Chapter Seventeen: Crushing You to Death

“According to tradition, one must never tamper with a poisonous abscess, much less cut it open. Using a butcher’s cleaver to treat illness—Zhang Chen, you are a butcher!”

Doctor Ma Wencai thundered, “If you cut open Young Master Xu’s abscess, he will surely die. If Young Master Xu dies in the Ma Family Medical Clinic, the governor will never forgive me. Zhang Chen, Zhang Chuyang, you ignorant child, you have caused the demise of an elder!”

“I’m sorry, Doctor Ma. Our Zhang family will compensate,” Zhang Chenjun’s face paled, her lips trembling. She wanted to scold Zhang Chen but couldn’t bring herself to do so. Chuyang had treated the governor’s son to death—he was finished!

“Big sister, Chenjun, this has nothing to do with the Zhang family. No compensation is necessary,” Zhang Chen said, shooting a flirtatious glance at Tian Yachun, who had just entered the Ma Family Medical Clinic. “I’m a son-in-law of the Tian family, part of the Tian household. Tian Yachun, my dear wife, I accidentally killed the governor’s son, Young Master Xu, with a butcher’s cleaver. You should compensate the Xu family!”

Zhang Chen had treated someone with a butcher’s cleaver and killed Xu Zize, yet he was demanding Tian Yachun pay compensation to the Xu family. Everyone was stunned!

Well, Dongmei was not shocked. She cursed Zhang Chen, “Zhang Chen, you’re just a son-in-law. What you do has nothing to do with the Tian family. Our lady will divorce you tomorrow.”

“No, Young Master Xu doesn’t look like he’s going to die,” Zhu Weijin, who knew Xu Zize, stepped closer. “Young Master Xu, how are you? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, but the wound on my left thigh hurts terribly!” Xu Zize cursed Zhang Chen, whose hands were covered in fresh blood. “You’re a doctor, right? You saved me. My dizziness has lessened considerably, but it seems you didn’t let me take the anesthetic. Using a butcher’s cleaver to treat me—how barbaric!”

Though Zhang Chen hadn’t killed Xu Zize, his treatment had significantly improved the abscess. Everyone was shocked.

After examining Xu Zize, Doctor Ma Wencai bowed to Zhang Chen. “This old man was narrow-minded and wrongly blamed Chuyang. I apologize.”

“Indeed, abscesses shouldn’t be tampered with. Uncle Ma, you are not at fault. I invented an anti-inflammatory, antibacterial medicine, which is why I dared to treat Young Master Xu this way. Old Xu, you were in critical condition and unconscious earlier; there was no time to give you the anesthetic.”

Zhang Chen scolded Xu Zize:

“Soon, you will go to Zhang Village to take the medicine. In the evening, I will change your dressing once. Your sister agreed—fifty thousand taels of silver for guaranteed cure. Take the medicine and have your dressings changed on time. Your illness will heal in seven to nine days. I need to go to the Qingzhou Trading Company, Fushan branch, to buy iron, saltpeter, and other materials. Here’s the silver.”

A poisonous abscess is a localized pus-filled swelling. Without antibiotics in ancient times, cutting it open would cause the toxins to spread rapidly through the bloodstream, leading to sepsis and quick death.

Therefore, without antibiotics, meddling with a patient’s abscess would result in a swift demise.

“Now you want the silver…” Xu Zihan’s face flushed; she had just over ten thousand taels left. She cursed Zhang Chen in her heart. He’s demanding silver before fully curing my brother’s illness—he looks like a money-grubbing quack.

“Zhang Chen, you just swindled sixty thousand taels from the Tian family. What else do you need? Young Master Xu’s illness isn’t fully cured, yet you want silver—you’re such a miser!” Zhu Weijin cursed Zhang Chen silently.

“The bandits from Cishan are eyeing Zhang Village greedily. We urgently need large quantities of iron, saltpeter, sulfur, and other strategic materials,” Zhang Chen muttered. He sighed:

“Last night’s casualties were severe. Currently, Zhang Village has fewer than three hundred able-bodied young men. I plan to recruit a thousand strong men from the refugees. Refugees consume a lot of food. Training them into competent soldiers will require plenty of grain and meat. Sixty thousand taels won’t last long.”

