Prime Minister.

Chapter 102, Section 101: [The Road is Hard]

When Xue Huai came out of the inner hall of the county government, Cui Shiqi and the Wu Yuanwai who had rushed over had already completed the transfer procedures.

Cui Shiqi received three thousand taels of silver notes, while Wu Yuanwai finally secured the shop he had longed for. The two parties agreed to complete the handover within ten days.

He was actually a little pained, because if nothing unexpected had happened, he could have acquired those three storefronts on Aotouji Street for just a few hundred taels of silver, but now he was paying almost ten times that price. Although the three storefronts were indeed worth that much, he originally didn't need to spend so many silver notes.

However, on the way here, his nephew Wu Qiong had already explained the situation to him. Even the county magistrate had to bow his head, let alone a wealthy man like him.
It can only be blamed on Cui Shiqi's good fortune that he was able to meet that Yangzhou Tongzhi, who came from the capital and had a powerful background.

He watched Cui Shiqi leave with the group of outsiders and couldn't help but sigh softly. Now that the other party had such a powerful backer, he definitely couldn't covet those three thousand taels anymore.

Turning around, he saw Magistrate Yan Baoyong looking at him solemnly. His words made his heart sink: "Master Wu, this county has decided to resettle those disaster victims as soon as possible. I wonder if you would be willing to lend a helping hand?"

Master Wu smiled bitterly to himself, but said without hesitation, "It is a blessing that the county magistrate can think so highly of me. The Wu family is of course willing to do its best!"

Yan Baoyong then softened his tone and praised, "That's excellent."

Leaving aside the fact that Master Wu was in pain from the continuous bleeding, when Xue Huai and his group returned by the same route, the disaster victims saw that Cui Shiqi was safe and sound, and a chorus of greetings immediately rang out from the crowd.

Before they could leave, Wu Qiong arrived with a group of constables and announced in public the county government's decision to resettle the disaster victims.

A sudden roar of cheers erupted.

Some people bowed in gratitude towards Xue Huai and the others, and it was like a surging tide, with more and more disaster victims sincerely thanking them.

This was perhaps an ending Yan Baoyong never imagined.

The disaster victims were starving and unable to get medical treatment, but they weren't stupid. They all knew that the sudden turn of events must be related to that mysterious young man.

Xue Huai did not linger. He only took a deep look at the grateful disaster victims before turning around and leaving with his entourage.

Upon arriving once again at the bustling and lively Aotouji Street, Jiang Sheng and the others looked solemn, clearly having been greatly shocked.

Although they were merely attendants and guards, not people of noble status, they were never short of food and clothing, whether in the princess's residence or the Xue residence. They received a considerable monthly salary and lived in a relatively affluent circle. It was rare to see those poorly dressed and emaciated disaster victims.

From the moment they entered Linqing City, they saw a constant stream of merchants from all over the country. The folk trade of the Great Yan showed its vigorous vitality in this hub of the canal. However, just across the street, there were still many people struggling to get enough to eat. These people were also citizens of the Great Yan.

How many more disaster victims like these are there within the vast territory of the Great Yan?
No one knows the answer, and there may never be a definitive number.

Before long, the group arrived at the entrance of a pharmacy, where the plaque bore the three simple and elegant characters "Deruntang".

This is the Cui family's pharmacy.

Cui Shiqi stopped and said, "Your Excellency, would you do me the honor of coming inside for a short while?"

Xue Huai did not refuse.

Jiang Sheng and the others remained in the main hall, while Xue Huai followed Cui Shiqi into the inner room.

The air here is also filled with the scent of herbs. The most eye-catching furnishing in the room is a banner hanging on the wall with the four characters "悬壶济世" (meaning "to hang a gourd and save lives").

Cui Shiqi invited Xue Huai to sit down, personally poured tea for him, and then bowed deeply: "If it weren't for the Prefect's righteous words today, not only would the shops left by the Cui family ancestors have been forcibly seized, but those disaster victims... would probably have been driven out of the city to fend for themselves. On their behalf, I thank you for your life-saving grace!"

