Chapter 62: People are not good unless they are beaten, and a bell does not ring unless it is struck

When Xiang Junzheng returned to the Wang Fu, beaming after receiving the Emperor’s reward, he heard that people from the Wu family had arrived and were waiting in the hall.

The silver had originally been scraped together by the Wu family’s patriarch, Wu Chi, to save his son, Wu De. Who would have thought the Mayor of Jingcheng would refuse to be bought off? Old Master Wu then begged at the Prime Minister’s residence, but the Elder Lady Gao wouldn't even let him through the door. With his son still imprisoned and news arriving that his eldest daughter’s position as the mistress of the Xiang household was in jeopardy, he was urged to send the money to the Xiang household. Weighing his options, Wu Chi decided to use the silver to help his daughter first; once she secured her position as mistress, the Wu family would naturally benefit. Wu Chi then simultaneously entrusted someone to inquire about a cure for scarring while personally delivering the silver to the Xiang household.

Seeing that the Wu family patriarch had come in person, Xiang Junzheng was not particularly warm, merely staring blankly at the 1.5 million taels of silver the Wu family had brought. Knowing he was in the wrong, Wu Chi did not dare to argue with his son-in-law, who was a Minister.

The Xiang family’s current situation truly required this sum of money. Even after deducting the second girl’s share, there would still be 1 million taels left. He wanted it very much, but the Wu family had a condition: the silver could be taken, but the position of the Lady Wu as mistress and the status of Xiang Yiyi as a legitimate daughter had to be preserved. Xiang Junzheng had originally stripped Lady Wu of her position as mistress and had no immediate plans to appoint a new one, but thinking that the Xiang family’s ancestral rites were approaching, it would be inappropriate for the household to be without a mistress, so he accepted the silver and agreed.

Seeing Xiang Junzheng accept the silver, Wu Chi felt a weight lift from his heart. He knew the deal was struck; his daughter’s status was temporarily stabilized, and the Wu family would not lose their support.

"My lord, then this old man can rest easy. I hope you will not go back on your word regarding today’s matter," Wu Chi said.

Xiang Junzheng nodded slightly. "Since I have already agreed, I will naturally not go back on it. However, the Wu family must also remember not to cause any more trouble; otherwise, do not blame me for being heartless."

Wu Chi repeatedly agreed and then took his leave.

With Lady Wu demoted to a concubine and confined to her quarters, the household was finally at peace. Early in the morning, Jun Zijin took Hanxiao to Tong'an Hall. Tong'an Hall was a pharmacy that had been part of Fang Mengru’s dowry; it had originally been two separate shops that were opened up into one. Having just taken it back from Wu De, Mama Dong was managing it. It wasn't that Jun Zijin didn't trust Mama Dong, but a pharmacy was not like other shops where one simply earned some money. A specialized shop like this could endanger health or even lives if one were not careful. With it in Wu De’s hands before, there was no telling what kind of chaos might have ensued.

Just as they arrived at the entrance, they saw a ragged old man crying and complaining in front of the counter, holding half a tree root. The newly hired Shopkeeper was listening from the side, looking somewhat at a loss.

Jun Zijin walked up and asked:

"Shopkeeper Tang, what is going on here?"

Seeing Jun Zijin, Shopkeeper Tang looked as if he had seen a savior and hurriedly said:

"Young Lady, this old gentleman says his wife has been ill for a long time and is on the verge of death. A physician said she needed ginseng to boost her Qi, so he sold everything in his home to scrape together 20 taels of silver to buy a ginseng root here at Tong'an Hall. But when he took it back yesterday for his wife to consume, it was completely useless. He had a physician look at it, and it wasn't ginseng at all, just a piece of tree root. This old gentleman then came to the shop."

Jun Zijin’s expression darkened. She took the so-called "ginseng" to examine it and found it was indeed a common tree root disguised to look like one, with some rough processing marks on it. She was secretly furious. That damned Wu De was so bold and reckless as to cheat the common people with fake medicine. It seemed he hadn't been beaten enough; truly, people are not good unless they are beaten, and a bell does not ring unless it is struck.

Seeing that someone who could make decisions had arrived, the old man hurriedly said:

"Miss, I heard from this shopkeeper that you are the new proprietor of the pharmacy and only just took over today. But my silver is gone, and my wife’s condition has been delayed—she has only one breath left. What am I to do?" the old man said anxiously.

Jun Zijin turned to comfort the old man:

"Do not worry, old sir. Although this shop has changed owners, it will certainly give you justice."

"Shopkeeper Tang, pack a ginseng root for the old gentleman; saving a life is urgent." Jun Zijin instructed Mama Dong:

"In the future, when this old gentleman comes to get common medicinal herbs, give them to him for free. For the more precious ones, only charge him the cost price."

Jun Zijin packed up her medical kit, took the ginseng packed by Shopkeeper Tang, and said to the old man:

"Old sir, I am a physician and will be the proprietor of this pharmacy from now on. Keep this ginseng safe. Take me to your home, and I will examine your wife."

The old man was endlessly grateful and led Jun Zijin through many twists and turns. Along the way, the old man told Jun Zijin that his wife had once been a midwife, but had been struck down by a sudden, severe illness and was bedridden. All the family’s silver had been spent on her treatment, but the physicians were all helpless, and her condition worsened by the day. He didn't know how many more days she could hold on.

Jun Zijin listened quietly. After about two quarters of an hour, they arrived at a dilapidated thatched hut. A foul, rotting odor permeated the room, and the old woman lay on the bed, gasping her last breaths.

After a careful examination, Jun Zijin frowned slightly. She first sliced the ginseng and fed it to the old woman, then took out her golden needles to perform acupuncture. A moment later, the old woman slowly opened her eyes.

Jun Zijin stood up and said:

"The old woman’s condition is no longer in danger. It was just dragged on for too long. She needs one more acupuncture session and some medicinal herbs to recuperate, and she will be able to get up soon."

Jun Zijin wrote a prescription for the old man, told him to go to Tong'an Hall to fill it, and then instructed Hanxiao to take out 20 taels of silver for the old man.

The old man refused to take the silver no matter what, saying:

"Benefactor! I cannot repay your great kindness, Miss. How can I take your silver again!"

As the old man spoke, he prepared to kneel before Jun Zijin.

Jun Zijin caught him and held him up:

"Old sir, there is no need for this. Healing the sick and saving lives is the duty of a physician. Just take good care of your wife. Keep the silver and buy some nutritious things to help her recover. I have other matters to attend to, but I will come back in a few days to perform acupuncture on her again." Jun Zijin stuffed the silver into the old man’s arms and turned to leave.

When Jun Zijin returned to Tong'an Hall, she instructed Shopkeeper Tang to inventory the remaining medicinal herbs in the shop to prevent any more fake medicine from remaining. She told Shopkeeper Tang that if he encountered similar situations in the future, he should handle them properly and keep a record; all this silver would be reclaimed from the Wu family.

By the time Jun Zijin returned to the Wang Fu with Hanxiao, it was nearly evening. Mama Zhou was waiting for her return to serve dinner. Now that Mama Dong was managing the prepared medicine workshop and the three shops from Fang Mengru’s dowry, and Xiao He was managing the other three shops, there were not enough hands to use in Aoxue Courtyard. Jun Zijin instructed Mama Zhou to buy a few more maidservants. She was a bit tired today, but she still finished giving the necessary instructions before returning to her sleeping quarters, where she rested after a simple wash.