Chapter 67 Two Si Cao
The beginning of the story is always extremely gentle, and the ending is always extremely cruel.

The more fun you have while playing, the harder you will be beaten afterward.

Early in the morning, in the main hall of Taiping Medical Clinic, She Dengke and Liu Quxing stood in a row in front of the counter.

Old man Yao went back to the backyard, took out two bamboo sticks, and beat the two men until they cried like ghosts and wolves: "You have learned to stay out all night drinking, right? Your parents paid for your studies to send you to me, just to let you drink? You can't even take a pulse accurately, when can we expect you to diagnose patients?"

Liu Quxing cried out, "Master, I can take the pulse accurately. The one who can't is She Dengke!"

She Dengke cried so hard that snot bubbles appeared on his face: "Liu Quxing, your uncle!"

At this time, Old Man Yao turned around fiercely and looked at Chen Ji who was watching the show on the bamboo chair: "And you!"

Chen Ji rolled his eyes up and said, "Master, my wound hurts so much."

After saying that, he pretended to faint.

However, Old Man Yao ignored all this and slapped Chen Ji all over his head with a bamboo stick, causing him to wake up and scream, "Master, I'm injured, I'm injured!"

"Now you remember that you're injured? Why didn't you think about it when you were playing?" Old man Yao took turns beating his apprentices. When one stick broke, he would switch to another. Everyone then understood why the other party had to bring out two bamboo sticks directly...

After beating the apprentice, Old Man Yao looked at the prince again: "Prince went to Donglin Academy to study for three years. After returning from school, he always lingered in the place of fireworks. It seems that the teachers in Donglin are not that good."

The prince subconsciously agreed: "It's really not that good..."

He suddenly realized that he had said the wrong thing, and hurriedly smiled and said, "No, don't get me wrong, I was so happy yesterday, we really have the same ideas..."

Old Man Yao slowly raised his hand, and the prince quickly shrank and hid behind the white carp, muttering softly: "I guess you were also so willful when you were young..."

Bai Li took a step forward and held Old Man Yao's arm: "Don't be angry, don't bother with them."

Old man Yao raised his eyebrows: "Weren't you there last night? Stand back."

Baili lowered his head in disappointment and returned to the queue.

Old Man Yao looked at Liang Gou'er again and said, "You live in my Taiping Clinic with good food and drink, and then you lead my apprentice astray?"

Liang Gou'er also lowered his head: "Don't worry, I will definitely not take them out overnight next time."

Old man Yao stared with his eyes wide open, his beard puffing up: "Will there be a next time?"

This old man with white hair and beard, like an elder to everyone, fairly reprimanded everyone except Liang Mao'er. The prince, Bai Li, and Liang Gou'er all hung their heads and did not refute...

However, what was strange was that, logically speaking, Old Man Yao was only the imperial physician in Prince Jing's mansion, but when he scolded the Crown Prince and the Princess, even the Crown Prince and the others felt it was so reasonable and natural.

Doctor Yao said coldly: "Stand here and reflect on yourselves!"

After saying that, he turned and went back to the backyard, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Liu Quxing sobbed, "Master beat me too hard."

Liang Gou'er lazily leaned on the counter, supporting his elbows on the tabletop: "Just be content. It's good that there are still people willing to teach you a lesson these days. If someone had beaten me up severely back then, I probably wouldn't have stopped drinking every day..."

Liang Gou'er looked at the prince and said, "You and the princess don't have to stand here as punishment. This old man can't control you. Why do you stay here to be scolded?"

The prince said jokingly, "What are you talking about? Good friends should share wealth and adversity together!"

……

……

At this moment, there was a knock on the door: "Is Doctor Yao here?"

Everyone in the clinic breathed a sigh of relief. An outsider had come and there was hope!

Doctor Yao walked back to the main hall slowly. He glanced at She Dengke and said, "Go open the door!"

She Dengke hurried outside, and after a while, he led the guests into the backyard.

