Chapter 225: Clear Hearts (Part 2)

It was already three o’clock in the evening, the city gates tightly closed under a curfew, with guards patrolling everywhere. Although ordinary people were not allowed to travel freely, emergencies such as delivering official documents or seeking medical treatment were exempt from the curfew. Thus, Zhang Yue’s carriage moved smoothly and soon found its destination. Like other shops, its doors had been boarded up. After one of his attendants dismounted and knocked on the door for a long time, someone inside finally responded impatiently.
“It’s so late. Come back early tomorrow if you need treatment!”
Zhang Yue already thought Dr. Feng had a poor character and was unpleasant. Hearing this, his eyebrows furrowed even more. A doctor should have compassion—it was strange enough that he didn’t see patients, but now, with someone coming to him so late clearly in urgent need, he still said such things! Thinking this, he ordered his attendant, “Go ahead and keep knocking. Tell them our patient can’t wait. If he can cure them, give him a generous fee and tell him we came because of his reputation!”
The attendant repeated the message, and finally, an angry voice came from inside. Soon, the door was opened, revealing a disheveled head. Zhang Yue peeked through a slit in the carriage curtain, using the torch held by a guard to take a close look—and immediately recognized it as Dr. Feng.
“If you want treatment, you must know my rules. The fee is always a fixed amount, but for complicated cases, it could be ten or even a hundred times more. In short, it depends on my mood!”
Hearing this tone, Zhang Yue, still in the carriage, couldn’t contain his anger anymore and retorted coldly, “What if you can’t cure them?”
“Can’t cure them? Hahaha! If you thought I couldn’t cure them, why would you come to me? Even diseases that no one else can treat can be prolonged a few days under my care. If you don’t believe it, get lost! I’m going to bed!”
“Brother Yue, let me try!” Meng Min, who had remained silent until then, sensed that Zhang Yue was barely holding back his anger. She whispered urgently, “I’ll go down with Mother to take a look. Wait for me in the carriage.”
Due to the previous experience of bringing Amber for treatment, Zhang Yue knew that getting out of the carriage might provoke the doctor, so he called Hu Qi and gave him some instructions. Seeing several guards bring a folding chair tied to a horse, they carefully lifted Mrs. Wu, who was still unconscious, out of the carriage and covered her with blankets. Only then did Zhang Yue allow Meng Min and Hongxiu to get out, still giving them careful instructions.

Seven or eight people rushed into the small clinic at once, making it quite crowded. Whether to save money or simply due to lack of funds, only a dim oil lamp was lit in the room. Meng Min carefully observed this strange doctor—seeing his gray hair covered by a tall headscarf, his brown cotton coat, and even the smell of alcohol wafting from him, she felt her already slim hopes diminish even further.

Just then, she noticed Dr. Feng quickly walking to a water jar in the corner of the room, scooping up water with a ladle and pouring it directly onto his head. Seeing this, she developed a deep fear of this peculiar doctor and unconsciously stepped back a few steps.

Dr. Feng paid no attention to the stunned expressions of the people in the room. After one ladleful, he poured another, and then another—three in total—before casually taking a soft towel from nearby to wipe his wet head and face, then straightening up. Seeing everyone staring at him strangely, he snorted coldly.

“I had no idea anyone would come knocking at the door at night for treatment. How can I take a pulse if I don’t use cold water to sober up?”

After saying that, he stepped forward, bent down to look at Lady Wu in the armchair, then placed two fingers on her right wrist to examine her pulse for a long time before straightening up and saying expressionlessly, “The illness is advanced; there’s no medicine to cure it.”

At that moment, not only was Hongxiu’s face deathly pale, but even Hu Qi found this doctor utterly detestable. He waved his hand behind him, ready to order the other three to carry the armchair away, but unexpectedly, Meng Min stepped forward and bowed deeply. “Dr. Feng, since you say there’s no medicine to cure it, not that it’s incurable, and you mentioned earlier that there’s a way to prolong life, please think of something.”

Dr. Feng glanced carefully at the girl before him. Seeing her dressed in a rose-purple silk jacket with a half-sleeved cape adorned with floral patterns in blue, and wearing a golden hairpin shaped like auspicious clouds, it was clear she wasn’t from a common family. He smirked and said, “I didn’t expect you to understand my implied meaning. You’re quite clever. It’s true there’s no medicine to cure it, but there are indeed methods to save her life and prolong it. If I do nothing, your mother will likely never wake up again and will surely pass away within three or five days. If you want to buy some time, the price is six hundred taels of silver.”

Six hundred taels!

