The Tyrant's Beloved Empress

11

After he left the last clinic, An Chang Qing almost thought that after his rebirth, he had become overly paranoid and that there was no conspiracy regarding his mother's death; she really had died of natural causes.

He had been to every renowned clinic in the whole of Yejing but to no avail. An Chang Qing sat in the carriage and pondered. He finally decided to make one last-ditch attempt, "Go to Yong Le Lane."

Yong Le Lane was a remote area in Yejing and the clinic An Chang Qing sought was situated in the innermost part of an alleyway. This clinic was much smaller than those in the main street and did not even have a name. It was mostly frequented by peasants. From the rumor An Chang Qing had heard, the doctor here had a strange temperament but was highly skillful. Those he had treated had all recovered to the pink of health.

The carriage stopped right at the entrance of Yong Le Lane. The path was narrow with dilapidated houses on both sides. The evening sun was not enough to brighten the place and a moldy smell filled the air.

"Wangfei, the carriage can't go any further," Anfu alighted and said with a frown, "Is there really a clinic here?"

Apart from them, everything in this place seemed run-down and impoverished. How could someone earn a living from running a clinic here?

An Chang Qing hesitated but now that they were already here, there were only a few more steps to go, "Let's just go in and have a look."

An Chang Qing and Anfu left the carriage and walked deeper into the alleyway. At the end of the road, they saw a house with a red broken door. A piece of cloth was pasted on it with the word 'clinic' written in messy handwriting.

It really did not even have a proper name.

Anfu knocked on the door. In the quiet neighborhood, the sound echoed loudly but no one answered. Instead, it was the rusty old door that creaked and opened by itself. Anfu was startled as he turned to look at An Chang Qing.

"Let's go in and have a look." An Chang Qing walked past him and entered the clinic.

Inside was a small yard without much gardening. Instead, there were many pots with winter herbs being planted. Beyond the yard was a hall for consulting patients.

An Chang Qing raised his voice and asked, "Is anyone here?"

There was a long silence before a lazy voice from somewhere replied, "Who is it? I'm off today, no consultation."

An Chang Qing bowed his head and said politely, "It won't take long. I just need you to take a look at this prescription."

A middle-aged man with a scruffy beard popped his head out of a small window of the house and said lethargically, "I can take a look but pay up ten silver taels first."

Anfu was furious, "Even the doctors from De Ren Hall dare not ask for this price!"

"Too expensive for you?" The man grinned, "Then why don't you just go to De Ren Hall? This is the price I charge all the rich people who come here. Accept it or not is up to you."

Anfu choked up and stared at him in rage.

An Chang Qing, on the other hand, remained unchanged. He took out ten taels of silver and placed them on the counter together with the prescription, "Sir, please have a look."

The man turned his head and once he saw An Chang Qing's face clearly, his eyes lit up. He immediately turned his wheelchair and came out of the house, all the while scanning An Chang Qing rudely.

An Chang Qing frowned and asked patiently, "Sir?"

The man withdrew his sight and took a quick glance at the prescription. He grinned and said, "I don't want the money but you have to let me draw a portrait of you."