Chapter 28: The Hundred Herbs Pavilion

So many things had happened in the mansion, yet she hadn’t seen her scumbag dad. Where had he gone?

Mama Zhao quickly instructed the servants to fetch medicine and boil it. There was nothing else to do in Rongjin Hall, so they all retreated.

As they were leaving the courtyard of Rongjin Hall, Tang Chuyao was stopped by Aunt Mei.

“Eldest Miss!”

Tang Chuyao turned around and looked at Mei Xia’e, asking, “Aunt Mei, is there something you need?”

Mei Xia’e felt that Tang Chuyao’s aura was different from usual. She had the air of a noble lady. She took a closer look at Tang Chuyao, but it was still the same face with the dark spots.

“This concubine just wanted to remind the Eldest Miss that the Xuanping Marquis’ wife may seem nice to you, but in this world, there is no such thing as a harmonious mother-in-law and daughter-in-law!”

“Eldest Miss, don’t forget that the Wenyong Bo Mansion is your home!”

Tang Chuying also stepped forward and said, “Yes, sister, we are family!”

She pulled Tang Chuyao’s hand and said sincerely, “Sister, Ying’er has always been close to you, like sisters.”

Tang Chuyao scoffed inwardly. Close like sisters?

What a joke!

In her previous life, she had stolen her husband, ruined her appearance, poisoned her, and caused her maternal family to be wiped out!

Which of these things was even remotely close to being sisters?

Tang Chuyao calmly withdrew her hands, gave a soft smile, and said, “Sister, you’re right! We are close like sisters!”

Seeing that Tang Chuyao was still as easy to fool as before, Tang Chuying continued, “Sister, next month is the Begging Festival!”

“Every year, during various festivals, you would send Ying’er a bunch of jewelry and clothes. This year, for the Begging Festival, what will you send Ying’er?”

Dujian wanted to slap Tang Chuying!

Miss was so good to Tang Chuying, but what about her?

And, was that even called sending?

Every time, she would come and demand things, or she would have the old lady and Aunt Mei come and snatch a lot of good things from Miss!

Tang Chuyao looked at Tang Chuying silently, reached out to touch her face, and then gave a doting smile, “Sister, you are so beautiful. Let me think about what to send you!”

Tang Chuying’s heart, which had been hanging, instantly dropped. She thought that Tang Chuyao, that bitch, had figured something out!

She was still as stupid as ever!

Tang Chuying gave a shy smile, “Then Ying’er will thank you in advance, sister!”

Looking at the backs of Mei Xia’e and Tang Chuying as they walked away, Dujian stomped her foot in anger.

“Miss, are you really going to give her jewelry and clothes?”

Tang Chuyao laughed and looked at Dujian, reaching out to pull her along as they walked towards Luoying Pavilion…

Just now, the system had checked Tang Chuying’s bone age again. She was indeed one year older than her!

That meant that her scumbag dad had already been hooking up with Mei Xia’e before he married her mother!

It seemed like she needed to send someone to investigate her scumbag dad’s affairs…

Tang Chuyao looked at the warm jade in her hand, lost in thought. She had no one else to rely on. It would be better to have the secret guards do this!

When did Gu Qingchen fall for her?

Tang Chuyao had no memory of it. Was it because she had saved him six years ago?

The key was that it wasn’t her who saved him. Strictly speaking, it was Hua Wanshu who saved Gu Qingchen!

She had just picked him up and then handed him over to Hua Wangshu!

Tang Chuyao stroked the character “Jin” on the warm jade, slightly lost in thought…

Forget it. Since the Regent had feelings for her, then she shouldn’t be a heartless person!

This time around, she would do whatever she wanted!

She wouldn’t be as timid as she was in her previous life, valuing so-called family affection above all else!

Perhaps she could try to slowly accept the Regent. After all, if she were looking for a husband, it was important to find someone who was pleasing to the eye!

There was no one in the entire capital who looked as good as the Regent!

