Chapter 96 Chengzhi, I Want to Kiss You: Increase the Dosage
The sunlight was just right, and the person standing in the courtyard was dressed in light blue. Although he was a merchant, he was refined and elegant, without a trace of greed.
The unfamiliar face smiled gently, dressed in the same manner, and exuding an air of refinement. The gatekeeper she had brought back from Fuzhou was completely taken aback and actually brought the person in.
Normally, the gatekeeper would have kicked him out long ago, so why would he let him in while he was still in a daze?
Unaware that he was being misled by appearances, the gatekeeper hesitated, glancing at Xun Suihuang and then at the man in blue.
This person is two-faced. She speaks so sweetly in front of the Marquis's mansion, but once inside, she becomes quite impolite. Yet, the general claims she is her guest.
Is it or isn't it?
Should we keep them or send them away?
Scratching her head, she asked, "General...?"
Xun Suihuang felt a headache coming on when she saw her confused look, and waved her hand: "Have someone make some tea."
"Understood." The temporary doorman turned and left.
Xun Suihuang casually rolled up the military book and stuffed it into the inner pocket of his sleeve: "Why did you come here in broad daylight?"
Out of the corner of her eye, Xi Congshuang saw figures rising and falling in the grass. They were using the overgrown grass as cover to peek, but they were afraid of being discovered by Xun Suihuang, so they made more feints than usual.
She lowered her voice: "Can't I come during the day?"
This furtive behavior, and its proximity to the general, instantly drew several pairs of eyes from the bushes.
Although I couldn't hear clearly, judging from the general's expression, he seemed to be there to collect a debt. Analyzing that expression that was neither disliked nor feigned disgust, I guessed he was here to collect a debt of gratitude!
"I didn't mean you were something to be ashamed of, it's just that your current identity..." Xun Suihuang couldn't help but notice the gazes behind her, so she turned slightly to block their stares.
Xi Congshuang smiled and said, "Don't worry, no one has ever seen this face before."
Although it wasn't the first time Xun Suihuang had seen Xi Congshuang use disguise techniques, the second time finally gave him time to investigate. Upon hearing this, Xun Suihuang subconsciously raised his eyes and carefully examined the features of the person standing in front of him.
Xi Congshuang looked up and asked, "What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"
There's so much on your face, it's impossible to study it all in a short time.
Xun Suihuang just looked and didn't answer.
For some reason, she felt something was off.
Later, I realized it was probably because she knew what the real Xi Congshuang looked like, and subconsciously compared her original face with her current face, so of course she felt that everything was out of place.
To an outsider, he would just appear to be a slender, ordinary merchant, dressed in simple, unpretentious clothes.
Merchants are not like scholars; there are many things that even if a merchant has money, he cannot buy, and even if he is extremely wealthy, he cannot be adorned with fine silks and satins.
Judging by appearance alone, he seemed gentle and refined, with eyebrows that were neither too thick nor too thin, and a few scattered spots on the side of his face, but they were not obvious. His nose bridge was also a little lower than before.
She was so engrossed in watching that she was completely unaware of the whispers that were breaking out behind her.
"See? The general is watching intently."
"I've never seen this girl before. Who is she?"
"I don't know. Didn't Ah Tong just say she was a timber merchant? Surely the general isn't so desperate as to sell his body to have her renovate the Pingding Marquis's mansion?"
"No way, if the old general found out, he'd crawl out of his grave."
Do you know General Gu?
Gu Daifang looked for a while, then pulled the weeds off her head and shook her head: "I don't recognize it."
I don't recognize him at all. This is the first time I've seen his face, but something feels off.
The general is not someone who can make friends with just anyone.
The more Xun Suihuang looked, the more curious she became. She was genuinely interested in this disguise technique that could change one's appearance: "I've captured a few people before. Some of them had disguises on their faces, but they were rather crude. They would come off after being tortured with a few buckets of water. It was just a thin layer of skin..."
But Xi Congshuang's face was flawless, without the slightest flaw, which made her even more curious.
Xi Congshuang grasped the wrist that was trying to touch her face, through the wrist guard: "General, there are still people here."
She was indifferent, but she wasn't the type to take advantage of others' weaknesses.
Once this misunderstanding is formed today, no matter how Xun Suihuang explains it in the future, she will never be able to clear it up.
Thinking about it more deeply, if he were to openly appear in the Marquis's mansion in the future, wouldn't people misunderstand him as Cheng Zhi being fickle?
The person whose wrist was grabbed suddenly realized what was happening and almost forgot that someone was behind them.
