Daqin Zhentiansi

Chapter 25: Medicine Hall, Academy

"Brother Yuan is the Second Master?"

"Hiss—is he really the righteous Second Master Zhang?"

Several new guards stared at Zhang Yuan who walked out of the Wuwei Yamen with wide eyes.

The Qin Dynasty had a court and also had the underworld.

The court talks about national laws, and the world talks about morality.

In the battle of Fengfengtian County five years ago, in addition to the one thousand Red Scale Army soldiers who died in the battle, there were also two thousand conscripted yamen runners, armed guards, and prisoners.

Because the Red Scale Army disobeyed orders and defended to the death, they not only failed in that battle, but also received no compensation.

Of the nearly one hundred soldiers recruited by Luyang Prefecture, only a few returned alive.

The righteous Zhang Erhe, Mr. Tao from Yulin Academy, and Hu Qingniu, the genius doctor from Toyota, brought a scroll of blood letter to redeem the merits of their fallen comrades.

Zhang Erhe not only ran around to help his fallen comrades solve their family crises, but also raised money to build an academy for Master Tao, who had lost his martial arts skills, to teach the children of his fallen comrades and fight for a future for them.

Not only that, Zhang Erhe also kept Hu Qingniu, the miracle doctor from Toyota County, in Luyang Prefecture, helped him open a pharmacy, accepted the children of fallen comrades as his apprentices, and provided free medical treatment to the families of fallen comrades.

Whether it is a martial artist or an ordinary citizen, who would not respect such a person?

Although the court determined that the Battle of Toyota was caused by the Red Scale Army disobeying orders, the Qin Dynasty valued military power and could not lose an inch of its territory.

Whether it was the common people or the gangsters, no one thought there was anything wrong in defending Toyota County.

The fact that Zhang Erhe and his men were able to survive that bloody battle is already something that deserves respect. Their act of fulfilling their duties for their comrades has spread throughout the martial arts world and is admired by everyone.

In particular, Duan Hong, the former leader of the Qingshan Stronghold, entrusted Zhang Erhe to look after the Qingshan Stronghold.

Zhang Erhe went to Qingshan Village alone with a sword, dragged all the bandits from Qingshan Village down the mountain, and turned over a new leaf.

Zhang Erhe also spent half a year visiting all the mountain strongholds, big and small, around Qingshan Village and persuaded all the bandits to come down the mountain.

Today, the Eighteen Villages of Qingshan have all started legitimate businesses. They have built twenty-three iron rope slides and opened up trade routes, and the daily tolls they collect are enough to make a living.

Zhang Erhe was also respected as the Lord of the Eighteen Villages, and people in the martial arts world respected him as the Second Master.

In Luyang Prefecture, who doesn’t know the righteous and righteous Master Zhang?

I actually met the living Second Master today?

Seeing Zhang Yuan receive his salary and walk out of the courtyard, several new guards were filled with excitement and their bodies trembled uncontrollably.

Zhang Yuan held a whistle in one hand and a bag containing salary money in the other.

Walking up to Feng Cheng, he leaned his whistle against his chest, then took out a silver ingot weighing about two taels from his pocket.

"I'll entrust Chen Wu's affairs to Master Feng," Zhang Yuan said softly, pressing the silver into Feng Cheng's bewildered hand. "If this fellow can get married and start a family, we can finally fulfill our wish."

"I, I, Brother Yuan..." Feng Cheng's face flushed red as he clenched the silver in his hand. "I will definitely live up to Brother Yuan's trust!"

Zhang Yuan patted him on the shoulder, picked up the heavy money bag, held the whistle, and strode away.

Until Zhang Yuan disappeared around the corner of the street, Feng Cheng was still holding the silver ingot in his hands, his face excited.

"Mr. Feng, what rank is Brother Yuan in the Cleansing Guard? How can he receive so much salary..." A new Cleansing Guard looked at the silver ingot in Feng Cheng's hand and asked in confusion.

Zhang Yuan was holding the bag in his hand. It looked quite heavy, at least ten or twenty taels of silver.

The ninth-rank Zaoyi Guard received one tael and five cents of silver per month, and the eighth-rank Guard only received two taels.

"Brother Yuan is an eighth-rank official in the Imperial Guard." Feng Cheng clenched the silver ingot in his hand, his face full of joy.

"You've been in the government office for so long, and you didn't know that Brother Yuan is the Second Master. Have you heard of this?"

"The government has already issued a gag order, forbidding anyone from discussing Brother Yuan's affairs. After all, he's in government, yet he's tainted with a bad reputation."

Feng Cheng chuckled and said, "If I hadn't had a good relationship with the brothers in the government office, I wouldn't have known about this."

"Brother Yuan is rarely in the government office and rarely participates in missions. He has declined several times and has not been promoted to the seventh-rank leader of the black robes."

"In order to raise money, he took on almost all the executions in Luyang Prefecture and other counties."

"Brother Yuan earns seven or eight taels of silver every month just from beheadings."

