Función clerical

Capítulo 39

Su Chenche grasped Su Wanzhi's hand and took a deep breath: "Auntie, I need to go to the bathroom, I'll go out first!"

Su Wanzhi: "..."

Before Su Wanzhi could react, Su Chenche immediately left.

Just as she reached the door, a gentle male voice rang out: "Where are you going?" His tone carried a subtle but authoritative air.

Su Chenche smiled innocently, his eyes crinkling: "Why is Uncle here too?"

A man who looked to be in his early thirties but had an exceptionally outstanding demeanor stood at the entrance.

His uncle-in-law, the Emperor of Northern Zhou, was Ji Ke, once the most handsome man in Northern Zhou.

He gave Su Chenche an even more harmless smile: "How can your aunt take you back by herself? The courtyard is already surrounded by imperial guards. You can try to break out."

Su Chenche: "How many people?"

Ji Ke said, "Not much, twelve thousand."

Su Chenche: "...Why is it twice as many as last time?"

Ji Ke laughed and said, "It's rare to bring your aunt out for fun, so safety is the most important thing. It's only twice as many as usual. Go on, your uncle is watching you!"

Su Chenche gripped the sword in reverse, closed his eyes, and charged out.

Su Wanzhi walked out the door and asked worriedly, "Will something happen?"

Ji Ke put his arm around his wife's waist and gently kissed her hair: "Don't worry, she'll only be bedridden for half a month at most. We can go out and explore then."

Su Wanzhi leaned on his shoulder and gave a happy "Mmm".

******************************************************************************

Even without Su Chenche, life goes on, and the carriage continues to run.

To her, Su Chenche was just a passerby, Shen Zhili thought silently.

But... no one was there to act cute, shamelessly flirt, or take advantage of her anymore. She silently looked out of the broken window of the carriage. Why did she feel a little lonely? It had only been a few days...

It must be a bad habit.

Uh-huh!

Just change it!

But Su Chenche didn't seem to have anything to think about. The people guarding her couldn't speak Chinese at all, so they couldn't communicate at all, yet they kept a tight rein on her, not letting her say a word to anyone or touch anything. As a result, she couldn't even get her hands on a medical book, and all she did all day was eat and sleep.

If I don't want to think about Su Chenche, should I think about Hua Jiuye? Or should I think about my master instead?

Shen Zhili struggled with her thoughts, sitting in the carriage silently recalling the incident. She finished remembering it in less than half a day, and for the first time, she began to feel ashamed of her narrow social circle.

Finally, just as Shen Zhili was getting so bored that she started counting on her fingers, they arrived in Southern Xinjiang.

Although she was forced to, this was indeed the first time Shen Zhili had traveled so far. Unfortunately, before she could fully appreciate the scenery of the Southern Frontier while sitting in the carriage, she was ordered by Ge Chui to be stuffed into the Gu King's Palace.

The Gu King's Palace was very large; any room could easily accommodate Shen Zhili. However, the Gu King's Palace was empty.

Kabuki has no immediate plans to mistreat her, nor does he intend to take her out; in short, she is under complete house arrest.

Shen Zhili was scratching his head in exasperation. Although he had no worries about food or clothing, he was incredibly bored...

Moreover, she knew very well that the reason Kabuki kept her around was to lure Hana Hisaya over, and she didn't want to implicate Hana Hisaya in any way.

The debts are too great, and they must eventually be repaid.

Silently noting down the shift change times of the people monitoring her, Shen Zhili feigned illness to obtain several kinds of medicinal juices, and collected the dregs to prepare the medicine.

After waiting for several days and everything was ready, Shen Zhili used medicine to knock out the maid who was supposed to deliver the medicine, changed into her clothes, and sneaked out.

Over the past few days, since she wasn't considered a repeat offender, the guards had gradually relaxed, and her escape plan went unexpectedly smoothly.

I walked out of the hall with my head down and tiptoe, taking a deep breath, and the air seemed much fresher.

Shen Zhili strolled leisurely through the crowd, unaware of a man in black robes hurrying by her side.

The man, draped in a black robe, held a wooden box in his hands. Most of his face was hidden by the robe, with only his thin lips, which were unconsciously pursed, visible.

Gazing at the Gu King's Palace not far away, the man's eyes narrowed dangerously.

A single curve at the corner of the lip can appear incredibly eerie.

The past is gone and cannot be retrieved.

He still remembered the humiliation he suffered when he returned from southern Xinjiang last time; the price he paid was beyond description.

During the five months of pursuit that followed, he barely dared to sleep, fearing that once he fell asleep he would never wake up again. Every day he suffered new injuries and lived in constant fear of being caught and of the backlash from the poison in his body. Yet, as soon as he closed his eyes, those cruel and bloody scenes would reappear.

His eyes seemed to be filled with a gloomy, lingering red.

Hua Jiuye took a deep breath, turned around, and entered the inn.

The Gu King's Palace was too big. He wasn't afraid to go in and confront Ge Chui head-on, but he was afraid that he might not be able to find Shen Zhili.

People came and went in the inn. Hua Jiuye lowered the brim of his hat and put down the wooden box only after entering the room.

