Chapter 539 Someone is administering medicine at Yanzuofang.
Pei Xingyuan calmly crossed his arms and leisurely looked at the crowd in front of him. He watched them complaining all at once, his eyes still crinkling with laughter, but he didn't say a word.
Shang Ruyi clenched her fists instinctively, watching this scene with tension.
The patients in Chang Le Fang were provoked by the middle-aged man. They not only complained about the high price of the medicine, but also seemed to want to vent their resentment at being sick for so long, having nowhere to seek treatment, and feeling helpless. They kept complaining and cursing, and for a time, spittle flew everywhere, and the scene was so chaotic that it was like a pot of porridge boiling.
However, even the most intense emotions eventually subside.
Moreover, no matter how much they cursed, the person standing opposite remained silent. It felt like punching cotton – no, the punch missed completely, not only useless but also exhausting.
Gradually, everyone quieted down.
The people looked at each other, and for a moment the scene not only quieted down but also became somewhat awkward.
Only then did Pei Xingyuan smile faintly and ask, "Gentlemen, are you finished?"
The crowd was hoarse from cursing and was panting heavily, unable to speak. They could only look at him. Pei Xingyuan dusted off his clothes and said slowly, "You think this medicine is expensive, and that's true. But you should know that there's a reason for the high price. After all—if I hadn't brought these medicines, you wouldn't have been able to buy even a tael of silver, let alone a bowl of medicine for a penny."
"..."
"By then, you'll have the money left, but will the people still be alive?"
"..."
"Besides, can the medicines sold in ordinary stores compare to mine? I brought these back from the vicinity of Luoyang. You all know how chaotic that area is. It took so many trips, climbing mountains and wading through rivers, to transport them all the way to Daxing. Even tofu there costs as much as meat, let alone life-saving medicine!"
"..."
"So, if you want to blame someone, you shouldn't blame me, the person who sold you the life-saving medicine."
"..."
"If you have to blame someone, blame the one who knew there would be a plague, yet deliberately looted all the medicinal herbs in the city beforehand, intending to kill you all!"
After he finished speaking, the expressions of the patients around him changed.
Indeed, although Pei Xingyuan's medicine was expensive, it wasn't enough to bankrupt people. One qian of silver per bowl, two bowls a day, even if it lasted ten days or half a month, would only cost two or three taels of silver. Ordinary families could afford it, and even poor families could grit their teeth and scrape together the money for life-saving medicine. What was truly hateful was the person who had preemptively looted all the medicinal herbs in the city, leaving them with nowhere to turn for help.
Thinking about it this way, the patients couldn't help but grit their teeth and curse inwardly.
Seeing that the emotions of everyone around her were once again stirred up, but in a completely opposite direction, Shang Ruyi couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
No wonder Shen Wuzheng insisted on having Pei Xingyuan do this.
Without a certain degree of shamelessness, it would be impossible to intimidate everyone at this moment and make such a reasonable statement.
You know, selling medicine at this time, and at such a high price, is tantamount to profiteering, or even "harvesting the leeks" (a Chinese idiom for exploiting others). But Pei Xingyuan's eloquent words left everyone speechless. Moreover, no one here realized that he was conflating the act of scavenging medicinal herbs with the fact that he "knew" a plague would occur!
In this way, the public's anger is not just about the lack of medicine for serious illnesses, but also about the anger of being harmed!
Seeing the crowd's reaction, Pei Xingyuan knew his words had worked. He stepped forward and slowly said to the patients, who were experiencing various emotions, "In short, one tael of silver for one bowl of medicine. The medicine will cure you. I won't accept more, and I won't sell less."
"..."
"You want to live, I want money, we're not in each other's way."
"..."
"Now, those who want to live, come up and buy medicine."
His last words were like a final decision on today's chaotic situation.
For a moment, the whole scene fell silent again.
But this time the silence wasn't the powerless, stalemated silence that followed the angry outbursts. Instead, everyone looked at each other in silence, quietly returning to their previous positions and starting to queue up again.
After all, everyone wants to live.
Seeing this, Pei Xingyuan immediately gave a signal to the person behind the long table. The person who was protecting the medicine pot and was about to step back immediately stepped forward again and continued to pour the medicine into the empty bowl on the table. The accountant also sat back down, picked up the pen and ledger, and asked again, "What is your name and what neighborhood do you live in?"
The man said, "Chen Anye from Datongfang."
Shang Ruyi, who was standing to the side, breathed a long sigh of relief.
Only then did she realize that her palms were cold and damp; she had unconsciously clenched her fists, and her palms were covered in cold sweat.
Just now, she almost thought that something really was going to happen at Chang Le Fang today.
Fortunately, Pei Xingyuan managed to stabilize the situation.
To be honest, although she liked Pei Xingyuan very much, finding him sincere, cheerful, and optimistic, it was only as a friend. But today, she was truly impressed by this seemingly carefree and spoiled young master Pei.
