Chapter 103 Give Me Half of Your Mother
Days passed by, and before you knew it, a month and a half had gone by.
Qiao Wangfei, who was sent south, would send back letters by fast horse every ten days, reporting on the situation along the way and the medicinal materials he had collected.
The list of medicinal herbs will be delivered directly to Dai Li.
Dai Li also had a copy of the three-page list of medicinal herbs that Mr. Ding had written earlier, and she would look at it twice a day.
The happiest thing was holding Qiao Wangfei and Jin Duole's letters in one hand and a cinnabar pen in the other, putting small red checkmarks on the spread-out list.
Dai Li marked all the medicinal materials that were found and met the required quantity with a small red checkmark.
After carefully reading all the letters, Dai Li will make three new lists, writing down everything that has been collected.
Two copies were sent to Qiao Wangfei and Jin Duole by express courier, to synchronize their information databases, while another copy was kept for himself.
There were twenty-two days left, less than a month. Dai Li sat at her desk, holding a wolf-hair brush, copying the final list.
She hoped that by the next letter, they would all have disappeared from the mulberry paper.
There were hurried footsteps outside. Nianxia rushed in at that moment. She had just called out "Madam" when she found Qin Shaozong was also there. She became much more proper and dared not shout as loudly as before.
Dai Li was writing, without looking up.
Qin Shaozong looked at Nianxia, "What's the matter that you're in such a hurry?"
He showed no displeasure on his face, but Nianxia was still intimidated and subconsciously lowered her head to avoid his imposing brown eyes.
“My lord, just now when I went out to the market to buy things, I was accidentally bumped into by a young lady in the crowd. Later, I found an extra piece of silk in my basket,” Nianxia said.
More than a month later, Marquis Wu'an was completely out of danger, and his mansion was no longer under martial law as before. There were more servants going out to make purchases than before.
The servants were accompanied and guarded, so there was no worry about them being arrested and interrogated midway. However, in the bustling city center, pushing and shoving were inevitable when passing through.
There was an extra piece of silk cloth.
There were words on the cloth, but Nianxia couldn't read them, so she hurriedly went to find Daili.
Dai Li remembered that the Qinglian Sect had previously sent a letter on a piece of paper, and immediately forgot about writing anything, saying, "Let me see it."
Nianxia hurriedly presented it.
Qin Shaozong said expressionlessly, "I gave instructions before leaving the manor to pay close attention to those you come into contact with. Why did you let others take advantage of the situation?"
It wasn't a harsh remark, but it sent shivers down Nianxia's spine. "My lord, the young lady I met was so beautiful and fair-skinned, with no calluses on her hands. She looked like a noblewoman from a wealthy family, so I..."
“It’s alright, it’s normal to be careless for a moment. The weather is getting cooler, Nianxia, go to the kitchen and ask them to put a couple more slices of ginger in the soup to ward off the cold,” Dai Li said.
Nianxia felt as if she had been granted a pardon and quickly left.
Dai Li turned the silk cloth over so that the side was facing up.
Perhaps to initially deceive people, this time they did not use cinnabar as ink, but instead used a plant dye that was similar in color to silk.
[Polygonum multiflorum, musk. The Marquis of Wu'an received insufficient quantities.]
It felt like something exploded in Dai Li's mind, so loud that she couldn't hear the sounds around her or hear anyone speaking.
The reason is simple: she had just copied a list of medicinal herbs that she hadn't yet found, and those two herbs were indeed on it.
He Shou Wu is known as one of the four great medicinal herbs, and its preciousness goes without saying.
What bothered Dai Li even more was that He Shou Wu seemed to grow mostly in the south. At least Jin Duole had spent fifty-five days scavenging in the north and only found a piece of He Shou Wu smaller than a baby's palm.
As for musk, it must be extracted from the growth glands or sacs of male musk deer, and a male deer can only produce a maximum of thirty grams. Therefore, in the "Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica," musk is listed as a "superior medicine," and only nobles and royalty could possess it.
