The Duke's Pampered Darling is So Scheming

Chapter 19: Chapter 19: Her Brush and Ink

”How could this happen!?”

Ye Yunfeng’s eyes widened in disbelief when he heard the news.

”The evidence was solid, and so many people could testify! How could he just walk out of the government office scot-free!?”

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He turned to leave.

Ye Chutang stopped him. ”Where are you going?”

Ye Yunfeng’s fists were clenched. ”I’m going to the government office to demand an explanation!”

Ye Chutang said calmly, ”He brazenly walked out the front gate of the government office today. If you go ask now, what do you think you’ll find out?”

’Wouldn’t that just be asking the government office to contradict themselves?’

”But—”

A suffocating anger was lodged in Ye Yunfeng’s chest, leaving him breathless.

As Ye Chutang organized the medicine cabinet, she said, ”The Cao Family are local tyrants in Jiangling. They aren’t someone a humble family like ours can take on.”

After the initial shock, Ye Chutang quickly understood the key to the situation—Cao Deping’s cousin was the current County Magistrate of Jiangling’s wife.

Well, not his official wife, but a concubine. County Magistrate Yang’s first wife had passed away several years ago, and this concubine had been managing the household ever since.

It was said she was greatly favored, and County Magistrate Yang had considered making her his official wife. However, due to her merchant background and other concerns, he had kept putting it off.

Aside from the official title, this concubine enjoyed all the privileges of a proper county magistrate’s wife.

’All she has to do is whisper a few words in his ear. Is there any doubt she can help her cousin?’

Ye Jingyan frowned. ”But that was three lives. Are they just going to let it go like that?”

A slight curve touched Ye Chutang’s lips, but her dark, gentle eyes were glacial.

She said serenely, ”Human lives? They’re as worthless as weeds. How much broken silver could they possibly be worth?”

In this world, they were the last thing worth mentioning.

Those three masked men were all gamblers who owed Cao Chengwen money. That was why he was able to bribe them into doing such a reckless job.

Now that the three were dead, Cao Chengwen could make up any story to get himself off the hook. No one would bother to investigate anyway.

Even if someone did want to get to the bottom of it, power and profit would easily cover it all up, erasing every trace.

Listening to her, Ye Jingyan was stunned for a moment. His mind seemed to drift elsewhere, and he remained silent for a long time.

But Ye Yunfeng’s anger was still unquenched. ”Even so, what about Cao Chengwu? He was killed by Cao Chengwen! It was an open-and-shut case! How could they overturn it?”

The scene of Mrs. Zhou causing a commotion at the government office and publicly accusing Cao Chengwen was still being talked about with great relish. How could the tide have turned so completely in just three days?

Ye Chutang pulled open a medicine drawer. It was still completely empty.

Ever since the major apothecaries refused to sell her medicinal herbs, the clinic’s stock had been dwindling rapidly. Now, she could barely put together a single complete prescription.

She closed the drawer, turned, and picked up a brush. She wrote down the needed herbs one by one, then gently blew on the ink to dry it.

”It’s true that Mrs. Zhou gave testimony, but without evidence, it’s all for nothing.” Ye Chutang folded the paper neatly and instructed Ye Jingyan, ”Yan, go write a notice. Say that starting today, Ye’s Clinic will only offer consultations, not dispense medicine.”

Ye Jingyan’s heart ached, but he had no choice but to obey. ”Alright, I’ll go do it now.”

Then Ye Chutang called to Ye Yunfeng, ”Since the medicine cabinets are basically empty, find some time to organize and clean them later.”

Ye Yunfeng replied sullenly, ”Oh.”

Ye Chutang planned to wait and see how things developed.

’In fact, I’m also curious to see what other tricks this Boss Cao has up his sleeve.’

Though Ye Yunfeng had a fiery temper, he always listened to her. He gritted his teeth and agreed.

Ye Chutang took the prescription to Lian Zhou.

”The clinic is running low on herbs, so I’m afraid you’ll have to get this prescription filled at an apothecary yourselves. Once you bring it back, I can decoct it for you.”

With mixed feelings, Lian Zhou returned to the room, prescription in hand.

”I didn’t expect the Cao Family to be so resourceful. Doctor Ye is probably in a difficult position now.”

’Running a clinic but unable to buy herbs—isn’t that cutting off her livelihood?’

’Even if she can still offer consultations, it’s obvious the Cao Family won’t let this go. If they apply a little more pressure later on, her entire family will likely be...’

Shen Yanchuan’s gaze fell upon the prescription, and he raised his hand.

Lian Zhou immediately handed it over. Seeing his master stare at it for a long time, he asked curiously, ”What is it, Master? Is there a problem with the prescription?”

Shen Yanchuan said, ”The handwriting is good.”

Lian Zhou glanced at it as well.

It was written in an exquisite ”Lesser Regular” script, elegant and graceful.

He nodded. He had been about to say the handwriting reflected the person, but then he remembered that night a few days ago and thought the phrase didn’t quite fit.

’Doctor Ye... doesn’t seem like an ordinary woman.’

’Still, even if the handwriting is excellent, it doesn’t seem worthy of my master’s close attention, does it?’

After all, his master’s calligraphy was so sought after in the Capital City that a single character was priceless. While Doctor Ye’s handwriting was good, it seemed too rigid and constrained compared to his master’s, lacking a certain spirit.

Shen Yanchuan said, ”The paper and ink are even better.”

Hm?

Lian Zhou grew even more puzzled.

”Isn’t this... isn’t this just ordinary Xuan paper from Sunan and oil-soot ink?”

’These things are commonplace. There doesn’t seem to be anything special about them.’

Shen Yanchuan’s brow twitched, and a playful smile seemed to touch his lips.

”These two items are indeed ordinary on their own, but it’s uncommon to find them used together. This oil-soot ink is produced in Yecheng and carries a very faint scent of pinewood. Yecheng is thousands of miles away, and transportation costs cause the price to multiply several times over. The most common ink used here in Jiangling is ordinary pine-soot ink—it’s relatively cheap and works just fine, yet she specifically chose not to use it.”

Lian Zhou hesitated for a moment. ”Perhaps... she just prefers this oil-soot ink?”

It wasn’t unheard of. Many people were particularly fastidious about their ”four treasures of the study”—brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.

Shen Yanchuan chuckled, setting the paper aside. His long, jade-like fingers tapped the table twice.

”The last time I saw this kind of paper and ink was at Xu Fengchi’s residence.”

Lian Zhou was so startled he thought he had misheard.

”You mean, the Left Imperial Censor of the Imperial Supervision Office—Lord Xu!?”

...

Not many patients came for consultations that day, so Ye Chutang enjoyed a rare moment of peace, transcribing the *Six Kingdoms Theory* from memory in her room.

Xiao Wu lay on her stomach across the desk, her small hands cupping her chubby face as she watched intently.

Though she was only four, she could understand most of the characters written on the page.

She couldn’t quite grasp the meaning, of course, but that didn’t matter. Ye Chutang would occasionally pick out an interesting story to tell her.

Four hours had passed by the time she finished writing.

Ye Chutang flexed her slightly sore wrist.

’This can’t go on forever. Although I can get plenty of books for Yan to read, it’s still not enough.’

’Besides, their tutor...’

THUMP THUMP THUMP!

The sound of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside. Ye Chutang looked up to see Ye Yunfeng rushing in.

”Sister! This is bad! They’re going to shut down our clinic!”