Chapter 46: The Great Official of the Western Gate

  Have you not seen? The Yellow River's waters come from heaven, rushing to the sea, never to return.

  The horse gallops along the long dam, only to hear the roar like thunder rolling, only to see the waves surging eastward, the shocking waves hitting the shore, and the momentum is majestic.

  The river water is like a mad dragon, but it is tightly trapped by the two banks' majestic and thick long dikes, and can only flow straight down along the river course. This dike is built very well, both wide and high, extremely solid, and has laid such a solid foundation that as long as maintenance is done in time, even if there is a flood that occurs once every hundred years, at least on this section of the river, there will be no problem, and it won't easily happen that the dike bursts and floods the villages, cities and farmland on both banks.

  This water conservancy project was completed under the supervision of Toghon Temür's prime minister, Toghto. Speaking of Toghto, he is also a historical figure. In the late Yuan Dynasty, politics were corrupt and the economy was in trouble. The vast Yuan Empire was on the verge of collapse. After taking office, Toghto worked hard to govern, abolishing the old system of Bayan's time, restoring the imperial examination system, reducing salt taxes, exempting debts, opening horse bans, restoring lectures and learning, managing water conservancy, and promoting agriculture, earning him a reputation as a wise minister.

  The Yellow River's ancient course was already very dilapidated, and breaches of the dike frequently occurred. The imperial court could not but repair it; however, there were differing opinions on how to do so. Toghto did not want to again do patchwork repairs, this official only contended day and night, wanting to make a big show of it, to take one step and complete it, to repair a dike that would be solid for at least a hundred years.

  But doing good deeds also requires careful consideration. At that time, the national situation was just beginning to show signs of improvement, and people's livelihoods had not yet recovered. Such a massive project would be an enormous burden on the common people, as one can imagine. It was not the right time for such a big undertaking. If you want to leave a legacy for future generations, you cannot let the current generation suffer. Therefore, Han Shantong of the Northern Sect of the Ming Cult hid a stone statue in the river mud with only one eye exposed, saying "Don't say that the stone man has only one eye, stirring up the Yellow River and causing chaos throughout the land". As a result, hundreds of thousands of people who had gathered to work on the river project rebelled.

  Looking at the rolling Yellow River water in front of him, thinking about the stormy stories that have arisen because of it over the decades, Xia Chuo suddenly felt that this Grand Preceptor Toghto was quite like some traversers in traversal novels, disregarding current reality and only having eyes on a thousand years, hating to not completely solve all the problems of his grandson's grandson's generation in his hands, leaving behind eternal peace.

  But the Great Leap Forward was unworkable, and no one could have predicted it. You foresaw this disaster and eliminated it, but it's not certain that you won't trigger another disaster in its place, one that wouldn't have occurred otherwise, precisely because of your powerful intervention. The Tui people dredged the river, wanting to achieve a lasting solution, "merit in a thousand autumns, trouble in this generation", and ended up losing everything.

  People should rely on themselves, it's hard to rely on ancestors. Xia Xian was nostalgic for the past and worried about the present for a while, when he heard the sound of horseshoes ringing, he turned his head and saw Peng Ziqing had just led his horse onto the river embankment. Xia Xian smiled and said: "After traveling all this way, we've finally arrived, after crossing the ferry...".

  He said to this, suddenly surprised to stop, only to see Peng Ziqi sitting on the horse with some weakness, two eyes dull, forehead was fine sweat, face gray and very unsightly, can not help but surprise: "What's wrong with you?"

  Peng Ziqi has been feeling unwell for the past few days, but relying on her robust physique, she has been forcing herself to hold on, unwilling to show weakness in front of Xia Xun. The last time she went to rescue someone, she ran out covered in lime powder and had to be carried by Xia Xun to get vegetable oil to wash her eyes, already feeling like she had lost all face. Being a strong-willed person, she naturally didn't want to show a weak side again in front of Xia Xun.

  However, after several days of struggling to hold on, neither taking medicine nor getting good rest, her condition became more and more severe. At this point, she finally couldn't hold on any longer. With great effort, she climbed onto the riverbank, but as soon as the wind blew, she looked at the rolling Yellow River water and suddenly felt dizzy, with a strong urge to vomit. If she hadn't used all her strength to grip her legs tightly and support her body from falling, she would have fallen off the horse by now.

  Xia Jiang hastily dismounted and rushed over to support her, saying: "Young Master Peng, how are you?"

  "I... I didn't..."

  Peng Ziqi's eyes turned black, and her body felt cold all over. She was still trying to hold on, but suddenly a strong hand grasped hers, and she lost the last of her strength. Before she could finish speaking, she fell off the horse, unconscious.

  Peng Ziqing's illness came on suddenly and was not a common disease. As a martial artist, whether specializing in internal or external skills, their daily life and diet would have many taboos compared to ordinary people. It's not that their fighting techniques are excellent, or they are as light as a swallow or as strong as an ox, but they can avoid all diseases.

