TMBIABHL: Chapter 23
Glossary
·Ye Chutang (叶初棠): Female Protagonist. Heir to an ancient medical family. "Black-Hearted Lotus." Runs a clinic in Jiangling.
·Ye Jingyan (叶璟言): Third Brother (阿言). Calm, studious.
·Ye Yunfeng (叶云风): Fourth Brother (阿风). Impulsive, protective.
·Little Five / Xiao Wu (小五): Youngest sister. ~4 years old. Non-verbal but expressive.
·Yang Zhen (杨真): The Magistrate of Jiangling county.
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Chapter 23: Another Countermeasure
Ye Chutang looked at her quietly, thinking, So this is her real goal.
Previously claiming the prescription was lost was probably intended to make verification impossible, allowing her to directly dump this bucket of dirty water on the Ye Clinic's head.
But she hadn't expected Ye Chutang to have a second copy of the prescription and was caught off guard.
However, that didn't matter much. If one trick failed, there was another.
The medicine she took that day clearly didn't come from the Ye Clinic, yet she dared to say so now, indicating premeditation.
Seeing Ye Chutang silent, the woman thought she was frightened and pressed triumphantly, "What's the matter? Don't you dare?"
Yang Zhen also looked at Ye Chutang.
Things had reached this point; they couldn't not search the clinic. If Ye Chutang refused, it would only prove she had a guilty conscience.
The next moment, he heard Ye Chutang say in a calm tone, "My Ye Clinic is clean and honest. Naturally, I have nothing to fear."
Her shoulders were straight, her back upright, her eyes clear and bright, projecting full confidence.
Anyone seeing her would think she was truly open and without guilt.
However, seeing her reaction, a flash of triumphant joy passed through the woman's eyes.
Of course Ye Chutang dared to say that now, but once they searched the clinic, she probably wouldn't be so bold!
Yang Zhen immediately ordered, "Search!"
Ye Chutang's gaze swept imperceptibly over the woman's face as she asked loudly, "Wait. If nothing is found in my Ye Clinic in the end, it proves you made a false accusation, correct? What will you say then?"
"How could your clinic not—" The woman paused, then sneered, "If they find nothing, I'll submit to your disposal!"
The corners of Ye Chutang's lips curved slightly.
"Since that's the case, it's settled. Everyone present is a witness. Don't go back on your word later."
Under the gaze of those dark, clear eyes, the woman felt inexplicably flustered.
She deliberately averted her gaze, saying stiffly, "We'll see if you still have the nerve to say that after they search the clinic!"
(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)
…
Ye Clinic.
Ye Jingyan, Ye Yunfeng, and Xiao Wu waited together inside the room.
Ye Jingyan took out the book his elder sister had left. Ye Yunfeng, anxious, paced back and forth. Xiao Wu, holding her abacus, looked at the tightly closed main gate with a melancholy expression.
—Ai, closed again. No silver to be earned today.
As if guessing her thoughts, Ye Jingyan turned a page of his book and handed over a small purse.
"This is newly received."
Xiao Wu's eyes lit up. She took the purse, her two plump, white little hands kneading it repeatedly.
Feeling its substantial weight, the smile on her face widened.
She looked with sparkling eyes towards the neighboring room.
—If only they would stay here forever! Then, Elder Sister could collect money from them for a lifetime!
Ye Jingyan followed her gaze and suddenly remembered something. "Right, Elder Sister said we're responsible for their food and lodging for the coming period. A-Feng, when you cook later, make enough for two extra people."
Ye Yunfeng scratched his head. "Third Brother! What time is it for this!? Elder Sister is still at the yamen; who knows what's happening!"
Ye Jingyan wasn't completely without worry, but he trusted his elder sister.
"Relax. Elder Sister told us to wait at home, so we wait."
Ye Yunfeng plopped down onto a chair.
But just then, noise came from outside.
Ye Yunfeng jumped up quickly and exchanged a look with Ye Jingyan. "Is Elder Sister back!?"
"You watch Xiao Wu. I'll go see."
Ye Jingyan said this, put the book away neatly, and stood up to go out.
…
Ye Jingyan hadn't expected his elder sister to return so quickly, nor had he expected so many people to accompany her.
(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)
Especially—the Magistrate himself had actually come!