Turning his head, he saw pairs of eyes peeking out from the bushes, all of them shining brightly. When they saw Xun Suihuang turn around, they all flashed their big white teeth and smiled radiantly.
Xun Suihuang: "..."
Everyone: "..."
Just then, the gatekeeper came out and announced, "General, the tea is ready."
As soon as Xun Suihuang made a move, he released his grip on her wrist. She awkwardly turned her wrist and gestured inside: "It's sunny outside, please come in and sit down with me."
Xi Congshuang gladly accepted the invitation and went inside together.
Several pairs of eyes followed the two figures closely, feeling a pang of regret. Why didn't they talk for a while longer before going inside?
Afterwards, the gatekeeper came out of the main hall. She didn't know how to make tea, so she just helped tidy up inside. But as soon as she came out, several fellow soldiers grabbed her and pulled her out by the neck.
"Ah Tong, let's have a chat."
"What do you want to talk about?"
"Never mind that, let's get started first."
*
If it weren't for the large number of idle people outside, Xun Suihuang would not have been willing to let anyone in.
Because it's empty and drafty inside, it's even worse than outside, where at least you can get some sunshine.
Before leaving the capital, he took everyone from the mansion with him, leaving behind only an empty residence.
The emperor was initially bothered by this matter. Which general goes to war with his family in tow, leaving no one behind?
Wouldn't that confirm the rumors circulating outside and quell Hou Langzi's ambitions?
However, Xun Suihuang replied in his memorial: "My mother entrusted me with the task of caring for my former comrades in their old age. However, Yongdu and Fuzhou are far apart, and I was afraid that I could not take good care of them. That is why I set off with the army."
Yongchao valued filial piety, and Xun Suihuang's reply left one speechless. Besides, they were all old wounded soldiers from the past, so what else could they do?
So they let her go.
Without anyone to maintain it, the mansion became overgrown with weeds and filled with dust, resembling a haunted house.
When we got back, we had to move everything out and pack it slowly. Most of the furniture was left to dry in the backyard and we'll move it back in a few days.
The servants had already retreated, making the already empty main hall even more desolate.
Xun Suihuang felt the same kind of embarrassment as returning home after a battle to find his house bare and friends visiting.
Xi Congshuang didn't think there was anything wrong with this. She found a place to sit down. The chair had been wiped clean and dried in the sun before being carried back. The back of the chair was still warm from the sun.
She was about to raise her hand to serve the tea when she saw Xun Suihuang still standing to the side, looking troubled, so she asked, "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with the tea?"
Xun Suihuang shook her head: "There's nothing wrong with it. There's nothing fancy in the manor, just some coarse tea. I'm afraid you won't be used to it."
Xi Congshuang: "There's nothing I can't get used to drinking. On the way to Fuzhou, I drank tea made with red beans every day. She can accurately measure how many bowls of water to use when decocting medicine, but she knows nothing about making tea."
Thinking of the pots of strong tea that had been brought along the way, it was fortunate that she was delirious from her illness and could fall asleep immediately after drinking it; otherwise, she would have had to stay awake until dawn.
The person serving the tea chuckled: "She just grabbed a handful of tea leaves and put them in, then thought it wasn't enough, then grabbed it again and it was too much. Every time I drink strong tea."
Xun Suihuang asked in confusion, "Then the tea she brewed in the General's Mansion..."
Xi Congshuang: "I don't know either. The tea she brewed that night was just right, not too strong and not too weak..."
As she spoke, Xi Congshuang, suddenly realizing what was happening, stopped talking and fell silent.
"..."
Xun Suihuang also figured out the reason and laughed in exasperation: "Well, it turns out that the one who wasted the most tea leaves was Lu Hongdou herself. She was annoyed that I came over suddenly that night and didn't put in enough tea leaves, so she didn't brew a strong tea."
"Next time I see her, I'll expose her about this," she said to Xi Congshuang, refusing to even drink her tea.
The great general had no magnanimity whatsoever; he was full of petty calculations and insisted on making the child so angry that he jumped up.
Xi Congshuang wouldn't stop her: "Go ahead and say it. I don't want to drink strong tea either, it'll keep me awake at night."
After the laughter subsided, servants came over and brought out some snacks, which they had bought on a whim and were still warm.
Since returning to Yongdu, Marquis Pingding has not seen anyone except for the welcoming banquet and court sessions.
When an invitation was sent, she declined, citing a relapse of her old illness and the need to recuperate at home.
