Chapter 198 Assassination Attempt While Buying Porcelain
"Bang!"
Cheng Fang slammed his fist on the wooden table in front of him, making a dull thud.
The wooden table wobbled, and the teacup on it jumped.
"It seems the person behind this has already investigated, knowing we wouldn't dare to investigate openly! The disaster victims outside the city are already on the brink of life and death, what threat could they pose to him? What is his purpose in coming here?"
Zhao Jingxing remained silent.
This incident was most likely not committed by the people of the Great Yu Dynasty.
“I have already sent military doctors to prepare medicine for the disaster victims and cooked some clean millet porridge, but the disaster victims are afraid to eat it now, saying they are afraid of being poisoned again.”
"I'll go tell them." Cheng Fang stood up, grabbed the cloak hanging on the tent pole,
"Have someone bring out two bags of grain and cook porridge in front of everyone. Then have the military doctor explain the test results to everyone. Let them know that we haven't hidden anything or harmed them."
He lifted the tent flap, and the noise from outside immediately rushed in.
Cheng Fang took a deep breath, strode up to the high platform, and said in a loud voice, "Fellow villagers! I am Cheng Fang from the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion! If you have eaten spoiled grain and are suffering from stomach problems, it is because we failed to manage the grain properly. I apologize to you all!"
He bowed deeply to the crowd. "I assure you all, this problem will never happen again. Now, we'll cook porridge with military rations. The military doctor will be there to supervise. If anyone is worried, I'll be the first to eat it!"
The crowd quieted down slightly. An elderly woman asked tremblingly, "Is it...really not poisonous? Won't it give me diarrhea if I eat it?"
"Really! Don't worry, old man!" Cheng Fang said sincerely.
At this moment, Zhao Jingxing had someone carry over a large iron pot, set up firewood, and started cooking porridge on the spot.
The aroma of rice gradually filled the air, and the eyes of the disaster victims changed from anger to hesitation.
The leaders wanted to speak, but were stopped by the soldiers disguised as disaster victims.
The porridge was cooked quickly.
Cheng Fang stepped forward first and scooped out a bowl, and Zhao Jingxing followed suit and scooped out a bowl as well.
Cheng Fang spoke loudly: "Everyone, watch us cook, watch us serve. From now on, we'll drink the food first; if it's poisoned, we'll die first!"
Without hesitation, Cheng Fang and Zhao Jingxing finished their bowls of porridge in one gulp, then showed everyone the bottom of their bowls.
The disaster victims watched the whole thing unfold, and now they have no more worries.
Those two generals were of noble birth, born with silver spoons in their mouths, yet they were willing to risk their lives for these disaster victims.
What else do they have to hesitate about?
Everyone only has one life. Other people's lives are a hundred times more precious than ours. If it's really poisonous, there will be princes and nobles who will be buried with them. They've already gained something from their worthless lives!
As the crowd gradually dispersed, Cheng Fang walked over to the old woman, personally ladled out a bowl of hot porridge, and handed it to her: "Grandma, please drink first. If you have any problems, please come to me."
The old woman took the porridge, blew on it, took a sip, and tears suddenly streamed down her face: "It's so delicious... This is the most delicious porridge I've ever tasted... Thank you, young lord..."
Some people had been hungry for two days and couldn't resist the aroma of the porridge.
Once there's a first one, there's bound to be a second.
The disaster victims gradually lined up, some to receive porridge, some to receive medicine, and the previous chaos slowly turned into an orderly queue.
As the sun set, Cheng Fang and Zhao Jingxing stood on the high platform, watching this scene, but dared not relax.
We cannot rest easy until the person who poisoned us is caught.
He didn't succeed this time, but he'll definitely look for another opportunity next time.
————
The next morning, the sunlight was just right.
Jiang Ling wanted to visit a famous porcelain shop in the capital. She planned to exchange her money for porcelain and bring it back to the modern world to sell, which should be a good business opportunity.
Having already caused trouble in the capital for several days, she thought it would be time to set off back to Jishui Village in another two days.
Upon hearing that Jiang Ling wanted to buy porcelain, Cheng Jiaojiao immediately volunteered. Several of her close friends' families were in the porcelain business and knew the shops in the city like the back of their hand. She then enthusiastically led everyone towards the east of the city.
Zhao Jingxing naturally accompanied him, but a lingering worry was on his face, clearly still concerned about the disaster victims outside the city, and he was somewhat absent-minded along the way.
The carriage stopped in front of a porcelain shop whose facade was not ostentatious but exuded an elegant atmosphere.
The shopkeeper, a thin man in his forties, recognized Cheng Jiaojiao at a glance. He quickly put down his account book, greeted her with a broad smile, and bowed respectfully.
"Miss Cheng, it's an honor to have you here. It's been a while since we've seen you. Please come in, please come in!"
Her gaze swept over Jiang Ling and Zhao Jingxing, who stood beside Cheng Jiaojiao and exuded an extraordinary aura, and her attitude became even more attentive.
The shop's interior space wasn't large, but it was arranged extremely cleverly.
Cheng Jiaojiao was clearly a regular customer, and without any formalities, she spoke frankly:
"Manager Wang, I've brought distinguished guests here today, not to see your ordinary goods. Show us any of your best items or newly arrived treasures."
Manager Wang replied repeatedly, "Miss Cheng, rest assured, we will definitely offer the best goods and dare not neglect our distinguished guest!"
He turned and gestured for the shop assistant to carefully bring over several brocade boxes, while he himself took one down from the shelf—a crystal-clear, shimmering glass cup.
Sunlight shines through the glass, refracting into a colorful halo.
"Young lady, take a look at this. It came from a merchant in the far west. The craftsmanship is very different from that of the Great Yu Dynasty. The colors flow under the light, which is quite wonderful."
Jiang Ling glanced at it; the glass bottle was indeed beautiful.
Glass could fetch a high price in this era, but in modern times, it's just a bunch of it for ten dollars.
Cheng Jiaojiao leaned over for a glance, then interrupted with a hint of pride:
“My sister Jiang’s family has no shortage of glass items, let’s look at something else.”
"I was mistaken, please forgive me, young lady."
Shopkeeper Wang wasn't embarrassed by Cheng Jiaojiao's words; instead, his smile widened.
He quickly handed the glass cup to the waiter and led everyone to a more elegant and quiet display stand in the inner room.
"Ladies, please look at this piece. It is a fine Ru ware piece, in an antique style, with a thick glaze and natural crackles. It would be most elegant to place it in a study or hall."
As he spoke, Manager Wang pointed to an elegantly shaped celadon-glazed vase with string patterns on the display stand.
Jiang Ling gently touched the bottle with her fingertips. The glaze was as delicate as a baby's skin. Even though she didn't know much about porcelain, she thought it was quite nice.
Cheng Jiaojiao chimed in, "The color of this Ru ware vase is really beautiful, but it's a bit too plain. Sister Jiang, I think this blue and white plum vase is more impressive; it would definitely make a statement in your shop!"
Jiang Ling picked up the blue and white plum vase again and looked at it. "Indeed, both of them are quite nice."
Either of these would fetch a very good price in modern times.
I'll take both of them.
Cheng Jiaojiao also picked out two gifts for Xiao Ran and Xiao Yi.
The shopkeeper smiled so hard his eyes narrowed into slits, and he quickly told his assistant to pack the food.
Just as the group left the shop, five men in black with fierce eyes suddenly rushed out from the crowd, holding short knives tightly in their hands. Their target was clear: Jiang Ling!
"Sister Jiang, be careful!"
Xiao Ran reacted quickly, exclaiming in surprise, her small body instinctively shielding Jiang Ling.
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