Chapter 5 Another Swarm of Bees Rises... If they were to sting the Primordial Being directly...

Guo Jia was formally appointed as the Military Advisor and Chief Advisor. The title "Chief Advisor" was given to him by Cao Cao, which shows how much he was relied upon.

He returned home with the official seal in his hand, beaming with joy as he boasted to his wife how fitting it was, and casually added, "I'm afraid I got this title of 'Chancellor' by exchanging it for my wife's 'Warm Jade Wine'!"

Deng Jie was amused by him. Even at a time like this, he could find an opportunity to be glib and talkative. "I bet you've been secretly drinking a lot at Lord Cao's mansion. You're here to tell the world you're a drunkard!"

Despite saying that, Deng Jie was genuinely happy for her husband and was thinking about preparing some unique gifts for him.

I recall that we still have locust flower tea at home, but it's not like the honey that the Deng family used to always have on hand. It's elegant, but it lacks a bit of sweetness.

Now that the School Affairs Office has just been established, most of Guo Jia's salary has been poured into this bottomless pit. It would seem a bit extravagant to go out of his way to buy honey at a high price now.

Deng Jie recalled that he used to learn how to raise bees in the fields. Seeing that the plants in his backyard were growing lush, he thought it would be better to go back to his old ways and make some fine honey, which would not be in vain for his efforts.

On a whim, I acted on the idea.

Based on his memory and the fragmentary records he found, he consulted an old farmer outside the city and worked with Ayu Huai's mother to repeatedly figure out how to improve the beehive.

The beehives were placed in a quiet corner of the backyard, and she specially exchanged some wild honey with someone to smear on the hive openings to attract bees.

Perhaps it was good luck, but her sincerity actually attracted a small swarm of wild bees to settle down there.

Deng Jie was overjoyed and informed Guo Jia in advance to keep a distance. He carefully observed the bees every day, watching them busily working among the flowers from afar, eagerly anticipating that the bees he had personally attracted would produce sweet honey and brew tea full of his heartfelt wishes for Guo Jia.

Guo Jia was busy with the emperor's affairs regarding the establishment of the capital, and he was at ease knowing that his wife was enthusiastically tinkering with new things at home every day, so he had no time to ask any questions.

As autumn turned to winter, Deng Jie carefully protected the beehives to keep them warm and help them survive the winter. Before he knew it, it was the spring and summer of the second year of Jian'an, and he watched as the bee colony gradually grew stronger.

Unable to contain her curiosity, she sewed a simple mask and gloves from a piece of cloth and eagerly opened the beehive to check while the bees were out moving around. Sure enough, she found a small piece of gold in the corner!

She was overjoyed, broke it off, and quickly left. She grabbed Huai Niang and used a bamboo knife to gently scrape off a tiny bit of the glistening first honey, mixed it with a small cup of warm water, and the two shared a small sip. The sweet yet slightly bitter taste gave them a glimmer of hope, and they happily held hands.

This priceless joy ignited Deng Jie's ambition, and he thought that he could expand the scale while the weather was warm and the flowers were in bloom. So he persuaded A Yu and his wife to make a few more beehives using the same method as before and place them in a spacious area in the backyard.

However, their busy schedules inevitably attracted the attention of the neighbors. Ayu didn't care much and answered every question, simply stating his wife's wishes.

Unexpectedly, his simple and honest boasting, along with the allure of his precious homemade honey, spread throughout the city once again.

On the day of Deng Jie's free clinic, some patients arrived even earlier than her and were already queuing up in front of her usual stall.

The leader was a woman supporting a burly man who was covering his swollen, red arm.

"Madam, please take a look. I don't know what kind of poisonous insect stung me. It hurts and itches so much."

Upon closer inspection, Deng Jie noticed a tiny bee sting embedded in the center of the swollen area.

She couldn't help but feel a pang of anxiety, and looking back, she saw mostly red and swollen skin.

Could it be that our own bees caused the trouble?

