Chronicles of the Lazy Sovereign Novel - Chapter 97

Chapter 97

Even after the magistrate left, the banquet continued for a good while. As the feast lasted well into the night, Jin So-ah felt that ten bodies would not be enough.

Receiving congratulations from people, sharing their future aspirations and greeting each other individually: it was not until almost midnight that all events finally ended.

“Puaj…”

Jin So-ah collapsed in his bed without even washing properly.

“Uf, I’m dying…”

Then he fell into a mortal dream.

The next morning.

“W-what the hell?”

Jin So-ah’s eyes trembled.

I told you not to push!

Line up!

Barely awakened by the general manager Ha Dae-bung’s uproar from early in the morning, Jin So-ah was surprised to see the line stretching in front of the front door.

“How far does the line go?”

The line in front of the front door filled the long street and was not enough, extending even beyond the corner.

“Huhuhuhuh.”

Ha Dae-bung looked at that scene and laughed with his mouth open.

“Now begin, Master of the Hall.”

“What?”

“Please go to the office of the Master of the Hall.”

“Ah…”

Jin So-ah went to the office of the Master of the Hall, hiding his bewilderment. Sitting in the comfortable armchair of the treatment room prepared in front of the Master of the Hall office, Jin So-ah dried up the sweat that pearled his forehead.

“Is this a dream?”

He had ambitions.

He also trusted that the business would go well, but the line that stretched in front of the front door far exceeded his imagination.

“I told you not to push!”

There’s an emergency patient!

You didn’t just sneak in?

The tail was so long that people were entangled with each other, creating total chaos.

“Huhuhuhuh.”

Ha Dae-bung watched the scene, then turned around and shouted loudly.

Get ready, let’s open!

“Yes!”

When the doors were opened, the patients went into mass, but could not enter because they were blocked by the rope that Ha Dae-bung had placed beforehand.

Receive your initial exams in order and then enter. Initial exams are free!

“Waaahhh!”

Medical clinics usually charge fees that would make anyone cry with just a doctor’s eye. It was not in vain to say that going to a clinic a couple of times would ruin a home’s finances.

But since the initial exams were free, they couldn’t help but be delighted.

The doctors sat at desks in front of the front door and began classifying the patients according to what the patients who were admitted told them. Since it was not a job that required particularly advanced medical skills, they were doctors in internships specially contracted by Ha Dae-bung.

When he offered to pay even small amounts instead of the apprentices paying to learn his work, fights broke out over who would accept the job.

They considered it to be killing two birds with one stone: learning medicine at the prestigious Sacred Hand Hall and, at the same time, earning money.

“Please go to treatment room 3.”

“To treatment room 2!”

“…It looks like just indigestion, you could probably go home.”

The medical assistants guided the patients, carefully classified, to the treatment rooms. Inside the rooms, doctors in each area waited to receive them.

Soon the sounds of the murmurs of the patients and the smell of medicine getting ready began to fill the medical clinic.

Jin So-ah, who was opening the door and looking out as no one in particular came in, kept rubbing his eyes.

“What the hell?”

Just having a banquet once attracted so many patients: what kind of miracle was that?

“The beginning seems good.”

Ha Dae-bung approached Jin So-ah and spoke to him. Jin So-ah, bewildered, reflected on what to respond to. But there was no need to reflect. The answer was not given by him, but by another person.

“Well, it’s as expected.”

“Huh?”

The answer came from above Jin So-ah’s head. Then a rolling noise was heard from above the eave, and Wei Yan-ho dropped.

“Hey? Were you up there?”

“Yes.”

Wei Yan-ho looked at the patients who treated him and smiled with satisfaction.

“Now all that’s left is making money.”

“That’s right.”

“…Will this continue?”

As Jin So-ah couldn’t understand why people clung together like that, he could only bow his head confused.

“Huhuhuhuh, the Master of the Hall just needs to watch the show and eat rice cakes.”

Faced with Ha Dae-bung’s confident words, Jin So-ah bowed his head.

“I just don’t understand…”

Wei Yan-ho looked at Jin So-ah as if he were pathetic.

“This is why doctors do not serve.”

Jin So-ah’s face got red.

“People who treat patients don’t know what patients think, so, of course, they struggle to make a living.”

“What do you mean by that?”

How many medical clinics are there in Wuhan?

“… eh?”

Jin So-ah remained thoughtful. There was the nameless medical clinic where he had been, and there was the false Sacred Hand Hall.

And…

Except for the Sacred Hand Hall on the main street, there are hardly any places that can be considered medical clinics. At most, there are some small ones. That’s why people flock to the Sacred Hand Hall on the main street.

This was due to the fact that the former Sacred Hand Hall had been a huge medical institution. Wuhan residents did not need to go to clinics other than the Sacred Hand Hall, so naturally no others could arise. Then, when the Sacred Hand Hall collapsed and a new clinic was installed, a vacuum was created.

“When you’re sick, you have to go to a medical center, but in that place you charge for the first exams, so people endure and suffer, afraid of wasting money on something trivial and end up making their illness worse.”

“I don’t understand. So you couldn’t just come to the clinic without a name?

“Did that nameless medical clinic have patients who could afford to pay?”

“…there was none.”

