Chapter 541 Bowl after bowl being poured out, all of it is silver.
A guest from the moon palace!
Upon hearing those three words, Pei Xingyuan's expression showed even more surprise: "Didn't you say that this person has always been hiding his identity and that you haven't seen him?"
Shen Wuzheng said in a deep voice, "I did not see him in person. He hid in the private room the whole time at the poetry competition. The poems he wrote were also sent out for the competition. I didn't even know if he was male or female."
"That--"
"But because that poem was so outstanding, I was indeed interested in the person who could write such wonderful poems, so I paid attention to the room where that person was."
"So what did you see?"
"Although the man from Guanghan left through the back door after winning the poetry competition, his servant went out and gave the waiter some tips before leaving."
"tips?"
Pei Xingyuan's eyes lit up: "Could it be—"
Shen Wuzheng nodded: "That's when I saw the money bag from afar."
"..."
"However, I didn't see the money bag clearly at the time. I only saw a patch of moon white on the dark object in the person's hand from a distance. Although it looked familiar, I didn't associate it with the money bag, let alone connect these things together."
"..."
"Looking back now—"
As he spoke, a hint of sinister intent crept into his otherwise calm tone.
Although he had made countless guesses and assumptions about the current situation and the "enemy" that Shang Ruyi and the others were facing, he never expected that the quick-witted Guanghan Ke, who had surpassed him to win the poetry competition and whom he admired, was the same person who had been able to foresee the future and had put Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi in trouble these days!
Shen Wuzheng considered himself a capable strategist, even able to orchestrate major events in the imperial court, but compared to his opponent, he was currently in a passive position. That "Guanghan Guest" hadn't even shown his face, yet in just a few months, he had brought them to the brink of life and death several times!
Even Shang Ruyi almost...
Thinking of this, Shen Wuzheng's gentle yet profound eyes dimmed slightly, and a sharp light flashed in his eyes.
Pei Xingyuan, who was standing to the side, also fell into deep thought.
It was only at this moment that he realized how terrifying the other party was. If before he only realized that the other party was a master strategist, now he even felt that the other party seemed to have a mysterious power.
Otherwise, how could an ordinary person possess such abilities?
He couldn't help but sigh, "There are actually people like this in the world!"
Hearing him say that, Shang Ruyi's mood became even heavier.
Yes, it's unbelievable that there are people like that in the world.
But this person happens to be their enemy!
On their way back to Daxing City, they tried to kill them with falling rocks and even with sulfur and saltpeter, hoping to bury them all in that narrow valley.
When they returned to Daxing City, while everyone's attention was focused on the Dharma assembly at Dayan Temple, they began to scavenge all the medicines that could cure the plague in Daxing City. Later, they expanded the scope of their scavenging to almost the entire Guanzhong region, to the point that Yuwen Ye fell ill during the Battle of Fufeng and almost had no medicine to cure him.
Later, at the poetry competition held at Shenjuan Pavilion, he defeated Chen Wuzheng with an extraordinary work and won the championship. However, while the poem superficially described the Battle of Fufeng, it completely erased the existence of Yuwen Ye and Shang Ruyi in the Battle of Fufeng.
Now, with the plague raging again, Yuwen Yuan divided the entire Daxing City into East and West cities, entrusting them to his two sons to govern separately. He only administered medicine in Yanzuo Ward, which was under the jurisdiction of the East City.
Every step they took, every move carefully planned, was aimed at them!
And all of this was done by this one person.
A guest from the moon palace!
In an instant, the figure that had been hidden behind the fog all these days, making Shang Ruyi feel like she had a fishbone stuck in her throat and was like a nightmare, suddenly became clear.
She subconsciously turned her head to look at Yanzuo Ward not far away. Although the two wards were adjacent, they were separated by Zhuque Avenue, which now seemed like an insurmountable chasm. Moreover, the other party was unwilling to reveal their name even when they came to administer medicine, so it was impossible for them to show themselves easily.
Finding him won't be easy for them.
At this moment, Wo Xue seemed to sense something as well. Seeing Shang Ruyi's furrowed brows and the solemn expressions of the two young masters, she suddenly said softly, "Young Madam, should I go and investigate again? Perhaps we can find some clues?"
"..."
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi frowned slightly and then turned to look at Shen Wuzheng.
But Shen Wuzheng shook his head and said, "No need."
"..."
"We have already made arrangements, so let's not panic at this time."
"..."
"The other party is someone who may be able to predict the future. We don't know as much as they do, so we must think more and more deeply than they do. Otherwise, it won't be so easy to find out who this person is."
Upon hearing him say "deeper," Shang Ruyi took a deep breath.
She nodded gently: "I understand."
Then he turned to Wo Xue and said, "You should go back to Doctor Su's side and help him. Don't tell anyone about what just happened."
Wo Xue nodded immediately: "This servant understands."
