Green Mountain-Chapter 746 - 597: Questioning the Eunuch Party, Becoming the Eunuch Party

The sun was high in the sky.

The Hospital Director paced back and forth with his hands behind his back under the sign of the Imperial Hospital.

He walked a few steps, stopped, looked towards the alley entrance, walked a few more steps, and stopped again.

The Dean, disregarding his appearance, lifted his robe and sat on the high threshold of the Imperial Hospital: "Sir, who knows when Liu Chun will return, how long will you wait at the entrance?"

The Hospital Director stopped in his tracks, glaring with wide eyes, and said stiffly: "I am worried about Liu Chun's safety."

The Dean, squinting against the sun, shaded his eyes with his hand: "He went on a mission to seize property; what danger could there be?"

The Hospital Director snorted: "Who knows if the orders from the main hall hold any weight? I've heard he's merely a Hai Dongqing; on what grounds does he command the Twelve Signs? If the Eunuch Party colludes and ignores him, and on top of that, throws Liu Chun into the inner prison and destroys the accounts, wouldn't Liu Chun be in danger?"

The Dean was taken aback by these words; the Hospital Director had a point.

Although Chen Ji is a Viscount, he cannot control the Ritual Supervision. His role in the Spy Department is just as a Hai Dongqing, so why would Jiao Tu and Yun Yang act on his orders? Moreover, this Li is the adopted son of the Chief of the Imperial Supervision.

The Chief of the Imperial Supervision is a close servant to the Emperor, handling brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, and other valuable items, often appearing at the Imperial Court.

What use is Chen Ji's prescription with just his name on it?

The Dean was about to speak when he caught sight of a figure darting out of the alley entrance from the corner of his eye.

Liu Chun, the Chief Clerk Liu, came running back, holding up the hem of his official robe, revealing old patched pants underneath. Seeing the Hospital Director from afar, he raised his hand high and waved vigorously, gasping for breath as he ran.

The Hospital Director hurried forward, grabbing Liu Chun by the arm and pulling him into the shade of the sign, lowering his voice: "Did you seize it?"

Out of breath, Liu Chun could only nod furiously.

The Hospital Director's eyes lit up: "You really seized it?"

Finally catching his breath, Liu Chun could not contain his excitement: "We seized it! Truly captured the Li Family's home!"

Disregarding his composure, the Hospital Director dragged Liu Chun a few steps inside the door: "How did you seize it? Tell me in detail!"

Standing under the sign, Liu Chun's face was full of excitement: "I took the accounts to the Eagle House Office, and before we got there, Spy Department agents stopped us. I said it was the Marquis Wu Xiang who sent me, and they let us pass immediately without question."

The Hospital Director unconsciously lowered his voice and leaned in closer: "And then? Did you see Jiao Tu and Yun Yang?"

"Saw them, saw them," Liu Chun nodded. "It was my first time going to the Eagle House Office. I thought it would be a gloomy place, but it was quite elegant, with a dozen old pagoda trees well-tended in the yard, and pigeons flying around now and then..."

The Hospital Director smacked him on the back: "Get to the point!"

Liu Chun stumbled forward a step: "When I saw Jiao Tu, I handed over the prescription, she glanced at it and asked me, who does Mr. Chen want to kill?"

The Dean and the Hospital Director exchanged a glance.

Liu Chun continued: "I quickly explained it wasn't about killing someone, but about seizing property. She just said 'oh,' tucked the prescription into her sleeve, and got up to leave. At the door, she called into the yard, 'Yun Yang, let's go, the boss has given us a task.'"

The Dean interjected: "Just a shout and they leave? Doesn't she need to seek approval?"

Liu Chun waved his hand: "I thought so too, but they had no such intention. After she shouted, Yun Yang emerged from behind an old pagoda tree like a ghost. I didn't even see when he got there. Then Jiao Tu summoned more than twenty people, and they set off grandly to Chessboard Street."

"More than twenty?" the Hospital Director gasped.

