Chapter 71

Chapter 71

The next day, after leaving the palace and heading home, Su Ji Pharmacy’s eldest legitimate grandson, Su Ziling, came by in person again to report on the progress of their business partnership with Shen Lian.

You gotta hand it to imperial merchants—they really knew how to do business. They’d actually hired half the storytellers in the capital to perform three times a day, telling the story of how Shen Lian miraculously brought the foreign envoy back from the dead at the Thousand Autumn Banquet.

In the story, Shen Lian’s medical skills were straight-up godlike. While a bunch of imperial physicians were beating their chests in despair, totally stumped, Shen Lian just straight-up stabbed the envoy in the throat to get him breathing again.

Once the swelling went down, the miracle doctor Shen Lian produced White Immortal Powder, sprinkled a little over the gushing wound, and the bleeding stopped on the spot. The envoy got right up, thanking the miracle doctor for saving his life!

Now, this miracle drug had been sourced by Su Ji Pharmacy straight from the miracle doctor Shen Lian, available in limited quantities—pre-order now while supplies last!

Shen Lian: "..."

This story was more ridiculous than a scam ad.

Shen Lian insisted Su Ziling change it to say the miracle doctor had found a spot that let air through without causing major bleeding, and had only made a tiny cut.

But Su Ziling said that version wouldn’t catch on. Storytellers always mixed a little truth with a lot of fiction, and when real customers came in to buy it, the shop staff would explain exactly what injuries the powder could handle. At this price for Wound Healing Powder, they sure wouldn’t dare screw anyone over.

Shen Lian had no choice but to respect the local flair for over-the-top "marketing and advertising customs."

Su Ziling wanted twenty bottles of ready stock on the shelves right away.

This eldest legitimate grandson couldn’t wait to see his great benefactor Shen Lian strike it rich, couldn’t stand the idea of such a top imperial physician living in such a run-down little courtyard.

Earlier, Shen Lian’s way of repaying them was to consign his White Immortal Powder at Su Ji Pharmacy.

Originally, the Su family was willing to handle all the promo and distribution, with all the profits going to Shen Lian.

But Shen Lian refused to take all the profits himself—that kind of partnership wouldn’t last.

He suggested taking out the cost and splitting the two-tael profit fifty-fifty.

But the Su family still didn’t want to take that much. After a lot of back-and-forth, they’d only agree to a 20-80 split with their benefactor physician.

As an honest, by-the-book researcher, Shen Lian always felt a little guilty about his cut of the profits.

The original two-tael cost had included a lot of labor.

Now, the labor to make White Immortal Powder was almost nothing, so selling it at four taels a bottle felt like a rip-off.

But the effort he’d put in early on did justify the price.

Shen Lian planned to start dropping the price after selling a hundred bottles, to open up the market to people who could actually afford it.

Ideally, regular folks would be able to afford it too.

But those twenty bottles of ready stock would take a few more days.

Sure, the micro hand-crank centrifuge saved on labor, but it was still tiny, with limited output per batch.

Shen Lian had already packaged up every last bit of his stockpiled powder and given it all to the Young Male Concubine.

Next, he still had the seven bottles Lu Huaizhi ordered to finish.

The twenty bottles for Su Ji Pharmacy would probably take half a month to get done.

The scammy storytelling ad would also have to rely on artificial scarcity, with customers lining up to place orders.

The dream of getting rich was about to become real.

Every day, Shen Lian came home to mix medicine, then stared at the centrifuge running 24/7, praying it’d be more efficient—he’d really become a capitalist.

Between making money, he also looked forward to his next day off.

He wanted to see the Young Male Concubine as much as possible before he headed off to war.

The next evening, when he got home, there was a letter from the Young Male Concubine: "A real wife would complain about why her husband couldn’t take her with him to war. She’s not just saying it—there are tears in her eyes as she begs over and over."

Shen Lian: ???

What the hell?

Was the Young Male Concubine not tired of the husband-wife roleplay yet, and wanted to keep the game going through letters?

Why did this description sound like he’d been watching from the sidelines?

Could a clueless straight guy like the Young Male Concubine, who’d never even been around young women, really imagine something that detailed?

After three days apart, the Young Male Concubine’s imagination had taken a huge leap forward.