  For example, knife users have high requirements for waist strength, and practicing waist strength requires continuous stretching, compressing, and exercising the muscles, tendons, and nerves of the neck, chest, waist, sacrum, and spine that ordinary people do not move. Over time, they naturally become extremely sensitive to stimuli, making their muscles and bones tough and resilient, and in actual combat, they are not afraid of violent blows, and their movements are as agile as a leopard.

  However, in this training process, while the body's explosive power and sensitivity have improved, the spine and joints have undergone thousands of twists and cuts to exert force, inevitably leading to some dislocation or injury, inducing various diseases. Therefore, martial artists need more rest, nourishment, and even correction of bodily alignment through meditation and standing postures compared to ordinary people.

  That night, Peng Ziqing's eyes were blinded by the lime, and she was deeply afraid of falling into the hands of the Qiufu family. She used the most exhausting "Night Battle Eight Directions" to protect herself from all sides, and forced her way out of the encirclement, but ended up exhausted and drenched in sweat. In this situation, it was taboo to take a cold shower, and she happened to be having her period at that time. The combination of these two factors led to her falling ill.

  Peng Ziqi slowly woke up, and as soon as she opened her eyes, she saw the blue sky, white clouds drifting lazily by, and a refreshing breeze blowing against her face, which made her spirit perk up slightly. Immediately afterwards, she realized that her entire body was nestled in Xia Fan's arms, while her lower body was gently swaying back and forth, with the sound of "whooshing" oars coming from beside her.

  After running all day, Xiaoxiao's body had a strong sweaty smell. Originally, Miss Peng disliked the sweaty smell on men, but at this moment, her weak and limp body leaned against that warm and solid embrace, the sweaty smell wrapped in a man's unique masculine energy, directly hitting her nose and mouth, making her dizzy and having an indescribable comfortable feeling.

  Peng Ziqi had never been so close to a man before, and realizing her situation, she couldn't help but feel extremely embarrassed. She quickly closed her eyes again, afraid of being discovered awake by him. Xia Yu hadn't noticed that she opened her eyes at all; he was raising his head to ask the boatman: "Old man, who has the best medical skills in Yanggu County?"

  An old man rowing a boat slowly said: "This guest officer, one look at you is an outsider's words, what kind of divine doctor can cure all diseases? There are thirteen departments: big pulse, small pulse, gynecology, ulcer, acupuncture, orthopedics... It takes a lifetime to master them. If someone masters one department, that's already an extraordinary skill, enough to make a living for a lifetime."

  "What? Is there an obstetrics and gynecology department as well? I specifically came to see the obstetrics and gynecology department, who is the best doctor in Yanggu County?"

  "Haha, young man, are you two big men going to see a gynecologist?"

  "Who says we are two men? Look closely, she is a woman, just dressed as a man for convenience when going out."

  "Ah! He really recognized me as his daughter!"

  Peng Ziqi felt both ashamed and resentful, his teeth ached with hatred, but unfortunately he was overwhelmed by illness, at this moment his forehead was scorching hot, his whole body was weak and limp, in a daze, even the strength to grit his teeth had disappeared.

  "A girl? I said this young man is so handsome that it's unbelievable, she is your..."

  "She... cough! She is my daughter-in-law."

  Peng Ziqi "hōng" sound, as if the raging fire was poured with oil, her face was burning, and in her heart she was cursing: "Bastard! Big bastard! You can't find an excuse, saying I... saying I'm your sister is okay too, why say I'm your wife? Who would be so unlucky for eight lifetimes to become the wife of a playboy like you?"

  The old man couldn't help but laugh and said, "I knew it, you're so worried about her, afraid she'll get jostled, with both arms holding her steady, and also afraid she'll get sunburned, always using your chest to block the sunlight for her. You're much stronger than me, I only started doting on my wife after our son got married and had a grandson."

  A young voice came from the back of the boat: "Dad, why are you saying these things to others."

  Peng Ziqi only felt that Xia Jiu's arms were indeed suspended in mid-air, not resting on his legs. As the boat sailed on the waves of the Yellow River, it was tossing about violently. His arms were suspended in mid-air, which could maximize the shaking force, and the sunlight was shining from behind him. No wonder he didn't see the dazzling sunlight when he opened his eyes just now, it turned out to be...

  Peng Ziqi quietly opened one eye, sneaked a peek at Xia Xun, and saw him sitting there, under the scorching sun, with his arms stretched out, trying to make himself as comfortable as possible. His forehead was already beading with sweat, and Peng Ziqi quickly closed her eyes again. In the softest part of her heart, a wave of sweet happiness suddenly surged up: "If... if he wasn't that shameless scoundrel who ruined the reputation of two women, how great would it be..."

  Xia Fu smiled wryly and said, "Old man, it hurts to be a wife, but even if she's ill, she needs treatment. You haven't told me yet, who in Yanggu County is good at gynecology?"

