Time Travel: The Best Doctor in Ancient Times

Chapter 342: Chapter 217 The Scheming Bitch Strikes Again Chapter 342: Chapter 217 The Scheming Bitch Strikes Again “`

“Miss, with so many people here, wouldn’t it be bad for us to go in?” Ru Yu hesitated, but still spoke up to stop Huo Shuixian.

Under her light gauze hat, Huo Shuixian’s face showed a trace of ferocity, and her voice was low and harsh as she spoke, “I want to go in under everyone’s gaze. I want her to taste the humiliation I suffered yesterday!”

She had searched the entire County Prince’s Mansion early in the morning but had not found Brother Mu. If her conjecture was correct, he must have come here.

That wretched woman, she wondered what seductive tricks she had used to bewitch her Brother Mu into being utterly infatuated!

Looking up at the glazed tiles under the sun, shining in their splendor, if her guess was right, these were superior glazed tiles from the Official Kiln. Glancing at the imposing Suan Ni Beast Stone Weights at the entrance, how could Gu Changsheng, that lowly wretch, even use such items? What status did she have? She was nothing more than a despicable Abandoned Wife, a lowly doctor. So what if her medical skills were somewhat impressive?

A wretch is a wretch!

Seeing her lady stride past the queue of lowly commoners, Ru Yu stomped her foot but ultimately followed.

Tongji Street was not narrow, and at this time, the poor people waiting for the free clinic had conscientiously formed two lines, leaving enough space for a carriage to pass through without trouble.

At first, when they saw the two women moving forward, those in the queue thought they were just passing by. But when they saw them stepping onto the stairs of Longevity Medical Hall, the queued commoners wouldn’t have it.

“Hey! Don’t you know the rules? Don’t you know you have to queue up?”

“Exactly, I’ve been in line since the day before yesterday without closing my eyes. How can you cut in line?”

“You’re so inconsiderate!”

“…”

A barrage of reproaches hit them, and Huo Shuixian turned with a venomous look in her eye, her plain clothes fluttering in the wind, exuding quite the aura of a noble lady.

“Ignorant commoners, how dare you disrespect my young miss!” Ru Yu uttered with disdain and scorn.

Out of inferiority and an inherent fear of the wealthy, the poor queued commoners were taken aback by her words.

“Look, they’re dressed differently from us…”

“They must be from a rich family. We can’t afford to offend them…”

The people in line looked at each other and whispered quietly among themselves, ultimately no one dared to speak up again.

Seeing this, Huo Shuixian sneered and turned to continue up the steps. Ru Yu quickly followed.

“Hmph! So what if they’re from a wealthy family? Is the Medicine God Lady Changsheng someone to be afraid of them?”

“That’s right, today’s clinic is only for treating us poor folks, that’s the rule that Lady Changsheng set.”

“Let’s just wait and see. These two arrogant women won’t last long before they’re thrown out.”

“Hmph, we might not be able to confront them, but that doesn’t mean Medicine God Lady Changsheng can’t. They’re really clueless!”

“Exactly, exactly. Medicine God Lady Changsheng is not someone to be trifled with. Breaking into Longevity Medical Hall is a matter of life and death. Look, it’s written very clearly in the king’s decree!”

“…”

Once the two women were out of sight, the people queuing let out a sigh of relief, praying gleefully for their misfortune.

The disdain and scorn in that girl’s eyes had been plainly seen by them. With such a servant girl, the standards of her master couldn’t be much better!

“One dose of medicine divided into two bowls, to be taken morning and evening after meals. During this period, you must strictly avoid overexertion, rest a bit more, only then will you be able to work hard and provide for your family. Uncle, you must be careful,” inside the Medical Hall, Gu Changsheng was writing a prescription while instructing the old man in front of her at the consultation table.

“Yes, yes! The old man will listen to the Medicine God’s advice! Listen to the Medicine God!” The old man seeking treatment was over sixty, his face creased with wrinkles. He nervously rubbed his hands, which were dark and calloused from hard labor.

Although he had heard that the Medicine God Lady Changsheng was a young Medicine Lady as beautiful as a Heavenly Immortal, sitting in front of her and seeing how strikingly young and beautiful she was, he felt just as restless and ill at ease as everyone else.

Beautiful as Medicine God Lady Changsheng was, in her simple red dress–which at a glance revealed its costly fabric–her hair tied up in a simple bun embellished only by a blood-red forehead ornament, carried herself with immense confidence, looking elegant and noble in the extreme. And this noble Medicine God Lady Changsheng, without any hint of disdain, checked his pulse and instructed him minutely on the precautions to take with a gentle voice, which made the old man feel extremely honored and overwhelmed.

“`

“Old Master, bring the prescription here so I can transcribe it for the compilation of medical books, and then go to the medicine cabinet to fetch the medicine. Old Master, please follow me,” Hu Yihai stood to one side, watching the countless people coming and going for consultations. He was busy to the point of having no free time, but a proud smile hung on his face.

Upon hearing this, the Old Master no longer cared about his unease and immediately took the prescription and stepped aside, “Thank you, Medicine God, for your great kindness, thank you, Medicine God, for your great kindness. I’ll move out of the way–come on, it’s your turn to be seen.”

Seeing this, Gu Changsheng couldn’t help but smile gently.

It was precisely because of the cooperation of these poor patients that she was able to save a great deal of time. Indeed, most people at heart are good and are the keenest at discerning right from wrong, also expressing their gratitude in the simplest of ways.

The moment Huo Shuixian stepped into the grand hall of the Medical Hall, she couldn’t help but pause in amazement.

