It had been raining incessantly for days, and the artisans in the East Market were long past restless.

Especially those with families to support.

They relied on their daily performances to earn an income.

When the weather was good,

if the crowd was generous, they could make over a hundred copper coins.

Even with fewer passersby, they could still make several dozen.

It wasn’t much, but at least it was enough to feed their families.

But on overcast, rainy days, forget setting up a stall to perform—it was hard enough just to find a dry place to take shelter.

Their situation was much like the saying, "when the roof leaks, it pours all night."

Thus, as noon approached, quite a few of these people were taking shelter inside the Jishi Medicine Hall on the edge of the East Market.

Some were alone.

Like the fortune teller, who had spread his cloth banner beneath him and was half-reclining on it, muttering, "Less complaining saves energy. Then you don’t feel hungry."

Others truly had families in tow—a group of three, a grandparent and grandchild, old and young, all dressed in ragged clothes.

Perhaps feeling self-conscious, they huddled in a corner just inside the entrance, trying their best not to interfere with the Medicine Hall’s business.

Still others tried to get something out of the Medicine Hall directly.

"Accountant Liu, it’s raining so hard today, it must be a problem for you all to even get lunch. How about I run errands for you?"

A young man in short clothes with dark skin said with a cheeky grin, "Just a bite to eat in return would be fine."

Liu Quan shot him a sideways glance and waved his hand dismissively. "Go cool off somewhere else. Don’t bother me."

If Chen Yi hadn’t said something along the lines of "making things convenient for others makes things convenient for yourself," he would have chased these people out long ago.

Before, these people still had some spare cash and could buy a few bottles of tea.

But after so many days, they were all sallow-faced and gaunt. It was clear they could barely afford food, so how could they possibly spend two copper coins on Wangji Tea?

"If you’re not going to let me, then just say so. Why be so fierce?"

The dark-skinned young man grumbled, sitting down next to the fortune teller and squeezing onto his cloth banner, sighing dramatically.

"When is this cursed weather going to end?"

The fortune teller, with his head pillowed on his hands, glanced up at him and said with a smile,

"How about I read your fortune?"

The dark-skinned young man nodded. "For free."

"There’s no such thing as a free lunch. You’ve miscalculated if you think you can squeeze any silver coins out of me."

Before the young man could reply, a brawny man nearby sneered,

"Old Ji, don’t you go swindling people."

"With your knack for palm reading and matchmaking, you barely make a few coins a day. You think you can tell when the heavens will stop raining?"

"Hey, you looking down on me?"

"Today, I’ll have to show you what I’m made of, just to save face."

"Let Old Ji do it! Let’s see what he comes up with..."

Just as the crowd in Jishi Medicine Hall was getting rowdy, the sound of gongs, drums, and suonas erupted from outside.

It sounded festive, but not quite like the music for a wedding.

Before long, the procession of musicians drew closer and stopped at the entrance of Jishi Medicine Hall.

The piercing music, combined with the noise inside the hall, made the already-irritated Liu Quan’s brow furrow.

He immediately dropped his ledger and abacus, strode out of the Medicine Hall, and demanded rudely,

"This is a Medicine Hall! How can you make such a racket here? If you disturb the patients, can you bear the responsibility?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the music from the procession outside stopped.

A thin old man in brocade robes, standing before two men holding a long object wrapped in red cloth, smiled and clasped his hands.

"We are here today to deliver a plaque to Ma Liangcai, Divine Doctor Ma. It was inconsiderate of us. I hope Accountant Liu will forgive us."

Liu Quan was taken aback. ’A plaque for Old Ma?’

When it sank in, his impatience vanished, replaced by a look of delight. He quickly called back into the hall,

"Old Ma, come quick! They’re here to deliver a plaque for you!"

"This is wonderful news! Truly wonderful!"

Hearing the commotion, Ma Liangcai walked out of the Medicine Hall with a puzzled expression, followed by a crowd of artisans craning their necks to see the spectacle.

From a distance, it looked as if heads were sprouting from his back.

Ma Liangcai paid no mind to his surroundings. He studied the thin old man and asked with a frown,

"And you are, old sir?"

He didn’t remember ever treating this man, nor did he recognize anyone in the procession behind him.

The thin old man, however, stepped forward with a smile and took his arm. "Divine Doctor Ma, a great man like you is bound to be forgetful."

"Have you forgotten? You once treated a child when you were practicing medicine at the foot of Wumeng Mountain."

’The foot of Wumeng Mountain?’

A chill went down Ma Liangcai’s spine. He realized this man had not come with good intentions.

Back when he was knocking around the Wumeng Mountain area, he had been a complete fraud, swindling people for food and drink.

He could handle minor illnesses and injuries, curing them with a bit of medicine.

But when faced with more complex cases, he would just send the patients to a more skilled Physician and pocket a referral fee.

After a moment of silence, Ma Liangcai forced a smile and clasped his hands. "I don’t recall. I must ask you to leave, old sir."

Seeing this, the thin old man maintained his sincere expression. "For Divine Doctor Ma to say so puts this old one in a difficult position."

"After all, you saved my young master. Even if you’ve forgotten, you can still accept this plaque today."

He paused, then turned to Liu Quan beside him. "Wouldn’t you agree?"

Liu Quan didn’t know the full story, but he knew that a "Divine Doctor" plaque would be good for the Medicine Hall’s business.

So he pushed through the crowd, first whispering a word of encouragement to Ma Liangcai, then said with a laugh,

"The old sir is right. Of course we can accept a plaque."

With that, he stepped forward to unveil the plaque by lifting the red cloth.

