Chapter 543 Poisoning
"Third Sister greets Princess Fu'an!" Third Sister Liu quietly approached Little Su Bao and whispered.
Su Bao was taken aback; he had almost forgotten about this girl.
Turning around, seeing Liu San's watery eyes and her hesitant expression, even Xiao Su Bao felt a little embarrassed.
Fu Manduo and a few others came over and blocked the little girl.
Liu Sanniang also expressed her gratitude to Fu Manduo and Princess Chang'an.
"It was Liu Sanniang who didn't know what was good for her back then. Sanniang thanks Princess Fu'an for saving her life. In the future, as long as there is anything Sanniang can do for her, Sanniang will do it without hesitation!"
After Liu San Guniang finished speaking, she stood quietly to the side again.
She lowered her eyes, looking unusually obedient.
When her brother told her that Xiao Su Bao was going to training, she came without hesitation. Perhaps this was her only chance to get close to Xiao Su Bao!
Thinking of this, a strange determination appeared in the little girl's eyes.
No matter what, she had to stay by Xiao Su Bao's side. Everyone else thought that Xiao Su Bao was just a girl and not worthy of being the deputy prime minister.
But when the little girl thought about what happened that day, she thought Su Bao was amazing.
So when she heard that Xiao Su Bao had become the deputy prime minister and was going to the military camp for training, she immediately perked up.
Liu initially refused, after all, he knew that the emperor might be using Xiao Su Bao to reprimand him.
In order to help her father win this case, she simply told him what had happened to her that day.
“This Tang Susu! If she’s that amazing, then it explains why His Majesty treats her so differently!” At that moment, the father remained silent for a long time, and his back became hunched.
"Alright, go ahead, just remember, don't do anything to harm the family! Everything... everything should be for the sake of the two princesses!" Liu Yong said to his daughter with his hands behind his back.
Having retracted her thoughts, Liu San, the young woman before her, scanned everyone with unwavering determination in her eyes.
There were only about ten of them, all of them unmarried, and it was unknown how many would remain in the future.
The other group consisted of women aged sixteen to twenty-six who were already married.
Among these girls were Qi Meng, Wang Xiuer, Ma Erniang, and some other young girls.
There were probably only thirty or forty people in total!
Liu San Guniang pursed her lips and clenched her fists secretly. No matter what, she had to stay. This might be the fastest way to change her fate!
The girls in front of me were wearing loose-fitting practice clothes, and their hair was tied up on top of their heads.
This time, they didn't wear any makeup, just a layer of oil.
Besides them, there were thirty women with serious expressions, the oldest being in their forties and the youngest in their early twenties.
Liu San Guniang looked excitedly at the front, where the Empress was standing.
The empress stood at the front, dressed in red armor, wearing a red hat with red tassels, and holding a red-tasseled spear in her hand.
It was as if a female general had descended to earth!
The once kind empress now had an extremely sharp gaze.
Her gaze swept over everyone.
He then slowly spoke: "Before you came here, I already said that this training would last for a month, regardless of whether you could persevere or not!"
"If you don't want to stay after a month, you can choose to leave!"
"But this is your only chance!"
The Queen's voice was not loud, but it was very firm.
"If you persist in training, I can give you a chance to lead troops into battle, so that you can see that women can also go to the battlefield to kill the enemy, and that women can also occupy half of the country!"
"Who says women are inferior to men? It's yourselves who think you can't do it. If you think you can't, then you can't. Our strength can be trained, and our skills can be learned!"
"No one is born knowing everything. Men may be physically stronger than you at first, but through training and your own efforts, you can stand shoulder to shoulder with them!"
The Queen suddenly shouted, "Do you have any confidence?!"
"have!"
The girls' voices were bright, and their eyes shone with an unusual light.
They felt their blood boiling, as if all difficulties had become easy in their presence.
Ma Erniang's eyes were filled with excitement as she stared intently at the Empress, suddenly forgetting all about Tang Bugui.
