On her wedding night, she went into exile with her pharmacy arsenal

Chapter 2310 Hearing of the He Family Again

Upon hearing this, Mingzhao turned to look at Mu Chen.

Her gaze was resolute, and her voice was calm: "No."

"The princess's poison uses unique ingredients and is prepared using unusual methods. Ordinary doctors cannot even identify the origin of this poison, let alone know how to cure it."

Even the imperial physicians in the palace were helpless against her unique, secret poison; the doctors at the He family's pharmacy were no match for her.

Although she had only known Yan Ruyu for a short time, she was well aware of his abilities.

Putting everything else aside, in terms of medicine and poison alone, no one in the world can surpass her.

She firmly believed this.

Mu Chen nodded and looked at the pharmacy: "But the He family couldn't possibly have done nothing. This calm is rather strange."

Mingzhao nodded, deeply agreeing: "So we need to stay calm and wait a bit longer; they'll eventually slip up."

No sooner had the words been spoken than a carriage with a blue cloth curtain slowly came to a stop in front of the pharmacy.

The carriage wasn't luxurious; it looked like the style of an ordinary family's carriage. The curtain was lifted, and a maid jumped down first, followed by a pregnant woman with a large belly.

The pregnant woman, dressed in a plain cotton dress, looked pale and somewhat weak. Supported by her maid, she slowly walked into the He family's pharmacy.

Such a scene was common at the entrance of He's Pharmacy, and Mingzhao didn't pay much attention to it at first.

Not long after, the pregnant woman came out of the pharmacy, carrying a medicine bag in her hand, and was helped into the carriage by her maid.

Unusually, a young clerk from the pharmacy followed them out and stood on the steps of the pharmacy, staring intently at the carriage.

Only after the carriage had driven far away, turned the corner, and disappeared from sight did he turn his gaze away, look around, and, seeing that no one was paying attention to him, quickly turn back into the pharmacy.

This small gesture, when seen by Mingzhao, instantly made her gaze darken.

With so many patients coming and going, the waiter didn't even bother to escort them out; he just stood at the door watching the carriage drive away.

This is truly extraordinary.

The image of the Su family flashed through her mind instantly. The Su family was also pregnant, and their deaths were inextricably linked to the He family.

The pregnant woman couldn't help but be suspicious of the waiter's unusual behavior.

Could it be that, like the Su family, the He family intends to use this pregnant woman for some purpose?

Mingzhao immediately said to Mu Chen in a deep voice, "Mu Chen, go and investigate."

"What are the princess's orders?"

"Find out who that pregnant woman was, where she lived, and how many months pregnant she was," Mingzhao said methodically. "Also, check if there are any doctors at the He family pharmacy who specialize in gynecology and pregnancy maintenance."

"What are the doctors' backgrounds? What kind of people do they usually come into contact with? Which pregnant women have they treated?"

She paused for a moment, then continued, "We've probably only scratched the surface of the He family's affairs."

It must also be related to these pregnant women. To find out about these things, we have to start with these doctors.

They are the most direct witnesses; if we can get them to talk, we can always find something out.

Mu Chen cupped his hands in greeting: "Understood, I will investigate immediately!"

Yan Ruyu and her four companions rode their horses toward Chongzhou.

As they came to a fork in the road, they suddenly heard a donkey braying and a woman cursing from ahead.

The group reined in their horses and stopped. They saw a stubborn gray donkey blocking the middle of the road, pawing at its hooves and swishing its tail, refusing to move an inch.

On the dirt road beside the donkey, an old woman dressed in coarse blue cloth was sitting on the ground, rubbing her ankle with one hand and slapping her thigh with the other, cursing the donkey with bared teeth, her wrinkles all twisted together.

"That damned stubborn bastard! He usually seems so docile, but today he's gone completely mad."

"Not only did he refuse to leave, but he also threw me off, and I almost broke my old bones!" The old woman cursed until her throat was dry, then looked down and rubbed her ankle, gasping in pain.

