Ye Chutang looked at Qin Muyun, who was extremely nervous, and said with a smile, "Young Master Qin, there's no need to be so tense. Marriage is a very common thing."
After saying that, she picked up the teapot and poured a cup of tea for Qin Muyun.
"Thank you."
Qin Muyun picked up the teacup and gulped down the tea.
"Ouch, it's hot!"
Before Ye Chutang could stop him, Qin Muyun scalded his mouth and spat out all the tea on the ground.
He was so annoyed at his own stupidity that he wished he could find a hole to hide in.
"Miss Ye, please forgive my rudeness. I'm not usually like this."
Ye Chutang looked at the ice basin in the corner, where there were still some unmelted ice cubes.
She chipped off a small piece of ice, put it in a cup, and handed it to Qin Muyun.
"Hold this in your mouth. It can relieve the burning pain from the scald."
Qin Muyun obediently held the ice cube in his mouth.
The burning pain in his mouth was much alleviated, but it was a bit difficult for him to speak clearly.
"I know I'm not good enough for you, Miss Ye. But I heard that you have the final say in your marriage. So I still plucked up the courage to ask what kind of man you have in mind?"
With the ice cube in his mouth, his speech was slurred, so he spoke very slowly.
After patiently listening to him, Ye Chutang picked up the hot tea and took a sip.
"For me, getting married means spending the rest of my life with the one I love. I only accept a man whose heart and body belong only to me, and I want a lifetime commitment to just one person."
Except for poor men who had difficulty getting married, very few men in feudal society could live up to this standard.
Feudal society gave men the privilege of having multiple wives and concubines, and only a fool would give it up.
Qin Muyun spat out the ice cube in his mouth and said eagerly, "There's a family rule in our Qin family that a man is not allowed to have a woman before marriage. I can also promise to love only one woman in my life and never betray her."
He didn't think having multiple wives and concubines was a good thing. Instead, he regarded it as a burden.
If he could be with the woman he loved, he would be overjoyed and naturally would never let her down.
Ye Chutang thought that a playboy like Qin Muyun must have had many women by his side. She never expected that he was actually a pure and innocent young man.
"Although your objective conditions meet my requirements, you're not the type of man I like."
"What kind of man do you like, Miss Ye?"
"Someone like Prince Chen, a great hero with an open mind and a heart for the country and the people."
Of course, she said this casually.
Ye Chutang had never thought about setting any criteria for her future partner. As long as she met someone she liked, that would be enough.
Hearing her words, Qin Muyun's eyes dimmed.
Even though he was talented in learning and had a gift for divination, he would always be seen as a good - for - nothing playboy in this life and could never be a hero!
"Sorry to have bothered you, Miss Ye."
Ye Chutang looked at Qin Muyun, who looked dejected.
"Wait a minute, Young Master Qin. I haven't finished speaking yet."
Qin Muyun, who was just about to get up and leave, sat back down again, sitting upright like a child waiting for a lecture.
"Please go ahead, Miss Ye."
"Birds of a feather flock together. You can be on familiar terms with Prince Chen, which shows that you're by no means an idle playboy. You must have your own ideals and aspirations. You shouldn't be confined to this small world of the capital city and live a muddled life. Family is important, but the outside world is also vast. Go out and see it."
At this moment, Ye Chutang didn't know that it was precisely because of these words that Qin Muyun would be remembered in history!
Qin Muyun looked at Ye Chutang, his heart in turmoil.
"Thank you for your advice, Miss Ye. I'll think it over carefully. Farewell."
After saying that, he got up and left.
After dealing with this suitor, Ye Chutang returned to the crowd and continued to talk eloquently.
After leaving the Poetry - chanting Tower, Qin Muyun looked back at it.
Such a woman deserves someone better.
***
At noon, the emperor issued an imperial edict of self - reproach.
The imperial edict was posted at the city gate, next to the imperial proclamation for catching the "Ghost Thief".
Countless common people stopped to watch, blocking the city gate so tightly that not even a drop of water could pass through.
"The emperor said he won't pursue immortality through Taoist practices anymore. This is really a cause for celebration!"
