Baolintang, a medicine shop in the south market of Beijing, has gone through many ups and downs and has become a golden sign in Beijing.
Although the young master Hong Zhengxuan only holds a minor position as a physician in the Imperial Hospital, responsible for daily trivial matters such as pounding medicine and copying prescriptions, in the eyes of the people of Nanshi, anyone who can enter and leave the Imperial Hospital must have extraordinary medical skills.
Baolintang's reputation does not rely solely on Hong Zhengxuan's background in the Imperial Hospital.
Every medicinal ingredient in the pharmacy is strictly selected to ensure its authenticity, and the price is fair and honest.
During every Chinese New Year, Baolintang provides free medical consultation services to the neighbors, reflecting the benevolence of doctors. This kindness has also made it have a very good reputation over the years and has been passed down by word of mouth.
On this day, Hong Zhengxuan took advantage of his day off to return to the pharmacy to prepare to sit in the clinic and see patients.
As soon as I stepped into the shop, I saw two apprentices huddled together, seemingly concentrating on studying something.
"The young master is here!" Seeing this, the two of them immediately came forward to greet him warmly.
Hong Zhengxuan smiled and nodded in response. He was extremely thirsty after rushing all the way here. He picked up the brewed honeysuckle tea and drank it in one gulp. He immediately felt refreshed.
"Have you had any difficult or complicated illnesses recently?" Hong Zhengxuan asked with concern.
"Mostly the common coughs and hay fever that occur during the spring transition. There aren't any particularly troublesome cases," the apprentice replied.
Hong Zhengxuan felt relieved after hearing this. "If there are any critically ill patients, you can go directly to my residence to find me. I will rush over to see the patient immediately."
He was busy at the Imperial Medical Bureau during the day, but his residence was not far from here, so he could come to the pharmacy to see patients at any time at night.
At this time, a customer came to the shop to get medicine, and the apprentice quickly put the papers on the counter aside.
Hong Zhengxuan had noticed before that the two seemed to be discussing something intently.
They have been studying medicine and working in the pharmacy for several years. What makes them so devoted is naturally related to medical skills.
"What were you looking at just now? Why were you so engrossed?" Hong Zhengxuan asked curiously.
Another apprentice looked up and explained, "It's not really a prescription for any illness. Yesterday, a middle-aged woman brought in a stack of prescriptions for her daughter-in-law's pregnancy. She said it was medicine for her daughter-in-law's pregnancy. She's been taking it for years with no results, so she wanted us to see if there's anything wrong."
Hong Zhengxuan nodded in understanding. "Conceiving a child requires the right time, place and people, but it's also human nature to be eager to have a child." As he spoke, he walked to the counter, picked up the papers and casually read through them.
"I thought the prescription for the pregnancy-maintaining medicine was good yesterday, but the herbs used were too expensive," the apprentice said as he worked. "I wrote down a few of them and copied them down."
"Yes, it also uses precious medicinal herbs like deer antler and snow lily," another person continued. "However, the woman's clothes look very ordinary, so it's a bit strange that she would use such precious medicine."
Hong Zhengxuan carefully flipped through the prescriptions one by one. Indeed, there was nothing wrong with the prescriptions themselves, and the drugs used were also quite exquisite. As he flipped through them, he said, "These prescriptions are indeed well written, and the herbs are indeed of the highest quality."
"Using fish glue as a medicine guide is quite a big deal. Adding Prince Ginseng and Cordyceps Flower, I'm afraid even the palace wouldn't dare to use medicine like this."
Hong Zhengxuan originally had a playful smile on his face, but as his eyes moved back and forth between several prescriptions, the smile gradually froze, replaced by a serious look.
"This is your medicine. Boil three bowls of water into one bowl. Take one dose each morning and evening. Avoid eating fish, shrimp, or spicy food for a few days."
The apprentice skillfully wrapped the herbs and handed them to the waiting customers.
The guest took the herbs and nodded, "Okay."
Hong Zhengxuan's unusual expression caught the apprentice's attention. He cleaned up the medicine residue on the table and couldn't help asking, "Young Master, what's wrong? Is there something wrong with this prescription?"
Hong Zhengxuan felt a chill running down his spine. He shook his head repeatedly, his tone solemn, "Amazing! It's truly incredible! I can't believe someone would use medical skills to harm others like this. This mindset is truly too vicious!"
As he spoke, he tucked the copied prescriptions tightly into his arms, turned to look at the two servants, and asked anxiously, "Did the woman who came here tell me where she came from? Where does she live?"
"No, although she was dressed in ordinary clothes, nothing fancy, her manners and speech were like she came from a wealthy family."
Another apprentice suddenly seemed to remember something and said, "Oh, right! When I saw her off to the door, I heard her say to the coachman, 'Let's go to the next house.'"
Hearing this, Hong Zhengxuan nodded thoughtfully, "I'm going to go out for a while. If this woman comes again, you must ask her about her background and tell her that there is a serious problem with this prescription."
Before he finished speaking, Hong Zhengxuan had already hurriedly left the pharmacy, leaving the two shop assistants looking at each other in confusion.
…
In the Jingzhao Yin Mansion, Xiangqin had been waiting quietly for half a day, but no one came to receive her.
A yamen runner lazily approached and said with a hint of contempt, "Miss, this is not a brothel. We can't attract any business. Why bother wasting your time here?"
Xiangqin flung the handkerchief in her hand and retorted disdainfully, "Screw you! With your meager salary as yamen runners, you can't even afford a banquet at Tianxianglou. I'm blind to come here to solicit business."
Her words were filled with anger and disdain: "You snobs! Yesterday our people came to beat the drums for help, but not only did you ignore them, you even beat Mother Hua with the stick ten times to intimidate her. You have no conscience at all!"
The yamen runner's face darkened and he shouted sternly: "How can we allow you to act wildly here? Get out of here!" As he said that, he reached out and wanted to drag Xiangqin out of the hall.
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