eavesdropping
The top-tier private room at Laiyue Teahouse faces Renji Hall directly. Simply sit by the window and tilt your head slightly downwards to get a clear view of the entire main hall.
I had a pleasant stay at the Marquis's residence yesterday, and Feng Zhengxian generously offered to treat us, ordering from all the teahouses listed on the signboard.
The waiter diligently placed plates of tea, snacks, and light meals on the octagonal table.
"Please enjoy your meal, esteemed guests. I'll wait at the door; please let me know if you need anything." After saying this with a beaming smile, the waiter didn't leave immediately. He wasn't worried that the three were there to dine and dash; judging by their attire, they certainly weren't short of money. His lingering wasn't to rush them to pay, but rather to see if they needed any other errands—like getting a pot of osmanthus wine from the tavern next door, or running errands to buy some fresh, hot sweet cakes. If he kept them happy, he'd be happy to give them a little something extra.
Sure enough, the only female guest among the three took out a small piece of gold, about the size of a broad bean, from her sleeve and placed it on the table.
Feng Zhengxian was displeased: "What are you doing, sister-in-law? It was agreed that I would treat you."
Lin Yi smiled slyly at him: "The tea is naturally yours to treat, this is for this young man."
The waiter's eyes widened when he saw the female customer push the gold piece toward him. He then heard her say, "We might order more dishes later, and the bill will be settled by this young master after we finish eating. This is the bill for you."
The waiter chuckled as he took the gold, bit it once, and then quickly tucked it into his pocket as if afraid the waiter might change his mind: "What else do you need? Just let me know!"
Lin Yi and Xie Chengnan exchanged a glance, and the latter said, "There's nothing to instruct you on. We'll call you if we need anything. Go and wait for us."
"Okay!"
"Hey, wait a minute—" Xie Chengnan called out to him again, seemingly casually, "What's that place over there, the one going in and out?"
The waiter leaned close to the window and looked down, saying, "That's Renjitang, the best medical clinic in Mingzhou City."
"The best?" Xie Chengnan repeated.
"Yes, I haven't been in Mingzhou City for long, but I heard that clinic has been open for twenty or thirty years. Locals love to go there when they have a headache or fever. It's an old brand and reliable."
Lin Yi covered her mouth in surprise and said, "It's been that long?"
"Everyone says so, it can't be wrong. Even if you don't need to see a doctor, you can still go there to have your pulse taken and get some beauty and health-preserving medicinal diets." After receiving the gold, the waiter's words became even sweeter. "But Miss, you are so beautiful, there is no need for you to go."
As expected, all girls love beauty. The female guest continued to ask, "Are there many noble ladies from the city?"
"Of course there are many. This teahouse is located across the street, and you can see people coming and going every day, old and young, men and women, and many noble ladies and gentlemen."
Lin Yi asked again, "Has business always been this good?"
"I guess so. I've only been here for a few months, so I don't know anything about the business before I came here." The waiter scratched his head, feeling a little guilty for not being able to answer the customer's questions despite taking the money. So he racked his brains to recall, "But I heard that the head of this hall was recently replaced. I think his name is Duan something. Things have been different since he became the head of the hall."
The female customer was delighted and pulled out another chair for him to sit on. The waiter was so engrossed in his storytelling that he declined the offer for a while but eventually sat down.
"How are they different?"
"I heard that the previous head of the hall died without children, and the new successor is his nephew. So his position is somewhat illegitimate. I guess he's also a bit uneasy about it. Since taking over as head of the hall, he has thoroughly reorganized Renji Hall inside and out, and he's extremely strict with the staff. I have a fellow villager who used to work there doing odd jobs. He was always on edge, and he would get scolded for even the smallest mistake."
"So stingy?" Feng Zhengxian said. "We at Qiancaotang never mistreat our employees."
"Oh my, you're from Qiancaotang?" the waiter exclaimed in surprise.
“Exactly.” Feng Zhengxian unfolded his folding fan. “What’s the reputation of our Qiancaotang in Mingzhou? Tell me in detail.”
The waiter chuckled and moved back a little: "It's great, really great."
Although it was meant to be a compliment, it sounded too perfunctory, and it seemed like the speaker was reluctant to say it.
Feng Zhengxian wanted to ask more questions, but Xie Chengnan interrupted him with a loud cough, and he shut his mouth in annoyance.
"Ignore him, continue."
The waiter turned to look at the door of the private room, making sure it was closed tightly, before whispering, "Although Renjitang has a good reputation, I think it's just on the surface. You can get medical treatment there without any problem, but they're not well-regarded in the medical profession."
Lin Yi laughed, "According to what you said, Renjitang has almost monopolized all kinds of medical treatment in the city. Other small clinics have had their business taken away by it, so how could they still respect it?"
“You don’t know—didn’t I just mention a friend who works odd jobs at Renjitang? He’s the one who told me that Renjitang has been stealing business from many small businesses this year. They’ve squeezed out a lot of small businesses that didn’t have much to begin with.”
The three men looked at each other for a moment, and Xie Chengnan asked, "How did you steal it?"
"Hey, what kind of question is that? How am I supposed to know? If I really knew how to steal business, I wouldn't be doing odd jobs here, would I?"
...
The three of them ate and chatted, going over all the clues they had gathered recently.