Chen Ji looked up and saw the shopkeeper Yuan of Bailu Pavilion, smiling and carrying two bags of things, including fruits, snacks, and even a bunch of fresh lamb legs.

At this moment, all the dreams, the singing girls, and the sweet wine disappeared because of the visit of Manager Yuan, and everything that happened last night seemed like just a good dream.

Since he was injured, Chen Ji seemed to have stayed away from disputes. He was learning fighting skills on the green hills while being led by the prince to play around.

Live a fulfilling and down-to-earth life, as if the shadows of the past have gone away and will never come back.

But he knew that what was coming would eventually come.

Old Man Yao asked, "My Taiping Clinic just replenished its medicinal materials a few days ago. Why did Manager Yuan come here in person again? Don't you need to do business anymore?"

Shopkeeper Yuan responded with a smile, "A clerk from Bailu Pavilion said that he saw Chen Ji being carried on the street yesterday. He must have been injured, so I thought of coming to see him."

Chen Ji knew that it must be because he, the prince and the princess had paraded through the city yesterday and attracted the attention of the Jing Dynasty's Military Intelligence Department.

He knew the other party might come, but he didn't expect him to come so soon.

Old Man Yao glanced at Shopkeeper Yuan and said indifferently, "Shopkeeper Yuan is a busy man, but he actually came to my Taiping Clinic to visit a little apprentice?"

Shopkeeper Yuan didn't care about Old Man Yao's harsh words: "Before, Doctor Chen often came to my Bailu Pavilion to buy medicinal materials. I got along with him from the first sight, so I brought some things to visit him. Please go ahead and talk to Doctor Chen."

Old Man Yao nodded. "Well, you two can chat. She Dengke, go fetch water. Liu Quxing, go mop the floor. Liang Maoer, go cook. Liang Gouer...you go to sleep."

Liang Gou'er said awkwardly, "I'm eating and living for free at Taiping Clinic, it's okay for you to let me go, don't be polite to me."

"Okay, then go and chop the wood!"

"okay!"

The prince quickly apologized with a smile, "Let's stay and do some work before we leave. Bai Li, go find a rag and wipe the table in the main hall..."

Bai Li smiled and said, "Okay!"

While everyone was busy, Manager Yuan asked in a low voice: "Did you find the defected spy the night before yesterday?" Chen Ji shook his head and said seriously: "I was seriously injured and fainted that night, and I don't know anything about what happened afterwards. But since the Secret Service has not come to arrest me now, I guess they didn't catch him."

Shopkeeper Yuan was standing in the main hall with his hands behind his back, deep in thought. The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became as cold as ice.

The door of Taiping Clinic was still closed, and the morning light outside shone into the dim room through the white paper on the window.

Chen Ji silently observed the other person's expression without saying a word.

After a while, Manager Yuan asked, "Has anyone from the Military Intelligence Department come to see you in the past two days?"

Chen Ji shook his head: "No."

Shopkeeper Yuan stared at Chen Ji: "Really?"

Chen Ji looked back calmly: "Really not."

Manager Yuan no longer dwelled on this topic. He changed the subject and said, "The last batch of goods has been shipped to the north. I'll give you one day to find a way to inform the important person in the palace that it's time to deliver the next batch of goods. As soon as this batch of goods arrives, the boss will immediately set off to the south."

Chen Ji said in embarrassment: "But Sir Si Cao, I am so injured, how can I contact that important person? Can you wait until I am healed?"

Manager Yuan's face darkened. He actually bent down and put his hand on the wound on Chen Ji's thigh.

Chen Ji was struck by lightning, beads of sweat the size of beans fell from his forehead. In just a few breaths, the clothes on the back were wet with sweat, but he dared not make a sound.

Liang Gou'er was in the backyard, and Chen Ji could shout and the other party would hear him, but after hearing it, what if he let everyone know that he was a spy from the Military Intelligence Department?
No, it cannot be exposed.

Shopkeeper Yuan whispered, "I don't like people bargaining with me. How to contact is your responsibility, not mine. You should be grateful for saving your life, and don't affect my plan."

