Chapter 134 What did you do to him?
Lu Jinlan smiled, "Why don't you just give me yours..."
She moved closer, whispering in his ear, "How about a kiss?"
Ji Yunyuan's ears immediately turned bright red. "You... are you even a decent person? I thought you were a good person. Humph, I'm not talking to you anymore."
He snorted and rushed out of the room, almost bumping into Yan Wuxin and Xu Lin, who had just finished putting their things down and were coming to visit.
Seeing Ji Yunyuan flee in disarray, while Lu Jinlan wore a playful expression, Yan Wuxin couldn't help but ask curiously, "What did you do to him?"
Lu Jinlan spread her hands, "Don't accuse me wrongly. I didn't do anything. I was just teasing him."
Xu Lin smiled as she closed the door, cupped her hands in greeting, and said, "Your Majesty..."
"Shh!" Lu Jinlan said, "Be careful, walls have ears. Watch your address."
"Yes." Xu Lin knew it was inappropriate to call the Emperor "Your Majesty" here, but she really couldn't bring herself to call him "Lu Er."
So she whispered, "Second Master Lu, what are your plans next?"
Lu Jinlan analyzed, "Judging from Ji Yunyao's words, their rebellion is simply due to policy inequality. I just thought about it, and there are indeed areas where the policies need adjustment. For talents like Ji Yuntieshu, the court should open special channels. A one-size-fits-all approach may seem efficient, but in reality, it has the opposite effect."
Xu Lin hurriedly said, "Yes, the small tribes that gathered here to cause trouble are all restricted by the policies. They usually have some resentment, and some of them don't understand our language and writing system. Many of the court's policies are not malicious, but no one can communicate with them. They were instigated by people with ulterior motives and then rose up in rebellion."
Lu Jinlan nodded. "This is very important. Now that they have entered Huajing, they must learn our language and writing. Otherwise, it will be difficult for the two sides to communicate, which will easily lead to misunderstandings. Moreover, their close relationship with their own people can also cause trouble."
Lu Jinlan looked at Yan Wuxin and said, "When you go down the mountain tomorrow, find an opportunity to see Ruzhen and tell her about this. Tell her to immediately start adjusting the ethnic policy, not by relaxing or tightening it, but by making it seem relaxed while still maintaining strictness in the review process."
"After all, a rebellion has occurred, and the fact that it has caused such a commotion means that someone must really want to rebel. We cannot let the real rebels get away with it. We should let the local authorities be more flexible and deal with each case individually."
"We must immediately promote ethnic integration, get all ethnic groups to learn our language and script as soon as possible, encourage intermarriage, and prevent them from living together in close proximity to the local population to avoid the formation of powerful groups."
Yan Wuxin quickly agreed, then asked Lu Jinlan, "What about the rebels?"
Lu Jinlan said, "I want to be granted amnesty."
"Recruiting her to the imperial court?" Yan Wuxin shook his head. "It seems unlikely. I initially thought Ji Yunyao rebelled because you didn't choose her son for the harem, but now that Ji Yuntieshu is in that state, do you think she can still submit to the court?"
Xu Lin added, "The Grand Commandant is right, but I heard Ji Yunyao say that she was indeed very angry that her son was not selected. She believes that Ji Yunyuan is of exceptional appearance, and since you did not select him, Ji Yunyao thinks that you discriminated against her son because he is from the Ji Yun clan and deliberately let him be excluded."
Lu Jinlan chuckled, "What does that have to do with anything? I didn't even see Ji Yunyuan at the time, so it has nothing to do with discrimination."
Xu Lin said, "That's what I thought too, but Ji Yunyao is very stubborn, concerned about her reputation, and prone to getting stuck on trivial matters. She felt that you had chosen nearly twenty men but not her son, which must have been intentional. Then Ji Yuntieshu got into trouble, and she became so angry that she rebelled."
Lu Jinlan smiled. "If I can restore Ji Yun Tieshu to normal, do you think Ji Yunyao will still rebel?"
Yan Wuxin was taken aback, pondered for a moment, and said, "I don't think Ji Yunyao really wants to rebel. You know, she's an old woman with only a daughter and a son. Her son will get married sooner or later, and her daughter can't even stand up anymore. What's the point of her rebelling? She can't become the emperor. If you can really cure Ji Yuntieshu, there's definitely room for negotiation."
Xu Lin hurriedly said, "You don't need to really cure Ji Yun Tieshu. As long as her condition improves slightly, I will go and sound out Ji Yunyao's opinion."
