Tao Lengshuang was at her own apothecary. After seeing a few patients as usual, she prepared to hire two or three doctors and a few shop assistants.
When the neighbors heard that she was hiring, many came to Tao Lengshuang, looking for work.
Tao Lengshuang knew that times were tough, and having a job was excellent. However, she could only hire three assistants at most.
"Please don't be anxious, everyone. My apothecary cannot hire so many people; I only need three."
She raised her hands to signal them to calm down, her voice gentle. "Gender is not a requirement. The conditions are to be hardworking, diligent, and preferably knowledgeable about medicinal principles."
"I don't want anyone who is lazy or just here to earn money. This is a small business, and I cannot afford such people."
The neighbors, upon hearing this, all offered to be hired.
"Auntie Wang, I have strength. I guarantee I can handle heavy tasks like carrying medicinal materials, and I can manage other chores."
"I know a bit about medicinal principles. When my late mother was alive, I took care of her. Master, if you hire me, I won't ask for much money."
Tao Lengshuang raised her hands again to signal them not to rush. "Firstly, to work in an apothecary, one must at least recognize some characters. Otherwise, if someone comes with a prescription, and you don't understand it at all, what can you do?"
This single requirement of literacy disqualified more than half of them.
Then, the knowledge of medicinal principles eliminated more than half again.
After a series of assessments, Tao Lengshuang finally hired four men and one woman.
Among them were two who were skilled in martial arts and had previously worked as escorts. Due to various reasons, they could no longer be escorts and were looking for work everywhere.
The reason Tao Lengshuang hired these two on the spot was simple: she thought that if anything happened at the apothecary, these two could be of great help, deter troublemakers, or assist with the families of patients.
"You will all be on probation for one month."
Tao Lengshuang announced the benefits, such as free medical treatment at the apothecary, the ability to get medicine at the lowest price, and a red envelope at the end of the year.
"The monthly salary is eight hundred copper coins. If you perform well, the salary will increase."
The few assistants were very satisfied with this salary. It was already difficult to find a job nowadays, let alone earn eight hundred copper coins a month.
One tael of silver was only one thousand copper coins, so this was almost one tael of silver per month.
Tao Lengshuang knew that the monthly salary she offered was a bit low, but she had considered various factors. If she had offered a high salary from the beginning, it would be troublesome to increase it later. Moreover, she didn't have much savings.
The apothecary was not truly profitable yet; she was still subsidizing its operation.
She didn't know when the apothecary would start making a profit.
After hiring the assistants, the next step was to hire doctors. Doctors were the most difficult to recruit. Generally, doctors with medical skills were already employed by other apothecaries, and she wouldn't hire those without medical skills.
Just as she was worrying about this, Mo Lingxi, disguised, arrived.
Tao Lengshuang recognized Mo Lingxi, who was disguised as an ordinary person, at a glance. "Why are you here?"
Mo Lingxi pulled her outside and whispered, "Something has happened with the pills you prepared."
Tao Lengshuang's eyes curved upward, and she calmly asked, "What happened?"
Mo Lingxi explained the situation: the wife of the Minister of Justice had developed facial ulceration after taking Tao Lengshuang's pills. Many doctors had been consulted, but none could cure her.
Upon learning that it was related to Tao Lengshuang's pills, the woman had come to their door and was currently causing a scene at the entrance.
Tao Lengshuang immediately knew that this matter was not simple and asked Mo Lingxi what she had found out.
Mo Lingxi stated that she was still investigating and had only found out that the woman had bought the pills from someone else, not directly from Tao Lengshuang.
Tao Lengshuang instantly had a solution but needed to see the specific situation. This matter was likely not as simple as it seemed.
When the two arrived back at the residence, Tao Lengshuang heard heart-wrenching cries.
"Is there any justice? The pills from the Princess of Mingrui are causing people's faces to ulcerate."
Tao Lengshuang, who had regained her original appearance in the carriage, got out of the carriage, leaning on Mo Lingxi's arm.
"Oh, this is the funniest joke I've ever heard."
She walked up to the troublemaker and looked her up and down, addressing the woman wearing a veiled hat. "First, you did not buy the pills directly from me; you bought them from someone else. Who can guarantee that the pills you bought were prepared by me?"
Among the onlookers were many servants sent by official families, and more were ordinary citizens from the surrounding area.
"So, she didn't buy them directly from her. Then this matter is unclear. After passing through... who knows how many hands, who knows who prepared the pills."
"You can't say that. She is the Princess of Mingrui. Who would dare to tamper with her pills? I think these pills must have problems."
"Yes, yes. Didn't you just see how badly the lady's face ulcerated? How can she live in the future?"
The vast majority of people were blaming Tao Lengshuang, saying she was too wicked to sell pills that caused facial ulceration.
Mo Lingxi protected Tao Lengshuang, her sharp gaze sweeping over the crowd. "Be quiet!"
Instantly, the crowd fell silent as if struck by thunder. Some timid ones scurried away, fearing that Mo Lingxi would hold them accountable.
Tao Lengshuang never cared about such gossip. She looked calmly at the lady. "Are you sure the pills you took were prepared by me?"
The lady, whose husband's surname was Li, said hatefully, "I bought them from a lady who bought them directly from you."
"Don't think that just because you are the Princess of Mingrui, you can do such wicked things. I will not let this matter go."
Tao Lengshuang calmly said, "You didn't buy these pills yourself; you ordered a maid to buy them. They passed through several hands, right?"
Madam Li retorted stubbornly, "So what? Do I have to buy them myself? There's no such rule."
Tao Lengshuang was not annoyed and even nodded in agreement. She reasoned, "Why don't you show me your pills so I can confirm if they were prepared by me?"
"After all, these pills have passed through so many hands; it's hard to say if they were prepared by me."
"I threw them all away!" Madam Li's anger flared. "Princess of Mingrui, don't try to evade the issue. Your pills ruined my face. I will not back down today."
The onlookers pointed and whispered at Tao Lengshuang.
"She's truly wicked. Looking at her young age, it's clear her medical skills are not good. Knowing her skills are poor, she still dares to prepare pills. To make money, her heart is too black."
"I heard she's from a village and can't even recognize a single character, so how can she understand medicine? She's clearly relying on her status to make money."
"Oh my heavens! This is truly terrifying! She must be severely punished. We cannot let such a person harm others any longer."
Tao Lengshuang clapped her hands a few times and looked sharply at Madam Li. "This is truly interesting. You destroyed the evidence. Then how can you prove that it was the pills prepared by me that caused your disfigurement?"