Why My Domineering Prince Regretted Filing for Divorce?-Chapter 687 - 539 Someone Administers Medicine at Yanzuo Square
Pei Xingyuan stood with ease, arms crossed, leisurely gazing at the people before him. Watching their loud complaints, his eyes still curved into a smile, yet he remained silent.
Shang Ruyi instinctively clenched her fist, nervously watching the scene.
Meanwhile, the patients in Changle Square, stirred by that middle-aged man, were not only discontent with the expensive medicine but also seemed eager to vent their frustrations of falling ill these days, seeking treatment to no avail, and teetering on life’s edge. They continuously complained and cursed, causing the situation to spiral into chaos, like a pot boiling over.
But, no matter how intense emotions are, there is always a time when they subside.
What’s more, no matter how they cursed, the person opposite them remained silent, leaving them feeling as if their punches were landing on cotton—no, swinging at empty air, which was not only useless but also tiring.
Gradually, the crowd quieted down.
They looked at each other, and for a moment, the scene not only quieted but also became somewhat awkwardly silent.
Only then did Pei Xingyuan smile faintly: "Everyone, are you done speaking?"
Out of breath and with dry mouths from cursing, the crowd could only look at him as Pei Xingyuan brushed his clothes and leisurely said, "You think this medicine is expensive, and indeed it is, but you should know, there is a reason for the high price. After all—had I not brought these medicines, forget about buying a bowl of medicine with one tael of silver, you might not even get it for one or two."
"..."
"By that time, you’d have saved your money, but will you still be alive?"
"..."
"Besides, can the ordinary medicine sold here compare to what I’ve brought? I brought these back from near Luoyang, and you know how chaotic it is over there. Transporting them all the way to Daxing, traveling through mountains and waters, even tofu would be sold at the price of meat, let alone life-saving medicine!"
"..."
"So, if you want to blame someone, don’t blame me, the one selling you life-saving medicine."
"..."
"You should blame the person who, knowing well there would be a plague, deliberately scavenged all the medicinal materials in the city in advance, leaving you to die!"
Upon hearing these words, the faces of the patients around changed.
Indeed, although Pei Xingyuan’s medicine was expensive, it wasn’t to the point of bankrupting people. One tael of silver for a bowl, two bowls a day, even taking them for ten days to half a month is only two or three taels of silver, and ordinary families could still manage. Even poor families could grit their teeth and scrape up enough money for life-saving medicine. The truly detestable one was the person who had previously scavenged all the medicinal supplies in the city, leaving them no avenue for help.
Thinking this way, the patients couldn’t help but gritted their teeth, cursing under their breath.
Seeing the crowd’s emotions being roused once more, yet in a completely opposite direction, Shang Ruyi couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
No wonder Shen Wuzheng insisted on Pei Xingyuan handling this matter.
Without a bit of "shamelessness," there’s really no way to control the crowd at such a time, and say these words so reasonably and logically.
It’s important to know that selling medicine at such times, and at such high prices, is akin to profiting from others’ misfortune, even "milking the situation," yet Pei Xingyuan’s silver tongue left everyone speechless; moreover, no one here noticed his conflation of the scavenging of medicinal herbs with the fact that the plague "was known to occur."
This way, their anger was not only directed at the severe shortage of medicine but also at being victimized!
Seeing the crowd’s reaction, Pei Xingyuan knew his words had taken effect, so he stepped forward again and leisurely addressed these variedly emotive patients: "In short, one tael of silver per bowl of medicine, cure guaranteed, no more will be charged, no less will be sold."
"..."
"You want to survive, I seek profit, neither interferes with the other."
"..."
"Now, those who want to live, come forward and buy medicine."
His last sentence seemed to make the final decision for today’s turmoil.
For a moment, the entire scene fell into silence once more.
But this time, the silence wasn’t the powerless, stubborn quiet after cursing; rather, everyone exchanged silent glances, returning to their previous positions, and started to line up again.
After all, everyone wants to live.
Seeing this scene, Pei Xingyuan immediately signaled to the person behind the long table, and that person who had been about to retreat with the medicine pot immediately stepped forward again, continuing to pour the decoction into the empty bowls on the table. The clerk sat back down, picked up his pen and account book, and once again asked, "Residential square, and your name."
The person replied, "Datong Square, Chen Anye."
Standing by, Shang Ruyi let out a long sigh of relief.
Only now did she feel her palm cold and damp, having unconsciously clenched her fist, her palm full of cold sweat.
Earlier, she almost thought that something would indeed happen today in Changle Square.
Fortunately, Pei Xingyuan stabilized the situation.
Speaking of which, although she really liked Pei Xingyuan as a person, finding him sincere, cheerful, and optimistic, it was only as a friend; but today, she truly had newfound respect for Second Young Master Pei, who seemed like a carefree playboy.
This person, although "shameless," remained calm in crisis and composed in adversity, indeed possessing his own abilities!
