The Dramatic Crown Princess Wants to Poison Me!-Chapter 267: Why Should He

Huangfu Jingchen ignored the Undying Ghost Doctor, dismounted, and walked over.

When the villagers saw Huangfu Jingchen, it was as if they found an outlet for their anger, becoming even more outraged: "Yes, why can he come and go freely? We are not sick at all, you’re afraid we’ll spread the disease outside, but aren’t you afraid he’ll spread it outside?" 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Is it because we have no status, no position, that you disregard our lives? Is his life any more valuable?"

"What right does he have to go out? Why can’t we?"

...

The situation was about to erupt into chaos again when Shang Jingwang loudly shouted, "Silence!"

This shout, carrying his authority as the prefect, surprisingly suppressed the clamor. Shang Jingwang, with anger in his eyes, pointed at Huangfu Jingchen and shouted, "Young Master Huang was merely passing through your Wangshan Town and upon learning of the epidemic, stayed behind, making efforts and spending money to buy medicine and hire doctors. For the sake of Wangshan Town, he even abandoned his own important matters. Is this how you repay such kindness?"

The villagers all referred to Huangfu Jingchen as "Young Master Huang," so Shang Jingwang called him the same.

The prefect’s anger quieted the villagers somewhat.

Shang Jingwang extended his finger, pointing at the villagers, and wherever his finger pointed, the villagers’ eyes flickered, and no one dared to meet his gaze.

Shang Jingwang said, word by word, "I am your magistrate, sharing in your hardships, enduring trials alongside you, this is my duty! And what about Young Master Huang? What about Doctor Xia? They have nothing to do with Wangshan Town, they could have left and distanced themselves from this dangerous place, cared for and inquired about nothing. Because it has nothing to do with them. They had their own happy and carefree lives, yet for Wangshan Town, they stayed behind, dedicating their time and energy, spending their own money, risking their lives to help you. Yet, not only do you lack gratitude, you repay kindness with resentment? Are you still human?"

"We’re not targeting Young Master Huang, but we’re also not sick, so why keep us locked up?"

"Exactly, we weren’t sick at first, but after being trapped for so long, we get sick! Isn’t this a death sentence for us all?"

"We weren’t aware Young Master Huang did all this, we shouldn’t be blamed for ignorance!"

...

Shang Jingwang was nearly infuriated to death by these people, his voice grew louder with anger: "Those carts of medicinal herbs and supplies, where do they come from? If it weren’t for Young Master Huang’s efforts and expense, could they have fallen from the sky? Those doctors who arrived after hearing the news, do you think they are all self-sacrificing? Would any of this exist without Young Master Huang? Now, you question why he can come and go freely, tell me why!"

The villagers were somewhat fearful under Shang Jingwang’s angry rebuke, and someone even shamefully lowered their head.

Shang Jingwang’s fury had not yet abated: "You just said Doctor Xiao Xia is already infected, yes, she is infected. Why? It’s because she was saving your relatives, aiming to cure the epidemic in Wangshan Town. Because she was with severely infected patients every day, diagnosing them, brewing and feeding them medicines, due to excessive contact, she became infected! Among those patients are your parents, your wives and children, your brothers and friends, your distant relatives and neighbors! Have you thought about those doctors at the quarantine point? Have you thought about Doctor Xiao Xia? What relation do they have with Wangshan Town? They merely harbor benevolence, wanting to help you, to save your relatives, yet do you have no gratitude in your hearts? No emotions stirred? Just being asked to wait a little longer, to stay at home to avoid getting infected due to movement, and you become so agitated."

He pointed at Huangfu Jingchen: "It’s also my fault for not making things clear to you earlier. Our town has no medicine, no doctors, it’s Young Master Huang who dispatched people to various places to buy medicinal herbs, that’s how we are able to transport them batch by batch, allowing those afflicted with the epidemic to have medicine; our town has no doctors, it’s Young Master Huang who spent his own money, offering high rewards to continuously attract doctors. Why do you think he does this?"

Most of the villagers were looking at each other in dismay, unable to lift their heads at Shang Jingwang’s words.

Someone murmured, "Spending money and effort? How much money can they spend? Isn’t this the government’s responsibility?"

Though his voice was extremely low, Huangfu Jingchen heard it clearly. He sighed softly, his voice calm, yet clear to everyone present, "For offering rewards to invite doctors, purchasing herbs for Wangshan Town, it’s not only my money and effort but also Doctor Xiao Xia, who has put all her savings into it. The epidemic in Wangshan Town has lasted over a month, the rewards for the doctors have cost thirty thousand taels of silver, purchasing herbs and all kinds of expenses, the daily medicines, and the preventive decoctions everyone drinks who aren’t infected, have cost fifty-seven thousand taels of silver. These are from Doctor Xiao Xia and me personally, as for the food at the quarantine point, various allocations of manpower, these are contributions from Lord Shang and Mayor Wang and the rest."

The villagers were in an uproar, have they really spent so much silver?

Someone shouted, "How could it possibly cost so much?"

"Yeah, the medicine they’re taking isn’t made of gold."

"Are they deliberately exaggerating?"

"Several tens of thousands of taels of silver, piled on the ground, how large would that be, is there really that much?"

...

These words were indeed disheartening, Shang Jingwang’s dignified face turned red with anger, yet Huangfu Jingchen remained calm, speaking slowly: "It seems that no one has calculated this. Wangshan Town has a total of more than three thousand seven hundred villagers, with a daily inspection, so far, more than fifteen hundred infected have been identified. The daily salary for the doctors recruited by Lord Shang and the county magistrate is one tael of silver, amounting to thirty-seven taels a day. The doctors drawn by the rewards get ten taels of silver a day, amounting to two hundred seventy taels a day. A ginseng of a hundred-year age costs a hundred taels of silver. This month, just from buying ginseng from various places, the cost has amounted to over ten thousand taels. The preventive decoction you drink every day, requires brewing hundreds of pots, each pot has a cost of over seven taels of silver for its herbs. And the cost for the herbs used for light-symptom patients at the quarantine point is about three taels of silver per person a day, while for severe-symptom patients, the cost is heavier and the herbs more expensive, roughly five taels of silver per person..."

As Huangfu Jingchen continued calculating, many villagers fell silent, realizing that the epidemic was a bottomless pit, continuously being filled with silver.

"Not much of that silver was used on us. The tea we drink wasn’t something we wanted, it was forced upon us."

"Yes, just because a lot of money was spent, does that mean they can run around? The epidemic doesn’t look at who has more money!"

"Since we have no money, are we just supposed to be trapped in the town until we die?"

...