The old man's eyes flickered, as if remembering something but also hesitating, so he did not speak.
Rong Zhi feigned confusion, "I am actually a bit curious. Logically, Doctor Chu is highly skilled and upright, and the people of Changping County all respect him. Brother Chen not wanting him to treat you should not be due to his medical skills."
When the words "upright and kind" were mentioned, a flicker of disdain crossed the old man's eyes. Although it was fleeting, Rong Zhi noticed it keenly.
Rong Zhi smiled, "I was just asking casually. If you don't want to say, I won't. You might not know, Auntie, but I am also a doctor. When I encounter someone with excellent medical skills, I can't help but want to exchange ideas with them. I saw Brother Chen seemed to detest Doctor Chu before, and I thought Doctor Chu had some character flaws. If that were the case, I would absolutely not tolerate it. My master comes from a reputable sect, and he taught me from a young age that as a doctor, one must not only have good medical skills but also upright character. If one's heart is not right, even with the best skills, they can only harm themselves and others. However... I must have been mistaken. If Doctor Chu had character issues, so many people wouldn't admire him."
The old man's expression was hesitant, but he still did not speak.
Rong Zhi looked at the figure entering from outside and said to the old man, "Auntie, please rest well. Brother Chen will be back soon. I will visit you again tomorrow."
As soon as she finished speaking, Chen Lin pushed the door open. Seeing the person inside, he first called out, "Mother," and then his gaze fell on Rong Zhi, showing gratitude.
"Miss Lin, thank you for your trouble."
"It's no trouble. Since you're back, I should be going."
Rong Zhi smiled at the old man and made a move to leave.
"Wait a moment... Miss."
The old man suddenly spoke, looking up at Rong Zhi, as if he had finally made up his mind.
"Auntie, is there anything else?"
The old man sighed, "Miss, at my age, I shouldn't be gossiping behind people's backs. Doctor Chu... his medical skills are indeed good, but his character... I suggest you interact with him less."
She said so much in one go, and she said it rather quickly. After speaking, her face turned a little red, as if she had been holding her breath.
Rong Zhi quickly stepped forward to help the old man calm down and asked, "Auntie, what exactly happened?"
Chen Lin looked at Rong Zhi, then at his mother, seemingly not understanding what they were talking about.
"It's Zhang... cough cough cough..."
The old man coughed violently again before finishing her sentence. Rong Zhi found a few acupoints on her chest and pressed them gently, and the old man's complexion gradually improved.
She did not continue speaking but looked at Chen Lin, seemingly gesturing for him to speak.
"The Zhang family..."
The old man said softly, and Chen Lin immediately understood and explained to Rong Zhi.
"Miss Lin, my mother is referring to Chu Qingze and the Zhang family colluding to monopolize Yun Lin Hua."
"Yun Lin Hua?"
Rong Zhi was stunned. She had been going up the mountain to gather herbs and had never found Yun Lin Hua. Could it be man-made?
"How did they monopolize it?"
Chen Lin sank into memories, his brow furrowing.
"Once, I went to the Zhang family to deliver tofu and overheard Chu Qingze and Zhang Fu's steward, Li Hao, discussing scattering medicinal powder on the mountain to prevent Yun Lin Hua from growing."
Medicinal powder...
Rong Zhi thought about it. Medicinal substances had their own interactions. If one wanted to prevent a medicinal herb from growing, one could indeed use another drug to inhibit it. However, the mountain was so vast. Even if Yun Lin Hua grew in specific locations, scattering medicinal powder bit by bit like this would take a long time.
Just then, Chen Lin snorted coldly.
"I heard it all. That surname Chu guy initially had some conscience, asking Li Hao what would happen if the townspeople had no medicinal herbs to use. As a result, Li Hao gave him two more packets of silver, and he stopped caring. Li Hao even said that if necessary, they would have the townspeople try out the medicine one by one for them. What were human lives worth? That surname Chu didn't even object!"
"He's a greedy and black-hearted scoundrel who only cares about money. He treats the neighbors for free on the surface, but isn't it because he has bigger profits behind the scenes? If he dares to destroy everyone's commonly used medicinal herbs today, he might poison us tomorrow."
The more he spoke, the more agitated he became. It was his mother who pulled him, and he stopped talking.
Seeing Rong Zhi's inquisitive gaze, Chen Lin realized he had become too agitated and felt a little embarrassed.
"This is all I overheard when I went to deliver tofu. I haven't told anyone. Miss Lin, now that you know about this, please don't say it was me. Everyone respects Doctor Chu very much. If others find out, they will surely overturn my tofu stall."
"I understand."
Rong Zhi nodded, having a rough idea of the situation.
After leaving Chen Lin's house, Rong Zhi decided to go to the mass grave.
She had never investigated Chu Qingze directly before, mainly because she lacked a reasonable excuse.
She had talked about cooperation with Chu Qingze, but Chu Qingze had asked her to deliver medicine to Jishitang. If she deliberately approached Chu Qingze, it would seem suspicious, which was why she had chosen an indirect approach.
Now that she had the Zhang family as a lead, Rong Zhi had a direction for her investigation.