Whether the court officials believed it or not, the palace did bestow a considerable amount of medicinal herbs and even brought a royal elixir.
Startled, Xun Suihuang dared not continue to lie in bed to recover. She took the pill, glanced at the dark pill, and closed the brocade box.
Before the eunuch delivering the decree could finish speaking, he overheard the words: "The medicine cured the disease instantly. Your Majesty's grace is boundless, and I am deeply grateful. This elixir will surely be enshrined here so that the world may know of Your Majesty's benevolence."
Xi Congshuang asked, "What about the elixir?"
Yesterday afternoon, Xun Suihuang, who had patted his chest to the imperial eunuch delivering the decree and guaranteed that he would be enshrined, said, "It's in the storeroom. Do you want to see it?"
Xi Congshuang nodded: "I want to see."
Xun Suihuang readily agreed and stood up: "Alright, let's take a look at the elixir bestowed by His Majesty."
Since they wanted to see it, she took her people to the warehouse.
The warehouse was the second place to be cleaned up; the first was the courtyard where people could live.
Xun Suihuang got the key from the housekeeper, unlocked the door, and pushed it open. A musty smell hit her, but the inside was very clean.
Xun Suihuang: "It's not tidy up inside yet, it's a complete mess. You wait outside for a while, I'll go get it for you."
Xi Congshuang stood outside waiting, when suddenly her gaze was drawn to a certain place, and she walked over.
After searching through the contents, they finally found the imperial elixir bestowed by the emperor and carried the brocade box out.
Back then, her mother beat her for the imperial glass bottle, but she still didn't learn her lesson and threw away the imperial pills carelessly. This thing should really be enshrined.
She had already decided that after Xi Congshuang saw it, she would take it back to her room and lock it in the closet.
The pills themselves were worthless, black and sloppy, and it was unknown what they were made of. But because they were bestowed by the emperor, they had to be stored properly, otherwise one would be guilty of disrespecting the emperor.
When Xun Suihuang went outside, she found that Xi Congshuang was not there. She thought it was strange and turned her head to see that Xi Congshuang was standing under the corridor, staring at a pillar in a daze.
"What are you looking at?" Xun Suihuang stepped closer and asked in a loud voice.
“Look at this.” Xi Congshuang raised her hand and pointed to the pillar with scratches on it.
These scratches varied in depth, moving upwards until they stopped at the adult's waist, where no new scratches were added.
Xun Suihuang: "I had forgotten that it was originally carved on this pillar. Later, I thought it was childish and refused to let my mother carve marks on my head."
Over the years, the servants in the mansion tacitly agreed not to repair the spot, and the scratches on the dark wooden pillars became timeless marks.
"Is this something you left behind when you were a child?" Xi Congshuang turned around, a brocade box was handed to her, and when she opened the box, a faint medicinal smell wafted out.
She didn't touch it with her hands, but leaned closer to smell it and carefully distinguished the medicinal herbs inside.
Seeing her serious expression, Xun Suihuang found it amusing, but was then moved.
Having been used to taking on heavy responsibilities for so many years, I became so easily tempted by a few words of concern from others that I shamelessly fell for their schemes. I used to despise the idea of using a beautiful woman to seduce someone, but now I realize it's not about whether the person is beautiful or not, but whether they are the right person or not.
She couldn't help but say, "He wouldn't stoop to tampering with the medicine bestowed by the emperor, you don't need to take it so seriously."
Xi Congshuang raised her eyes and uttered treasonous words: "There are plenty of people in the world willing to take the blame for him. Besides, he is the emperor, and killing anyone won't hurt him. But you only have one life, and I can't afford to gamble with it."
"The people in your household are all counting on you. If you are doing well, they will be doing well too, and the people of Fuzhou will be doing well too. I know this even if you don't say it."
"Didn't you take everyone away without hesitation in order to save as many people as possible?"
After closing the lid, Xi Congshuang pushed the contents back into her hands: "There's too much cinnabar in it, and it's also mixed with mercury. Eating too much of it will cause mercury poisoning; the content is too high."
Xun Suihuang: "Isn't this what you put in alchemy?"
Xi Congshuang chuckled: "That's right, you can even put sulfur in it, and then they developed gunpowder."
Xun Suihuang: "..."
His Majesty still looks rosy-cheeked after eating this stuff every day; the Imperial Hospital deserves much credit for that.
Xi Congshuang recalled how many people had presented medicine to the emperor: Consort Wan, Taoist Minzhen, and from time to time, Princes Xin and Wu would gather all sorts of rare medicines to present. Court officials who wanted to curry favor with the emperor would also present medicine.