Handsome and unrestrained, she wasn’t at a loss either!

She had noticed someone lurking in the shadows at the mansion gate earlier that day.  Since she didn’t know if they were friend or foe, she hadn’t alerted them.

Thinking about this, Tang Chuyao got up and went to the courtyard, leaping onto a tree.

From her vantage point, she saw a figure clad in black hiding on the roof.

The figure in black seemed to have noticed her as well. For a moment, they were stunned. When did Miss Tang get up there?

Night Rain, who had been secretly protecting her for the past few days, thought that Tang Chuyao was truly a hidden gem. Her lightness skills were probably no less than hers!

Then, she leaped onto the tree, clasped her hands in a salute, and said, “This subordinate greets Miss!”

A woman? Tang Chuyao was a little surprised. The secret guard was actually a woman.

“What is your name?”

“This subordinate is Night Rain, one of the ten Night Clan secret guards.”

“There are ten Night Clan secret guards in total?”

“Reporting to Miss, there are thousands of Night Clan secret guards. It’s just that this subordinate was lucky enough to be ranked third in martial arts, making it into the top ten.”

Tang Chuyao nodded approvingly. Not bad!

“I have a task for you…”

After giving Night Rain her instructions, Tang Chuyao leaped down from the tree branch. Then, she took Huang Xiaoyu and Dujian out of the mansion…

They rode in a carriage for about a quarter of an hour before arriving at Baihu Fifth Street. This area was a little further away from the bustling part of the capital.

But there were still many people. Logically, even if the businesses here weren’t as profitable as the shops on Tianjie Street, they shouldn’t be losing money!

As soon as Tang Chuyao got off the carriage, she saw a long queue in front of the Hundred Herbs Pavilion.

Tang Chuyao gestured for Dujian to go and ask what was going on.

Dujian joined the back of the queue and happened to see an old lady waiting in line.

“Auntie, may I ask, are you waiting in line to get medicine?”

“Little girl, don’t you know?” The old lady looked puzzled.

“The Hundred Herbs Pavilion gives out some medicinal herbs for free on the first and fifteenth of every month!”

Dujian realized something was amiss and quickly asked, “It’s not the first or fifteenth today. Why are you waiting in line?”

“Today is the sixteenth day since the Hundred Herbs Pavilion opened, so the manager is giving out free medicine for three consecutive days!”

Dujian asked for clarification and then went back to tell Tang Chuyao.

She saw Tang Chuyao standing at the entrance of the Hundred Herbs Pavilion, looking at a sign.

“Miss, what does the sign say?”

“Oh, the sign says that you can get free medicinal herbs on the first and fifteenth of every month! Today is the sixteenth day since the shop opened, so they are giving out free honeysuckle for three consecutive days!”

Dujian: “…”

“Miss, why did you ask me if there was a sign?”

“It’s because you can’t read!” Tang Chuyao smiled at Dujian and stepped into the Hundred Herbs Pavilion.

The interior of the Hundred Herbs Pavilion was clean and tidy. The medicinal herbs were all stored in medicine cabinets. Tang Chuyao estimated that there were about five medicine cabinets behind the counter, each with about fifty independent drawers. Each drawer had a label with the name and efficacy of the medicinal herb.

On the left side of the Hundred Herbs Pavilion, a space was specifically reserved for a doctor who was seeing patients. He was taking the pulse of an old man…

The clerks were busy packing honeysuckle and handing out the packaged honeysuckle to the people waiting in line to get free medicine.

One of the clerks in the pharmacy saw Tang Chuyao enter. Seeing Tang Chuyao, who was wearing a veil, he guessed something and quickly stepped forward to greet her, “What medicine would this Miss like?”

Tang Chuyao smiled and looked at the young clerk. He was not very old, but he was quite clever.

Dujian stepped forward and said, “This is the Eldest Miss of the Yongyong Duke’s Mansion.”

The clerk immediately bowed respectfully, “So it’s the Eldest Miss who has arrived!”

