ATPnovel Chapter 26 Business
Chapter 26 Business
The group chatted for a while longer.
The ninth prince was in increasingly good spirits, and even had his maid bring out several plates of pastries and a pot of fresh tea, which the three of them ate and chatted over.
They talked about the political climate in the imperial court, the latest gossip in the capital, and then about the trivial matters in their respective residences.
The ninth brother suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Yin'e: "Tenth brother, your medicine is so effective, do you want to get more?"
I know a few imperial physicians; I can ask them to take a look at the prescription. If it can be widely adopted, that would be a truly virtuous deed.
Yin'e's heart tightened, and he quickly waved his hand: "Ninth Brother, no, no, no."
I only have this much medicine left. I don't know where that Western missionary went; I can't find him.
Moreover, I'm afraid there might be something wrong with this medicine, and it could harm your health. I've tested it myself first, and I only give it to you because I'm sure I know what's going on. I wouldn't dare give it to anyone else.
He was telling the truth. Giving Lao Jiu his medicine today was a huge gamble in itself.
He determined the dosage by testing it on cats and dogs, and he had no idea whether humans would be poisoned by it.
Fortunately, Lao Jiu was lucky; he only broke out in a sweat and his face turned red, but he was otherwise unharmed.
If given another chance, he might not dare to take this risk.
However, the ninth prince, being the most business-savvy among the princes, immediately spotted a business opportunity.
Yin'e went back to prepare to further study the dosage and purity.
If it really goes public, it might actually make a lot of money for me.
"Alright, I'll do as you say." Old Nine didn't insist, he just nodded. "But this thing is indeed a treasure."
Yin'e smiled and put the porcelain bottle back into his sleeve.
The group sat for a while longer, and the sun outside the window began to set in the west.
"It's getting late." Yinzhi (the Eighth Prince) looked at the sky outside the window, stood up, and said, "I have to go back."
Ninth Brother, take good care of yourself and don't rush into anything. Rest for a couple more days.
"Me too." Yin'e also stood up. "Take care, Ninth Brother. I'll come see you again in a couple of days."
Lao Jiu escorted the two to the door. Although his legs were still a little weak, he was already able to walk on his own.
He shook hands with both of them, said a few polite words, and then said to Yin'e alone, "Tenth Brother, don't worry about the debt. I'll have someone go to the Ministry of Revenue to handle it tomorrow."
"Thank you, Ninth Brother." Yin'e cupped his hands in thanks, a grateful smile on his face.
The two left the inner courtyard, passed through the covered corridors, walked through several hanging flower gates, and headed towards the main gate of the mansion.
Yinzhi (the Eighth Prince) walked ahead, his pace neither hurried nor slow.
Yin'e followed behind, head down, looking at the bluestone path beneath his feet, his mind racing.
Today's trip was much more fruitful than expected.
The ninth prince's favorability rating rose to 55.3, and the debt of 200,000 taels was also settled.
Although Lao Ba's favorability rating didn't increase much, it still reached 42.
More importantly, through this "medicine delivery," his status within the Eighth Prince's faction quietly changed.
He transformed from a reckless spender into a key figure who could get things done and save lives.
Although he didn't want to stay in the Eighth Prince's faction for too long, at least for now, this identity was still his shield.
The two parted ways at the gate of the mansion and each got into their sedan chair.
The sedan curtain was lowered, blocking out the light.
Yin'e leaned against the sedan chair wall and let out a long breath.
He discovered that with modern knowledge, he could not only build connections, but also make money.
This time we only made a medicine to treat gout, so can we also make penicillin by hand?
Smallpox is a terminal illness, so can we vaccinate people who have it with cowpox?
Yin'e became more and more excited as he thought about it. Although making money off human lives was somewhat immoral, he mainly made his money off high-ranking officials and nobles.
The inner quarters of Ninth Master's mansion.
After the eighth and tenth brothers left, the room became quiet.
Several maids quietly tidied up the teacups and snack plates. Old Ninth sat at the table, holding a half-cold bowl of tea, and slowly drank it.
His complexion had returned to normal; although he was still somewhat tired, he no longer appeared ill.
Footsteps came from outside the door, neither too loud nor too soft, with a steady rhythm.
A middle-aged man in his forties walked in, wearing a gray-blue robe, with a thin face and two long, thin beards.
He was the head steward of Ninth Master's mansion, surnamed Wu. He had served Ninth Master for over ten years and was his most trusted confidant.
"Master." Steward Wu bowed, his expression hesitant, as if he had something to say but was too afraid to speak.
"What is it?" Old Nine put down his teacup and glanced at him.
Steward Wu hesitated for a moment before speaking: "Sir, yesterday outside the manor... there was a person acting suspiciously, lingering by the wall for quite a while."
Old Nine's brow twitched slightly: "Who is it?"
"Even I'm not sure," Steward Wu said in a low voice.
"It was those vendors in the back alley who said that a middle-aged man wearing a blue cloth long gown and a melon-shaped hat circled around the base of the mansion wall several times."
He looked around suspiciously, listened intently against the wall for a while, then left. Later, he went around to the west wall and spent most of the hour there.
Old Nine's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Did you see who that person was?"
Steward Wu shook his head: "This servant...this servant didn't dare to get close. I only glanced at him from afar. The man was wearing a hat and had his head down, so I couldn't see his face."
However…that figure looks somewhat familiar.
"Familiar?" Old Nine's eyes sharpened. "Who is it?"
Steward Wu swallowed hard and said cautiously, "Like...like Tenth Master."
The room fell silent for a moment.
Old Nine didn't say anything, but stared at Steward Wu for a long time. His gaze was like two knives, making Steward Wu's legs go weak.
"Are you sure?" Old Nine finally spoke.
"I'm not sure, I'm not sure!" Steward Wu quickly waved his hand. "It's just that the figure is somewhat similar, or maybe I'm just seeing things."
It was getting dark, and the person was wearing a hat, so I really couldn't see them clearly.
Those selling goods simply found the man's behavior strange and casually remarked, "That's why this servant..."
"Come here," Old Nine beckoned to Steward Wu.
"Huh?" Manager Wu was taken aback.
"I said, come here," Lao Jiu repeated.
Steward Wu walked unsteadily to Yinzhen's side, wondering what the Ninth Prince wanted to do.
Then Yinzhen raised his arm and swung it wide, aiming a blow at Steward Wu's face.
A crisp "snap" sound.
The blow was powerful and heavy, sending the fifty-something-year-old man flying.
"Damn it, my tenth brother just cured my illness, and you bunch of dog-like lackeys come here to sow discord."
"You bastard, if you say anything that affects our brotherhood again, I'll cripple you!"
"Ninth Master, spare me! Ninth Master, spare me! This servant will never dare to do it again!"
Steward Wu knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly, looking like a wronged turtle.
Old Nine picked up his teacup, slammed it to the ground, and yelled, "Get the hell out of here!"