Medical Ethics Grow Ever More Distant From You

Serena only mentioned it in passing, but Vincent Su immediately tensed up, his expression turning grave.

"You’re not wrong. I make so much silver every year—maybe the Emperor never cared before, but after the snow disaster, I can’t say for sure that the Su Clan is safe." The more he earned, the more funds Ninth Royal Uncle had to work with. If the Emperor ever found an opportunity, he’d strike without hesitation.

"As long as you understand. The Emperor is short on silver now. If he finds a legitimate excuse, even Ninth Royal Uncle can only protect you, not the Su Clan’s businesses. No matter what, the one sitting on the throne is the Emperor. As long as his reasons are righteous, both officials and commoners will side with him." Position determines power—even Ninth Royal Uncle, for all his influence, can’t cover everything.

Serena’s words wiped away any trace of joy from Vincent Su’s face. He and Ninth Royal Uncle had considered this possibility before, but always assumed it wouldn’t be a problem in the short term.

Plus, their most lucrative businesses were all secret smuggling operations—they never paid much attention to their public enterprises. After all, legitimate businesses, no matter how profitable, were visible; but without proper fronts, those smuggling deals couldn’t be run at all.

Before, they hadn’t worried about the Emperor cracking down—there was no precedent. They thought the Emperor wouldn’t stoop to fighting merchants for profit. But now things were different. The news from Ninth Royal Uncle was clear: the Emperor was planning for war, and the empty treasury couldn’t possibly support it.

Thinking of what happened to the Young Clan, Vincent Su realized that when the Emperor set his sights on unification, he might target him as well. Even a mosquito’s leg is still meat—no matter how ‘poor’ Vincent was, he was still better off than most merchants.

This really was... a headache. But it wasn’t urgent—Vincent Su was worried and wanted to find a way to safeguard the Su Clan’s assets, but it wasn’t something he could solve overnight. For now, he needed to handle the business at hand.

Vincent Su quickly snapped out of his shock and, with a half-smile, turned the conversation back to Serena: "Alright. Since you gave me a heads-up, I won’t hold a grudge about the prenatal medicine contract. The Young Clan’s rise is good news for me, too." Someone else to share the risk.

In the Emperor’s eyes, both the Su Clan and the Young Clan were just sheep he was raising. The difference was, the Su Clan’s patron was Ninth Royal Uncle. Once the sheep was fat enough, the Emperor would have no qualms about slaughtering it when he wanted.

The Young Clan had Cloud City backing them, and their roots weren’t just in Eastlyn. The Emperor’s reach wasn’t long enough to wipe them out completely. Even so, the Emperor sheared every last bit of wool from that sheep before tossing it out—dead or alive, he didn’t care. If it survived, he’d wait for the wool to grow back, then shear it again…

In the face of imperial power, even the richest merchant is nothing but dust.

Serena saw that Vincent Su understood, and smiled gently. In terms of closeness, Vincent was certainly nearer to her—but when it came to the prenatal tonic, she preferred to work with the Young Clan.

"I’m glad you’re not upset. There’s always more silver to earn—medicine isn’t the only business in the world. If we’re talking pure business, you and the Young Clan are different. Your enterprises are too scattered; even if you value the pharmacy business, you’ll never focus on medicine the way the Young Clan does. If I handed the prenatal tonic to you, I wouldn’t feel secure."

That was the plain truth. The Young Clan would throw everything they had into this deal—it was a matter of survival for their family. But Vincent Su wouldn’t. To him, it was just one line of business; if it failed, he’d close it and move on. It wouldn’t shake his foundation.

Now Vincent Su was left speechless. Serena was absolutely right—he couldn’t just think of himself. Vincent rubbed his nose, then quietly brought up the real reason he’d come today.

"I’ll stay out of the prenatal tonic business, alright? But… can you spare me a hundred boxes or so? Lately, everyone’s been asking about it. As a merchant, I have to send gifts that hit the mark."

"Gifts? You want to use the prenatal tonic as a gift?" Serena thought for a moment—health supplements were always popular around the holidays.

"It’s not really medicine—it’s a rare item. You have no idea how many people are asking about it. If not for their pride, and the Young Clan spreading word that you’re still preparing stock, those people would’ve stormed your house by now. If you release a small batch before New Year—not too much, maybe a thousand boxes—you’ll earn not just silver, but a reputation too." This was classic scarcity marketing: keep supply tight, make people feel like they’ll miss out if they don’t buy now.

Vincent Su really was a cunning merchant—his sales tactics were sharp, and his eye for opportunity was spot-on. Watching the crowds bringing New Year gifts to Feng Manor, he casually reminded Serena: "If you’re sending gifts or return-gifts, I suggest you add a box of prenatal tonic. People will love it."

This New Year, if you accept only one gift, let it be prenatal tonic.

Serena suddenly remembered that bold advertising slogan and nodded obediently: "Got it. But do all these households really have that many pregnant women?"

Sure, there’s no evil family-planning policy here, but the pregnancy rate isn’t that high either.

"Sooner or later, there will be. Better to stock up now—besides, it’s not just for personal use. People give it as gifts, right? Don’t worry, I can already see your prenatal tonic having a terrifying sales boom. Just make sure you’ve got enough stock, then you can sit back and count silver at home." Pregnant or not, people would buy it just for those crystal-clear glass vials.

"Is it really that popular?" Serena felt a little dizzy, secretly impressed by the Young Clan’s marketing power. In a world without internet, TV, or newspapers, they’d still managed to create a buying frenzy. That was no small feat.

But… this wasn’t what she wanted. She just wanted to make a little extra cash…

Vincent Su kept reassuring her: "Of course. I guarantee it—you’ll take ninety percent of the profits, and in less than three years you’ll definitely earn more than me. Alright, alright, don’t make me jealous. Just bring me a few boxes of prenatal tonic so I can go hand out gifts."

"Oh~~ just wait, I’ll go get it for you." Serena replied dreamily, wandering outside and pinching herself hard, silently warning: never, ever sell medicine straight from the Smart Med-Pack, no matter how desperate for silver she got.

Serena staggered out, half-dazed. Vincent Su just assumed she was giddy with excitement—he’d felt the same way after his first big deal. It wasn’t about how much silver you made, but the addictive rush of achievement.

If Serena knew what Vincent Su was thinking, she’d probably strangle him…