She was initially upset about Tang Bugui's engagement, but now...
She felt that perhaps she could also be a female general, without having to depend on a man.
The empress's words were like a magical switch, allowing them to see that women might be no less capable than men!
The emperor did not suppress women because he understood that a strong nation depends on strong women.
If there were more women like Qian who were self-reliant and hardworking, the Shang Dynasty would be even better!
This could be seen as the emperor relinquishing control, or perhaps as a test.
Little Su Bao clenched her fist slightly as she saw the faint glow of merit gathering on the Empress's body.
These words are extremely important to a woman.
"From now on, you will study in the morning and begin your daily training in the afternoon. In addition to the general cultural courses, you will also need to study Sun Tzu's Art of War, the Strategies of the Warring States, Wu Zi's Art of War, Wei Liao Zi, Sima's Art of War, the Six Secret Teachings, the Three Strategies, Li Wei Gong's Questions and Answers, the Thirty-Six Stratagems, and so on."
Seeing the girls' excited expressions, the Empress then spoke.
Everyone was stunned. Wang Youyou's eyes widened. This really seemed different from the books she had been exposed to.
The Empress seemed to understand her gaze and smiled slightly, saying, "Studying clarifies one's aspirations, and women should study even more!"
"Don't listen to those people's nonsense. The idea that a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent is just rubbish from those scholars. If they thought that was wrong, they wouldn't have studied!"
The little girls stared wide-eyed at the Queen's words, their faces filled with disbelief!
For a moment, there was complete silence; no one dared to say anything more.
Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment before someone finally said, "But Your Majesty, neither my mother nor my father said that!"
The little girl was thirteen years old and very cute.
The Empress looked at her and said, "That's why they're trapped in the inner quarters, that's why they fight over trivial matters every day. Do you want to be like that too?"
"But Your Majesty the Empress... there are other concubines in the harem!"
These words were also spoken by that girl. She was the daughter of a prince, so she naturally wasn't afraid of angering the empress.
The Empress was slightly taken aback, but then she smiled!
"You're right, so if I can't do it, then it's up to you guys!"
The Empress smiled and readily admitted to the matter.
The little girl suddenly became very flustered, wanting to say something but not knowing how.
She found the Empress's words problematic, since they weren't written like that in the Nüshu (women's script).
"If you think your mother is right, then why are you here?"
"Child, perhaps you should think about why your mother sent you here!"
The little girl was slightly taken aback, looked up at the Empress in a daze, and then heard the Empress speak: "From now on, each of you will have a teammate. In future training, if one person fails to complete the task, the teammate will have to double the effort!"
Everyone's eyes widened instantly, and they all felt a bit nervous.
The Queen glanced at the children, her smile brightening.
The others were looking at the people opposite them, who must be the teammates the Queen had given them!
"You have three days to let your teammates choose you!"
The empress smiled, a sly look on her face.
These women were all real female soldiers who had risked their lives alongside me back then.
Hundreds of years have passed, and these people are still risking their lives on the front lines.
If the Empress hadn't asked them to come back, these women probably wouldn't have returned to play games with the children at all.
In their eyes, these little guys are probably incapable of anything.
The Queen offered no further explanation, but her gaze towards the children held a hint of a smile.
Little Su Bao's gaze swept over these people, and she saw many things.
The women looked strong, but some were weak inside, and many, like the empress, were plagued by malevolent energy.
So these girls will probably have many health problems as they get older.
No wonder some people say they'd rather study literature than martial arts!
Xiao Su Bao sighed, but in her heart she was thinking about how to make everyone's health better.
The little girl clenched her fists, a determined look in her eyes.
Everyone else was also looking at Xiao Su Bao.
Legend has it that Xiao Su Bao is Tang Bu Gui's daughter, and inherited Tang Bu Gui's great strength.
"Girl, your father is Tang Bugui, right? He used to have to call me 'sister.' From now on, you'll be with me!"
