Chapter 27

Jiang Yunzhou, the male protagonist, is mentioned together with Yu Tieying.

He may once again give hands‑on instruction on the precautions for killing.

But those who kill often know that killing is easy, while disposing of the corpse and evading responsibility is more troublesome.

Yu Tieying, the county magistrate, along with official constables, Prince Rong, and Dong Pangpang appear.

Yu Tieying still thought Jiang Yunzhou was afraid of him, unaware that Jiang Yunzhou was already contemplating what would happen after his own death.

At that moment, a sudden pure murderous intent interrupted Yu Tieying's thoughts, chilling his spirit.

A blue‑clothed old man with a goat beard is described.

The old man made no exaggerated gestures; he simply pressed his hand onto the old sword at his waist, his half‑closed eyes fixed on himself.

Yu Tieying is referenced again.

But a powerful will can directly affect another person's mind.

Just as those who have endured the crucible of battlefield swords and blood can, when fighting for their lives, emit an aura that deters others, the mind's intent can only be honed through varied experiences.

The Zhiyuan Escort Bureau and its chief escort of the sixth rank are discussed.

But at that moment, I was actually shaken by the pure murderous intent radiating from the old man…

Regardless of the old man's rank, he is undoubtedly a dangerous figure; no wonder Jiang Yunzhou, a physician with no strength to bind a chicken, dared to come directly to see him—he must have had a bodyguard.

Seeing that brute force seemed of little advantage, Yu Tieying relaxed and laughed:

The narrative moves to Huashou Pavilion and Cang Medical Hall.

No.

"There's nothing to decide; Cang Medical Hall is my home. See you off."

The servant girl Xiao Baizhi is introduced.

When negotiations failed, Yu Tieying stood, walked out two steps, then turned back to add:

Cang Medical Hall and Huashou Pavilion are mentioned again.

No.

County Magistrate Cai appears in the story.

The rank of county magistrate is referenced.

Shen Qingu, Liu Kuo, and Cao Zhi are present.

Leading the group, Cai Xianwei walked with a swaying, ragged gait, his street‑wise rogue demeanor partially concealed by the official robes he wore.

A ninth‑rank official is mentioned.

Hearing Yu Tieying call him, Cai Xianwei realized the talks had broken down, which was even better—he could now stir up trouble and earn a few extra coins.

He immediately gave a wicked grin, flashing a few uneven bad teeth, and replied:

"Your talk is over, but I haven't finished my inspection. I think Cang Medical Hall has serious safety hazards, even the suitability of this land for a medical hall needs verification. Until we complete our investigation, and to prevent any mishaps and out of responsibility to patients, your Cang Medical Hall should close down until we finish."

The county guard and Cang Medical Hall bore no real grudge; they were there to extort, which was a major source of their dirty income.

Moreover, this time the Zhiyuan Escort Agency bribed them to extort, so taking both sides was even more comfortable.

I expected that upon hearing this, the people of Cang Medical Hall would, like other shops they'd met before, eagerly step forward to hand over money and flatter.

But to my surprise, none of those present in the back hall of Cang Medical Hall paid him any heed.

The other two physicians in the back hall—diagnostic physician Liu Kuo and pharmacist Cao Zhi—glared disdainfully at the county guard; everyone had anticipated such a situation since joining Cang Medical Hall.

At worst, when the hall closes, we can become itinerant doctors; wherever we go we can't eat a clean bowl of rice, and this side can't lower itself to dirty things.

Jiang Yunzhou and Shen Qingru simply exchanged a smile, ignoring Cai Xianwei's words.

The handsome medical officer Haitang is described.

I thought that after I finished speaking, she would hurriedly step forward to apologize, but she looked at me with even more disdain, as if I were trash.

"Did you not hear me? Close the hall! Right now!"

