Chapter 214 Fake Medicine
Yao Qingling frowned: "Fake?"
She examined the donkey-hide gelatin carefully, then smelled it under her nose, but since she wasn't a doctor, she couldn't tell the difference.
Lou Yue was furious: "This wicked woman is a hypocrite. She's clearly greedy herself, yet she blames Miss for being greedy. She sent over counterfeit goods, and then she tries to curry favor with Master Zhan. We can't accept this injustice."
She tossed the ginseng back into the box.
Yao Qingling said, "This is something from the palace. Zhou Zhining wouldn't dare let me get hold of this."
Unless she wasn't afraid that Yao Qingling would take these medicinal herbs to the Grand Princess to put on an act.
Items bestowed by the Emperor are always marked.
Yao Qingling glanced at the mark on the box; it was indeed from the palace.
If counterfeit goods appear in the palace, it will be a major incident!
Xia Chan cautiously suggested, "Should we ask Doctor He to come and take a look?"
Qingling nodded, then shook her head. She said, "Go to another shop and call a doctor over. It can't be Doctor He."
Xia Chan instantly understood and glanced at He Yin.
Lou Yue asked, puzzled, "Why can't it be Dr. He? We're all old acquaintances, shouldn't we feel more at ease with him?"
Xia Chan replied, "This time is different. These medicinal herbs come from the palace. You forgot, Doctor He's brother is an imperial physician." She paused, then turned to He Yin and said, "You can't tell your father either."
"No one should be told until things are fully verified."
He Yin nodded.
Lou Yue invited a doctor from Baoshantang.
Yao Qingling took out the medicinal herbs, saying only that they were samples sent by a herbalist who wanted to sell them to her.
"Dr. Chen, could you please take a look and tell me how much these medicinal herbs are worth? I don't want to be ripped off by that out-of-town medicine merchant."
As Qingling spoke, she handed him a silver ingot.
Doctor Chen chuckled and said, "Madam Yao, you're too kind. I'll take a look at you now."
As he inspected the items, just like He Yin, he frowned at each one. Eventually, he got angry and threw a handful of deer antlers back at them.
"Where did this herbal medicine merchant come from? This is utterly outrageous!"
Qing Ling feigned ignorance, exclaiming in surprise, "What do you mean?"
“This is all fake!” Doctor Chen stared, his beard bristling with anger. He grabbed a ginseng root. “Only the rootlets are real.”
As he spoke, he gently stepped on the stone, and the tendrils fell off. "Look, this is a radish!"
"Look at this donkey-hide gelatin, it's made by boiling cowhide..."
Dr. Chen said one, and threw one away.
“If a patient buys these medicines, it will cause a major problem. Not only must you not accept his goods, but you must also report him to the authorities and have him arrested!”
Yao Qingling looked distressed: "How did the world become so chaotic? Even counterfeit goods are being sold openly."
She looked terrified and said, "Luckily I asked you to come and check it. Otherwise, I would not only have lost a lot of money, but also ruined my shop's reputation, and even faced a murder case."
She handed him another silver ingot: "Dr. Chen, thank you for today. Please calm down."
Lou Yue then saw the doctor to the door.
Back inside the house, they saw Qingling solemnly and carefully holding the ginseng root.
“Miss, even Doctor Chen said it’s fake, so let’s destroy all these fake medicines to prevent them from being picked up and used to harm people.”
Qingling shook her head, "Please have another doctor come and take a look."
"Miss?"
Yao Qingling just held the ginseng without saying a word.
Lou Yue had no choice but to go and ask the doctor again.
Unsurprisingly, this once again proved to be fake.
Yao Qingling understood the situation and told Lou Yue to put all the medicinal herbs away in her private treasury.
Her expression grew even more somber.
Xia Chan said, "It's not surprising that some people sell fake medicine in the common world. But to have fake medicine even enter the palace, how audacious must those people be? Aren't they afraid of losing their heads?"
