mind: "Oh, you know what has happened to them?"

Hua Changxi nodded, pointing at the herbs in the courtyard: "Fire Crystal Grass possesses fire toxin and cannot be washed directly with water; when Fire Crystal Grass is placed in water, the toxicity spreads rapidly, and anyone who contacts it suffers the same fate as them."

Eunuch Jia Lu raised his eyebrows: "You recognize the herbs in the courtyard?"

Hua Changxi nodded again: "Replying to Eunuch Jia Lu, my family operates a pharmacy; I know some herb merchants and dealers, from whom I have learned considerable knowledge about medicinal herbs."

To increase her own value, Hua Changxi added, "Not only can Fire Crystal Grass in the courtyard not be washed with water, but Thunder Bamboo cannot either."

Thunder Bamboo was not actually bamboo, but a type of medicinal herb that resembled bamboo.

"If Thunder Bamboo is placed in water, those who touch it will suffer numbness in both arms; in severe cases, the arms will necrose, ultimately leaving the person disabled."

Hearing this, everyone present in the Hall of Laborers showed expressions of lingering fear; if not for the accident involving those processing Fire Crystal Grass, they would have already begun handling the Thunder Bamboo.

Rage churned in Eunuch Jia Lu's eyes; he knew the Hall of Laborers had been targeted.

A young eunuch beside him stepped forward and whispered, "Godfather, Pharmacist Gong from Fourth Street is likely upset because we supplied the medicinal materials to Pharmacist Ji from Fifth Street last time instead of him, so he is deliberately making things difficult for us."

"He specifically demanded Fire Crystal Grass and Thunder Bamboo yet did not inform us of the proper handling methods for these two herbs; he is trying to kill us."

Eunuch Jia Lu said nothing; seeing the laborers washing Fire Crystal Grass screaming miserably, he summoned a young eunuch: "Go to the storeroom and fetch some Frost Grass."

Frost Grass was a medicinal herb commonly used by martial artists, not low in value; martial artists outside might not even be able to buy it if they wanted to.

But this was the Medical Bureau, and the Hall of Laborers was responsible for the preliminary processing of all medicinal materials entering the bureau; the storeroom still held several thousand jin of unprocessed Frost Grass.

Although he could not use the herbs in the storeroom at will, taking a small amount to treat the injured laborers was permissible.

After the young eunuch left, Eunuch Jia Lu looked at Hua Changxi again: "If these two herbs cannot be washed with water, how should they be processed?"

Hua Changxi replied, "Use salt; salt can quickly remove the filth from both Fire Crystal Grass and Thunder Bamboo."

The "Annotations on the Hundred Herbs Classic" recorded in detail the precautions for handling Fire Crystal Grass and Thunder Bamboo.

Seeing that Hua Changxi spoke with certainty, Eunuch Jia Lu hesitated only briefly before decisively ordering someone to fetch salt.

When the salt arrived, however, they discovered there were not enough hands.

The laborers in the Hall of Laborers each had specific duties; now that more than twenty people were injured, manpower was naturally short.

Noticing this, Hua Changxi immediately stepped forward and stated, "Eunuch Jia Lu, this humble girl happens to be free and wishes to serve you with utmost loyalty; please grant this humble girl a chance to gain experience."

At this moment, Eunuch Jia Lu remembered that Hua Changxi was a candidate for the apprentice examination; knowing the inside story of this apprentice recruitment, he seemed to somewhat understand what scheme this young lady was plotting.

Yet, how did she know that the female apprentice quotas had already been predetermined?

Just then, the eunuch sent to fetch a physician returned with two physicians.

Eunuch Jia Lu did not respond to Hua Changxi, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and went directly to attend to the two physicians.

Seeing Eunuch Jia Lu's reaction, Hua Changxi simply assumed he had agreed, quickly walked into the midst of the laborers, and began processing the Fire Crystal Grass and Thunder Bamboo alongside them.

The laborers were unsure whether salt could clean Fire Crystal Grass and Thunder Bamboo, so they all silently watched Hua Changxi operate.

Only after confirming there was truly no danger did they begin processing the medicinal materials according to Hua Changxi's method.

"What, acupuncture is also required?"

The two physicians also stated that the previous twenty-plus people had been burned by medicinal herbs and that treatment required acupuncture and drinking medicine to expel toxins, requiring at least ten days of recuperation to heal.

Eunuch Jia Lu frowned: "I am aware that many new medicines have been developed in the past two years; is there not some ointment that can be applied to cure this immediately?"

The two physicians reiterated the condition of the twenty laborers, both stating the injuries were too severe for ordinary ointments to treat.

Eunuch Jia Lu glanced at Hua Changxi busy among the laborers; the method proposed by this young lady was far simpler than the treatment plans of the two physicians.

Eunuch Jia Lu still ordered the two physicians to take the laborers to the rooms for treatment, but he kept a few behind; after the young eunuch fetched Frost Grass from the storeroom, he had them grind it up for a test.

"Eunuch, it really doesn't itch anymore!"

After applying the Frost Grass, the few laborers who remained felt the itching pain, which had previously felt like being burned by fire and gnawed by countless ants, rapidly subside.

Seeing the improvement in the few laborers, Eunuch Jia Lu went to check on those being treated by the physicians; those laborers were still scratching and wailing, causing him to fall into deep thought.

In the past two years, the Medical Bureau had discovered many new medicinal materials, the properties of which had not yet been tested; even when tested, those physicians and pharmacists kept them hidden, not sharing the knowledge completely.

Here in the Hall of Laborers, several accidents involving injuries had already occurred during the cleaning and processing of medicinal materials.