Jiang Yunzhou shrugged, adopting a helpless posture, and turned back saying:

"Sister Qingru, there's no other way; we'll obey the county guard's order to close. But later we'll have to rush into the inner city to tell Prince Rong that the hall has been shut, and the treatment for the Princess's eyes will have to be postponed."

Upon hearing this, everyone present except Shen Qingru, whose face broke into an understanding smile, stared at Jiang Yunzhou with surprised, wide eyes.

Since returning last night until the incident this morning, Shen Qingru had not yet mentioned Jiang Yunzhou's treatment of the Princess, so everyone heard this with half‑belief, unable to tell whether Jiang Yunzhou's retreat was a deliberate ruse or he truly cured the Princess.

Yu Tieying frowned slightly; he had never heard anyone from the Hua Shou Pavilion claim to have cured the Princess's eyes, and if he truly possessed such skill, he would surely stay at Prince Rong's residence, not be swayed here by a county guard.

The idea is good, but the performance is terrible; no one will believe it.

After realizing this, Yu Tieying gave Cai Xianwei a subtle sign and shook his head, indicating that their claim was baseless.

Having confirmed it was false, Cai Xianwei naturally gained confidence and barked out:

"You still want to fool me? Add another charge of fraud! I'll shut down your Cang Medical Hall immediately!"

Before Shen Qingru could confidently announce the closure, the workers outside rushed into the back hall, panting, to report:

"Boss... Boss! Quickly! At the entrance! Someone from the palace has arrived! No idea what it's about!"

Jiang Yunzhou and Shen Qingru, hearing this, stepped out first to check the situation; the others also left the back hall, even the maid Bai Zhi, and no one paid any attention to Cai Xianwei or Yu Tieying.

For the first time experiencing such humiliation and being completely ignored, Cai Xianwei angrily drew his wooden sword at his waist and ordered his nearby attendants:

No.

The attendants answered, rushed out in a hurry, but when the group surged into the front hall of Cang Medical Hall, the fire was all extinguished.

The palace squad is mentioned.

Prince Rong's Mansion is referenced.

No.

Servants of the prince's mansion are noted.

The person's entire bearing was especially like that of a messenger delivering good news to the top scorer, second place, and third place of the imperial examinations.

Besides the guards escorting on both sides, a few people followed behind, the closest one carrying a tray covered with red cloth.

Further back, two people were carrying a long, flat object sideways, which looked like a plaque.

The surrounding townspeople didn't know what was going on and gathered to look, but saw the leading servant of the prince's mansion turn his head upon seeing the Cang Medical Hall's plaque and strike the bronze gong again.

He then took out a piece of cloth from his sleeve, bowed, and asked the people inside Cang Medical Hall:

"May I ask if Doctor Jiang Yunzhou of Cang Medical Hall is here?"

Jiang Yunzhou scratched his head and stepped forward, saying:

"It's me. What's the matter?"

That servant of the prince's mansion probably didn't expect the physician who had brought a turnaround for the commandery princess's eyes to be so young; after a brief pause, he replied with a smile, casually changing his address from 'Doctor' to 'Young Master':

"I was sent by the Prince, who said: Young Master Jiang, your medical skill is superb; under your treatment yesterday, the commandery princess's eye ailment has already improved.

Whether the commandery princess's eye ailment can be fully healed now depends on Young Master Jiang; this is the Prince's gift of one hundred taels of gold, and a plaque personally inscribed for you."

The prince's servant said, then turned and lifted the red cloth, revealing the gold ingots neatly arranged on the tray and the shining plaque, which bore the four characters 'Miao Hand Dan Xin'.

Most of the surrounding locals were natives of Shangyang City, and naturally they had heard of Prince Rong's Manor's gold list, but they found it hard to believe that an illness even Huashou Pavilion couldn't cure had actually been healed by this young physician of Cang Medical Hall.

"What background does this Young Master Jiang have? He's so young yet his medical skill is so formidable—why have we never heard of him before?"