Her delicate hand, which was tightly holding the silk cloth, was suddenly grasped.
The calloused hand enveloped her, a steady stream of warmth flowing through her, and with a little skill, it loosened her tightly clenched, white knuckles.
“Madam, we still have time.” Qin Shaozong, who had been sitting next to Dai Li, now opened his arms and embraced her.
The black robes and smoky purple skirts overlapped, creating a scene from a distance that resembled a painting blending light and dark colors. The darker side was the tree trunk on the shaded side, supporting the bright, flower-like color.
Dai Li unconsciously tightened her grip on his hand. "There are still twenty-two days left until the deadline given by Mr. Ding. The time is neither too close nor too far. The fact that the Qinglian Sect dared to send a message at this time means they must be very confident. Musk deer do not produce much musk per animal, and they are timid as mice, with highly developed hearing and sense of smell, making them extremely difficult to catch."
"Don't worry, it will be resolved," Qin Shaozong said in a low voice.
Suddenly, Dai Li released his hand and turned to look at him. "Qin Changgeng, I want to..."
“You can’t think about it,” he interrupted Dai Li, a rare occurrence for him.
Dai Li frowned slightly. "I haven't finished speaking yet."
"No need to finish speaking, do you think I don't know what you're thinking?" Qin Shaozong curled his lips, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "You want to see the people of the Green Lotus Sect."
Dai Li's breathing hitched slightly, and she instinctively opened her eyes, a kind of instinctive escape when her thoughts were seen through.
"Dai Li, don't even think about it."
Qin Shaozong pinched her chin with two fingers, turning her head back to look directly into her dark eyes. "Yuyang has a population of over 400,000. I can only say that there are fewer Qinglian Sect parasites here than in other places, but I can't guarantee that they are completely gone. The Qinglian Sect is full of cunning schemes. If you go to them, Madam, what difference is there between that and sending a lamb to the slaughter?"
Unable to turn her head, Dai Li simply stopped turning and looked at him intently, "Qin Changgeng, if you want me to watch Zhouzhou become incurable, I cannot do it."
She didn't shout, but every word she uttered carried an undeniable resolve.
"You think you can solve the problem by just walking right there? What if they arrest you and then use you to blackmail Qin Yanzhou and me? What are we supposed to do then?" Qin Shaozong released her chin.
Dai Li pursed her lips and remained silent, her eyes unfocused, lost in his assumptions.
She wasn't infected by the Gu worm, so she couldn't quite figure out the pain of the Gu poison that her son had so lightly brushed past her every time.
But she knew it must be very uncomfortable, otherwise why would Zhouzhou always be pale and barely able to swallow his lunch on the second day after each attack of the poison?
"There's still time, I can handle it." The man's lips touched the forehead of the woman in his arms, kissing the small red mole between her eyebrows. "Dai Li, trust me."
The door to the main room was not closed, and neither Dai Li nor Qin Shaozong saw it. At this moment, a tall figure stood to the side of the main room and overheard their conversation.
Qin Yanzhou slowly lowered his eyelashes and left silently, just as he had come.
...
"Hey, Qin Yanzhou, where are you going?" Qin Qinian's curiosity was immediately piqued when he saw Qin Yanzhou heading towards the side door.
His father's "critical period" had passed, and he was no longer confined to the manor and could leave, though not too frequently. The last time Qin Qinian left the manor was two days ago, to chat with a friend.
He had left the mansion several times, but he had never seen Qin Yanzhou leave even once.
Does this person have any friends in Yuyang?
Probably not. He only came to Yuyang with Madam Dai for a little over a month.
Qin Qinian was greatly surprised to see that Qin Yanzhou was about to go out.
Qin Yanzhou did not answer him, but continued walking straight ahead.
Qin Qinian followed, talking to him as they walked: "Are you going out of the manor to stroll around, or to buy something? If it's the former, I can recommend some good places to go. As for the latter, you don't need to go yourself; you can just have a servant go."
