Chapter 449: Chapter 308 Where is the Gu Family Medical Hall?

Dozens of maids, old women, and house servants surrounded a luxuriously decorated carriage as it briskly made its way toward the City Gate.

The guard on duty at the gate, upon seeing this procession, naturally didn’t dare to slack off and hurriedly called their leader forward.

“May I know which noble has graced Liuzhou with their presence? Esteemed sir, may I trouble you!” the person in charge of the gatekeepers approached with a smile, without the usual arrogance.

As someone in the military and specifically assigned to guard the city gate, which one of them didn’t have sharp eyes? The grandeur of this group indicated that the person in the carriage was certainly no ordinary civilian, let alone to the captain of the gate guards!

Even in the face of their housekeeper, he didn’t dare to be presumptuous.

For he could tell that among the escorts of the group, each one of them was of military origin, just like him!

Those of military origin carry themselves with a bearing unlike that of ordinary people!

This much, the head of the city guards did understand!

The person who looked like a housekeeper glanced down at the city guard and, with a haughty snort, arrogantly pulled out a dazzling official pass from his bosom.

“An Official Pass! One look at your entourage and I knew you were nobility…” The head of the city guards ignored the housekeeper’s haughtiness and flattered him as he took the Official Pass and opened it.

At a glance, he was taken aback.

“The Ministry of War Minister’s Mansion? Inside this…” The head of the city guards exclaimed in shock.

The Minister of War, one of the three aides to the Imperial Cabinet! That meant that inside…

“Is something amiss?” the housekeeper frowned and gave him a look, speaking coldly.

The head of the city guards hurriedly withdrew his scrutinizing gaze, bending even lower as he said, “Nothing! Nothing at all! Please, go ahead!”

“Someone, open the middle gate wide, let them pass!” The head of the city guards did not dare to delay any further and, while returning the Official Pass, he called out to his subordinates to open the central gate.

“Yes!”

The city guards, far from being fools, quickly undid the door bolt of the middle gate, welcoming this group into the city.

Only after the group had left the City Gate far behind did the head of the city guards furrow his brow, straighten his back, rest his chin on his hand, and look thoughtfully in the direction they had gone.

“Boss, is something wrong? That Official Pass wasn’t counterfeit, was it?” one of the guards asked quietly, seeing his superior’s expression.

The captain of the guards shook his head, “No, I’ve seen many Official Passes; I can tell if they’re real or not in a glance, and that was indeed the Official Pass of the Ministry of War Minister’s Mansion, complete with the Minister of War’s seal!”

“If it’s not a counterfeit, then why are you so concerned?” said the guard, now reassured as he waved his hand dismissively.

The captain of the guards still held his chin, his expression grave, “That’s precisely why I’m worried! Consider this: the Ministry of War Minister’s Mansion is one of the premier families in the Capital City, the very place that wields the military power. It stands a rank higher than the Marquis Mansion!”

“These are the truly powerful and distinguished officials who would usually stay in the Capital City, enjoying their wealth and status. What are they doing coming to Liuzhou?”

Hearing this, another guard was also startled, “Right! Why didn’t I think of that? It’s a thousand miles from the Capital City to Liuzhou, and the people from the Ministry of War Minister’s Mansion are all pampered and privileged. Why would they come to our Liuzhou with so much trouble?”

“That’s exactly what’s puzzling me!” The captain of the guards looked out distractedly at the retreating carriages with their extraordinary display.

Seeing his preoccupation, another guard sneaked closer to him and said lewdly, “Boss, I swear it’s true, I smelled it myself–inside, there was the fragrance of Superior Hibiscus!”

The captain of the guards immediately glared and scolded him, “What time do you think it is for you to still be thinking about such irrelevant things!”

The scolded guard, undeterred, leaned in closer and whispered, “Boss, I’m not thinking about irrelevant matters. I just mean to say that the common Hibiscus fragrance is as pricey as gold on the market, and Superior Hibiscus fragrance is beyond price. There must be women from the Ministry of War Minister’s Mansion in that carriage!”

“Since it’s the womenfolk, what is there to worry about? It’s not like the Minister of War himself has come!”

The captain of the guards paused, then shook his head, “The Ministry of War is in charge of the military power of Great Zhou. Even if it’s the womenfolk from the Minister of War’s family, we can’t be careless. You stay at the City Gate and do your duty well. I’m off to Prince Mu’s Mansion to report this matter to His Highness Prince Mu.”

Having said this, the captain headed in the direction of Prince Mu’s Mansion.

Leaving the other guard to extend his hand in a failed attempt to stop him, he looked sullenly resigned, complaining, “Does it need to be so formal? It’s just a woman after all. It’s not like she can invoke divine auspiciousness. Not everyone is Miss Huo, a Mandated Noble Lady!”

The guard muttered to himself, then went off resignedly to his duties.

Meanwhile, that grand carriage had just entered the main street of Liuzhou City when the person who appeared to be the housekeeper stopped a passerby who was watching them from the side of the road.

“Young master, could you tell me how to get to the Gu Family Medical Hall?” The housekeeper eased his tone for once.

The young man who was stopped was initially panic-stricken, worried that he had looked too closely at their procession and displeased them, but upon hearing the question, he was relieved and promptly answered, “You’re looking for the Gu Family Medical Hall?”