"At least," Liu Chun gestured with his hands: "About ten closed off the front door, another ten the back door, not letting anyone escape. I personally witnessed that scoundrel Li being tied up like a hog and dragged out of the medicine shop, pale as a sheet."

The Dean was puzzled: "The Chief of the Imperial Supervision didn't intervene?"

"He did," Liu Chun chuckled: "Halfway through, a eunuch from the Imperial Supervision arrived and greeted Jiao Tu, saying something like 'Mr. Li is already aware, Jiao Tu, please be accommodating.' Can you guess what Jiao Tu did?"

The Hospital Director leaned in closer: "What?"

Liu Chun waved his hand in a grabbing motion: "Arrested him as well!"

The Hospital Director and the Dean exchanged another glance, with the Hospital Director muttering to himself: "This guy doesn't even regard the Chief of the Imperial Supervision?"

Liu Chun happily said: "I heard that our new Hospital Director once even whipped the Chief of the Divine Chief Eunuch across the face."

The Hospital Director was enraged: "What new Hospital Director, I'm still here!"

Liu Chun hurriedly changed the topic: "After Jiao Tu seized the medicine shop, she went to seize Li's home, where they found loads of treasures, crates of gold ingots, silver ingots, and stacks of land and house deeds. They also uncovered his dirty dealings, forcing merchants and occupying a woman, who had been confined in the woodshed in the backyard for over a year, malnourished."

Liu Chun recalled: "At that time, Jiao Tu told the woman that her case of forced occupation couldn't be hidden, and she would have a hard time getting married if she went back home. She asked if the woman would like to go to Wunian Mountain. Once there, she wouldn't have to endure the shame and could kill whoever she wanted in the future. But the woman said she wouldn't go and wanted to go home to find her parents, so Jiao Tu gave her two hundred taels and let her go."

The Hospital Director mused, "These members of the Eunuch Party still have a bit of humanity."

Liu Chun chuckled, "Before I left, Jiao Tu specifically asked me to tell Mr. Chen that she guarantees that the person with the surname Li won't survive tonight."

The Dean sighed, "The person with the surname Li deserved this. Earlier this year, when I went to seek reasoning with him, that bastard propped his legs up in the pharmacy and told me it was useless no matter where I complained... However, the Spy Department's methods are a bit too ruthless, taking a life just like that."

The Hospital Director stood still upon hearing this, lost in thought for a while.

He turned his head and looked over the courtyard of the Imperial Hospital towards the main hall. The doors of the main hall were open, with a glimpse of a red figure bent over a desk inside, seemingly reading a book.

The Hospital Director suddenly lifted his robe hem, lowered his head, and hurried towards the depths of the Imperial Hospital.

The Dean and Liu Chun were startled, quickly chasing after him, "Where are you going, Hospital Director? Please don't get involved with him..."

The Hospital Director did not respond and quickened his pace.

He crossed the courtyard, stepping onto the main hall's steps, standing in front of Chen Ji's desk. The sunlight shone from behind him, casting a shadow over the pages of the book.

Chen Ji slowly raised his head, "Is there something you need, Chief Clerk?"

The Hospital Director remained silent, seemingly contemplating something.

The Dean and Liu Zhubu behind him tugged at his sleeve, but he seemed oblivious.

After a moment, the Hospital Director said seriously, "Every year, the best batch of the medicinal herbs our Imperial Hospital collects must be delivered to the Imperial Pharmacy beside Wenhua Palace, prepared for the nobles in the palace. But those herbs can never be fully utilized by the palace, so every year the Director of the Imperial Palace would have the Chief Eunuch Wang Kui under him falsely report those herbs as moldy or worm-eaten..."

Chen Ji pondered, "Is there any evidence?"

The Hospital Director hesitated for a long time, "They always tamper when the Imperial Pharmacy is empty, how can we catch them in the act? Doesn't the Spy Department act without needing evidence?"

