Perfect Match – CH 048

Chapter 48

On the street where the winter wind howled, the sunlight was thin, but the man in the center of the crowd, dressed in plain clothes, stood tall. He simply revealed his identity, dispelling the foul atmosphere of the entire street.

Everyone fell silent. He finally asked, “What exactly happened?”

His question brought Deng Ruyun back to her senses.

But before she could answer, Shopkeeper Qin quickly explained the situation.

“…These troublemakers keep saying the patient died from our medicine, but he’s clearly still being treated at the pharmacy next door. His life is still uncertain!”

Bai Chunfu turned around immediately upon hearing this.

“Go see the patient first.”

He strode towards the pharmacy in the next alley, not forgetting to turn back and give this instruction.

“No one is allowed to leave until this matter is clarified.”

The people from Huimin Medical Hall and the troublemakers were all somewhat intimidated. Some even considered slipping away, but as soon as Master Bai said this, Shopkeeper Qin, along with his employees and the guards sent by the Grand Princess, immediately placed them all under surveillance, preventing anyone from leaving.

Deng Ruyun thought to herself, “Good. If things do not get cleared up, even if Yuyun Hall is not completely branded as evil, its reputation will certainly suffer greatly.”

However, the patient’s condition was the most important thing at the moment, so Deng Ruyun quickly followed Bai Chunfu to a pharmacy in the next alley.

There was also a crowd gathered in front of that shop, and inside, a chaotic scene of frantic rescue was underway.

“It’s hopeless,” someone said. “…We still do not know what happened. It looks like poisoning. Inducing vomiting and giving medicine did not work. It’s probably…”

The speaker was a young physician. Before he could finish, a shifty-eyed man next to him started jeering.

“Oh dear! We spent money on Yuyun Hall’s medicine, and it turned out to be poison! My poor brother-in-law’s great-uncle, suffering like this at his age!”

He wailed, practically kneeling on the ground.

Someone suddenly asked, “Wait a minute. Did you not say he’s your brother-in-law’s older brother-in-law yourself?”

The shifty-eyed man froze, then realized his mistake when someone laughed. He quickly said, “That’s not important. The important thing is that Yuyun Hall’s over-the-counter medicine has killed someone!”

Shopkeeper Qin also came over. Deng Ruyun gestured for him to come over, and he stepped forward and grabbed the man.

“The person’s still alive, and you are already spouting nonsense? Did you poison him, hoping he’d die so you could frame Yuyun Hall?”

“This…this…” The shifty-eyed man glanced at Shopkeeper Qin. “If you are so capable, go and revive him. If you do, I will not shout anymore.”

Upon hearing this, Bai Chunfu glanced over and snorted.

“Wait! Even if he’s alive, do not stop talking.”

He only said this much before turning away, no longer paying attention to the man, and strode to the group of people trying to save him.

“Is it poisoning? Can you tell what kind of poisoning it is?”

The young physician could not say, but the old physician in the shop hesitated. “To me, it looks like poisoning from incompatible herbs.”

The young physician was startled. “Master, this patient was taking Yuyun Hall’s licorice pills. You said it’s poisoning from incompatible herbs? Could it be that Yuyun Hall also prescribed something like Euphorbia pekinensis decoction for him? Anyone with even a little knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine would not prescribe incompatible herbs at the same time!”

The young physician then urgently asked Bai Chunfu, “You did not really prescribe incompatible herbs for him, did you?”

There was a concept in medical treatises called the “Eighteen Incompatibilities,” which referred to the forbidden combinations of drugs. The licorice in the licorice pills this person bought a couple of days ago was incompatible with Euphorbia pekinensis, Euphorbia kansui, and other similar herbs. Euphorbia pekinensis, for example, was inherently somewhat toxic, but when used skillfully in combination with other herbs, it could treat symptoms like edema and phlegm accumulation. However, when combined with licorice, it not only fails to neutralize the toxicity but actually increases it.

Bai Chunfu, having studied medicine for many years, naturally could not possibly prescribe an incompatible medicine; he shook his head.

The shifty-eyed man suddenly shouted, “That means the original pills from Yuyun Hall already contained the toxicity of an incompatible medicine! This is going to kill people!”

This time, Deng Ruyun would not allow him to spout nonsense.

