Chapter 79 "Talent" is Rare
Chen Yi walked slowly in the rain, holding an oil-paper umbrella.
After passing through Yanhua Lane, turn north onto Bashan Street, and then turn right at the Prefectural Government Office in the city.
We strolled along this wide road called Wudong Street, stopping and starting as we pleased.
Before leaving home in the morning, Liu Si'er wanted to drive the Marquis's carriage, but he stopped her.
Besides wanting to go to the brothel, he also had the idea of conducting a secret investigation to see the true situation of that pharmacy.
However, as Chen Yi walked along the still bustling Wudong Street, he was thinking about "Knife Madman" Liu Lang.
What he cared about was not Liu Lang himself, but the phrase "a man of the martial world".
The martial arts tradition was quite strong in the Great Wei Dynasty, with many people practicing martial arts, whether from aristocratic families, the imperial court, or the military.
However, in terms of fame, those who are well-known among ordinary people are mostly江湖客 (jianghu ke, meaning people from all walks of life who have a history of martial arts and江湖义气, a code of honor among ...
It is likely that Liu Lang's name "Knife Maniac" was a title he earned after wandering the martial arts world.
"To receive a top-tier cultivation technique reward based on just a brief encounter, he must possess considerable skill. It's just unclear just how ruthless his swordsmanship is."
As Chen Yi pondered this, he casually glanced around.
Compared to his previous cursory glance, upon closer inspection, he gained a deeper understanding of the situation in the eastern part of Shuzhou.
It is inaccurate to simply categorize this place as a gathering place for mountain tribes or Vaishsa people.
In fact, the shops on both sides were still mainly owned by people from Wei.
Judging from the accents of the waiter at the door and the owner inside, most of them were locals from Shuzhou.
However, there are also quite a few people from various states in the Central Plains who come here to do business.
The largest number of visitors came from Jingzhou, with a significant proportion also coming from Yanzhou, Jizhou, and Youzhou, and most of them spoke their respective dialects.
"The finest mink fur from the northern region, take a look! It's incredibly durable, made from mountain produce."
"Sharpening scissors, sharpening kitchen knives, rusty knives and dull scissors, they'll be smooth and shiny in a flash."
"Don't miss out! Gastrodia elata powder from Wumeng Mountain and Fritillaria cirrhosa brought from Sichuan Salt are really effective at stopping coughs and clearing phlegm..."
Whether it was good or bad, after a stick of incense had burned, Chen Yi finally saw the signboard of Jishi Pharmacy.
The storefront is quite large, with four three-foot-long door panels open, separating a central door and two side doors.
The couplet on the left and right reads: "If only people in the world are free from illness, why fear the dust that fills the market with medicine?" The horizontal inscription reads: "Benevolent Heart of Heaven and Earth."
At first glance, it does seem to make sense.
However, there is tranquility amidst the noise.
Amidst the shouts of vendors selling medicinal herbs nearby, several patients, who looked unwell, went in and out.
However, most of them didn't carry medicinal herbs in their hands; instead, they took a prescription and went into the smaller herbal medicine shop next door.
Chen Yi looked around and secretly rejoiced.
It seems that Manager Wang Ji not only lined his own pockets, but also ran a pharmacy on the side.
Is that considered having a knack for making money?
"It turns out that it wasn't that those shopkeepers lacked quick thinking, but rather that they all used their talents for crooked and unethical means."
After thinking for a moment, Chen Yi did not go directly into Jishi Pharmacy, but instead headed towards the herbal medicine shop.
Liu Si'er and Ge Laosan exchanged a glance, vaguely sensing something amiss.
Even though they weren't good at business, when they saw the patients not getting their medicine at the pharmacy but going to other herbal medicine shops, they knew something was amiss.
"Sir, what kind of medicine would you like to order?"
"Deer antler or...sheep's blood, that stuff is quite popular with wealthy people like you, young master."
Chen Yi was speechless.
If he hadn't read medical books and hadn't inherited those medical skills, he really wouldn't know what Yanghuo (a type of herb) was.
"I'm not buying medicine, I just want to ask some questions."
To everyone's surprise, the shop owner, who had been smiling, suddenly changed his expression and waved his hand impatiently, saying:
"Go away, get out of here, can't you see I'm busy?"
Chen Yi shook his head with a smile; the people of Shu Prefecture were truly fierce.
Seeing his clothes, they weren't afraid of him. Was he relying on having someone backing him?
