Chapter 17
Tattletale
Gan Maosheng had a somber expression on his face.
Not long after, guards surrounded the ancestral hall.
A middle-aged man appearing to be their leader was wearing armor and holding a long spear. He was on horseback and looked down at Zhao Chuchu and everyone else.
“Greetings, Deputy Commander.” Gan Maosheng and his group stepped forward and clasped their hands in salute.
“Gan Maosheng, the court has ordered that no one is allowed to enter or leave any village infected with the plague. As the general of a Thousand Battalion, you knowingly broke the law. Don’t you have any regard for the Imperial Court?” the deputy commander asked Gan Maosheng accusingly.
His soldiers then drew their swords and pointed them at Gan Maosheng.
They would kill him on the spot if he dared to move.
The platoon chief did not wait for Gan Maosheng to explain. He interjected, “My lord, I was given orders to guard the village, but General Gan and his men ignored my authority. They barged into the village, claiming they had a cure for the patients. I don’t have as many soldiers as General Gan. I had no choice but to let them in. The patients who drank their medicine are now unconscious. I beg the deputy commander to uphold justice on my behalf.”
Zhao Chuchu was speechless.
The platoon chief was a schemer.
He was a tattletale.
The deputy commander’s eyes were frosty. He glared formidably at Gan Maosheng. “Is this true?”
“A teenage girl dared to give out a prescription just because she read some medical books. If everyone who knew how to read and write decided to prescribe medicine, wouldn’t there be utter chaos in the world?” the platoon chief continued, adding fuel to the fire.
“Deputy Commander, whatever I say will not be good enough. Why don’t you bring a doctor to Lengshui Village to take a look yourself? The villagers all drank the medicine. You can see for yourself if they are recovering. A doctor’s judgment will be the most convincing.” Zhao Chuchu stepped forward and spoke confidently. Her tone was not at all condescending.
“The patients fell asleep after drinking the medicine because there is a herb in the prescription that has a calming effect. The dregs of the soup are still in the pot. You can also get the doctor to inspect them.”
The deputy commander gave Zhao Chuchu a piercing stare as though he wanted to see through her.
Zhao Chuchu was fearless. She looked him in the eye.
Gan Maosheng was afraid that Zhao Chuchu might offend the deputy commander. He hurriedly explained, “My lord, I also took the medicine and recovered. That is why I wanted to come to Zhang Village, to let the patients try the remedy. If it is genuinely effective, then we have a way to control the plague. Please give Zhao Chuchu a chance.”
“What a joke! We have a bunch of experienced doctors who cannot do anything to control the plague. Yet you’re telling me this young girl has a prescription that can cure everyone from the virus? Did the disease make you dumb?”
Just then, an old doctor appeared behind the deputy commander, carrying a box of medical supplies. He had a look of disdain on his face.
“Doctor Lu, are you too old and silly now? You haven’t been able to save these people, even after practicing medicine for so long. Just because you cannot cure them does not mean that others won’t be able to do it,” Xie Heng said sarcastically.
Anger welled up in Doctor Lu’s chest.
He was about to respond when he saw that it was Xie Heng who had spoken. He bit his lip and did not say a word.
“Doctor Lu, check General Gan’s pulse,” the deputy commander ordered the old doctor. His face was still expressionless.
Although Xie Heng was blind, Doctor Lu did not dare to look him in the eye.
The guilt on his face made Zhao Chuchu suspect they were hiding something.
Doctor Lu’s contempt for Zhao Chuchu gradually faded as he checked Gan Maosheng’s pulse. His disdain transformed into shock and disbelief.
“How can this be?” he muttered. Refusing to believe what he had just witnessed, he asked Gan Maosheng to stretch out his other hand.
Doctor Lu was very familiar with the pulse of a patient infected with the virus. He noticed that Gan Maosheng’s pulse was improving.
“Doctor Lu, would you like to check my pulse?” Zhao Chuchu extended her hand and placed it in front of him. “I also suffered from the plague.”