“If you can find even a trace of euphorbia in my licorice pills, I will give you my shop for free!”

She spoke with complete confidence and without a trace of guilt, prompting the crowd to say, “We’ve all bought medicine from Yuyun Hall before, and we’ve never had any problems. We just think the medicine is good and inexpensive. This time, it must be due to something else.”

Among the onlookers were many regular customers who had gone from Cixin Hall to Yuyun Hall, and they were all on Deng Ruyun’s side.

The shifty-eyed man could not help but look anxious upon hearing this. Saying anything now was useless; his only hope was that the poisoned old man would die. Once he was dead, nothing could be explained.

He could not help but secretly regret not waiting until the old man was dead before causing trouble. He had discussed with the others the idea of ​​making a scene while the old man was foaming at the mouth and on the verge of death, so that everyone in the street would witness his demise and the situation would become even more chaotic.

However, he had not expected the old man to hold on so long; he had not breathed his last yet.

But he felt it was almost over. An old man who was already half-dead had taken a large dose of the counterproductive drug—how could he possibly survive?

He could only calmly wait and see the show. Seeing that both the old and young physicians were helpless, he secretly chuckled.

Unexpectedly, Bai Chunfu stepped forward, first taking the man’s pulse, then examining his mouth, tongue, and eyelids, suddenly saying, “Bring me my silver needles.”

Zhu Huang quickly took out the silver needles from his pocket and laid them out beside the old man.

Deng Ruyun saw his long eyebrows furrowed, his eyes slightly closed, then suddenly opened them again.

Then, his acupuncture technique became precise and swift; in a short while, he had inserted needles into the patient’s body.

As soon as the needles were inserted, everyone in the hall held their breath. His movements slowed, his fingertips gently twirling the silver needles. The old physician, seeing this, was initially surprised, then understood and came forward to help.

Time slowly passed in the tense atmosphere. The patient’s eyes remained tightly closed, his breath weak.

Just then, the old man’s eyelids suddenly fluttered open.

The next moment, the man bent over and vomited onto the ground. The ground was covered in filth, needless to say, but the old physician immediately grasped his pulse.

“He’s alive! He’s alive!”

Bai Chunfu immediately placed his other hand on the patient’s hand, his fingertips feeling the pulse. One, two, three beats, gradually showing signs of stabilization, and the patient slowly exhaled.

“Alright, it’s all over.”

His words of confirmation caused the previously tense hall to erupt in cheers.

The young physician quickly administered medicine to stabilize the man, while the older physician could not help but look at Bai Chunfu.

“Physician, you are so young, yet your medical skills are remarkable. I’ve only ever seen that kind of formation once in my entire medical career. May I ask who your master was, Physician Bai?”

Bai Chunfu answered gently.

“My master is Physician Zhang Xingqiu.”

The crowd did not recognize the name, but the older physician, after a moment of surprise, suddenly realized what he meant.

He stared at Bai Chunfu in disbelief.

“Your master is Zhang Xingqiu, the Imperial Physician Zhang, the head of the Imperial Medical Bureau?!”

While the crowd might not recognize the name, they were all astonished to hear that he was the head of the Imperial Medical Bureau.

Even Deng Ruyun, who had already suspected something, was taken aback.

But the shifty-eyed man’s face turned pale and uncertain.

At this moment, Bai Chunfu, thinking of the poisoned old man, asked him,

“You bought licorice pills from my pharmacy, but did you eat anything else while taking them?”

The old man, just recovering, thought hard and said he had only eaten some ordinary home-cooked food.

“And you did not drink anything either?” Bai Chunfu asked again.

This time, the old man remembered, “Yesterday, a wandering Taoist priest saw I was seriously ill and gave me a bowl of talismanic water, saying it was a divine gift that would cure me. But the talismanic water was different from ordinary talismanic water; it had a strong medicinal smell. The priest said it was a life-saving medicine, and I thought since it was free, I drank it.”

He could not quite describe the smell, but the young physician immediately found some herbs for him to smell, and he nodded repeatedly, “That’s the smell.”

The young physician gasped.

“That’s not talismanic water at all; it’s Euphorbia pekinensis decoction! When it comes into contact with licorice, the toxicity is doubled!”

The old man could not figure out what kind of toxic inverse medicine it was, but Deng Ruyun asked at this moment.

