"My lady, we came to Bai Xing Lin for treatment precisely because of your medical skills. If you hand over Bai Xing Lin, where will we seek medical attention in the future?" an elder who looked vaguely familiar pleaded urgently.
"Indeed, my lady, Bai Xing Lin cannot be handed over!"
…
The onlookers chimed in with their agreement, but the old man and the young man paid them no mind.
Seeing Lu Qing Wan have people take down the signboard, the elder seemed to have forgotten the scene of his disciple being beaten.
He said with a sense of triumph, "That's more like it!
A wise person knows when to adapt. My lady is indeed a capable consort to the Regent, truly sensible.
Given your generosity, I shall grant you some face. Within three days, hand over the deeds, property titles, and employee contracts of Bai Xing Lin.
If you are willing, I can still allow you to practice medicine here and offer you a commission.
However, now that you are part of Bai Xing Lin, you must abide by its rules and refrain from acting like the Regent's consort..."
Seeing the elder become increasingly preposterous, Lu Qing Wan grabbed a sun-dried rattan strip by the door and hurled it at his face.
"You think you can get away with anything? Do you think I'm going to work for free for you? Are you done dreaming?"
Lu Qing Wan's throw was forceful, and the elder immediately collapsed onto the ground.
Just then, Ying Yi and his men arrived with the signboard. Lu Qing Wan sidestepped and said, "You wanted the Bai Xing Lin signboard? Take it!"
She then used the signboard to strike the elder.
"Remember, this establishment has been run by the Meng family for sixty years. The land, the shop, and the medical expertise have nothing to do with your Bai Xing Lin.
I suspect this signboard gave you the confidence to come to my territory and snatch the fruits of my labor. So, here it is, returned to you."
Having said that, she casually glanced towards the crowd, "Oh, and the signboard your so-called Bai Xing Lin headquarters gave you? I've inquired. It's just a piece of scrap wood with 'Bai Xing Lin' written in ordinary ink.
This one," she indicated the signboard, "was personally written by the Regent, cast by the finest coppersmith in the capital, and the gold leaf is real gold.
Considering you've been using the Bai Xing Lin signboard for so long, I won't charge you for the craftsmanship. Please settle the bill for the Regent's calligraphy and materials.
I'm not asking for much, just a mere ten thousand taels of silver will suffice."
This turn of events far exceeded everyone's expectations.
The elder, pinned by the signboard, couldn't get up. The young man, whose eyes were swollen shut from the previous beating, was too shocked to feel any pain.
He clutched his stomach and crawled up, exclaiming, "Ten thousand taels of silver? Why don't you just rob them?"
"That's a good idea, thanks for the suggestion. I'll consider it seriously."
With that, she turned to Ying Yi and commanded, "Later, have someone investigate where the Bai Xing Lin headquarters is. Send Shen Qing Zhou with a troop to raid it. All confiscated goods will be given to Imperial Son-in-Law Shao to assist the displaced victims of the war."
Lu Qing Wan spoke, and Ying Yi, true to his word, immediately bowed, "Your subordinate obeys."
He then turned and left.
To everyone present, it seemed Ying Yi was indeed going to locate the Bai Xing Lin headquarters and lead a raid.
Everyone, both inside and outside Bai Xing Lin, was stunned. The elder, having finally managed to push the signboard off him, pointed a trembling finger at Lu Qing Wan, "You, you..."
"See clearly. This is how the Regent's Estate exerts its power."
Lu Qing Wan strode through the crowd and looked pointedly at the Prefect of the Capital, who was lurking within.
"Prefect, it's good you're here. Today, please bear witness for me. From this day forward, this establishment has absolutely no relation to Bai Xing Lin."
The Prefect had been hiding in the crowd, waiting for the opportune moment to strike a fatal blow against Lu Qing Wan.
Who would have thought that before his plan could even unfold, he would be publicly executed by Lu Qing Wan?
The constable beside him quickly ducked away, covering his face. The Prefect, however, had no choice but to step forward sheepishly.
He said with an awkward expression, "Regent's Consort, your establishment has used the Bai Xing Lin signboard for many years. Is it not somewhat inappropriate to then send people to raid Bai Xing Lin?"
Even at this point, he was still trying to frame Lu Qing Wan to please Feng Qing Heng.
Lu Qing Wan gave a sarcastic smile, "A bumpkin from nowhere, demanding my signboard with mere words and expecting me to work for him and follow his rules.
Where was the Prefect then?
Does the Prefect deem royal authority to be so worthless?
Perhaps we should take this matter to the Emperor and have him investigate who gave them the audacity to commit such treasonous acts?"
A simple dispute over a shop had inexplicably escalated to the matter of royal authority. And what's more, Lu Qing Wan, as the Regent's Consort, truly represented royal authority.
The Prefect's scheme had failed. After being cornered by Lu Qing Wan, he slunk away.
From somewhere in the crowd, someone started a round of enthusiastic applause.
After the commotion subsided, someone finally asked, "Regent's Consort, since the Bai Xing Lin signboard is gone, can we still come here for treatment?"
"Of course."
Lu Qing Wan announced loudly, "A signboard means nothing. This place will henceforth be renamed Ji Ci Hospital.
Just as before, I will be seeing patients on the tenth, twentieth, and thirtieth of each month, barring any unforeseen circumstances.
Please come with peace of mind. Apart from the name change, and the doctors' skills becoming even more refined, nothing else about this place will change."
With their satisfied confirmation, the onlookers dispersed.
Lu Qing Wan glanced at the elder and young man, whose faces were as pale as ghosts, "Throw them out, signboard and all."
Ying Er had thoroughly absorbed Lu Qing Wan's spirit of greed. He picked up each person and, not forgetting, asked, "My lady, what about those ten thousand taels of silver...?"
Lu Qing Wan looked at him with the gaze one reserves for a fool, "After raiding Bai Xing Lin, are we short of ten thousand taels?"
Ying Er grinned and walked away with the two, carrying them like sacks. Meng Sheng, holding the signboard, followed them out. Upon returning, he found the signboard to be an ill omen and washed his hands several times.
With the incident concluded, Meng Tang hung up a temporary closure notice. The patients were understanding.
When the room returned to peace, Meng Tang went directly to Lu Qing Wan and knelt before her. "Disciple failed to explain the background of this establishment from the beginning, causing trouble for Master. I ask for your punishment."
"You deserve to be punished."
Lu Qing Wan looked at him coldly, "If I had been of lesser status today, unable to suppress them, at least half of this shop's income would have been handed over. Do you know why I told you to keep quiet and pretend to be mute in front of that pair of master and disciple?"
Meng Tang lowered his head, filled with remorse, and dared not speak.
Meng Sheng, nervously rubbing his hands, said, "Because we didn't understand their identity at first, and admitted this was a branch of Bai Xing Lin. If that weren't the case, they wouldn't have been able to prove they were from the Bai Xing Lin headquarters, and thus couldn't have pressured us..."
Hearing Meng Sheng's words, Meng Tang finally understood, "What do you mean? That pair of master and disciple aren't from Bai Xing Lin at all?"