The Prime Minister’s Little Wife

Chapter 20: His Legs Can Be Healed

“Dahu, you hold his legs. Daniu, you take his left arm. Erhu, you take his right arm. Let’s see if you can lift him,” Xu Zhizhi calmly instructed.

The three brothers followed her instructions and tried lifting him. It was a bit strenuous, but they managed. Xu Zhizhi knew that Kangning Hall was nearby on this street, so she didn’t bother calling for the ox cart.

“Let’s go to Kangning Hall up ahead.”

Xu Dahu hesitated. “That’s the largest medical hall in Qingshan Town. It must be expensive, right?”

“It’s fine. We’re not paying for it. He’ll pay for it himself once he’s better.”

The three brothers stopped asking questions and lifted the beggar off the ground.

Xiao Jingheng knew that while it was possible to enter a medical hall without money, they wouldn’t treat you without payment. This girl was clearly tricking her brothers, and the big, simple-minded guy actually believed her!

He closed his eyes and remained silent. He hadn’t bathed in days and smelled terrible, especially after drinking the water. He was disgusted with himself, but these people carried him without a single complaint. He doubted the medical hall would even let him in.

Before long, he heard the girl’s clear, melodious voice. “Old Doctor Shangguan, could you arrange a good room? We have a special patient here.”

Xiao Jingheng cracked his eyes open slightly and saw a young man with a dark expression. “Miss Xu, what is it this time?”

“Go call the old doctor, quickly.”

The young man snorted and turned to go inside.

Soon, a cheerful voice rang out.

“Xu family girl, you’re back!” Old Doctor Shangguan emerged, smiling warmly.

“Old Doctor, please arrange for him to be cleaned up first, then see if you can treat him,” Xu Zhizhi said.

“Sun Hao, go arrange for some water. Get a couple of people to help carry him to the back and clean him up,” the old doctor instructed promptly.

Once the beggar was carried to the back, Xu Zhizhi handed three taels of silver to Xu Dahu and told him to take his brothers to a clothing store to buy two sets of clothes for the beggar to change into.

After the brothers left, Xu Zhizhi took out a 400-tael IOU and handed it to Old Doctor Shangguan. “Take good care of him. Whether he’s cured or not, this is yours.”

The old doctor began to check Xiao Jingheng’s pulse after he was cleaned up. Xu Zhizhi noticed the old man’s frown deepening. Oh no, did he drink too much of the spiritual spring water? Did it cause some problem?

“How strange, truly strange,” Old Doctor Shangguan muttered, growing more puzzled as he continued to feel the pulse.

“Old Doctor, what’s wrong with his body? Please be straightforward,” Xu Zhizhi asked anxiously. (She was mainly worried that the spiritual spring water might have caused some issue.)

“Logically speaking, this man is poisoned, his legs are broken, and he’s been starving for five days. He should be extremely weak. But aside from the broken legs and the poison, there’s nothing else wrong with him. In fact, some of his old ailments are slowly healing. His pulse is strong and steady. Did he drink some kind of miraculous medicine today?”

Xu Zhizhi felt relieved but also a little guilty. “I don’t know. I don’t know him. I just found him on the road. You can ask him when he wakes up.” She thought the medical assistants had knocked him out while cleaning him.

Xu Zhizhi quickly changed the subject. “Old Doctor, can you cure the poison in his body? And can his broken legs be healed?”

“Of course, both can be treated. With the right herbs and acupuncture, he’ll be fully recovered in less than two months,” Old Doctor Shangguan said confidently.

Xiao Jingheng knew of Imperial Physician Shangguan. He had even met him as a child. He didn’t understand why the old man had ended up in this remote, impoverished town. But he knew the old man’s skills. Hearing that he could be cured, he felt a surge of excitement.

What he didn’t understand was why the old man, known for his eccentric temper, had so readily agreed to treat him after the girl handed him a small piece of paper. He was pretending to be unconscious, and while the girl might not know, the old man surely did. So why wasn’t he exposing him?

Then he noticed the girl’s guilty expression as she changed the subject. He remembered how refreshed he had felt after drinking the water earlier, even thinking it was some kind of divine water.

Xu Zhizhi said, “You’re a miracle doctor! I had no idea our Qingshan Town had such a skilled physician.”

“Hahaha!” The old man laughed heartily.

“What herbs are needed?”

“Cordyceps, a thousand-year-old wild ginseng, a thousand-year-old lingzhi mushroom, and tiger bone. The other herbs are more common, and I have them here. If you can gather those, he’ll be completely cured!” Old Doctor Shangguan looked at Xu Zhizhi with a gleam in his eye. From the moment she had brought the thousand-year-old ginseng the first time, he knew this girl was no ordinary person.

Unfortunately, the ginseng had been snatched away by his junior brother, and the thought still pained him. This was a great opportunity to get something valuable from the girl. Besides, these herbs were genuinely needed to cure the poison and heal the legs. At most, he’d keep whatever was left over.

Xiao Jingheng felt a wave of despair. How could such rare and precious herbs be found in this remote, impoverished place?

“I’ll do my best to gather the herbs. Should the acupuncture wait until the herbs are ready? And can his broken legs be moved?” Xu Zhizhi wanted to leave the beggar here for now. Her family’s house wasn’t built yet, and with Father Xu still recovering from his injuries, adding another patient would be too much for her family to handle.

“We can set the bones first and start acupuncture to regulate his body. Once the herbs are ready, we’ll begin detoxification and healing the legs,” Old Doctor Shangguan said, visibly excited at the prospect of obtaining the rare herbs.

Xiao Jingheng listened as Xu Zhizhi casually mentioned that the herbs could be gathered. His emotions were mixed—joy and excitement, but mostly confusion. Why was this stranger being so kind to him?

He decided to stop pretending to be asleep and opened his eyes at the right moment, meeting Xu Zhizhi’s conflicted gaze. “Big brother, you’re awake?”

“Hmm,” came the deep, magnetic voice. “I still don’t remember anything.”

He really had no money and was now homeless. There was nothing to gain from him.

Xu Zhizhi smiled. “I know you don’t have the money to treat your legs now, but if we don’t act quickly, even having money later won’t help. Old Doctor Shangguan here owes me 400 taels from a previous transaction. You can stay here and recover. Once your legs are healed, you can work and pay me back.”

Xiao Jingheng realized that the small piece of paper was an IOU. So she had sold medicinal herbs. That explained why she remained so calm when the old doctor listed those rare treasures. He had thought it was another scheme by his elder brother to humiliate him.

“Young man, even if you don’t remember anything, it’s fine. Miss Xu will cover the medical fees for now. You can stay here and focus on recovering,” Old Doctor Shangguan said cheerfully. He was delighted at the prospect of obtaining rare herbs and researching a new type of poison. What was there not to like?

Just as the three of them finished discussing, Xu Dahu returned with his brothers, carrying two sets of clothes. Naturally, they were the cheapest coarse cloth available.

Xu Zhizhi teased them with a smile. “You guys are so practical. This big brother here is going to be the future richest man in the Great Sheng Dynasty. Do you know what that means? The wealthiest person in the land!”

(End of Chapter)