Five Strings of Coins

"I'm quite busy here; everyone needs me. Just bring over any patients who meet the requirements!"

"We specialize in treating superficial injuries, from sprains to fractures. Our fees vary depending on the severity of the injury, and we offer a full refund if the treatment is ineffective!"

Zhang Xuezhou didn't take the initiative to offer himself up. He pondered a bunch of psychology books and felt that it was more advantageous for him to sit back and wait.

As for Master Zhao, the other party didn't even invite Wang Er from the pharmacy. He might have suffered some injuries, but they weren't as serious as one might imagine.

Not only did Dong Zhongshu not want to get involved in Zhao Liang's symptoms, but Zhang Xuezhou also did not want to get involved in the other party's illness, and even less did he want to wait for the thank-you banquet after the father and son recovered.

For Zhang Xuezhou, the process of receiving money for medical treatment and purchasing medicine was that simple.

"Second Sister, is Master's injury considered a superficial wound?"

Seeing that it was difficult to persuade Zhang Xuezhou to go to the Zhao family mansion, and with many people gathered around echoing her sentiments, the third concubine, Green Luo, had no choice but to squeeze through the crowd to ask the second branch of the Zhao family.

"Sir, it's a bone injury, the bone and skin aren't even touching, so it shouldn't be considered a superficial injury!"

Second concubine Hongyi pondered for a few seconds and felt that Master Zhao's illness did not seem to fall within the scope mentioned by Zhang Xuezhou.

"Should we have the master come here for treatment?" Green Ivy asked.

"Is there someone our Zhao family can't get?" Hongyi asked curiously. "Why don't you talk to Scholar Zhang and tell him to be respectful to you, and ask him to come and examine the master's illness!"

"He's busy," Green Ivy said with a headache. "There are still some people waiting for him to treat their illnesses. If our Zhao family takes him away, I'm afraid it will incite public outrage!"

"Erudite Dong, could you please persuade Mr. Zhang to come and examine my master's illness, to see if it's just a superficial injury?"

"The righteous spirit that permeates heaven and earth..."

Looking at the Zhao family women who were treating Zhang Xuezhou politely, and then at the two women who were clinging to his clothes, Dong Zhongshu could only mutter to himself, channeling all his resentment into the Vast Righteous Qi Instruction.

As the morning light shone in, Dong Zhongshu squinted at the sun. He felt that the darkness had passed and the world was once again a place of righteousness.

This gave him a vague sense of sublimation.

He even wavered, wanting to break free from the two women of the Zhao family and fly away.

If this world has an end, Dong Zhongshu believed that the sun might be that end.

His body swayed slightly, creating a peculiar rhythm as he faced the sunlight.

He was constantly annoyed by the two women from the Zhao family, but when he immersed himself in his own little world and ignored everything else, he could feel the surge of emotion even more.

However, the constraints of his physical body and Law Power made it difficult for Dong Zhongshu to break free and ascend.

"The opportunity for a breakthrough came, and then it's gone!"

Dong Zhongshu didn't know how many times he had experienced this physical sensation of wanting to ascend and break through, but he failed each time.

He needs external impetus to enter a state of perfect harmony Unity of Celestial Person and Heaven, and complete unity of mind and body.

But this external force has always been fortuitous opportunity he has been pursuing but has yet to obtain.

Dong Zhongshu was also well aware of the consequences of forcibly pushing upwards.

Perhaps one will successfully enter the Sole Self Realm, or perhaps one will fail, or perhaps one will succeed but then lose the path to further advancement.

Without sufficient follow-up support, there are only three possible outcomes, Dong Zhongshu would certainly not gamble on that.

He simply lacks suitable heavenly materials and earthly treasures, which is something he can eventually find and acquire. However, if he goes astray in his cultivation, it might cause him to regret it for the rest of his life.

"I can't rush, I can't rush, I absolutely can't rush!"

Dong Zhongshu murmured to himself, and only after his body was tugged several more times did he reluctantly open his eyes.

"Erudite Dong, could you please make way? My husband has driven here to see a doctor!"

When I opened my eyes again, a considerable amount of time had clearly passed.

