Su Jinyuan shoved Yu Shi out of the way, then turned and ran outside with the box in her arms.
Her sudden move threw the Su Family into chaos. While some people hurried to help the wailing Yu Shi, Su Wanquan chased after Su Jinyuan, hoping to stop her.
But Su Jinyuan had already hidden the carriage in the shadows around the corner. She sprinted over, vaulted onto the carriage, and drove away.
Watching Su Jinyuan race off, Su Wanquan wanted to curse her. He was furious and vexed, but people nearby were already looking over, and Yu Shi was still shrieking and crying inside the residence. He stamped his foot angrily, turned around, and headed back inside.
“That wretch, that bastard… She’s completely insane… insane…”
Yu Shi clutched her neck, her hands covered in blood. “We never should have brought her back that year. We would’ve been better off letting her die outside!”
“Shut up!”
Su Wanquan’s face was black with anger as he shouted at Yu Shi. “She’s my elder brother’s daughter, my niece! Do you want the entire Capital to know what you’ve done?!”
Yu Shi’s sobbing caught in her throat.
Su Wanquan roared, “Take Madam and the Young Miss back to their own courtyard and keep a close eye on them. They are not to leave without my orders.”
“Master!”
“Father…”
Yu Shi and Su Xinyue both panicked. Su Wanquan glared at them. “If either of you dares say another word, I’ll send you to the country estate and forbid you from coming back!”
The two of them were so frightened that they immediately fell silent.
Su Wanquan had them dragged away, then ground his teeth and said, “Go bring Heng’er back.”
Su Heng was his son and was currently studying at the Imperial Academy.
The Xiao Family was presently at the center of a storm. Su Wanquan had a feeling that Su Jinyuan, carrying so much money to the Xiao Family, would surely cause some kind of major trouble. Although Su Heng was young, he was unusually perceptive, so Su Wanquan wanted him to come home and help him think of a solution.
Su Wanquan cast a cold look at the others. “No one is to say a single word about what happened today. Otherwise, I’ll skin you alive!”
……
Su Jinyuan drove the carriage at full speed after leaving the Su Family. Only after she had gone some distance and realized that no one from the Su Family was following her did the tension in her heart ease somewhat.
All that talk about evidence and certainty had been nothing but nonsense she had made up.
After her father’s death, she had lived in Su Wanquan’s home the entire time. With Yu Shi watching her at every turn, and with neither money nor ability, how could she possibly have prepared any hidden contingencies?
She had merely taken advantage of Su Wanquan’s guilty conscience and his ignorance of Lu Zhuo’s whereabouts to fabricate everything she had just said. Then, when she made her move, she had used that burst of ferocity to frighten the people of the Su Family. That was the only reason she had managed to obtain the money so smoothly.
But once Su Wanquan came to his senses, he would probably realize that she had fooled him.
When Su Jinyuan finally relaxed, she nearly fell from the carriage. She gripped the reins with all her strength and steadied herself before driving to the western marketplace. After abandoning the carriage, she first went to buy a set of clothes.
She was covered in blood and needed to clean herself up. She also had to hide the money.
After entering a clothing shop, Su Jinyuan borrowed needle and thread under the pretense of altering her clothes. She wrapped and folded several Silver Notes in oiled paper, then sewed them into the lining of her underclothes and the hidden layers of her shoes. Only then did she leave the shop.
She went to several secluded places in turn, hiding the money and Gold Leaves she had taken from the Su Family separately.
She hid some behind the walls of restaurants, some in an abandoned temple in the western part of the city, and some beneath willow trees by the lake. She even entered a brothel, sneaking in and burying money in an inconspicuous spot.
Su Jinyuan had no idea what she would encounter after going to the Xiao Family, but she knew perfectly well that one could not put all one’s eggs in a single basket. Otherwise, if the basket broke, both the eggs and all her efforts would be lost.
After hiding the money that needed to be hidden and preparing the contingencies she needed to keep, Su Jinyuan took the remaining five thousand taels of silver to a pharmacy and began buying supplies in large quantities.
She bought not only medicines for external injuries, but also remedies for Wind-Cold and colds, emergency life-saving medicines, and even some poisonous substances.
The old physician was dumbfounded. “Miss, what are you buying all these things for?”
Arsenic, Crane’s Crown Red, Aconite…
Many of these things were deadly poisons. Someone could easily die from them.
Su Jinyuan said, “I’m from Niu Family Village outside the city. Recently, there have been a lot of snakes, insects, rats, and ants in our village. I’m buying these medicines to drive away the rats and kill the pests.”
Upon hearing that, the old physician frowned. These medicines could indeed be mixed together to kill pests. Quite a few people in the countryside did the same thing from time to time. Besides, the young girl had not asked for much of any one item, so he finally relaxed.
“Physician, our village is quite far from the city, and traveling back and forth is inconvenient. Several elderly people in the village are ill. Could you prescribe some medicines for me to take home?”
The physician frowned. “I haven’t examined them, so I don’t know what illnesses they have…”
Su Jinyuan hurriedly said, “They’re all very common ailments. Two of them have nephews who are so useless that they’re constantly angered by them. Another recently lost her husband and is heartbroken beyond words. Oh, and I also need something for someone who has fainted from a fit of anger…”
She racked her brain and listed every symptom the women of the Xiao Family might possibly suffer from. Then she looked up at the old physician.
“These are all common illnesses. Please prescribe several commonly used remedies for me. I don’t need them to be especially effective—just so they can save a life in a critical moment.”
“This…”
Su Jinyuan reached into her clothes and took out the loose silver she had exchanged earlier, offering it to the old physician. “I’m troubling you.”
The old physician frowned deeply. “This isn’t a matter of money. These medicines truly can’t be taken indiscriminately…”
“Uncle Hu.”
A voice suddenly came from the back of the pharmacy. A young man emerged from there. “The conditions she described aren’t rare ailments. I’ll prepare several packets of medicine for her.”
“Young Master…”
“Don’t worry. It’s fine.”
When the man smiled, he possessed an open, radiant air, and his slightly curved brows and eyes were exceptionally handsome. “Please wait a moment, Miss. I’ll fetch the medicine for you.”
Su Jinyuan looked at him. “And you are?”
“My name is Xi Junning. I’m the young master of Xinglintang, and I’ve studied medicine under my father for many years.” Xi Junning spoke gently.
Su Jinyuan breathed a sigh of relief. “Then I’ll trouble you, Young Master Xi.”
Xi Junning turned and went to fetch the medicine. Before long, he returned, several packets of medicine hanging from his slender, pale fingers, and placed them in front of Su Jinyuan.
“These packets contain mild medicines and not too many potent ingredients. Men, women, the elderly, and children can all take them. However, if the patient is a child, an elderly person, or a pregnant woman, the dosage must be reduced by half.”
“If someone encounters the sort of situation you described, decoct this medicine and have them drink it. As long as the illness isn’t too severe, it should provide some relief.”
After finishing, he handed Su Jinyuan two small bottles.
“These two bottles contain Xinglintang’s exclusive formulas, the Qi-Regulating Pill and the Heart-Rescue Pill. If the situation is especially serious, take one of each. They can save a life, and can be taken for both external and internal injuries.”
Su Jinyuan’s hand paused when she heard the words “can be taken for both external and internal injuries.”
“Miss?” Xi Junning looked at her with smiling eyes.
Su Jinyuan narrowed her eyes at him. His expression was natural, as though he had merely made an offhand comment, so she gradually relaxed and reached out to take the bottles.
“How much does everything cost?”
“Three thousand taels, please.”