Love Lock

Chapter 330 Making Corrupt Officials Pay with Blood

Within the city of Jizhou, the people were filled with unease.

Since the entire Jizhou army was transferred to the Dongguan front, the city seemed to have lost its backbone, and an atmosphere of unease permeated the streets and alleys.

In teahouses and restaurants, people whispered among themselves, their conversations filled with rumors that the Eastern Ming Empire was about to invade.

Some people were sighing softly, others looked worried, and still others were quietly packing their bags, as if they were ready to leave the city at any time to seek refuge.

In a teahouse, just as a gloomy atmosphere hung over the place, a merchant dressed in silk and wearing a square scarf strode in, his face beaming with barely suppressed joy.

Before he had even stood still, he proclaimed loudly, "Gentlemen, gentlemen! Have you heard? The King of Cangzhou led reinforcements to the aid of Dongguan and utterly defeated the enemy! The crisis at Dongguan is now over, and victory is assured!"

His loud voice immediately attracted everyone's attention.

The merchant continued, "Right now, the prefectural government is recruiting craftsmen on a large scale, saying that Dongguan City urgently needs to be rebuilt, and the wages are generous. This is a rare opportunity! This news has already spread throughout the streets and alleys. Why don't you all hurry up and see for yourselves?"

The teahouse erupted in commotion. Everyone was stunned for a moment, then their faces lit up with surprise and delight.

The previously somber and oppressive atmosphere vanished, replaced by jubilation. Some quickly tossed down their tea money, while others called to their companions, and they all surged out of the teahouse, heading towards the prefectural government office.

Similar scenes played out repeatedly throughout Jizhou City. The news spread like wildfire through every street and alley, to every corner.

People came out of their homes and shops, gathered in the streets, and praised the King of Cangzhou for his help and discussed the good news of the great victory at Dongguan.

In an instant, Jizhou City seemed to awaken from a long dream and regain its vitality.

The area in front of the prefectural government office was already bustling with people.

A notice recruiting craftsmen was hung high. Zhao Zun's personal guards were dressed as ordinary people, wearing coarse clothes, but their heroic spirit could not be concealed.

They were Lao Meng and his personal guards. As they registered the names, they loudly proclaimed the victory of the Cangzhou King's reinforcements.

Their generous tone drew cheers from the onlookers.

On the steps, Ma Ruiming, the prefect of Jizhou, dressed in a dark blue official robe, looked down at the enthusiastic crowd in front of the gate with a smile on his face.

This morning he received a message from General Yang Shaojie via carrier pigeon, informing him that Dongguan had fallen and the enemy forces of Dongming had almost reached Jizhou. Fortunately, the King of Cangzhou led his troops to the rescue in time, thus averting the danger.

The letter is still in my sleeve, and every word is startling.

The thought of the Dongming bandits nearly reaching Jizhou sent chills down his spine and filled him with lingering fear.

If it weren't for the timely assistance from the King of Cangzhou, Jizhou would probably already be engulfed in flames of war by now.

Although the imperial court regarded the King of Cangzhou as a traitor, in the face of righteousness, who defended this land and protected the people of this city?
Ma Ruiming was very clear-headed.

Even if the court blames him in the future, he will have no regrets—all his actions were for the sake of protecting the peace of Dongguan and Jizhou, so what wrong have he done?

He straightened his outer robe, looked at the jubilant crowd in the distance, and silently thought: In chaotic times, as long as one has a clear conscience, that is enough!

A room on the second floor of an inn across the street was filled with a strong smell of blood and disinfectant.

Han Lei stood in front of the makeshift operating table, her forehead glistening with fine beads of sweat.

Han Lei and her group originally stayed at the post station, but the post station was crowded with people and Lao Meng was worried that it would be inconvenient. So they found a slightly more upscale inn opposite the prefectural government office, thinking that it would be safer since it was closer to the prefectural government office.

With the support of M16s and light machine guns, it was expected that Zhao Zun's reinforcements would drive away the Dongming rebels.

Therefore, the first thing Han Lei did upon arriving here was to recruit craftsmen to build a fortress in Dongguan to defend against foreign enemies.

Han Lei thought to herself that she was glad she had come along. Otherwise, Zhao Zun would have had a headache just from the materials needed to build the bastion.

Han Lei took a deep breath and placed the stethoscope on Dongfang Jiming's pale chest.

"The heartbeat is weak, but still relatively regular," she murmured to herself, gently pressing her fingers on several key areas of the injured person's abdomen.

Dongfang Jiming let out a painful groan while unconscious, his brows furrowed.

Aunt Li was skillfully preparing the surgical instruments on the side.

She placed the stainless steel tray that Han Lei had taken from her spatial dimension over a candle flame to sterilize it, her movements appearing clean and efficient. She was no longer the awkward and timid woman she had been when assisting Han Lei with surgery for the first time.

