Chapter 22: Chapter 21: Rampant Counterfeiting_1
The minor lawsuit in Xinglin Hall was unbeknownst to the people in Renxin Medical Hall.
Chun Shui Sheng’s fame grew even larger, and whether it was the learned gentry or the common folk, anyone who had tried this herbal tea could not, in all good conscience, utter a bad word against it.
The people coming to purchase the tea were numerous, but there was only Lu Tong making it, which inevitably led to his fatigue. Sometimes, people wanting to buy the herbal tea would wait at the entrance before Renxin Medical Hall even opened.
One morning, a lad dressed as a servant arrived at West Street, muttering to himself, "The master wants to buy ’Spring Breeze Sheng’? No, ’Spring Flower Sheng’? What was it again, ’Spring Something Sheng’?"
That darn Nasal Congestion Herbal Tea had recently become very popular among the scholars. His own master, who frequently suffered from nasal congestion, had heard of this tea and had specifically instructed him to purchase some. Unfortunately, the servant had a poor memory; he remembered the beginning and the end, but not the word in the middle.
Once he reached West Street, he was nearly overwhelmed by the bustling shops and throng of welcoming customers. When he looked up again, he saw a large and impressive medical hall not far ahead with three characters "Xinglin Hall" written above it.
The lad, meaning to inquire further, approached and asked the middle-aged man at the medicine counter, "Excuse me, is there a medical hall on West Street that sells Nasal Congestion Herbal Tea?"
The middle-aged man turned around with a smile and asked, "Is the guest referring to ’Chun Yang Sheng’?"
"Chun Yang Sheng?" The servant was baffled. Was it called that? It seemed close enough, so he asked, "Is it for treating nasal congestion?"
"Indeed, it is!" The man replied warmly, placing a jar of herbal tea in his hands and speaking amiably, "It can ease nasal congestion and sinusitis, and is quite effective. Three taels of silver per jar. Would you like to take one back to try?"
Three taels of silver per jar, the lad wondered aloud, "Wasn’t it four taels of silver per jar? When did you change the price?"
The man smiled without a word.
"Well then," the servant took out a few ingots of silver from his chest and handed them over, "I’ll start with buying five jars." He was secretly delighted, figuring a price reduction at the medical hall was a good thing. The extra silver he could keep for himself—only he, heaven, earth, and the medical hall would know; surely the master would not find out.
After purchasing the herbal tea, the satisfied servant left. Bai Shouyi watched his retreating figure, toying with the silk tassel at his waist and murmuring with a smile, "The sun above, the water below, I sit above you, naturally suppressing you. Chun Yang Sheng..."
He sighed, "What a good name."
...
While Xinglin Hall gradually got busier, the bustling days seemed to have passed for Renxin Medical Hall on West Street.
Apart from Official Hu who occasionally dropped by to buy some herbal tea to help with business, new customers rarely came. Seeing the jars of Chun Shui Sheng piling up into a small tower on the table at the entrance, Du Changqing started to feel uneasy.
He was half leaning on the table, watching Lu Tong picking medicines into the jars, when he asked, "Doctor Lu, do you think there was some mistake when you were making this batch of herbal tea? The batch we previously sold definitely had results, but the recent batches may not be as effective as before. Otherwise, how do you explain our customers decreasing while they are consuming the tea?" He probed cautiously, "I surely don’t mean to question your proficiency, but is there a possibility that your medicine-making technique is not yet fully mastered?"
This suspicion of his immediately infuriated Yin Zheng, who retorted sharply, "Shopkeeper Du’s words are odd. If the herbal tea made by my lady were truly ineffective, then why would Official Hu continue to purchase it? Even if it were to support the medical hall’s business, his visits seem too frequent."
Du Changqing was at a loss for words. That was indeed the truth; Official Hu would purchase some medicinal herbs every two months as a favor to his father, but he wouldn’t be so particularly attentive to the herbal tea as he was now. These past few visits, Du Changqing hadn’t seen Official Hu covering his nose with a handkerchief; his nasal congestion appeared to have improved.
If the efficacy of the herbal tea wasn’t the issue, why were there fewer and fewer people coming to buy it?
As he was deep in thought, Ah Cheng ran in from outside, out of breath and exclaimed, "Shopkeeper, shopkeeper, this is bad!"
Du Changqing impatiently asked, "What’s wrong now?"
Ah Cheng glanced at Lu Tong who was intently sorting medicinal herbs before speaking tentatively, "I just took a stroll around West Street, and I heard that Xinglin Hall has recently introduced a new herbal tea that only costs three taels of silver and can relieve nasal congestion and sinusitis..." Bearing the increasingly displeased look of his shopkeeper, the young man stuttered out a few words: "It’s called ’Chun Yang Sheng’."
Yin Zheng was taken aback.
If it was also a nasal congestion tea and named Chun Yang Sheng, wasn’t that a clear act of imitation? And they had even dropped the price by a tael of silver, obviously aiming to compete with Renxin Medical Hall.
Du Changqing erupted in curses, "Shameless! I was wondering why the business at the medical hall had become so sluggish these past few days, and it turns out it was all hijacked by Xinglin Hall. That Bai Shouyi is as shameless as ever, resorting to such despicable tactics!"
Xinglin Hall was larger and more spacious, and enjoyed a better reputation; anyone new to West Street would surely head there first upon asking around. With Xinglin Hall seizing all the customers, no one would bother coming to Renxin Medical Hall voluntarily.
