Just past noon.
The blazing sun scorched the earth, and most pedestrians along the road were drenched in sweat.
Yet Wang Ji, seated in a carriage and holding an ice jug, felt refreshed and clear-headed. Thinking over the several matters Chen Yi had entrusted to him, he could not help but mutter to himself.
Ever since Chen Yi had asked him to serve as the shopkeeper of Hundred Herbs Hall, Wang Ji had come to understand Chen Yi fairly well.
In his eyes, Chen Yi was not only a learned man of great talent, but also skilled in commerce and the Medical Dao.
One could glimpse as much from Hundred Herbs Hall's increasingly thriving business.
But the other things Chen Yi did were beyond Wang Ji's comprehension.
Even though he had handled some of those matters himself, he still felt as though clouds and fog obscured everything.
For example, why had the residence in East Market been put up for sale immediately after being purchased, only for several more to be bought afterward?
Or why did Guard Liu hide by day and emerge by night?
And then there was Zhang Dabao's accidental revelation that Chen Yi had disguised himself and gone out several times at night.
With all of this, Wang Ji could not help but think more deeply about it.
It was not that he worried about his own safety. He simply feared that if he remained outside the matter for too long, Chen Yi would cease to value him.
Just like today, he had deduced that Chen Yi and Guard Liu were about to undertake something significant.
Yet in the end, he could only handle trifling tasks like purchasing residences and delivering letters.
It inevitably left him somewhat discouraged.
"Before Yan Hai sets off, I'd better give him