Chapter 45 : Qianji Medicine

The morning was clear and bright. After watching such a beautiful display of swordplay, Cui Yunzhao’s mood became equally cheerful.

As she washed and dressed, she was unaware that she was humming a tune. She changed into a bright bamboo-green padded silk outfit suitable for going out and then headed to the main hall.

Breakfast had already been laid out in the hall. Huo Tan had washed his hands and face and was waiting for her at the dining table.

Noticing her formal attire, he asked, “Are you going out today,My lady?”

Cui Yunzhao nodded. “I plan to visit the pharmacy this afternoon. I want to buy some tonics to store up. It’s easy to fall ill during these snowy winter days.”

Huo Tan responded, “Alright, thank you for your trouble.”

Cui Yunzhao then asked, “Are you going out too, My lord?”

Huo Tan served her some shaomai (steamed buns) he had bought this morning and smiled, “I need to visit the military office. Since I have a day off today, I might as well take care of matters at home.”

Cui Yunzhao understood that he was likely going to deal with the Wanyan family.

“Make sure to listen carefully to the military office’s handling of the matter,” she advised.

Huo Tan chuckled and said no more.

The breakfast spread, which Huo Tan had bought, included glutinous rice shaomai, mushroom dumplings, and delicious red bean buns, all exquisitely prepared. Combined with millet porridge cooked by Mother Xia and a couple of side dishes, it was a delightful meal.

After breakfast, Huo Tan left for his errands.

Cui Yunzhao, while instructing Tao Fei to arrange the carriage, said to Mother Xia, “I also need to visit the grain shop. With the heavy snow accumulating overnight, the refugees outside the city will surely be suffering. We need to provide some porridge.”

Mother Xia didn’t hesitate, as she always followed Cui Yunzhao’s instructions without question. She simply replied, “Understood.”

Cui Yunzhao thought for a moment and asked, “Is it difficult to gather cotton clothing and blankets? There might not be enough, right?”

Mother Xia shook her head.

“Miss, that’s not feasible.”

“We don’t know how many refugees are outside the city, but we definitely have a fixed amount of cotton clothing. What if some people don’t get any?”

“It’s not the scarcity but the inequality that’s worrisome,” Cui Yunzhao sighed. “I understand. We’ll forgo the cotton clothing and blankets for now, but we can gather people to reinforce the shelters for the refugees.”

This was a good idea.

Mother Xia nodded. “If needed, we can ask the long-term workers from the husband’s side to handle this task. Firstly, the refugees won’t dare to cause trouble with the military, and secondly, it’s better that the income stays within the family. Thirdly, with the husband around, we’ll be much safer.”

Mother Xia’s experience was evident, and she hit the nail on the head.

After discussing briefly with Mother Xia, things were settled.

When the carriage arrived, Cui Yunzhao, accompanied by Mother Xia and Tao Fei, went out.

She first went to the largest pharmacy in Bo Ling City.

Qingpu Road Pharmacy was a well-known establishment. From what Cui Yunzhao remembered, it had been famous for a long time. The head doctor there was known as the Divine Doctor Cheng, an elderly gentleman with white hair and a youthful appearance.

In the past, whenever someone in the city fell ill, they would seek out Doctor Cheng. His son and daughter were also doctors, with the daughter specializing in obstetrics and gynecology. Difficult childbirth cases in Bo Ling City were usually attended by Doctor Cheng’s daughter.

Although the Cheng family was not prominent, they were well-known in Bo Ling City.

The Cui family had also consulted Doctor Cheng’s daughter a few times. Cui Yunzhao knew her medical skills were excellent.

However, today she was not looking for Doctor Cheng’s daughter.

The carriage stopped in front of Qingpu Road Pharmacy, and as Cui Yunzhao got out, she saw the place bustling with activity.

Currently, the pharmacy was staffed by the elderly doctor’s son, daughter, and grandchildren. There were lines in front of each doctor, male and female.

Cui Yunzhao did not join the queue. Instead, she went directly into the pharmacy and said to a young pharmacy assistant, “I would like to see the Divine Doctor Cheng. Is he available today?”