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi chuckled softly.
But just then, a soft sigh sounded from behind her, seemingly echoing her laughter.
Turning her head, she saw Su Qinglan, who had been quietly standing behind her. At this moment, she was watching Pei Xingyuan from a distance, her expression somewhat peculiar.
Shang Ruyi looked at her, then at Pei Xingyuan, and instinctively asked, "Mr. Su, do you know him?"
Su Qinglan still looked at Pei Xingyuan from afar, her gaze somewhat misty, and softly said, "When I was little, I met him."
"Oh? Then you two—"
"I never thought that after so many years, he would have become like this—, I thought he was still the same as when he was a child..."
"Huh?"
Shang Ruyi was taken aback.
She vaguely sensed something but couldn’t quite discern it, while Su Qinglan had already let out a light laugh. The glimmer in those gentle eyes dimmed at this moment.
It’s as if she had let something go, turning her head around without speaking and began to walk back.
Shang Ruyi instinctively said, "Mr. Su?"
Su Qinglan stopped, just glanced back at her, and then said, "Young Madam, there are still patients over there who need my care, they—cannot afford the silver."
With that, she quietly walked away.
Watching her slender silhouette fade into the distance, Shang Ruyi was momentarily stunned.
At this moment, a hand lightly tapped her shoulder, and Shang Ruyi quickly turned around to meet a pair of crescent moon-like eyes smiling at her. It was Pei Xingyuan, who had just faced off with the patients and now appeared nonchalant. He said with a smile, "What are you looking at? Remember how I looked just now, you must go back and tell your brother I was—huh?"
He inadvertently saw the figure ahead and was taken aback.
Shang Ruyi promptly asked, "Mr. Pei, do you recognize her?"
Pei Xingyuan furrowed his brows, thought for a moment, and said, "She seems to be Su, Su—"
"Su Qinglan!"
"Right! Su Qinglan, her mother is a Medical Officer in the Imperial Medical Bureau, a female officer, that’s impressive!"
Shang Ruyi smiled and said, "She is now also the Medical Director of the Imperial Medical Bureau and is taking care of the patients with the most serious conditions over there."
Pei Xingyuan raised an eyebrow and said, "Amazing, when she was little, she would cry with a runny nose when bullied, I thought she could only get married and would be oppressed after marriage, but I didn’t expect such achievements."
"..."
Shang Ruyi suddenly found it both infuriating and amusing.
No wonder Lei Yu always treated him badly, ready to resort to physical means after just a few words. Pei Xingyuan sometimes really had a way of getting on people’s nerves.
However—
She thought for a moment and said, "Since you know each other, why don’t you go and have a chat with her?"
For some reason, thinking of Su Qinglan’s look just now, Shang Ruyi felt uneasy, thinking they should probably meet. Yet Pei Xingyuan nonchalantly waved his hand and said, "I won’t go over, we’re not that familiar. Besides, there’s much to do here, if anyone else stirs up trouble, no one can keep them in line."
"...Oh, that’s true."
Shang Ruyi nodded but felt a bit empty inside.
She couldn’t tell if it was her imagination, but it seemed that something had silently begun and then silently ended, yet those involved—whether it was the silently departing Su Qinglan or the proudly smug Pei Xingyuan—seemed unaware.
At this moment, Pei Xingyuan looked around and asked, "By the way, where did that person go?"
He also apparently felt something was off about the middle-aged man, who incited people’s emotions but then suddenly disappeared. If he were merely an ordinary patient, even after a quarrel, he’d have to stay and queue for medicine like everyone else in the market.
Shang Ruyi immediately said, "I asked—"
Before she finished, she saw Wo Xue returning with a tense expression, saluting Shang Ruyi and Pei Xingyuan, "Young Madam, Mr. Pei."
Shang Ruyi didn’t expect her back so soon and immediately asked, "Where’s the person?"
Wo Xue replied, "Forgive me, Young Madam, I lost him."
"What?!"
Shang Ruyi furrowed her brows, "Even you lost him?"
It should be noted that Wo Xue wasn’t an ordinary maid but came under Chu Yang’s command. Her skills were remarkable; a regular person shouldn’t be able to shake her off.
That middle-aged man is of unusual origin.
Shang Ruyi thought for a moment and asked, "Then, is he still in Changle Square?"
Wo Xue’s expression grew more serious, and she lowered her voice, "No, I followed him out of Changle Square, all the way into Yanzuo Square."
"..."
"Initially, I wanted to follow him more closely to find out who he really was, but—there was an incident in Yanzuo Square, and in a moment of distraction, I lost him."
An incident in Yanzuo Square?
Hearing this, Shang Ruyi and Pei Xingyuan quickly set aside matters regarding the person’s whereabouts and immediately asked, "What happened?"
Wo Xue took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Someone was distributing medicine in Yanzuo Square."
