Chapter 34: The Cold-Hearted Prince with a White Moonlight 14

Jing Yunluo shrugged her shoulders. "Isn't this just a precaution? In case we part ways in the future, I’ll at least have some savings, won't I?"

Situ Che could not understand why Jing Yunluo was so fixated on the idea of divorcing him. At this moment, he had already forgotten how resistant he had been to this imperial marriage, or that he had even considered fleeing to avoid it. Since Jing Yunluo had already made up her mind, Situ Che found it difficult to stop her, especially since the business she was running was not illicit.

However...

"You must make sure no one finds out that you are the owner of that pharmacy. Otherwise, people might target you and your shop."

"Understood. Thank you, Your Highness."

Jing Yunluo offered a formal bow, her demeanor carrying a clear sense of distance. Watching her attitude toward him, Situ Che felt a surge of irritation; he nodded perfunctorily and turned to leave.

A few days later, Jing Yunluo's pharmacy was thriving. Every time she visited, she wore men’s clothing and a mask that covered the upper half of her face. No one knew that this mysterious shopkeeper was the Princess of Jin; they only knew the proprietor was enigmatic, possessed exceptional medical skills, and seemed to have the backing of a powerful figure. That "backer," naturally, was Prince Jin, Situ Che. Perhaps out of a sense of guilt, Situ Che kept a close eye on her pharmacy, even assigning men to watch the perimeter. It wasn't exactly surveillance, but rather protection—though, in truth, Situ Che remained curious about Jing Yunluo’s affairs.

Jing Yunluo was well aware of this, but she couldn't care less. After all, she was upright and honest; as the saying goes, those who do no evil need not fear the knock at the door.

This peace was shattered when Jin Yunlan came to stir up trouble.

"It was because of the pills from your shop that my mistress fell into a coma and won't wake up!"

A maidservant sent by Jin Yunlan arrived to cause a scene. Jing Yunluo, behind her mask, didn't even glance at her.

"Young lady, you can eat whatever you like, but you must be careful with your words."

Seeing the surrounding crowd whispering, Zhang Zhiru, the resident physician, could no longer sit still. After practicing medicine for so many years, he never imagined someone would come looking for a fight.

"Mr. Zhang, there is no need to worry."

Jing Yunluo lowered her voice, walked over, and scanned the maidservant up and down before shaking her head with a smile. "Every bottle of medicine sold at our shop bears a special mark. Do you have any proof that the pills were purchased here?"

The maid’s eyes brightened. "Of course I do!"

Fortunately, her mistress had prepared for this by acquiring one of the pharmacy’s distinctive porcelain bottles from someone else. "It's this one!"

The maid handed the bottle to Jing Yunluo. Jing Yunluo gestured, and a young apprentice brought over a box of red ink paste and a sheet of paper. Jing Yunluo did not touch it herself, instead passing the bottle to the apprentice. The boy pressed the base of the bottle into the ink and stamped it onto the paper.

"Master, it is number 2,384." The apprentice unfolded the paper before Jing Yunluo.

"Very well. Go investigate." Jing Yunluo remained calm. She was certain now that Jin Yunlan knew her identity, which was why she had come to cause trouble.

"What kind of trick are you playing?" The maid felt uneasy. She did not know what this masked man was checking, but a vague sense of dread settled over her.

"Do not worry, young lady, just wait a moment. Every bottle from Huichuntang has a serial number on the bottom, and every number has a corresponding record. It lists what ailment was being treated, who bought it, the date of purchase, their name, gender, age, and home address."

"What if you falsify the records? Who can verify that?" The maid, though flustered, quickly thought of this defense.

Jing Yunluo smiled. "We send a copy of every day's records to the magistrate’s office. If you think we are faking, you can ask Mr. Wang, who is specifically assigned by the magistrate to collect them."

The maid had not expected the pharmacy to have such a safeguard. She stood frozen, not knowing what to do.

"I do not know how I have offended you, young lady, that you would go to such lengths to frame me. However... you should consider this carefully: if the charge of framing someone is proven, you will likely end up in prison."

Jing Yunluo was trying to break the maid’s resolve. Sure enough, hearing this, the maid’s face turned pale instantly. The onlookers had already realized what was happening—the story about a coma was clearly a ruse to extort the shop!

Before long, the apprentice returned with a ledger. "Number 2,384 was sold three days ago. The buyer was a Master Wang who lives on Fuliu Street in the east of the city. The treatment was for..."

"For what?" Zhang Zhiru asked as he approached.

The young apprentice hesitated, but under Zhang Zhiru's insistent gaze, he said, "It is a treatment for impotence and premature ejaculation."

The crowd burst into laughter.

"Oh my, little maid from the Gu household, so your mistress was taking medicine for impotence and premature ejaculation! Hahaha, I’ve never heard of such a thing!" Some people who recognized the maid began to taunt her.

"Perhaps Mistress Gu was buying it for her husband!"

"Even so, a lady shouldn't be the one buying such medicine!"

"Maybe Mistress Gu is lonely and has resorted to the kind of behavior usually reserved for concubines or mistresses who live by their charms."

In truth, everyone there was clever enough to know that Mistress Gu was looking for trouble and had likely obtained the bottle through other means. But since there was such juicy gossip to be had, everyone had something to say. In a short time, Jin Yunlan’s reputation was ruined. Some even started saying that she wasn't favored in the Gu household, and that the young Master Gu was obsessed with his mistresses, thinking his own wife was inferior to the women in the brothels.

Of course, that was a matter for later. For now, after resolving the issue, Jing Yunluo had the maid sent directly to the magistrate’s office. After this incident, Huichuntang’s fame grew even greater, and those who wanted to cause trouble dared not do so again.

Jing Yunluo, however, felt a headache coming on. Hearing the crowd’s gossip about Jin Yunlan, she knew how absurd the rumors would become. She felt Jin Yunlan had brought this upon herself, but the thought of Situ Che potentially coming to hold her accountable made her head throb.

This intuition was confirmed after she returned to the Prince’s residence.

"You're back?" Situ Che’s voice was flat, revealing no emotion.

"Yes. Is there something you need, Your Highness?"

"You should know."

Jing Yunluo could see that Situ Che was unhappy. But why should she back down? Just because Jin Yunlan was his "white moonlight"? That was unfair!

"If Your Highness is here to hold me accountable for Jin Yunlan, then I am sorry, but I do not believe I have done anything wrong." Jing Yunluo took the half-mask from her sleeve and placed it on the table. "She provoked me first. She can use whatever means she wants to deal with me, but Huichuntang is off-limits. That is a place where I save lives—I will not tolerate such filth there!"