His voice was filled with suppressed gratitude, and he was bent over very low.

"Please rise, Physician Cui. It is my duty to intervene when I encounter injustice on the road, and besides..."

Xue Huai reached out and grasped the teacup, his fingertips rubbing the rim of the cup: "This is hardly a matter of repaying a debt of gratitude. As for the resettlement of the disaster victims, Magistrate Yan has already made a promise. Since this matter concerns his future, I imagine he will not ignore it again."

Cui Shiqi could hear the calmness in Xue Huai's tone, and a struggle welled up in his heart, but in the end he remained silent.

Xue Huai took a sip of tea and asked curiously, "Doctor Cui, from what you said before, it seems you left Linqing for a while?"

Cui Shiqi replied, "Yes, sir, this is indeed true."

Through his explanation, Xue Huai gradually understood the whole story.

The Cui family is a renowned family of doctors in Linqing. Cui Shiqi showed a talent for medicine from a young age and received his father's full support in cultivating him.

Seven years ago, at the age of eighteen, Cui Shiqi went out to travel and practice medicine to broaden his horizons, following the family rules. He was gone for four years.

Three years ago, he returned to Linqing, only to find that his parents had both passed away, leaving him only this pharmacy and a few loyal employees. It was a dramatic change in his life, with everything changed.

Fortunately, Cui Shiqi was not defeated by the misfortune. He inherited the Deruntang Hall and devoted himself to treating the poor, trying his best to reduce their medical fees.

This time, when disaster victims from neighboring Wei County flooded into Linqing County, the government only provided symbolic relief. The main relief came from the monks of Daning Temple and several well-known wealthy families in the city.

Cui Shiqi couldn't bear to see the disaster victims suffering from illness, so he treated them without charging a penny. If Deruntang hadn't been so well-established, he wouldn't have been able to sustain it for long.

"Your kindness is truly rare."

Xue Huai was somewhat moved, and then asked with concern, "What are your plans next?" "To be honest, sir, I have wanted to sell these three shops for a long time, because I only want to practice medicine and treat patients, and I don't care how much money I can make from the shops. However, I have not found a suitable buyer in the past two years."

Cui Shiqi gave a bitter smile and sighed, "It's not that there's no problem, but every time it gets sabotaged. I know it's that Master Wu who's behind it all. If I hadn't saved Magistrate Yan's young son two years ago, I probably wouldn't have been able to keep this business. With your help today, I can finally put my mind at ease. I plan to find an ordinary shop in the city to continue running Deruntang."

This exchange gave Xue Huai a deeper understanding of him.

At first, he thought Cui Shiqi was a bit like Xue Huai in the past, willing to do anything for his principles. But now it seems that he is not a stubborn person.

"That's good. Three thousand taels plus the medicinal herbs stored in your Deruntang should be enough to sustain you for a long time."

Xue Huai kindly said, "However, I always believe that you can't keep treating people for free. First, it's easy for you to incur the resentment of your colleagues, and second, there will never be a shortage of patients in this world, so you can't do this for long."

"Thank you for your guidance, sir. I will remember it."

Cui Shiqi looked sincere, then mustered his courage and said, "My lord, I have a question in my mind, may I ask you about it?"

Xue Huai nodded and said, "Please speak freely."

Cui Shiqi carefully chose his words and slowly said, "Does Your Excellency know that Magistrate Yan's backer is none other than Provincial Circuit Intendant Ni?"

The so-called Daotai refers to the Left Assistant Administrator of the Shandong Provincial Administration Commission, who was roughly the third most important figure in the Commission, ranking below the Left and Right Provincial Administration Commissioners.

In reality, the Left Councilor's position within a province was certainly not that high, after all, in addition to the Provincial Administration Commission, there were also the Provincial Judicial Commissioner's Office and the Provincial Military Commissioner's Office, as well as the Governor of Shandong.

However, for Linqing County, Zuo Canzheng was already a very important figure whom they could only look up to.