Chen Ji earnestly replied, "Evidence is indeed needed. It's not legal necessity but on the court, opponents won't just give up. Only with evidence can you bring them down. Like why we could confiscate the Li Family, with all the evidence present, no one could save them."

The Hospital Director pressed his lips together, remained silent for a moment, then spoke again, "Let's change the subject... Our Imperial Hospital conducts four minor assessments annually and one major assessment every three years. Those who are assessed as 'first class' can be promoted, 'second class' cannot serve within the palace, 'third class' will face demotion and pay cuts, and 'fourth class' will be stripped of their cap and expelled from the Imperial Hospital."

Chen Ji nodded, "I know, it's just like the Ministry of Personnel's capital assessment."

The Hospital Director continued, "This matter falls under the jurisdiction of the Rituals and Ceremonies Bureau of the Ministry of Rites, but the newly appointed Langzhong, Ye Yan, of the Rituals and Ceremonies Bureau is a bastard. If the Imperial Physician bribes him, he will lighten the assessment; if not, he will deliberately cause difficulties."

Chen Ji raised an eyebrow, "How does he cause difficulties?"

The Hospital Director explained, "Every Imperial Physician in our hospital has different expertise. Some are skilled in major diagnostics, others in minor diagnostics, and some in cold diseases. An Imperial Physician cannot excel in all medical fields. If you don't bribe him, Ye Yan will use complex cases in the cold diseases department to assess those from the minor diagnostics department, which no one can answer. In three years, he has already driven away twelve Imperial Physicians."

Chen Ji fell into thought, now knowing that major diagnostics pertain to internal medicine, while minor diagnostics pertain to pediatrics, each with their medical specialties completely different from one another.

Seeing him silent for a long time, the Hospital Director murmured softly, "...If only Doctor Yao were here, he wouldn't just stand by."

Chen Ji suddenly closed the book, slightly leaning back.

He leaned against the back of the chair, his gaze slowly sweeping from the Hospital Director's face to the Imperial Physicians standing behind him.

At an unknown time, a circle of people had gathered at the entrance of the main hall, all attracted by the commotion. Some were clutching pestles for grinding medicine, while others had sleeves stained with marks from cooking medicinal herbs.

Chen Ji looked past the Hospital Director towards those at the door, "Did you all give gifts to Ye Yan?"

Zhou Fangping shouted, "Two years ago, I gave that old man half a side of pork, and he had his servant throw the pork out the door, telling me to wait for my cap to be taken away. Later, I sold ten acres of ancestral land just outside the capital to scrape together two hundred taels of silver for him."

Another Imperial Physician shouted loudly, "That bastard took a cursive script by the calligraphy master Zhang Ji from the Grand Ancestor's era from me and hung it in his study. It was passed down from my Old Ren Family, and the script even had the calligraphy master's inscription to my ancestor."

The entrance instantly bustled, with seven or eight people all talking at once, eager to step forward, fearing that Chen Ji might not hear their words.

Chen Ji did not interrupt them and just listened quietly.

When the voices gradually subsided, he retracted his gaze, pulling out a prescription sheet from the side, writing "Chen Ji" on the back, and handing it to the Hospital Director, "Take it to the Eagle House Office and lead the Imperial Physicians to identify him. If it's true, confiscate the Ye Family's property."

The Hospital Director's eyes lit up as he took the prescription, turning to leave. The old Hospital Director walked with spirited steps, exuding an air of triumph, shedding his earlier aged appearance.

The Imperial Physicians also gave a slight bow to Chen Ji, then followed the Hospital Director.

The Dean stood outside the main hall, watching the figures of the Hospital Director and Imperial Physicians disappear beyond the gate. Then, he turned his head, glancing at Chen Ji, who was quietly flipping through the book as if he were an unrelated passerby.

The Dean turned to look at Liu Zhubu, hesitating for a long time before whispering, "Do you think we count as part of the Eunuch Party now?"

Liu Zhubu hesitated for a moment as well, "You know, being part of the Eunuch Party doesn't feel too bad..."