Chapter 73 The Prodigal Brother (Thirteen): A Merchant's Son's Counterattack Against a King of a Different Surname...
About an hour later, Guan Maocai hurried over with a steaming bowl of medicinal soup.
Song Ce took the medicine and examined it carefully. He nodded slightly and said, "The medicine is working perfectly now. Please drink it while it's hot, young master."
Upon hearing this, the man in black took the bowl of medicine. He only took one sip before his brows furrowed slightly, clearly bothered by the astringent and bitter taste of the soup. However, he endured the discomfort and tilted his head back, drinking the entire bowl of soup in one gulp.
Seeing this, Guan Mao's eyes flashed with anticipation, and he asked, "Young Master Song, when will the effects be seen after today's acupuncture and medicine treatment?"
Song Ce smiled slightly upon hearing this and patiently explained, "Young Master's mouth ailment has been chronic for a long time, and the effects of acupuncture are not immediate; it requires a gradual approach. For the next three days, prepare the medicine according to this prescription before lunch each day and have Young Master take it. I will then come to administer acupuncture after three days. Only after three such treatments will there be any improvement."
After taking the medicine, the man in black sat back in the rocking chair and closed his eyes to rest. The room was extremely quiet at this time, with only a gentle breeze blowing through the window frame, making a soft sound.
Just then, a soft, long breath came from inside the room, startling Guan Mao, who had been watching Song Ce. He slowly turned his head and found that his master had fallen asleep while sitting up. This was the first time his master had fallen asleep so unguardedly in the presence of outsiders.
No one knew his master's temperament better than Guan Mao. He was always cautious, and even in his own residence, he rarely relaxed like this. Guan Mao's gaze unconsciously fell on Song Ce, who was deep in thought with his eyes downcast, his eyes carrying a hint of inexplicable scrutiny and vigilance.
Is this Young Master Song truly as clean-cut as his subordinates have investigated? If so, where did he learn his exceptional medical skills?
Song Ce had no idea what Guan Mao was thinking. After waiting for about fifteen minutes, he stood up and went to the man in black. Just as he was about to reach out his hand, Guan Mao stopped him. "What is Young Master Song trying to do?"
"Take my pulse." Song Ce smiled faintly, his words concise and to the point.
Guan Mao frowned slightly, looked at Song Ce and hesitated for a moment before finally retreating to the side.
Song Ce stepped forward and gently placed his fingers on the black-clad man's wrist, his expression quite focused. He carefully felt the subtle changes in the pulse under his hand, and after a moment, his brows relaxed slightly, and he said in a low voice, "It seems that the medicinal soup and acupuncture are beginning to show results."
Upon hearing this, Guan Mao quickly stepped forward, "Really? This must be a blessing from heaven and our ancestors!"
Upon hearing this, Song Ce smiled faintly, looked up at Guan Mao, and whispered, "Although this method is effective, we must not be careless. You should also know that the key to the young master's mouth ailment, which has been going on for years, lies in the subsequent nourishment with herbal decoctions. Therefore, you must strictly follow this prescription to decoct the medicine for the next three days, and there must be no mistakes whatsoever."
Guan Mao nodded emphatically after hearing this, "Young Master Song, please rest assured, I will take this matter very seriously and will not allow the medicine to go wrong in the slightest."
"That's good."
At this moment, the warm sunlight outside the window shone into the room through the window frame. Guan Mao looked at the sky and cupped his hands, saying, "Young Master Song, you have been busy for most of the day and must be hungry. Please move to the outer room and have some food."
Song Ce nodded his thanks and followed Guan Mao through the corridor to the outer room. At this time, food was already laid out on the round table in the outer room, with wisps of steam rising and a fragrant aroma filling the air.
"The food here is simple and plain, please don't find it offensive, Young Master Song." Guan Mao gestured for Song Ce to sit down.
"You're too kind. It's already wonderful to have such a meal," Song Ce said gently, shaking his head.