“Do you remember what the wandering Taoist priest looked like?”

Although the old man was frail, his eyesight was not bad, and he said he remembered.

But he was a wandering Taoist priest; where could they look now?

However, Deng Ruyun suddenly called out to him, “Old man, look closely. Among all these people, is there anyone who looks like that Taoist priest?”

Hearing this, everyone looked at each other, while the shifty-eyed man who had been shouting earlier kept shrinking towards the door.

But Zhu Huang was already waiting for him at the door. He grabbed the man by the collar and shoved his face right in front of the old man.

He was not dressed as a Taoist priest, but the old man looked him over carefully and pointed at him.

“I am not mistaken; it’s him!”

These words immediately brought the situation to light.

The people from Huimin Medical Hall, along with the troublemakers, were now under close surveillance, and none of them could escape.

Seeing the shifty-eyed man caught, their faces all turned grim. Bai Chunfu then looked at the people from Huimin Medical Hall.

“Were you not going to take the perpetrator to the yamen? I’ve already arrested him for you. Go now.”

The men at Huimin Medical Hall were incredibly embarrassed. They had only taken some money and done a foolish favor for someone else, never expecting to run into Master Bai, who had come to inspect the pharmacy’s operations.

And then, Master Bai added, “By the way, I told your supervisor to go to the yamen himself and find out the truth about this case. Why is someone causing trouble for no reason when Yuyun Hall is doing business properly? Once he’s found out, have him come back to me.”

The person in charge of Huimin Medical Hall was indeed called the supervisor. These men were just working at the pharmacy. They had heard the supervisor inquiring everywhere about Master Bai from the capital, wondering where he had gone in Xi’an. They were hoping to give this imperial envoy a proper welcome, but could not find him.

Now things had turned out differently; the person had appeared, but these guys were in trouble…

Shopkeeper Qin, as usual, had the officials summoned. Seeing a glimmer of hope, he ordered his employees to help the officials tie up all the suspicious individuals.

Bai Chunfu took the old man’s pulse again, prescribed an antidote, and then turned to look at the crowd that had gathered.

“You’ve all seen the whole story. Although Yuyun Hall’s medicine is cheaper, it’s high-quality medicine without any problems. I, Bai Chunfu, can guarantee that.”

He was a physician apprenticed to the head of the Imperial Medical Bureau and an imperial envoy sent by the court; he thus guaranteed Yuyun Hall’s reputation.

The crowd cheered, chanting Yuyun Hall’s name repeatedly.

“Yuyun Hall! Yuyun Hall! It’s our honest and trustworthy pharmacy!”

These shouts made Deng Ruyun’s nose inexplicably sting.

Her small pharmacy had actually gained such influence?

She noticed someone watching her out of the corner of her eye. Deng Ruyun turned around and saw Bai Chunfu looking down at her.

“Why is your nose red?” he asked softly.

Deng Ruyun was naturally excited, but she noticed the sweat on his forehead, now forming beads that were about to drip.

“I am fine; you’ve worked so hard this time. Quickly wipe your sweat.”

As she said this, Bai Chunfu noticed she was holding a clean white handkerchief in her hand.

The man paused slightly, his heart skipping a beat.

He looked at her calmly and casually said, “But my hands are a little dirty; could you wipe them for me?”

As he spoke, he slightly lowered his head.

Seeing the sweat almost dripping into his eyes, Deng Ruyun quickly wiped his forehead.

As she raised her hand, Bai Chunfu smelled a faint fragrance from her sleeve.

The man’s heart skipped another beat, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up.

Then he added…

“Yunniang, could you put this handkerchief in my sleeve? Since I’ve used it, I should wash it before giving it back to you.”

After he finished speaking, seeing that she did not hesitate, she placed the small, clean white handkerchief into his sleeve.

Bai Chunfu could not help but stare at her, stunned. Had she given him her embroidered handkerchief?

But then, she spoke to him.

“You should wash it and give it to Shopkeeper Qin. This is a handkerchief I borrowed from Shopkeeper Qin.”

Upon hearing this, Bai Chunfu was speechless.

Why would Shopkeeper Qin use such a clean, small embroidered handkerchief?!

The man coughed twice, then heard Zhu Huang chuckle beside him and immediately glared at him.

The crowd gradually dispersed, spreading the news that Yuyun Hall had been officially recognized.

