The waiting time is always long, and the more anxious one is, the slower time seems to pass.
He had originally intended to find some books to read, but now, no matter how he looked at them, none of the books could hold his attention.
He was certainly willing to go and see for himself, but he was afraid of contracting malaria.
After all, to prevent the spread of the epidemic, that courtyard had been completely sealed off at this time.
"My Lord, my Lord!"
Just as Zhang Jing was hesitating about whether to go to Huanniang's room to check on her, the old butler suddenly ran over in a hurry.
"How is she?"
Zhang Jing quickly asked.
"I'm afraid the medicine has taken effect. The Second Madam has already fallen asleep, and the diarrhea and vomiting have stopped!"
As the old butler said this, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
How much Zhang Jing doted on this concubine, his servants understood best.
If anything were to happen to her, although he, as the butler, would not die, he would certainly not have an easy time!
"The diarrhea and vomiting have stopped?"
Upon hearing this news, Zhang Jing was truly overjoyed.
As expected, that fellow hadn't lied to him. This thing was indeed expensive for a reason!
"Everything has stopped. Although the fever hasn't subsided yet, she just drank a little chicken soup, and she finally looks a bit lively!"
"Good! Good! Good!"
After saying "good" three times in a row, Zhang Jing's suspended heart finally relaxed by more than half.
"It's about time. Have her take the second dose of medicine immediately!"
Taking a deep breath, Zhang Jing quickly gave another order.
"Yes!"
The old butler responded and hurried out again.
The entire Zhang residence became busy once more, with almost all the servants watching over the Second Madam.
"Sir, the city lord from yesterday has arrived and specifically asked to see you!"
The next morning, as Shao Bowen had just finished washing up, someone came to report.
"He's coming at this hour? It seems our medicine has taken effect."
Hearing Shi Shijiu say this, Shao Bowen's heart finally relaxed.
It was a victory at the first engagement, a good start.
"Lord Zhang, judging by your beaming face, you must have some good news to tell me, right?"
After hastily tidying up his clothes, Shao Bowen also hurried out.
"Thank you, sir! I've come specifically to thank you today. If it weren't for your timely medicine, I'm afraid my mansion would be holding a funeral right now!"
As Zhang Jing said this, his heartfelt feelings were truly evident.
"You are too kind, my Lord. It is best that I can be of assistance to you!"
"Logically speaking, I really shouldn't haggle with you over such a good thing, but at this moment, as you can see, malaria is rampant all over the city and its outskirts. As the city lord, I am helpless at this time!"
After a brief exchange of pleasantries and expressing his gratitude, Zhang Jing got straight to the point.
"What does my lord mean..."
Hearing him say this, Shao Bowen asked impassively.
"How about this? Ten shi of grain per pill. If you agree, I, as the lord, can authorize the purchase of five thousand pills in advance!"
Having witnessed the effect of this thing, the remaining issue was the price.
Without hesitation, Zhang Jing brandished his dragon-slaying saber and directly slashed the price to ten shi.
"I would like to sell it to you, my lord, but as you know, this thing also has costs. Let me tell you, this is a formula derived from ancient texts by imperial physicians in Bianliang city. Don't underestimate this small pill. It requires over three hundred kinds of precious medicinal ingredients! After repeated boiling and grinding, it takes over a month to produce the medicine!"
This set of words had been prepared long ago, and Shao Bowen said it with a straight face, making Zhang Jing himself a little dumbfounded.
"It's that troublesome?"
"It's even more troublesome! My lord, think about it, nearly ten jin of medicinal materials concentrated into this one pill. How much effort does that take!"
"Is this price really non-negotiable?"
Zhang Jing was a little dejected.
He had originally intended to negotiate the price well, spend some grain, and purchase a large batch of medicinal materials from Shao Bowen. After this malaria epidemic passed, wouldn't this be his political achievement?
But now, it seemed that all his wishes were in vain.
If this price couldn't be lowered, then this thing would probably only be enjoyed by the wealthy.
"To be frank, my lord, the amount of medicine we brought this time is very limited. The fleet still has to go to other countries, and we can only allocate 500 pills to your side!"
Shao Bowen had been extensively coached on the strategy of "scarcity marketing" by Han Mo.
Even though it was his first time using it, it immediately caught Zhang Jing off guard.
"Only five hundred pills?"
"That's right! If there were more, the share for other cities along the way would not be enough."
Shao Bowen had a clear understanding of the scale of Sumao City. For such a small city, the grain they could obtain would be at most a hundred thousand shi.
With five hundred pills, if auctioned, it could almost achieve his goal.
"But these other cities don't have malaria right now!"
After hearing Shao Bowen's words, Zhang Jing no longer cared about haggling.
At this moment, the sick people within and outside the city numbered at least several thousand.
Moreover, the military and civilian population within and outside the city combined numbered nearly seventy to eighty thousand.
The malaria was still spreading continuously.
Only 500 pills meant that only 500 people could survive.
Whether the others could survive would depend on their own fate!
Although Zhang Jing was from a prominent family, he had studied orthodox Confucianism under his uncle since childhood.
He understood that in all matters of the world, it is not poverty but inequality that is the problem!
If this news were to be slightly manipulated by someone with ulterior motives, it might lead to serious trouble.
"How about this? I'll make a decision and personally give you one hundred pills as a gesture of friendship! I can't do anything more than that!"
Seeing the worried look on Zhang Jing's face, Shao Bowen gritted his teeth and said again.
"Can't you allocate some from the shares of other cities to us, sir?"
With a wry smile, Zhang Jing still said.
"My Lord, business is business, you should understand this principle! After all, you don't think that I, a mere merchant, could obtain this thing myself, do you?"
"You mean..."