Li Sao was someone the old lady insisted Han Lei take with her to take care of her before she left Cangzhou.

After all, Li Sao is a mother, and Han Lei had arranged for her to stay at Cangzhou Hospital for a period of time.

Most importantly, she had experience caring for her own son Xiao Le's injuries. Since only Zi Tan and Jin Ju were there to care for Han Lei, the old lady was worried and specially arranged for Li Sao to stay by her side.

"Your Highness, would you like to rest for a while? You've been standing for half an hour." Aunt Li looked at Han Lei's protruding belly with concern.

Han Lei shook her head, her gaze never leaving the injured man. "Time is of the essence; he can't afford to wait."

As Han Lei spoke, she took out a bottle of saline solution from her spatial storage. "Here, help me clean his wound."

The hustle and bustle outside the window seemed much farther away, with only occasional cheers reminding them that the city was celebrating the victory of Dongguan.

Sunlight streamed through the window, casting dappled shadows on the floor and illuminating the dust motes dancing in the air.

Li Sao carefully cut open Dongfang Jiming's blood-stained outer robe, revealing a deep wound underneath that exposed bone.

The bullet pierced Dongfang Jiming's left shoulder, but the internal injuries from the fall were even more serious. Han Lei put on sterile gloves and gently examined the area around the wound.

“Two ribs are broken,” she frowned. “Luckily, they didn’t puncture the lungs. But the spleen may rupture, which is the most dangerous part.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Dongfang Jiming suddenly coughed violently, and dark red blood gushed from his mouth.

The portable monitoring device that Han Lei took out from her spatial storage immediately emitted a piercing alarm. In order not to arouse suspicion, she deliberately covered these modern devices with a curtain.

"His blood pressure is dropping!" Han Lei said urgently. "Sister Li, quickly prepare the blood transfusion equipment. He has type O blood, and I happen to have some in my system."

Li Sao quickly took out the blood bag and IV tubing, and skillfully began to establish an intravenous access.

During her time at Cangzhou Hospital, she learned these basic medical procedures.

Han Lei was busy inserting an oxygen tube into Dongfang Jiming to ensure that his brain would not be damaged due to lack of oxygen.

"Your Highness, would you like to sit down while operating this?" Aunt Li couldn't help but ask again, seeing Han Lei bent over with her pregnant belly.

Han Lei shook her head and slightly adjusted her posture. "It's alright, the baby is very well-behaved and hasn't bothered me." As she spoke, her hand unconsciously stroked her belly, as if to soothe the little life inside. The surgery was extremely difficult.

Han Lei first had to treat Dongfang Jiming's gunshot wound in the shoulder. She carefully removed the remaining shrapnel, cleaned the wound, and then sutured it.

Although her fingers were somewhat swollen due to pregnancy, her years of experience as a military doctor had made her still very skilled.

"Tweezers." She reached out, and Aunt Li immediately handed her the sterilized instruments. The only sounds in the room were the crisp clinking of metal instruments and the patient's heavy breathing.

As she dealt with the internal organ damage, Han Lei's brow furrowed even more. "The internal bleeding is more serious than I thought," she whispered. "We must perform an laparotomy immediately."

Aunt Li gasped, "Here? Your Highness, this is too dangerous!"

"But we have no other choice now." Han Lei has already begun preparations.

Because of the two-day delay on the way here, Han Lei wasn't confident that she could completely revive Dongfang Jiming. However, since Zhao Zun said that this person was useful, she would try her best!
She took out a lightweight, transparent isolation tent from her storage space and quickly set it up above the operating table.

The tent covered the patient's upper body, leaving only the operating window open.

Han Lei put on a surgical magnifying glass and, with the assistance of Li Sao, carefully cut open Dongfang Jiming's abdomen. Fresh blood immediately gushed out, and she quickly used a suction device to remove the accumulated blood and locate the bleeding point.

Time passed by, and Han Lei's complete concentration made her almost forget her fatigue.

However, her body, which was nearly six months pregnant, could not withstand standing for long periods of time. Her lower back began to ache, and her calves became somewhat swollen.

Aunt Li thoughtfully brought over a low stool for her to sit on while operating the equipment. Although the posture was not very convenient, it at least relieved some of the discomfort.

“Found it,” Han Lei suddenly said, precisely removing the damaged tissue with the scalpel in her hand, and then began to carefully suture it...

Just then, a commotion suddenly arose downstairs. It seemed that a crowd of people had gathered outside the inn, demanding severe punishment for the Dongming officials.

The noise grew louder and louder, and you could even hear stones hitting the wall.

This afternoon, when the carriage carrying Dongfang Jiming slowly arrived, the magistrate's guards reported to Lao Meng that the people in the carriage were notorious officials from Dongming. The crowd gathered in front of the magistrate's office immediately became agitated.

