Chapter Thirty-Nine: Poisonous Scheme

Li Duofu said, “Boss Wu, so many renowned physicians have failed to cure Young Master Qi. If Chu Yun manages to heal him, his fame will spread throughout the land—who knows what consequences that might bring!” He finished speaking, his anxiety deepening.

Meanwhile, Chu Fugui and Chu Shiniang were already contemplating whether they should apologize to Chu Yun to seek his forgiveness.

But Boss Wu replied, “Boss Li, it’s precisely because so many famous physicians have failed that the chances of Chu Yun curing Young Master Qi are slim. Even if he does succeed and wins fame, those doctors who tried and failed will resent him and seek to undermine him in secret. After all, he would have thoroughly shamed them.”

However, Chu Fugui and Chu Shiniang were not convinced. They understood that curing Young Master Qi might offend many physicians, but it would also bring Chu Yun into contact with powerful and influential people. By then, the difference between them and Chu Yun would be like that between clouds and mud—if Chu Yun wished them gone, it would be as easy as crushing ants.

Li Duofu continued, “Boss Wu, I believe our best option is to do everything possible to stop Chu Yun from treating Young Master Qi. If he succeeds, the consequences would be more than we could bear.”

Hearing this, Chu Fugui and Chu Shiniang’s eyes lit up, and they gave Li Duofu a thumbs up, approving his suggestion.

Boss Wu smiled faintly. “Indeed, preventing Chu Yun from treating Young Master Qi is the best way.”

Li Duofu pondered for a moment and said, “I have a few ideas on how we might stop him. On one hand, we can send carrier pigeons to contact assassins, and also bandits along the route from Chu Family Town to the royal city, and have them ambush and kill Chu Yun on the way.”

Boss Wu nodded. “That’s a good plan. If Chu Yun and Luo Feng fall to bandits or assassins, it has nothing to do with us, and won’t affect us much—except for the expense.”

Chu Shiniang added, “Spending money isn’t the issue. The problem is, you’ve all seen how skilled Chu Yun is. And then there’s Luo Feng, Qi King’s personal guard, whose skills must be extraordinary as well. I fear the bandits and assassins may not be able to kill them.”

In truth, she was growing reluctant to oppose Chu Yun any further. After all, apologizing to Chu Yun would cost silver too, and perhaps not even as much as hiring killers and bandits.

Chu Fugui kept silent, harboring the same thought.

Li Duofu went on, “Chu Yun is indeed hard to kill, especially with Luo Feng at his side, so we need a backup plan. If the attempt on their lives fails, I’ll send word by pigeon to some of my father’s friends in the royal city, and have them inform King Qi that Chu Yun is nothing but a charlatan with no medical skill, so he won’t be permitted to treat Young Master Qi.”

At this, he looked at Boss Wu and said, “But those officials and nobles are somewhat distant from me, so I’ll need your help as well.”

Boss Wu nodded with a smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll contact the Witch Doctor Sect and ask them to do everything in their power to stop Chu Yun. I’m sure that, having failed themselves, they won’t want anyone else to succeed. They’ll definitely do all they can to keep Chu Yun from curing Young Master Qi. Even if Chu Yun’s treatment shows results, they won’t let him finish the cure.”

Chu Fugui and Chu Shiniang, who had been ready to apologize to Chu Yun, now hesitated once more after hearing this.

Then Boss Wu took out five taels of silver and said, “Let’s pool our funds to hire bandits and assassins to deal with Chu Yun. Here’s my share.” In truth, he was loath to part with five taels of silver. His real intention was to have the others contribute more, so that when he contacted the bandits and assassins, he could pocket a commission for himself. His main focus was still on getting the Witch Doctor Sect to block Chu Yun’s efforts.

Seeing this, Li Duofu took out his own five taels. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained. To deal with Chu Yun, I’m all in.” He hated Chu Yun deeply, for Chu Yun had helped the Joyous Banquet Restaurant thrive, cutting into his own daily income by more than ten taels of silver already. Five taels was nothing in comparison.

Chu Shiniang and Chu Fugui exchanged looks. Five taels was a considerable sum for them. Though Chu Family Town was a large settlement, there were no real dignitaries or wealthy patrons. The girls at the Red Delight Pavilion earned only a handful of coins per guest. To make back five taels, the girls would have to entertain countless patrons. As for the gambling house, their winnings came mostly from poor families; they dared not win too much from the truly influential, lest they make dangerous enemies. With so many mouths to feed, even the gambling house’s income was modest—a sum like five taels would take at least two months to earn, as Chu Fugui quickly calculated.

“What’s the matter?” Boss Wu asked coldly, seeing that the two of them were slow to produce their share.

Chu Shiniang and Chu Fugui gave awkward smiles and almost spoke in unison, “We can’t come up with five taels.”

Boss Wu waved his hand with a smile. “No matter. Everyone contributes according to their means. Your family can put in just two taels.”

With that, he turned to Li Duofu.

Li Duofu nodded as well. They didn’t expect Chu Shiniang and Chu Fugui to contribute much; the real aim was to implicate them, since there would be dirty work to do, and if things went wrong, they could be made scapegoats.

But Chu Shiniang and Chu Fugui seemed to realize this and were reluctant to part with any money at all.

Boss Wu’s expression darkened. “Don’t tell me you can’t even spare two taels?”

Li Duofu snorted, “Or do you have other plans? I advise you not to even think about it. Now that you know our secrets, we’re all in the same boat. If you betray us, Boss Wu and I won’t let you off.”

The color instantly drained from Chu Shiniang and Chu Fugui’s faces. They had boarded a pirate ship and there was no turning back. They couldn’t afford to cross Li Duofu and Boss Wu. Helplessly, they each produced two taels of silver and handed them over to Boss Wu.

Boss Wu smiled. “Good. Now that we’ve agreed on how to deal with Chu Yun, tonight’s plan to burn down the clinic remains unchanged.”

Chu Shiniang nodded gently. “I’ll have my people act as planned.”

Chu Fugui chimed in, “I’ll have my people ready as well.”

Li Duofu smiled, raised his wine cup, and said, “Very well. To the success of our plan—let’s drink to that.”

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Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Poisonous Plot – Free to Read