Chapter 139: Gaining a Medical Hall for Free

The face of Shopkeeper Qian drastically changed. “You are talking nonsense! I never ordered you to make fake medicine, nor did I instruct you to customize medicine bottles!” He wanted to point at Su Wan, but she was nowhere to be seen. Gritting his teeth, he shouted, “Tell the truth, did Divine Doctor Su instruct you to frame me?”

“The evidence is clear; don’t even think about lying!” Prefect Liu bellowed angrily.

Shopkeeper Qian opened his mouth, ready to cry out his innocence.

At that moment, more officials arrived. One of them came forward carrying two burlap sacks. “My lord, we found these in the warehouse. Divine Doctor Su said that these are all inferior herbs, being passed off as valuable ones, with profits increased tenfold, or even a hundredfold.”

“I inspected them,” the official continued, “and they used the roots of white peony dyed to impersonate Sichuan aconite, dyed sweet potatoes to pass off as fleeceflower root. The poria was made by processing rice flour into slices.

They claimed that a tael of agarwood was worth its weight in gold, but they used deadwood soaked in agarwood oil to gain huge profits. This wasn’t just about making counterfeit injury medicine that harmed the people!”

Su Wan walked out of Guangren Hall, holding account books in her hand. “These are the ledgers of Guangren Hall’s purchases and sales. Prefect Liu can review and compare them.”

Seeing that Su Wan had completely exposed him, revealing a wide range of fraudulent activities, Shopkeeper Qian realized that selling fake injury medicine was just the tip of the iceberg compared to this. 

Fear gripped his heart, and the muscles on his cheeks twitched as he opened his mouth, trying to say something.

“You reckless scoundrel! As a physician, you have no compassion for the people, selling fake medicine and poisoning the populace!” Prefect Liu roared in anger, “Guards, arrest Qian Wensheng and throw him into prison!”

Two officials stepped forward, each grabbing one of Qian Wensheng’s arms, dragging him through the crowd.

Shopkeeper Qian, as if waking from a dream, shouted, “I’m innocent, my lord! I’m being wronged…”

He struggled desperately, and with a kick, knocked over one of the burlap sacks.

The herbs inside the sack spilled out onto the ground, and sharp-eyed citizens even noticed that the herbs were moldy.

Their anger reached its peak.

Someone, whose identity was unclear, swung a fist at Shopkeeper Qian, shouting, “You heartless beast, I’ll beat you to death to uphold justice!”

Other citizens, who had already been furious upon learning that Guangren Hall not only sold fake injury medicine but also peddled other counterfeit and moldy, inferior herbs, were completely consumed by their rage.

“Beat him to death! Kill this bloodsucking leech! This scourge of the people!”

In an instant, chaos erupted.

The crowd swarmed around Shopkeeper Qian, raining punches and kicks upon him.

The officers let go of Shopkeeper Qian and stepped back.

“Ah-help, they’re going to kill me!”

Shopkeeper Qian screamed in agony, clutching his head as someone kicked him to the ground.

A young man rushed over, knelt beside him, grabbed a handful of his hair, and began to pummel his face with his fists. Blood splattered everywhere in an instant.

Shopkeeper Qian howled in pain, “Help, my lord… save….. ah…..”

A woman suddenly dropped to her knees on Shopkeeper Qian’s abdomen. There was a loud crack, as if a rib had broken.

Shopkeeper Qian’s eyes rolled back, and he almost lost his breath, curling up in pain.

Someone, still not satisfied, took the opportunity to kick Shopkeeper Qian’s head amidst the chaos.

With a thud, Shopkeeper Qian’s head hit the ground hard, causing him to convulse once before losing consciousness.

The angry crowd, seeing this, was startled and quickly backed away.

Prefect Liu furrowed his brows, his sharp gaze turning toward the officers, silently reprimanding them for their negligence.

Su Wan, with a calm demeanor, said, “Prefect Liu, Shopkeeper Qian was selling fake medicine. These damp and moldy herbs not only have no medicinal effect but may even contain toxins.