Just then, the oldest woman stepped forward and looked at Xiao Su Bao.
The little girl was slightly taken aback and hadn't reacted yet when she heard several other people shouting along.
The little girl paused, then turned to look at the Empress.
However, this time the Empress did not speak, but simply looked at them with a smile.
“These are all your own business, haha!” the Queen said with a laugh from the side.
"No way! That brat Tang Bugui was incredibly cunning back then. I want this girl!"
Just then, another woman spoke up.
Everyone's eyes were filled with excitement, as if they couldn't wait to snatch the little baby away.
After all, they had all heard about the girl's achievements.
"How about we wait three days?" Little Su Bao said weakly.
"Alright, you little girl seem much better than your father. Don't be like him in the future. He may look small, but he's got a lot of tricks up his sleeve!"
The forty-year-old woman said with a smile.
Although they all say this, they are actually putting pressure on others.
Little Su Bao is born with superhuman strength and knows kung fu, but the other children don't.
Xiao Su Bao is too strong, which is why they acted this way. They also wanted to let these little girls know that only what they have in their own hands is the most important!
As the Empress watched them spend time together, the smile in her eyes grew even wider!
Soon, the forty-year-old woman stepped forward and reached out to silence the crowd.
"I am the captain of Team A, Jia Yi, and she is the captain of Team B, Yi Yi."
"What you need to do now is for each of you, the two teams, to defeat your opponents. Once you've won, you'll have the right to choose which team to lead. Now, let's start fighting!"
Almost the instant she finished speaking, several girls had already started fighting each other.
These are all their cronies...
Little Su Bao is passively fighting against a fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl.
Moreover, Xiao Su Bao discovered that this little girl was very skilled; if we're just talking about kung fu, she was much better than him.
The little girl was just not as strong as me.
However, Xiao Su Bao is more confident that she has no problem with her technique.
The little girl's eyes gleamed with excitement.
I spent a lot of money to get the chance to fight Xiao Su Bao!
"My name is Hong Feifei!"
The little girl spoke as she fought with Xiao Su Bao.
As for Xiao Su Bao, her eyes were wide open, looking somewhat confused.
This little girl doesn't recognize herself!
"My name is Su Bao, Tang Su Su!"
Xiao Su Bao offered an explanation.
Hong Feifei was extremely ruthless and completely lacked any strategy!
If it weren't for Xiao Su Bao being so powerful, she probably would have been beaten up long ago.
"You are indeed very capable, but I think I'm pretty good too!"
Hong Feifei's eyes sparkled, but her little hand poked at Xiao Su Bao's eyes.
The little girl was also angered by the beating, and immediately grabbed Hong Feifei and threw her over her shoulder, slamming her to the ground.
"Are you... are you alright?"
Little Su Bao was startled and rushed over to the little girl lying on the ground wailing.
However, at that moment, Hong Feifei suddenly turned around and the dagger landed on Xiao Su Bao's neck.
Little Su Bao paused, pursed her lips, and looked somewhat confused.
"I won!" Hong Feifei chuckled, looking quite excited.
The little girl looks more like a child now.
Little Su Bao was slightly taken aback, but pursed her lips and remained silent.
Seeing that the little girl didn't speak, Hong Feifei said, "On the battlefield, no one will spare you just because you're a child. So, as long as you're on the battlefield, you must always be vigilant. Only by being vigilant can you survive!"
Apart from Hong Feifei, the other girls had all already defeated their opponents.
Only Su Yun, Fu Manduo, Princess Qi Meng of Chang'an, and Wang Xiuer could hold out for a while.
Everyone else lost very quickly.
Little Su Bao blinked, seemingly pondering Hong Feifei's words.
Just then, several little girls, including Fu Manduo, came over and looked at Xiao Su Bao and Hong Feifei, saying, "Are you all done? Can you get up now?"