With practiced ease, she removed the needles and prepared the medicine for him, then anxiously inquired, "Where was my brother stung...?"

Upon learning that he was in a completely different direction from his home, and that spring and summer are the seasons with many insects, he felt a little relieved.

However, the next day was filled with people coming to treat stings, and they all said it was "the neighbor's bees," which inevitably aroused suspicion.

She had been in Xudu for a year and had never heard of anyone who kept bees. Besides, most honey collectors went to the wild to find wild beehives. How come there were so many "neighbor's bees" all of a sudden?

In the end, all I could do was remind them, "Never approach the hive lightly, and never disturb the bees."

She ended the day's free clinic with a troubled mind, worried that perhaps her own bees had flown away and settled elsewhere, causing trouble... If it really was her own source, wouldn't this gift to Fengxiao become a source of disaster?

Deng Jie returned home with a heavy heart, unable to sit still.

She went to the backyard to check the beehives, but there seemed to be nothing unusual. She observed for a long time but did not see any bees leave the yard wall.

But then she thought, what if? After all, she couldn't keep an eye on every single insect.

After lingering in the backyard for a long time, I gritted my teeth and made a difficult decision.

She took out a mask and gloves and, with a heavy heart, destroyed the newly installed beehives that had not yet produced honey, leaving only the oldest beehive that had been kept for half a year without any problems.

However, the matter was far from over as she had imagined.

In the days that followed, even when she didn't set up her stall, people would come to her seeking medical advice and medicine.

When she went to the clinic, she found people everywhere who had been stung by bees, regardless of their wealth or social status.

A wealthy young man whose face was swollen like a pig's head from being stung, a woman with half her face swollen, and a child whose fingers were swollen like gourds lined up and cried out their grievances.

The injuries varied in severity, ranging from mild swelling and pain to severe difficulty breathing. One child even nearly fainted, which gave Deng Jie a fright.

Deng Jie started making house calls every day, and his free clinic stall became a special clinic for treating bee stings.

During her free clinic, she would hear the injured people comparing their misery and sharing their experiences of being injured.

"I was stung by the 'pig's blood bees' that Butcher Zhang hung next to his meat shop! The smell..." A vegetable vendor covered her face and complained, pretending to vomit, which made everyone laugh. "The bees must be going crazy!"

"What's that compared to the Li family's mansion? My house is right next to the Li family compound, and their beehives are placed on my courtyard wall! They say they're 'absorbing the spirit of high moral character,' but when they swarm, the bees descend like a black cloud. You have no idea how terrifying that is!"

The crowd gasped in disbelief, and seeing the man's numerous injuries, they were no longer surprised and offered him words of comfort.

While listening to these strange reasons, Deng Jie carefully treated everyone's wounds.

She discovered that most of these injured people were victims of people who followed the trend of beekeeping. Most of these beekeepers were unfamiliar with bee habits and ended up getting themselves into trouble due to improper site selection, lack of management skills, disturbing the bee colony, and lack of protection.

She could only repeatedly emphasize safety knowledge during treatment, but with little effect.

Although news of the overflowing clinic reached Cao Cao's ears, he was too busy dealing with the envoys sent by Yuan Shao to pay attention to it, and only instructed Xun Yu to arrange more staff to take care of the patients.

After all, he was already quite annoyed just dealing with the envoy's "concern" about the emperor's eastward relocation. The envoy's words were full of arrogance and probing, which made him very angry.

On this day, the envoy was "inspecting" Xudu with his entourage when he happened to run into a child poking at a beehive in front of a house.

The envoys were dressed in fine clothes and had a strong fragrance on them. Before the bees were fully agitated, they were attracted by the fragrance and rushed straight towards the envoys.

The attendants screamed and swung their weapons, but these blows only angered the swarm of bees, which chased after them relentlessly until they reached the riverbank and jumped into the water to finally escape the swarm.

