The woman made a fuss for a long time, but the morale remained high. She turned around and wailed in the room.
A group of stewards and others were putting on a show outside.
That steward looked dejected but performed flawlessly: "If one doctor isn't enough, invite more! No matter how much silver it costs!"
"Five Hundred Liang."
This voice was hoarse and not loud, but it perfectly overpowered the dejected voice.
Shopkeeper Ding saw the young guest arrive, wearing a very large cloak, yet the person was quite small.
She had a cloth wrapped around her head; never mind the style, her presence was paramount.
Shopkeeper Ding immediately supported the claim: "You don't need to invite several; bring the Five Hundred Liang of silver first."
That group exchanged glances and asked, "Who is this?"
Shopkeeper Ding asserted: "A Divine Doctor! If anything goes wrong, I will take responsibility. If you do not cooperate, I will report you to the authorities!"
Ding Yuan echoed from behind: "Divine Doctor!"
A quick-witted Waiter quickly said, "You are truly lucky! As long as there is still a breath left, with the Divine Doctor here, even King Yama won't take him."
The other party started arguing again: "Just which Divine Doctor is it?"
"Five hundred liang is required?"
The middle-aged steward forcefully pushed them aside: "You clearly don't want your employer to live!"
One steward retorted: "Are you colluding?"
Old Ancestor Yeman waved her hand.
That steward froze, unable to move.
The next person, about to confront the steward, was struck by the Old Ancestor and also froze.
The middle-aged steward looked on—there was hope!
A few Servant Boys helped him, escorting the Divine Doctor into the room.
Outside, the crowd of onlookers couldn't see and eagerly asked Shopkeeper Ding, "What Divine Doctor?"
"Can she do it?"
Shopkeeper Ding was steady as an old dog: "A Divine Doctor is a Divine Doctor; the fee is Five Hundred Liang of silver."
The middle-aged steward quickly instructed his people: "Get the silver for the Divine Doctor!"
Shopkeeper Ding said, "Hand it to me first; I guarantee it."
That made sense. Huihe Inn hadn't been around for just a day or two; they were much more reliable than a Divine Doctor.
If Shopkeeper Ding dared to say that, he would be held responsible if the yamen came knocking.
The crowd outside was once again drawn by the howling from the room.
Some people shook their heads: "This Woman is causing trouble."
Some people looked at the handsome man and chuckled. A Mistress openly keeping a kept man right under the nose of the main wife—truly something.
Inside the room.
This was considered the Main Rooms, relatively large and elegant, but it was currently chaotic, a scene of turmoil.
The main wife was thrown onto a chair, her mouth askew and eyes rolling; no matter how wealthy she once was, she now suffered from senile dementia.
The Woman pounced on him, tormenting him, showing no disgust, only wishing he would pass away quickly.
The Steward followed in, trembling with anger at the sight! Looking at the Employer, he became even more furious, drooling excessively; the harder he insisted on raising his hand, the more pathetic he looked.
The Woman was tormenting the Merchant.
A Maidservant came over to deal with the Divine Doctor.
Old Ancestor Yeman slapped her aside.
The Steward ordered people to restrain her.
Several more people entered from behind and confronted this Steward.
Old Ancestor Yeman went over and grabbed the Woman's hair.
Ow!
The Woman had made a fuss for a long time, but this time she was truly miserable.
She turned around, intending to fight the Divine Doctor.
This way, the Merchant was conveniently released.
Ye Man grabbed a lock of hair and flung it aside.
Ding Yuan and a few Servant Boys came over, impressed by how formidable the Divine Doctor was!
With their help, Ye Man could at least focus on treating the patient without distraction.
The Merchant breathed a sigh of relief, and his appearance immediately improved slightly.
The Steward was so emotional he was about to cry, explaining to his Employer: "This is the Divine Doctor found by Shopkeeper Ding; the fee is Five Hundred Liang of silver, which I already agreed to."
The Merchant was not yet fifty years old; although he had traveled extensively and looked weathered, his condition wasn't too bad.
