Chapter 15
Doubted Once Again
“Please don’t make things difficult for me, General Gan.” Since the platoon chief was not Gan Maosheng’s man, he was not afraid to defy orders. However, he also did not wish to cause unnecessary trouble for himself.
If General Gan had sent someone older, he might believe that the girl possessed the medical knowledge to treat the sick villagers. However, she looked too young to have any healing skills.
Zhao Chuchu saw the doubt in the platoon chief’s eyes. With feigned courage, she spoke up. “My lord, does your shoulder feel sore often? Do you find it difficult to draw your sword at times?”
The platoon chief looked incredulously at Zhao Chuchu. No one but him knew about his condition.
“How did this girl know?” he wondered.
“What nonsense. There’s nothing wrong with me.” The platoon chief denied it vehemently.
Zhao Chuchu continued, “My lord, you don’t have to admit it. But if this issue persists, I’m afraid you may one day lose the strength to lift your sword. Why don’t you let me treat you with acupuncture?”
“Didn’t you say that you learned medical skills from reading books and self-study? How do you know acupuncture?”
“She has been practicing her acupuncture skills on me all this while,” Xie Heng said calmly. “My lord, you refuse to let Chuchu help treat the virus. Now, you’re even stopping her from utilizing her medical skills. If her prescription turns out to be effective, won’t you live to regret it?”
The platoon chief was a little shaken by Xie Heng’s words.
He also had his misgivings about killing so many people. But it was an order issued by the court. He could not defy it.
“Are you still unconvinced of Ms. Chuchu’s medical skills? Did you know I was also infected by the virus?” Gan Maosheng was starting to get impatient. He had brought far more guards than the platoon chief had in the village.
If the platoon chief continued to stop him from entering the village, he would not hesitate to fight his way inside.
Just then, a guard whispered to the platoon chief, “General Gan was indeed infected with the plague. It seems he has subsequently recovered. Chief, why don’t we let them give it a try? General Gan is here. He will bear the responsibility if anything goes wrong.”
The platoon chief pondered for a moment before asking, “How can you prove that the prescription works? If it doesn’t work, what will General Gan do? I am only a platoon chief, with dozens of soldiers under me. I cannot implicate all of them.”
Gan Maosheng smiled coldly. “If I use force on all of you, what can you do to me?”
The platoon chief’s face darkened, but he finally relented, allowing General Gan and his troops into the village. However, he asked to have Xie Heng brought to him.
Zhao Chuchu was deeply angered by his request. “Can’t you see he’s blind? How can you use him as a hostage? You don’t trust my medical skills at all. I might as well not treat these villagers. General Gan, let’s go to another village. He’s turning down an effective prescription. We’ll see how the court punishes him later.”
Xie Heng was surprised at how protective Zhao Chuchu was toward him.
On seeing how infuriated Zhao Chuchu was, the platoon chief did not dare to make things any more difficult for them.
“I’m sorry. I’ve been too rude.”
The platoon chief thought, “Since Gan Maosheng has recovered, perhaps this really works? The Imperial Court looks at the evidence and never gives unreasonable orders.”
The platoon chief figured that if the prescription helped treat the virus, he would be in trouble if the court found out he had rejected it.
“My lord, General Gan would not have brought us here if we were not sure. Besides, isn’t it wonderful to stay alive? Why would we want to create trouble for ourselves?” Zhao Chuchu gave the platoon chief a knowing smirk.
“Chuchu, you need to control yourself. Don’t talk so much.” Xie Heng tried to warn her.
“Everyone thinks we can be easily pushed around. If I don’t say all this now, I won’t have a chance to do so in the future. I won’t let them bully us like before. Give them an inch, and they will take a mile.”
After saying that, Zhao Chuchu walked into the village in a huff.
The platoon chief’s face turned pale.
However, he did not dare to say or do anything as Gan Maosheng was present.
When Zhao Chuchu arrived at the area where the patients lived, she used a piece of cloth to cover her mouth and nose.
She took one look at them and immediately realized that they were suffering from the same disease as the patients in Lengshui Village.
To be sure, she checked every patient’s pulse. She then instructed the men to prepare the herbs so she could brew the medicine.
Just as she was starting the fire to cook the medicine, she heard a woman shouting in a shrill voice. “The court wants to kill us all, even though we are innocent people. How can they get this young girl to treat us?”