Shen Lian had no choice but to play along: "Don’t push your luck, hubby dear. There are wives so devoted they’d go die with their husbands on the battlefield. But I’m playing the evil wife who adds eight spoonfuls of salt to your food—I can only share the good times, not the bad."

When trouble hits, she’s out of the group chat.

The next morning, a letter from the Young Male Concubine arrived bright and early: [A husband can tell his wife dirty jokes—not funny at all—and instead of calling the cops, she blushes and says 'you’re so bad.' I’m telling you what I know about how husbands and wives get along. You think being a wife is easy? You don’t know anything.]

Shen Lian: ...

Where did this feudal little male concubine learn all this relationship stuff?

Did he go out and flirt with some respectable woman himself?

Hadn’t he not even bought his freedom yet?

Shen Lian suddenly felt short of breath, his palms sweating as he clutched the letter.

This was way too irresponsible!

Could he just make promises out of curiosity? It’d only been three days, and he’d already talked some girl into wanting to go to war with him?

Shen Lian stomped off to the study to write a reply.

Suddenly, a man’s voice he didn’t recognize called out from the courtyard gate: "Is this Physician Shen Lian’s place?"

Shen Lian went out to greet the visitor—yep, he’d never seen this guy before.

The messenger Dian Xia sent was still waiting in the study for his reply, and the Su family always came in person to talk business.

So who was this guy?

"Yeah, can I help you?" Shen Lian asked.

"Sorry to bother you." The man was dressed like a household servant, face blank, tone a bit arrogant: "Our young lord wants you to come to the marquis’s residence. There’ve been some baseless rumors going around the capital lately, and Physician Shen needs to come clarify them in person."

Shen Lian: "Young lord? Which one?"

The man lifted his chin and raised a cupped fist upward: "Who else but Master Wangchuan. Someone’s been using the young lord’s name to gain fame, strutting around at the Shen family’s willow-shooting spring sacrifice, pretending to be the young lord. If you didn’t know about this, come with me to clear your name with the young lord."

-

Song Jin could no longer contain his curiosity.

Why did His Highness Prince Qi, who was swamped with work lately, still make time to stop by Prince Xi's residence every day, just to silently watch him and Prince Xi chat?

What exactly was this guy up to?

Xie Hang was already the jealous type; if it were any other man, he would've already gotten a duel challenge from His Highness Prince Xi.

But it was his fourth brother doing something so strange.

Thanks to Xie Hang pointing it out, Song Jin had recently started paying attention to this matter as well.

Prince Qi was indeed watching him closely, not Xie Hang.

Last night, Xie Hang had already felt a bit hurt.

He felt that as his younger brother grew older, he opened up less and less.

At a loss, Song Jin had to take matters into his own hands.

If Xie Hang were to dig into why Xie Yuan had been staring at Song Jin these past few days, it would sound like jealousy and might hurt their relationship as brothers.

When Xie Yuan arrived on time for his usual visit, Song Jin deliberately sent Xie Hang off, planning to privately uncover Xie Yuan's intentions.

The moment Xie Hang left, Xie Yuan was already getting ready to go.

Song Jin talked him into staying, asking him to wait until Xie Hang finished his work and returned for a round of pitch-pot.

Song Jin had the servants bring out the tea and snacks he'd prepared earlier, sat in the armchair across the tea table, and gave Xie Yuan a warm smile: "Your Highness, do you remember these pastries? They're filled with sugar cane syrup, osmanthus flowers, and pine nuts."

Xie Yuan tilted his head, eyes lowered at the tea and pastries on the table, his mind elsewhere.

"You don't remember?" Song Jin explained: "On the first day I served as Prince Xi's study companion, I ate all the morning pastries meant for you and Prince Xi, and the old eunuch hit my palms. Prince Xi stepped in to defend me."

Xie Yuan nodded: "I don't remember it well, but Third Brother often brings it up. He says he's glad he stepped forward then, and he doesn't regret it, otherwise you might have been sent back home that very day to be scolded, and a new study companion would have been brought into the palace."

Song Jin lowered his head, smiling shyly, lips pressed together: "Yes, he always tells me the same story—how he remembers the clothes I wore when we first met, the pitiful look on my face when I cried, the way I looked at him—he remembers it all vividly. He doesn't regret a thing about me. And you, Your Highness Prince Qi? You were still young then; the things I remember, you probably don't remember."

