After being forced to leave the marriage, I became the wife of a top scholar.

Chapter 167 asks about the details.

Doctor Xu followed Ruixin to the side hall. Looking at the host sitting in the seat of honor, he felt inexplicably nervous.

Bai Wanqing raised her hand slightly, and Ruixin stepped forward to pour tea for Doctor Xu. "Doctor Xu, there's no need to be nervous. Just tell me what you know."

Dr. Xu nodded slightly and began to recall the events of that day.

"Actually, I didn't see what happened in the front hall that day."

"When the yamen runners came in, I was in the backyard setting a patient's bones."

"After the bone setting was finished, I heard a commotion in the front hall of the clinic. When I ran over, I saw several constables holding Atractylodes macrocephala from the medicine cabinet, saying that we were selling fake medicine and that they wanted to shut down our clinic."

"At that time, both Doctor Liu and Doctor Yang, who was present, were subdued by the yamen runners."

"I was also taken into custody as soon as I appeared, and I didn't even have time to check whether the medicine in the cabinet was fake."

“Dr. Liu kept crying out that he was innocent. Then the yamen runners drove us out of the clinic. Dr. Liu was taken away and the clinic was shut down.”

After recalling the events, Dr. Xu sighed softly and turned his head slightly to look at Bai Wanqing.

"Master, the situation was too urgent at the time, and this is all I can remember."

Bai Wanqing nodded slightly and said, "Yes! I understand."

"Dr. Xu, there's something I'm curious about."

Doctor Xu hurriedly looked up and asked, "Master, are you asking? If I know the answer, I will tell you everything I know."

For Dr. Xu, the wages from this job are the livelihood of his entire family, and he is the last person who wants anything to happen to the clinic.

"As far as I know, Atractylodes macrocephala is a commonly used herb in our clinic."

"Our clinic is different from other clinics; most of the medicines are dispensed by the doctors themselves."

"The apprentices only handle the herbs when processing them, so each herb is inspected by our doctors before it enters the medicine cabinet."

"If the medicine was wrong, how come it wasn't discovered all this time?" Bai Wanqing asked.

Dr. Xu was slightly taken aback. Yes! In their clinic, the doctors always dispensed their own medicines, and Atractylodes macrocephala was a herb they often used in their prescriptions.

He was especially skilled at bone setting, and after each bone setting, he would prescribe Atractylodes macrocephala as a medicine. That was when he was getting the medicine.
Dr. Xu began to recall the events of the previous two days, his eyes widening slightly.

"Boss, the Atractylodes macrocephala in our medicine cabinet isn't fake." Doctor Xu slapped his thigh and stood up.

"I often use this Banxia Baizhu Tianma Decoction when I'm setting bones."

“The Atractylodes macrocephala is real,” Dr. Xu said excitedly.

Bai Wanqing nodded slightly. "I understand about this matter, Dr. Xu. Is there anything else that you find suspicious?"

Doctor Xu was still immersed in the joy of discovering that the medicinal herbs were not fake. "That's all. No wonder those yamen runners wouldn't let us doctors get close to the medicine cabinet."

"Boss, they really did frame us."

Dr. Xu got carried away and blurted out something that startled him.

If the government officials overheard this, he would be in big trouble.

After realizing what had happened, Dr. Xu looked at Bai Wanqing awkwardly and said, "I...I was too excited just now. Please forgive me, boss."

"It is an honor for the century-old clinic that Dr. Xu is wholeheartedly concerned about its future. You can rest assured, Dr. Xu."

Doctor Xu breathed a slight sigh of relief, and then Bai Wanqing had Ruixin escort Madam Xu out.

The next doctor to come in was Dr. Yang, whose account was basically the same as Dr. Xu's.

The difference was that Doctor Yang was getting medicine in the front hall at the time, and the yamen runners, fearing he might say something, pulled him out of the medicine cabinet and forced him to kneel down.

"Boss, your suspicions are correct. Our medicine is not fake."

“I was right next to the medicine cabinet at the time, and I saw it clearly. The Atractylodes macrocephala in the medicine cabinet was genuine.”

Ruixin, who was listening nearby, blurted out, "Dr. Yang, since you know our medicine is genuine, why don't you say so?"

"If you had spoken up back then, those yamen runners wouldn't have been able to shut down our clinic so easily."

Dr. Yang blushed and lowered his head in shame.

Bai Wanqing rebuked Ruixin, "Ruixin, don't talk nonsense."

Ruixin lowered her head and murmured, "Madam, I'm not talking nonsense. If our people had stood up and said the medicine was genuine, our clinic wouldn't have been shut down!"

Bai Wanqing gently shook her head. "Since they came to our clinic, it means they did it on purpose. Doctor Yang made the right decision back then."

"Even if Dr. Yang comes forward and says the medicine is genuine, the clinic is staffed with our doctors, who else would believe him?"

"What's more, the yamen runners will say that there's something wrong with the medicine from our old shop."

"Whether you step forward or not, the shop is sealed off."

"The fact that Dr. Yang was willing to tell us everything without any concealment shows that he was already thinking of us."

"How can the owner have complaints?"

After hearing this, Ruixin lowered her head and apologized, "Dr. Yang, I was rash. Please forgive me, Dr. Yang."

Doctor Yang smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Thank you for your understanding, sir."

Dr. Yang, who had initially felt somewhat guilty, spoke the truth and received Bai Wanqing's forgiveness and understanding. He now felt that he hadn't lied and had truly done the right thing.