Dong Zhongshu looked ahead and saw that the Zhao family's fierce servants and retainers had already driven away the many onlookers.

Behind him, the Zhao family's carriage had come to a helpless stop in the middle of the road.

If he doesn't move aside, Master Zhao will have no choice but to lift the carriage off the spot.

"Hongyi, Luluo, Qingmeng, I told you to properly invite Erudite Dong, so don't throw a tantrum and offend Erudite Dong! Sigh, cough cough cough!"

Master Zhao coughed repeatedly and had him carried off the carriage.

This prompted Dong Zhongshu to quickly walk a few steps to make way for him.

He ignored Master Zhao; if not for the other party's instructions, those three concubines would not have come to the prefect's mansion to pester him so early.

However, Dong Zhongshu couldn't help but sense that trouble was brewing.

Although local tyrants like Master Zhao could only maintain their dominance in their own region, they possessed the power and wealth to travel to Chang'an City to file complaints.

In the turbulent Chang'an City, if an official were to be complained about by someone from a prefecture thousands of miles away, it could easily escalate into a major case.

Amidst the back-and-forth investigations and delays, clashes between members of various schools of thought continued in the imperial court, Dong Zhongshu, who belonged to the Confucian School school, was bound to face constant suppression.

"What terrible thing happened to me? I remember I only came to Shu County to investigate the academy..."

The initial events surrounding Dong Zhongshu's arrival in Shu County were quite simple.

But after spending a little longer in Shu County, he found himself unknowingly getting into a lot of trouble.

This involves not only the Bashe snake, but also his personal ties with Wen Weng, and the troubles that result from his use of Zhao Liang's magic.

Each incident involved many factors, making it difficult for Dong Zhongshu to extricate himself.

He felt as if he were caught in a whirlpool, and as it spun, it became difficult for him to find the right direction.

"Master Zhao, your injury involves bleeding in your spleen and stomach, and there are bruises and residual blood accumulating in your body. If this injury is not treated as soon as possible, it will inevitably affect your health and may even threaten your strength and lifespan!"

"This injury has greatly depleted my vital energy and Law Power. It will cost at least five strings of cash!"

Why is it so cheap?

"Your life is definitely worth more than five strings of cash."

"Master Zhao, I didn't look down on you!"

Zhang Xuezhou quoted a high price of 5,000 catties of pork, but he realized that he still didn't understand the economy of the Han Dynasty.

Judging from Master Zhao's expression, the other party was indeed telling the truth and was not just giving him a perfunctory answer.

The poor are so poor they can't even afford ten and a half taels of silver to quickly heal their injuries, while the rich are so wealthy they'd complain that five thousand and a half taels of silver is too low.

"These days, how can a son's medical expenses be higher than his father's!"

Zhang Xuezhou understood the real reason behind the second concubine Hongyi's mutterings.

He even clearly understood Master Zhao's faint hope.

If Zhao Liang's treatment costs ten strings of cash, while Master Zhao's symptoms such as internal bleeding and minor bone fractures only require five strings of cash, this means that Zhao Liang's condition is far more complicated than Master Zhao's.

The position of Commandant of Shu Commandery was not something that Zhao Liang could simply pass on to his second son just because he resigned; the benefits of the position were also more than ten strings of cash.

Master Zhao was well aware of the purchasing power of money, but precisely because he knew it all too well, his heart sank.

He hoped Zhang Xuezhou would accept ten or even twenty strings of cash, so that he could have a comparison in his mind.

However, Zhang Xuezhou's unwillingness to go to the Zhao family mansion and his lower fee than the reward offered for Zhao Liang's treatment speak volumes.

"Keep pestering Erudite Dong; only he can save Liang'er!"

In the end, Master Zhao could only whisper instructions in the ear of his second concubine, Hongyi.

In just one day, everything changed dramatically.

Master Zhao could foresee the Zhao family's potential decline.

If everything is to be restored to its original state, not only does his injury need to heal as quickly as possible, but the Zhao family also needs to have someone within the official power structure of the imperial court.

Master Zhao was not only saving his eldest son, but also salvaging the very foundation of the Zhao family's control over the sale of salt in Shu County. No matter how great the cost, it had to be paid.