Chapter 288: The Wife Is a Good Person

He truly fears that his wife would become impatiently angry; although she had never told him about murder before, he could guess many things, and he truly dreads that if she rages, she would slaughter corpses for miles.

This time his wife could take the initiative to speak to him, and he was moved to tears; it shows that she trusts him.

"Sleepy?"

"Not sleepy; I'm watching these physicians to see whether they tear each other apart or unite to keep exploiting the common folk."

"What if they keep doing it?"

Qiao Mai's eyes flashed with cold light, and Yuan Jiaqi felt as if a single glance could freeze him to death.

He shivered all over, "As a husband I won't stand in your way; if you truly defraud the nation and harm the people, you will certainly deserve death."

"Good, just know it."

Seeing that he hadn't slept all night, Qiao Mai slipped a pill into his mouth, and Yuan Jiaqi instantly felt revitalized.

"Wife, shall we... that thing?"

"We'll know tomorrow."

"Yes."

If the capital had never been robbed before, the Liu Family would still suspect this matter was linked to Qiao Mai; unfortunately, several years ago wealthy families in the capital were silently robbed, and the incidents were more than a few.

"Tianshui Town?"

"Don't think all physicians are benevolent healers; there are countless doctors whose eyes only see money. They used my prescription, earned two years of ill‑gotten money, and actually think they can quietly act as if nothing happened?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wave after wave spread outward."

"What? This is the formula she gave? And you say it's for the common people? You, you why didn't you say earlier?"

"Yes, wife, just eat it without asking."

"How did the children's fever medicine formula at Mingren Medical Hall originate? Who can tell?"

"From Lord Yuan's wife's hand."

"One liang!"

"It was she who gave it to us."

"The newly released medicine, Dizi just wants to sell it and try it out first."

"Then what to do, the matter is already like this."

The whole capital learned it within the morning; the fever‑reducing medicine for children that swept the capital, the formula for children's wind‑cold medicine, actually appeared publicly before everyone.

Physician Liu Yuyi wore a composed face, seated at the head; the people below all stared at each other, unwilling to utter a word.

"My body is weak; the medicinal wine my wife prepared for me, I took two sips when it arrived,"

His elder son, helplessly, recounted the incident of Qiao Mai's original gift of the formula, and Physician Liu Yuyi slammed the table and rose abruptly.

"This formula came from Tianshui Town."

So they just thought, and didn't dare to suspect recklessly.

"The formula has already been made public; we have no other recourse now."

"Sss~"

Putting aside court matters, after dawn, when each medical hall saw the formula on the table, they were all stunned.

"Good that you know; I, Qiao Mai, may not be a good person, but I would never let anyone take advantage of me like this—if they take mine, they must spit it back out."

"How much silver was set?"

Physician Liu Yuyi's anger subsided at that moment, "Describe the matter in as much detail as possible!"

Yuan Jiaqi widened his eyes, "Wife, what is this?"

Before dawn, the Liu Family filed a report; people from Jing Ya arrived with many official orders at his house.

The entire capital exploded; the formula appeared openly, even while patients were present; this uproar undoubtedly dropped an atomic bomb over the capital.

Many senior doctors at the medical halls, after obtaining the formula, were so excited they could not even speak.

"Father, it's unnecessary, she's just a woman; we have the emperor behind us, what is she? Moreover, who won't have headaches and fevers later? She will only use us later, and we don't need her anyway."

"Wife, the Liu family's matter?"

The items on the table vanished in an instant; at this time the sky outside was still dark, Yuan Jiaqi was to attend court; as the Head of All Officials, he naturally had to arrive early.

After hearing Yuan Jiaqi's words, everyone's faces flushed scarlet; there wasn't a single person present who didn't have a concubine.

"That is someone else's formula, not yours."

"I made it, merely taking out the money I earned from prescribing these formulas over the past two years; in the future this silver will be used for disaster relief, the blood they sucked from the people, I will return to the people."

"Yes, so in this lifetime, I must never betray my wife; one life, one wife, never taking a concubine."

