Chapter 3: Announcement of Results

Lu Jinping shook his head and said, "There is no need to mention my name, because if I cannot cure your daughter, you will have no interest in remembering it. It is more important to quickly attend to your daughter's illness."

Upon hearing this, the onlooker Yao, who was not far away, nearly burst into laughter. Overjoyed, he turned to look at Lai Tou Zhang and the others in the alley, smirking with pride, as if to say: What do you think? I still have a plan. This time, I guarantee he won't be able to handle the consequences!

Old Master Gao entered the living room and, upon seeing Lu Jinping, couldn't help but be slightly taken aback, simply because Lu Jinping was too young. Old Master Gao truly found it hard to believe that a young doctor could cure his daughter's illness

I never expected to be forcibly brought in like this; there is no way to avoid it now. I waved my hand at the maid Ye Qingqing and then smiled at the servant, saying: "No need to say more, we will go with you. Let's go see your young lady's illness."

Ye Qingqing was somewhat perplexed and asked, "What do you mean by revealing the list? Who has revealed your list?"

Lu Jinping felt somewhat perplexed. Although the young maid who had just run away was quick and had a similar attire and height, he could still clearly see that her appearance was not that of his own maid, Ye Qingqing. This notice had been posted on the wall of the yamen for quite some time, and he was certainly aware of its contents. He picked it up to take a look, and indeed, it was the notice from a court official seeking a renowned doctor to treat his precious daughter. Just as he was about to speak, his maid Ye Qingqing had already walked out from the alley.

Having said that, the household servants assisted Lu Jinping and the others in moving the stalls, tables, chairs, and benches to a nearby shop for storage, which Lu Jinping had previously arranged with this shop.

Lu Jinping certainly noticed the disappointment on the face of Old Master Gao. In fact, Lu Jinping was not very keen on taking on this case, as Old Master Gao's daughter had already undergone treatment by several renowned doctors, yet to no avail. As a practitioner of Western medicine, he lacked confidence in being able to treat her without the aid of Western medicine and modern medical equipment. Seeing the look of disappointment on Old Master Gao's face provided him with a perfect opportunity to withdraw. Thus, he smiled faintly and cupped his hands, saying: "If Old Master Gao does not trust my medical skills, it would be better to seek someone more capable. I take my leave!" After saying this, Lu Jinping turned and walked out.

The steward rushed in front of Lu Jinping, pointing at the maid who had run into the alley, and said: "That is your maid, isn't it? Did you ask her to reveal the list?"

Lu Jinping had already seen the smug smile of Yao Pangzi not far away and immediately understood what was going on. This kind of situation was difficult to explain, but he was too lazy to clarify, as it would be hard to articulate anyway. After all, he was a medical student, albeit one trained in Western medicine that was of no use in ancient times. However, making a diagnosis was not a problem; perhaps he could figure out what illness the daughter of the official from the capital was suffering from, and then let traditional Chinese medicine prescribe the appropriate treatment, which might be helpful. Previously, in his impoverished state, he had considered taking on the challenge to examine the official's daughter to see what was wrong, hoping to earn a fee and some money for books to improve his life. However, he thought about the fact that he was trained in Western medicine, with a focus on forensic medicine, and feared that it would be of no use, and he might be misunderstood as a fraud. Thus, he decided that it was better to avoid trouble and chose not to go.

At this moment, he had just come out of his daughter's room and heard that someone had come to reveal the list again, which inevitably sparked a glimmer of hope within him. Even though he had faced countless disappointments, the appearance of the list revealer reignited his faint hope. He hurriedly went out to personally welcome them.

Old Master Gao was somewhat surprised, as previously, whether it was doctors or sorcerers, they all boasted about their medical skills or magical abilities, claiming they could certainly cure his daughter. However, this young man seemed not to care much about such matters, which instead gave Old Master Gao a bit more hope. None of those self-proclaimed experts had been able to cure his daughter's illness, and this young man was quite the opposite of them; perhaps he had his own unique insights. Therefore, a smile appeared more frequently on Old Master Gao's face, and he hurriedly stepped forward, cupping his hands in respect, saying: "Young Master, please stay. Since you have come, you must take a look at my daughter's illness; how can you just leave like this? May I ask your esteemed name?"

