Chapter 86: Doctor Zhang 3/3

This kind of large boat was very comfortable to ride in and came with various snacks. After Qu Yunqing boarded the ship, he began to eat heartily. Any leftovers were stuffed into his luggage.

He had brought back quite a lot of things from outside during the year, totaling about two hundred kilograms when combined with his luggage.

After boarding the ship, Qu Yunqing had already planned how to disembark in front of his neighbors’ envious eyes when he arrived home, and then distribute gifts. His wife and children would surely rush towards him…

However, halfway through the journey, Qu Yunqing encountered a problem.

The boat sprang a leak halfway to Chongcheng County, where Dr. Zhang from Hexing Prefecture was heading for a medical mission. Although Dr. Zhang wasn’t in danger thanks to the timely grounding of the boat, they were still far from Chongcheng County. Dr. Zhang had no choice but to seek help from passing boats.

Seeing that Dr. Zhang was well-dressed, Qu Yunqing decided to give him a ride. However, Dr. Zhang showed no intention of paying Qu Yunqing, instead, he kept talking about the medical mission.

Qu Yunqing was usually very calculating in his business dealings, but in Chongcheng County, he started showing off. He felt embarrassed to ask Dr. Zhang for money, and he ended up giving him a free ride reluctantly.

Fortunately, the one or two silvers he spent could cover the cost of the boat for the whole day without the need for extra money. However, taking Dr. Zhang to the west of Chongcheng County would delay Qu Yunqing’s show-off return home!

Qu Yunqing was torn the whole way, and the boat finally arrived in Chongcheng County.

Having eaten his fill on the boat, and with Dr. Zhang rushing to the new dock, they didn’t stay in the county and went straight to the new dock.

Qu Yunqing planned to drop Dr. Zhang off and then return home to show off.

Sun Juren’s people had been watching the passing boats. Whenever a boat came from the direction of the prefectural city, they would take a closer look and search for a middle-aged man with white hair.

Although Sun Juren had seen Magistrate Zhang from a distance once, he couldn’t personally come out to wait for him due to his illness. The others… they didn’t know Magistrate Zhang.

Helplessly, they had to look for someone based on Sun Juren’s description.

Sun Juren knew that Magistrate Zhang lived a very simple life, but in his opinion, Magistrate Zhang wouldn’t be riding a shabby boat.

But unexpectedly, Magistrate Zhang arrived on a shabby boat, dressed plainly, and looked old… Sun Juren’s people didn’t even notice him.

However, they did notice the boat hired by Qu Yunqing.

The people arranged by Sun Juren immediately followed the boat, and then they saw the boat heading straight for the new dock, with an old man in his fifties wearing a long robe walking towards the bow…

This one, must be Magistrate Zhang!

The people arranged by Sun Juren immediately spread the news.

At this moment, Magistrate Zhang had finished his meal and began to wander around.

During his stroll, seeing the laborers eating similar food to him, albeit without pork trotters… Magistrate Zhang stroked his beard and became even more satisfied with County Magistrate Gou.

Before taking office in Chongcheng County, County Magistrate Gou had visited him and brought generous gifts. At that time, Magistrate Zhang didn’t have a good impression of County Magistrate Gou, but now it seems that although their styles were different, County Magistrate Gou was a good official who loved the people like his children.

Just then, someone suddenly shouted, “Someone’s been killed! The government officer killed someone!”

What’s going on? Magistrate Zhang hurriedly rushed to the source of the voice, only to see a yamen runner standing there, at a loss. “I didn’t even touch him!”

These government officers had it tough recently!

After the incident with Zhang Yunquan, the county magistrate punished several government officers, and then their requirements became very strict. 

During the construction of the dock, they were forbidden from beating the people and even required to help with some tasks.

It wasn’t a big deal for them not to beat the people, as they didn’t actually like doing it, but helping with the work was quite tiring.