Seeing this, the old man smiled and took a step back.

Just then, a calm voice came from beyond the crowd of onlookers.

"Wait a moment."

Liu Quan’s hand froze. He looked up and around.

He saw the circle of Oil Paper Umbrellas part, revealing Chen Yi at the opening.

Without hesitation, Liu Quan hurried over and bowed. "Shopkeeper, what brings you here?"

Chen Yi glanced at him, then walked into the crowd, holding his Oil Paper Umbrella.

He looked at the old man, whose smile had faded slightly, and then at Ma Liangcai’s uneasy expression, and said calmly,

"Old sir, we appreciate the sentiment, but please take the plaque back."

The thin old man was momentarily stunned, then quickly forced a smile. "Ah, you must be the Shopkeeper of Jishi Medicine Hall. Forgive my poor eyes, please forgive me."

"It’s just that my young master specifically instructed that Divine Doctor Ma’s Medical Skill is superb, and the plaque must be delivered."

"I hope the Shopkeeper will accept it and fulfill my young master’s wish."

"A wish?"

A smile touched Chen Yi’s calm face. He stepped forward, lifted a corner of the plaque to glance at the contents, and then let it fall back into place.

"Please go back, old sir. Curing the sick and saving lives is the duty of my Jishi Medicine Hall. We do not do it for a ’Divine Doctor’ plaque."

"This..."

Before the thin old man could say more, Chen Yi gestured for Ma Liangcai and the others to return to the Medicine Hall, then instructed,

"Liu Quan, see our guests out."

Liu Quan hesitated, but seeing that Chen Yi’s mind was made up, he dazedly asked the thin old man and his entourage to leave.

Although the procession seemed reluctant, seeing that both the Shopkeeper and the Physician had gone back inside, they had no choice but to turn back.

In moments, the crowd of onlookers, both inside and outside the door, had mostly dispersed.

[Witnessed Ma Liangcai receiving a Divine Doctor plaque. Reward: Massage Skill, Opportunity +10.]

[Evaluation: The man arrived, the noise was heard, the scene was witnessed. By causing Ma Liangcai to lose the Divine Doctor plaque, you allowed him to escape a disaster. Performance: Passable.]

Chen Yi glanced at the notification and understood. He gestured for Ma Liangcai to follow him to the inner hall to talk.

"Write."

Ma Liangcai understood and wrote a short message: "Shopkeeper, he said he was from Wumeng Mountain, but I don’t remember him."

Chen Yi read it, nodded, and wrote a short message back to him: "Keep a low profile for a while. I’ll have someone investigate this thoroughly."

After Ma Liangcai finished reading, Chen Yi wiped the words from the table and said with a smile,

"Someone delivering a plaque today might seem like a good thing, but in reality, it would put our Medicine Hall under immense pressure."

"Doctor Ma, I hope you don’t mind me acting on my own authority?"

Ma Liangcai understood and bowed deeply. "I am part of Jishi Medicine Hall. Naturally, the Shopkeeper makes all the decisions."

Chen Yi clapped him on the shoulder. "Keep up the good work. I’ll have Liu Quan give you some silver later as this month’s bonus."

"Thank you, Shopkeeper."

After a bit more small talk, the two of them left the inner hall.

Chen Yi also offered some words of encouragement to the others, instructed Liu Quan to distribute some silver coins, and left amidst the cheerful clamor of the people in the hall.

"It’s been a while! Shopkeeper Chen is as sharp as ever."

"Still calling him Shopkeeper Chen? You should be calling him ’Mr. Qingzhou’ now."

"Oh, right, right, Mr. Qingzhou! Heh, I almost forgot. He’s a teacher at Guiyun Academy now, quite famous."

"If those scholars heard you say that, you’d get an earful..."

Chen Yi overheard some of this chatter.

But as he left the Medicine Hall and headed straight for where Xiao Wan’er and the others were, he had no mind to pay attention to it.

In fact, when the musical procession had first arrived at the East Market, Chen Yi, Xiao Wan’er, and the others were already there.

However, their path was blocked by the people playing gongs and drums, so they had simply followed behind.

But after hearing what the old man said, Chen Yi had a bad feeling. That’s why he had asked Xiao Wan’er and the others to wait while he went to the Medicine Hall alone to handle it.

The outcome was just as he had expected.

Ma Liangcai was a Physician with a limp and no real Medical Skill. How could he possibly receive a "Divine Doctor" plaque for any reason other than a conspiracy?

But Chen Yi couldn’t immediately figure out who would plot against Ma Liangcai like this.

’Cui Qingwu and Chen Yunfan?’

’Unlikely.’

’The Hidden Guard?’

’Also impossible.’

’Such a tedious scheme. Besides causing some trouble for the Xiao Family, it wouldn’t really affect the Medicine Hall, nor could it harm the Xiao Family.’

’Thinking it over, it seemed more like the work of a rival.’

Mulling this over, Chen Yi returned to the carriage, gave a brief explanation, and then said with a smile that he was hungry.

Xiao Wan’er, suspecting nothing, led Xiao Wuge and the others out of the carriage and said gently,

"That old restaurant is just in the alley nearby."

"I wonder if you can smell it? The aroma is wonderful."

"It is..."

A few moments later, they walked into the alley and sat down in the restaurant.

But what they didn’t notice was another, ornately decorated carriage parked on the edge of the East Market.

The two people sitting inside were staring at their departing backs.

"Second Brother, your plan failed."

"It was just a small welcome gift for my ’madam.’ If it failed, it failed."

"Come on, let’s go say hello."