Shanji Medicine Shop.
"Master Yan, why are you here? It's not time to pay the rent yet..." Doctor Qian, who was organizing the medicinal herbs, was startled when he saw Yan Mingli and quickly stepped forward, asking cautiously.
Yan Mingli waved his hand and said with a smile, "I'm not here to collect your silver today. On the contrary, I'm here to give you some."
Doctor Qian was first confused and then nervously asked, "What illness do you have, Master Yan? What medicine do you need? You're the benefactor of this shop. I'll give you a discount on the medicine."
Misunderstood as being ill, Yan Mingli felt a bit helpless. He reached out and pulled Shen Baozhu out from behind him.
Shen Baozhu was still holding the Fourth Prince's hand. She looked up at Doctor Qian and explained, "Brother Mingli said I was too idle, so he sent me here to recognize medicinal herbs. I also brought two good friends!"
"Brother Mingli, hurry up and give the money!"
Urged by Shen Baozhu, Yan Mingli took out a silver ingot and heavily placed it on the counter.
The silver ingot weighed a full twenty taels, enough to pay the rent for a long time. Doctor Qian nervously looked at Yan Mingli.
Yan Mingli made Qiuqiu, Shen Baozhu, and the Fourth Prince stand in a row. He pointed at them one by one and said, "Five taels, ten taels, fifteen taels. The three kids will cost fifteen taels. You're responsible for making them have a good time."
"In the morning for the next few days, I'll send them here. When it's time for meals, you go to Zuiyinlou to pick up the food. The remaining five taels are for your errand fee."
Doctor Qian's eyes landed on the silver and he was reluctant to look away for a long time. "Sir, although I agreed before, this is a medicine shop after all. The customers coming and going all carry the aura of illness. It's not suitable for young ladies and masters to stay..."
"It doesn't matter. They're all in good health. You just teach them to recognize the medicinal herbs. When someone comes to buy medicine, let them play by themselves. Remember, you must keep a close eye on them and don't let them run around." Yan Mingli wasn't worried about this at all. With the immortal's pills, there was no need to worry about any illness.
He sent the three kids to Shanji Medicine Shop because of the special situation in these few days. There was a problem with Chen Ruxia's dowry shop, and he had to help check the accounts. Su Qian invited Chen Miaochun to stay in Sujiacun for a few days and by the way, inspect her calligraphy practice. His godmother was also very busy and stayed in the yard all day.
When Yan Mingli was worrying about what to do, he happened to hear Shen Baozhu say she wanted to recognize medicinal herbs. He remembered Shanji Medicine Shop and simply brought all three kids here.
Before leaving, Yan Mingli specifically told Doctor Qian, "Later, an old stinky man will come. You must be on guard against him and don't let him come into contact with the three kids, lest he lead them astray."
Dragon King: [The old stinky man must be Old Man Gu, right?]
Lin Yu: [Mingli is really scared.]
After Doctor Qian received the silver, he started teaching the three kids to recognize the medicinal herbs.
After an incense stick of time.
Doctor Qian stared at Shen Baozhu in disbelief. "You remember everything I just said? What kind of medicinal herb is this? What's its efficacy? Can you repeat what I just said?"
Looking at the medicinal herb that Doctor Qian had just introduced in his hand, Shen Baozhu blinked and repeated it word for word.
"A genius! Is it possible that she has a photographic memory?" Doctor Qian looked at Shen Baozhu curiously and even walked around her twice.
Qiuqiu wasn't interested in the medicinal herbs and lowered her head to play with her fingers. The Fourth Prince, on the other hand, tried hard to remember the appearance and uses of the medicinal herbs. He wanted to catch up with Baozhu!
Among the three students, one had a photographic memory and one was eager to learn. This made Qiuqiu stand out. Doctor Qian couldn't help but focus his attention on her.
Dragon King: [Oh, I didn't expect Qiuqiu to be the one getting special attention. I thought it would be the cute girl or the Fourth Prince.]
