Chapter 22: Contingency Plan

True to her name, even though it was only a profile, it was not difficult to see that the woman possessed a slender waist, carrying an indescribable charm amidst her willow-like fragility.

It was no wonder Yang Zhen doted on her so much; all her attire was provided according to the standards of a primary wife.

Ye Chutang quickly withdrew her gaze and walked inside with Wu Xu.

...

Another patient had appeared at the yamen today; the other three were reportedly too ill to attend.

The patient was a woman in her thirties. As soon as she saw Ye Chutang enter, she began clutching her stomach and wailing incessantly.

"Magistrate! I beg you, you must seek justice for us! Ye's Medical Clinic gave us spoiled medicine and harmed us like this! If this kind of clinic is allowed to continue operating in Jiangling, who knows how many more people they will kill!"

Ye Chutang couldn't help but laugh.

Though the laugh was light, it sounded exceptionally piercing at this moment.

The woman looked over and cursed in a fit of rage, "You can still laugh! You are simply too arrogant! Magistrate, you must grant us justice!"

Yang Zhen's gaze fell upon the young woman who had just walked in, and a flash of admiration crossed his eyes.

He had long known that there was a Ye's Medical Clinic in Jiangling, run by a Doctor Ye who was only seventeen years old but possessed excellent medical skills and a beautiful countenance.

Had she not been burdened with several younger siblings, suitors would likely have worn down her doorstep long ago.

He had previously been indifferent, but seeing her today, he realized those words were not an exaggeration.

The woman wore a light white gown embroidered with begonias; she stood tall and elegant, calm and refined.

Just by standing there, she seemed to be bathed in a soft glow, making her exceptionally eye-catching.

Yang Zhen composed himself and asked with a serious expression, "Ye Chutang, what are you laughing at?"

Ye Chutang performed a formal bow before looking up with a faint smile to explain, "I am laughing because she has the audacity to speak such blatant falsehoods right here in court, in front of the Magistrate."

The woman grew frantic immediately. "What did you say!"

Ye Chutang turned slightly to meet her gaze. "You just said that if Ye's Medical Clinic continues to operate, who knows how many more people will be killed. Does that not imply that I already have blood on my hands? Perhaps my information is outdated, but how is it that I am unaware of such a massive incident?"

The woman did not expect Ye Chutang to seize upon that specific phrase and immediately moved to retort, "You—"

Ye Chutang gave her no chance to speak, continuing

"Or perhaps, you are merely speaking recklessly for the sake of being sharp-tongued? But do you know where this is? Every word and action must be truthful. You dare to spout such nonsense in front of the Magistrate; who knows how much of what comes out of your mouth is truth and how much is lies?"

Everyone was stunned.

No one expected this seemingly gentle and refined woman to be so sharp once she opened her mouth.

Moreover, her words were so well-constructed that they were impossible to fault; the woman had indeed exaggerated her claims with her dramatic wailing.

Realizing she was in the wrong, the woman's eyes flickered, but people of this sort often become louder and more high-handed when they feel guilty.

She raised her voice defiantly and cursed, "Stop beating around the bush! We are just ordinary citizens, and we cannot match your silver tongue! But it was only after we visited your clinic and took your medicine that our illnesses grew worse! You must take responsibility for this!"

Ye Chutang scanned her from head to toe, thinking that the woman seemed remarkably full of vigor—where was the slightest sign of illness?

She said calmly, "You came to the clinic three days ago in the morning, complaining of a headache. Because two ingredients were missing from the prescription, I only gave you the written formula so you could go to the pharmacy to collect the medicine yourself. Now you say this is all my fault? That is easy enough to resolve. Produce the prescription from that day, let other doctors examine whether there was an issue with what I prescribed, and everything will be clear."

The woman had not expected Ye Chutang to remember the details of that day so clearly, and a moment of panic flashed in her heart.

But she quickly composed herself and snorted coldly, "It has been several days! Who knows where that scrap of paper went!"

Ye Chutang had anticipated this answer and nodded slightly. "That is also easy to handle. I am in the habit of writing two copies of every prescription. One for the patient, and one for my records. As it happens, I have brought the ledger. I request the Magistrate to examine it."

As she spoke, she pulled a thin booklet from her sleeve and presented it.

Everyone was stunned by this scene.

Ye Chutang had clearly come prepared! Who could have imagined that she kept a second copy of every prescription she wrote!

"This records all the prescriptions issued by the clinic over the past half-month, down to the specific time and date. The Magistrate will see for himself," Ye Chutang added.

Yang Zhen opened the booklet and found that every single prescription had indeed been recorded neatly.

He gave Ye Chutang a meaningful look. "You are quite clever."

Ye Chutang sighed inwardly.

Without electronic archives here, it caused quite a bit of trouble; she had essentially doubled her workload!

"Sometimes the clinic is quite busy, and there are days when dozens of prescriptions are issued. Because patients have returned in the past inquiring about lost prescriptions, and also to avoid confusion, I took the extra care to transcribe a second copy for emergencies."

And now, it had truly come in handy.

Yang Zhen beckoned to Wu Xu. "Go and invite several doctors over to see if there is anything wrong with these formulas."

Wu Xu immediately took the order and left.

Soon, three doctors were brought in. After examining the prescriptions, they all shook their heads, stating they were normal formulas for treating headaches and contained no issues.

The woman panicked instantly and cried out, "How do we know you didn't just add this later! You could have written whatever you wanted!"

Ye Chutang blinked. "A good question. Therefore, all the prescriptions in this ledger are written in chronological order on continuous pages, leaving absolutely no room for inserting or altering entries in the middle. Furthermore, the Magistrate has keen eyes; he should be able to roughly deduce the time they were written by observing the dryness of the ink."

Yang Zhen nodded. "Indeed. It can be seen that these were written several days ago, not fresh ink."

He returned the booklet to Ye Chutang, having gained a new respect for her.

To be so thorough at only seventeen years old was truly rare.

If it weren't for the provocation of the Cao family, she wouldn't have run into such trouble.

However, he had already promised Yiyi that he would help her cousin vent his anger, so at the very least, he would have to shut down her clinic for a while longer...

Just as Yang Zhen was pondering what excuse to use, the woman suddenly raised her voice. "Even if the prescription is fine, the medicine you gave must be problematic!"

Ye Chutang narrowed her eyes slightly. "What did you say?"

The woman wiped away non-existent tears and wailed, "Those medicinal ingredients were all taken from your Ye's Medical Clinic! Who knows if they were all tainted with poison! Magistrate! Send someone to search her clinic right now! You will surely find the truth!"

(End of Chapter)