"Baishi, if you're willing to change your mind, the Apothecary Hall will absolutely throw open its doors for you. Is there even anything to discuss? I can make the decision right now — you come back, and you'll still be the Third Hall Master!"
"Me, Third Hall Master?" Qiao Baishi shook his head with a bitter laugh.
Elder Lan, unable to hold herself back from the side, blurted out: "Third Hall Master isn't enough? Don't tell me you expect to leap straight to the Grand Hall Master's position?"
"Shut your mouth!" Song Tianxing and
Qiao Baishi, however, had long since developed an immunity to this woman. He chuckled lightly: "I lost interest in the position of Hall Master a long time ago. If the Grand Hall Master wants to hear my conditions, then I'll speak plainly."
"Go ahead." Song Tianxing was in high spirits upon hearing that there were conditions to be discussed. So what if it was an outrageous demand? Let him make it — so long as the Apothecary Hall could survive, no price was too steep.
"The so-called conditions aren't really conditions at all. They're all for the sake of the Apothecary Hall's future. First, Ying Wuyou returns to the Apothecary Hall as Third Hall Master and designated successor. Those three Spiritual Medicines — I will also hand over full exclusive distribution rights to him. No one else among you is to interfere."
This condition was the most basic one.
Song Tianxing nodded eagerly: "That's absolutely no problem. When Wuyou wanted to leave before, the Hall did everything it could to persuade him to stay."
Qiao Baishi nodded. "The second condition — the upper echelon of the Apothecary Hall must be reshuffled. Those who should be kicked out get kicked out. Those who should be removed get removed. For instance, this Elder Lan — I'm genuinely curious, what exactly are her qualifications that she gets to sit as an equal alongside the other Elders? And Wang Li, his temperament is reckless and impulsive; he's entirely unsuitable for the Apothecary Hall. Remove him as well. And also..."
In one breath, Qiao Baishi rattled off six or seven names from the upper ranks.
With each name he called, the faces of those individuals darkened another shade.
The scope of this purge was truly vast. With an adjustment like this, the Apothecary Hall's senior leadership would be cut nearly in half.
And naturally, every person brought up to fill those positions would be Qiao Baishi's people — Ying Wuyou's people.
Song Tianxing listened the entire time, his expression unchanged. In truth, his heart was surging with stormy waves, but as the Grand Hall Master, he had long since cultivated the habit of remaining unmoved even as mountains crumbled before him.
In reality, he wasn't shocked, nor was he furious — he was secretly delighted.
Truth be told, Qiao Baishi's proposal had struck him right at the heart of the matter. He had been pondering the question of reshuffling the upper echelon for some time.
The only vexing problem was deciding whom to make the first cut.
Now Qiao Baishi had raised the issue, effectively volunteering to play the villain. Song Tianxing would only need to go along with the tide, and with the two of them working in tacit coordination, this leadership purge could very well be carried out to completion.
Yue Qun's aged face sank: "Qiao Baishi, have you lost your mind? You call these conditions? This is interference in the Apothecary Hall's internal affairs!"
"Exactly! You're someone who already left — what right do you have to meddle in our internal affairs?" Fourth Hall Master Wang Li flew into a rage, unable to contain his emotions.
Qiao Baishi smiled coolly: "I said it just now — negotiations are open. I can speak for the Young Marquis, but I cannot speak for your Apothecary Hall. If you don't want to talk, you're free to walk away."
Wang Li slammed his wine cup down heavily: "How can we possibly talk? This is a slap in the face! Remove me, Wang Li? Qiao Baishi, you've really got some nerve saying that!"
"Grand Hall Master, you asked me to swallow my pride, to bow and apologize — I was willing to do all of that. But do you see? They're trying to remove me! How am I supposed to endure that?" Elder Lan also chimed in with her complaints.
"This is absurd! There's no point in continuing this negotiation." Yue Qun's face was equally dark as he spoke.
Song Tianxing's gaze turned cold as he looked at the three of them, nodding slightly: "Very good, very good. For some time now, I've suspected that the Apothecary Hall has an invisible underground faction, with people forming cliques and pursuing private interests. Before, it was merely suspicion — but now it seems the three of you have been colluding for quite some time, haven't you?"
"You... Boss, what exactly do you mean by this?" Yue Qun, who had seniority, couldn't help but push back.
"Drop the act. Elder Lan shared your bed for three months before you arranged for her to become an Elder — that much is true, isn't it?"
"Wang Li — nominally, you promoted him. In reality, he's your illegitimate son. You thought this secret was known to no one in the world, did you?"
Song Tianxing swept his gaze over the other named members of the upper ranks one by one: "Every single one of these people — who was it that promoted them? Wasn't it you, Yue Qun? Step by step, you've been hollowing out the Apothecary Hall from within. Did you truly think that I, Song, was completely oblivious?"
Riding the momentum, Song Tianxing had finally erupted.
He knew, too, that this was his only chance — a chance to borrow momentum. The last opportunity to eradicate Yue Qun and his faction for good.
Qiao Baishi clapped his hands and laughed aloud: "So the Grand Hall Master has seen through everything all along! Yue Qun, you hypocrite — you stuffed your own illegitimate son and your mistress into the upper echelon, stirring up trouble and playing games. Look at what the Apothecary Hall has become under your machinations over the years. Even now, do you still not have the slightest shred of self-awareness?"
That aged face of Yue Qun's seemed to have aged ten years in an instant!
Crash!
Wang Li upended the table in a furious sweep, sending the entire banquet scattering across the floor with a deafening clatter.
"There's nothing to discuss! We're going back to the Royal Capital!"
"Right! This was never a negotiation — it was a banquet of blades! Our own leader won't even stand up for his own people and instead takes the side of outsiders. Who exactly runs this Apothecary Hall? We'll have a proper discussion about that when we get back!"
"Leaving so soon?" Qiao Baishi let out a cold laugh.