"Or I could persuade her to take Ji Yun Tieshu to the capital to seek out renowned doctors. Once they come down the mountain, whether they are allowed to seek medical treatment or offered amnesty is entirely up to us. However, I urge Your Majesty to be lenient with her, considering her advanced age."
Lu Jinlan smiled and nodded. Xu Lin was right; she really needed someone like Xu Lin by her side.
Not entirely upright, but not too evil either. She's perfect for dealing with crooked and wicked people.
*
The three of them temporarily agreed that the next day, Lu Jinlan would go and check on Ji Yun Tieshu's leg.
Ji Yunyuan, standing anxiously outside the curtain, asked, "Is there any way?"
Lu Jinlan said, "The black part looks like it's necrotic, and the bluish-purple part is probably bruising. I'll let my venomous centipede suck out the venomous blood first, you can bear the pain."
A glimmer of hope appeared in Ji Yun Tieshu's eyes after a long time. "Second Master Lu, feel free to let it bite me. Even if it hurts to death, it's better than me living like this, neither human nor ghost."
Looking at Ji Yun Tieshu's youthful face, Lu Jinlan felt quite emotional.
The greatest blow a person can suffer in life is falling to the bottom suddenly when they are at their most glorious and successful. Moreover, she not only lost the opportunity to realize her dreams, but even her once healthy body became unresponsive to her commands.
Lu Jinlan thought that if this were modern times, things might be a little better for her. She could be recommended some inspirational stories of famous people, like Zhang Haidi, Shi Tiesheng, and Stephen Hawking. But here, without the internet, even hardship couldn't be shared.
Lying here in despair, she could only feel that she was the most unfortunate person in the world.
Lu Jinlan sighed, "Don't be nervous, let's give it a try."
She released Nianli, and the poisonous centipede immediately slithered to Ji Yun Tieshu's leg and opened its mouth to gnaw at the affected area.
It greedily sucked at the blackened, necrotic flesh, and Yan Wuxin watched from the side, frowning as she softly asked, "Does it hurt?"
Ji Yun Tieshu gritted his teeth, sweating profusely, and said, "Fortunately, I can hold on."
Lu Jinlan gave a thumbs up, "You're such a good girl! Just hang in there a little longer, and it will suck out all the toxins, and you'll be fine."
Before he could finish speaking, Ji Yunliu took a deep breath, "Look! How come it's stuck its head into the flesh?"
Lu Jinlan hurriedly said, "Don't panic, perhaps it sensed the poison inside and went in to check."
Lu Jinlan wasn't really sure about this poisonous centipede. After all, she was merely its owner, not its creator.
When Chi Li gave her this thing, he told her how to use it, but it was a living creature, extremely poisonous, and couldn't speak, so there was no way to communicate.
Lu Jinlan had essentially read the product manual and knew how to use it. However, if she encountered any problems, it would be best to contact the manufacturer, such as Chi Li or Chi Cheng. They both possessed poisonous creatures and were practically one with this thing.
Faced with the sight of the poisonous centipede crawling into her knee along the bone crevices, Lu Jinlan had no other choice.
She hesitated for a moment, then said to Ji Yun Tieshu, "If—and I mean if—something really happens, do you have any last words?"
Ji Yun Tieshu broke out in a cold sweat and said with a bitter smile, "Then tell my mother that this is my fate and that she shouldn't blame anyone."
Lu Jinlan touched her nose and thought to herself: Not causing trouble for medical treatment makes you a good person!
Fortunately, the poisonous centipede soon crawled out again. Completely different from its initial energetic and hungry appearance, it lay there lazily, motionless.
Yan Wuxin whispered, "Was the poison too potent, killing it?"
Lu Jinlan said firmly, "Impossible. If it were that poisonous, how could a person survive? I think it's either from exhaustion or from overexertion."
She put Nianli away and asked Ji Yun Tieshu, "Do you feel anything?"
Ji Yun Tieshu tried to move his leg. "I can feel a little in my left leg, but it hurts a lot. I still can't move my right leg."
Lu Jinlan smiled, "Your left leg is bleeding, let me bandage it for you first, and we'll treat your right leg tomorrow. Don't worry, I'll bring it with me every day to help clear out the toxins morning and night. Don't move around too much, and be sure to pay attention to your diet, eating something to nourish your blood and strengthen your bones. Wuxin, I'll write a prescription, you can go down the mountain to buy the medicine."