However, they could not swim and struggled desperately, calling for help, until the people called for help and the soldiers brought long sticks to rescue them in a sorry state.

The envoy was not only disheveled and soaked, but also stung all over his body and jumped up in pain. He lost all his composure and felt that Xuchang had lost a great deal of face. He was furious.

The news quickly reached the Sikong Mansion.

Cao Cao was discussing with Guo Jia, Xun Yu, and others how to deal with this arrogant envoy when he heard the news, and his face instantly turned ashen.

Cao Cao was furious and immediately cursed, "How could you allow the esteemed envoy from Hebei to suffer such a humiliating disgrace around the post station and under the walls of Xuchang?! To be chased by bees and forced to jump into the river?! And to be stung like this?! What are you all doing?! Are you trying to give Yuan Shao a pretext to slander Xuchang as a 'beehive and anthill' and 'unfit to be a capital'?!"

He was furious. This was no longer just a security issue, but also an insult to Cao Cao's ability to rule, especially at this sensitive juncture.

The people in the hall fell silent, trembling with fear.

Bee sting?

Guo Jia's heart sank; his ominous premonition had finally come true.

I had heard about people following the trend of beekeeping and raising bees on their own, but I thought that once the enthusiasm wore off and the bees had worn them out, they would give up when the weather got cold and there was no profit. I never expected that such a big problem would occur at this crucial moment.

While the guards were still questioning Cao Cao about whether he was investigating the source, Guo Jia steeled his heart. Rather than waiting for Cao Cao to make trouble, he decided it was better to accept the punishment sooner and get it over with.

Guo Jia stepped forward before Cao Cao, bowing and pleading, "My lord, please calm your anger. This matter is due to my lax management of my household! My wife was ignorant and kept bees without permission, which led to the whole city following suit, resulting in this disaster. If you wish to investigate the source, please send someone to accompany me back immediately, and I will bear all the punishment!"

Cao Cao, enraged, laughed, "You, Guo Fengxiao, you sure know how to take responsibility! Your good wife is very clever at beekeeping and honey making! Now, instead of making honey, she has caused this huge disaster, and even the envoy from Hebei has become a sitting duck for her beekeeping! How am I supposed to explain this to Yuan Shao?!"

He gave Guo Jia no further chance to explain, and roared sternly, "Zhongkang!"

"Your subordinate is here!" Xu Chu's body trembled, and he stepped forward to accept the order.

"Immediately muster three squads of armored soldiers and search every household! Start at the strategist's house! Uproot the source of this trouble and burn it on the spot! Not a single bee or drop of honey should be left! Any obstruction will be considered disobedience! Go now!"

"Yes, sir!" Xu Chu strode out of the council hall.

Inside the Guo residence, Deng Jie had just stepped into the courtyard, exhausted from finishing his free clinic. Before he could even unpack his medicine bag, a heavy knocking sounded at the door.

Ayu went to open the door, but was rudely pushed aside. Xu Chu led five armored soldiers straight into Guo Jia's study.

"General Xu? Please wait! What is the reason for this?" Deng Jie's face turned pale. Seeing that these people were about to rush through the door without saying a word, he quickly stepped forward to stop them.

Xu Chu paused, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "By order of my lord, I have confiscated the beehives that caused the disaster and burned them on the spot. Madam, please forgive me!"

He raised his hand, and the men behind him were about to rush forward again.

Deng Jie's lips trembled. She knew that her precious beehives were destined to be destroyed. But seeing the soldiers about to destroy them without any protection, she couldn't bear to see them stung. Suppressing her heartache, she called out to everyone again and took out a mask, gloves, and uncut silk from her room. "Bees will sting if they are startled. You...you have to protect yourselves."

She distributed protective gear while her eyes were filled with tears.

Seeing her like this, Xu Chu softened his tone and said, "Please forgive me for disturbing the envoy from Hebei."