Yan Ruyu dismounted and asked gently, "Old man, are you alright? Did you fall?"

The old woman looked up and saw a pretty young woman. She paused for a moment before waving her hand and pointing at the donkey with a sigh: "Girl, you are kind. I'm fine, but I'm afraid I've twisted my ankle and can't move it."

There's nowhere to be found, in the middle of nowhere. What are we going to do?

The crowd gathered around to look, and saw that the old woman's right ankle was indeed swollen.

Yin Ding hissed, "Look how swollen it is, it must have been twisted badly."

Yan Ruyu squatted down, her gaze shifting slightly, a faint, strange light flashing in her eyes.

After reading it, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's nothing serious, just a sprained tendon, no broken bones. I'll rest for a while and then apply some medicine."

She took out a small porcelain bottle from the plain medicine pouch hanging at her waist.

Linlang stepped forward and took it: "Master, let me do it."

She poured some clear medicinal oil into her palm, rubbed her hands together until warm, and then applied it to the old woman's swollen area.

The medicated oil had a cooling effect on her skin. The old woman initially frowned, but soon her brows relaxed, and she kept praising it.

"Oh, that feels so good! This medicated oil is really effective, young lady. The excruciating pain I felt earlier has lessened by more than half!"

The old woman tried to move her ankle; although it still hurt a little, she was able to barely put weight on it.

She bowed repeatedly to Yan Ruyu, saying, "Thank you so much, young lady! You are my savior, otherwise I would probably have been sitting on this road all day."

"It was nothing." Yan Ruyu helped her up and handed her the porcelain bottle. "Take this medicated oil. Apply it twice more when you get home, and it will be better in a few days."

The old woman took the porcelain bottle and tucked it into her bosom like a precious treasure.

Yan Ruyu asked again, "Where is the old man going? At such an advanced age, why is he all alone?"

"Go to Chongzhou!" the old woman answered readily, her face showing urgency. "To see my niece. She's pregnant and due in two months."

However, she was always very weak. Her mother-in-law passed away early, and she had no one to take care of her.

As her aunt, I only have this one niece, and I'm really worried about her. I'm thinking of going over to take care of her, and then helping her during her postpartum period after her safe delivery. That would be a way of repaying my deceased brother and sister-in-law.

Upon hearing the word "pregnant," Yan Ruyu's mind stirred slightly, and she looked up to exchange a glance with Huo Changhe beside her.

Huo Changhe immediately understood and said, "Old man, we are also heading to Chongzhou. Why don't you come with us? That way we can look after each other. Your foot injury hasn't healed yet, so it's not appropriate for you to travel alone."

Upon hearing this, the old woman's anxious expression instantly turned into joy, and she thanked her repeatedly.

"Thank you so much! I've troubled you all unnecessarily, it's been too much of a hassle!"

"It's just on the way, it's no trouble at all." Huo Changhe gestured for Yin Ding to lead the stubborn donkey.

Linlang helped the old woman onto her horse.

"Don't worry, I'm very good at riding horses."

The old woman felt a warm glow in her heart: "You are all so kind-hearted benefactors. When we get to Chongzhou, we must visit my niece's house and prepare a feast for her. Thank you!"

Yan Ruyu smiled and said, "Your niece is not feeling well. Have you seen a doctor? The medicine for preventing miscarriage should also be carefully considered."

"I've looked! I've looked!" The old woman nodded quickly, her tone full of trust. "My niece said in her letter that she's been seeing a doctor at the He family pharmacy in Chongzhou!"

He Family Pharmacy is very famous in Chongzhou. The medicinal materials are good and the doctors are skilled. I heard that many pregnant women go there for treatment.

My niece's pregnancy stabilized after taking the medication they prescribed; otherwise, she wouldn't have made it this far.

"He Family Pharmacy?"

Upon hearing these four words, Yan Ruyu's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Whose family is it this time?