The Results
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation    Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
âPlease, could you spare their lives?â Principal Zhou pleaded nervously.
Gu Chengrui met his gaze, his expression turning solemn, as if a dark cloud loomed over him.
The sudden shift in his demeanor startled Principal Zhou, who felt a surge of fear he hadnât anticipated.
âHim, harmless?â he thought, bewildered. âHow else could he have repeatedly eluded the remnants of the Hui Princeâs party and established medical centers under such scrutiny? We clearly underestimated him.â
Sensing Principal Zhouâs apprehension, Gu Chengrui softened his tone. âThey wonât be executed, but the royal merchant title and the counterfeit medicine will be confiscated. The rest remains undecided.â
âThat⊠thatâs good,â stammered Principal Zhou, turning to leave.
âWith three generations of imperial physicians in your family, I trust you wonât jeopardize your esteemed reputation,â Gu Chengrui called after him.
Principal Zhou mumbled, âIt wonât happen,â before scurrying out.
As he disappeared down the street, a servant emerged from a nearby courtyard and rushed to the Li Manor, informing Imperial Physician Li about the conversation.
âSo, I underestimated him,â Imperial Physician Li mused, swirling his teacup in contemplation.
He then instructed the servant, âTell my second son to pay the fines. Reduce the medicine prices at our shop and dispose of all inferior quality products.â âYes, master,â replied the servant, departing hastily.
After he left, Imperial Physician Li chuckled, âMarquis An Le, you certainly stirred the pot. Offending three imperial physicians in one goâI wonder how long youâll last.â
Meanwhile, Gu Chengrui remained unfazed by their scheming. A clear conscience was all that mattered to him.
Half a month later, an investigation into the Qian familyâs background revealed years of using the royal merchant title to peddle fake medicine.
Upon learning this, the Emperorâs face contorted in anger. He couldnât believe theyâd use the royal merchantâs reputation for such deceitful acts.
He swiftly stripped the Qian family of their title, ordering the execution of the patriarch and confiscating their entire estate. The family was forced into military service.
Principal Zhou, deemed negligent in his oversight, was dismissed from his position and subjected to a year-long salary reduction by half.
This incident was a stark warning to the imperial physicians, who became significantly more cautious in their conduct.
Both Imperial Physician Li and Imperial Physician Liu felt a lingering fear, grateful their offenses werenât severe enough to warrant direct intervention from Gu Chengrui.
Returning home, Imperial Physician Li sternly warned his shopkeepers against any future price gouging, although the Jishi Medical Hall did raise their diagnosis fees by 20%.
The Emperor, rather than appointing a new royal merchant, entrusted the matter to the medical center.
As winter approached, Gu Chengxi married the fifth daughter of Consort An. Second Uncle Gu secured an independent courtyard for him on the West City-North City border, while Gu Chengrui and his wife gifted them a hundred acres of land.
By yearâs end, Zhou Ying had learned of Gu Zhengâs successful revenge. His entire family, except his crippled father, was gone.
Now, his crippled father lived in a small farmhouse with an old caretaker.
Zhou Ying heard his report and asked, âSo, what are you going to do next?â
If you find any errors ( Ads popup, ads redirect, broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.