Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 188 Vice Minister Xu Mistakenly Enters the "White Tiger Hall"

"Master Zhang, you are wise to see the truth!"

Xu Guo bowed respectfully and said.

"I made a mistake in a moment of confusion, and I implore you, sir, and Magistrate Zhang, to speak on my behalf before Magistrate Zhang. We, your students, have certainly contributed to the establishment of this Xishan workshop, even if we haven't achieved great merit."

Zhang Juzheng could see that this person was not only there for personal gain, but also for the benefit of the Huizhou merchants behind him.

Compared to Shanxi merchants, Anhui merchants, though declining, still had some influence in the capital.

Many officials in the imperial court were from Anhui, and most of them had some connection with Huizhou merchants.

This is a considerable force, and cooperation would be beneficial for the implementation of the new policy.

However, Zhang Juzheng had long seen through them that they were a group of opportunistic "fence-sitters".

Seeing that Xishan Workshop was thriving, they came to ask for cooperation again?
There is no such thing as such a good thing.

Zhang Juzheng scrutinized the other party intently and said, "The Xishan Workshop is under the jurisdiction of Zhang Shiyuan. Why don't you go and find him? Why come to me for advice?"

Xu Guo looked quite aggrieved: "Minister, it's not that I didn't want to see Magistrate Zhang, it's just that Magistrate Zhang really didn't want to see me!"

Since withdrawing their shares in Xishan Workshop, Xu Guo and other Hui merchants have lost their right to enter Xishan, and they are not even allowed to visit.

Zhang Yunxiu was elusive and rarely seen, so he had no choice but to come to the Zhang family to request an audience.

Zhang Juzheng rose, paced slowly in the hall, and casually uttered a sentence.

"If I had known this, why did I do it in the first place?"

Xu Guo buried his head and wept bitterly.

"This student deeply regrets listening to Magistrate Zhang's words and is filled with shame! If Your Excellency can be magnanimous, this student will certainly serve Your Excellency faithfully."

"I want you to serve me hand and foot?"

Xu Guo quickly said, "Not only students, but also their colleagues, friends, students, and former subordinates will all be grateful for the kindness of the Grand Secretary."

He saw it all too clearly: once the problem of water seepage was solved, Xishan was truly poised for a meteoric rise.

The Zhang family will be the future power; if we don't seize this opportunity now, we will regret it later.

With a promising future as a guarantee, what does it matter if one has to be humble and subservient?
"Kindness?"

Zhang Juzheng squinted his eyes.

He also had his own considerations; making enemies everywhere in the court was not a good thing.

Today, Shanxi merchants, because of Zhang Yunxiu, are now irreconcilably at odds with the "Zhang faction."

We must win over the influence of these Huizhou merchants.

I doubt that Zhang Shiyuan could have missed this.

"I have no choice but to accept it."

Zhang Juzheng walked up to Xu Guo and sighed helplessly.

"However, I can point you in the right direction."

"I humbly request your guidance, Your Excellency!"

Xu Guo clung tightly to Zhang Juzheng's leg as if he had grasped a lifeline, and once he did, he had no intention of letting go.

Zhang Juzheng said with a smile, "If you want to find Zhang Shiyuan, you will naturally not find him in Xishan. You might as well go to Renmin Medical Clinic."

I've heard that the clinic is currently holding a consultation with some expert. If you spend some money, you should be able to see him.

"It's possible?" Xu Guo was somewhat surprised. He had never even heard of this so-called expert consultation before, and asked, "Can we really see Magistrate Zhang?"

“Of course,” Zhang Juzheng said, shaking his head helplessly. “That kid only does things for money. Once he’s taken your money, he can naturally diagnose your problem.”

He looked the other person up and down.

"Judging from your condition, I suspect your illness is quite serious."

Xu Guo's lips twitched, but he dared not raise any objections and continued to ask.

"If I may be so bold as to ask, is there still a chance for the shares in Xishan Workshop?"

Zhang Juzheng sighed, "I can't fathom the thoughts of this rebellious son."

After thinking for a moment, he looked at the book "Guanzi Supplement" on his desk and a smile appeared on his lips.

"Perhaps we'll have to raise the price. You know about supply and demand, right? Prices are rising, so naturally more money will be needed."

"Huh? More money?"

Xu Guo opened his mouth wide, not understanding what he meant.

A few days later.

A large crowd gathered outside Renmin First Medical Clinic.

Yuan Zongdao was maintaining order; as a researcher at the medical center, he was in charge of organizing this special consultation.

"Patients, please take your number tags and do not mix up the order. Today is a consultation with specialists for dysentery. Please think carefully about your condition before entering the consultation room so that the gentlemen can quickly begin the diagnosis and treatment!"

Wearing a white lab coat, he was clearly very familiar with the process and continued to add.

"The treatment of this dysentery is rather unique. If you haven't cleaned yourself properly beforehand, our facility provides a washroom for cleaning. You can receive treatment only after you are thoroughly cleaned."

Upon hearing this, Xu Guo, who was standing in the crowd, couldn't help but feel a tightness in his rear.

No one told me that today's examination was for dysentery!
Wouldn't that mean exposing one's buttocks completely naked?

For a moment, Xu Guo felt an urge to escape.

But he spent fifty taels of silver to buy this number plate, which really hurt his wallet.

Just as Xu Guo hesitated, a female nurse in white walked over. She was wearing a mask and stared intently at Xu Guo's expression. She spoke in a very stern tone.

"Sir, did you not wash your bottom?"

Upon seeing that it was a female nurse, Xu Guo's face immediately turned red, and he stammered.

"I...I've already washed...I've already washed."

