Li lay on the ground, clutching her stomach and rolling around, causing several soldiers to fall as well.
"You son of a bitch, you drugged me! Men! Beat her to death! Beat her!"
"Don't hit my mother, don't hit her!" Song Chanxing said as she rushed forward to protect her.
The soldiers didn't care whether she lived or died, and lashed out with their whips: "You little brats, if you don't tell the truth today, I'll beat you to death... Ouch... It hurts so much, my stomach!"
"What happened?" Several soldiers who were unharmed nearby rushed over to ask.
"Who knows what that girl put in the food? My stomach...it's like it's being stabbed with a knife!"
"Huh? No way!" the soldier said, picking up the broken ceramic basin from the ground.
Lin Wanzhen and her two daughters, who were standing nearby, were also wincing in pain and rolling on the ground, creating a chaotic scene.
Watching their chaotic scene, Song He'er suppressed a laugh and walked innocently to Qin Xiaoniang's side.
"Mother, stay away."
"He'er, is this the show you were talking about?" Qin Xiaoniang asked in a low voice.
"This old lady, she never lifts a finger in her daily life, she's never done this kind of work before, so naturally she doesn't know that these brightly colored mushrooms are not edible."
Qin Xiaoniang sneered, "Hmph, this is retribution."
Four officers and soldiers fell in quick succession, and they could no longer continue their journey. Moreover, they were still halfway up the mountain, with endless forests all around them. If they could not get down the mountain before dark, they might encounter wild beasts at night.
Thinking this through, Song He'er had a sudden inspiration and came up with a good idea that would allow her to get down the mountain early and find supplies.
She turned her head and whispered to Qin Xiaoniang, "Mother, there are wolves here at night. We can't be buried with them. We have to go down the mountain."
Qin Xiaoniang hugged Huan Ge'er even tighter: "But those soldiers have stomach aches so badly they can't even walk."
"If your stomach hurts so much you can't walk, then your stomach won't hurt and you'll eventually be able to go down."
After saying that, Song He'er ignored Qin Xiaoniang's obstruction and walked towards the few normal soldiers.
"Sir, I know where we can save them."
The officers and soldiers turned around in surprise: "What bad idea have you come up with now? That farmer has already run away, and there's no one to help us now."
"The farmer has run away, but the tenant farmers at the foot of the mountain can't..."
Upon hearing this, the soldier finally calmed down: "What exactly are you trying to say?"
“You strong and healthy people should escort us healthy people down the mountain, then get some medicine from the tenants, and send someone up. After they take the medicine, their stomachs will naturally stop hurting.”
Upon hearing that Song He'er intended to lead the others down the mountain, Li immediately stood up and roared, "I am a noblewoman of the imperial court! How dare you abandon me?"
"Go to hell! I haven't even settled accounts with you yet! What kind of garbage did you cook, you damn woman!"
"Sir..."
The soldier ignored her and turned to the others, saying, "Listen, we're all going down the mountain first. Whoever can get the medicinal herbs from the tenants will get a meal!"
Seeing that her goal had been achieved, Song He'er secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Actually, eating these poisonous mushrooms is nothing serious; it might just cause diarrhea for a couple of days, but it won't kill you. Song He'er's main goal now is to take this opportunity to find some medicinal herbs, since these are the only supplies she needs.
The path down the mountain was much easier than the path up, and in less than two hours, the group had reached the foot of the mountain.
Song Chanyue didn't feel any physical reaction because she ate very little, but she was really afraid that the group would leave on its own, so she had no choice but to go down the mountain with them.
"Song He'er—come back! What tricks are you playing? If you can't find the medicine to save my mother, you can just wait to collect her corpse!"
Hearing this, Qin Xiaoniang was very displeased. She put Huan Ge'er down on the grass, walked over, and raised her hand to slap Song Chanyue...
"You're used to bullying my daughter, aren't you? You think I'm made of clay if I don't fight back? Let me tell you! If anything happens to my daughter, you've underestimated what a mother is capable of!"
Qin Xiaoniang spoke with force, her eyes flashing with a cold light. This was the first time she had spoken so defiantly. In the past, she would only swallow her anger in the General's Mansion. This was the first time Song Chanyue had ever seen such a scene.
"You...you're so arrogant! Just wait until we get to the wilderness, I'll make sure my father divorces you!"
"I don't need your family's help! I'll walk myself!"
Aunt Zhang Xiu'e, who was sitting on the ground, picked up Huan Ge'er and walked to Qin Xiaoniang's side, joining her in confronting Song Chanyue: "I say, Chan'er, did you develop a spoiled attitude from being raised in the General's Mansion? Why do you yell at people all the time?"
"You fatso, why are you everywhere?"
The moment the word "fat" was mentioned, Zhang Xiue's face changed completely; fat people hate it when others say that word.
"You arrogant fool! I was legally married into the Song family by your third uncle, I'm your elder, how dare you insult me like that? I'll tear you apart!"
As she spoke, Zhang Xiu'e returned Huan Ge'er to Qin Xiaoniang and then pushed Song Chanyue to the ground and beat her.
Song He'er was walking at the front of the group when she heard the arguing coming from this direction, so she immediately ran over...
"Third Aunt, stop hitting her. It won't do any good even if you beat her to death. Anyway, we've already come down the mountain. If she can't find the medicinal herbs to save her mother before dark, then everyone on the mountain can just wait to be fed to the wolves!"
Hearing Song He'er's dissuasion, Zhang Xiu'e stopped, brushed the dirt off her body, and pulled Qin Xiaoniang toward the front of the group.
Song He'er glanced at Song Chanyue on the ground, but didn't say anything. The most important thing right now was to find the tenant farmer and then quickly exchange some medicinal herbs to put into her space.
After all, the road conditions are getting worse and the weather is getting worse, so medicine is the only thing we can't do without.
Song He'er's guess was correct; there were indeed quite a few tenant farmers living at the foot of the mountain.
The soldiers seemed to see a glimmer of hope and immediately sent people to find the medicine. "Song He'er, you're quite clever. You go. I'll reward you handsomely when you come back."
“...Hmm...Alright then, but my foot…” Song He’er pretended to reluctantly agree.
The officers understood Song He'er's meaning and immediately bent down to unlock her shackles.
"Go."
Song He'er happily went to the first farmer's house. When she entered, she found some motherwort in the yard. These things have the effect of promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis. They usually grow on mountains. Unfortunately, she didn't find a single one when she came down the mountain.
Song He'er looked around and noticed that the house was quite sturdy. It wasn't a mud house, but a wooden courtyard. There were also two large coins hanging at the entrance to ward off evil spirits.
As Song He'er walked further in, she suddenly discovered...?
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