“Please come to the back courtyard, Miss. Our manager has been waiting for you!”

Tang Chuyao and the other two followed the clerk to the back courtyard.

Chapter 29: The Secret of the Family Doctor Zhang Hong

The backyard of the Hundred Herbs Pavilion was very large. Tang Chuyao was surprised. It was a three-courtyard complex.

A plainly dressed woman was drying herbs in the courtyard.

The clerk led Tang Chuyao and the others into the courtyard and then went back to his work.

The woman looked up at Tang Chuyao. When her eyes met Tang Chuyao’s, she was momentarily stunned.

The basket of herbs in her hand fell to the ground. The woman slowly walked towards Tang Chuyao, her eyes slightly red, and she carefully examined Tang Chuyao.

After a long pause, she said, “Like, so like!”

Tang Chuyao didn’t expect the manager of the Hundred Herbs Pavilion to be a woman!

The woman seemed to know her mother, because Tang Chuyao’s eyes were very similar to Chi Ran’s!

Then, the woman bowed respectfully, “This servant, Fuling, greets the young lady!”

Tang Chuyao noticed that Fuling addressed her as “young lady.” She was actually very curious about what kind of person her mother was.

The manager of Jieyou Pavilion, Wang Youcai, actually knew martial arts. When Tang Chuyao saw Manager Wang yesterday, she had sensed it, but she hadn’t said anything!

Fuling, on the other hand, seemed to have a restrained aura. She was proficient in herbs, and perhaps her medical skills were not bad either.

The people surrounding her mother were all masters of disguise. Tang Chuyao suddenly became interested in Chi Ran’s identity!

Perhaps she should visit the palace and see her aunt, the Noble Concubine, to see if she could gain some insights?

Tang Chuyao reached out to help Fuling up, “No need to be so polite!”

Fuling led Tang Chuyao to her room. The Hundred Herbs Hall was in front, and the small courtyard was behind. Fuling had been taking care of it all along.

“Young lady, please have some tea.” Fuling brought in a few cups of tea.

She then handed the remaining two cups of tea to Huang Xiaoyu and Dujian.

Dujian was a little surprised. She was Miss’s maid, and no one had ever served her tea before.

Tang Chuyao looked around the room. It wasn’t big, but it was very clean and tidy, with a faint scent of herbs.

“Fuling, can you tell me about my mother?”

Fuling seemed to be lost in her memories. After a long pause, she slowly said, “Madam was a very kind person!”

“She had a great love for the people.”

“This servant was also saved by Madam by chance!”

“Madam saved this servant. This servant has no way to repay her. Being able to help Madam with her work, Fuling is already very satisfied…”

Tang Chuyao felt that Fuling had talked about her mother, but she hadn’t really talked about her.

After listening, she didn’t know much more about her mother.

She only knew that her mother was kind…

“Yesterday, Manager Wang told this servant about the young lady’s situation. Today, this servant guessed that the young lady would come!”

“Young lady, can you let this servant see your face?”

Tang Chuyao didn’t refuse. She untied her veil, revealing the dark spots.

Fuling looked closely for a while, a hint of surprise in her eyes, “It seems that the young lady has truly grown up!”

“The rumors about the young lady in the capital are truly unbelievable!”

Tang Chuyao understood that Fuling had seen that the spots on her face were fake!

“Fuling, I will send someone over later. Please keep an eye on this person.”

“Yes!”

Tang Chuyao and Fuling chatted for a while before getting up to leave…

Fuling looked at Tang Chuyao’s departing figure and murmured, “The young lady has truly grown up! Madam would be comforted to know this…”

After leaving the Hundred Herbs Pavilion, Tang Chuyao asked her senior sister, Xiaoyu, to go to the Stable and bring Mei Changsheng to the Hundred Herbs Pavilion and leave him in Fuling’s care!

Then, Tang Chuyao took Dujian to Huichun Hall. Huichun Hall was a few streets away from the Hundred Herbs Pavilion, not too far.