At this time, Bai Li came back from the backyard wringing a rag. She was in a good mood and humming a little tune.

Shopkeeper Yuan looked up at her and whispered to Chen Ji, "No matter what method you use, I will only give you one day."

"understood."

Shopkeeper Yuan turned and left. He pushed the door open, but stood inside, as if someone was blocking his way.

Chen Ji looked past his side and saw a man outside the door. He was wearing a bamboo hat, patched clothes, and straw sandals. He was holding a short knife in his hand and standing in the morning mist with his head lowered. His face could not be seen clearly.

The other party and Shopkeeper Yuan were facing each other from a distance, neither of them spoke a word, but murderous intent was in the air.

Wait, this is another officer from the Military Intelligence Department!
Chen Ji suddenly realized: just as the Secret Service Department has the twelve zodiac signs, there is more than one Si Cao in the Military Intelligence Department. There are two in Luocheng alone: ​​one is a fat man who pretends to be the shopkeeper Yuan, and the other is a thin man who used to wear a green-faced and fang-toothed mask and liked to use a short knife.

Chen Ji sensed the danger and turned to Bai Li who was wiping the table and said, "Princess, can you help me get a glass of water?"

Bai Li was unaware of what was happening and just responded with a smile: "Okay, I'll go get you some water."

After Bai Li left, Manager Yuan calmly said to another Si Cao: "What are you doing here?"

The Si Cao on the opposite side sneered: "What are you doing here again?"

"Now that Luo City is under my jurisdiction, you need to put yourself in the right position," said Manager Yuan, then he got on the carriage and left in a hurry.

The Si Cao wearing a bamboo hat stared at Chen Ji quietly for a long time before leaving.

Chen Ji was confused. Why did the two Si Cao gather in front of Taiping Medical Clinic?
At this time, Baili brought a glass of boiled water: "Here, warm water..."

Chen Ji did not take the water, but looked up at Princess Baili: "Princess, can I trust you?"

Bai Li smiled and said, "Of course, I'm very reliable."

Chen Ji suddenly stood up from the bamboo chair, limped and struggled to walk outside. When he reached the door, he turned around and looked at Princess Baili: "Close the door after I leave, and keep it a secret for me, thank you."

……

……

Chen Ji took advantage of the fact that there were not many pedestrians on the street and quickly walked to the wall of the backyard of the cloth shop.

As soon as he turned into the alley, he was stunned. He saw Wu Yun squatting on the white wall and gray tiles, with more than a dozen tabby cats following behind him, obeying his orders.

On the opposite side of the dark clouds, a half-blind tabby cat squatted on the gray tiles, followed by more than ten cats, including fat orange cats and cow cats.

The war is about to start.

Chen Ji didn't bother to think about what was going on, and immediately waved to Wuyun: "Wuyun!"

Wuyun meowed, "Step back first, so that the blood won't splash on you later."

Chen Ji: "..."

There is murderous intent.

He said, "Don't fight for now. I have something very important to ask of you."

When Wu Yun heard this, he immediately gave up his killing intent and looked at Chen Ji: "What's wrong?"

Chen Ji said, "Just now, a man wearing a bamboo hat left Taiping Clinic and headed south. His clothes were patched and he was wearing a pair of straw sandals. If you chase him now, you will definitely catch up with him. You must help me follow him quietly. I want to know his true identity!"

Wuyun meowed and ignored the group of cats that had been confronting it. He turned around and led more than a dozen tabby cats to disperse into various alleys and chased to the south.

At the same time, a carriage slowly stopped in front of the clinic.

Jin Zhu lifted the car curtain and jumped out, then walked to the door of Taiping Medical Clinic and knocked with a smile.

Bai Li came to the door and asked cautiously, "Who is it?"

Jin Zhu was also startled when he heard the princess' voice: "Hello, I am Chen Ji's friend. I heard that he was injured, so I came to visit him."

(End of this chapter)