Du Changqing, filled with rage, was about to rush outside to confront Xinglin Hall when Lu Tong said, "Shopkeeper Du."
Du Changqing glared at her fiercely.
"You’re not going to stop me, are you?" Du Changqing pointed toward the door, shaking with anger, "This is the new herbal tea developed by Renxin Medical Hall, and not only did Bai Shouyi steal the recipe, but he also gave it such a name. Is he deliberately trying to disgust someone? We’ve worked hard to build our reputation, all for it to become the wedding dress for Xinglin Hall? Am I supposed to be satisfied? Since the herbal tea business is being taken over and the medical hall can’t continue anyway, I might as well give him a piece of my mind at Xinglin Hall’s entrance—it wouldn’t be a loss!"
"And then what?" Lu Tong asked calmly, observing him, "After hearing a rant, people who come to buy herbal tea will still purchase the cheaper one. Xinglin Hall’s income won’t decrease, so what would Shopkeeper Du gain?"
Du Changqing was brought up short.
Yin Zheng and Ah Cheng looked somewhat uneasy.
Lu Tong put down the herbal tea in her hand, picked up a handkerchief and meticulously wiped the tea dregs from her hands before she spoke indifferently: "Developing a new medicine isn’t like running a medical hall. As long as you decipher the formula and use the same materials and preparation techniques, you can produce a product with the same effect. Not to mention Xinglin Hall, in a few days, other medical halls will also sell the same herbal tea. Besides ’Chun Yang Sheng,’ there will be ’Chun Feng Sheng,’ ’Chun Hua Sheng.’ Does Shopkeeper Du really intend to go door-to-door making a fuss?"
Half-beaten by the rebuttal, Du Changqing responded crossly after a long silence, "Then what do you suggest we do? We can’t just let this go. Or," he hesitated, looking at Lu Tong, "should we also lower our prices to three taels of silver per jar, just like them?"
"Xinglin Hall’s reputation in Shengjing’s medical circles is quite prominent, far superior to Renxin Medical Hall. With the same three taels of silver, commoners will choose Xinglin Hall first. Selling at a low price isn’t a long-term solution."
Du Changqing became even more dejected and said hatefully, "Fate is against me! Could it be that the heavens truly want me, Du Changqing, to be a failure all my life, never progressing?"
Lu Tong looked at him: "Shopkeeper Du, I’ve said before, not everyone can make the herbal tea I have created."
Du Changqing was taken aback.
Originally, at Laiyi Inn, in front of the tea stall, Du Changqing had foreseen this scenario. Then, he had asked Lu Tong what if other medical halls learned how to make the herbal tea, what advantage would Renxin Medical Hall have.
At that time, Lu Tong answered, "Even if others can master my herbal tea, why doesn’t Young Master Du consider that, if I could create ’Nasal Congestion Herbal Tea,’ I could just as well create other types of herbal tea?" She spoke with confidence, showing no sign of unease.
Now that events had unfolded to this point, there was still no trace of concern on Lu Tong’s face.
He thought over and over again, and after a while, he hesitantly spoke up: "Doctor Lu, could it be that there’s a secret to this tea that makes it impossible to replicate?"
Lu Tong picked up a jar of herbal tea in front of her and fingers traced over the willow pattern on the jar as she spoke softly, "To produce the same herbal tea, one must discern the formula used in the tea. I’ve added a certain ingredient to my tea that others will find difficult to identify. I believe the doctors at Xinglin Hall would find it impossible to distinguish as well."
A thought stirred in Du Changqing’s heart, and he replied excitedly, "Really?"
Lu Tong put down the tea jar and looked back at Du Changqing: "If I were you, Shopkeeper Du, instead of getting angry here, I’d rather be doing something else."
"Something else?" Du Changqing was confused, "Like what?"
Lu Tong smiled: "After the Peach Blossom Meeting, thanks to Official Hu’s recommendation, Chun Shui Sheng was in high demand. At that time, rumors in the marketplaces said Chun Shui Sheng was remarkably effective, and that it would relieve nasal congestion instantly. There are few miracle cures in the world that work wonders, so exaggerated claims about a new medicine can be a curse rather than a blessing. Fortunately, Chun Shui Sheng’s effects were genuine, which is what sustained its reputation."
Du Changqing nodded and cursed, "That’s right, who knows which damned soul was praising it everywhere!"
Lu Tong looked at him.
As their eyes met, Du Changqing froze for a moment, then his expression gradually began to change: "You’re saying..."
Lu Tong said lightly, "Xinglin Hall might want to replicate Chun Shui Sheng, but they can’t figure out the formula, which means the effect will be significantly reduced. It might hold up for a short while, but as time goes on and people who bought the tea realize it doesn’t live up to its reputation, the trust in it will inevitably crumble. Shopkeeper Du," she looked at Du Changqing, "to use their own strategy against them, since Xinglin Hall has started this, why not add fuel to the fire?"
"If I were you, I would immediately spread rumors in the marketplace that Xinglin Hall’s Chun Yang Sheng has extraordinary effects, curing diseases instantly and far surpassing Renxin Medical Hall’s Chun Shui Sheng."
She finished speaking at an unhurried pace, and silence fell all around.
Ah Cheng and Yin Zheng were dumbstruck.
Du Changqing looked into Lu Tong’s bright, dark eyes, and for some reason, he shuddered suddenly.
After a moment, he swallowed hard and murmured, "Alright, alright... I’ll do as you say."