Hearing this price, Hongxiu could no longer contain her anger and rushed over in a few steps to grab Meng Min. “Miss, please don’t be foolish—don’t listen to these swindlers asking for such exorbitant amounts! The third and fourth young masters have spent almost all the money in the accounting department just to make their way to the capital. What’s left was used to dismiss the staff. Our family has no money left—where can we find 600 taels for him? Miss, I must say something harsh: even if the lady were awake now, she would surely try to stop you!”
“Shut up!” Meng Min cut Hongxiu off abruptly, her face showing hesitation. Then she murmured to herself, “Mother is only worried about Father now. If she leaves in such distress, how can I face Father, or my third and fourth brothers who aren’t here? 600 taels… even if we sell all our fine clothes…”
Watching this exchange between the master and servant, Doctor Feng still wore his cruel expression until someone else entered. Then his face suddenly changed. His clinic rarely had visitors, and he remembered almost everyone who came. He recognized the young man who had entered that night during his argument with Shi Quan, and he also remembered that the usually reserved and proud Shi Quan agreed without hesitation to treat him. After staring at that face for a while, he started to laugh sneerily.
“Isn’t this young man the famous physician Shi from the Imperial Hospital? How did he end up bringing someone to my humble place?”
Zhang Yue knew his appearance would surely cause trouble, but he was furious at the old man’s outrageous demands. He strode forward in front of Meng Min, ignoring Doctor Feng entirely, and said to Meng Min, “It’s all because of that girl Qiuhen talking nonsense. You had Doctor Shi treat your mother before—her illness has been going on for a long time, and it can only be cured gradually. This time it must have flared up. Let’s go find another doctor to try something; it’s better than being extorted here.”
“You brat, who do you think is extorting you?” Doctor Feng’s face turned red, and veins bulged on his forehead. “Doesn’t Shi Quan lack the skills to cure her? Does that mean no one in the world can treat her? Young lady, listen to me: 600 taels of silver. If you follow my methods, I guarantee your mother can live at least another year. If she dies even one day earlier, I’ll cut off my own head and give it to you to kick around!”
One year!

Meng Min suddenly felt hopeful. With just one year, perhaps her father could be released, perhaps the Meng family would see a turning point, and perhaps her mother’s illness could miraculously improve after that year. Remembering that Lady Wu had said there was still some silver in Beijing, and after all, there were her second uncle and aunt there she could turn to for help, she clung to this last straw and said hurriedly, “If we really have one year, I’m willing to pay those six hundred taels of silver. But can this money buy us a few more days? I…”
“Girl, think about it—could your mother’s illness really be delayed?” Dr. Feng interrupted Meng Min expressionlessly, then glanced at Zhang Yue before adding darkly, “Since this young master can summon the great physician Shi Quan, I suppose six hundred taels of silver isn’t a problem for him. How? To win over a beautiful young lady, he refuses to spend even six hundred taels? Let me be clear—those taels must be ready by tonight, or I won’t wait!”
Zhang Yue stared intently at the doctor before him, unable to believe that this money-hungry man was actually Shi Quan’s senior brother. Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself down, stepped forward, and asked again, “Six hundred taels of silver in exchange for one year of life. If it doesn’t work, you’ll pay with your life. Is that really true?”
“Of course it’s true,” Dr. Feng replied arrogantly, no longer looking like an old scoundrel. “Although this illness is difficult to treat, what’s hard about extending life by just one year? An illness that even Shi Quan can’t solve, I can cure!”
Zhang Yue pulled out the receipt for the five hundred taels of silver from Liu Zhong, along with the two gold bracelets Du Wan had given him, and placed them heavily on the table in front of him. Then he unfastened his money pouch. Turning to look at Meng Min, he saw her silently take off her jade bracelets, gold hairpins, necklaces, and earrings and hand them over. He took them all and threw them onto the table, then said through gritted teeth, “These five hundred taels are the receipt from the silver shop. The rest is worth at least another hundred taels. If you admit it, write a receipt. If not, I can have someone go get the cash! But one condition—you must come with us. Otherwise, who knows if you’ll run away with the money!”
Dr. Feng seemed to ignore Zhang Yue’s sarcasm. He reached out, picked up one of the gold bracelets, tapped it lightly, then threw it on the table as if it were worthless, laughing wildly. After a while, he said to himself, “Younger brother Shi, didn’t you say no one would trust me anymore? Let me show you what I can do!”

After saying that, he completely ignored Zhang Yue and the others, turned, and strode into the inner room. Soon after, he came out carrying a medical kit. Unfurling the bundle in his other hand, he quickly rolled up the ticket and the gold and silver jewelry, then looked up at the people in front of him.
“The same as before—if this lady…” he pointed at Lady Wu in the armchair, “should anything happen to her within a year, I will set myself on fire as atonement!”
At that moment, Zhang Yue couldn’t help but blink—although what this man meant was that he wouldn’t be responsible after a year, such a dramatic oath was truly bold!