After saying that, she turned and walked away, while Shang Ruyi stood there, watching her slender figure disappear into the crowd. Then she turned her head and looked at Yanzuofang, which was also surrounded by smoke and looked unfathomable, and her eyes deepened.
In the blink of an eye, half a day had passed.
On the quiet and spacious Zhuque Avenue, a group of people and horses suddenly appeared, their hooves shattering the tranquility of half the city and echoing all the way to the city gate.
A moment later, the city gate slowly opened amidst a long, hoarse hiss.
The group of men immediately galloped out of the city, and as the sound of their hooves faded into the distance, the dust they raised was swept up by the wind and blown back into the city. Before long, the smoke that had been lingering around Yanzuofang and was filled with the strong aroma of medicine was dispersed.
Pei Xingyuan stood in the middle of Zhuque Avenue, watching the city gate close once again in the distance. But his gaze seemed to follow the unseen horses and men galloping away into the distance, until not even a trace of hoofbeats remained in the wind. Only then did he slowly turn his head away.
Ahead lies Yanzuofang.
Like Chang Le Fang, this place was also heavily guarded, with soldiers directly dispatched by the Ministry of War on guard. As soon as Pei Xingyuan approached with two servants, several soldiers at the entrance immediately stopped him.
"Young Master Pei, please wait."
Pei Xingyuan readily agreed and immediately stopped.
But even after stopping, he didn't leave. Instead, he smiled and said, "Everyone, you've worked hard."
These soldiers naturally knew the identity of this Second Young Master Pei, but they didn't exchange pleasantries with him. They simply said with stern faces, "The Duke has ordered that the people of the city cannot freely move between the various markets. Although Young Master Pei has the General's warrant, that warrant can only be used in the western part of the city. Here—"
“I know,” Pei Xingyuan said with a smile, “This is Dongcheng, the eldest young master’s territory, right?”
As he spoke, he still didn't leave, craning his neck to look inside, and said, "I just came to see how things are going here, and whether you've cured any people yet?"
The soldiers exchanged glances and couldn't help but frown.
In this city, everyone knows that the East and West cities are secretly competing to eradicate the epidemic and cure patients before the other. The fact that Pei Xingyuan is selling medicine in the West city, and at high prices at that, has already spread. No matter how unethical this action is, he is helping Yuwen Ye, which means he has clearly chosen sides. Yet he still came here to inquire, which is a bit too frivolous.
They really don't take them seriously at all.
The soldier then said, "Young Master Pei, this has nothing to do with the people of your West City."
Pei Xingyuan blinked and laughed, "What East City and West City? Aren't we all subjects of the Daye Dynasty? How can you say we're completely unrelated? I am—"
Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly stopped, his eyes lighting up as he looked ahead.
Hearing footsteps behind him, the soldier turned around and saw a group of figures of varying heights emerging from the workshop through the smoke that was gradually dissipating in the wind.
These were the same people Wo Xue had seen earlier, the ones administering medicine in Yanzuofang.
Leading the way was a man in his thirties, short in stature, with dark skin and a wiry, monkey-like build. Although he appeared inconspicuous in the crowd, he walked in the center, clearly a leader. As he walked, he turned his head to give instructions to those behind him—
"You guys go back and continue brewing the medicine, don't stop."
Walking beside him was a middle-aged man in his forties, slightly taller and with sallow skin. Upon hearing this, he immediately said, "Daji, we have over a hundred extra servings of herbal medicine today. If we're going to brew it again, should we reduce the dosage?"
On the other side, a young man in his early twenties with an honest face said, "Yes, it's such a waste to throw away the extra medicine."
Jin Daji pondered for a moment upon hearing this.
Just as he was saying something, he looked up and saw Pei Xingyuan and the others standing outside the entrance. His small, black bean-like eyes flickered, and he immediately said, "Although we have more medicine today, there are definitely still patients in the city who haven't been found yet. We need to prepare even more herbal soup for tomorrow."
"..."
"Remember this: it's better to throw away more than to let people go without a drink, understand?"
Upon hearing this, the people behind Pei Xingyuan frowned.
You see, the medicinal herbs in the west city were insufficient. They not only had to carefully calculate the dosage, but also tried every means to make up for it with other herbs with similar effects. However, they did not expect that there would be so many decoctions in the east city that they would have to throw them away.
It's inevitable that some people will feel resentful.
However, Pei Xingyuan didn't seem to get up at all. Instead, he turned around and said to the people behind him with a look of envy, "Look, over there, we have to beg and plead to get a bowl of medicine for a penny, while over here, they even have extra. It's true that different people have different fates."
Upon hearing this, Jin Daji remained silent, but led his group around and headed down another path.
Pei Xingyuan did not stop them, nor did he say much to them. He turned around and walked towards Chang Le Fang with his men, sighing as he walked, "Those bowls being poured out, that's all money!"
Just as he turned the corner, Jin Daji suddenly looked back.
A greedy glint flashed in those small, beady black eyes.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com