"It's a corrupt official from Dongming!" Someone in the crowd shouted first, like a spark falling into a haystack, instantly igniting the anger of the crowd.

The craftsmen who had been queuing to register dropped their tools, and the onlookers surged forward, their faces, tanned dark by the scorching sun, gleaming with hatred.

A man in a coarse cloth and short clothes bent down, picked up a sharp-edged stone, and threw it directly at the carriage: "Let that corrupt official pay for his blood debt!"

The crowd surged forward like a tide, and the guards responsible for escorting them quickly blocked the carriage, their M16s all pointing skyward.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Several gunshots rang out, shaking the sky, and white smoke billowed in the sunlight. The people were stunned by the gunfire, their steps faltering, but the fire in their eyes did not die out.

It was Prefect Ma Ruiming who stood up and shouted, "Fellow villagers! Quiet down!"

Old Meng also walked to the top of the steps and said loudly, "This corrupt official from Dongming deserves to die, that's right! But killing him now would only be a momentary satisfaction. If we keep him alive, the Prince can pry open his mouth and find out the truth about Dongming—that's true revenge for everyone!"

The crowd gradually quieted down, and only heavy breathing could be heard.

Old Meng's gaze swept over the angry faces, and he continued, "I know you are all heartbroken, but I, Old Meng, guarantee with my life that the Prince will make him pay the price sooner or later!"

With the reassurance of the prefect and Old Meng, the people's anger subsided somewhat. Just then, for some reason, a disturbance broke out outside again.

Han Lei's hand trembled slightly, but she quickly steadied it. "Sister Li, go see what's going on, and have Lao Meng send someone to maintain order." Her gaze never left the operating area.

Aunt Li rushed to the window, glanced down, and her face turned pale. "Your Highness, a large crowd has gathered outside, and they're very agitated. They're saying they want to drag the Dongming traitors out and execute them."

Han Lei took a deep breath. "Tell Lao Meng that if someone breaks in, he can't bear the consequences if the prince blames him."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried a sense of authority.

Sister Li quickly agreed and left.

Han Lei continued her work, her forehead dripping with sweat.

When Sister Li returned, she brought two guards with her to stand outside the door, and the noise downstairs gradually subsided.

"Your Highness, Old Meng has sent people to disperse the crowd, saying that the Prince is an important prisoner and should not be disturbed," Aunt Li reported, before returning to the operating table to assist after washing and disinfecting her hands again.

Han Lei nodded, her attention completely focused on the delicate vascular suturing. Her fingers moved steadily under the magnifying glass, carefully connecting each hair-thin blood vessel.

This process requires immense patience and precision; otherwise, even the slightest mistake could lead to surgical failure.

Before I knew it, the sun was setting, and its orange-red light streamed through the window into the room, gilding everything in the room with a warm golden hue.

Han Lei finally completed the final suturing. After carefully checking for any bleeding points, she began to close the abdominal cavity layer by layer.

"The surgery was very successful," she breathed a sigh of relief, slowly straightening her back, only then feeling the soreness all over her body. "But whether she can survive depends on the situation in the next 24 hours."

Aunt Li quickly helped her sit down and handed her a glass of warm water. "Your Highness, you've worked hard. Please rest. I'll take care of things here."

Han Lei was indeed extremely tired. She leaned back in her chair and gently massaged her lower back.

The baby in her womb seemed to sense her mother's exhaustion and moved restlessly a few times.

As night fell, Dongfang Jiming's vital signs gradually stabilized. Han Lei and Li Sao took turns keeping watch, closely observing his condition.

The solar-powered lights were turned on in the room. Under the bright light, Dongfang Jiming's face was still pale, but his breathing had become much more steady.

In the stillness of the night, Han Lei sat alone by the hospital bed, listening to the occasional sound of the night watchman striking the gong outside the window.

Her hand gently rested on her pregnant belly, her thoughts drifting to Zhao Zun, far away in Dongguan. She wondered if he was well, if he was also thinking of her and their unborn child.

Looking at Han Lei's tired face, Aunt Li said with heartache, "Your Highness, don't push yourself. Go and rest. I'll stay here. It's alright for the master, but you must also think of the young prince."

Han Lei was indeed exhausted, so she nodded. "Call me immediately if anything changes. Especially if you develop a fever, be sure to let me know right away."

She slowly stood up, took one last look at the sleeping Dongfang Jiming, and then dragged her heavy steps toward her room...

While Zhao Zun was busy with post-war pacification and reconstruction in Dongguan, Han Lei was busy transporting craftsmen and materials and treating Dongfang Jiming in Jizhou. Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away in Yizhou, the capital city was receiving the imperial guards sent by Emperor Jing.

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