Chapter 571 The Chain Scheme
That evening, Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi rushed to Chang Le Fang to comfort the patients—however, when they arrived there, they found that there were only a few people causing trouble, and they had already been suppressed by the guards.
The following afternoon, Yu Mingyue delivered several hundred kilograms of medicinal herbs that they would need to Yuwen Ye. That same evening, Yanzuofang released more than four hundred cured patients.
As the situation improved, the people of Daxing City were overjoyed.
The mood among the people inside Chang Le Fang only became more somber.
On the third day, early in the morning, Pei Xingyuan brought the medicine over with great fanfare.
Despite their dissatisfaction and resentment, the patients at Chang Le Fang were overjoyed to see that there was a life-saving medicine and immediately went to line up. Shang Ruyi also arrived here early in the morning. Seeing the line forming, she walked forward without making a sound and soon arrived at the entrance.
Pei Xingyuan's men skillfully set up a long table in front of them, with several empty bowls neatly arranged on it. Several strong young servants stood respectfully in front of the table, carrying medicine pots.
Everything seemed the same as before.
The only difference was the accountant.
Previously, the accountants would sit behind a long table. When someone came up, they had to pay their bill, give their address and name, and register it before they could drink the medicine.
But today, the accountants stood in front of the table, holding account books in their hands, without holding pens.
Moreover, behind them stood several people, holding boxes in their hands. They looked solemn, somewhat like guardian deities, which surprised the patients, who began to whisper among themselves.
"What's going on today?"
"Yanzuofang has cured so many people, but we are unlucky and ended up in Changlefang. We have to pay for medicine and we can't even get good medicine."
"It has to be the kind-hearted young master Yuwen."
"Shh, keep your voice down—"
Upon hearing these words, Shang Ruyi frowned.
But she didn't explain anything immediately. She just stood quietly on the side of the street. When she looked up, she saw Pei Xingyuan swaying to the front of the line.
Upon seeing him, the group erupted in excitement.
The people at the front of the line said, "Young Master Pei, you've been fooling us with useless herbal medicine the past two days. Today, surely you've prepared some effective medicine?"
"We paid the money, so we have to get our illness treated!"
"Young Master Pei, people have a conscience!"
Hearing these words, Pei Xingyuan just smiled and then waved his hand.
Immediately, the murmurs fell silent.
His hand was still bandaged, and although he still looked like a handsome young man, his movements were somewhat comical and clumsy. When Shang Ruyi saw him, she couldn't help but smile, even though she was preoccupied.
Faced with the crowd's persistent questioning, Pei Xingyuan showed neither shame nor embarrassment; instead, his smile deepened. He nodded leisurely and said, "Everyone, you're all right!"
"..."
"People have a conscience."
Upon hearing this, everyone couldn't help but sneer, and some even rolled their eyes.
Pei Xingyuan said, "So today, I've not only brought you medicine, but I'm also here to settle all the accounts with you!"
Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked and looked at each other in bewilderment.
Settle accounts? How else do we need to settle accounts?
He had already sold a bowl of herbal soup for a high price of one qian of silver. Now he wants to settle accounts. Does that mean he's going to raise the price again?
Just as the crowd was growing increasingly angry, and several young people were about to rush forward and cause trouble again, Pei Xingyuan smiled and asked the middle-aged man at the front of the line, "Sir, what is your residence and name?"
The man was dressed simply, with even a pudding on his cuff, clearly indicating that his family was not well-off. When Pei Xingyuan asked, he lowered his head and said in a hoarse voice, "Huaizhen Ward, General Chen."
After saying that, he sighed again and reached into his pocket to touch his purse.
Pei Xingyuan had already turned around and glanced at the accountants behind him. One of them, who was holding the Huaizhenfang account book, immediately turned to that page and said loudly, "General Chen, receive fifteen bowls of medicine, totaling one tael and five mace of silver."
Everyone was taken aback, wondering why he was reporting the amount of medicine he had received and the money he had paid in the past few days.
