Chapter 368 - 366: Truly a Disgrace to Modern People (Second Update)

Chapter 368: Chapter 366: Truly a Disgrace to Modern People (Second Update)

"Of course."

Xu Jing’s lips curled slightly, "I’ve been inspecting store locations in the Western Capital these past few days, planning to open our Xinglin Hall branch there before mid-February."

Zhou Xian, struggling to maintain his composure, couldn’t help but gape, "Mid-February? That’s less than a month away! Isn’t it challenging to open a branch in the Western Capital in such a short time?!"

When they opened the Tianyi Hall branch in the Western Capital, it took them nearly two months to prepare!

After all, opening a store isn’t just about renting a space and furnishing it; you need to get all kinds of personnel, supplies, and preparations in order!

"That’s why we’ll need your help."

Xu Jing’s eyes curved as she looked at Zhou Qi, "Time is tight now, and I don’t have enough time to handle everything one by one..."

Zhou Qi understood Xu Jing’s implication and nodded, "Miss Xu, don’t worry. We can supply all the personnel and materials needed to open the medical hall from our Tianyi Hall."

Starting from scratch naturally takes time, but if there’s already something established nearby, transferring everything over is quite straightforward.

Xu Jing chuckled softly, "Talking with Mr. Zhou is truly reassuring. And one more thing, I’ve recently made some ointments, patches, and pills for external injuries. I want to sell them at Tianyi Hall, and if possible, I’d appreciate it if Mr. Zhou could help promote these medicines in the coming days."

The army, constantly on the march, naturally needs the most medicines for treating external injuries.

Every army of over two thousand in Great Chu has accompanying military physicians, but they can’t always be with the soldiers. Hence, the court provides each soldier with some common external injury medicines periodically, due to the sheer quantity needed, leading to cooperation with outside medical halls.

The court has always cooperated with specific medical halls and conducts annual reviews of these partnerships.

After deciding to compete with Guangming Hall, Xu Jing investigated and found that the previously cooperating medical hall was caught secretly bribing court officials and cutting corners on medical supplies. This angered the Holy Emperor, who now seeks new, capable partners.

Diving deeper, Xu Jing discovered that the formerly cooperating hall was secretly backed by the Wang Family. Clearly, supplying the military with medicines is highly lucrative, drawing the attention of major families in the capital.

Moreover, if the Jiang Family indeed supports Prince Xing from the shadows, it seems likely that the sudden exposure of the issues with the Wang-backed medical hall was heavily influenced, or even orchestrated, by the Jiang Family.

After all, with the Wang Family’s standing and backing by the Empress Dowager, most wouldn’t have the power to undermine a hall they support.

The Jiang Family spent so much effort, definitely not willing to easily relinquish this profit. Xu Jing knew from the start that this matter wouldn’t be easy, and no matter how much she accelerated Xinglin Hall’s expansion, it couldn’t compare to Guangming Hall, already well-established.

Thus, she never intended to confront Guangming Hall directly. As the saying goes, a strategic approach was needed; only a fool would compare Xinglin Hall’s scale and credentials directly with Guangming Hall. She needed a different tactic! Given that her medical skills and products already had some renown among the people, if she could further boost her reputation, she’d at least overshadow Guangming Hall in reputation.

The tricky part is that her reputation in medicine mainly comes from a few of her previously made products, none of which are for external injuries. Now she needs to find a way to enhance her reputation in external injury medicines.

Zhou Qi quickly grasped Xu Jing’s intention and nodded, "No problem, I’ll pass the word. From now on, anyone coming to Tianyi Hall for injury treatment will be recommended Miss Xu’s medicine first!"

However, while this can somewhat enhance Miss Xu’s reputation in external injury medicines, its effect is limited. After all, with only a month left, even if Tianyi Hall treated many injury patients, it wouldn’t increase the number significantly."

This scattered handful of patients wouldn’t rapidly elevate Miss Xu’s reputation in such a short time.

"No worries, I have an ace up my sleeve."

Xu Jing smirked and raised her eyebrows, "Mr. Zhou just needs to do what I requested; that’ll be a great help."

In terms of marketing, who could outdo someone like her, seasoned in modern campaigns?

If she lost this battle, it would truly bring shame to her modern upbringing.

Just as Xu Jing was about to leave, Zhou Qi stopped her, hesitated a bit, and then spoke gravely, "Miss Xu, since my father’s passing, I’ve secretly planted people in Guangming Hall to find evidence and avenge him. Over the years, I’ve learned some things.

Has Miss Xu heard the story of Guangming Hall’s rise? Guangming Hall was just a small medical hall in Anping County, about twenty-four years ago. A plague swept through three nearby provinces, nearly reaching the Western Capital.

The one who developed the special medicine for the plague was Lin Chengzhao, currently the Family Head of the Lin Family. Lin Chengzhao instantly became hailed as a savior, earning accolades even from the then Emperor Xuanheng, who rewarded him lavishly. The current plaque of Guangming Hall’s store in Anping County was gifted by Emperor Xuanheng himself.

From then on, Guangming Hall seemed to sprout wings, becoming a leading medical hall throughout Great Chu in just a few years."

Xu Jing had already learned this while still in Anping County, with Cheng Xianbai’s help.

To be honest, if Guangming Hall weren’t capable, it wouldn’t qualify to compete for military medicine supplies, nor would it attract the Jiang Family’s interest.

Xu Jing nodded, "I’m aware of these events. I heard that the late emperor later wanted to summon Lin Chengzhao to the palace as an Imperial Physician, but Lin Chengzhao declined, claiming he made the special medicine for the common people, not for fame."

Emperor Xuanheng, known for his appreciation of talent, praised him instead of being angry at his high-minded reasoning.

But Zhou Qi suddenly smirked sarcastically, "How could Lin Chengzhao possess such lofty ideals?! Moreover, at that time, all doctors in Anping County knew Lin Chengzhao’s skills were mediocre at best, not even ranking in the county!

When it was announced he developed the special medicine, many were surprised and skeptical. If I hadn’t known Lin Chengzhao well, I might’ve believed his excuse for refusing the palace position."

He sneered, "His real reason for refusing was likely fear that once in the palace, amidst highly skilled Imperial Physicians, his lack of skill would quickly become evident!"