After being exposed by Yun Jiao that time, the Yang Family was kicked out of the Medical Association, which meant they were cut off from many industry updates—for example, which medicinal herbs were in short supply, which ones might go up in price—none of this information ever reached them.

Although their pharmacy was still operating, they repeatedly failed to procure scarce herbs; common folk came to their shop and couldn’t get a full prescription filled, and after a while, they simply stopped going.

Their business grew worse and worse until it really couldn’t be sustained; not long after, Yang Yuan’s father, Yang Xiong, simply closed the pharmacy down.

A few years later, Yang Yuan opened another pharmacy on his own. He went to Elder Qin and begged for a long time, saying he knew he was wrong and pleading with Elder Qin to give father and son a way to survive.

Elder Qin thought he sounded pitiful and didn’t want to completely drive the pair into a corner, so he bent the rules and let him rejoin the guild.

No one expected him to come here and make trouble again today.

Yang Yuan yanked back the front of his robe that someone had grabbed, and said calmly, "Did I say anything wrong?"

"Since Doctor Gu is so selfless, why doesn’t she publish the secret formulas of Renxin Hall? The White Medicine, the bruise oil, Huo Shui, the Black Chicken White Phoenix Pill, the Heavenly King Heart Supplement Pill, the Golden Cabinet Kidney Qi Pills—why not make so many secret formulas public?"

When Yang Yuan put it like that, quite a few people felt it made sense.

Some even thought the three medical books Yun Jiao had brought out might be of little practical use, and that her actions were nothing more than a ploy to fish for fame. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Others also remembered that the only secret formula Gu Yunjiao had made public was the one for the Six-Ingredient Rehmannia Pill, and that it was to strike at Yang Yuan and his father.

Later she had also disclosed the method for making Watermelon Frost, but that one was simple, and that kind of medicine couldn’t fetch a high price anyway.

There was also a preparation method for Xiatian Paste; that one was too much trouble, and the raw material was beef, which was hard to get and expensive.

All in all, when you think about it that way, it didn’t seem like Doctor Gu was all that sincere.

For a moment, everyone in the hall had their own thoughts.

Yun Jiao smiled. "As for those ready-made patent formulas, I really will not make them public."

"The reason is simple—because there are people like you."

"Manufacturing patent medicines is complex, and the ratios must be precise, or the efficacy will be affected."

"If I publish the formulas, people who can make medicine and people who can’t—so long as they see there’s profit to be made—will probably all swarm to produce these pills."

"Who can guarantee that their conscience will always be front and center? When it comes to precious herbs, who can guarantee they will never short the quantity?"

Gu Yunjiao swept her gaze across the room. "At that point, the quality of pills on the market will be all over the place. Some will work when taken, some won’t. Wouldn’t that be harming the common people?"

"So I will never make the formulas for these pills public."

Ancient times weren’t like the modern era. In modern times, there are pharmacopeias that clearly stipulate dosage ratios, and a drug administration that runs tests.

Even so, her grand-uncle had once told Gu Yunjiao that some pharmaceutical factories cut corners, which leads to some drugs nowadays having no effect when taken.

Take the Six-Ingredient Rehmannia Pill, for instance: pills produced by different manufacturers vary in efficacy.

Gu Yunjiao had no reason to believe that everyone here was a gentleman.

The hall grew quiet; many people were mulling over Gu Yunjiao’s words.

Some felt what Gu Yunjiao said was reasonable; human nature is hard to fathom.

When they dispense medicine, especially expensive herbs, their own scales inevitably tip a bit; that’s a common failing in business and hard to avoid.

Others were unimpressed and felt Gu Yunjiao was just making excuses.

If she didn’t want to hand them over, she just didn’t want to; why dress it up in such high-sounding rhetoric?