Deng Jie was aware of the sensitivity of Yuan Shao's camp towards Cao Cao, and nodded helplessly. In fact, since the swarming of bees began, he had somewhat sensed that this outcome was inevitable.

Xu Chu had just stepped into the backyard when the fragrance of flowers made him sneeze. He didn't pay much attention and directed the soldiers to collect the beehives.

The soldiers roughly wrapped the beehives in cloth, carried them to the front yard, and burned them all.

Listening to the muffled buzzing and the flowing golden honey inside, Deng Jie couldn't help but shed tears.

Xu Chu, on the other side, continued to sneeze and rub his nose as he came out.

Upon seeing this, Deng Jie wiped away her tears and stepped forward to inquire, only to learn that Xu Chu was extremely sensitive to the fragrance and pollen of flowers, and in severe cases, he would even develop hives.

Deng Jie then pulled him aside to write a prescription.

When Guo Jia rushed home, he saw that his wife, instead of being angry or sad, was busy preparing medicine for Xu Chu. He waited for her with some heartache.

After seeing Xu Chu and the others off, Deng Jie was finally free and threw himself into Guo Jia's arms, crying, "Waaah... my bees... your honey... are all gone... it's all my fault..."

Inside the council hall, after Cao Cao waited for Xu Chu's report, he instructed Xun Yu to find a way to appease the envoy.

Xun Yu saw Cao Cao angrily shouting, "That Guo Fengxiao is such a troublemaker! He can't even manage his own backyard! He's caused such a disaster and completely disgraced me!"

Xun Yu was about to speak to comfort him when he saw that the rage on his face was suddenly replaced by an extremely complex sense of pleasure.

His lips twitched slightly, and he said to Xun Yu in a low voice, "Why did it sting the messenger? If it had stung the Primordial Lord directly... pfft."

He finally couldn't help but burst out laughing, "That was so satisfying! Let him show off in front of me! Next time, send Fengxiao and that Deng woman on a mission to Benchu, let them come up with some ways to torment him!"

Seeing that Cao Cao no longer held a grudge against Guo Jia, Xun Yu breathed a sigh of relief and tentatively asked in a gentle voice, "What you say is very true, my lord. But what do you intend to do about the source of this trouble and the blame?"

Cao Cao snorted coldly, "Indeed, although the source of the disaster has been eliminated, the guilt cannot be escaped. Guo Jia failed to manage his household properly, and his wife, Deng, secretly kept bees and insects, causing great harm to the people, disturbing the army and civilians, and stinging your esteemed envoy. Her crime is unforgivable."

"From this day forward, Madam Deng shall set up a checkpoint throughout the city. She shall not rest for a single day until everyone has recovered!"

Xun Yu saw that Cao Cao did not severely punish the two, but instead followed Deng Jie's habit of providing free medical consultations and let her deal with the consequences, which was quite lenient.

At the Guo residence, Guo Jia saw that Deng Jieping had calmed down and gently patted her back. "Don't be sad, Yi. I understand your feelings. I was outside the door that day when you and Huai Niang were making honey water. Seeing you happy, I knew that the honey must be sweet."

He cupped Deng Jie's tear-stained face in his hands. "You must be tired after all this commotion. I'll boil some water for you tonight, and we can soak in the hot spring together to relax and get rid of all this bad luck and burnt smell, okay?"

Deng Jie raised his red and swollen eyes and snorted softly, "If you really want me to relax, then you should boil water outside yourself and let me stay here alone."

Guo Jia put on a sly smile, grabbed her hand and pressed it to his heart: "How can that be? You haven't even compensated me for the broken gift! The honey isn't yours..."

Deng Jie immediately covered his mouth, her ears turning red: "Don't, don't talk nonsense anymore!"

Guo Jia's mouth was covered, but his eyes curved into crescents as he shook his head and kissed her hand.

Just as the two were arguing, Cao Cao's punishment order arrived.

Upon hearing this, Deng Jie bowed in gratitude and accepted the order, finally putting an end to Guo Jia's last worry.