The people behind were even more puzzled and began to peek out.
Pei Xingyuan waved his hand again, and the person standing behind the accountant immediately opened the box in his hand and took out one tael and five mace of silver. On the other side, the person holding the medicine pot also poured a bowl of medicine.
General Chen was immediately stunned: "This, this is—"
Pei Xingyuan said with a smile, "Everyone, starting today, the medicine will be free of charge, and I, Pei, will refund all the fees I have collected for the medicine in the past!"
"...!"
Upon hearing this, the entire Chang Le Fang immediately fell silent!
The crowd could hardly believe their ears. Some even pinched their own arms in pain, only realizing it was real when they felt the intense pain. They were overjoyed and surprised.
Chen, who was first in line, had completely lost the ability to react. He just stared blankly as someone walked up to him and returned the silver he had paid. His palm sank, and his shoulder slumped as well. Only then did he come to his senses. When he looked up again, he met Pei Xingyuan's smiling eyes: "The medicine is getting cold. Aren't you going to drink it?"
"..."
With trembling hands, Chen stuffed the silver into his pocket, then picked up the medicine bowl and drank it all in one gulp.
After finishing the bowl of medicine, Chen turned to leave. Everyone watched as his face became numb, as if he had lost all expression. But after taking only two steps, he stopped.
When he stopped, it seemed as if the breathing and heartbeats of those around him also stopped.
Everyone watched as he turned his head and stared intently at the still smiling Pei Xingyuan. Suddenly, someone shouted, "Young Master Pei, why did you sell the medicine at such a high price before, and now you're returning our money?"
His words were like opening a floodgate.
At first, no one could believe that Pei Xingyuan would really return all the money he had earned. And seeing that Chen Jiang had already received the money, everyone felt like they were dreaming. Even if they were puzzled or confused, they dared not ask questions. They were worried that if they asked, it would bring up the memories of their conflicts with Pei Xingyuan in recent days. What if this young master Pei changed his mind and didn't return the money?
However, Chen's words did indeed voice everyone's confusion, and immediately everyone couldn't contain themselves, bombarding him with questions—
"Yes, Young Master Pei, why is that?"
"Are you really going to pay us back this money?"
"If you're going to pay back the money now, why did you sell it for such a high price in the first place?"
...
Hearing the commotion, Pei Xingyuan's smile grew even brighter. He slowly raised his hands and waved to the crowd. Everyone immediately quieted down, and those at the front of the line kept waving to the back to signal everyone to be quiet.
Pei Xingyuan increasingly enjoyed the feeling of having everyone respond to his calls.
He tilted his chin up and said with a smile, "Gentlemen, it is true that I, Pei, sold medicine at a high price before, but in fact, it was at the request of the Second Young Master Yuwen."
Everyone was greatly surprised upon hearing this.
Before anyone could react or cause any further commotion, Pei Xingyuan loudly proclaimed, "Gentlemen, some of you here have probably already contracted the plague and come to the city seeking medical help, only to find that neither the clinics nor the pharmacies in the city have the right medicine. That's why your illnesses have been delayed until now, isn't that right?"
Someone immediately nodded: "That's right, we know all that."
Pei Xingyuan said, "But there is one thing I haven't told you, and that is that we don't have much medicine."
"..."
Everyone was taken aback at first, but after pondering the word "not much," they immediately understood what it meant.
Someone exclaimed in surprise, "Young Master Pei, do you mean—"
Pei Xingyuan looked at their wide, astonished eyes, his smile vanished, and he said seriously, word by word, "What I mean is, the medicine I have is simply not enough to save all of you!"
"...!"
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately showed expressions of horror.
Pei Xingyuan immediately smiled again and said, "But don't worry, everyone. The reason I can tell you the truth now is because the medicinal materials have been gathered."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Chen Jiang immediately said, "But, Young Master Pei, what does the shortage of medicinal herbs have to do with you and Young Master Yuwen charging money?"