"Lord Yuan, why are you drinking early this morning?"

As soon as he arrived, the officials smelled a faint scent of wine on him.

"Ah, obeying the wife's words brings delicious food."

"Um, Lord Yuan, the palace gate is open, let's go in."

"What does the wife intend?"

Qiao Mai, like performing a Transformation Trick, placed each of his favorite foods on the table.

Coincidentally Yuan Jiaqi was taking a bath break; he sat with Qiao Mai in the back courtyard.

"My question is whose hand it came from?"

Regarding the Liu family's attitude, Qiao Mai had long anticipated it; after earning nearly two years of ill‑gotten silver, they just quietly settle like this?

One day, two days, Chuan'er finished the exams and returned home; over at the Liu side there was still no movement, as if nothing had happened.

"You all are really foolish, truly not taking this Qiao Niang seriously,"

"Who would be so devoted to a daughter‑in‑law? Unless they're mentally ill, but after hearing Yuan Jiaqi's words, they wanted to find a crack in the ground and crawl into it."

"How can you not afford it? It's only a few liang of silver."

"I can guarantee I won't submit; if someone forces me to submit, it's forcing Yuan to death, so I will perish together with that person."

"It is worth its price."

"My wife is a good person; as a husband I am not a foolish one."

"How many taels of silver? Some common families can't even raise a few Ten Wen; do you intend to bankrupt them?"

"She is merely the wife of a first‑rank official."

"If I were to submit,"

"Hmm."

"You, fine, let's leave it at that; if something like this happens again, be sure to discuss it with me."

"Wife, in a few months the southern rainy season will arrive; although the river channels have been dug, some areas will still suffer floods."

"Eat without questioning; that's my rule."

"A first‑rank official? That's the Head of All Officials, a person favored by the emperor; you treat it so casually—truly infuriates this old man."

"No, go obediently to your post in a moment."

In Jingcheng, the apothecary and the Yiguan are in complete chaos.

"In this world, people are inherently reciprocal: you treat me, I treat you well. They marry into us bringing rich dowries, they don't need us to support them, yet they give us children who endure countless hardships. If we take in a concubine like this, isn't that a breach of conscience?"

On the third day after Chuan'er finished the imperial exam, another major incident occurred in Jingcheng: Liu Yuyi's household was robbed, losing all their valuables, prescriptions, and the medicinal herbs they kept in the Yiguan.

Qiao Mai let out a chuckle, "Hungry?"

"Yes, it came from the Yiguan in Tianshui Town."

Liu Yuyi, angry, immediately smashed the teacup on the table onto the floor, "No wonder the prescription was published like this; the cause lies with you. Selling it at such a high price— which commoner can afford it?"

"Ugh, it was our Yiguan that solicited it; if Qiao Niang hadn't given it to her friend's child to drink, could the Daifu of our Yiguan have obtained these two prescriptions?"

"Prepare a generous gift quickly; I'm going to visit Lady Qiao right away."

Yuan Jiaqi's face turned terribly sour, "Daughter‑in‑law, I was wrong as a husband."

"Yo, your wife is truly considerate of you."

Some Daifu actually knelt on the ground, loudly thanking Heaven, while others couldn't wait to use the prescription to save lives.

Unfortunately, they were all clueless, just like the previous robberies of the prince's household.

At this time, the Liu family was also in disarray; after learning of the incident, they convened a family meeting.

Many forced a fake smile; they had just regretted speaking out, and after a few words were thoroughly reprimanded.

Early in the morning, the couple clinked cups, enjoyed a fine meal, and then sent the Xianggong off to his post.

"Rest assured, whenever you need money or provisions, I will provide them."

"Hehe, I thank the wife on behalf of the common folk."

"Don't just be busy with court affairs; in May we will marry our daughter‑in‑law, and from then on I will no longer handle household matters, leaving them directly to her."

"Yun'er's matter?"

"Since it's decided, there's no need to rush; after we finish the boss's wedding, we can discuss it, otherwise everything arriving at once would be too chaotic."