CHAPTER 64: CHAPTER 62: UNABLE TO STOP

Madam Su showed a trace of surprise on her face.

"Everything has been calculated?" Madam Su asked. "Didn’t they also sell a lot of medicinal herbs to the restaurants?"

Xie Liangchen sold processed Rehmannia, which is an expensive medicine to begin with.

"Forget it," the steward handed the accounts in his hand to Madam Su. "Either someone privately gave Silver Coin to Chen Family Village, or there’s another reason behind this. Just relying on their business with the paper workshop and restaurants, they can’t raise the capital to purchase medicine in large quantities.

Chen Family Village has been buying medicines for a long time now, and the news has spread. Now, even villages near Dingzhou are coming to Zhenzhou to inquire about Chen Family Village."

The steward couldn’t wait any longer, so he hurried to see Madam Su.

Last year, there was warfare in the North, and the amount of medicine they collected was more than this year. Now there are two more pharmacies opened. If it’s not better than before, it doesn’t make sense.

Madam Su contemplated what the best course of action should be next.

The steward couldn’t help but suggest: "Why don’t we buy medicine like Chen Family Village does? Although the medicine price is a bit higher, we can still collect the medicinal herbs."

Madam Su was thinking about something else: "What’s the plan if we collect this way this year, and next year? In the future? With the Su Family’s Pharmacy in the North doing this, what will the other pharmacies do?"

Moreover, the Su Family and several other pharmacies have already agreed that they must hold firm and not change their plans because of Chen Family Village. With so many pharmacies in Daqi, what does Chen Family Village count for?

Madam Su deliberated for a moment and finally said: "Even if we have to collect the medicine like Chen Family Village, our Su Family’s Pharmacy should not be the first."

Madam Su’s older brother, Lin Shouye, is already serving in the Qi State. A few days ago, Madam Su went to see her brother and, after listening to Lin Shouye, made up her mind that she shouldn’t rush under any circumstances.

Song Xian petitioned the court to establish an Official Medicine Bureau in the North. No one knows how the medicine bureau will operate, as Daqi has never had a court-run medicine bureau before.

Who will run it? How will it be done? Can it succeed? No one knows.

After the incident in Zhenzhou, the discord between the Song Family father and son is no longer a secret. Song Xian is willing to compete for power with his father, even if it means establishing an "Official Medicine Bureau" to gain credit with the Emperor.

Chen Family Village is very likely being used as a testing ground by Song Xian. Those who are impatient among the pharmacy owners will fall into the trap and become pawns in Song Xian’s hands.

So what my brother said is very correct; I cannot yield and let the Su Family’s Pharmacy bow its head.

My brother also mentioned that Henghai Jiedu Envoy does not favor Song Xian.

In addition to the Song Family, the Henghai Jiedu Envoy also has military power in hand in the North. If the Song Family really messes up, the Henghai Jiedu Envoy will certainly intervene.

After weighing the pros and cons, Madam Su decided: "Wait and see."

Zhenzhou medicine merchants were each contemplating their own thoughts. During this waiting period, the Tian Family’s caravan left Xingzhou, having discussed with Chen Yongsheng that they would go straight to Daming Prefecture.

Speeding up their pace without stopping, they finally reached Daming Prefecture, where Tian Chengyou unloaded the goods from the mule cart and delivered them to the pharmacy.

"Take a look at these medicines, will you?" Tian Chengyou asked with a smile, looking at the shopkeeper.

Upon seeing Tian Chengyou, Manager Gao was first surprised, but then a joyful smile quickly spread across his face: "I haven’t seen you in almost a year. Hearing that the North won a battle, I was thinking, I don’t know about others, but you, Tian Chengyou, will definitely come. You are different from others; you are a man with backbone."

Hearing this, Tian Chengyou’s eyes brightened even more.

Manager Gao asked: "What medicines did you bring this time?"

Tian Chengyou replied: "All are good medicines, the herbs from Zhenzhou this year."

Upon hearing Tian Chengyou’s words, Manager Gao couldn’t help but say, "Quick, let me take a look. No one has sold herbs from the North yet this year."

Tian Chengyou had already eagerly unloaded the wooden boxes from the mule cart and placed them in front of Manager Gao. He personally opened the box lid, revealing neatly arranged Scutellaria, each carefully processed to retain only the main roots used in medicine.

Tian Chengyou emptied the Scutellaria from the wooden box onto the table, leaving little residue or dirt at the bottom, making the herbs exceptionally clean and ready for direct use in the pharmacy.

Manager Gao looked at the mule cart outside: "Are there other medicines on the cart?"

Tian Chengyou nodded: "Yes."

Manager Gao asked: "Have they all been processed like this?"

Tian Chengyou replied: "All the medicines have been handled this way."

"Good," Manager Gao laughed, "I want to keep everything you brought, especially Scutellaria, Chaihu, Rhizoma Anemarrhenae, and Radix Polygalae. I want to keep more of those."

After saying this, Manager Gao patted Tian Chengyou: "Brother Tian, it’s only been a year since we last met, and you’ve grown more capable. Where did you collect these medicines from?"

Tian Chengyou smiled: "I didn’t collect these medicines; they were collected by a village in Zhenzhou, Chen Family Village."

Manager Gao said: "You mean the villagers collected them?"

Tian Chengyou carefully explained the method of Chen Family Village collecting medicines to Manager Gao: "The people collecting herbs in Zhenzhou received much more Silver Coin than usual."

Manager Gao was extremely surprised to hear this; he hadn’t expected villagers to be able to compete with medicine merchants.

Manager Gao welcomed Tian Chengyou into the courtyard, where the staff arranged some food and wine, and the two of them drank and talked.

"You are also aware of the situation in the North," Tian Chengyou tried to hold back the bitterness in his heart, but after a few cups of wine, his eyes turned red, "I owe my ability to do business this time to Chen Family Village."

After saying this, Tian Chengyou refused to drink any more, lest he drink too much and cause trouble: "We will only stay in Daming Prefecture for two days. If there’s any medicine left, we’ll head south. The people of Chen Family Village trust me and haven’t charged me for the medicines, but I am thinking of returning the Silver Coin to them soon."

Manager Gao also felt a pang in his heart and patted Tian Chengyou: "I’ll take you to other pharmacies to inquire. The medicines you brought are excellent and their prices are even lower than last year’s. Who wouldn’t buy them seeing this? But they’re all waiting for the Northern merchants.

You might not see the person in charge if you go by yourself. I will go with you and take some of your medicines to show them.

No one is stupid; since there are better medicines, why wait for those merchants."

Upon hearing Manager Gao’s words, Tian Chengyou felt an unexplainable gratitude.

Manager Gao kept the medicines he needed, then took Tian Chengyou to knock on other pharmacies’ doors.

Tian Chengyou traveled southward, with fewer and fewer medicines left in the mule cart. But it wouldn’t return empty; when going back to Zhenzhou, the cart would be filled with goods from the South.

...

At a guesthouse in Qingzhou.

By the window sat a figure, upright, with eyebrows like ink paintings, his cheeks bright as jade under the lamp light.

He was carefully examining the medicines on the table.

After a while, Su Huaiqing lifted his eyes: "Found out, are these medicines from Zhenzhou?"

The steward beside him whispered: "I asked several pharmacies; they all said they were sold by Chen Family Village in Zhenzhou, not from our Su Family’s Baiji Hall."

Zhenzhou, Chen Family Village.

Su Huaiqing remembered the message sent back to the Su Family, wasn’t Chen Family Village the home of Miss Xie’s maternal grandmother?