Deng Ruyun and Bai Chunfu returned to their shop. Deng Ruyun suddenly remembered that he had revealed his identity today, wondering if it would cause him a lot of trouble.

Just as she was about to ask him a question, she saw seven or eight guards standing before the entrance to Yuyun Hall. The guards all bowed to Bai Chunfu.

“Sixth Master!”

The leader said, “The Grand Princess has repeatedly instructed that the Sixth Young Master return to the Bai family’s old Mansion at Yangxiu Workshop. The Mansion has been waiting for you for a long time. We are here to escort the Sixth Young Master back.”

The guards were all eight feet tall, with swords at their waists. Although they were “inviting” Sixth Young Master back, Deng Ruyun felt suffocated by their imposing presence. How could it be an “invitation”?

She dared not speak, only looking at Bai Chunfu for his opinion.

The gentleness that had been on the man’s face just moments before had vanished completely. He did not respond to the guards’ words, but when he turned to look at Deng Ruyun, a hint of tenderness returned to his eyes.

“Did those people hurt you?”

He looked at her hand, noticing the lingering red and purple marks, and could not help but ask.

“A bunch of thieves… Let me put some medicine on it for you.”

Deng Ruyun did not need his help, but he insisted on washing his hands and taking the medicine. The head guard behind him seemed about to step forward to say something, but he turned and glanced at him.

“I did not say I will not go with you. Wait here.”

The guard replied with a “Yes” and withdrew.

Deng Ruyun did not know about his relationship with the Grand Princess and wanted to ask him something, but did not know how to begin.

Bai Chunfu, however, bent down to apply the medicine for her and spoke first.

“Yunniang, please find another physician. I am afraid I cannot.”

With these guards following him every step of the way, he could not come to Yuyun Hall to practice medicine anymore.

Deng Ruyun understood and agreed, “Yuyun Hall could not afford to hire you anyway; you are a disciple of Master Zhang, the head of the Imperial Medical Bureau.”

Bai Chunfu chuckled, finished applying the medicine for her, and pulled down her sleeve.

“The title sounds impressive, but I am actually not very capable. Studying medicine was just…”

He did not finish his sentence, only glanced at her again, and stood up.

“Let’s go,” he said with a smile.

He turned and walked to the group of Grand Princess’s guards, who immediately surrounded him. Even Zhu Huang could only follow on the outer perimeter with his head hanging low.

He did not seem to be “invited” or “escorted” back; he was clearly a prisoner who had barely escaped being captured again.

But today, if he had simply stayed hidden, he could have remained hidden for many more days. Yet, because of Yuyun Hall’s reputation, he had stepped forward.

Although she had not known Bai Chunfu for long, where else could she find such a close friend?

Naturally, in this world, how could someone of her status befriend him?

But seeing him leave like that, she could not help but follow.

“Bai…”

She had barely uttered a word when the guards surrounding him suddenly turned around, their swords half-drawn at their waists.

The cold glint of the swords stung Deng Ruyun’s eyes, and she froze in shock.

But Bai Chunfu quickly called out, “Stop!”

He was in front of Deng Ruyun in one step.

“Did I frighten you?”

Deng Ruyun quickly said it was nothing, “I just wanted to say that I have not settled your consultation fee yet. In a couple of days, I will have Shopkeeper Qin calculate the accounts and send them to you.”

That consultation fee was insignificant in the face of the Bai family’s wealth, but Bai Chunfu nodded in agreement.

But he added, “Actually, if you are free, you do not need to trouble Shopkeeper Qin.”

He spoke very softly, unsure if she was willing, but she seemed to nod almost imperceptibly.

Then she turned and quickly retreated from the guards’ encirclement, waving to him.

“Thank you so much these past few days, Physician Bai!”

Bai Chunfu’s eyes curved into a smile, the faint sunlight from the distant horizon illuminating her and Yuyun Hall behind her.

His gaze fixed.

It was not that she was thanking him; quite the opposite, in fact.

*

Yuyun Hall was nearly framed. Shopkeeper Qin investigated the matter and reported it to Inspector Sun, who had connections with the authorities and was also keeping an eye on things. He sent word that “the matter must be resolved by thoroughly investigating all those responsible for this trouble.”