Taking the giant python out of the wooden box, Hua Jiuye's fingertips touched the remaining items, trembling slightly before she took them out one by one.

Shen Zhili's hairpin, Shen Zhili's outer robe, Shen Zhili's inner garment, Shen Zhili's...

Finally, there was a letter with a unique texture.

The text above contains only three strange Chinese characters: Come to Southern Xinjiang.

Hua Jiuye's fingers clenched so tightly they were almost deformed, then she let go, the letter already crushed and falling to the ground.

Songs and music.

He whispered the name.

As expected, he still had to be killed.

******************************************************************************

At the same time.

Shen Zhili's eyes widened as she looked at the dazzling array of unique trinkets from southern Xinjiang on the street. She looked at this and that, loving everything she saw.

It's no wonder she's in poor health. Her master rarely let her leave the valley since she was a child. Later, when he took over Huichun Valley, he was so busy that he didn't have any energy left. It was already good if she could find time to stroll around the towns near Huichun Valley. Where would she have the chance to go shopping like this?

Overwhelmed by the sights, Shen Zhili reached into her pocket and realized she was penniless.

To make matters worse, my stomach started growling again.

No matter what, having enough to eat and wear is always the first thing to consider. After thinking it over, Shen Zhili decided to return to her old profession.

Standing in front of the largest medical clinic in Southern Xinjiang, Shen Zhili straightened her maid's clothes, which she had secretly changed into, and adjusted her facial expression before striding inside.

Upon entering, I was stunned by the long queue that stretched like a dragon.

Shen Zhili didn't sit in the clinic, so he had no idea that the clinic outside would look like this.

Just as she was about to move forward, someone stopped her: "Hey, little girl, are you trying to cut in line? Go to the back of the line!"

Shen Zhili forced a smile: "I'm not here for a medical consultation, I'm here to apply for a job."

At this moment, another voice interrupted: "Recruiting? Recruiting as a doctor?"

Shen Zhili turned around and saw an oddly dressed old man looking at her. The man in front of her hurriedly said, "Hello, Doctor Zhao!" His tone was very respectful.

Knowing that he was a colleague, Shen Zhili felt a sense of kinship and replied, "I'm here to apply for a doctor position."

Doctor Zhao had just received a gift of money from a wealthy young master and was in a good mood. He kindly asked, "So, what are your skills?"

Shen Zhili: "Observation, auscultation, inquiry, and palpation; diagnosis, prescription, acupuncture..." Considering that they were on someone else's turf, it was better to be reserved, so she paused before saying, "I know a little bit of everything."

To know everything is to know nothing at all.

Judging from the girl's dazed look, she probably hasn't seen much of the world. People her age in the clinic are still identifying herbs, let alone treating patients. You must be joking.

However, if she's really willing to learn, taking her on as an apprentice wouldn't be a bad idea...

Dr. Zhao: "Well then, if you'd like, you can stay and clean the backyard first..."

Clean the backyard...

Shen Zhili was taken aback: "I came here to apply for a doctor position."

Dr. Zhao patiently explained, "I know, but..."

Shen Zhili said simply, "Sir, give me a table and a chair, and I can start seeing patients right away. As for the consultation fee, uh, ten taels of silver per session?"

Dr. Zhao: "How much did you say?"

Shen Zhili: "Ten taels... what's wrong?"

Doctor Zhao's eyes widened, and his beard bristled: "I see now, little girl, you're here to cause trouble! Men, throw this brat out!"

This was the first time Shen Zhili had ever been thrown out of a clinic. In the past, when clinics under Huichun Valley invited her three or four times, Shen Zhili had always politely declined, partly because she couldn't get away and partly because she was too lazy to go.

Who would have thought that one day the dignified healer of Huichun Valley would be thrown out of his clinic!

It's just... it's just...

"This is absolutely inhuman!"

Before Shen Zhili could speak, someone else spoke first.

She glanced to the side and saw two people lying on the ground. The woman was protecting a girl with her eyes closed and looking pained, and she angrily shouted, "How could you hit a child! I already said I would work hard to earn money to pay for the medical fees..."

A man walked out of the clinic, his tone cold: "It's not that we're heartless, but you've been owing us so much for your consultation fees, and your child's illness is incurable. Instead of dragging this out, you might as well start preparing for the worst. Hurry up and leave, don't cause any trouble at the door."

The woman held the girl, tears streaming down her face. People around her pointed and whispered, but no one stepped forward to help.

Shen Zhili stopped in her tracks. Suddenly, the scene before her eyes was so familiar that her eyes involuntarily welled up with tears.

At that time, she struggled to hold her ailing foster mother and knelt in front of the clinic, hoping to receive even a little charity, but... among so many high-ranking officials and nobles, no one was willing to give her even a single copper coin.

Why did she study medicine so hard, and why did she try to make money? Ultimately... it's just that she hopes to never see such scenes again...

"etc."

The person at the clinic glanced at Shen Zhili and said coldly, "What is it?"

Shen Zhili: "Can I pay her medical fees?"

The doctor asked, "Do you have any money?"

Shen Zhili: "No."