"Beheading money?" Several guards looked at the silver in Feng Cheng's hand and shrank their heads. "I heard that this money is unlucky—"

"Pah!" Feng Cheng put the silver money in his pocket, patted it with his hands, his face full of joy, "Others use it as beheading money, but Brother Yuan, this is merit money. This money is merit after it passes through Second Master's hands."

"This is much more real than the merits those monks in Liang Yuanyu said."

"No, I have to go back and report to the clan leader. Brother Yuan has entrusted me with this matter, and my Feng family must complete it."

"You guys go to the Osmanthus Boat first. I'll go home."

----------------

After receiving his salary, Zhang Yuan went to Xicheng, but did not return to Dingjia Lane. Instead, he went to Sanyuan Street next door.

Sanyuan Street is a very prosperous street in Xicheng District. The bluestone road is more than two meters wide and runs for more than one mile.

After walking only fifty feet, I came to a shop with a sign that read "Medicine." On the main entrance of the shop hung a plaque that read "Hu's Pharmacy."

The shop is not big and there are many people queuing in front of the door.

"Brother Yuan."

"Brother Yuan."

Several young shop assistants were very excited when they saw Zhang Yuan and kept calling out to him.

"Master, Brother Yuan is here." The swift-footed young man had already run to the medicine hall.

But just as he entered, he heard a few scoldings and "crackling" sounds, and then he rushed out holding his head, covering half of his face, grinning: "Brother Yuan, the master wants you to come in..."

Zhang Yuan nodded and walked into the pharmacy.

There were many people crowded in the hall. Hu Qingniu stretched out his left hand, took the patient's pulse, and whispered the prescription.

There were two disciples holding books next to them, taking notes with ink pens.

Hu Qingniu's hair and beard are much whiter than they were five years ago, but he looks energetic.

Only after he had seen four or five patients did he look up at Zhang Yuan.

"You came back a little late, and the old man of the Zheng family passed away yesterday."

"He was still talking about you before he left, saying that if it weren't for you all these years, he wouldn't be alive today."

With a light sigh, Zhang Yuan whispered, "Take care of him and see him to his death. Tomorrow, Master Tao and I will go to Zhengjiazhuang to attend the funeral and help Brother Zheng Qiang complete the last task."

Hu Qingniu extended his hand to the patient in front of him, then turned to look at Zhang Yuan and said, "Please burn some paper money for me. I can't leave. The old man has lived with me for more than half a year, so we can be considered friends regardless of age."

Zhang Yuan nodded, took out two silver ingots from his pocket, placed them on the table, turned around and left.

Hu Qingniu's pharmacy not only provides free medical treatment to the families of his comrades, but also raises many of his comrades' children as disciples. There are also several comrades' parents in the backyard, all of whom are old and may not be able to survive the winter.

All these expenses were subsidized by Zhang Yuan.

Not only here, but also Mr. Tao's academy was funded by Zhang Yuan.

"Who is Doctor Hu? Why did he leave after paying the money without even prescribing medicine?" The old man, who had held out his hand for Hu Chunniu to feel his pulse, watched Zhang Yuan leave and his eyes fell on the two large silver ingots. "I heard that people with incurable diseases will donate money to buy their lives from you?"

There is a legend that Doctor Hu has the ability to bring the dead back to life.

However, Doctor Hu would not usually use his methods. He would only bring back those who were truly on the verge of death.

It is said that Doctor Hu also knows a blood transfusion technique.

"Her name," Hu Chunniu gently pressed the old man's wrist with his fingers and nodded, "His name is Zhang Erhe. This silver is indeed the money to buy his life..."

The old man shuddered and his eyes widened.

"Zhang, Zhang, Master Zhang?"

He pulled his hand back and slapped himself several times: "I deserve to die, I deserve to die, I curse Second Master."

The corner of his mouth was bleeding from the beating, and he just remembered something. He fell to the ground and kowtowed repeatedly towards the silver and money on the table. Then he stood up and reached out to touch the two large silver ingots.

"Second Master's merit money, one touch will cure all diseases, two touches will bring you a hundred blessings..."

……

At this time, Zhang Yuan had already stepped into the academy at the corner of Sanyuan Street, holding a whistle stick.

Yulin Academy.

"Brother Yuan!"

"Brother Yuan!"

Two children aged seven or eight called out happily at the door.

"Mr. Xiao Tao, Brother Yuan is here."

In the courtyard, a young man in his early twenties, wearing a green Confucian robe, stood up and bowed to Zhang Yuan. "Hello, Brother Yuan. My eldest brother is studying in the backyard. I'll take you to see him."

Zhang Yuan followed the young man to the backyard. Several children were already running ahead, shouting, "Master, Master, Brother Yuan is here."

There were a few coughs in the courtyard.

Zhang Yuan walked into the yard and saw the pale-faced Master Tao sitting in front of the stone table.

Before autumn even arrived, Master Tao was already wearing a thick cotton jacket.

Seeing Zhang Yuan coming in, Master Tao waved his hand and asked the children and the young man who brought Zhang Yuan to go out first.

"How about this trip? The master of Baichou Mountain, Yu Ceng, has been a famous Xiantian Realm for many years. Killing him won't be a hassle, right?"

Master Tao looked Zhang Yuan up and down and spoke in a low voice.

(End of this chapter)