Qin Yanzhou walked forward in silence, passing the guards and stepping out of the mansion.
Qin Qinian kept talking: "It'll be dinner in an hour. I heard this morning that Madam Dai instructed the chef to make antique soup. Let's go early and come back early, so we don't miss out on this delicious food."
Qin Yanzhou remained silent on the first two occasions, but this time the young man responded with a low "okay."
Qin Qinian chuckled, "Madam Dai said she would improve the antique soup. Tell me what it will look like after the improvement."
Qin Qinian followed Qin Yanzhou all the way, but still couldn't figure out why this person was leaving the mansion.
It doesn't seem like buying anything.
He only went into the store for a quick look, and seemed more interested in the shop assistant and the shopkeeper than in buying anything.
"Qin Yanzhou, don't just look and not buy. What do you like? I'll pay for it. I've saved a lot of money. I didn't spend much of my military merit rewards, unlike Wei Xiaowu who always likes to listen to those expensive tunes." Qin Qinian said, indicating that his personal savings were quite substantial.
He always felt a vague sense of guilt and a bit of mission.
The former may stem from his rudeness towards Madam Dai during their first meeting, or from the guilt of feeling he has to pay for his father's sins after unexpectedly learning that his father had taken another man's wife.
The latter came from what Lady Dai said to him that day.
Even today, Qin Qinian doesn't understand why, although he wanted to ask her some questions that day, the focus of their conversation unconsciously shifted entirely to Qin Yanzhou.
Even though a month and a half has passed, Qin Qinian still remembers that day clearly.
The afternoon sunlight streamed in through the window, falling on the woman's subtly patterned skirt, and the shimmering light it reflected clearly outlined her features.
When she spoke of Qin Yanzhou, she spoke softly, her eyes filled with tenderness, and she seemed to be enveloped in a gentle and charming halo.
Qin Qinian couldn't explain why, even though the "Zhouzhou" she was referring to wasn't him, he felt dizzy and lightheaded when she looked at him, as if he were soaking in a warm bath.
She told him to talk to Qin Yanzhou more often in the future, and he nodded without thinking.
She said that she and Qin Yanzhou had been separated for ten years. Qin Yanzhou had a very hard time during those ten years, so he became taciturn. She hoped that he would be more tolerant of her, and he nodded without hesitation at the time.
The text then goes on to mention other things, all related to Qin Yanzhou.
Later, Qin Qinian reflected on it several times and felt that it might be what her teacher meant by "a loving mother loves her child not for reward," she was just instinctively loving her child.
He was not even two years old when his birth mother passed away, and Qin Qinian had no memory of her. However, he felt that if his mother were alive, she would most likely have loved him as much as Madam Dai loved Qin Yanzhou.
Well, it doesn't matter if he couldn't have her before. With his father's determination to get her, he felt that there was a slight possibility that Mrs. Dai might become his mother.
While suffering from moral condemnation, Qin Qinian awkwardly developed some secret expectations.
Qin Yanzhou, my father holds a high position and is invincible in battle. I'll have him protect you from now on; could you give me half of your mother...?
*
A few streets away in the city.
A maid dressed as a servant walked in front, leading a petite figure wearing a veiled hat as they turned from the back alley into the back door of the bookstore.
Upon entering the bookstore, the "maid" stepped aside and curtsied to the lady, saying, "The gentlemen are on the third floor, please come in, young lady."
The young woman said nothing and went upstairs alone. Only after reaching the top floor did she remove her veil.
The thin veil fluttered, revealing a young and pretty face. She was about sixteen years old, the prime of her youth, but at this moment she was expressionless, as cold as a block of ice.
There was a large hall on the third floor, and the young woman walked straight in with the doors wide open.
There were people in the hall, one dressed in a purple robe and the other in white. Both young men were in their early twenties, and upon closer inspection, their faces bore a striking resemblance.