Four massive pillars supported eight crossbeams, each one intricately carved with images of Shennong tasting a hundred herbs, Bian Que asking about medicines, and the like. The great hall of the Medical Hall was extremely spacious at over three hundred square meters. Iron Fir wood medicine cabinets wrapped around half of the wall. On the edge, a staircase spiraled upwards to the second floor, and looking up, one could see rows of medicine cabinets on the second floor as well. The third floor, beyond the precious draping gauze curtains hanging from the ceiling, was less clear, but a circle of pale Eight Treasure Palace Lamps encircled the ceiling, meandering down around to the porch of the second floor. The Octagonal Palace Tassels of the palace lamps moved without wind, dignified and majestic yet gracefully subdued.

On the main wall of the great hall, a couplet with powerful strokes caught the eye. It read: “Continuing Shennong’s legacy with Magnolia, calmly composing a prescription worth a daughter’s ransom,” with the horizontal inscription: “A great doctor knows no bounds.”

Huo Shuixian glanced over the whole scene and was extremely shocked. This Medical Tower… this Medical Tower is so imposing! Even having frequented court, Huo Shuixian couldn’t help but be astonished. Just the construction of this medical tower must have cost tens of thousands of taels, not to mention the Eight Treasure Palace Lamps that money can’t buy, the Iron Fir wood medicine cabinets… each item was incredibly valuable!

It must be Brother Mu! Only Brother Mu could have such immense wealth to build such a Medical Tower that was understated in every part, yet luxurious and restrained!

A venomous and ruthless light shot from Huo Shuixian’s eyes directly at Gu Changsheng, who was attending to patients. Her heart raged with jealousy. That wretch! Why does she deserve the lavish riches brought by Brother Mu? All this should be hers! Hers, Huo Shuixian’s!

With her keen perception, Gu Changsheng felt that malicious gaze, like parasitic maggots, causing her to frown slightly. However, she continued writing the prescription in her hand, ignoring it, and meticulously instructed, “Sister-in-law, this is a lingering ailment due to improper postnatal care, which is why you have pains in the waist and back, and your limbs are weak. You must have been suffering for three to four years. If not treated in time, it will only worsen. Follow this prescription and prepare medicine for half a month, and you should be able to get rid of the root of the sickness.”

Since it wasn’t easy to get a spot in the line for free consultations, Gu Changsheng always provided enough medicine for as long as the condition required.

“Thank you, Medicine Goddess Lady, for your great kindness, thank you, Medicine Goddess Lady, for your great kindness,” a young daughter-in-law, no more than twenty years old, sallow-faced, expressed her gratitude beyond words, her eyes brimming with tears.

Standing by the side, Hu Yihai glanced at the prescription and immediately called out to the second floor, “Expensive medicinal materials, twenty qian of Ginseng, twenty-five qian of donkey-hide gelatin, a total of fifteen doses.”

“Understood!” A voice echoed from the upper floor, followed by the rustling sound of medicine cabinets opening and closing.

In the blink of an eye, a bamboo basket was lowered from the second floor and caught by a boy on the first floor, who quickly began to prepare the medicines.

Seeing this, Huo Shuixian scoffed, “Putting on airs!”

She had been silent up to then, but as soon as she spoke out, she immediately caught the attention of a few of the patients standing by the door in line.

The patients who managed to get inside the Medical Hall were few. Traditional Chinese medicine emphasizes diagnosis through inspection, listening, inquiry, and pulse-taking; too many people would mess up the scent, which is detrimental to the diagnosis. Gu Changsheng reluctantly allowed only the first ten in line to wait inside the Medical Hall, and those who understood the reason naturally cooperated very well.

“Hey, why aren’t you in line? Clearly, you were not the ones behind me!” The last person in line looked outside the door and asked in a low voice, not wanting to disturb the Medicine Goddess’s consultations.

“Quickly, go and line up properly, don’t waste the Medicine God’s time!” The person beside also hurriedly reminded in a low voice.

“Go and queue up! The Longevity Medical Hall is a place with rules after all!”

“…”

Huo Shuixian glanced at them and, completely ignoring them, walked towards the consultation desk.

Dong Lei, who had been waiting patiently to one side, saw the new arrivals and his expression suddenly soured. Even though Huo Shuixian was wearing a light veil and a hat, her graceful figure was memorable at first glance, and more so because her maid Ru Yu was following behind–a girl Dong Lei had seen just yesterday.

“My wife is offering free consultations today, and only the poor people are allowed to come for treatment,” Dong Lei quickly stepped forward two paces, blocking the path of the two women.

Huo Shuixian, with a cold expression, disdained to speak to a mere servant girl.

Ru Yu stepped forward promptly, showing her understanding of the situation, “Nonsense! If the poor can seek treatment, why can’t we? What kind of rule is that?”

“That’s my wife’s rule!” said Dong Lei, unyielding and displeased, hand already on the kitchen knife at his waist.

This was the mistress’s rival, and he had no intention of standing idly by–rather, he was ready to serve as the Door God in place of Sister Qiu.

“Your wife? Your wife truly has grand rules! Have you ever heard of a medical hall that sends patients away at the door? In doing business, isn’t it always money that talks?” Ru Yu snorted disdainfully, “Just say how much silver you want. As long as you dare to ask, we can afford the consultation fee!”

Upon hearing this, Dong Lei’s eyes roved cunningly, and as he turned back to see his wife, not even glancing in their direction and busy feeling someone’s pulse, he slightly calmed down. Looking towards the presumptuously rich arrivals, he narrowed his eyes and said, “My wife charges ten taels for a consultation, a thousand taels for treatment, and ten thousand taels to save a life…”