"I haven't heard of him either, but being able to receive Prince Rong's Manor's gold list certainly means he's no ordinary person!"

The prince's servant bowed and said:

"Please accept these medical fees and gifts, Young Master Jiang."

Seeing the gold ingots on the tray, Jiang Yunzhou's eyes lit up, but he gritted his teeth and feigned reluctance:

"No, no, the commandery princess's eyes aren't fully healed yet; I'd feel guilty taking this medical fee!"

Hearing that, the prince's servant hurried forward and grabbed Jiang Yunzhou's arm, whispering:

"If Young Master Jiang doesn't accept it, that would be slapping the Prince's face!"

With such a grandiose, gong-blaring award, if I refused again I'd be publicly embarrassing the Prince.

Accepting the medical fee and plaque would let the Prince protect me in the name of his mansion, while also elevating me; but if I fail to heal the commandery princess's eyes, Cang Medical Hall's reputation would naturally suffer.

Fine, I'll take it—Huashou Pavilion dared to collect so much money despite having no effect; what do I have to worry about?

"If that's the case, then please go back and convey my thanks to the Prince."

That servant of the prince's mansion nodded in agreement, then turned and had his subordinates move the items inside, after which he bowed and said:

"The commandery princess's eye ailment will rely on Young Master Jiang; if needed, the prince's mansion can also send someone to pick you up and drop you off. I don't know when your next visit for treatment will be."

Jiang Yunzhou turned his head to look at the stunned County Magistrate Cai and Yu Tieying inside the room, then shrugged helplessly and said:

"The next treatment might be difficult."

The prince's servant, thinking something had changed, asked anxiously:

"Young Master Jiang, don't scare us—what do you mean by that?"

Jiang Yunzhou turned and pointed at County Magistrate Cai, whose back felt a chill, and said:

"That Magistrate Cai said our Cang Medical Hall's land deed and property have issues, requiring an inspection of our clinic; during the inspection we must close and suspend business, and I myself don't know when we can reopen, so please go tell the Prince that the treatment of the commandery princess's eye ailment may also have to be postponed indefinitely."

Hearing this, County Magistrate Cai's face turned pale with fright, at a loss he hastily waved his hands in denial.

Even if someone killed Jiang Yunzhou and fled, the Prefect of Jingzhao would still have to apprehend them and verify their identity before convicting.

As for me, openly using my real name to demand the closure of Cang Medical Hall without any basis is practically pointing directly at the Prince Rong and challenging him.

The best outcome would be for these people to report back, the Prince Rong venting his dissatisfaction to the Prefect of Jingzhao, who would then find the Magistrate of Jing County, who would then come after me and strip me of my county magistrate position.

But given my understanding of officialdom, the Prefect of Jingzhao and the County Magistrate, in order to curry favor with the Prince, would surely expose my extortionist behavior and then add an extra charge of blackmail to my sentence to please the Prince.

Watching the gift-bearing servant of the prince's mansion wipe off his smile and turn to glare at me, County Magistrate Cai hurried forward to explain, tripping over his own foot.

"Jiang... Young Master Jiang! I'm only here to investigate, just routine duty—I never said we had to close and suspend business!"

Jiang Yunzhou turned back and asked:

"Could I have misheard? Magistrate Cai said he didn't mention closing and suspending business?"

Unlike before, when everyone ignored him completely, this time the people of Cang Medical Hall all noticed this county magistrate, and almost in unison said:

"He did!"

"Then what are you waiting for? Won't you obey Magistrate Cai's orders?"

The people of Cang Medical Hall also eagerly prepared to close and suspend business.

"No, no, no, no, no! Let's talk it out, Young Master Jiang, let's talk it out!"

The two sides' argument led to an extremely ludicrous scene at the entrance of Cang Medical Hall: the hall's own staff were closing and suspending business, while County Magistrate Cai, with his subordinates, tried every possible way to stop them with pleasant words.