Chapter 933: Chapter 933 - 933 A Test

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

Gu Chengye was surprised to see the box full of letters. He knew there was a complaint box outside the medical center, where people could report medical injustice.

However, he hadn’t anticipated the sheer volume of complaints.

Without further ado, he carried the box to a nearby table and gathered a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. He then began sorting through the letters.

By noon, he had almost finished organizing them.

“These letters raise three main concerns,” Gu Chengye explained. “Firstly, they allege that Jishi Medical Hall is charging exorbitantly for its medicines and even substituting lower-quality products for higher-priced ones.

“Secondly, they accuse a doctor named Feng Zhiyuan of treating patients unethically and showing favoritism.

“Finally, they claim that the Qian Family Medicine Store is hoarding essential medicinal herbs such as Coptis, honeysuckles, Forsythia, and Scutellaria.”

“It’s important to note that the Qian Family Medicine Store is an imperial merchant that supplies the Imperial Palace,” Gu Chengye continued. “Furthermore, your father-in-law, Principal Zhou, is one of the owners.

“In simpler terms, the store belongs to Principal Zhou’s business ventures. The Jishi Medical Hall belongs to Imperial Physician Li. Both are influential figures.”

Gu Chengrui raised his head and spoke meaningfully, “You and Chengxi will work together to investigate these allegations and verify their accuracy.

“Once confirmed, report your findings to me, and we’ll decide on a course of action. Remember to be discreet and avoid attracting attention.”

“Understood,” Gu Chengye replied.

“Good,” Gu Chengrui said. “Let’s have lunch first. I still need to go to the academy to teach this afternoon.” He stood up, stretched, and yawned, revealing his exhaustion.

Gu Chengye noticed his fatigue and asked, “Would you like to rest for a while? You look worn out.”

“I’m alright,” Gu Chengrui assured him. “I just stayed up late grading papers last night. I can sleep at the academy after lunch.”

He reviewed the sorted complaints, picked up the remaining ones, and handed them to the two assistants sent by the Emperor for further processing.

This confirmed what Zhou Ying had said the previous day. Gu Chengrui hadn’t had a moment’s rest.

After lunch, Gu Chengye took a carriage straight to the academy. He found Gu Chengxi, and after a brief nap, they began verifying the three reported incidents.

The easiest to confirm was Feng Zhiyuan’s lack of ethical conduct. They had personally witnessed his behavior and confirmed his biased treatment. It was clear that he was unfit to be a doctor.

Further investigation revealed that Feng Zhiyuan had a powerful backer-imperial Physician Liu. He treated poor patients harshly but catered to the wealthy and government officials, aiming to secure a position as a royal physician in the palace.

It took five days for the brothers to investigate all three concerns thoroughly, and they confirmed the validity of every accusation. They then presented their findings to Gu Chengrui.

“Second Brother,” Gu Chengrui asked, “what are your thoughts on how to proceed?”

“For the Jinshi Medical Hall, a simple warning and enforcement of corrective measures would suffice, considering it was just an issue of inferior products,” Gu Chengye proposed.

“As for Feng Zhiyuan, his snobbish behavior wouldn’t change with a lenient approach, but a harsh punishment might cause complications. Therefore, I believe it’s best to simply ignore him.

“Eventually, those who deserve his services will continue to seek him out, while those who can’t afford his prejudice will find alternatives. There’s no need to overreact..”