Thinking it over, Chen Yi waved to Liu Si'er and Ge Laosan behind him and instructed, "Please ask him to go inside and talk."
Liu Si'er paused, then stepped forward with a grim expression and pulled the shop owner inside.
He was no longer surprised by the chicks' strange behavior.
Fortunately, he is not responsible for the chicks now, so he will not be punished for it in the future.
"You, you all..."
Before he could shout, Liu Si'er covered his mouth with one hand.
After Chen Yi went inside, Ge Laosan immediately closed the shop door and stood guard outside.
Practice makes perfect.
The passersby at the entrance who noticed the commotion didn't pay him much attention.
This small scene is nothing compared to the commotion caused by the son-in-law "forcibly abducting a woman" in Luoyi Lane last time.
The shop owner had never seen anything like it before.
Almost the instant Chen Yi opened his mouth, he confessed the truth.
"Manager, please be magnanimous and forgive me this time. This was all done on the orders of Manager Wang."
It wasn't that he was blind; rather, he simply hadn't expected the people from the Marquis's residence to be so low-key.
Originally, after learning that Wang Ji had been punished by Miss Xiao, he wanted to close down his business and wait for further news.
But greed is insatiable; he wanted to earn more.
No, it wasn't just him; Wang Ji also wanted to make as much money as possible in the last few days.
That's how Chen Yi caught him red-handed, both intentionally and unintentionally.
Chen Yi sat behind the counter, flipping through the ledgers and prescriptions on the table, and then opened a few drawers to look at the medicinal herbs inside, before smiling and asking:
How long have you been running this shop here?
"Two months, no, no, no... two years, two years."
"Two years? The old ginseng you hoarded is worth more than a hundred two-year periods."
Chen Yi took out three old ginseng roots, each about two fingers wide, from the top drawer and asked with a smile:
Do you know what the consequences of not telling the truth are?
The shop owner immediately put on a mournful face and said, "I can't hide it from you, I've been doing business here for five years."
"But I swear, it was all at Wang Ji's behest, and the medicinal herbs and their pricing here were all his ideas."
Chen Yi waved his hand, "I don't care about that. I just want to know how much money you've made in five years?"
He knew perfectly well that Wang Ji also had to hand over a portion of the money to the Xiao family.
There should be four hundred taels per month.
This herbal medicine shop must be making even more money.
A rough estimate suggests that over five years, that would amount to at least twenty or thirty thousand taels of silver.
Even after deducting the costs of purchasing goods, profit sharing, and bribery, Wang Ji's wealth should still be quite considerable.
At this moment, the shop owner, noticing his expression, stammered, "It's not much, just two thousand taels..."
Chen Yi smiled and nodded: "Let's just say two thousand taels for you. After you're handed over to the yamen, you should be sentenced to be executed in the autumn."
"If the prefect were more kind-hearted, perhaps he could send you on your way before autumn."
Thump.
The shop owner, unable to withstand such intimidation, immediately knelt on the ground, trembling as he said:
"Please spare my life, please spare my life..."
Seeing his expression, Chen Yi's smile faded, and he calmly waved to Liu Si'er: "Find out what happened, sign and put your fingerprint on it."
Liu Si'er was taken aback when she saw his actions.
It wasn't that he was still displeased with the fledgling's strange behavior, but rather that the fledgling's two commands just now had a certain air of authority.
Has he finally figured it out?
Not long after.
Chen Yi and Liu Si'er walked out of the herbal medicine shop, and the shop owner saw them off with lingering fear.
The next moment, he saw Chen Yi turn around and enter the Jishi Pharmacy, and he couldn't help but feel ruthless.
He himself was barely able to protect himself, so how could he care about Wang Ji's life or death?
However, the shop owner clearly misunderstood.
Chen Yi had no intention of killing anyone; on the contrary, he felt it was a pity that "talented people" like Wang Ji died so easily.
Thinking it over, he calmly walked into the Jishi Pharmacy.
To the astonishment of the two doctors, several apprentices, and the accountant, he immediately ordered Ge Laosan to close the door and refuse visitors.
"Fourth Brother, I would like to trouble you to go to Wang Ji's house, reveal your identity, and bring him here."
After Liu Si'er left, Chen Yi sat in the hall, watching Ge Laosan grin as he restrained the others, and said:
"I am the new manager, Chen Yi."
(End of this chapter)
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