This person, though shameless, is indeed capable of remaining calm and composed in the face of danger!
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi chuckled softly.
Just then, a soft sigh came from behind her, seemingly echoing her laughter.
Turning his head, he saw Su Qinglan, who had been standing quietly behind him, looking at Pei Xingyuan from afar with a strange expression on her face.
Shang Ruyi looked at her, then at Pei Xingyuan, and subconsciously asked, "Lord Su, do you know him?"
Su Qinglan continued to look at Pei Xingyuan from afar, her eyes seemingly a little hazy, and said softly, "I met him when I was a child."
"Oh? Then you guys—"
"I never imagined that after so many years, he would have changed so much—I thought he was still the same as when he was a child..."
"Um?"
Shang Ruyi was taken aback.
She vaguely sensed something, but couldn't quite make it out. Su Qinglan chuckled softly, and the glimmer of light in her gentle eyes dimmed at that moment.
As if she had let go of something, she turned her head away without saying a word and walked back.
Shang Ruyi subconsciously asked, "Lord Su?"
Su Qinglan stopped, glanced back at her, and then said, "Young Madam, there are still patients over there who need my care, and they—cannot afford this money."
After saying that, he left silently.
Watching her thin figure disappear into the distance, Shang Ruyi was momentarily stunned.
Just then, a hand gently patted her shoulder. Shang Ruyi hurriedly turned around and met a pair of smiling, crescent-shaped eyes. It was Pei Xingyuan, who had just confronted those patients but was now acting nonchalantly. He laughed and said, "What are you looking at? Do you remember how I looked just now? You must go back and tell your brother that I was—sigh?"
He was taken aback when he caught sight of the figure ahead.
Shang Ruyi immediately asked, "Young Master Pei, do you recognize her?"
Pei Xingyuan frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "She seems to be Su, Su—"
"Su Qinglan!"
"Yes! Su Qinglan, her mother is a physician in the Imperial Medical Bureau, a female physician, that's quite something!"
Shang Ruyi smiled and said, "He is now the chief physician of the Imperial Medical Bureau and is taking care of the most seriously ill patients here."
Pei Xingyuan raised an eyebrow and said, "Wow, when she was little, she would just cry with snot running down her face when she was bullied. I thought she would only be able to get married when she grew up, and even then she would suffer. I never expected her to be so successful."
"..."
Shang Ruyi felt both annoyed and amused at the same time.
No wonder Lei Yu had always been unfriendly to him, and would resort to violence after only a few words. Pei Xingyuan's words could be quite infuriating at times.
but--
She thought for a moment and said, "Since you know each other, why don't you go over and talk to her?"
For some reason, Shang Ruyi couldn't shake the feeling that Su Qinglan's appearance earlier was unsettling. She felt that the two of them should meet, but Pei Xingyuan waved his hand dismissively and said, "I won't go. We're not familiar with each other. Besides, there's a lot going on here. If someone causes trouble again, no one can control them."
"...Oh, that's true."
Shang Ruyi nodded, but felt a little empty inside.
Whether it was her imagination or not, she seemed to sense that something had just begun silently and ended silently. However, those involved—whether it was Su Qinglan who left silently or Pei Xingyuan who was now smug—did not seem to notice.
At this moment, Pei Xingyuan looked up and around again, saying, "By the way, where is that person from just now?"
He clearly sensed that something was wrong with the middle-aged man. He had deliberately stirred up the crowd's emotions before suddenly disappearing. If he were just an ordinary patient, even after the argument, he would still have to stay in the ward and obediently queue up to buy medicine like the people in front of him.
Shang Ruyi immediately said, "I'll let you—"
Before she could finish speaking, Wo Xue walked back with a tense expression and bowed to Shang Ruyi and Pei Xingyuan, saying, "Young Madam, Young Master Pei."
Shang Ruyi was surprised that she returned so quickly and immediately asked, "Where is she?"
Wo Xue said, "Please forgive me, young mistress, we've lost track of the person."
"What?!"
Shang Ruyi frowned: "You lost them all?"
You should know that Wo Xue is not an ordinary maid. She came from Chu Yang's command and is very skilled. An ordinary person should not be able to shake her off.
That middle-aged man's background was unusual.
Shang Ruyi thought for a moment and said, "Then, is he still in Chang Le Fang?"
Wo Xue's expression became even more solemn, and she lowered her voice and said, "No, this servant followed that person out of Chang Le Fang and all the way into Yan Zuo Fang."
"..."
“Originally, I wanted to follow him to see who he was, but—something happened at Yanzuo Workshop, and I lost him without paying attention.”
Something happened at Yanzuofang?
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi and Pei Xingyuan disregarded the person's whereabouts and immediately asked, "What happened?"
Wo Xue took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Someone is administering medicine at Yanzuofang."
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