"Young Master Song, please. I'll go and watch over the master. I'll come back to invite you over when the master wakes up." Guan Mao cupped his hands in greeting and then walked out of the outer room.
When he was alone in the outer room, Song Ce picked up his chopsticks, took a bite of vegetarian food, and put it in his mouth. He had to admit, the chefs in the Prince Ding's mansion were indeed skilled; even such ordinary vegetarian food could be made to taste so delicious.
Song Ce couldn't help but secretly praise him. In fact, Guan Mao's vigilance towards him was not directed at him, but because Song Ce knew that the man in black was not simple. He was Gu Tingxuan, the eldest son of the third prince of the Great Qi, Prince Ding. He had been made the heir apparent since childhood. With such a distinguished background, it was no wonder that Guan Mao was always very nervous about him.
Later, after his father, Prince Ding, ascended the throne, he disregarded the objections of his ministers and appointed Consort Yan's son, Gu Tingxun, as Crown Prince. At that time, because Gu Tingxuan had committed no wrongdoing, the Emperor, citing Gu Tingxuan's speech disorder and lack of regal bearing, imprisoned him in the Wushi Palace. Thereafter, Gu Tingxuan was confined within those small, square palace walls until his death.
Thinking of this, Song Ce couldn't help but feel a pang of pity. Gu Tingxuan was known for his virtue among the common people, but because of a minor stutter, he was confined to the palace for his entire life, which was truly lamentable.
At the same time, Guan Mao entered the courtyard with extremely slow steps and saw that Gu Tingxuan had woken up at some point. He was leaning lazily against the door frame, looking at the elm tree in the courtyard, seemingly lost in thought.
Guan Mao bowed respectfully and asked, "When did you wake up, Master?"
Gu Tingxuan didn't answer, but simply turned slightly and walked into the room. Guan Mao quickly followed. Gu Tingxuan walked slowly to the desk and stopped. He picked up the brush on the desk, pondered for a moment, and then slowly wrote a sentence on the paper: "Don't you think the way this person looks at me is a little strange?"
Guan Mao looked at the strong and vigorous handwriting on the paper. He pondered for a moment before bowing and replying, "Master, in my opinion, when Young Master Song looked at you, he seemed to be probing you. At first, I thought he was a doctor and perhaps he was pondering your illness, which is why he looked at you like that. But when you were asleep just now, there seemed to be something else in his eyes... I just don't know how to describe it for the moment."
"Is there anything wrong with his background?" Gu Tingxuan wrote.
"That's what I find strange too. There's nothing wrong with this person's background; he's just the son of an ordinary wealthy family. Should I investigate further?"
Gu Tingxuan frowned slightly upon hearing this, then picked up his pen and wrote: "No need. If you doubt someone, don't use them; if you use someone, don't doubt them. Go and invite him over."
"Yes, Master."
When Song Ce returned to the room with Guan Mao, he stepped forward first and asked with concern, "Young Master, how are you feeling? Is there anything wrong?"
Gu Tingxuan glanced at Song Ce, shook his head slightly, and wrote on the paper: "It's acceptable for now."
“Then there’s nothing to worry about.” After saying that, Song Ce stepped forward and began to take Gu Tingxuan’s pulse.
"Young Master, you must take your medicine on time for the next three days without fail. I will come back to administer acupuncture after three days," Song Ce instructed.
Seeing Song Ce's serious expression, Gu Tingxuan's doubts lessened slightly, and he wrote, "Okay."
Song Ce gave him a detailed explanation before taking his leave of Yongyang Taoist Temple. Seeing that it was still early, he decided to change his route and head towards the bookstore in the county town.
Since sending Abao and Alu to the bookstore, he hasn't had a chance to visit them yet, and he doesn't know if the two children are getting used to life at the bookstore.
When Song Ce arrived at Ya Yue Bookstore, he found a large crowd gathered in front of his shop. Puzzled, he quickly stopped a young man and politely asked, "Young man, what's going on in this bookstore? Why are so many people gathered outside?"
