Chapter 19 Who is lying?
Yunxi appeared expressionless, but her heart was in turmoil. She didn't know how Gu Nanxiao had seen through her thoughts, but at this moment, she couldn't possibly admit it.
She stared at Gu Nanxiao for a moment, then closed her eyes without saying a word. Gu Nanxiao's initial anger softened upon seeing her so weak.
He sat down on the edge of the bed, pulled Yunxi into his arms, and said firmly, "From now on, no one in the manor will set any rules for you."
Seeing that Yunxi still did not respond, he paused for a moment, then said in a stronger tone, "Don't even think about leaving, I will absolutely not allow it!"
Yunxi was indeed very tired at the moment. The continuous high fever made her body sore and weak. She had no mind to argue with him, let alone tell Gu Nanxiao about her plans.
She remained silent simply because she wouldn't allow herself to lie or deceive others; doing so would make her feel like Shi Qingchen. But Yunxi would never waver in doing what she was supposed to do.
The next day, Mo Yu reported that the young lady had accidentally fallen down the stairs while going out to buy jewelry, splitting her leg, and was currently recuperating in the princess's courtyard.
Upon hearing this, Gu Nanxiao felt that it was no coincidence. His intuition told him that Shen Yujiao's fall and leg injury must be related to Yunxi.
But Yunxi had just narrowly escaped death and had been recuperating in her bedroom for the past two days. So who exactly did it?
Mo Yu observed his master's expression and then reported another matter: "Your Majesty, when Miss Yun was setting the rules in the Princess's courtyard that day, I seemed to have inadvertently caught a glimpse of a dark shadow flashing past the courtyard wall."
At the time, his subordinates thought they were seeing things, but afterward, they inspected the area under the courtyard wall and indeed saw the footprints of an adult male.
Gu Nanxiao's expression shifted slightly, but he simply ordered, "Strengthen the guards of each courtyard, and report any unusual activity immediately."
After a moment of silence, Gu Nanxiao instructed, "Investigate the situation in Yunxi's hometown as soon as possible, and don't overlook any details."
Three days later
Yunxi's health has greatly improved, and during this time, as expected, no other young ladies or princesses came to set rules or cause trouble for her.
From another perspective, it could be considered a blessing in disguise. After all, she still has many important things to do and doesn't have the energy to waste on these boring women entangled in domestic squabbles.
Because of this illness, Yunxi met Su Mingyan. When she learned that he had saved her when she was on the verge of death, Yunxi wrote down ten secret recipes that were not passed down to the world and gave them to him. Su Mingyan was amazed when he saw them.
The two of them actually started discussing opening a pharmacy, completely ignoring Gu Nanxiao's dark expression and discussing it enthusiastically.
Su Mingyan was full of praise for Yunxi's idea of making traditional Chinese medicine. He thought the method was brilliant.
If traditional Chinese medicine decoction pieces could be processed into large quantities of finished medicines, it would save people a lot of money on medical consultations and treatments.
If the instructions are detailed enough, many people can use the medication according to their own needs. They can also keep some medicines on hand for emergencies at home.
Moreover, traditional Chinese medicine has overcome the drawbacks of being restricted in terms of consumption conditions, making it more convenient to carry. For those who are often away from home, if they suddenly fall ill in remote mountains or wilderness areas, taking out the traditional Chinese medicine they carry might save their lives.
For some people who take medication long-term, whether it's honey pills or water pills, the taste is much better than decoction, which is undoubtedly a boon for this group.
In short, this idea is undoubtedly a great thing that will benefit all people and accumulate immeasurable merit.
After receiving Gu Nanxiao's approval, Su Mingyan decided to join in and open four pharmacies in the four cardinal directions of Kyoto to try it out.
After the plan was finalized, Yunxi wrote nearly four hundred prescriptions within three days. Su Mingyan then reviewed them, made some simple adjustments, and prepared to put them into mass production.
Yunxi had only two requirements for these prescriptions: first, they must be published in the name of her sworn sister; second, they must not be divulged.
Su Mingyan and Gu Nanxiao both said there was no problem; a woman who could produce so many prescriptions deserved the world's respect. Secondly, the idea of selling medicine without selling the ingredients was perfectly reasonable.
Actually, Yunxi wasn't afraid that the prescription would be leaked to the common people, or that one day she would reveal all the secrets, but not now. She simply didn't want the Shi family to benefit from it.
The three finalized their plan: the pharmacy would open within a month. The first batch of prepared Chinese medicines would consist of over fifty varieties, inexpensive and commonly used by ordinary people. The remaining formulas would be produced on a larger scale after the factory was completed.
A month later, two people in Kyoto suddenly became famous, and a strange thing happened that became the topic of everyone's conversation.
One of the people who became famous was Gu Nanxiao, who disrespected his parents and showed no pity for his younger brother since childhood, and became even more cruel and ruthless after becoming the commander of the Imperial Guard.
But this time, his fame was not for infamy. On the contrary, during this month, he presented the court with formulas for smelting refined iron, ingenious blueprints for crossbows, and sand table models based on rudimentary maps.
The three items that Gu Nanxiao presented each time always astonished the entire court of officials.
Recently, he has not only made achievements in the imperial court, but has also opened a low-priced medicine shop and an affordable ice shop in the city.
The emperor was overjoyed by the iron smelting formula presented by Gu Nanxiao. Imagine if the soldiers of the Great Yan Kingdom were equipped with such excellent weapons; wouldn't they be invincible on the battlefield, capable of taking on ten enemies at once?
Because of Gu Nanxiao's extraordinary achievement, the Emperor immediately rejected the Prince Yong's request to be made the heir apparent, and instead granted him a hereditary marquisate and a mansion.
He was also rewarded with two hundred-acre estates, promoted to the second rank, and his authority as a member of the Imperial Guard was expanded to include the ability to investigate all officials.
Gu Nanxiao's affordable ice won the favor of many officials, gentry, and wealthy people, since buying ice at this price would save them half the money compared to previous years.
But what earned Gu Nanxiao countless accolades was his newly opened, low-priced pharmacy. His medicines were inexpensive, giving many people who couldn't afford medical care hope for survival.
This will prevent many people with chronic diseases who need long-term medication from falling into poverty due to their illness, and will also prevent their families from becoming destitute.
Gu Nanxiao's image instantly transformed from a demon to a living bodhisattva. Within just a few days, not only the people of the capital, but the entire Great Yan Kingdom was spreading the word about his merits.
The second person to gain widespread fame was a girl named Yunxi. She became famous because the formula for smelting refined iron, all the prescriptions in the pharmacy, and the methods for making traditional Chinese medicine were all contributed by Yunxi, which Gu Nanxiao publicly announced.
It was because these two people became famous that the strange thing that happened next occurred.
The low-priced traditional Chinese medicine sold in Gu Nanxiao's newly opened shop not only had a similar name to the high-priced, secret-recipe decoction sold in Shi Family Pharmacy, but also had the exact same effects.
This is where the contradiction lies. Gu Nanxiao publicly claimed that all these Chinese medicine prescriptions belonged to Miss Yunxi.
When the Shi family opened their pharmacy and ice shop, they claimed that these prescriptions were developed by Shi Qingchen, the young head of the Shi family.
Such a contradictory situation has led many to speculate whether these prescriptions originated from Shi Qingchen or from the mysterious woman Yunxi.
Who is lying? Who is taking credit for something that doesn't belong to them and deceiving the public?
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