Spoiled and mad critic of powerful ministers

Officer Li frowned and waved his hand, saying, "I don't have a doctor here. It's still a day's journey to Wu County. Just keep going."

Upon hearing this, the merchant's eyes, which had been wide open with anxiety, quickly lost their light, becoming empty and desperate. He murmured, "It's hopeless. My brother's legs are ruined; he hasn't felt them for a day."

Upon hearing this, Shen Qiongju stepped out from the ranks and said to Constable Li, "Officer Li, I have some frostbite ointment here; you can give it a try."

He then handed two jars of frostbite ointment to the merchant.

The merchant was a boss named Gao Yisheng. It was his first time traveling to the Western Regions for trade. Although he had escorts with him, he lacked experience and lost two or three men along the way. Fortunately, he brought back a considerable amount of goods.

"If the frostbite is so severe that he loses consciousness, and there is any further delay, he may have to have his limbs amputated or even his life may be in danger. Take some frostbite ointment and apply it to the frostbitten areas." Her voice was calm, yet clear amidst the noise of the wind and snow.

Boss Gao was taken aback. Seeing that it was a young woman, he hesitated for a moment, but a glimmer of hope rose in his eyes. "Young lady, do you know how to treat frostbite? Could you please save my brother? Please!"

Shen Qiongju hesitated for a moment and said, "I don't know how, I've just seen how others treat it before."

In her previous life, she had seen Wu Mei treat frostbite for farmers in the village, so she knew a little about the simple treatment methods and could only try it out of kindness.

Officer Li glanced at Shen Qiongju, then, remembering the magistrate's instruction to "take care" of her, and seeing that the Pei family had no objections, he stepped aside.

The injured man was carried over; he was a young man of about twelve or thirteen, who looked not much younger than Pei Zhiyan.

His face was pale, his left foot was swollen and shiny, and his skin was an ominous purplish-black color; he was indeed unconscious.

Shen Qiongju squatted down, examined the wound carefully, and asked when the frostbite occurred and how it felt.

Then, she deftly untied her small bundle—which contained the last bit of frostbite ointment and clean strips of cloth from Dabao Village.

"Find a sheltered spot, light a fire, and boil snow water. It should be warm, not scalding."

While giving instructions to Boss Gao's men, she used snow to rub around the wound to promote microcirculation, then applied ointment and rubbed it vigorously.

"He can't be warmed by the fire for now; he needs to warm up slowly. This ointment can improve blood circulation and remove blood stasis; apply it to him every hour. Once we reach the next town, we must seek medical help immediately."

Her movements were methodical and her expression focused, exuding a convincing composure.

Boss Gao's eyes lit up as he thanked him repeatedly and insisted on giving him money.

Shen Qiongju couldn't refuse, so she only accepted a small amount of money for the ointment. The remaining amount was exchanged by Boss Gao for some beef jerky and a small bag of strong liquor, which he then gave to the Pei family.

This little incident delayed the group by half an hour, but the dry rations and strong liquor made the rest of the journey easier.

No one was in the mood to be happy, and Pei Shoulian's condition was getting worse.

That night, they stayed at the nearest post station in Liwu County.

Pei Shoulian developed a high fever, his whole body was burning hot, his jaw was clenched, and he fell into a deep coma, making it extremely difficult to feed him water.

"Grandfather! Grandfather, wake up!" Pei Zhiyan knelt by the kang (a heated brick bed), holding the old man's withered hand, his voice filled with terror.

Pei Junlan and the others were in a panic, and Officer Li also frowned. He sent someone on horseback to a nearby village to find a barefoot doctor.

After much difficulty, they finally found a frail old doctor who took their pulse for a long time. He shook his head and sighed, "A long illness has weakened your body, and the wind and cold have penetrated your marrow. You are on the verge of death... If you can get some high-quality ginseng to keep your vital energy up, you may be able to extend your life by a few days. If you can get to the county town, there may be a glimmer of hope."

"Otherwise... I'm afraid I won't make it through the night."

Ginseng? Where can I find it in this desolate wilderness?

Even if they did, how could they, burdened with guilt and penniless, afford them?

A sense of despair enveloped the small inn room. Pei Junlan slumped on the cold floor, her eyes vacant. Pei Zhiyan buried his face in his grandfather's hands, his shoulders trembling violently.

Shen Qiongju stood outside the door, the cold wind blowing in, chilling her to the bone. She touched the heavy cloth bag in her arms, turned around and went out.

She found Boss Gao feeding the horses outside the post station.

"Boss Gao," her voice was steady in the wind, "you are a seasoned and knowledgeable businessman, do you have any... ginseng? Even just a small piece, even if it's of lower quality."

Boss Gao looked at her in surprise, then understood: "Is it for that old man?"

Shen Qiongju nodded, took out the cloth bag, and handed it over: "This is all my possessions, thirty taels. I wonder if you can spare some to save my life."

Boss Gao did not take the money bag, but gave her a deep look before turning around and returning to the courtyard where the caravan was stationed.

A short while later, he returned with a carefully wrapped oil paper package and stuffed it into Shen Qiongju's hand: "Young lady, you saved my brother during the day. This kindness cannot be measured in money. This is a wild ginseng of decent age. I cut one half for my brother to keep, and you can take the other half. No need for money."

Shen Qiongju clutched the still-warm oil paper package and gave a solemn curtsy to Boss Gao.

She took the ginseng back to the inn's kitchen, silently washed it, and sliced ​​it into pieces as thin as cicada wings.

Pei Junlan followed her in, looking at her focused profile, the firelight flickering and illuminating the dark circles under her eyes.

"Qiongju..." Pei Junlan's voice was hoarse, "Thanks to you."

"Save Grandfather first." Shen Qiongju stared at the broth in the clay pot, which was gradually rippling, and said in a low voice.

As the bitter aroma of ginseng soup filled the air, Officer Li stamped his foot, whispered a few words to his deputy, and then rode off towards Wu County that very night.

I've heard that Magistrate Shen has a close relationship with the Pei family and is determined to overturn their case. If Pei Shoulian dies on the way, he'll really have a hard time explaining himself.

Shen Qiongju carefully fed Pei Shoulian the ginseng soup. After several attempts, the old man finally swallowed a little.

The ginseng soup seemed to have some effect, and the high fever subsided a little in the latter half of the night. Everyone breathed a slight sigh of relief, but no one dared to sleep, clinging to that faint hope.

Just before dawn, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from outside the post station; there was more than one horse.

The door was suddenly pushed open, and a chilling blast of air, carrying snowflakes, rushed in.

A figure stood at the doorway, dressed in a disheveled blue robe. He was thinner and more frail than I remembered, and his face was so pale it was almost transparent in the snowy light.

Only those eyes, dark and deep, like an unyielding, cold night, were rapidly scanning the room, finally settling on Pei Shoulian, who lay unconscious on the kang (heated brick bed).

It was Pei Zhihui.

He had clearly arrived in a great hurry; his shoulders and hair were covered in unmelted snow, his chest rose and fell slightly, and his lips were so pale they were almost colorless.

His gaze suddenly narrowed when he saw Pei Shoulian's miserable state, and then he saw Shen Qiongju kneeling by the kang, holding half a bowl of ginseng soup in her hand, her face exhausted.

Pei Zhihui's gaze lingered on Shen Qiongju's face for a moment.

That gaze was extremely deep, extremely cold, and so complex that it was difficult to discern. Perhaps there was something else behind it, but it was all sealed by a thick layer of ice, making it impossible to see clearly.

Then, his gaze shifted away, as if she were merely an insignificant decoration in the room.