Xie Yuan raised an eyebrow, lowered his gaze to think casually, and smiled: "I remember a bit. I don't have any happy memories of you, only regrets."

Song Jin probed: "Oh? What regrets?"

Xie Yuan said: "I don't remember if you cried or not, only that you ate all the sugar cakes that were meant for me and Third Brother. I could only have one small sugar cake at a time; the eunuch said you could only eat one at a time, or else your stomach would hurt. But that day you ate both plates. When the eunuch tried to brush me off with that excuse again, I stomped my feet, rolled on the floor, and demanded to know why Song Jin could eat two. The eunuch had no answer, so from then on, I got to eat one extra sugar cake every day—that's all because of you."

Song Jin was confused: "Then how is that a regret?"

Xie Yuan thought for a moment, then gave a lazy smile: "I once secretly gave you three sugar cakes, do you remember?"

Song Jin's eyes went wide in surprise: "Your Highness still remembers that? I thought you'd forgotten ages ago! When you were little, you loved tea cakes the most, but for a while, you saved one every day and hid it in your sleeve. It must have been half a month—you only ate one a day. I thought you were saving it for later, but it turned out you were saving it for me! I couldn't believe someone so young could be so thoughtful. I was so touched back then!"

Xie Yuan grumbled, bringing up old grudges: "To save up those three sugar cakes, I'd save one in the morning, but at night I couldn't resist eating it, so I often had to start all over after saving one or two. It took me half a month to save up three, and when I gave them to you, you refused to eat them."

Song Jin explained: "How could I accept something so precious? A young prince could easily get sick from overeating; there was a set amount of food each day. Those sugar cakes were your most treasured thing. I said I could only take one, at most. You were so stubborn even back then, and in a fit of anger, you ate them all yourself. Is that the regret? Did I... let you down?"

Xie Yuan shook his head and admitted in a low voice: "If you'd eaten those three sugar cakes without getting a stomachache, I could've said to the eunuch: Why can Song Jin eat three? Then I could've had one more every day. It was a small gamble for a big reward. I waited half a month to save those three cakes, and you only ate one, making all my efforts go down the drain? So of course, I ate them all myself. If I hadn't been so much shorter than you back then, I would've stuffed them all into your mouth."

Song Jin gasped: "How old were you then? You were already that sly? Why tell me now and disappoint me? I really thought you were saving them for me because you were worried I'd be hungry. I've been quietly moved for sixteen whole years! Now that sweet memory is just gone..."

Xie Yuan laughed: "If I were really that sly, I would've gone to the eunuch myself, eaten three in front of him, and said my stomach didn't hurt. But those three sugar cakes had been saved over several days—they weren't fresh. After eating them that night, my stomach really did hurt, and I tossed and turned, groaning. The nanny carried me to my mother, and she asked what I'd eaten. I dodged the question and just said my stomach hurt because Third Brother had stepped on my foot that afternoon. Mother said how could stepping on a foot give you a stomachache, and I asked her, why couldn't it? Mother thought I was picking a fight in the middle of the night and gave me another scolding."

Song Jin covered his mouth, shaking with laughter, barely able to breathe: "So when it comes to me..."

"All regrets," Xie Yuan said, wrapping it up.

Song Jin: "Why didn't you tell me what you were up to? If I'd known, I would've eaten them all, even if they were moldy, I would've swallowed them."

Xie Yuan picked up his teacup: "We weren't close then; I was afraid you'd go to my mother and rat me out."

Song Jin: "Then surely you can trust me now?"

Xie Yuan: "Yes, but it's too late for that now."

Song Jin took a deep breath and got serious: "It's not too late. If you have any worries and don't want to talk to Prince Xi about them, I'm always here to offer advice. Lately, you've been sitting silently next to Prince Xi... and me. Is it because you're worried about the border situation, or..."

Xie Yuan's eyes sharpened, and he glanced sideways at Song Jin.

How did he figure it out?

In the past, when Third Brother and Song Jin were all lovey-dovey, Xie Yuan had also sat silently nearby.

Why was it exposed now?