Chapter 36 Special Medicine
"It's called Huichuntang, I think, and it belongs to a one-eyed man who's blind in one eye!"
Having obtained the crucial testimony, Ye Wanning did not execute Afu, but instead had him secretly imprisoned. She knew that the Zhou family had an even larger network at play!
Rejuvenation Hall!
Back at the manor, Ye Wanning had just taken off her clothes when she heard Ye Chengjing's urgent knocking on the door. He held a note in his hand: "Ningning, this was found in Madam Zhou's room."
Upon closer inspection, the note contained only one line: "The medicine for the third day is ready. Meet me at the usual place." The handwriting was messy, but it matched the fingerprint on Afu's name list.
"Looks like I really have to go and meet that one-eyed bastard." Ye Wanning held the note in her hand, then brought it closer to the candlelight, watching it burn to ashes. "And while I'm at it, let's see who Zhou's medicine is actually for."
Ye Wanning carefully wiped her fingertips with a handkerchief, the firelight casting small spots of light on the ledger. Afu's confession was pressed under the ledger, and she circled the three characters "Huichuntang" again and again with a vermilion pen.
"Miss, are you really going?" Chun Tao added another piece of charcoal to the stove. "I heard that the one-eyed shopkeeper is very fierce; last month he broke the legs of a troublemaking beggar."
Ye Wanning twisted the confession into a thin strip and stuffed it into her sleeve pocket: "The more ruthless a person is, the more likely they are to leave a trace." She got up and took down the blue men's clothing from the wall. "Change your clothes; we'll go this afternoon."
Huichuntang is located at the very back of the smelliest and muddiest alley in the south of the city. Its dark facade has a wooden sign hanging on it, the paint of which has long since peeled off, but you can still vaguely see the words: Huichuntang Chinese Medicine Shop.
As soon as Ye Wanning stepped through the door, she frowned at the strong smell of medicine, which also carried a hint of blood. This was definitely not the smell of a normal pharmacy.
"Are you here to get medicine or to see a doctor?" A man was hunched over behind the counter, with only one eye, the pupil of which was cloudy and unclear. There was a scar on his face, running from above his eyebrow down to his chin. The man was looking her up and down with his empty eyes.
Ye Wanning lowered her voice, mimicking a street thug, "My old man is having terrible chest pains. I heard you have a miracle cure?"
The one-eyed man scoffed, "A miracle drug? That depends on whether you can afford it."
Not enough money? No problem. Ye Wanning slammed a bag of loose silver on the counter: "I want the best medicine, the kind of white powder from three years ago, the kind that can knock people unconscious."
One-Eyed Dragon's eyes lit up, and he reached for the money, but Ye Wanning suddenly said, "Oh, right, my old man said he needs that white powder from three years ago, and that you're the only one with a freshly prepared formula."
The one-eyed man's hand froze in mid-air, his smile vanishing instantly: "What white powder from three years ago? I don't know what you're talking about."
“It’s that medicine that can cure ‘heart disease’.” Ye Wanning stared intently into his eyes. “A woman comes to buy it every month, have you forgotten?”
With a loud crash, the abacus in the one-eyed man's hand fell to the ground. He suddenly rushed out from behind the counter and grabbed Ye Wanning by the neck: "You were sent by my old man?!"
Ye Wanning had anticipated his reaction, and she swung her elbow sharply into his stomach. The one-eyed man released his grip in pain, and Ye Wanning took two steps back, pulling a silver needle from her sleeve: "Three years ago, Madam Zhou bought a poison from you and used it to kill Minister Ye's first wife. If I report this to the authorities, do you think the officials will let you off?"
The one-eyed man clutched his stomach, his eyes flashing with a venomous glint: "What do you want?"
"I need to know who gave you the medicine," Ye Wanning pressed. "And who did Madam Zhou meet with each time she bought medicine from you?"
Just then, hurried footsteps sounded behind him. The one-eyed man's eyes hardened, and he grabbed a carrying pole from the doorway and swung it at Ye Wanning's head. Ye Wanning fell to the side, and the silver needle in her hand flew out, hitting him squarely on the shoulder.
"Grab her!" One-Eyed Dragon shouted, and two burly men wielding large knives rushed out from the back room behind him.
Ye Wanning knew things were going badly, so she turned and ran towards the door. The alley was narrow, and she deliberately chose to squeeze through the areas piled with garbage, with footsteps closely following behind. Just as she was about to be caught, a carriage suddenly rushed out from the side, and the driver pulled her into the carriage.
"Lord Pei?" Ye Wanning's eyes widened in surprise when she saw the coachman's face.
Pei Zhi took off his straw hat, revealing his handsome face: "I knew you would come looking for trouble." He whipped the cart, and the mud splashed up by the horse's hooves hit the face of the burly man chasing behind.
The carriage sped away from the alley, and only then did Ye Wanning realize her palms were sweaty. Looking at Pei Zhi's tightly pursed profile, she suddenly smiled: "What were you doing there?"
"Ye Chengjing said you went to Huichuntang, and I'm worried about you." Pei Zhi's gaze fell into the distance through the carriage window, his ears slightly burning. "That one-eyed man is the Third Prince's man; it's too dangerous for you to go alone."
"Yes..." Ye Wanning felt a warmth in her heart. Just as she was about to reply, she suddenly noticed something extra on her sleeve—it must have been a piece of cloth torn from the one-eyed man during the melee earlier, with the character "Li" embroidered on it at an angle.
That is...
"The mark of Consort Li's family." Pei Zhi's face darkened. "It seems that Consort Li is the one backing Zhou Shi."
The carriage stopped in a secluded spot, and Pei Zhi handed her a package wrapped in oil paper: "These are some sweet cakes I just bought, to calm your nerves."
As Ye Wanning held the warm sugar cake, she suddenly remembered a similarly desolate afternoon before her death in her previous life. She was locked in the woodshed, and Xue Lin'an waved a moldy steamed bun in front of her, saying that if she would hand over the rubbing of the military tally left by her mother, he would give her something to eat.
"What are you thinking about?" Pei Zhi's voice pulled her back to reality.
"I wasn't thinking about anything." Ye Wanning took a bite of the sugar cake, the sweet aroma spreading on her tongue. "What do we do next?"
Pei Zhi pulled a piece of paper from his pocket: "I had someone investigate. Huichuntang sends 'medicinal herbs' to the palace every month, and the person who signs for them is Consort Li's trusted eunuch." He pointed to the date on the paper with his fingertip, "Tomorrow is the delivery day."
Ye Wanning's eyes lit up: "You mean...?"
“Let’s go ‘borrow’ something.” Pei Zhi’s eyes flashed with a cunning light, completely different from the composed prime minister in the court.
On a dark and windy night, the official road south of the city was completely silent, even the chirping of insects was silenced. Ye Wanning wrapped her night clothes tighter around herself and lay down in the grass to count the lanterns ahead—there were three carriages in total, one in front and one behind, each with four guards, all wearing curved swords at their waists, all dressed in the same uniform.
“They’re from the Capital Garrison.” Pei Zhi whispered, pressing his hand on her shoulder, his warm breath brushing against her ear. “The Third Prince has sent his personal guards; it seems the contents of the carriage are quite extraordinary.”
Ye Wanning's heart was pounding, and she gripped the short knife tightly. This was her first time participating in something like this, and her palms were sweaty, soaking the hilt of the knife.
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