The two then had a thorough discussion about the contract. Although they were intimately close, this business deal did not belong to them. Ouyang Chen represented the royal family, while Wu Caiwei represented the Zhang family, so everything had to be settled clearly.
In the end, the price they negotiated was ten percent lower than the market rate. Being able to become tribute goods was not something every merchant could achieve, and they believed Young Master Zhang would accept it.
Wu Caiwei was initially very happy to meet Ouyang Chen. However, on her way back, she spotted a crowd gathered far from the entrance of the medical hall. It was obvious something had happened, and she quickly hurried over, parting the crowd to get to the front.
She saw an old man lying on the ground, surrounded by a group of people. Wu Caiwei recognized this old man. He had many chronic ailments from his youth and often walked with a limp, leaning on a cane when he came to see her. She had seen him many times, and he seemed to be getting better. Why was he lying on the ground now? His pallor indicated a serious condition.
Wu Caiwei quickly stepped forward and, under the hateful gaze of his relatives, felt his pulse. It was indeed as she had feared; he was dead. If she wasn't mistaken, this was not a natural death.
"How dare you show your face here to see my father? Although my father had many chronic ailments from working hard in his youth, he could have lived for many more years. Now, after our entire family pooled all our resources to bring him to you for treatment, he's dead. I'll be reporting this to the authorities shortly."
A young man gritted his teeth and glared at her. He then turned to the onlookers and said, "Everyone, please bear witness. This person, who claims to be a miracle doctor, has caused my father's death. From now on, you should all avoid coming to this medical hall."
As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd began to murmur. Some looked disturbed, while others appeared perplexed.
"That can't be right. Doctor Leng's medical skills are renowned. Everyone I know who's been treated by her has recovered. Besides, haven't we all used the pills she invented? Nothing went wrong, and they were genuinely effective."
"No one is perfect. Even the most skilled doctor can make a mistake. It's just bad luck for this old man to have encountered such a situation."
"I used to trust Doctor Leng completely. But now, I have to question her medical skills. Look at the clear example right before us. When I go back, I'll tell my relatives not to treat Doctor Leng like a divine being."
...
Wu Caiwei listened to the crowd's discussions with a calm heart. After all, she had weathered countless storms and seen all sorts of things. It was highly likely that today's incident was orchestrated by someone behind the scenes, as she had a powerful enemy in this city.
"You say I caused your father's death. If I recall correctly, when your father first came to me for treatment, you carried him here. He had been paralyzed for some time. Any discerning person could see that after being treated by me, he gradually began to stand up. He even walked here on his own with a cane not long ago. Now, with a single sentence, you've erased all my efforts. I want to know what happened at your home." Wu Caiwei looked at them calmly.
"What could have happened? Didn't he just take the medicine from you and go home to decoct it?" a young woman said, hands on her hips, her tone full of annoyance. In her eyes, Wu Caiwei was shirking responsibility.
"If I say my medicine is fine, you probably won't believe me. What I want to say is that I'm not afraid of you reporting me to the authorities, as I am very confident in my medical skills. However, we cannot let your father die without reason, nor can I be unjustly slandered. So please tell me what happened after he returned home. Perhaps we can find some clues from there."
Wu Caiwei looked at them sincerely. She could clearly see the genuine affection the man and woman had for the old man. Their eyes were filled with undisguised grief.
The woman hesitated upon hearing this. Could her father have been murdered? She scanned everyone's faces, then dismissed the thought. Although her family was large, they were harmonious, with filial piety and kindness. She couldn't suspect her own family based on the words of an outsider.
As soon as Ouyang Chen returned to the inn, he heard in the lobby that something had happened at the Zhang family's medical hall. Apparently, Doctor Leng had treated someone to death. Hearing about it, people were eager to go and witness the spectacle. Ouyang Chen was no exception. He fully trusted Wu Caiwei's medical skills and suspected that either the old man had met with an accident at home, or Madam Zhou was behind it.
In this life, Wu Caiwei was an ordinary citizen, while Madam Zhou had the backing of her influential family. Facing her, Wu Caiwei was at a disadvantage. To support her, he rushed to the scene as soon as he heard the rumors.
Seeing the woman's hesitation, Ouyang Chen couldn't help but advise, "Young lady, I know you have many concerns. But have you considered why, after treating so many people in the city, often bringing them back from the brink of death, it's only with your father that something went wrong? Of course, you blame Doctor Leng, but I'd say that people's hearts are unfathomable. What if it wasn't Doctor Leng who did it? Don't you want to avenge your father? Regardless, shouldn't you give her a chance to defend herself?"
The woman heard this and realized it made sense. What if the culprit was someone else? Wouldn't her father die with regret?
After a moment of hesitation, she said, "That day, my father just took his medicine from her as usual and limped home. When he got home, he said his leg felt much better, and he might not even need his cane in a while. I was so happy to hear that. I quickly took the medicine and went to the kitchen to decoct it. After drinking that dose, my father started acting strangely and developed a fever that day. We thought it was a simple fever and gave him the medicine we had at home. But after taking it, he didn't get better; instead, his condition worsened. In just two days, we were separated by death."
After speaking, the woman couldn't help but burst into tears. A woman beside her said indignantly, "Sister, what are you talking to him about? It was after eating their medicine that Father got sick. They might be trying to trick you. Let's just report it to the authorities."
The woman spoke, then nudged the man beside her, the one who had spoken first. Hearing this, the man unhesitatingly turned and left.
Everyone couldn't help but turn to look at Wu Caiwei's reaction. To their disappointment, Wu Caiwei stood with her arms crossed, looking at them as if the man wasn't going to report her. This made the crowd secretly wonder if there was more to the old man's death. Otherwise, why wouldn't she be afraid? They found it increasingly interesting.