The manager of Huichun Hall was a middle-aged man. Hearing that Tang Chuyao had arrived, he quickly went out to greet her.

“This humble one, Zhang Wei, greets the young Miss!”

Zhang Wei invited Tang Chuyao to the second floor. The second floor of Huichun Hall was a series of independent small rooms.

“Young Miss, this Huichun Hall was originally a restaurant. Sixteen years ago, it was bought by Miss and turned into a pharmacy.”

“Since we only need one floor for the pharmacy, the second floor hasn’t been touched.”

“This humble one has kept a few rooms for the clerks to live in, and the rest are used to store some commonly used medicinal herbs. Young Miss, be careful where you step. This way, please!”

Zhang Wei respectfully offered tea. Tang Chuyao gestured for him to sit down as well.

Tang Chuyao picked up the teacup, used the lid to push the tea leaves to the side, and smelled it. “Good tea!”

Then, Tang Chuyao placed the teacup aside. Zhang Wei stared at the teacup Tang Chuyao had put down, his eyes flickering.

“What is Zhang Hong to you?”

Zhang Wei was startled and looked at Tang Chuyao in surprise.

How was that possible? How could Tang Chuyao know about his relationship with Zhang Hong?

Seeing that he didn’t answer, Tang Chuyao smiled and said, “Manager Zhang, don’t be nervous. I was just asking casually.”

“Bring me the accounts!”

Zhang Wei wiped the sweat from his forehead, got up, and went out…

A while later, Zhang Wei came back with a ledger. He handed it to Tang Chuyao and said, “Young Miss, this is the ledger for Huichun Hall this year.”

Tang Chuyao took the ledger and began to look through it. Zhang Wei didn’t know why he was so nervous.

He felt like Tang Chuyao could see through him, but then he thought, she’s just a little girl. She doesn’t even know anything about music, chess, calligraphy, or painting. How could she understand accounts?

Besides, he had heard that Tang Chuyao had come from the Hundred Herbs Pavilion. The Hundred Herbs Pavilion was losing money every year. It wasn’t strange for his Huichun Hall to lose some money!

After comforting himself, Zhang Wei felt much calmer.

Tang Chuyao finished reading the last page, closed the ledger, and looked at Zhang Wei, “The ledger is fine!”

Zhang Wei breathed a sigh of relief. He had said so. A little girl, how could she understand these accounts!

“The problem is that the shop’s income doesn’t match this ledger!”

“Manager Zhang, are you trying to deceive this Miss, a mere woman, by casually taking a ledger to fool me?”

Tang Chuyao’s voice suddenly turned cold, and her gaze towards Zhang Wei became even colder!

Zhang Wei suddenly felt a wave of fear wash over him. He was inexplicably afraid of this little girl!

He hurriedly knelt down, “Young Miss, please be understanding. This, this ledger is fine…”

“Oh? You still won’t tell the truth, will you?”

A gust of wind blew past, and Zhang Wei’s mouth was forcefully pried open. Then, a cup of hot tea was poured into his mouth.

Before he could react, the hot tea flowed down his throat into his body.

Zhang Wei immediately used his fingers to gag his throat. He only coughed a few times and nothing else.

Then, Zhang Wei was kicked to the ground.

He looked at the little girl in front of him in terror, unable to speak for a long time!

“The tea was laced with a large amount of ebony. You thought this Miss wouldn’t notice?”

“Zhang Hong is the family doctor of the Yongyong Duke’s Mansion on the surface, but in reality, he is your own brother!”

Tang Chuyao stepped on Zhang Wei’s chest, looked down at him, and continued, “You think this Miss doesn’t know about Zhang Hong poisoning me?”

“He got all his poisons from you, right?”

“Let me guess why you did this.”

Tang Chuyao looked at Zhang Wei thoughtfully, but she noticed that Zhang Wei’s appearance was six points similar to Tang Chunan!