The emperor was treated to medicine from all directions and consumed it everywhere.
The two did not linger near the warehouse. Xun Suihuang put the brocade box into his pocket, feeling as if he had taken a peerless poison.
She didn't seek immortality, but she also knew that eating this stuff definitely wouldn't grant her that.
So many emperors pursued immortality, yet none of them actually succeeded; quite a few, however, ate their way to the Western Paradise.
Is that stuff even fit for human consumption?
After catching up with the person walking ahead in a few steps, Xi Congshuang suddenly asked, "Your house is quite big. After it's repaired, could you reserve a room for me?"
Xun Suihuang was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and asked, "Which one do you want?"
Xi Congshuang turned around: "Are you just asking me directly which one I want? I tell you which one, and you give it to me?"
Looking at the smiling face in front of her, Xun Suihuang suddenly felt even more uncomfortable. If it were Xi Congshuang's original face smiling instead of her disguise, wouldn't it look even better?
This was quite different from the polite smiles I'd seen before; it was genuine joy from the heart.
Xun Suihuang: "Of course, a promise is a promise. Tell me, which place you've chosen, what name you plan to give it, and when you'll move in?"
The more Xi Congshuang listened, the more she realized that she was just saying things to make herself happy.
She's still a retainer of Prince Xin, so how can she get too close to people from the Marquis of Pingding's mansion?
Remembering that Xi Congshuang was the head of a clan, and that her residence was planted with pear trees, where she would leisurely gather around the stove to brew tea, drink tea, and admire the flowers, Xun Suihuang looked around and realized that her dilapidated mansion had few decent spots either.
Not to mention that her mother had all the flowers and plants in the former garden removed and the ground leveled to build a martial arts training ground.
Let alone romance or elegance, this place has nothing to do with refinement.
So Xun Suihuang said, "You pick a good spot, and I'll have someone repair it and move some pear trees over from the yard... But let me ask you a few more questions now: what kind of flowers do you prefer? Plum blossoms? Pear blossoms? Or peach blossoms?"
Xi Congshuang stopped walking and turned to look at her.
Xun Suihuang found her gaze strange. After a moment's thought, she thought she had figured it out: "Actually, you like all the flowers I mentioned, but you can't tell which ones you particularly like yet. You should think it over before telling me?"
"Chengzhi." Xi Congshuang approached step by step, her figure magnified in the other's eyes, becoming clearer. "I want to kiss you."
Xun Suihuang: "?"
What did she say?
Xun Suihuang suddenly realized what was happening and raised her hand to stop the other person from getting closer: "Wait, wait, in broad daylight... no, there's nothing shameful about it, this is my home..."
She racked her brains, her mind reeling from the sudden words, and couldn't think of anything to say for a moment.
She didn't understand why the topic had suddenly shifted to this.
Xi Congshuang sensed her resistance, lowered her eyes slightly, and said dejectedly, "You don't dislike me, but you say no, is it because I'm a woman?"
Xun Suihuang almost softened and nodded, but she was a person of principle and held back.
The general was usually carefree and never showed special treatment to anyone. Even her subordinates said that the general was indifferent to men and women and that living with her spear was enough for her.
The woman in green approached step by step, ignoring the hand on her shoulder, getting closer and closer. She had taken off her gloves to conceal her identity, but now it was convenient. She took Xun Suihuang's hand, their fingers intertwined, and put her other arm around Xun Suihuang's lower back.
Xun Suihuang, whose lower back had never been touched in her entire life: "!"
She almost gave in to weakness; had Xi Congshuang cast a spell on her?
So tender it melts in your mouth?
Xun Suihuang was powerless to stop him and retreated step by step. He was about to be against the wall, and there was really no way to escape.
I could only say, "Because it's not your face, I'm not used to it."
Xi Congshuang: "..."
If it weren't for Sect Leader Xi's extraordinary self-control, she would have put her hand to her face and torn off her disguise mask upon hearing those words.
Luckily, she remembered that she hadn't brought any tools, so she held back.
Those who achieve great things must endure what ordinary people cannot.
“I understand, Heaven is about to bestow a great responsibility upon this person,” Xi Congshuang said softly.
They would then pin this blame on the emperor, inevitably leading to a higher dosage of medicine.
Xun Suihuang: "..."
You can't take advantage of the fact that you're a doctor and don't have to take the imperial examinations to misuse Mencius's words.
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[Rainbow farts][Rainbow farts]
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