Chapter 19
It’s All My Fault for Being Flirtatious!
When Dr. Li said this, Elder Mu also remembered—the incident back then had caused quite a stir. A merchant was eating wontons by the roadside when suddenly he started coughing up blood in large mouthfuls. Old Wang, the vendor, was terrified and kept checking his big pot, thinking someone had poisoned it!
It was chaotic at the time—no one dared to eat the wontons. They quickly sent the merchant to Dr. Li. At Huichun Hall, there were many patients and people talking all at once; half the alley had gone out to watch the commotion. Dr. Li examined the merchant’s pulse for a long time and discovered that he really had been poisoned!
But the wontons looked normal at first glance. Only upon closer inspection did they seem to be in a poisoned state—it was truly bizarre. Dr. Li repeatedly examined the half bowl of wontons stained with blood but found no poison at all!
Looking at Old Wang, trembling like a sieve, it was clear that the truth had to be uncovered—after all, the wontons were his family’s livelihood.
After carefully questioning what the merchant usually ate, Dr. Li couldn’t help but laugh in anger! The merchant had been drinking tonic herbs like water! He carried a bamboo tube and would sip whenever he was thirsty!
“Are you an idiot?! Who drinks medicine like water?! You’re healthy—why take medicine? And why are there so many qi-boosting and blood-nourishing herbs? ‘Fengzhu Grass,’ ‘Seven-Star Flower,’ ‘Three-Leaf Fall,’ ‘Little Forest Branch’…”
“Why didn’t you just open a pharmacy at home?!”
The seven-foot-tall man was crying, snot and tears streaming down in a chaotic mess.
“I… I suffered a lot as a child. The doctor said I was deficient inside and needed to take tonics! Before, I had no money. Now that I finally do, I thought I’d take more…”
“That’s not how you take medicine! Medicine is three parts toxic! Even if you want to strengthen your body, food is better than medicine. You can’t abuse your body like this!”
It took Dr. Li a long time to cure the unfortunate merchant. The incident was so bizarre that most of the people in Tonghua Alley who witnessed it remembered it. They learned that you can’t take tonic herbs in large quantities; exercise and movement are also needed to stay healthy.
After this recollection, Elder Mu, Dr. Li, and the others wore strange expressions but said nothing. Only Chunyu Shuang did not let this perfect opportunity pass, and she asked another question.
“So, so many people know these herbs shouldn’t be eaten together. I wonder if any of you ladies knew?”
“…We’re not from Tonghua Alley; how could we know that? Besides, we didn’t eat them,” Fuliu instinctively retorted.
Chunyu Shuang continued immediately:
“Although you’re not, the other young ladies aren’t from Tonghua Alley either. But Miss Jinhua and Miss Yun are. That day, so many people from Tonghua Alley knew. Miss Jinhua, Miss Yun, don’t tell me you haven’t heard anything?”
“…”
“What exactly do you want to ask, Lord Chunyu? Even if we’d heard of these herbs, we are mere girls—how could we understand them? We thought they were all weeds; we couldn’t even recognize herbs. What could we do?”
“That’s true,” Dr. Li couldn’t help but speak.
“Don’t underestimate recognizing herbs. It’s basic training for every doctor; without seven or eight years of study, you can’t claim to know all herbs. These young ladies are not trained in medicine.”
Chunyu Shuang, who respected doctors, shook her head.
“Even though they aren’t apprentices, these young ladies are clever! They don’t need to understand medicine, only how the herbs look. To avoid others finding out, they didn’t even inquire at the pharmacies in the capital.”
“How did they know what the herbs looked like? How did they grow them in their own gardens?”
By now, everyone understood that Chunyu Shuang suspected these young ladies of conspiring to kill Yu Lang—but evidence was needed!
In the eyes of the crowd, Wei Yuan spoke at the right moment:
“I already went to Miss Jinhua’s village to inquire. Her deceased father was not only a hunter but also knew some medicine. He could prepare herbs dug from the mountains to sell to pharmacies. I also sent people to find the northern merchant. According to the innkeeper where he stayed that day, a young lady with a hooded hat came looking, seemingly asking something, and the merchant even gave her a bundle of herbs he carried.”
“That merchant won’t be gone long; in at most two days, he could bring it back.”
Chunyu Shuang followed up:
“So, young ladies, do I need to spell it out more clearly?”
At this, all nine young ladies went pale. They wanted to defend themselves, but there seemed nothing left to say.
A brief silence settled, heavy with grief. Those who had only come as witnesses now realized that the culprits seemed to be this group of beautiful young ladies. Elder Mu and Dr. Li exchanged glances, both hesitant—such fine young women, and if imprisoned or even executed, it would be a waste. And Yu Lang… he certainly didn’t seem like a good person!
At this moment, Jiuque strolled to the door behind them, listening to the faint sounds inside, sighing.
“Miss Yun, Yu Lang isn’t a good person. But if you truly wanted to kill him, wouldn’t it have been easier to act before he passed the imperial examination? That wouldn’t have attracted attention. Why wait for this crucial moment?”
Miss Yun, pale as death, said nothing—but Jiuque had expected this.
“I think it’s because of you—or rather, you had no choice but to act, right?”
Seeing no response, Jiuque clarified the stakes:
“I mean, ladies, even if Yu Lang dies, you don’t have to face execution. Our laws allow leniency if a criminal voluntarily confesses. Even if not for yourselves, you must think of those you care about, right?”
The young ladies exchanged glances but didn’t believe him.
During the standoff, a small figure suddenly burst through the door, face streaked with tears.
“Don’t arrest my sisters! It’s all my fault! Please, arrest me! My sisters only acted to protect me…”
“I am the sinner! If I hadn’t been flirtatious and enticed Yu Lang, none of this would have happened! I’m a wanton, a foolish and disobedient child. I should be punished! Take me away! Please!”
Jiuque furrowed his brows.
The speaker looked barely ten years old—a little girl!
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