That night, Deng Ruyun went to the side courtyard after dinner, intending to make medicine, but somehow ended up sitting on the veranda, lost in thought.

The night was cloudless, with only two gentle breezes carrying the soft warmth of approaching spring, brushing against the stray hairs at her temples.

Deng Ruyun looked up and saw the stars shining brightly in the clear night sky under the eaves. The crescent moon was surrounded by stars, their light seeming to make the moon appear even brighter and more radiant.

She rested her chin on her hand, sitting on the veranda, gazing at the stars and moon in the distance.

After her parents, brother, and sister-in-law left, she felt as if she were the only one left struggling to survive. Whether she could hold on, and how many more days she could endure, she herself did not know. At one point, she felt she had reached a dead end, that only her physical body was holding the family together.

But this seemingly hopeless path took a dramatic turn. Looking back today, she was surprised to find so many people who had helped her, pushed her along, and propelled her forward.

She could not pinpoint when it started, but she had emerged from the mire of despair and was now striding quickly towards the light!

The bright moonlight gently shone on the unharvested herbs on the stone slabs.

Deng Ruyun thought of the people fighting in the distant border town and of the people his mother’s guards had taken away that day.

She wondered what had become of Physician Bai, who had been taken away.

In the shifting moonlight, she sighed softly.

*

In the Yangxiu Workshop, Bai Family Mansion.

A man dressed in a dark-patterned silver brocade robe stepped out from under the eaves into the moonlight.

The moonlight shone like a clear mountain spring, splashing against the pebbles and creating tiny white ripples.

Bai Chunfu had only stood in the moonlight for a moment when someone followed him from behind.

“Sixth Young Master, please do not stand outside. It’s still chilly in spring. If you catch a cold, how can this old servant explain to the Grand Princess?”

Bai Chunfu laughed as soon as the person behind him spoke.

The person behind him was slightly hunched over, and because he had served his master in the palace since childhood, his voice was slightly high-pitched.

Bai Chunfu called out to him, “Even you, Eunuch Cao, are you going to discipline me on behalf of the Grand Princess? Can I not even stand in the courtyard?”

Eunuch Cao quickly replied, “Oh, this old servant did not mean that. The Grand Princess always allows you to stand in the courtyard.”

But upon hearing this, Bai Chunfu asked, “Is that so? Why do I feel that Her Highness is increasingly inquiring about everything—what I eat, what I wear, and even who I talk to?”

As he spoke, he chuckled at the events of the past few years and looked up into the distance.

“Father was sent to Fujian to serve as an official, even though his body could not withstand the heat and humidity there, yet he could only serve as an official year after year at her insistence.

“My eldest brother loves painting and is exceptionally skilled, but she insisted he take the imperial examinations. Passing the provincial examination was not enough; she insisted he pass the metropolitan examination to become a Jinshi. He has not painted for several years now.

“Not to mention my third brother; he and my cousin are deeply in love, but she says my cousin is not outstanding in appearance or talent, that she’s mediocre and useless, and refuses to agree to the marriage. My third brother has been forced to postpone it year after year, and if he cannot marry my cousin this year, she will have to marry someone else…”

Bai Chunfu laughed as he spoke.

“We, her husband and sons, can we even breathe freely under her watchful eye? We have to obey her every command, wait for her approval at every turn. Do you really think that someone as noble and controlling as Her Highness the Grand Princess would allow me to simply sit here in the courtyard and enjoy the moonlight?”

Eunuch Cao was speechless, only sighing and calling out, “Sixth Young Master…”

But Bai Chunfu smiled again. This time, it was not self-deprecation. He looked at the bright moon in the sky and spoke slowly.

“Before, I felt that life was so gloomy and meaningless that I’d rather be a wandering soul, free to go wherever I wanted. But now I do not think that way anymore.”

An image of someone standing under the brand-new plaque quietly appeared before his eyes.

He slowly said, “I feel that life is slowly coming alive again, slowly brightening before my eyes.”

Although he could no longer work for her at Yuyun Hall, perhaps interacting with her in a different capacity was not so bad after all.

*

Within two days, a warm, early spring east wind blew through the streets and alleys of Xi’an Prefecture.

News of successive victories in the northern campaign reached Xi’an Prefecture along with the east wind. The Teng family also received a letter informing them that Teng Yue was returning after the war.