Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

Stepping out of the warm chamber, Fang Zheng Yi felt a slight headache coming on.

The subsequent conversations were all casual and lighthearted.

However, how could opening a clinic in the county that only uses penicillin lead to a quarrel?

The Guild of Physicians occupies half the apothecaries in the capital; does Wang Meng really have such a knack for stirring up trouble?

It was truly incomprehensible.

Since he couldn't understand it, Fang Zheng Yi didn't dwell on it and went straight to the Imperial Hospital.

With such a large organization like the Guild of Physicians, the Imperial Hospital must be familiar with them.

Arriving at the Imperial Hospital, he happened to run into an old acquaintance, Imperial Physician Hu.

At this moment, Imperial Physician Hu was leisurely flipping through a medical book and sipping tea.

His mouth seemed to be muttering some incantation, occasionally shaking his head.

Upon seeing Fang Zheng Yi's arrival, he immediately snapped to attention and saluted, "Greetings, Lord Fang."

Fang Zheng Yi nodded slightly, "Sorry to bother you, Imperial Physician Hu. I've come today to inquire about something. Have you ever heard of the Guild of Physicians?"

Imperial Physician Hu swallowed and said in a low voice, "Heard... heard of it."

"Do you have any contact with them?"

Imperial Physician Hu seemed somewhat guilty, first nodding and then shaking his head violently, "No! No contact!"

Hmm? Why is this old fellow's reaction so suspicious?

Fang Zheng Yi frowned, "Do you have a relationship with them or not?!"

"Cough... uh... Lord Fang, to say there's a relationship, there is, to say there isn't, there isn't..."

"Get to the point! Why are you being so long-winded!"

Imperial Physician Hu forced a smile, "During rest days, the common people sometimes invite people from our Imperial Hospital to give guidance... Almost all apothecaries practicing medicine in the capital have gone through the Guild of Physicians. But strictly speaking, this old man has never joined the Guild of Physicians, so there's no relationship."

"I see. Just what exactly does this impressive Guild of Physicians do?"

"Actually, it's just a group of colleagues getting together to discuss their skills and exchange experiences. Over time, everyone has come to accept its existence. Before outsiders want to practice medicine in the capital, they must notify the Guild of Physicians. It's as simple as that." Imperial Physician Hu lowered his head and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

Isn't that just a trade association? Creating a threshold specifically to make things difficult for outsiders.

These bastards are actually targeting me!

Fang Zheng Yi's eyes darted around, "Can you... put in a good word in the Guild of Physicians?"

Imperial Physician Hu laughed awkwardly, "I can't. This old man isn't one of them. I usually study medicine and rarely go, rarely go."

"Forget it then, thank you. I'll be going now."

With that, Fang Zheng Yi lifted his foot, turned around, and left.

Watching Fang Zheng Yi leave, Imperial Physician Hu looked at the empty doorway and breathed a sigh of relief.

This evil star... please don't come again. Nothing good ever comes from seeing him.

......

Leaving the Imperial Hospital, Fang Zheng Yi called for Zhang Biao and headed straight for the clinic.

Although he hadn't paid too much attention to the newly established clinic, he had heard a lot from Xiao Tao's fragmented words.

He had a general idea of the location.

Taoyuan County has always been generous to its own people, especially when it comes to important matters like penicillin.

The silver allocated to Wang Meng was also considerable, and the chosen location was not in Banshan Ward, where most Taoyuan people gathered.

Instead, it was chosen in a prime location near the city center.

It was convenient to attract customers, and it would be easier to conduct research after recruiting more patients.

When Fang Zheng Yi quickly arrived outside the clinic, many people were gathered at the entrance watching the commotion, and there seemed to be people arguing in the center.

A huge plaque hung above the clinic, with the words "Taoyuan Clinic" written on it.

Zhang Biao pushed through the crowd, and Fang Zheng Yi followed closely behind, squeezing into the crowd.

He saw Wang Meng standing at the gate, with four or five white-haired old men scolding and glaring, with a corpse placed in front of them.

"Your Taoyuan Clinic disregards human life! Aren't you going to give an explanation? Even now, you still won't close down immediately and come with us to see the officials?"

"The deceased's body has been lying here all night. Wang Meng! Won't you confess your guilt?!"

"Establishing a clinic privately without the consent of the Guild of Physicians is harming the people! How many more lives will your hands stain?"

Wang Meng's assistant, his throat already hoarse, was still constantly arguing, "That patient was already terminally ill and couldn't have survived. How can you say we deliberately killed him?!"

"We have already compensated the deceased's family. Haven't people died in your clinics before?"

"This is a deliberate attempt to frame us!"

Fang Zheng Yi stood in the crowd, his brow deeply furrowed.

It seemed that this situation had been going on for a long time.

These old men were all experienced apothecaries, yet they were degrading themselves by doing such a thing. It was really inexplicable.

The argument continued, and Fang Zheng Yi stepped out of the crowd.

He shouted, "Enough!"

After shouting, he ignored the reactions of the onlookers and walked straight to Wang Meng, asking, "What's the situation? How did things get so out of hand?"

The usually calm Wang Meng relaxed the moment he saw Fang Zheng Yi.

Although he didn't take these people seriously, he couldn't withstand the relentless attacks and constant scolding.

Now, the savior had finally arrived.

"Master, you don't know. Our clinic did indeed treat someone to death. That patient was really weak, and was already dying when they were brought here. This is all within normal circumstances, and we have compensated as we should."

"But these guys are relentless, bribing the deceased's family and carrying the corpse here to make things difficult for us. The reason for all this is to get our clinic shut down."

Apothecaries leading a medical dispute, interesting.

Fang Zheng Yi smiled, "I'm still waiting for your clinic to make money! How long has it been since you opened, and you can't handle it?"

A hint of embarrassment appeared on Wang Meng's stiff face, and he explained, "Skills are specialized... it seems the clinic should find a businessman to manage it."

"Why do they want to shut down our clinic?" Fang Zheng Yi asked.

Wang Meng thought for a moment, "Perhaps it's because we're taking away their business."

"After the Taoyuan Clinic was established, it only used penicillin to treat diseases, and also recorded cases and collected data. The method of treatment is completely different from the market, and some people with good intentions call us the New Medicine, and the original apothecaries the Old Medicine. I thought it was good and called it that."

"The clinic's reputation rose quickly, and it cured many incurable diseases. Countless patients came here every day, and I tried to accept as many as I could be treated with penicillin. Over time, the people came to believe that the Old Medicine was not as good as the New Medicine, and their business decreased."

"Later, people from the Guild of Physicians came and invited me to discuss medical principles. After I went, they directly denounced me as heresy. I couldn't admit defeat, so I scolded them back. Later, we broke up unhappily, and it's been unpleasant ever since."

Fang Zheng Yi stroked his chin, speechless for a while.

A medical dispute? Really, can this kind of thing happen in Da Jing?