At this moment, Hong Feifei was still on top of Xiao Su Bao, which made the other children very unhappy.
"Oh, of course!" Hong Feifei immediately let go of Xiao Su Bao.
She secretly rubbed her wrist. Actually, she was also startled when she fought with Xiao Su Bao. She never expected Xiao Su Bao to be so powerful.
After a pause, Hong Feifei finally spoke up, "Are you alright?"
Little Su Bao hasn't said a word for quite a while.
Could something really have happened?
If my sisters find out, will they kill me?
The little girl looked a bit guilty!
But then I felt that I hadn't said anything wrong.
After recovering, Xiao Su Bao looked at Hong Fei Fei and said, "Sister Fei Fei, you're right!"
Since the arrival of Qian Shi, her brothers, and her father, the little girl has gradually hidden her thorns.
But if you actually go to the battlefield, the enemy won't give you a chance.
Kindness towards the enemy will turn into a sharp knife stabbing into one's own body.
"I've learned a lot!" Xiao Su Bao stood up and bowed to Hong Fei Fei.
Hong Feifei was a little embarrassed. She scratched her head and smiled slightly.
"Don't say that, hehe, you're making me embarrassed!"
After saying that, Hong Feifei covered her face and ran away.
Little Su Bao...
This Sister Hong Feifei gives me a strangely familiar feeling...
"Alright, alright, line up as you were before!"
Just then, the female captain called out to the little ones.
The girls immediately stood in two rows obediently. Compared to their clean appearance before, the girls were now all dirty.
Surprisingly, no one was crying.
"You guys... are all useless!"
A curled his lips into a cold smile, his gaze falling on them like a knife.
"You used to be pampered at home, but now that you're here, as long as you don't die, you're going to train like crazy!"
A coldly rebuked.
He then said, "The best performer in the first team is Tang Susu. Tang Susu, you will lead your team of fifteen. If less than two-thirds remain after one month, you will be punished!"
"Second team..." Team A hesitated for a moment, then said, "Wang Xiuer, you were the most ruthless just now, so you'll be the team leader. The requirements are the same, and every team leader will have double the daily training! Qi Meng, you're not bad either, but you weren't ruthless enough when you attacked!"
"If you don't work hard and you're not good enough, someone better will replace you!"
"There is an opportunity to change captains once a month. In addition, the person who is continuously the captain can become a centurion when he leaves here!"
Jia Yi's words brought a glimmer of light to many people's eyes.
The Empress stood to the side watching the young girls, a hint of a smile in her eyes.
She took advantage of the opportunity when Jia Yi was training the little girl to quietly leave.
Everyone was busy training and no one noticed the Queen.
The emperor was in the woods nearby when he saw the empress approaching. He immediately smiled and said, "My dear wife, you've worked hard!"
The servants, serving the emperor tea and water, seemed quite obsequious...
Empress...
Every time the emperor did this, it meant he had something to ask of him, without exception!
So what is the emperor going to do this time?
The Empress was curious when she heard the Emperor say, "Wife, those little brats next door who are being trained need to be disciplined. Why don't you go over and teach them a lesson?"
The empress raised an eyebrow, but the emperor remained calm, reaching out to take her hand and leading her to the other side.
As soon as I arrived, I saw faces that looked tense and hostile.
Bai Yinjun, Tang Dabao and his two brothers, as well as the Third Prince and the Second Prince!
These little guys all look more ferocious than the last.
The main reason is that Tang Dabao and his brothers are quite skilled in martial arts, and they are also very united!
"What's going on?" The Empress glanced at the crowd indifferently.
"Greetings, Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress!" The crowd hurriedly kowtowed and paid their respects.
Among the crowd, a few teenagers stood out as particularly unruly.
The empress, clad in red armor, swept her sharp eyes across the boy's face.
The boys were taken aback by the Queen's gaze and immediately lowered their heads.
"What's wrong?"
The Empress looked at them and spoke calmly.