Lou Yue dared not speak, and shuddered slightly, feeling a chill run down her spine.
What came to her mind was, if the medicine was fake, then... what else could it be?
Xia Chan asked, "Miss, should we pretend we don't know anything about this?"
Purchasing goods for the palace involves enormous profits, and it's unknown how many people are involved, or even who they are, or whether powerful clans are behind it.
If Yao Qingling were to report him, the minor official would lose his head, but the person behind him would remain unharmed. However, Yao Qingling would have made a formidable enemy.
She was just a young lady from a fallen noble family; no one could protect her.
Therefore, pretending not to know is the best course of action.
Yao Qingling took a sip of tea to calm herself down and said in a deep voice, "Let me think about it some more."
Lin Shiyuan arrived that evening.
Qingling led Lin Shiyuan to the backyard vault and showed him the fake medicines.
Lin Shiyuan sneered: "What's so strange about court officials embezzling funds meant for river management and disaster relief, and the Imperial Household Department taking some money from the emperor's treasury?"
What he saw was a powerful nation heading towards decline and chaos.
Imperial power was diluted by powerful clans and aristocratic families. When selling official positions became commonplace and corruption became rampant, people who had long been convicted could easily escape punishment. Meanwhile, powerful regional princes and bandits roamed freely, and unimaginable things could happen right under their noses.
Qingling said, "There are some things that are beyond my control, but now that I know the truth, I hope I can make some changes."
"Putting everything else aside, although the new emperor is too benevolent, you would have lost your life if it weren't for his benevolence."
"When you were sent to the capital, those powerful families all wanted to sentence you to death and use your death to negotiate peace. But the emperor made you parade through the streets and let the people judge your crime, and he spared your life."
Although the emperor's true intention was to leave behind a capable general to defend the country.
But didn't we let him live?
"Furthermore, my deal with the Marquis of Xincheng's mansion was also to make the Empress my powerful backer. If the Empress falls ill and takes these fake medicines... if she collapses, wouldn't all my previous efforts be in vain?"
After much deliberation, Yao Qingling decided to intervene.
However, she still couldn't decide whether to handle the matter through the Grand Princess Deyang or to inform the Empress about the fake medicine in the palace.
If we were to speak to the Grand Princess of Deyang, we could use this matter to our advantage and severely suppress Zhou Zhining. The Duke's Mansion could also use this opportunity to suppress the power in the court, further enhancing the prestige of the Grand Princess and the Duke.
The downside is that the Grand Princess of Deyang is even more unwilling to let Yao Qingling go and is even more determined to force her to reunite with Zhan Xingzhuo.
Moreover, the greater the power of the Duke's mansion, the more difficult it would be for her to extricate herself.
If the news is given to the Empress, the Empress can use this opportunity to establish her authority and gain merit. Qingling can also appear in front of the Empress, allowing the Empress to affirm her value.
The downside is that there's a fear that the Empress's power won't be able to overthrow the forces behind the scenes, and the Marquis of Xincheng's mansion and the Empress will instead be suppressed. Yao Qingling will then become the scapegoat.
Seeing her troubled expression, Lin Shiyuan patted her head and took her hand, leading her back.
"Since it's hard to make a decision, let's put it aside for now, see how things go, and then make a decision."
"Hmm." Qingling nodded, but her thoughts were still on that matter.
Upon entering the house, a warm atmosphere greeted them. Qingling sneezed, and Lin Shiyuan immediately looked at her anxiously, telling He Yin to make ginger soup.
"It's not that exaggerated." Qingling glanced at him, but felt sweet inside.
Lin Shiyuan held her hand, pursed his lips, and remained silent.
Yao Qingling looked at his expression and asked, "What's wrong? Are you unhappy at the yamen?"
She suddenly remembered something, and her face turned angry: "They're ostracizing you?"
"Did Zhan Xingzhuo order this to be done?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