Yang Zhen didn't really need to come personally, but with several murders recently in Jiangling, he had to make a show of effort, to let people know he wasn't idle.
Additionally, Liu Liyi had specifically begged him this morning to pay extra attention to Ye Chutang's case. He had readily agreed, so naturally, he came along to oversee the search.
The Ye Clinic wasn't large: just one room at the front for consultations, followed by a square courtyard with several bedrooms and one pharmacy.
Yang Zhen raised a hand, and the yamen officers quickly spread out to search.
Seeing this, Ye Jingyan frowned and quickly went to Ye Chutang's side, asking in a low voice, "Elder Sister, what's going on?"
Ye Chutang shook her head gently. "It's hard to explain in a few words. Let them search for now."
Ye Jingyan had no choice but to swallow his remaining questions.
Over there, Ye Yunfeng, who had been waiting inside, saw people coming and going in the courtyard and couldn't sit still any longer. He led Xiao Wu out.
Seeing Ye Chutang, Xiao Wu let go of Ye Yunfeng's hand, trotted on her short legs towards Ye Chutang, and threw herself into her arms.
Ye Chutang ruffled her hair and took her little hand. "Don't be afraid, Xiao Wu. They're just looking for something."
Xiao Wu looked bewildered.
She didn't know these people. Why were they coming to their home to look for things?
Ye Yunfeng scanned the area, watching the officers search very roughly. In no time, they had turned the originally clean and tidy courtyard into a mess. His anger flared.
He had just cleaned this!
Did they have any idea how much effort it took to put everything back in order!
He bit back the words several times.
Forget it! This wasn't the time to worry about that!
But still...
"Elder Sister, what exactly are they looking for?" Ye Yunfeng couldn't hold back any longer, his brows knitted together as he asked.
Ye Chutang said, "Whatever they want to find, of course."
(read @cherrybombbertranslations.blogspot)
Ye Yunfeng: "…"
Wasn't that just stating the obvious? What on earth—
"Found it!"
An officer suddenly exclaimed excitedly. Everyone's eyes turned to see him pulling a handful of Sichuan aconite from a medicine cabinet compartment.
The Sichuan aconite was irregularly conical, swollen on one side, looking somewhat like turmeric at first glance.
He sniffed the pieces. "This stuff seems to have been soaked in wine!"
Sichuan aconite can be used in medicine but has a certain toxicity, especially after being steeped in wine, when its toxicity increases.
The woman nearly jumped on the spot. "That's it! This was in the medicine she gave me that day!"
She immediately looked at Ye Chutang, her voice harsh and severe. "Ye Chutang! This was found in your clinic in front of everyone! What else do you have to say for yourself!"
The courtyard fell dead silent.
This could be considered ironclad evidence. How could she possibly refute it?
Yet,at that moment, Ye Chutang suddenly said, "Aren't you going to keep looking?"
Everyone was stunned, even the officer who found the aconite didn't react immediately.
Ye Chutang lifted her chin slightly. "Our courtyard isn't large, but many people live here, and there are quite a few miscellaneous items. Why don't you all search a bit more, see if you can find anything else?"
The woman mocked, "This one piece is enough! Are you still trying to deny it!?"
"Oh?" Ye Chutang blinked. "You mean, just based on these few pieces of contaminated Sichuan aconite, you can convict me?"
The woman's voice rose higher. "Of course! You— Wait, what do you mean?!"
Ye Chutang turned her head to look at the officer who found the aconite. "Take a closer smell. What other scent is on it?"
The man was taken aback, instinctively bringing it closer to smell again. His expression changed.
Yang Zhen found this strange and frowned. "What is it!?"
Ye Chutang smiled pleasantly. "It's nothing. It's just that there should also be the smell of tung oil on it."
She tilted her head slightly, explaining in a light, cheerful tone, "Oh, I forgot to mention. Because I haven't been able to buy herbs for several days, there's hardly anything left in the medicine cabinets. So I had A-Yan and A-Feng clean them out thoroughly and repaint them with a layer of tung oil to refurbish them. The only downside is that tung oil dries slowly; it takes a full three hours. If you put anything inside during that time, it will get tung oil on it."
She seemed somewhat curious, asking with a slight smile, "I wonder, are there any traces on those pieces of Sichuan aconite?"
(End of Chapter)
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