Su Shan breathed a slight sigh of relief.
They walked respectfully toward the two men; many of these young men were children from families of princes and nobles.
All that had happened was that they had fought with their own people, and these teenagers started making a ruckus.
If it were before, I would have dealt with them long ago!
Can……
"Hmm, what are you all doing? Playing around?" the Empress said calmly, her cold gaze sweeping over the young men.
The boys all shut up and stopped talking!
So frightened they fell silent as chickens!
"It's alright, you guys keep fooling around!" the Second Prince said with a sneer.
I have to say, there are a few guys in there who really need to be taught a lesson.
"So, do you still want to continue training? If not..."
The Empress gave them a cold look, then suddenly grabbed the red-tasseled spear in her hand and brought it down.
The next instant, the thick tree was pierced through by the queen.
"Any more objections?"
"No!"
Almost at the same time, those brats all knelt down and bowed.
"Su Shan, these children are all in your hands. If they misbehave... you can do whatever you want with them. If you beat them to death, I'll tell their parents!"
Upon hearing this, the boys' faces instantly turned extremely ugly, and their original thoughts immediately plummeted.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I remember!" Su Shan bowed to the Empress with his hands clasped, his eyes shining!
Now I have the Empress's decree in my hands!
In fact, the emperor originally only intended to form a female army.
But since the second prince and his entourage also wanted to go along, the emperor simply arranged for an extra one as well, which served as a convenient cover-up.
Seeing that they all nodded, the Empress turned and left.
Su Shan smiled, squinting as he looked at the boys.
The once proud and arrogant teenagers instantly fell silent.
The training was in full swing, while on the other side, Tang Bugui and his group began to secretly clean up.
September arrived in the blink of an eye, and Xiao Su Bao and the others had been training for half a month.
They were currently in the mountains and forests, and Jia Yi was leading them to test the results of their training over the past two weeks.
"For the next week, you need to survive in the mountains and find what we have prepared for you!"
Jia looked at the girls in front of him with an extremely bright smile, but in the girls' eyes, he seemed more like a demon.
Xiao Su Bao and her team consisted of fifteen girls, the oldest being only sixteen years old, with Xiao Su Bao being the youngest.
Otsuichi didn't come this time; instead, she took the older girls to another place.
“In war, we are likely to encounter all sorts of dangers, and if you are separated from the main force, you will have to find your own way to survive!” Jia Yi’s eyes turned cold.
He then said, "Death is inevitable in war, and the enemy will not spare you because you are a woman. On the contrary, they love to torture women the most!"
"So please protect yourselves. If you are captured by the enemy, do not resist..."
A paused for a moment, then said nothing more.
Jia Yi left, leaving the little girls behind in the deep mountains and forests.
Even after half a month of training, everything in front of them was still too terrifying!
"Captain, what do we do now?" A little girl of eleven or twelve years old looked at Xiao Su Bao and asked subconsciously.
Little Su Bao paused slightly, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "Let's find a place to camp first, then get some food. Does anyone have a tinderbox? Or a flint and steel?"
Although Su Bao is only nine years old, she has lived in the mountains with the mute old woman for a long time and is quite familiar with the place.
So all of this is nothing.
"I...I brought it!" Just then, Wang Youyou said, blushing.
Xiao Su Bao looked over, and Wang Youyou ran up to Xiao Su Bao and handed her the flint and steel she was carrying.
Instead of taking it, Xiao Su Bao asked, "Do you know how to start a fire?"
Wang Youyou nodded, then said, "I can do it!"
Worried that Xiao Su Bao wouldn't believe her, she wanted to light a bunch of fires right away, but Xiao Su Bao grabbed her hand and said, "Then could you please help everyone light the fires later?"
"Yes, I can do it!" Wang Youyou said, patting her chest.
The little girl glanced at the girls behind her before speaking, "I have a dagger. Sister Su Yun and Sister Fu, you'll come hunting with me later. Princess, you and the other sisters should clear a space first, then gather some firewood."