The young man was also the type to join in the fun. Seeing that Song Ce looked completely unaware of the situation, he immediately became interested and quickly leaned over, lowered his voice, and said mysteriously, "I heard that the owner of this bookstore owes someone money and has been dragging his feet on paying it back, which is why a large group of men in black have come to collect the debt inside!"
After thanking the young man, Song Ce immediately pushed through the crowd and arrived at the bookstore entrance. There stood five burly men in black, lined up in a row. The one in the lead was a middle-aged man with a fair complexion but a sinister look on his face.
He learned from the original owner's memories that this person was Xu Wu, the "friend" who had borrowed eight hundred taels of silver from Master Song.
This Xu Wu was Wang Laizi's cousin from his mother's side. The two had always been close. In the original owner's memory, the huge debt that Master Song owed was a trap that Xu Wu and Wang Laizi had dug for Master Song, just waiting for him to step into it before it would be done.
"Where is the manager of your bookstore? Why did you send out two brats to fob me off? Hmph, do you think you can fool me, Master Wu?" Xu Wu finished speaking, casually pulled over a chair, and sat down smugly.
Ah Bao held Ah Luo tightly behind the bookstore counter, trying hard to suppress his fear and forcing himself to remain calm. He said, "Our manager isn't in the shop right now. If you continue to cause trouble like this, we'll go to the government office and report you to the magistrate!"
Upon hearing this, Xu Wu laughed heartily, "Report to the authorities? It's all written clearly in black and white. Even if you really did report it to the authorities, my grandfather is very particular about evidence and will definitely side with me, who is in the right. You, a mere brat who hasn't even grown up yet, dare to talk about reporting to the authorities? Hahaha!"
Upon hearing this, Song Ce stepped forward and said loudly, "The patriarch does value evidence the most, but who knows if your IOU is real or fake?"
"Young Master!" Abao and Alu greeted Song Ce with bright eyes.
Upon hearing this, Xu Wu turned around, sized Song Ce up and down, and sneered, "What, you're the young owner of this bookstore? It's clearly written here in black and white: eight thousand taels of silver borrowed, eight percent interest, agreed to be repaid in three months. Now more than half of the three months have passed, what, are you trying to renege on your promise?"
Song Ce frowned. "I have never borrowed money from anyone. You must have come to the wrong place."
“Young Master, when did I say you borrowed it? You are still young, how could you understand the wonders of this sieve? Come, come, take a closer look, is this the handwriting of your family?” Xu Wu laughed and then took out a piece of paper from his pocket and waved it in front of Song Ce.
Song Ce stepped forward and examined the IOU closely. Sure enough, it was signed by Song Sanzhi, the original owner's cheap father.
“Go find whoever borrowed the money from you. The owner of this bookstore is not surnamed Song!” Song Ce said coldly.
"Young Master, you can't fool Master Wu! Song Sanzhi already said that this shop was his wife's dowry property, and now he doesn't have a single penny left. He's even pawned his concubines to us one by one, let alone this shop."
Upon hearing Xu Wu's words, Song Ce felt a surge of shock and anger. Although he knew that Master Song was a ridiculous man, he never expected that in just a few days, he would have fallen to such a state. Not only did he pawn his concubine, but he also set his sights on Lu Wu Niang's dowry property. It was truly disgusting!
Seeing that Song Ce remained silent, Xu Wu immediately stepped forward and said, "It's all in black and white, the evidence is irrefutable. If you can't come up with the money to pay today, everything in this bookstore will have to be used to pay off the debt!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than a commotion of footsteps came from outside the bookstore. Everyone instinctively turned to look and saw a man dressed in the uniform of a yamen runner, with a knife at his waist, shouting with a stern face, "What's going on here? Why is there such a commotion?"
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Author's note: Little angels, guess who this thing is?
He knelt down with a thud: I'll definitely update a lot on Saturday and Sunday, but I just can't find the time these two days (bursting into tears).
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