The room was elegant, with calligraphy and paintings hanging on the walls and incense burners in the four corners, filling the room with the fragrance of sandalwood.
Seeing the young lady enter, Di Ting, dressed in white, smiled and said, "Miss Fan, you're back. How did things go? Did they go smoothly?"
The visitor was Fan Muqi, Fan Tianshi's eighth child.
Fan Muqi said expressionlessly, "Everything went smoothly."
The young man in purple robes smiled, "It seems that Governor Fan Yanzhou is watching over you from heaven, blessing you with all good things."
Upon hearing the other person mention her father, Fan Muqi's eyes darkened.
When the army was defeated in Yanzhou, all the men of the Fan family were killed. Perhaps feeling that the women were not up to the task, all the concubines in the Fan family and other unmarried young ladies narrowly escaped the calamity.
Fan Muqi was the legitimate daughter, and her birth mother, Lady Ji, was still alive.
The Fan and Ji families were prominent clans that formed a marriage alliance. Nowadays, widows are encouraged to remarry, and it is common for widowed women to remarry. After Fan Tianshi's death, Ji was taken back by her maternal clan.
When Ji left, she originally intended to take Fan Muqi with her.
However, on the night before their departure, a group of night travelers sneaked into the post station. Upon learning that his father's defeat and the fact that the war between the two sides were all due to that person, Fan Muqi felt a poisonous fire burning in his chest.
She favored him greatly and ordered people to take good care of him while he was at the Fan residence. The Fan family raised him for seven years, from the age of twelve to nineteen, providing him with food and drink and teaching him martial arts.
It's hateful that he was actually a spy planted by the Marquis of Wu'an long ago.
Seven years, more than 2,500 days and nights, how did he manage to endure it!
So when the Qinglian Sect came knocking, Fan Muqi agreed without much thought. She left only a letter for her mother and left with the visitors without hesitation.
She seeks revenge, to find Inu-Akuta and avenge the murder of her father and brother!
"What are your next steps?" Fan Muqi knew that her relationship with the Qinglian Sect was more about exploitation than cooperation.
But she didn't care; she was willing to pay any price as long as it made Marquis Wu'an and Quan Jie pay the price.
"After Cai Yuan went to visit Marquis Wu'an, he suddenly intensified the crackdown on civilian and commercial settlements, with the Wei family bearing the brunt. First, there was Wei Conglin's accidental killing, and then the Cai family made moves on the settlements. Marquis Wu'an went through such a big roundabout way..." The white elephant in purple robes stroked his chin.
Di Ting calmly continued, "He wants to marry T's wife."
The other prominent families in the prefecture, lacking information, believed that the Marquis of Wu'an, returning from the battlefield, was truly seriously wounded. But those who had been forced out of Yanzhou knew all too well his condition.
Di Ting said, "The Marquis of Wu'an is clearly safe and sound. He is hiding in his mansion and only manipulating things from behind the scenes. He is obviously trying to force the Wei family into a dead end. I think it won't be long before he leaks the news to the Wei family."
Once word gets out, the Wei family will have no choice but to face a series of major events that could shake their very foundations.
"In that case, let's strike first."
*
The main house of the Qin residence.
“Madam, the Wei family has sent you a visiting card,” Nianxia said.
Dai Li asked in confusion, "For me?"
Nianxia nodded. "Yes, the guards said that the person who delivered the visiting card was a maid, and they repeatedly emphasized that it was for you."
Dai Li took the visiting card, unfolded it, and raised her delicate eyebrows slightly upon seeing who it was.
The party receiving the visiting card belonged to: Wei Cheng, the fifth daughter of the Wei family.
Author's Note: Here I am, please give me some nutrient solution! [Sprinkling flowers]
I wonder if any new fans have caught up with this story [shrug]. If you have, you can try reading the only completed novel in my column:
My Mother, a Time Traveler, Famous Throughout the Land
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