“Yes,” the housekeeper nodded.

“There is no Gu Family Medical Hall in Liuzhou City now!” the young fellow scratched his head and told the truth.

The steward frowned upon hearing this, his face revealing displeasure, “How is that possible! If you, boy, don’t know the way, just say it. There’s no need to waste my time for no reason!”

As the large entourage suddenly stopped, the steward and the young fellow immediately attracted the sidelong glances of many citizens.

Seeing the increasing number of onlookers, the young fellow instantly felt reassured, his expression turning unfriendly, “Who are you saying doesn’t know the way? My ancestors for eight generations have been from Liuzhou City! I know every tree and every blade of grass in Liuzhou City, clear as day! Don’t think I’d be afraid of you just because you’ve put on a big show. I’ve seen bigger than yours!”

While speaking, the young fellow puffed out his chest.

He had even witnessed the grandeur of Lady Changsheng opening her mansion, definitely not someone without experience!

The steward snorted coldly upon hearing this and, flicking his sleeve, intended to leave.

With so many people watching, he had no desire to get further entangled with a commoner indulging in grandiose talk.

The steward returned to the side of the carriage, bent over, and said in a low voice, “Miss, please wait a moment longer. It seems the Gu Family Medical Hall is unknown to outsiders; I will ask someone else.”

“Mhm!”

A faint voice came from inside the carriage.

Hearing this, the steward turned around, intending to pull aside another passerby to ask when the young fellow jumped out again, hands on his hips, and shouted, “You’ll get the same answer from everyone! There is no Gu Family Medical Hall in Liuzhou City! Would I, Waiter, go around the streets selling soy sauce only to deceive you?”

Seeing this, the steward’s face darkened.

The guard following behind him also stepped forward with a grim look, but the steward stopped the hand that reached for his sword hilt and gestured for him to step back. He then turned back to the Waiter, “In the presence of official family, you cannot speak nonsense. If you know the way, then quickly tell us; if you don’t know it, step away, or don’t blame me for being impolite!”

The Waiter, upon hearing about the official family, instinctively took a step back.

Official family! As the term suggests, it refers to the relations of an official – someone not to be trifled with!

The onlookers, upon hearing the steward’s words, also started whispering among themselves.

“That, I can still speak!” The Waiter shrank his neck, a frightened look on his face as he cautiously started, “There truly is no Gu Family Medical Hall in Liuzhou City, I did not speak nonsense about that!”

“It’s said that the name of Gu Family Medical Hall was inauspicious, so it was changed. Liuzhou City no longer has a Gu Family Medical Hall; that’s all in the past! Now in Liuzhou City, there is only one medical hall: it’s called ‘Longevity’!”

“Just the two words ‘Longevity,’ even without the title of a medical hall!” The Waiter said while extending two fingers to illustrate his point.

The steward’s brow furrowed upon hearing this.

“You better not belittle these two words; it is the name of Medicine God Lady Changsheng, and the implications are auspicious! Longevity and well-being, no name could be more suitable for Medicine God Lady Changsheng’s medical hall! Don’t you all agree?” The Waiter looked up admiringly as he said this, turning to ask the onlookers.

“Right!”

The crowd immediately responded in unison.

Seeing this, the steward’s face stiffened, and he glanced almost imperceptibly at the carriage behind him before turning his head to ask, “Is it simply named with the two characters ‘Longevity’?”

The Waiter nodded with pride, “Really, just the two characters ‘Longevity’!”

The citizens of Liuzhou City were all proud to have a great benefactor like Medicine God Lady Changsheng!

“Hmph! Truly full of yourself and arrogant, is she not afraid that no one will patronize her?” the steward snorted coldly with a darkened face.

The Waiter was startled by the remark, then was the first to burst into laughter.

When the onlookers caught on, they too laughed derisively.

The steward, laughed at and at a loss, felt his face flushing red, but as there were so many people, he was helpless to do anything.

The Waiter, laughing so hard he could hardly catch his breath, saw so many people watching and no longer feared whether he faced an official family member or not. Pointing at the steward, he began, “You can tell at first glance you’re from out of town, not knowing the reputation of Medicine God Changsheng’s Lady!”

“A tree’s shadow, a person’s name – with Lady Changsheng at the helm, the two characters ‘Longevity’ are the loudest signboard out there! Who in Liuzhou City does not know it? No! Not just Liuzhou City, but in the entire Liuzhou Region, throughout Great Zhou, and even among the healers in the Four Kingdoms, probably all know the name of the Medicine God, right?”

The steward, upon hearing this, grew darker in expression, even showing a hint of murderous intent as he spoke in a chilly tone, “Where is this Longevity Medical Hall located, tell me now!”

The Waiter, seeing him really impatient, curled his lips and pointed the way, “Keep going straight, turn left at the second intersection, and that’s Tongji Street. The Longevity Medical Hall is on Tongji Street; you’ll see it once you’re there!”

“Hmph!” The steward, not bothering to thank him, turned around and left with a cold snort.

The group, following the steward’s lead, quickly moved towards Tongji Street.

“Hey! Remember, if you want to seek treatment from Lady Changsheng, make sure you bring ten thousand taels of silver!” The Waiter shouted after the carriage’s departing figures, waving his hand. Seeing them walk away, he spat in disdain…