Pei Xingyuan laughed and said, "Gentlemen, I believe you all know the principle of scarcity. If it's something that can save your lives, let alone a penny of silver, even if I sold it to you for a tael of silver, you would still have to obediently pay up in order to save your lives! Right now, there is no medicine left in the entire Guanzhong region. If someone can produce medicine, and if they want to sell it at a high price, in order to save your lives, Young Master Yuwen and I will have no choice but to pay up."
"..."
"But we are also worried that we don't have enough money."
"..."
"Therefore, we can only take some silver from you all to prepare a large sum of money, just to save you. If there is any money left over, we will naturally return it to you according to the account book. If there is no money left over—but at least you can survive, right?"
Chen Jiangdao asked, "Then this medicine—"
Pei Xingyuan smiled again and said, "This medicine is the result of the Second Young Master Yuwen's arduous journey these past few days, braving mountains and rivers, rain and wind—"
Seeing that he was talking more and more outrageous, Shang Ruyi coughed lightly.
Pei Xingyuan immediately stopped, glanced at her with an awkward smile, and then straightened his expression, saying, "In short, it was Young Master Yuwen who went to great lengths to finally find the medicine for you, enough for your use from now on. Since it can save lives, money is naturally unimportant to us, so now, we're returning every penny to you!"
This immediately caused an uproar throughout Chang Le Fang!
The crowd was both surprised and delighted. All the disappointment, pain, resentment, and dejection of the past had completely transformed into emotion and gratitude. They were all in tears, saying excitedly, "We were wrong to blame Young Master Yuwen and Young Master Pei in the past."
"Young Master Yuwen is truly a living bodhisattva!"
"We are so lucky to have been saved by the Second Young Master!"
"Young Master Pei, where is the Second Young Master? We want to go and kowtow to him!"
Seeing these people cheering and jumping for joy, even more excited than when they were about to settle accounts with him, and even happier and more joyful than when Yanzuofang sent back the cured patients at Mingde Gate, Pei Xingyuan was a little frightened. Fortunately, the guards around him were quick-witted and hurriedly stopped these patients.
Pei Xingyuan composed himself and immediately smiled, "Gentlemen, I appreciate your kindness."
"..."
"However, he's the kind of person who only does things but doesn't appreciate favors."
"..."
"As long as you all recover, all our hard work these past few days won't have been in vain, and neither will the infamy I, Pei, have endured. In short, all of you, line up properly, collect your money, drink your medicine, get better, and then go home!"
Upon hearing his words, the people readily obeyed, standing even more obediently in the line than usual, beaming with joy. Some were so happy that tears streamed down their faces, leaving them speechless.
Sure enough, following Pei Xingyuan's instructions, the people behind him came up one by one, received their money back according to the previous records, and drank the medicine. The atmosphere in the entire Chang Le Fang changed instantly, becoming joyful and even more festive and lively than during the New Year.
Even Wu Huanzhi came up at this time.
He stared silently ahead for a long time before turning to Shang Ruyi and saying softly, "Young Madam, this—"
Shang Ruyi smiled.
"..."
Wu Huanzhi was a smart man, so how could he not understand their intentions? Moreover, there was no medicine in the city, but Yanzuofang could provide medicine for more than ten days. And just yesterday, the identity of Yu Mingyue, the eldest daughter of the Left Guard General, was suddenly revealed, and she also brought out the medicinal materials she had stockpiled at home. So many things have come to light.
After a long silence, Wu Huanzhi said softly, "It was I who misunderstood the Second Young Master and the Young Madam, and even more so, Young Master Pei."
After saying this, he bowed deeply and said, "Please forgive me."
Shang Ruyi then smiled and said, "Lord Wu, these days you have disregarded life and death, and spared no effort in treating patients in Chang Le Fang, personally handling every matter. Is this a sin? If so, please do not change your ways, Lord Wu."
Upon hearing this, Wu Huanzhi was taken aback, but then he understood.
He smiled, then looked up at the patients who had received their money and medicine, their faces beaming with joy, even the signs of illness on their faces had faded somewhat. He said softly, "In any case, on behalf of these people, I thank the Second Young Master and the Young Madam."