People like the cheap, but, on the contrary, if something is too cheap, they doubt its quality. They offer free treatment, the building is falling apart, and the only doctors are a young girl and a little boy. Who would trust their life to such a place? They would ask for loans to go to the Sacred Hand Hall.

Jin So-ah fell into confusion.

So what have you been doing all this time?

Only those who can’t pay even if they die go there, so the debts pile up, and no matter how much you work, there’s no income.

Jin So-ah’s face got pale.

In the middle of all this, when they say they will provide treatment without charge for the initial consultation, all those who felt a little bad had no choice but to come en masse. What if they simply charge less than them for medication and acupuncture?

Ha Dae-bung continued.

“From now on, we will dominate Wuhan’s medical clinics.”

The little doubt that remained was dispelled by the magistrate’s visit. People would think it was a trusted medical clinic commissioned by the government, so there’s nothing to worry about.

“Certainly.”

Jin So-ah nodded and asked.

– But how did you bring the magistrate here?

“We had a good conversation.”

Seeing Wei Yan-ho’s sinister smile caused his heart to sink.

“to-threat?”

What a threat! I just showed you the Black Land Tavern tribute book.

“That’s a threat!”

Jin So-ah shouted loudly.

That’s exactly what a threat is!

Hey, this is called a deal.

Wei Yan-ho pulled an accounting book out of his chest and shook it gently.

In fact, the fact that someone at the magistrate’s level received tribute was no big deal. Even if evidence were discovered, punishment would be impossible.

When Wei Yan-ho infiltrated the magistrate’s house and presented the ledger, the magistrate simply snorted.

But when Wei Yan-ho introduced the Censor’s Golden Sword, his complexion became mortally pale.

What kind of place was the Censorate?

It was a place that sought and punished officials who committed crimes or corruption. Censorship’s authority was already tremendously powerful, but when Lee Wang-ya took over as Director of Censorship, that power doubled.

But not just any censor, but a censor who owned the Censor’s Golden Sword?

This was an unimaginable situation.

Thanks to this, Hubei’s magistrate had no choice but to visit the Sacred Hand Hall obediently as ordered by Wei Yan-ho.

In addition, I obtained an official position that allows me the free use of the wealth obtained from the Black Land Taberna.

He’s a demon.

This human is a demon!

What madman in the world would think of threatening a magistrate?

“But once people come here once, will they look for this place again later?”

“Tsk tsk.”

Wei Yan-ho looked at Jin So-ah as if he were pathetic.

The prestigious reputation of the Sacred Hand Hall transmitted from generation to generation, cheap treatment rates and even the protection of the magistrate.

There was no reason for people not to look for them. Also, with a huge initial capital investment, they had carefully selected and placed qualified doctors, so it was inevitable to make money.

You’ll make money, you’ll make money, but…

Wei Yan-ho’s eyes burned.

“The problem is if we can get the investment back!”

“What?”

“Money will be made, but the money we invested was not insignificant either.”

“A huge amount came in.”

Ha Dae-bung nodded too.

Initially, they tried to invest the minimum, but after considering it a little bit, they invested more money than expected. At least they were lucky enough to get the property for free.

“So you have to get that investment back.”

“…to me?”

You’ve got to get it back!

He declared Wei Yan-ho.

Now there is no time to sleep! I will surely make you the best doctor in Hubei, so work like a dog! Like a dog!

At that time, Jin So-ah had the intuition that something had gone terribly wrong.

“…How did you get here?”

“Doctor, I have a very heavy stomach. Since yesterday, it has been congested, as if I had a stone inside.

After completing the pulse diagnosis, Jin So-ah began writing a prescription.

It doesn’t look like acute indigestion, but rather a bad digestion. I’ll prescribe a medicine to protect your stomach, so please go and take it for a week.

Thank you. Don’t I need acupuncture?

Acupuncture is not especially necessary, but if you want to receive it, there is an additional cost.

Yes, of course it’s fine.

“…Please guide them to the acupuncture room.”

When the medical assistant took the patient to the acupuncture room, Jin So-ah took his needle case and went to place the needles on the lying patient, then returned to the treatment room.

Another patient was already sitting in the treatment room.

“…Listen here.”

“Yes, doctor?”

“Are there still a lot of people lined up outside?”

My God, Doctor, the line extends to the front door, I waited for three Shijin.

“I see.”

Jin So-ah let a sigh of helplessness slip away.

Is that how I have to live?

Since people began to go en masse to the special treatment room, there was no time of rest.

In the medical clinic without a name, there was a lot of activity, but not so much. As there were few doctors, they simply lacked time to attend to hospitalized patients.

But there, they were just busy caring for the numerous patients.

“Puaj…”

Jin So-ah issued a groan and began to attend patients again.

Wei Yan-ho, watching the scene from above the eaves, nodded.

“At least we’ll make some money.”

“Hahaha.”

Ha Dae-bung burst into laughter.

“This is just the beginning.”

“That’s right.”

Wei Yan-ho couldn’t help but think he had done well to hire Ha Dae-bung.

“But you’re really amazing.”

“You’re welcome.”

As much as Wei Yan-ho would have brought the magistrate, the business wouldn’t have gone so well with just that. It all happened because Ha Dae-bung’s plan came to perfection.

“From a merchant’s point of view, doctors are all idiots.”

Ha Dae-bung had a bitter smile.