At seventy-three years old, the Divine Doctor Cheng had less energy to travel around and could not spend the entire day seeing patients. Therefore, the pharmacy charged a higher consultation fee for those who wanted to see him, with several times the normal fee required to summon the old doctor.

Without this arrangement, the queues for the Divine Doctor Cheng would be excessively long. This policy was also meant to reduce waiting times.

However, for difficult and unusual cases, the old doctor would still join his children in consultations, showing his compassion as a healer.

The young assistant, seeing Cui Yunzhao’s good health and no signs of illness, said, “Our other doctors here are skilled too. There’s no need to call in the elder master. It would be a waste of the high consultation fee.”

“Don’t waste so much money.”

The Qingpu Road Pharmacy was kind-hearted, treating medicine and healing as a service rather than a business.

Cui Yunzhao smiled and said, “I still prefer to see the Divine Doctor Cheng.”

Since the patient insisted, the young assistant accepted her consultation fee, gave her a token, and led her to the back.

“The person ahead has been inside for about fifteen minutes. Please wait a moment.”

Cui Yunzhao waited outside the consultation room.

After a short while, three people came out of the room. Cui Yunzhao didn’t pay them much attention and waited until they had left before entering the room.

The Divine Doctor Cheng was sitting behind a desk, organizing medical records. Hearing the footsteps, he looked up.

“Sorry to have kept you waiting.”

Cui Yunzhao smiled and saw that a young girl, about seventeen or eighteen, was assisting the Divine Doctor Cheng. The girl’s calm demeanor indicated she was likely his granddaughter.

She took a seat across from the Divine Doctor Cheng and spoke softly, “I’m not here for a consultation. I just wanted to ask you about something unusual that happened in my family.”

The Divine Doctor Cheng was not surprised.

Due to his reputation, it was common for doctors from other places to come and inquire about cases. Many people also came to seek advice on strange illnesses.

“Go ahead and tell me.”

Cui Yunzhao lowered her gaze. “In our village, there was once an Mother who suddenly had a seizure one day after eating something. She fell to the ground, foaming at the mouth, and died.”

“She went from onset to death in just a moment. After a moment, she died in such a twisted manner.”

The Divine Doctor Cheng placed the organized medical records on the table and took up a pen, starting a new case file.

“The Mother you mentioned likely ingested poison.”

The Divine Doctor Cheng made a direct conclusion.

Cui Yunzhao sighed, appearing somewhat saddened. “But we don’t know what kind of poison it was. The local doctors couldn’t identify it and only said it was an acute illness. In the end, it was left unresolved.”

The Divine Doctor Cheng nodded and continued writing. “Did the patient mention any specific area of pain?”

Cui Yunzhao thought for a moment and replied, “The incident happened so suddenly that everyone was scared, and no one dared to touch her. The Mother seemed unable to speak and could only moan and struggle.”

The Divine Doctor Cheng nodded and asked, “Do you remember where she started to convulse?”

Cui Yunzhao hesitated for a moment, then recalled and said, “It seemed to start from her neck.”

“I remember that she suddenly cried out in pain and then covered her neck. But soon after, her hands and feet stopped working, and within moments, she couldn’t stand up and fell to the ground.”

The Divine Doctor Cheng’s brow furrowed slightly. He glanced at his granddaughter and, after a moment of thought, asked her, “San Yao, what do you think?”

Miss Cheng pondered for a moment, then looked at Cui Yunzhao. “Did she seem like a puppet being manipulated, with stiff and jerky movements of her limbs?”

Cui Yunzhao’s eyes brightened. “Yes, exactly like that.”

Miss Cheng sighed in relief. “In that case, it is likely that she ingested strychnine.”

Cui Yunzhao, slightly puzzled, asked, “Strychnine?”

Miss Cheng nodded but then her expression grew serious again. She looked at the smiling Divine Doctor Cheng and cautiously asked, “Grandfather, could it not be strychnine?”

