Chapter 25: Chapter 24 Closing on a High Note_1
The brief legal turmoil at Xinglin Hall took no more than the time it takes to burn a stick of incense before it reached the ears of Renxin Medical Hall.
Du Changqing couldn’t wait to put his hands on his hips and burst into laughter, his eyebrows nearly flying to the heavens, as he paced around the medical hall twice, excitedly saying, "This serves them right, serves them right indeed!"
Seeing that Lu Tong, who was arranging the medicine jars, remained unruffled, he approached with a smug face to flatter, "Doctor Lu, you really are a prophet. Now that old swindler Bai Shouyi doesn’t even dare to open the doors of Xinglin Hall and is hiding inside like a coward. Serves him right! Scoundrels with such foul intentions deserve to suffer!"
Ah Cheng blinked, "I heard that a lot of people went to Xinglin Hall to accuse them of selling fake medicine, demanding a refund."
Du Changqing sneered, "The little silver he made probably won’t even cover the losses. Xinglin Hall’s reputation is damaged; this time, they’ve truly shot themselves in the foot, losing both their wife and soldiers."
Yin Zheng walked in from outside, approached Lu Tong, and whispered, "Miss, it’s all taken care of."
Lu Tong nodded.
In the past few days, she had instructed Ah Cheng to pay attention to the gatherings of scholars near the river levee. Ah Cheng returned with news that those scholars had been quarreling frequently, all because of Chun Shui Sheng.
For example, two scholarly friends would argue incessantly—one claiming the medicinal tea to be extraordinarily effective, while the other asserting it had no effect whatsoever. At best, they might realize they had bought different medicinal teas; at worst, after severing ties, they wouldn’t even understand where the problem lay, each believing the other to be full of lies.
It was no wonder these scholars were so single-minded; it was all because Xinglin Hall, under the deliberate prompting of Chun Yangsheng and Chun Shui Sheng, had made the two names remarkably similar, making it difficult for others to distinguish them. If both types of medicinal teas were on the market, confusion among the people was inevitable.
Therefore, Chun Yangsheng had to disappear completely from Shengjing.
Du Changqing had given Lu Tong some silver, and when the timing felt right, she sent Yin Zheng to find a peasant woman near the temple to cause trouble at the gate of Xinglin Hall and bribed a few loiterers to mingle in the crowd and stir up trouble. As expected, Xinglin Hall’s reputation plummeted.
This was indeed a trap Xinglin Hall had set for themselves.
Xinglin Hall’s Chun Yangsheng had been sold for some time now; those who bought the medicine should have realized whether it was truly miraculous. The excessive praise from the commoners in the marketplace lifted Xinglin Hall to an exceedingly high place, but when the commoners spent their silver only to get a medicine tea that was not as advertised, they naturally felt aggrieved. Once enough public outrage had accumulated, just a gentle push was all it took, and many would rush forward demanding an explanation.
In the end, she had those loafers intentionally mention Renxin Medical Hall’s Chun Shui Sheng and gave it a bit of promotion. People fear comparison most—on one side, a slightly more expensive but instantly effective genuine product, and on the other, a cheaper but completely ineffective counterfeit. The superior and inferior were immediately evident. In this way, not only Xinglin Hall, but other medical halls and pharmacies would also not dare to overestimate their capabilities and attempt to replicate this medicinal tea.
It was a case of killing one to warn a hundred, as well as a means to bolster their own fame.
Du Changqing was overjoyed, grinning from ear to ear, saying only: "That Bai really thought he could take advantage of us, but his cunning has backfired. I bet he’s now hiding inside, regretting so much his intestines are turning green—"
...
Whether Bai Shouyi’s intestines had actually turned green was unknown, but at this moment, his face had certainly turned that shade, out of anger.
The doors of Xinglin Hall were shut, lanterns lit inside, and the shouting voices of the people who had come to cause trouble could be faintly heard outside.
Bai Shouyi wiped the filth off his face with a handkerchief, still feeling the disgusting stickiness of spit that had covered his face earlier, which made him nauseous again.
Wen You looked at him with trepidation, "Shopkeeper, what should we do now?"
In the past, because Xinglin Hall charged more for prescriptions than other medical institutions, the patients who came for treatment were usually well-off and concerned with their dignity. But commoners were different; they would do anything for silver. Once one person took the lead in making trouble and demanding compensation from the medical hall, a crowd would immediately follow, each wanting a piece of the action.
Bai Shouyi had no idea that so many commoners had come to buy the medicinal tea. When Chun Yangsheng’s name was celebrated in the streets a few days ago, he had been secretly pleased, but now he wished he had never been so smug.
Bai Shouyi’s expression darkened as he looked at Zhou Ji crawling out from under the medicine cabinet, "Zhou Ji, what exactly is going on?"
Zhou Ji’s heart was full of complaints, and he replied with a forced smile, "Shopkeeper, I don’t know."
"You don’t know?" Bai Shouyi’s previously amiable smile was gone, his face expressionless as he stared at him, "It was you who said you could produce the same prescription, so why is the medicinal tea we made now so ineffective? It’s brought all those lowlifes to our doorstep!"
Zhou Ji was also baffled, "The prescription isn’t wrong, chrysanthemum, Zhizi flowers, mint, green onions, honey..." he recited listlessly, still not wanting to believe it, "Besides these, I didn’t identify any other herbs, so why isn’t the medicinal tea as effective as before?"
Seeing him like this, Bai Shouyi muttered "Idiot" under his breath.
The front of the shop was packed with people; had he not made a split-second decision to have Wen You quickly close the front gate, those lowlifes outside would surely have torn down Xinglin Hall by today. Each one of them looked like a starving wolf, clearly intent on using this opportunity to extort money.
Bai Shouyi’s gaze grew bleak.
Having conducted business on West Street for so many years, although his medical charges and herb prices were a bit higher than other medical halls, his fame was substantial and long-standing, securing Xinglin Hall’s unshakable position. Except for a minority of poor people, most would choose his Xinglin Hall for medical consultations and prescriptions.
Just as Renxin Medical Hall was on the verge of closing, he was about to become the sole medical hall shopkeeper on West Street, yet he had suffered an unexpected setback at this critical moment.
Now, because of this incident with Chun Yangsheng, Xinglin Hall’s reputation had been damaged. Once news spread, not to mention how others would see him, the shop’s revenue was sure to take a significant hit.
After all, when running a medical hall and pharmacy, sometimes, reputation is as important as medical expertise.
Those lowlifes, the commoners, had loose tongues, and who knew what kind of nonsensical talk they would spread. If rumors reached the ears of others in the medical profession and caused trouble...
Bai Shouyi clenched his teeth.
This issue required careful consideration, as it not only affected the current uproar but also Xinglin Hall’s future prospects.
The noise from outside was incessant, and Wen You nervously asked, "Sir, how long do we have to wait here?"
Bai Shouyi spoke with disgust, "Naturally, until these lowlifes disperse."
With nothing to do on normal days, these commoners wouldn’t pass up the chance to extort someone. If he went back home today, he feared he would not be able to leave the house for the next several days, and Xinglin Hall would also have to temporarily cease operations. Otherwise, as soon as they opened the door, those lowlifes would swarm in.
It seemed they could not open for business for the next few days.
Not only could he not leave the house, but he also had to avoid others’ gossip.
Bai Shouyi’s eyes were steely, and his tone was chilling as he commanded Zhou Ji and Wen You at his side, "After another quarter of an hour, open the door and lead the people away."
"Don’t come to the medical hall for the next few days, stay home and wait."