"Who would have thought that the emperor would admit his mistake? The 'petition of ten thousand people' really worked!"
"Haven't you heard that there was a severe flood in the south of the Yangtze River, causing tens of thousands of casualties? If he didn't admit his mistake, the country would be in danger of perishing!"
"Shh, don't talk like that. You'll end up in prison if you're not careful."
"So many people died in the south of the Yangtze River. Will there be a plague? Should we stock up on some medicinal herbs?"
"Oh, I almost forgot. My wife told me to buy some medicine..."
As the news of the possible plague spread, the common people rushed to buy anti - plague powder.
At this time, the owners of the medicine shops in the capital suddenly realized.
So that's what happened!
The young master who had bought up all the medicinal herbs before must have learned about the flood in the south of the Yangtze River from the court in advance!
If Ye Chutang knew what the shop owners were thinking, she would definitely reply, "You're overthinking. I just like to stock up on things."
The prescription for the anti - plague powder consisted of some common medicinal herbs, and the price was not high. So the wealthy common people bought a lot of it.
Although the medicine shops had replenished their stock of medicinal herbs, the mad rush for the powder was so intense that the supply was far from enough.
The owner of Xinglin Hall, who had experienced a plague before, immediately proposed a purchase limit.
They must not let the situation happen where sick people couldn't get the medicine while healthy people stocked up on it.
If the plague spread, no one could stay out of it!
Xinglin Hall was a leader among the medicine shops in the capital, and other shops quickly followed suit.
The panic - buying spree subsided immediately.
Ye Chutang was walking on the street. After hearing about this, she went to Xinglin Hall.
Although there was a purchase limit on the anti - plague powder, there were still a lot of people in the medicine shop.
Ye Chutang couldn't squeeze in, so she called a pharmacy assistant.
She had bought medicine at Xinglin Hall before, and the assistant recognized her.
"Miss Ye, are you also here to buy the anti - plague powder?"
"No. I have a few prescriptions here and I'd like the shop owner to take a look at them."
After saying that, she handed the written prescriptions to the assistant.
The assistant glanced at the busy shop owner, hesitated for a moment, and then took the prescriptions.
"Miss Ye, the shop owner is very busy right now. He may not have time to look at them immediately. Wait until he's free..."
Ye Chutang interrupted the assistant, her tone serious. "He must take a look at them right away."
Considering Ye Chutang's current reputation, the assistant nodded. "Okay, Miss Ye. Please wait a moment."
He squeezed through the crowd with the prescriptions and whispered something in the shop owner's ear.
The shop owner looked at Ye Chutang outside the shop and opened the prescriptions.
The words "Plague prevention medicine" caught his eye.
He didn't take it seriously at first because there was no such thing as a plague - preventing medicine in the world.
But after reading the prescriptions, he was so excited that he shouted, "Quickly invite Miss Ye in!"
When the assistant went to invite Ye Chutang, the shop owner continued to read the remaining prescriptions. The more he read, the more excited he became.
"This... This... Miss Ye's medical skills are comparable to those of the legendary Hua Tuo!"
As soon as he said this, the common people became curious.
"Boss, isn't Miss Ye said to be the reincarnation of the God of Literature? How can she be compared to Hua Tuo now?"
They only knew that the eldest daughter of the Ye family was extremely talented in literature, and even Dean Song of Huating Academy admitted that he was no match for her.
They had never heard that she knew medicine!
The shop owner waved the prescriptions in his hand and said proudly, "Miss Ye is not only good at literature, but also excellent in medicine!"
"The prescriptions were brought by Miss Ye, but they may not have been written by her, right?"
"Even if she wrote the prescriptions, it doesn't necessarily mean that she came up with them, does it?"
These stinky men were naturally hostile to outstanding women.
Ye Chutang didn't care.
She was escorted into the medicine shop by the assistant.
"Shop owner, remember the faces of these two people. If one day they need my prescriptions to save their lives, don't sell them the medicine."
The shopkeeper nodded repeatedly. "The prescription belongs to Miss Ye. You have the final say." The common people became even more curious and asked, "Shopkeeper, what kind of prescription are you holding in your hand?" "It's a wonderful prescription that can save the world!"