Guangren Hall has been open in the prefectural city for over a hundred years, and many citizens have sought treatment here. When they realized that their hard-earned money had been spent on fake medicine, which could even harm their health, they were overcome with rage and lashed out at Shopkeeper Qian.”

Prefect Liu instinctively glanced in the direction of Mo Chen.

Mo Chen gave him a slight nod.

Prefect Liu coughed, as if contemplating Su Wan’s words. After a long pause, he finally said, “The law does not punish the masses; we’ll let it go this time.”

The townspeople, grateful, turned to Su Wan and offered their apologies: “Divine Doctor Su, we were deceived by that scoundrel earlier and almost wronged you, causing you harm. Your broad-mindedness, not holding a grudge against us, makes us feel deeply ashamed. We apologize and hope you can forgive us.”

Su Wan quickly replied, “I only hold Qian Wensheng accountable. He promised you tenfold compensation for any counterfeit goods. You can discuss with Prefect Liu to have Guangren Hall fulfill that promise.”

Prefect Liu immediately responded, “I will first seal Guangren Hall and liquidate its assets to compensate you. If the money is insufficient, I will auction Guangren Hall until the compensation is fully distributed to each victim.”

The townspeople, seeing that Su Wan was still advocating on their behalf, felt even more guilty. “We need a physician like Divine Doctor Su. Prefect Liu, why not sell Guangren Hall to her and let her take over?”

Su Wan was taken aback. The reason she had spoken up for the townspeople was that she hadn’t suffered any real harm.

They were victims too, deceived by others, not intentionally or maliciously targeting her.

If she couldn’t bear a little adversity or show some magnanimity, how could she run a business?

But she never expected that showing just a little kindness would lead to such a surprising opportunity!

Guangren Hall was a century-old establishment with a stable customer base. After this incident, its name would likely become even more widely known.

If she took over, these townspeople would spread the word on her behalf, which would be much better than starting a new medical hall from scratch. It was like a golden opportunity handed to her.

Prefect Liu had a thought. Guangren Hall had to be confiscated and would eventually be auctioned off. Since Su Wan knew Zhao Wei and had saved Cao Wanjing’s life, selling it to her would be a good gesture and earn him some goodwill.

“Divine Doctor Su, what do you think?” Prefect Liu asked with a kind smile. “Why not go along with the people’s wishes and take over this medical hall? Rest assured, I won’t let you suffer any losses.”

Su Wan smiled and said, “Then I shall follow the people’s wishes. Please name your price.”

Prefect Liu, taking advantage of the situation, replied, “Why don’t you compensate the townspeople directly by covering the treatment for the injuries that have worsened due to the fake medicine?”

“No problem at all,” Su Wan agreed readily.

Guangren Hall was a standalone two-story building with a large courtyard and a row of small houses at the back. Its value in the prefectural city would easily be worth several thousand taels of silver.

By following Prefect Liu’s proposal, she would only need to spend half that amount, securing a great bargain.

“The man surnamed Qian has already been punished; we don’t want compensation. As long as Divine Doctor Su helps us heal our injuries, that’s enough!”

The townspeople felt especially guilty and were eager to make it up to Su Wan. How could they possibly allow her to spend her own money to compensate them on behalf of Shopkeeper Qian?

Especially since Su Wan was dressed in simple cotton clothes, it was evident that she wasn’t very wealthy. The townspeople worried that if she couldn’t afford to pay, their well-intentioned efforts might end up causing her trouble.

Su Wan chuckled and said, “For those who want compensation, please line up on the left, and I’ll arrange for someone to settle with you. If you don’t want compensation, line up on the right and register your names. In the future, if you need medical treatment, I’ll give you a few free consultations.”

This proposal was well-received by everyone, and they quickly lined up on the right. Only about a dozen people stood in line on the left.

Qi Third handled the money compensations, while Gu Huaizhi and Qi Fifth took down the names for the register.

Prefect Liu admired Su Wan’s cleverness; the medical hall was practically being handed to her for free. With a hearty laugh, he said, “Divine Doctor Su, isn’t General Zhao with you? Will you be in the prefectural city tomorrow? I’d like to invite you and General Zhao to a banquet to discuss the details of the medical hall.”