Like this incident with Fire Crystal Grass and Thunder Bamboo, the Hall of Laborers had been completely unaware of their toxicity.

Eunuch Jia Lu returned to the courtyard, silently watching Hua Changxi as she quickly processed the herbs.

This young lady handled the medicinal herbs with speed, precision, and steadiness, appearing even more skilled than the other laborers; it must be known that these laborers were all veterans who had worked for several years.

At this moment, Hua Changxi was indeed working with great vigor.

[Flawless Technique (Entry Level): Cleansing medicinal herbs 10/10]

Once she had processed ten herbs, her mind instantly filled with various methods for cleansing mortal plants, methods she felt as though she had repeated countless times, already carved into her bones.

At this moment, whether picking up Fire Crystal Grass or Thunder Bamboo, she instinctively knew how to cleanse them.

It felt as though, regarding the processing of martial artists' herbs, although she was originally a novice, she had now become an experienced veteran who had processed countless martial herbs.

[Flawless Technique (Minor Achievement): Cleansing medicinal herbs 88/100]

[Flawless Technique (Minor Achievement): Cleansing medicinal herbs 89/100]

[Flawless Technique (Minor Achievement): Cleansing medicinal herbs 90/100]

┊

The Servant Hall had far too many medicinal herbs to process; watching the characters in her vision change continuously, Hua Changxi's expression grew increasingly excited.

After processing one hundred herbs, just as Hua Changxi had expected, various methods for cleansing spiritual plants instantly appeared in her mind.

Eunuch Jia stood aside and watched for a while, discovering that Hua Changxi was truly an old hand at processing medicinal herbs; after a moment's thought, he summoned a young eunuch: "Xiao Luzi, go investigate that young lady's family background, and also see which places in the Medical Bureau she visited today."

One hour later, just as several carts of Fire Crystal Grass and Thunder Bamboo were nearly finished, Xiao Luzi returned.

"Godfather, that young lady is named Hua Changxi, lives in Nanluo Lane of Xiuzheng Ward, ranks ninth in her family, and her father is a Constable of the Six Doors..."

"Hua Changxi knows Apothecary Xu of Ninth Street; after leaving the square earlier, she went to Ninth Street to find Apothecary Xu, and Apothecary Xu is good friends with Apothecary Wang of the Apprentice Hall."

Xiao Luzi reported the gathered information to Eunuch Jia in detail, one by one.

Upon hearing this, Eunuch Jia finally understood why Hua Changxi knew that the apprentice female physician quotas had all been pre-arranged.

"Go, call Hua Changxi over to me."

[Flawless Technique (Major Achievement): Cleansing medicinal herbs 250/1000]

Hua Changxi was working with great vigor when Xiao Luzi approached.

Upon learning that Eunuch Jia wished to see her, Hua Changxi glanced reluctantly at the unprocessed herbs, then followed Xiao Luzi to stand before Eunuch Jia.

"Eunuch Jia."

Eunuch Jia looked at Hua Changxi, skipping any display of authority, and got straight to the point: "You helped me resolve a trouble today; speak, what do you wish to obtain from me?"

Hearing this, Hua Changxi did not hesitate, clasping her fists and bowing: "This humble girl wishes to enter the Servant Hall; I beg Eunuch Jia for your permission."

Eunuch Jia showed an expression of 'just as expected': "Although the Servant Hall is unlike the Apprentice Hall, where recruitment requires prior public notice, that does not mean the Servant Hall can be entered casually; on what grounds should I recruit you?"

At this point, Hua Changxi abandoned modesty: "Eunuch, this humble girl has a decent memory; any herb I have seen or heard mentioned is firmly memorized in my mind."

"Regarding herb processing, I possess my own insights. To speak without shame, even facing an old hand who has processed herbs for decades, I dare claim I am no worse than them."

Hearing her words, Eunuch Jia laughed heartily: "You little girl, boasting so boldly without fear of biting your tongue."

Hua Changxi looked at Eunuch Jia with full confidence: "If Eunuch does not believe me, feel free to test me."

Eunuch Jia gazed at Hua Changxi; seeing her neither dodge nor flinch, he did not test her but continued speaking: "The duties in the Servant Hall are not easy; let alone a young lady like you, even men here often feel overwhelmed; are you certain you want to join the Servant Hall?"

Hua Changxi nodded firmly: "This humble girl does not fear hardship."

Eunuch Jia added: "As far as I know, you came today to apply for the apprenticeship; what is this, do you feel certain you will not be selected?"

Hua Changxi thought for a moment before replying: "This humble girl feels she is better suited for the Servant Hall."

Eunuch Jia chuckled: "Do you truly have no regrets? If I agree today, you will become a member of the Servant Hall; even if your name appears on the Apprentice Hall's selection list three days from now, you will no longer be able to join the Apprentice Hall."

Hua Changxi fell silent for a second, then nodded affirmatively once more: "This humble girl only wishes to enter the Servant Hall."

Compared to an uncertain outcome, she preferred grasping what was certain before her eyes.

Seeing Hua Changxi's determination, Eunuch Jia's face showed a hint of approval: "Decisive indeed; I see you possess some ability, and the Servant Hall truly lacks manpower, so today I will give you a chance; report to the Servant Hall tomorrow."

Hua Changxi's face lit up with joy, and she performed a ninety-degree bow to Eunuch Jia: "This humble girl thanks Eunuch for your kindness; henceforth, I will surely work hard in the Servant Hall."

Eunuch Jia gave no definite response: "I require no thanks from you; I only hope you do not regret entering the Servant Hall. Xiao Luzi, escort her out."