  The old man with a walking stick said: "If it's obstetrics and gynecology, then it must be Mr. Xi Men from Weishengtang Chinese Medicine Shop."

  Xia Bian was stunned for a moment and exclaimed: "Ximen Qing?"

  Ximen Qing was very famous in Yanggu County. If a man who ran a pharmacy, a salt shop, a pawnshop and a silk store, with his own property occupying half the street, wasn't considered a celebrity in Yanggu County, then representing others in lawsuits and being the number one "golden lawyer" in Yanggu County would make him even more famous every time he won a case.

  Ximen the Sixth is a master of elegant gestures and clever words, with a smooth approach to getting things done. As it happens, he's also a renowned gynecologist in Yanggu County, and his reputation isn't bad at all - at least no one has ever heard him do anything dishonest or unscrupulous.

  Because Ximen Qing was famous, Xia Lian entered the city and immediately someone pointed out the way to him. Peng Yuxiang was still weak and powerless on horseback, with severe abdominal pain. She woke up soon after crossing the river and insisted that she would not let Xia Lian hold her again. Xia Lian had no choice but to help her onto the horse's back and led the horse slowly forward. Asking for directions, they passed by the Cross Street and came to a small alley, where a Chinese medicine shop stood proudly with black tiles and white walls, and three large golden characters "Weisheng Tang" on the doorframe.

  Xia Liu tied the horse to the hitching post at the door, then helped Peng Qihui down and supported her as they walked into the shop. As soon as they entered the main hall, they saw a row of medicine cabinets in front of them, all the way up to the roof. Each small cabinet had a label on it, and behind the shiny black counter was a shopkeeper carefully weighing out medicinal herbs. In front of the counter, sitting in the corner by the wall, was a young apprentice, his feet operating the mortar with great effort as he ground the medicine into powder.

  On the walls on both sides, there were many plaques hanging. At a glance, I saw all sorts of silk banners and plaques with titles like "Magical Hands Reviving Spring", "National Treasure of Chinese Medicine", "Virtuous Doctors with Double Blessings", "Hua Tuo Reborn" and "Benevolent Heart and Benevolent Art". It was just missing one that said "Women's Friend".

  Looking further to the left, between two pillars in the hall, there were two chairs and a table. On the right side of the table sat a middle-aged woman, while on the left side sat a man of twenty-seven or eight years old, wearing a blue round-necked shirt with wide sleeves and a white edge, a soft towel hanging from his waist. He had a slender figure, elegant demeanor, a face as smooth as jade, and handsome features, with a pair of narrow, long phoenix eyes shining brightly. Xia Bian thought to himself: "Could this person be Ximen Qing?"

  Only to see this young master use three fingers to press on the middle-aged woman's wrist, shaking his head and saying: "Hmm, big sister's neck has this disease because of wind and dampness blocking the skin, prolonged illness consuming yin fluid, insufficient nourishment of blood, blood deficiency generating wind and dryness, skin losing nourishment and becoming like this. No problem, no problem, I'll just write a prescription, big sister will take a few doses and it will be fine, at that time big sister you will still have skin as smooth as jade, muscles as slippery as oil, hmm, tender and unparalleled."

  The woman was flattered by his praise, but she raised her hand and slapped him, laughing and scolding: "Little rabbit, stop flattering me, what's with the 'big sister' this and that? You don't even recognize your own aunt from the Liu family! When I was discussing sisterly matters with your mother, you were still wearing split pants!"

  The young man's eyes widened in surprise, and he exclaimed: "Ah, it's actually Liu's aunt! I said you looked so familiar, I thought you were the eldest daughter of Liu's family. If you didn't say so yourself, I really wouldn't have dared to recognize you."

  "His mouth spoke, his hands didn't idle, he picked up the pen and wrote down a prescription: '1 liang of fragrant oil, 7 whole scorpions, 20 pieces of Ba Dou, 10 pieces of Ban Mao, simmered together until black, filter out the dregs, add 1 qian of yellow wax, wait for it to dissolve and solidify, apply in the morning and evening.'"

  After finishing writing, he picked up the prescription and blew on the ink marks, handed it to the woman, and said with a smile: "Sister... Ah, look at my mouth, I should be called Auntie, go get the medicine, the diagnosis fee is waived, and I'll give you a 9.8% discount on the medicine."

  The woman was so delighted by his praise that she grabbed the prescription and hurried to the counter like a little girl, twisting and turning. Xia Jiu immediately helped Peng Ziyu sit down in a chair, and the man looked at Peng Ziyu with shining eyes, opening his mouth to flatter: "Ah, ah, I've seen many people, but never such a beautiful young lady, with eyebrows like willows and eyes like apricots, a face as white as jade and cheeks as red as peaches... truly rivaling Xi Shi and Diao Chan in beauty..."

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