Chapter 132: Is she going to die?

This... that was true.

There were some in the prefecture city, but it would take three or four days to go back and forth, which was far too late.

Doctor Jian thought of an idea quickly in his mind.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "I heard that Guild Leader Wen recently came to our Wutou Xian. If we could invite him over, Miss Mingzhu would definitely be saved."

"Are you talking about Wen Shiyuan of the Xinglin Guild?" Jiang Shi asked hurriedly.

Doctor Jian nodded. "That's right. Wen Shiyuan lived in the Medicine God Valley for several years. Although he isn't a direct disciple of the Divine Doctor Jun, his medical skills have been personally guided by Divine Doctor Jun, and he's no worse than the Head of the Imperial Hospital."

Wen Shiyuan was not only skilled in medicine but also had a kind heart. Whether the patient was a noble or a beggar, he treated them all the same, and he had a high reputation among the common people.

It was precisely because of this that he was elected as the Guild Leader of the Xinglin Guild.

"Then where is he now?" Jiang Shi finally saw a glimmer of hope.

"It seems he appeared in Xiushan Zhen a few days ago, and then his whereabouts became unknown. He shouldn't have left so quickly."

Jiang Shi thought for a moment and turned to the servant. "You hurry back to the mansion now and send everyone out to inquire. Anyone who finds a clue will be rewarded with ten taels of silver."

The servant responded with a "yes." "Then what does Guild Leader Wen look like?"

Jiang Shi didn't know either, so she looked at Doctor Jian.

Doctor Jian said: "A few years ago, I was fortunate enough to see Guild Leader Wen once. He is about sixty years old, has a very long beard, and it's all white. But the most special thing is his left hand; he has six fingers."

The servant memorized these one by one and then ran off toward the Du Mansion.

Watching her back, Jiang Shi sighed deeply and clasped her hands together to pray silently.

Zhu'er is young and ignorant, but she has never committed any great evil. Please, Heaven, have mercy and let me find Wen Shiyuan soon to cure Zhu'er's illness...

Rain in the east, sun in the west.

While Du Mingzhu was in agony, Du Ruo's side was full of joy.

The results of the second exam were out, and Jiang Zhan, as expected, took first place again. Now he was the undisputed Prefectural Top Scholar.

There was no need to take the remaining three exams at all.

The three of them happily returned to the inn, preparing to go back to Longquan Cun.

Now they just needed to go home and wait. Once all the sessions were finished and the final results were out, someone would naturally come to their door with gongs and drums to report the good news.

After packing everything up, the group went downstairs to check out.

Someone was already settling the bill in front.

"What? Six taels of silver? Isn't this a black-hearted shop!" Liu Shi shouted at the top of her lungs.

"This elder sister, our Sanyuan Inn has been open for more than ten years, and we have always been honest. If you don't believe me, I'll calculate the account for you."

The innkeeper was speechless and reported the items to her one by one from the account book. "Your son stayed in our superior room for a total of... one tael of silver per day; you stayed in the large dormitory, twenty wen per night; plus the food and tea service, six taels is already me giving you a discount on the change..."

Liu Shi wanted to say more, but Xiao Liangchen saw Du Ruo and the others coming over out of the corner of his eye. He hurriedly pulled his mother behind him with a flushed face. "I'm sorry, it was our lack of manners."

As he said this, he turned back to look at Liu Shi.

Liu Shi had no choice but to take out her money bag from her bosom and hand it to her son reluctantly.

Xiao Liangchen paid the bill, but Liu Shi still dawdled and refused to leave.

A superior room for her own family cost so much silver, yet that spendthrift woman Aman stayed in two rooms, and she was extravagant with food and drink, not knowing how to save at all.

Hmph, she wanted to see how much money they would have to pay!

"Guest, congratulations on winning our shop's free-of-charge opportunity. You don't need to pay any fees." The innkeeper was all smiles, fawning like a fat-headed fish.

Liu Shi: "...???"

Before the people involved could speak, she jumped up first. "Why? We all stayed in superior rooms, why can they be free of charge, but we can't?"

Du Ruo and Jiang Li looked at each other, their hearts full of the same questions.

Two superior rooms, staying for so many days, it would add up to at least ten-plus taels. This was not a small amount; they were just waiving it like that?

It felt a bit uneasy.

Seeing the hesitation on their faces, the fat-headed fish hurriedly explained: "It's like this: any guest who stays in our Sanyuan Inn, as long as they win the crown of Prefectural Top Scholar, is free of charge."

He looked at Jiang Zhan and smiled. "Young Master Jiang has taken first place in two consecutive sessions. The Prefectural Top Scholar title is definitely yours. Our inn also wants to share in your joy and good fortune. Are you willing?"

So that was it. All three of them understood immediately.

Du Ruo secretly laughed. Sanyuan Inn really knew how to conduct business. It looked like a loss today, but in fact, it wasn't.

The place where the Prefectural Top Scholar stayed would definitely attract more guests, and the grade would also improve.

This was equivalent to a living advertisement.

"Since that's the case, then thank you very much." Mutual benefit, why not?

The fat-headed fish laughed heartily. "I wish Young Master Jiang success in the three exams and a boundless future!"

After the two sides exchanged a few pleasantries, Jiang Li took his wife and younger brother out of the inn's gate. The servant had already brought the carriage to the door to wait.

Jiang Li first helped Du Ruo onto the carriage, then threw Jiang Zhan up, and only then sat in the front.

Du Ruo lifted the curtain to look inside and happened to see Liu Shi with her hands on her hips arguing with the innkeeper. She vaguely heard a few sentences.

"What's a Prefectural Top Scholar? My son will be the top scholar in the future. Why don't you give us a free stay?"

"You are clearly bullying the weak and fearing the strong. You see that the one surnamed Jiang is a constable, so you are deliberately fawning over him!"

"Let me tell you, if you don't give me a free stay today, I will go everywhere and spread the word that your Sanyuan Inn is a black-hearted shop. Let's see if anyone dares to stay here in the future..."

Du Ruo shook her head.

This Liu Shi was really a drag. It was a pity for Xiao Liangchen to have such a mother.

One could imagine that whoever married into their family wouldn't have an easy life—unless it was a princess.

Forget it, it had nothing to do with her anyway. Why bother with that idle worry?

Du Ruo put down the curtain, and the carriage drove toward the city gate.

As a result, before they could even leave the city, they were stopped by Wang Bujiu and his men.

"Boss, hurry back to the office." Wang Bujiu pulled the horse's head and wouldn't let them go, his face bitter. "The Magistrate isn't here, and all kinds of miscellaneous things are piling up like a mountain. We few can't handle it!"

He was so busy he didn't even have time to take a dump.

Jiang Li frowned. "Where is Lord Du?"

Logically speaking, if the County Magistrate wasn't there, the County Assistant should be assisting with official business. How could so many things still be piled up?

"Sigh, don't even mention it." Wang Bujiu said unpleasantly. "Lord Du has no heart for work now. His daughter is about to die; I guess she won't last more than a few days."

Whoosh, Du Ruo poked her beautiful head out of the carriage, her eyes shining as she asked: "Really? Is she going to die?" ===== CHAPTER 133 =====