“It won’t do if you haven’t washed.” The nurse said, hands on her hips.

"The doctors at the clinic are all of great importance. It's already a rare privilege for them to come and treat you. If your body is filthy, not only will you not be able to get better, but if the doctors get angry, you won't be able to come to the clinic for treatment in the future."

"I didn't!" Xu Guo's face turned red, and he stammered, looking very guilty.

Seeing his behavior, the nurse was even more determined not to let him off the hook, and said with a furrowed brow.

“Old man, if you don’t want to wash, then leave. If the gentlemen blame you, no one can afford to suffer the consequences.”

Xu Guo came to see Zhang Yunxiu. Having finally managed to sneak in, he was unwilling to leave.

He stubbornly insisted, "I'm not leaving! I paid for this!"

"You still spent money?"

The nurse got even angrier and waved her hand, saying...

"Someone, please take this old man to the washroom so that someone can help him clean up. Also, please include the cleaning fee in the bill."

She looked Xu Guo up and down again, as if she had noticed something.

"This old man looks quite distinguished. Perhaps he has been sitting at his desk for too long, so we will arrange another 'physiotherapy' service."

The nurses, who often walked around the clinic taking care of people, had a very discerning eye. They could tell at a glance that someone was either rich or noble, and that they were probably some high-ranking official from the capital who had bought a number that ordinary people had queued up for, thus managing to sneak into the clinic.

She despised this kind of person the most, and following the fine tradition of Chairman Zhang Yunxiu, she arranged a full set of high-quality services for this person.

It has to be the most expensive one.

"Let me go! Hey~ What are you doing? Let me go!"

Caught off guard, Xu Guo was carried away from his original spot by several burly men and headed straight for the backyard.

Along the way, the burly men comforted him, saying, "Sir, please don't be offended. Once you're in our clinic, you can rest assured. Our Magistrate Zhang will never harm you; on the contrary, he will make sure you feel comfortable."

"I can tell you're no ordinary person. Look at the fabric of your clothes; one piece is worth a year's worth of food for an average family. What's wrong with spending a little more money?"

As they were talking, they were led into a secluded room and their clothes were stripped off.

Seeing that the area was deserted, Xu Guo couldn't help but cry out, "Zhang Shiyuan! I will appeal to the court! I will impeach you!"

Another man, growing impatient, slapped him.

"So you think you're an official? We're the Embroidered Uniform Guards, and we still serve Magistrate Zhang! Just stay put, we can't take your life. This is His Majesty's property, no one will listen to you no matter how much you talk!"

These words immediately silenced Xu Guo.

Yes, how could the Wanli Emperor possibly make a decision for him?

Renmin Medical Clinic is the emperor's prized creation, bringing him tens of thousands of taels of silver in revenue every month. What's wrong with you, the officials below, contributing a little more silver?
Is it wrong for His Majesty to accept a little silver from you?

Besides, it's not like we're not going to provide you with services. Where else in Beijing can you find such specialized cleaning services?

Xu Guo was stripped naked, with only a small undershirt covering his body, commonly known as a "loincloth".

He was shivering in the bathtub when several officers in the Imperial Guards threw him in and then went out to guard the door.

They come, the security.

Xu Guo comforted himself in this way, thinking that Zhang Tongzhi was a good person after all, and this "personal cleaning and physiotherapy service" sounded quite legitimate. He couldn't possibly risk his life.

If it were that young female nurse from earlier, although she was a bit fierce, she was still quite good.

Just then, with a loud bang, the door was violently pushed open, and a burly woman, eight feet tall, walked in.

She had a fleshy face and looked to be in her forties or fifties. She was burly and strong, the kind of woman Xu Guo could tear apart alive.

But the woman's voice was very gentle, like a silver bell.

"Is this Minister Xu? I, Su Xiaomei, have been ordered to come and clean you up. Please do not take offense."

Su Xiaomei?!
Xu Guo stared wide-eyed, unable to match the name, voice, and appearance together.

As the other person slowly approached, his hair stood on end. This was no "personal cleaning service"; he was being toyed with!

"This old man is not going to see a doctor anymore, he wants to go home!"

Xu Guo, with his bare bottom exposed, tried to escape the room.

Before he could run two steps, Su Xiaomei reached out and grabbed Xu Guo by the neck, lifting him up.

"Sorry~"

Su Xiaomei spoke in a voice as clear as a silver bell.

"I apologize for my rudeness~ The Prefect said that any official who enters this clinic must not be allowed to avoid receiving treatment. Look at how filthy you are, Lord Xu, let me give you a good wash~"

As she spoke, Su Xiaomei pushed Xu Guo into the bathtub.

"Gulu~Gulu~"

A series of bubbles came from the bathtub.

"Little sister will apply some soap to the adult's clothes~"

After being pulled out of the water, before Xu Guo could even curse, he was subjected to another round of brutal abuse.

However, Su Xiaomei had clearly learned a few moves; she was very strong, yet she did not injure Xu Guo's bones or muscles in the slightest.

Su Xiaomei was even quite talkative, explaining things while massaging and cleaning Xu Guo.

“My younger sister was disliked in the village before. She was not the kind of woman who would be a good wife and mother, and no one wanted to marry her.”

Fortunately, I had some strength, otherwise I would have starved to death.

"After coming to Renmin Medical Clinic, the magistrate and the doctors were all very kind people. They thought that my younger sister was a good girl and had her own value."

Mr. Dongbi was a renowned physician, and he even taught my younger sister a set of massage techniques. Magistrate Zhang gave these techniques a name, calling them the "physiotherapy" method.

"Click!"

Su Xiaomei exerted force on the bone in Xu Guo's hip.

(End of this chapter)