Chapter 71: Major Discovery

Mo Junheng quickly withdrew his hand, his attitude cold: "Your medical skills aren't much to speak of either."

Chi Nan Yi, thinking not to expose him, simply went along with his words: "This humble woman is but a commoner from the wilds, naturally no match for the imperial physicians of the Palace in medical skill."

Before long, Imperial Physician Wen hurried out of the room in a fluster, one hand covering his mouth and nose.

Seeing him in such a state, Mo Junheng frowned deeply: "What is going on?"

"Your Highness, it is dire! General Zhao's condition is acute. Though it is not smallpox, it is every bit as dangerous and is contagious."

Hearing this, Chi Nan Yi could not help shaking her head inwardly.

It was nothing more than hand-foot-mouth symptoms — how was that dangerously severe?

Mo Junheng's heart sank. So he was truly ill.

This visit was truly an inauspicious start.

"Imperial Physician Wen, can you cure my father's illness?"

Imperial Physician Wen thought for a moment, then picked up a brush and wrote a prescription: "Administer this formula to clear heat and detoxify. As for whether it can cure him, that depends on the will of Heaven!"

No wonder countless people died in a single epidemic in ancient times — how could curing illness depend on the will of Heaven?

"Many thanks, Imperial Physician Wen."

Wen Jiu's gaze fell on Chi Nan Yi, and he frowned with some displeasure.

How was it again the same patient treated together with this girl?

Just then, he noticed Zhao Mubai still holding a prescription in his hand, and said with a smile: "May I ask, Young Master Zhao, who wrote this prescription?"

Hearing this, Chi Nan Yi could not help sneering inwardly.

What did he mean, who wrote it? Aside from him, the only other person here was herself. If he wanted to see the prescription, he could just say so directly instead of beating around the bush with questions.

"It was written by Miss Chi." Zhao Mubai's gaze swept across Chi Nan Yi's face. Noticing the look in her eyes, he did not hand over the prescription in his hand, but instead tucked both prescriptions into his robe.

Imperial Physician Wen saw his movement and felt displeased.

"Since General Zhao is truly ill, I shall not impose further." Ever since hearing that Zhao Anqi's illness was contagious, Mo Junheng had been itching to leave immediately.

"This humble one will see you out."

"No need!" Mo Junheng hastily refused: "You should attend to General Zhao well. There is no need to see me out."

How could Mo Junheng let Zhao Mubai see him out?

In Mo Junheng's eyes, the Zhao family might all have been infected with the same illness. He had to leave quickly.

Chi Nan Yi watched his fleeing back, her eyes concealing a smile of triumph.

When she took his pulse, she had already applied poison to his wrist. It would not be long before the medicinal potency seeped beneath the skin. The toxicity was fierce — enough to give him a serious taste of misery.

She rubbed her fingers together, a strange glint flashing through her eyes.

There was one thing she had not mentioned just now.

While taking Mo Junheng's pulse, she had discovered something extremely interesting.

Mo Junheng was, in that regard… apparently incapable!

So, in her previous life, after the original host married him, they had never been intimate. That must have been related to this matter.

If word got out that the Crown Prince was impotent…

That would be quite a spectacle.

"Miss Chi." Zhao Mubai stepped forward: "My father, he…"

Chi Nan Yi took out a pill and handed it to him: "Just have General Zhao take it directly."

Within a few breaths of the pill entering his stomach, Zhao Anqi woke up, though the red rash on his face had not yet faded.

"Many thanks to Miss Chi today."

"A trivial effort." Chi Nan Yi pointed at the red rash on his face: "I imagine Squire Zhao would not want this rash to fade too quickly, so I shall skip the ointment."

"Yes, yes, yes. If this rash disappeared so quickly, it would surely arouse suspicion."

Zhao Anqi increasingly felt that Chi Nan Yi was a person of exceedingly clear insight, and said with a smile: "Miss Chi, earlier I failed to recognize your eminence and gave much offense. Please do not take it to heart."

This time the apology was sincere: "I will not hide it from you — I am a rough man. I previously held a minor official post in the military and earned some battle merits. I always thought women, compared to men, were too frail to bear great responsibility. Only now do I realize that my thinking was nothing but shortsightedness."

Hearing him say this, a glint of admiration flashed through Chi Nan Yi's eyes.

Truly worthy of being a talent for high office — he admitted his own faults without the slightest awkwardness.

"May I ask what Miss Chi intends to do with this shop?"

"I want to open a medicinal cuisine restaurant."

"Medicinal cuisine? You mean using medicinal herbs to make meals?"

"You could say that, though not entirely. As the saying goes, medicine and food share the same origin. Sometimes, when ordinary ingredients are used properly, they can be just as effective as medicinal herbs in strengthening the body."

"That does sound novel."

Chi Nan Yi said with a smile: "When the shop opens, I will have to ask you to patronize us often."

"Hahaha, of course, of course."

With Squire Zhao as a living advertisement, there was no need to worry about business not booming.

As soon as Mo Junheng returned to the villa, he felt an unbearable itch all over his body. He instinctively reached to scratch, and suddenly felt raised bumps dotting his skin.

His heart sank, and he rushed to the bronze mirror.

Seeing the dense red rash covering his body, he turned pale with fright.

"Your Highness!" Gao Feng shouted loudly: "Imperial Physician Wen! Imperial Physician Wen!"

For a moment, the villa was thrown into chaos.

At this time, Chi Nan Yi was inspecting the shop.

"Miss Chi, look." Steward Zhao said with a smile: "Three sides face the streets. There is a constant flow of people — very lively."

Chi Nan Yi nodded: "It is indeed an excellent location."

The shop's interior is extremely spacious; this place was originally a restaurant, and the internal layout does not need major renovation. The third floor has over ten private rooms, and the first and second floors can accommodate many tables.

「My master said that tomorrow he will arrange for people to renovate the shop and set up new tables and chairs; it will be open for business soon。」

「In that case, please ask Steward Zhao to thank Assistant Magistrate Zhao on my behalf。」

「It's only right, all of it is right。」

Just then, the owner of the tea stall next door poked his head in; upon seeing Steward Zhao, his face broke into a fawning smile: "Steward Zhao, what wind blew you here?" He stepped forward: "Isn't Assistant Magistrate Zhao planning to open a shop here?"

「That's not the case," Steward Zhao said lightly. "It is our master's benefactor who wants to open a medicinal cuisine shop here; please take good care of them。」

「Yes, yes, yes, that's natural." The shopkeeper looked at Chi Nan Yi with eyes full of a hint of respect.

Being a benefactor of Assistant Magistrate Zhao, these small merchants naturally dare not offend him.

Originally, the townspeople were very curious about whoever had taken over the town's largest shop; within less than half a day, those shopkeepers all learned the background of the shop's owner.

「They say they want to open a medicinal cuisine shop, but what is medicinal cuisine? 」

「Isn't that easy to understand? It's food made with medicine! But can it be tasty? Most medicinal ingredients are sour and bitter; made into food… just thinking about it makes me feel nauseous。」

「Who says it isn't? Not long ago I caught a wind-cold, and I had been worrying about having to drink bitter decoctions, but I didn't expect Bai cao tang to actually release a kind of pill; that pill is truly miraculous—taking it that very day cured my wind-cold。」