Just now, he had finished eating and was resting when suddenly a few people came over and started attacking him. He instinctively resisted, and then these people started shouting that someone had been killed by him, and there was even someone lying on the ground, gasping for breath.

The government official was only in his twenties. He used to patrol the streets with an air of authority, casually taking things from the common people, but at most, he would shove or push them and had never resorted to violence. Now, with someone dead before him, he was utterly at a loss.

Just then, some ragged-looking people rushed out from the side and started accusing him, “You beat him to death!”

“Poor old Zeng, you died so miserably!”

“There’s no justice; the government official killed someone!”

…

Magistrate Zhang arrived at this moment. “Step aside and let me take a look.”

However, the people surrounding Old Zeng wouldn’t let Magistrate Zhang approach. Instead, the government official shouted, “You should take a look. Maybe he’s not dead yet. How did he die all of a sudden?”

However, Magistrate Zhang was blocked by people and couldn’t approach to check.

Not only that, but those troublemakers also started attacking the government official and Magistrate Zhang.

The attendants brought by Magistrate Zhang quickly moved to protect him and were grabbed and beaten by these people several times.

After the chaos subsided, Magistrate Zhang finally got a look at the dead man.

The man’s complexion was waxy, his belly was swollen, and he appeared close to death, but in this state… he didn’t seem to have been beaten to death; it looked more like he was at death’s door due to illness.

In addition, the troublemakers also looked emaciated and ragged, unlike the other laborers.

Among the laborers brought in this time, the weak ones had all been sent to the brick kiln by County Magistrate Gou to make bricks. The strong ones were all working on the dock. Now, suddenly, a group of skeletal-looking people appeared, looking out of place.

Having witnessed too many plots and schemes,Magistrate Zhang immediately realized what was going on. “Who are you people? What do you want?”

But these people kept causing trouble.

Magistrate Zhang continued, “The man on the ground died of illness, not from being beaten.”

“You’re just the lackeys of the government, speaking up for these government officials!” someone accused Magistrate Zhang, while others rushed forward to shove him.

They were afraid that Magistrate Zhang would say too much and ruin their plans.

Magistrate Zhang was pushed around and accidentally fell to the ground.

At that moment, a large boat pulled up nearby, and Dr. Zhang stepped off the boat.

Dr. Zhang was a very special doctor in the prefectural city.

He had a soft heart and spent his days traveling to various villages to help the poor with their illnesses, earning a great reputation among the common people. But the wealthy in the city would never seek treatment from him.

They might not even be able to find him.

This time, he came to Chongcheng County for a medical mission to help the laborers who had been conscripted, but he encountered a situation where someone had been beaten to death as soon as he got off the boat!

Dr. Zhang was furious. “This is outrageous!”

Hearing this, the troublemakers cried out even louder, and some opened their tattered clothes to reveal wounds on their bodies. “These people don’t treat us like human beings. They beat and scold us at the slightest provocation!”

Dr. Zhang became even angrier.

The government official and several nearby laborers finally realized, “Who are you people? You’re not even here to work!”

However, these people were all labeled as lackeys of the county government office by the troublemakers.

Amidst the commotion, some of the troublemakers fell to the ground.

By this point, if Magistrate Zhang still didn’t understand what was going on, then he would have lived in vain for so many years!

Magistrate Zhang got up from the ground and wanted to say something. At that moment, Jin Liushu shouted, “These people are here to cause trouble. They must be trying to tarnish County Magistrate Gou’s reputation. Let’s arrest them and take them to the county government office!”

Jin Liushu might seem lazy, but he was actually quite clever. At this moment, he was urging the laborers around him to go and arrest people.

Having heard so many stories recently, he really wanted to go and see the county government office, and also… If he went to the county government office, would he still have to work?

However, although Jin Liushu was urging others to move forward, he himself was afraid of getting hurt and didn’t go up. Instead, he helped Magistrate Zhang up. “Dr. Zhang, are you okay?”

Feeling a bit sore in his waist, Magistrate Zhang remained silent for a moment before replying, “I’m fine.”