Xue Huai's heart stirred, and he had already discerned the deeper meaning in the young doctor's words, which were full of a childlike heart. He asked calmly, "Do you think I'm associating with Magistrate Yan because he has a powerful backer?"

"How dare I, a commoner!"

Cui Shiqi quickly stood up, bowed, and said, "Today, Your Excellency has acted righteously, and my difficulties have been resolved. The disaster victims have also been resettled. This is already the best possible outcome. If I still feel it is not enough, how am I any different from a beast?"

"Don't be so nervous."

Xue Huai gestured for him to sit down and calmly said, "Linqing is not under my jurisdiction. Today's actions are already overstepping my bounds. It doesn't matter who Yan Baoyong's backer is. The key is that I am just passing through this place. If I were to embarrass him in public today, or send a memorial directly to the capital, I could certainly do those things. These methods would certainly be satisfying, but what would the consequences be?"

Cui Shiqi did not sit down; he lowered his head slightly, his eyes showing confusion.

Xue Huai paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the banner hanging on the wall, and slowly said, "Perhaps Yan Baoyong will lose his official position because of my impeachment, but this matter will take at least one or two months. During this time, he can outwardly comply while secretly making things difficult and delaying, preventing the disaster victims from being resettled. Furthermore, the forces behind him will be alarmed and will unite to retaliate, which could very well make the disaster victims their target for revenge. At that time, not only will the disaster victims have a hard time surviving, but even you, Doctor Cui, will not have a peaceful day."

"By revealing my identity, I have made Yan Baoyong bow his head and agree to these matters. This is the limit of what I can do by taking advantage of the situation. After all, I am just the Assistant Magistrate of Yangzhou, who is thousands of miles away. I do not have the power to directly decide the life or death of the other party."

"Of course, I could also indulge in a moment of pleasure, play the fool to deceive others, show off my power, and then leave you to face the retaliation from the local officials. Is that the outcome you want to see?"

Cui Shiqi remained silent for a long time before saying with great difficulty, "This humble subject has no such intention, but... but this Magistrate Yan has secretly colluded with wealthy gentry to seize people's property and treats disaster victims like dirt. Such a greedy and despicable person, just because Your Excellency holds a high position and wields great power, can change his face in an instant and become compassionate and loving towards the people like his own children? While Your Excellency is here, he dared not neglect him, but Your Excellency is about to head south. What difference is there between his promises and empty promises?"

Xue Huai shook his head and said, "Yan Baoyong is certainly not an honest official, but he still has the ability and skill. Moreover, he is very clear about my background. As long as I give him face, he will not be outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant. Just as you said, he changed his tune in an instant, precisely because he knows how to weigh things and knows when to advance and retreat. This ability to advance and retreat sometimes... is just what gets things done."

Cui Shiqi sighed and said, "I understand the principles you are talking about, sir, and I know that you are willing to tell me these things because you are broad-minded, but..."

He hesitated.

Upon seeing this, Xue Huai said directly, "But he is a corrupt official, so you hope to replace him with an honest one."

Cui Shiqi remained silent.

"Don't overthink it, just focus on running your Deruntang business."

Xue Huai was unwilling to continue, because there was no clear answer to this question. He only explained a few words out of consideration for Cui Shiqi's kindness.

"Thank you for your explanation, sir. I will continue to study medicine to benefit all people."

Cui Shiqi bowed deeply, showing extreme humility.

Xue Huai nodded slightly, then got up and left.

Cui Shiqi saw them all the way to the door. As he watched Xue Huai and his group leave, his mind was filled with turbulent thoughts.

He certainly understood that Xue Huai's words were golden advice. That's how it is in officialdom; no one can do whatever they want, nor can anyone be absolutely honest and incorruptible. This has been the case for thousands of years.

But the images of the disaster victims kept flashing before his eyes: emaciated old people, ragged women, and crying infants...

He took a deep breath, and a sudden, sharp pain shot through his brow. Then, a thought quietly arose, as if constantly questioning his inner self.

"Just because it has always been this way, does that mean it's right?"

(End of this chapter)