The Divine Doctor Cheng nodded. “You have some insight.”

Then, turning to Cui Yunzhao, the Divine Doctor Cheng’s eyes flashed with a hint of coldness. “Do you understand some medical principles?”

Given her previous health issues and her extensive reading, Cui Yunzhao did understand some basics and was able to follow the Divine Doctor Cheng’s explanations.

Seeing that she understood, the Divine Doctor Cheng explained, “Strychnine is a poison that usually comes from the deep mountains in the southern regions and is rarely found in the central plains. The harsh environment of the deep mountains makes it difficult to access, and few people come into contact with it.”

The Divine Doctor Cheng, being well-informed, continued, “The records of it are found in the ‘Materia Medica’ and the ‘Hundred Poisons Catalogue.’ Most people rarely encounter it, and many doctors don’t know about it,” he said, writing on a piece of paper. “Moreover, based on the symptoms described, she couldn’t have ingested strychnine. She must have been poisoned by someone.”

“There is a poison called ‘Qianji Medicine.’”

Cui Yunzhao’s heart raced suddenly.

Qianji Medicine?

Hearing these words brought her back to that painful night, but she clenched her fists tightly, not letting her fear show.

She had never heard of this poison before.

The Divine Doctor Cheng sighed. “This type of poison is even rarer. It requires not only strychnine but also another ingredient called ‘Banmu Leaf.’ When combined, they form a highly toxic substance.”

“However, strychnine is found in the deep mountains of the south, while Banmu Leaf grows on the high cliffs of the northern snowy mountains. It is even rarer and more precious than strychnine.”

The Divine Doctor Cheng spoke confidently, “Such a rare and difficult-to-make poison is almost only found in legends.”

“It is hard to find, valuable, and difficult to make. As far as I know, no one in the world can produce this poison.”

Cui Yunzhao took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

“No one can make this poison?” she asked.

The Divine Doctor Cheng shook his head, putting down his pen and stroking his white beard. “Such a vicious poison doesn’t need to be preserved as a craft. It was likely developed by chance. I read about it in a travelogue, which said that this poison is extremely rare and was considered the deadliest poison in the world, indicating its malice.”

The Divine Doctor Cheng paused thoughtfully. “However, many years have passed, and I don’t remember the details of that travelogue. At the time, I thought it was fiction, but now it seems to be true.”

Cui Yunzhao pressed her lips together, remaining silent.

At this moment, she almost wanted to laugh.

The person who wanted to kill her seemed to fear that she would die too easily and went to great lengths to find this world’s deadliest poison.

Just to kill an ordinary person like her?

Cui Yunzhao found it hard to comprehend.

Seeing her deep in thought, the Divine Doctor Cheng eventually spoke up, “Young lady, do you know what the woman had eaten before she died?”

“If what you say is true, she was most likely murdered. We cannot let the deceased die in vain.”

“The perpetrators must not go unpunished.”

The Divine Doctor Cheng was truly compassionate, and even with only hearsay, he wished to seek justice for the deceased.

Cui Yunzhao sighed. “It was a chaotic time, and it was quite a while ago. Ten years have passed, and the Mother has long turned to dust. There’s no way to seek justice for her now.”

Cui Yunzhao spoke partly truthfully and partly falsely.

The Divine Doctor Cheng sighed as well. “Ah, I’ve been too hasty.”

The Divine Doctor Cheng continued after a moment of thought, “Young lady, if you still live at home, be very careful with what you consume. Even a small amount of this poison can cause slow, excruciating death.”

Cui Yunzhao asked, “Why is that?”

The Divine Doctor Cheng explained, “I vaguely remember from that travelogue that to cause immediate death, one would need five qian of the poison. But if the intention is to torture someone slowly, using a nail-sized amount daily for ten days will result in severe pain throughout the body, with convulsions in the abdomen, making the victim wish for death.”

“After ten days, the victim would die from abdominal collapse.”

Cui Yunzhao clenched her fists tightly.

Was she supposed to be grateful to the poisoner for showing her some mercy by not making her suffer this way?