He wore a light-colored silk robe, less exquisite than the Woman's. A piece of jade lay shattered on the floor; it was likely a jade pendant.
The floor was a mess and hadn't been cleaned, nor had the Merchant been tended to.
Ye Man, having been a doctor for many years, didn't care about any of this, only needing to state one thing: "My consultation fee is five hundred liang, the medicine is eight hundred liang, and you must also compensate the Inn five hundred liang. If you have no objections, blink your eyes."
The Merchant's mouth was askew, but he resolutely blinked his eyes, perfectly understanding.
The Steward quickly guaranteed: "We will send the silver to Shopkeeper Ding right away. Although we don't have much cash, we will give One Thousand Liang first."
Ye Man nodded: "You disrupted the Inn, and look at these rascals. If it weren't for their help, and if Shopkeeper Ding hadn't been compassionate and brave enough to step forward, you would all be finished."
The Steward understood. If the Employer had died, these people would likely have made him take the blame, preventing him from speaking up.
Truly vicious!
But if the Employer recovered, would he tolerate them continuing their actions?
Ye Man inserted one needle, and the Merchant's mouth stopped drooling.
The second needle corrected his mouth.
The third needle straightened his eyes.
He rolled his eyes back and fainted.
Ow!
The Woman shrieked, like someone performing a shamanic dance, and lunged over, wielding a Vase to smash the Divine Doctor.
Ding Yuan bravely stood in front of the Divine Doctor.
Ye Man finished the treatment with one needle, then inserted another into the Woman.
Bang! The Woman fell to the ground and finally quieted down.
Ow! The Maidservant lunged over, continuing the disturbance!
Ye Man used one needle, then looked at the others: Are you still causing trouble?
The middle-aged Steward stepped forward: "Don't be stubborn! The Employer will surely be fine. If you repent now, the Employer might spare you. Otherwise, even if I die, I won't let any of you off easily!"
A quick-witted Servant Boy, already calculating the Five Hundred Liang of silver and perhaps other Reward money, stepped forward and said: "Man proposes, Heaven disposes. This Esteemed guest （ indicates the Merchant ） is certainly blessed to have met our Shopkeeper and the Divine Doctor. Even if we go to the yamen, the County Magistrate is the fairest and best at discerning right from wrong."
These people were prepared if they expected to fight a lawsuit later, but fighting a lawsuit in Ningzhou involving the Inn meant they might not have the advantage.
Therefore, it was also crucial for the Steward to pay the Inn silver first to secure Shopkeeper Ding's support.
The Steward, calculating that he was isolated and without support, understood this principle and paid the silver without hesitation.
He didn't have much cash left, so he carried a piece of jade over, placed it on a side table, and asked the Divine Doctor, "Can this be used as payment?"
Ye Man nodded—excellent!
Wearing the very large Cloak, she took the jade while needling and tucked it inside the Cloak.
She looked quite fond of money.
There was another issue: this piece of jade weighed about fifteen or sixteen jin, yet she tucked it away on her person, hiding her true capabilities!
What else was she hiding on her person?
Ye Man thought to herself, with a Spatial Dimension, she could handle twenty tons more.
The debt was settled. Anyway, for the Steward, letting others benefit cheaply meant letting others benefit cheaply again.
Material possessions were not as important as life. Looking at the Employer again, although he was unconscious, his Complexion had clearly improved.
This Divine Doctor truly had skill! The One Thousand Taels of Silver was not taken in vain.
Others dared not interfere; if the delay dragged on, who knew what lingering effects there might be. The Steward felt the silver was well spent!
Outside, the crowd was restless, itching to move.
Shopkeeper Ding earning Five Hundred Liang of silver so easily made the Neighbors, if no one else, very jealous.
But this matter relied on individual capability; anyone who earned a windfall like this considered it unexpected wealth, something that wouldn't happen every day.
Everyone started becoming curious about the Merchant—what fate awaited him for keeping such a Mistress?
"Hey, remember how well off Tan Sheng and Miss Qian were before?" someone gossiped.
It was raining as the Cai Family's Horse Carriage passed by on the road.