Shang Ruyi smiled and said, "You're too kind."
After saying that, Wu Huanzhi didn't say anything more and just continued with his own business.
When Shang Ruyi turned around again, she saw Pei Xingyuan walking up to her with a smile and saying, "I really didn't expect this plan to work so well."
As he spoke, he looked around at the people and said, "It's just getting your money back, why are you so happy?"
Shang Ruyi said, "Sometimes, getting something back after losing it can be more delightful than having it all along."
"..."
"Now that we have medicine, we can live, and we've also received money. This is a triple blessing, which is naturally much more effective than the previous acts of charity!"
"oh……"
Pei Xingyuan suddenly realized and muttered, "No wonder, Wu Zheng kept reminding me to endure the scolding and not to argue, saying that there would be compensation in the future—that old man just now, who was over eighty years old, still kowtowed to me. Luckily, the people next to him pulled him up, otherwise I would have been exhausted."
Shang Ruyi smiled.
After laughing, she looked up again and saw a familiar figure standing not far across the street from Chang Le Fang. The figure had slightly upturned corners and looked arrogant and sharp, coldly staring at her.
It is Yu Mingyue.
She didn't know when she arrived at Yanzuofang, nor when she started observing the situation, but judging from the expression on her face, she must have been observing for quite some time, and had clearly seen what they were going to do and what they had done in the past.
That's why you look so pale.
Meeting her sharp gaze, Shang Ruyi still smiled gently and even nodded slightly.
Yu Mingyue's gaze sharpened even further.
For a long time, Dongcheng and Yanzuofang had the upper hand in dealing with the plague in Daxing City. However, unexpectedly, Shang Ruyi and her group suddenly turned the tables and forced Yuwen Yuan to take out the medicine she had stockpiled. Moreover, they turned around and returned all the money they had made from selling the medicine at high prices to the patients in Changlefang.
As Shang Ruyi said, getting something back after losing it is more delightful than having it all along.
Just like the gratitude of those who had received medicine from her in Yanzuofang towards Yuwen Qian, it was absolutely nothing compared to the gratitude of those who had received free medicine and had their money back towards Yuwen Ye, Shang Ruyi, and Pei Xingyuan!
That's just human nature!
Even now, she finally understands that what Shang Ruyi and the others had set up in Chang Le Fang was a series of elaborate schemes!
The scheme to sell expensive medicine was designed to lure Pei Xingyuan into buying it from Jin Daji, thus exposing the mastermind behind it all. However, she had already seen through that plan and even used Jin Daji to turn the tables on Pei Xingyuan, though that attempt also failed. At the time, it seemed clear that the other side had failed as well. But only now did she realize that their apparent failure was merely a facade. Ultimately, Pei Xingyuan's self-inflicted injury convinced Yuwen Yuan that he had no more medicine. And after learning of the plague outbreak in Taiyuan and that Yuwen Cheng might be ill, he forced Yuwen Qian to ask her for medicine…
Ultimately, he was forced to reveal himself.
In this matter, the other side has already won a round.
But that's not all. They returned the money at this time, buying back the hearts of those they had lost. But the medicine that they gave away for free was bought with real money by Yu Mingyue!
Originally intended to win over the hearts of Yanzuofang for Yuwen Qian, they unexpectedly ended up being used by Yuwen Ye and his group.
Unfortunately, she couldn't tell the truth.
Because these patients no longer hate Pei Xingyuan for selling overpriced medicine, but they will definitely remember that when they were sick and sought medical treatment, they could not find any medicine in Daxing City, which led to their current illness and being trapped in Changlefang. If they knew that it was Pei Xingyuan who had collected all the medicinal materials in Daxing City, including the Guanzhong region, these people would definitely transfer their hatred to him!
If it's transferred to myself, it's very likely that it will also be transferred to Yuwen Qian!
Thinking of this, Yu Mingyue couldn't help but grit her teeth.
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