Lu Jinlan wanted to give Yan Wuxin a chance to go down the mountain, and Yan Wuxin understood and said, "Okay, leave this to me."
Ji Yunliu hurriedly said, "How can that be? How can we trouble our guests? I'll go myself. Besides, things are tense right now, and the village is heavily guarded. Without me accompanying you, you won't be able to go out or come in."
"Oh," Lu Jinlan said, "Then let's go together. I also wanted to buy some things."
*
Xiang Ruzhen had set up spies at the foot of the mountain. As soon as the three of them came down the mountain, the spies came to report.
Xiang Ruzhen thought that with Ji Yunliu accompanying her, the meeting might not be very convenient. So she put on a bamboo hat, covered her face with a face towel, changed into coarse cloth clothes, carried a bundle of firewood, and mingled into the crowd.
The three of them knew each other so well that they would know whose hair it was if they picked up a single hair from the ground.
The two spotted a familiar figure in the distance and exchanged a glance.
Lu Jinlan then hooked her arm around Ji Yunliu's neck, "Hey, look at that thing over there, so many people are lining up."
Ji Yunliu craned his neck to take a look. "Let me see, it looks like they sell food."
Lu Jinlan pulled Ji Yunliu over to join the queue, while Yan Wuxin took the opportunity to go and exchange information with Xiang Ruzhen.
Lu Jinlan exclaimed happily, "So these are sea urchin-filled buns! They must be incredibly delicious. With so many people buying them, they must be really tasty. Let's buy a lot and bring some back for your junior brother and master to try later."
Ji Yunliu swallowed hard. "It must be very expensive. I only have one tael of silver on me."
Lu Jinlan tossed the heavy money bag aside. "I have money. Let's spend it together."
Ji Yunliu chuckled, "You're really generous. I'm starting to think you're a pretty good person."
The steamed bun vendor overheard their conversation and, seeing that Lu Jinlan was dressed elegantly and didn't speak with a local accent, decided to rip her off.
When it was their turn, they said, "Freshly made and steamed sea urchin buns, one tael of silver each."
Lu Jinlan looked up at the shopkeeper and asked seriously, "One tael of silver each, and you've already taken your father in?"
Ji Yunliu was initially furious and about to leave, but upon hearing Lu Jinlan's words, he quickly chimed in to bolster her confidence, "That's right, how can you sell such expensive meat filling to your father?"
Lu Jinlan gritted her teeth and said, "Do you think I'm rich enough to be a sucker for you? Let me tell you, if you want to rip me off, I'll turn your place upside down."
The shopkeeper apologized repeatedly, "Just kidding, please don't take offense, gentlemen. It's sixty coins each. If you want more, I'll give you two more with shrimp filling."
Lu Jinlan glared at the shop owner. Since Yan Wuxin hadn't returned yet, she said, "Give me two hundred, and wrap them up properly. I'm taking them with me."
Ji Yunliu felt bad about the money, "Why buy so much? Twelve taels of silver is enough for us to buy ten pigs."
Lu Jinlan said, "It's not the same taste. You can't eat steamed buns while hugging a pig. Besides, there are many sisters on the mountain. We're here as guests, so we should bring some food for everyone as a token of our appreciation."
The two men, each carrying a large bag of hot buns, had just stepped out of the line when Yan Wuxin hurried over.
As soon as they met, Ji Yunliu was about to ask a question when Yan Wuxin preemptively said, "Where have you been? I've been looking for you everywhere."
Lu Jinlan said reproachfully, "I thought you were following me, but I lost you."
Ji Yunliu had no doubts. Instead, she comforted them, "It's good that we found them. Don't argue, you two. Let's stick together this time. There are many people, so don't get separated."
The three of them bought a lot of things, but when they returned to the mountain, they felt something was very strange.
Ji Yunyuan wasn't in the room, and everything was unusually quiet. The three of them put down their things and were about to ask someone when Xu Lin came running over, covered in sweat.
"Second Master Lu, Third Master Yan, it's terrible! The Second Master says you're colluding with the government and are leading all the leaders of the alliance to cause trouble for the First Master in the back mountain."
The two men were taken aback, both thinking to themselves: How did the second-in-command know that we had ties with the government?
Ji Yunliu slammed his fist on the table and stood up angrily, saying, "Isn't this a frame-up? How did you get involved with the government? Don't be afraid, I'll go and tell everyone!"
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