The Dramatic Crown Princess Wants to Poison Me!

Chapter 220: Chapter 220: Problems

But complaints aside, in front of Mayor Wang, Zhang Jiantang nodded and bowed, saying, ”Yes, I will definitely get to the bottom of this.”

Xia Wenjin said, ”I will go with you!”

Zhang Jiantang hurriedly said, ”That’s not necessary, right?”

Mayor Wang said, ”Let him go with you, if he’s lying, we’ll expose him.”

Huangfu Jingchen said to Mayor Wang, ”Do you really trust this quack?”

Mayor Wang glanced sideways at him: ”I don’t trust him, but should I trust you two young kids instead?”

Once outside the Town Mayor’s Mansion, Huangfu Jingchen and Xia Wenjin exchanged a glance, both with a hint of helplessness in their eyes.

With no evidence and no samples, it was just empty words. Even though Xia Wenjin knew from living a second life that the epidemic had already begun and the situation would soon spiral out of control, how could she make others believe her?

Xia Wenjin remembered something and looked at Huangfu Jingchen, saying, ”The mayor doesn’t believe us for a reason. After all, people trust the familiar over the unfamiliar, the old over the young. He knows Zhang Jiantang better, and Zhang Jiantang has been practicing medicine in this town for many years, which I understand. But Huang Zheng, do you really trust me that much? What if my medical skills aren’t that precise and I’m wrong?”

Huangfu Jingchen said, ”No way, if your medical skills aren’t precise, then Doctor Zhang’s are nothing at all!” He was half a step into Yama Hall, and she was able to pull him back, how could such medical skills be considered lacking? What level of skill would dare be called proficient?

Xia Wenjin said, ”If there is no epidemic, then it is truly a rumor, and we’ll face imprisonment. Aren’t you really afraid?”

Huangfu Jingchen glanced at her and said slowly, ”I hope the epidemic is false, and that there won’t be an uncontrollable situation! But I trust you won’t joke about this matter, it would serve you no benefit. And if you are mistaken, it’s okay, we’ll face imprisonment together!”

His eyes were clear, full of trust, and even a hint of indulgence?

The kind of indulgence where if you act recklessly, I’ll accompany you?

Xia Wenjin shook off such strange thoughts, and her mind immediately returned to reality. The mayor doesn’t believe them, and if they report it to Lord County Magistrate or the Prefecture, they probably won’t believe it either!

She looked at Huangfu Jingchen, ”It seems like getting help from the government is unlikely, maybe this matter is something we have to handle ourselves.”

Huangfu Jingchen said in a deep voice, ”Have you thought about it? Without the government’s intervention, it’s difficult to handle either the medical issues or controlling the people in the town to stay put!”

Xia Wenjin understood that not only was it difficult, but it would also be seen as having ulterior motives, potentially causing panic or backlash among the townspeople.

Controlling entry and exit in the town, organizing isolation and treatment for the infected, checking health, selecting medicine and preparing concoctions—all of this required manpower, and aside from the government or the stationed troops, where else could they get such manpower?

Things done by the government make sense and have a legitimate reason without causing chaos, but done privately, it’s fraught with difficulties and seen as suspect.

However, how could they report to the government and make them believe?

Xia Wenjin smiled wryly, she had thought about using Haotian Village’s unique method of message transmission to have the village send people and herbs, but Haotian Village is too far away, and even with the fastest horses, it would take twenty days, competing with the epidemic in time, and they couldn’t even wait half a month.

She sighed, ”But reporting to the officials, without evidence, would they really send troops and people, provide doctors and medicine?”

Huangfu Jingchen also sighed; this was indeed the problem they faced.

Their personal power was too weak, and the government didn’t believe them.

They knew there was an epidemic, knew the situation was dire, but couldn’t provide proof.

He thought for a moment and declared decisively, ”This is a responsibility the government should fulfill. No matter what I have to do, I will make sure the government intervenes.”

Xia Wenjin took out a stack of silver notes from her sleeve, saying, ”The officials might not believe you, and even if they do, who knows when they will send someone. We must prepare first! I have only this much on hand now, please quickly purchase the herbs on my list from wherever you can, as soon as possible, and also, I hope you can offer a great reward to invite skilled doctors. With doctors and medicine, then we can talk about treatment!”

Huangfu Jingchen glanced at the silver notes; there were quite a few, with denominations of five hundred and one thousand taels, a whole stack. Wasn’t it a few tens of thousands of taels? This might be her entire fortune?

Though she usually seemed so money-hungry, he never expected she would be willing to spend tens of thousands of taels for complete strangers.

He wasn’t surprised she would do this.

She coveted wealth but didn’t hoard it; the money she earned was immediately spent, and it was rarely used on herself.

Jingzhou’s Jing Xian and her daughter, Widow Liu from the tofu shop... she helped others with all her effort.

Xia Wenjin said worriedly, ”I should first go to Doctor Zhang’s clinic and have a look. You should get going! Remember, have the medicine sent to the town; there’s no need for you to come back!”

Huangfu Jingchen took the silver notes, glanced at her, and said nothing. He mounted his horse and rode off quickly.

Xia Wenjin walked up to Zhang Jiantang, who was waiting to the side, and said, ”Let’s go!”

Zhang Jiantang now found this young man increasingly unappealing, just after leaving the Town Mayor’s Mansion, they went to the side to whisper, but who knows what they were talking about.

But he noticed from afar, wasn’t that a stack of silver notes?

Though the town was peaceful and prosperous, the currency used was mainly copper coins, even silver was rare, let alone silver notes. However, Doctor Zhang had earned quite a bit over the years, and keeping all the money at home wasn’t safe; he would deposit it in the bank in the county town.

White silver was converted into silver notes.

But they’re usually in small denominations of two, five, or ten taels. If Zhang Jiantang saw the denominations of Xia Wenjin’s stack of silver notes, he would be frightened to death.

He leaned over and asked, ”Boy, was that silver notes you just handed over? Such a big stack, worth tens of taels?”

Xia Wenjin said calmly, ”Yes!”

The 30,000 taels she got from Jue Zhou at Shian Temple, plus some she had on hand, a total of over 40,000 taels, all given to Huangfu Jingchen.

40,000 taels was not a small amount, but Xia Wenjin knew that to hire doctors and buy medicine, this might not even be enough!

Zhang Jiantang looked Xia Wenjin up and down, saying, ”You outsiders really have a lot of silver!” It’s a pity all that silver was handed over to that kid, and since that kid has a sword, it’d be hard to get that silver.

Xia Wenjin didn’t bother with him, giving him a sidelong glance, ”Are we going or not?”

Zhang Jiantang sneered, Huangfu Jingchen was gone, and he wasn’t afraid of Xia Wenjin. He gave Xia Wenjin a sideways glance, full of disdain, and snorted, ”Boy, you’ve gotten yourself into big trouble!”