She didn't expect to see Chu Qingze halfway there.
Compared to last time, Chu Qingze had changed considerably. His clothes were stained with dirt, his face was haggard, and he had dark circles under his eyes, looking like he hadn't slept for days.
She had just inquired about him and now she saw him. It was truly a coincidence.
His appearance suggested he wasn't going to see a patient.
Rong Zhi didn't hesitate. Taking advantage of the crowd on the street, she quietly followed him.
She followed him all the way to the entrance of a courtyard. Rong Zhi saw two large characters written in flowing calligraphy on the vermilion gate and felt very lucky, because what was in front of her was the Zhang Mansion that Chen Lin had mentioned.
There were two young attendants guarding the entrance. Chu Qingze greeted them and easily entered, showing that he was familiar with the place.
To avoid alarming too many people, Rong Zhi circled the mansion. She found a spot in the backyard that was unguarded, but the wall was extremely high, and ordinary people could not jump over it.
However, for Rong Zhi, this height was as easy as walking on flat ground.
There was a towering poplar tree nearby, its trunk extremely smooth, with no footholds. Rong Zhi leaped up, like a dragonfly touching water, and after a few jumps between the tree trunk and the wall, she was already on top of the wall.
As soon as she landed, a strong stench hit her. Rong Zhi realized she had landed near the latrine.
Rong Zhi quickly covered her nose.
No wonder there was no guard here. The "fragrance" inside would make one faint from poisoning if they stayed too long.
If she had chosen to land even slightly to the left, she would have fallen into the latrine.
Rong Zhi pondered how to find Chu Qingze first when she heard an "ouch" sound from not far away. Rong Zhi quickly leaped onto a roof beam, and then she saw a young attendant-like figure dart into the latrine. Immediately after, a sound of unrestrained release came from inside.
Rong Zhi pinched her nose and, taking advantage of his trip to the latrine, slipped away.
As dusk deepened, Rong Zhi, cloaked by the night, prepared to search for Chu Qingze. However, she found that the house had winding corridors, and many rooms looked similar, causing Rong Zhi to almost get lost.
Fortunately, in her previous life, she often entered wealthy households to practice medicine, so she knew where the reception areas were. Following her intuition, she found a flower hall. She hid at the base of the wall and heard an impatient voice from inside.
"It's this late, where am I supposed to find so much Yun Lin Hua? We clearly sent enough last time. It was your carelessness that lost it, are you blaming me?"
"At this point, does it matter who's to blame? If there's no Yun Lin Hua, I can't develop an antidote at all. Since you're taking this attitude, I won't do it anymore. It's up to you to figure it out!"
After an angry voice, Chu Qingze walked out and left without looking back.
Following him out was a familiar face, the person who had delivered Yun Lin Hua to Chu Qingze before.
Based on their conversation, could it be that this family needed an antidote?
If so, there must be a patient in the mansion.
This made everything reasonable.
Chu Qingze provided the Zhang family with medicinal powder that inhibited the growth of Yun Lin Hua, helping the Zhang family monopolize Yun Lin Hua. The Zhang family then sent the Yun Lin Hua, which only they possessed, to Chu Qingze to develop an antidote for something.
She just didn't know what poison they were using Yun Lin Hua to counteract.
She decided to find the patient first, if this patient really existed.
As the night grew darker, a figure as light as a butterfly flitted through the Zhang Mansion.
Rong Zhi soon noticed that the main house still had candlelight, and the sound of breathing like bellows could be faintly heard from inside.
Rong Zhi stopped and went to the base of the window to eavesdrop.
She heard a concerned voice from inside.
"Master, please don't worry. Doctor Chu will find a way. You will be alright."
It seemed this was the patient. She wondered what kind of illness he had.
As Rong Zhi thought, she suddenly leaped onto the roof and lifted a roof tile to look inside. She saw a man with white hair lying on the bed, his eyes closed, his breathing rapid. Li Hao sat beside him. Although he spoke words of comfort, he kept pressing on the man's chest.
Even from a distance, Rong Zhi could see that while speaking, Li Hao intentionally or unintentionally increased the force of his hands. If he had exerted a little more force, the man would have suffocated.
Listening to the patient's increasingly heavy breathing, Rong Zhi secretly clenched her fists.
Did this steward have no common sense or was he doing it on purpose? Pressing on the patient like this.
Li Hao's voice echoed in the room again. He seemed to have discovered something, and his tone suddenly changed.
"Haha, you can't even move anymore. Why should I still be respectful to you?"
Li Hao grabbed the man on the bed by his collar.
"That Chu Qingze is truly capable. You're almost dead, and he's dragged it out for so long. But today, you won't be so lucky."
Li Hao increased the force of his hands.
The man's breathing became more rapid, and as he was about to breathe his last, a clatter was heard from outside.
Li Hao's movements suddenly stopped. He pushed the door open and found a maid holding a basin of water. The basin fell to the ground, and the maid's face was filled with terror.
"I didn't see anything, I didn't see anything."
"Looking for death!"
Li Hao's face changed. He grabbed the maid by the neck, tightened his grip, and with a crack, the maid's neck snapped. She died just like that.