After seeing Doctor Yang off, Bai Wanqing asked Doctor Hu and Doctor Hu Xiao about their experiences.

The two doctors also practiced at the newly opened clinic, and their explanations were no different from those of Dr. Xu and Dr. Yang.

Ruixin was somewhat alarmed. "Madam, I never imagined that Lord Hai could shut down our shop without any evidence."

"This official is far too domineering and unreasonable."

Bai Wanqing looked at the furious Ruixin and laughed, "It's a trumped-up charge, so why not just find a pretext?" "Besides, Lord Hai wouldn't be so foolish as to shut down our shop without any evidence."

Ruixin was surprised, "Madam, but the doctors just said that our medicine is genuine."

Bai Wanqing chuckled, "Have you noticed that all of them are from our newly opened clinic?"

Ruixin suddenly realized, it really was true, Dr. Xu, Dr. Hu, Dr. Hu Xiao, and Dr. Yang were all from the new medical clinic.
"Madam, could it be that..."

Bai Wanqing didn't say anything more, and directly asked Fengniang to invite Doctor Zhang from the old clinic in.

When Fengniang came in, she gave Bai Wanqing a wink, and Bai Wanqing understood.

Doctor Wang, who had been waiting outside to go in and speak, was completely ignored by Feng Niang.

Doctor Wang nervously wiped the fine beads of sweat from his forehead. Seeing Feng Niang come out, he asked again, "Feng Niangzi, I was clearly the one who stepped forward first. Why... why did you let Doctor Zhang go in first?"

Fengniang looked at Doctor Wang with a stern expression and said, "Doctor Wang, the master will ask about it sooner or later, so why is Doctor Wang in such a hurry?"

"Just wait a little longer!"

Doctor Wang was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and nodded, "What Lady Feng says is true, what she says is true, I'm not in a hurry."

"I'm in no hurry."

Doctor Wang hurriedly turned around, wanting to go back into the house, but just happened to run into Pan Hu standing at the door.

Doctor Wang didn't recognize Pan Hu and assumed he was a servant in the prefect's household, so he didn't pay much attention to him.

But when Doctor Wang walked past Pan Hu, a chill swept over him. How could this man have such a strong murderous aura?
And why was he standing at the door of his room? Doctor Wang steadied himself and staggered back into the room.

Fengniang walked over and glared at her son. "I told you to keep an eye on him, not to scare him."

Pan Hu turned his face away and said, "I didn't scare him. He's just feeling guilty."

"So you're so sure the mole in the clinic is him?"

Feng Niang paused, then shook her head. "I'm not sure. It's all just speculation."

"The lady said that once she has asked, she will know everything."

"Madam... Madam never imagined that the once shrewd proprietress of Chunfenglou would one day become so dependent on another person."

Feng Niang frowned slightly. "Pan Hu, don't forget who saved you."

"I haven't forgotten! I haven't forgotten who betrayed me!"

Fengniang shook her head slightly as she looked at Pan Hu, who was still acting awkwardly, and turned to leave to take another doctor.

Meanwhile, Dr. Zhang, who was being questioned by Bai Wanqing in the side hall, also looked solemn when asked about the medicines in the medicine cabinet.

"Master, Doctor Zheng and I forced our way in to see that medicine."

"That Atractylodes macrocephala does not look like the Atractylodes macrocephala we usually use."

"So when Dr. Zheng was taken away, we were speechless."

Dr. Zhang still feels terrified when he thinks about what happened that day.

A group of yamen runners surrounded their clinic, accusing them of selling counterfeit medicine.

Before they could even offer an explanation, the constables began searching through the medicine cabinet.

Dr. Zheng was the most senior doctor in the clinic. He stepped forward to defend himself. Others might not know, but Dr. Zheng knew better than anyone else that their century-old clinic used only the best and most authentic medicinal herbs. How could they possibly have counterfeit medicine?

But these constables actually found it in the medicine cabinet.

Doctor Zheng didn't believe it at first, so he shook off the yamen runners holding him and rushed over to see.

It was during this chaotic moment that he managed to shake off the others and get close.

"It's fake, it's definitely fake," Dr. Zhang said with certainty.

"Master, this time it was our oversight; we didn't even know when the medicine had been switched with fake medicine."

"Dr. Zhang, do you remember when was the last time you used Atractylodes macrocephala?"

Dr. Zhang regained his senses slightly. "The last time, yes! The last time should have been the afternoon before. At that time, there was a patient with severe dampness, and Dr. Zheng prescribed Atractylodes macrocephala for him."

"But Dr. Zheng didn't notice anything wrong with the medicine when he dispensed it!" Dr. Zhang said.

"So, in your memory, who went to get the medicine after that?"

"Or rather, who would have the opportunity to get close to the medicine cabinet when none of you are around?"

Dr. Zhang was taken aback by the question, then suddenly remembered, "It's Dr. Wang, and there's more!"

"Dr. Zhang, please speak frankly."

"And there's Doctor Luo. When we left the clinic, only the two of them were left."

"The next day, Doctor Zheng stayed in the front hall the whole time. It might not be so easy to change the medicine now."

This is exactly what Bai Wanqing was waiting for.

"I understand! Thank you for your hard work, Dr. Zhang." Bai Wanqing had Ruixin lead Dr. Zhang out.

Fengniang then brought Doctor Chen in.

This time, Bai Wanqing didn't ask any questions and simply asked Doctor Chen to leave.

"Fengniang, you should send the other doctors back."

"Keep Doctor Wang here."

(End of this chapter)