Regarding the titles used in the Tang Dynasty, many differ from modern interpretations. For instance, a servant addressing their master as "A Lang" may seem disrespectful to contemporary readers. Additionally, a servant refers to their elderly female master and the master's daughter both as "Niangzi," which can often astonish readers in novels. Imagine a lewd male servant calling the matron "Niangzi" and also addressing the matron's daughter in the same manner; it would create discomfort, evoking a sense of impropriety. In the Tang Dynasty, a son would call his father "Gege" or "Yeye," which could further confuse readers regarding familial hierarchy if written this way. Therefore, in this book, for the sake of clarity and ease of understanding, we will use titles that modern readers can comprehend whenever there is a clear inconsistency with contemporary understanding that may lead to ambiguity. For example, an elderly male master will be referred to as "Laoye," a young master as "Shaoye," and the master's daughter as "Xiaojie," among others, rather than using the authentic titles from the Tang Dynasty. This clarification is made in the hope that history enthusiasts will not take offense and will find it amusing instead.

It is clearly you, so what? Have you revealed the truth but refuse to take responsibility? Are you intentionally mocking the Gao family? Let me tell you, even if you are from a family like yours, or even the high-ranking officials in the capital, you must show respect to our esteemed Elder Gao and dare not offend him in the slightest. If you truly have the ability to cure our young lady, you will certainly be rewarded handsomely. However, if you are here to cause trouble and seek amusement, I will take you to see the authorities. Even the governor must give our Elder Gao some face! Not only will you be punished, but you will also be publicly shackled for three months!

When Old Master Gao previously posted the notice, his beloved daughter had already consulted numerous renowned doctors, yet there was no sign of improvement. As he watched his daughter deteriorate day by day, now barely clinging to life, he was truly at his wit's end. This prompted him to post the notice offering a substantial reward for medical assistance, even promising that a son-in-law who came to their aid would inherit his family fortune. Although many responded to the notice seeking to treat her, none were able to cure his daughter's illness. He even encountered several fraudsters who deceived him for money, driving Old Master Gao nearly to the brink of madness. Now, seeing his daughter in a semi-comatose state, he was engulfed in despair.

After arranging the tables and chairs, Lu Jinping brushed off his robe and followed the house servant with Ye Qingqing towards the residence of Old Master Gao. As they passed by Fatty Yao, a cold smile appeared at the corner of his mouth

Upon thinking of this, Fatty Yao became cheerful again, grinning as he hurried to the alley and informed Lai Tou Zhang and the others of the situation. Lai Tou Zhang and the others were also quite pleased and immediately followed behind, eager to see whether Lu Jinping would receive a scolding or be directly taken to the authorities for punishment. He did not understand medicine, so it was likely to be the latter.

The housekeeper secretly laughed, for every time someone came to challenge the list, the master would eagerly hope to welcome them out. However, once that person was at a loss for words, he would fly into a rage and scold them fiercely, even sending someone to take them to the yamen. It is feared that this time, the scholar setting up a stall will meet the same fate.

It is impossible; I have never heard of him being able to treat illnesses. This bookworm only knows how to study to death and has never learned even a bit of medical skills. Presumably, realizing he cannot explain clearly, he decided to just deal with it. However, how could the official Gao and the esteemed scholar Tu be people who can be easily dealt with? The previous doctors who came were all scolded and chased away for failing to cure the illness. Two others, who clearly lacked medical knowledge, were deemed by Old Lady Gao to be nothing but frauds trying to swindle money, and they were directly handed over to the authorities, receiving a beating and being publicly humiliated in stocks. It seems that Lu Jinping cannot escape this fate either

At this moment, the fat man Yao was somewhat taken aback. What he had originally wanted to see was Lu Jinping desperately denying the accusations. However, the housekeeper was relentless, even resorting to physical violence. Although the housekeeper would certainly not be able to overpower that foul girl, he would not allow himself to be humiliated. Therefore, he returned to report to Old Master Gao. Old Master Gao might either organize a large group of housekeepers to severely punish Lu Jinping and that foul girl, or use the authority of the government to directly arrest Lu Jinping for legal action. Regardless of which option it was, it was something he hoped to see. However, to his surprise, they seemed unfazed, as if they had been waiting for this moment, and actually followed the housekeeper to Old Master Gao's residence.

The steward just saw the back of that maid and did not see her face. From her attire and height, he immediately concluded that she was the maid who had just revealed the notice. He pointed at her and exclaimed: "That's right, it's her! She was the one who revealed the notice just now. She is your maid, isn't she? Since you have revealed the notice, hurry up and come with me to see our old master!"

Lu Jinping arrived at the front hall of the Gao residence with her maid, Ye Qingqing, and waited there while a steward went inside to report.

Could it be that this impoverished nobleman actually knows how to treat illnesses

Upon hearing this, the steward's expression immediately softened, and he smiled as he said, "Very well, please follow me."