Either the Xu siblings didn’t have fifty thousand taels or were unwilling to pay. Zhang Chen cursed inwardly as he walked out. “If you don’t want to come to Zhang Village for dressing changes, that’s fine. Young Master Xu, ask Doctor Ma to treat you. It should take ten to fifteen days to heal.”

“We’ll go to Zhang Village for dressing changes and continue your treatment. Here’s fifty thousand taels,” Xu Zihan called after Zhang Chen, handing him silver notes she had borrowed from Zhu Weijin. She cursed Zhang Chen silently.

“You cursed me secretly, didn’t you?” Zhang Chen took the notes and lowered his voice, though not quietly at all. “Miss Xu, I truly like you. Tian Yachun and I will definitely divorce. If you’re willing, I’ll marry you as my legitimate wife next year or the year after.”

“You—uh, I didn’t curse you,” Xu Zihan blushed, secretly cursing him. “Mr. Zhang, please behave. If you speak to me so frivolously again, I will—uh…”

“You’ll do what?” Zhang Chen really lowered his voice this time, whispering softly, “You’ll kiss me, right?”

“You!” Flushed with embarrassment and anger, Xu Zihan fiercely stepped on Zhang Chen’s left foot. She had finally found a way to deal with him. Her charming face glowed like rosy clouds, her long eyelashes framing eyes that sparkled with delight and ease. “If you dare bully me again, I’ll keep stepping on your foot until I crush you!”

“It really is the cruelest heart of a woman—it hurts like hell!” Zhang Chen gasped, grinding his teeth to bear the pain, but he couldn’t help but be captivated by the girl’s beauty.

“If you bully my sister again, I’ll deal with you,” Xu Zize called out to Zhang Chen from nearby. “You’re no jinshi scholar, Zhang Chuyang. If you pass the imperial examination in two years, my sister will consider letting you court her.”

Earlier, Xu Xueqing had told Xu Zize about the Zhang family’s villa and the half-composed “Ballad of Mulan” Zhang Chen had written.

Zhang Chen was talented. Xu Zize thought that if Zhang Chen could pass the jinshi exam at eighteen, he would have the qualifications to pursue his sister, Xu Zihan.

“Big brother, you…” Xu Zihan ran to Xu Zize and gave him a nudge. “Your skin is thicker than a city wall corner. Zhang Chen talks nonsense—why do you listen?”

“The provincial exam in two years? First place is uncertain, but I’m sixty or seventy percent confident I’ll pass the jinshi,” Zhang Chen’s voice carried from outside the Ma Family Medical Clinic. “Old Xu, brother-in-law, it’s a deal. If I pass in two years, your family will marry Miss Xu to me.”

Though their fate was not yet written, Zhang Chen was shamelessly calling Xu Zize “brother-in-law,” leaving everyone speechless.

“Wait until I pass the jinshi exam,” Xu Zize cursed Zhang Chen. “Even as the top scorer in last year’s provincial exam, I’m not confident. Zhang Chen, passing the imperial exam isn’t as easy as you think.”

“Chuyang, the princess is here. You can purchase iron, saltpeter, sulfur, and other strategic materials directly from her,” Zhang Chenjun ran out of the Ma Family Medical Clinic. “Our shop only has a small amount of iron, saltpeter, and sulfur left, but we can sell them to you.”

Last year, after Prince Zhu Ci of the Heng King’s Mansion was killed by Wu Datou, Zhu Weijin temporarily took charge of the Qingzhou Trading Company. She strolled out of the Ma Family Medical Clinic with measured steps. “Iron, saltpeter, and sulfur are banned from large private trade. But for your sister’s sake, Zhang Chen, Qingzhou Trading Company can sell you a batch—at a fixed price.”

Muttering “shrewd merchant” in his mind, Zhang Chen stood by the door of the Ma Family Medical Clinic and struck a major deal with Zhu Weijin for eighty thousand taels of silver. He purchased a large quantity of iron, saltpeter, sulfur, and other strategic materials at high prices from the Qingzhou Trading Company.