Dragon King: [After all, the cute girl has a photographic memory and is a good student. The Fourth Prince has just recovered to normal and can't even speak properly. He must be learning poorly. Either focus on the good student or care about the poor student. I didn't expect it to be Qiuqiu.]
Lin Yu: [Look at the Fourth Prince. His eyes are almost on the medicinal herbs. Qiuqiu is still playing with her fingers. Doctor Qian must be concerned about the student who isn't being serious.]
Qiuqiu wasn't being deliberately unserious. It just seemed interesting to recognize the medicinal herbs at first, but when it came to actually doing it, it was really boring. Especially with Doctor Qian's voice lingering in her ears, it made her feel sleepy.
Just as Qiuqiu was about to fall asleep, an old man suddenly walked into the medicine shop. "Where's Baozhu? Look what fun things Grandpa Gu brought for you."
The old man was holding a sugar painting in his left hand and a cute tumbler in his right.
Dragon King: [The person Mingli is most worried about is here!]
When Doctor Qian saw the Prince Rui, he quickly bowed. "Lord Gu."
Back then, Doctor Qian was blackmailed by someone and his ancestral medicine shop was taken away. It was the Prince Rui who stepped in and punished the villain.
But by that time, the shop had already been bought by someone else. The contract and deed were all in order and had been registered with the government. So the Prince Rui helped him get the money back and then rented the current shop to Doctor Qian.
Seeing the Prince Rui at this moment, Doctor Qian was filled with gratitude.
The Prince Rui came here specifically to see the Fourth Prince today. Yesterday, the emperor summoned him and kept talking about the Fourth Prince. The emperor not only wanted to make the Fourth Prince the crown prince but also wanted the Prince Rui to support him.
Thinking of the emperor's exact words, the Prince Rui scoffed. What pity for the Fourth Prince. Not only was he swapped at birth, but he was also cursed with the resentment of an idiot. What did this show? It showed that this child had a rough destiny!
When he was young, the Prince Rui didn't believe in fate. He did whatever he wanted. He had served in all six ministries, built big bridges, repaired houses, and checked the muddled accounts of the national treasury. Even the land he was standing on now was a new street that he had supervised the expansion of.
But as he got old, the Prince Rui had to believe in fate. When he was a child, a Taoist priest had calculated his fate and said that he would have no sons in his life, but there would be a bosom friend. That person had a similar personality to him and would even save his life. This exactly matched Yan Mingli.
The Prince Rui was entrusted by the emperor to investigate a case in the south. Although he didn't find anything, he publicly claimed that he had found the account books related to the corruption case. Along the way, he encountered many assassinations. The Prince Rui and his guards never left each other's side. He even disguised himself as an old manure collector to survive and come back.
When Yan Mingli saw the Prince Rui lying on the ground, it wasn't because he was tripped by a stone. It was because he had run more than twenty kilometers to escape. At that time, the Prince Rui was exhausted and couldn't get up from the ground. His legs were even weak.
Seven or eight-year-old Yan Mingli was carrying a small bag. When he saw the Prince Rui, he carried him on his back and knocked on the door of Doctor Qian's medicine shop. He used the broken silver he had with him to save the Prince Rui.
Since then, the Prince Rui's attitude towards the theory of fate had changed. He would take time to stay in temples and Taoist monasteries for a few days every year.
Thinking of these past events, the Prince Rui couldn't help but sigh at the impermanence of life. If he could find out who the person who assassinated him was, he would surely cut that person into a thousand pieces!
"Grandpa Gu!" Shen Baozhu ran over and looked curiously at the sugar painting and tumbler in the Prince Rui's hands.
The Fourth Prince closely followed Shen Baozhu. He also came over and whispered, "Grand, Grandpa Gu."
The Prince Rui looked at the two kids in front of him. His gaze landed on the young boy beside Shen Baozhu. This must be the Fourth Prince.
Before the Prince Rui could take a closer look at the Fourth Prince, Qiuqiu also ran over and shouted crisply, "Grandpa Gu!"
From two kids to three kids, the Prince Rui suddenly realized a problem. He had only brought two gifts!
How could he divide these two gifts among three kids?