"It is known that Master Liu suspected his wife of having an affair and that the child was not his, so he wanted to abort the child. However, he accidentally killed the third wife. Fearing that he would be discovered, he killed the maid Chun Chan to silence her."
"And the lover of this Third Madam is Duan Wenjin, the son of the new head of Renjitang. He is very skilled in medicine, and the child should be his. He also went there to inquire about the Third Madam's situation on the day his younger brother and sister-in-law were taken to Mingdu Prefecture."
"The new head of the hall is actually the old head's nephew. Since taking office, he has implemented many reforms, which has caused extreme dissatisfaction among his own staff and other clinics."
Feng Zhengxian counted the lines one by one on his fingers.
"I know! Didn't the waiter just say that the new head of the hall, Duan Wenjin's father, likes to steal other people's business? Such a person must be extremely ambitious. He couldn't stand his son getting involved with a married woman, so he tampered with the list of medicinal herbs given to Master Liu, causing the death of the person who was harassing his son!"
"..."
"How was it? Was my analysis correct?" Feng Zhengxian had a look on his face that said, 'Look how well I explained it, praise me!'
"According to you, how idle must Duan Wenjin's father be? He has so many businesses to fight for, why would he go and harm a woman who might be pregnant with his grandson?"
“I also think it’s unlikely. If he’s really career-oriented, he shouldn’t have time to pay attention to the personal relationships of these younger generations. Besides, Cheng Nan only found out about Madam Liu’s affair with Duan Wenjin through gossip. Very few people know about it, since it’s not a respectable thing. Duan Wenjin would probably keep it from his father.”
Feng Zhengxian unfolded his folding fan, pondering Lin Yi's words, trying to find another reasonable possibility. Before long, he slammed the fan shut and threw it on the table: "Ugh—this is too much of a brain drain. I can't take it anymore, you guys think about it, I don't care anymore."
After he finished speaking, he walked to the window and looked at the commotion across the street.
After watching for a while, I realized something was wrong. "Hey, come over here, is something wrong?"
Lin Yi and Xie Chengnan were continuing to analyze the clues when they heard this and both got up and went to the window.
Three heads were crammed together in front of a window.
A large crowd had gathered at the entrance of Renjitang across the street, all watching the commotion, unaware of what had happened inside.
"Let's go down and take a look."
A crowd had gathered at the entrance of Renjitang, and in the center of that circle lay a gaunt old man, his body convulsing uncontrollably. Beside him was a slightly overweight middle-aged man.
The man spat on the ground, and seeing that a crowd had gathered, he announced, "Everyone, come and see! This is Renjitang's medicinal herb!" He then threw a paper package on the ground, spilling the herbs inside. "They dare to sell it when it's all moldy! Look what happened to my father after eating it!"
The people gathered in a circle didn't speak, but instead whispered among themselves, pointing and gossiping as if they were just watching the spectacle.
The servants of Renjitang came out to stop them, but dared not actually fight back, and were pushed to the ground. Several guards came out from the backyard of Renjitang, carrying sticks, and surrounded the man and the old man who had fallen to the ground.
Seeing that things were about to escalate, Lin Yi said, "Why don't we report it to the authorities?"
Xie Chengnan held her down: "Let's take a look first."
"What? You've lost all conscience, selling me moldy medicinal herbs that made people sick, and now, in broad daylight with so many people watching, you still want to take action?!" The man put his hands on his hips, showing no fear whatsoever.
The guards naturally dared not drive them away, but simply surrounded them, preventing them from leaving for the time being.
Lin Yi overheard someone whispering beside him, "This person is doing this on purpose, isn't he? Everyone knows the quality of Renjitang's medicinal herbs, how could they possibly sell moldy medicine?"
"Exactly, exactly. It's a long-established brand, how could they be so foolish as to ruin their own reputation? I think they might just be trying to extort money from us."
"A few days ago, didn't someone cause trouble at that Xinglin Medical Clinic? I heard they even smashed up the shop."
"..."
“Sister-in-law, if you ask me, just relax. Look, even with such a big brand as Renjitang, it’s not immune to people trying to scam you,” Feng Zhengxian said.
The situation was at a standstill when someone pushed through the crowd from the outside—Duan Wenjin had arrived.
"What happened?"
The servant briefly explained the whole story to him. After listening, Duan Wenjin stepped forward, half-squatted down, and pretended to check the old man's injuries.
"Hey—what are you doing!" the man shouted.
"We can't let the old man lie here," Duan Wenjin gestured to the guard, "Let's carry him inside first."
"Let's see who dares to touch him!"
"Then what do you want?" Duan Wenjin sighed very softly.
"No way. Are you in charge here? Either give me an explanation or pay me compensation, or I'll smash up this lousy shop!"
"Alright, then I'll give you an explanation." He took a deep breath and picked up the scattered herbs from the ground, examining them carefully. "You say these herbs were bought from Renjitang, do you have any proof?"
"What do you mean I don't have any? Do you think I'm trying to extort you without any evidence?" The man threw the evidence at him.
That was indeed a receipt issued by Renjitang. Duan Wenjin looked at the medicinal herbs again; they were soft and mushy, with grayish fuzzy spots scattered across them. He said, "There is definitely something wrong with these medicinal herbs."
The onlookers erupted in uproar.
Is this a tacit admission that there is indeed a problem with the medicinal materials used by Renjitang?
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