Princess Chang'an naturally had no objections, and then nodded before saying, "Don't worry, leave these matters to me!"
Xiao Su Bao temporarily left the group with Fu Man Duo and Su Yun.
When they came over, Xiao Su Bao saw a river. Now they can go to the riverbank.
Whether it's fish from the river or small animals that used to drink water, Xiao Su Bao thinks they can all be eaten!
She also saw a lot of calamus, which is edible!
"Su Bao, can we stay here for a week?" Fu Manduo couldn't help but ask in a low voice.
She has an instinctive fear of mountains and forests.
Xiao Su Bao was stunned, never expecting that Fu Man Duo, who was fearless, would be afraid of this.
She hesitated for a moment before saying, "Sister Fu will be alright, trust me!"
Little Su Bao's eyes shone with confidence.
Fuman took a deep breath and then nodded solemnly.
Su Yun looked at them, smiled, and said nothing.
The three little girls arrived at the riverbank.
There were no other animals to be seen here at the moment, but Fumanduo did see quite a few fish!
"There are so many fish here. If we can catch them, we won't go hungry!"
Fu Manduo leaned closer, but the next moment he sensed something was wrong!
Why are there so many fish?
Before she could speak, several fish jumped out from under Xiao Su Bao's feet!
This is because Xiao Su Bao is a little far away!
"Forehead!"
Fumando's eyes widened, he opened his mouth, and then covered his eyes!
"I didn't see anything!"
After saying that, Fu Manduo pulled Su Yunju aside.
Little Su Bao paused, looking at this scene with a sense of helplessness.
It's been so long since I've caught any fish that I'd completely forgotten about it!
Seeing so many fish, Xiao Su Bao didn't stay idle; she simply walked a little closer.
Many fish jumped out.
"Sister Fu, Sister Su, could you please ask a few of the other sisters to come over and help us process these fish later?"
Little Su Bao looked at the two of them and asked.
"Okay, no problem!" Fu Mandu agreed without hesitation.
Little Su Bao searched around and found some more wild vegetables.
Perhaps because it's autumn, the wild vegetables have become much older.
Little Su Bao suddenly spotted something familiar.
"Hey, there are lotus flowers here!"
Little Su Bao was delighted and went to look.
“Really, there seem to be quite a few!” Su Yun chimed in, a hint of surprise in her eyes.
The girls weren't in a hurry. They had almost finished eating, and it was getting dark.
Just then, screams suddenly came from the direction of the camp.
"Help!"
A little girl's voice came through, making one feel extremely anxious.
Xiao Su Bao rushed over and saw several little girls surrounding Wang Youyou.
"Move aside, what's wrong?"
Little Su Bao immediately asked.
The girls immediately started talking all at once.
Little Su Bao got a headache listening to this.
"Quiet down, Princess, what's going on?"
Little Su Bao looked at Princess Chang'an and asked.
"Wang Youyou was bitten by a poisonous snake!"
Princess Chang'an quickly tied the bitten area tightly with strips of cloth.
Hearing Xiao Su Bao's words, she replied without turning her head.
None of them had the antidote, so the most urgent task was to find something to neutralize the poison.
Wang Youyou's lips had already turned somewhat black.
Little Su Bao glanced at the poisonous snake that had been cut in half to the side.
"It's a five-step snake!"
Little Su Bao said in a low voice.
Then, his eyes searched around and finally found what he wanted.
The little girl quickly pulled out the herb, then processed the leaves slightly before putting it in her mouth.
"Su Bao!"
Princess Chang'an's expression changed slightly, and she subconsciously called out.
Xiao Su Bao smiled slightly, indicating to the princess that she was alright. She then temporarily set aside the crushed green juice and took out her dagger, making a cut on Wang Youyou's wrist.
The little girl slowly sucked out the venom.
The others looked at Xiao Su Bao with surprise in their eyes.
They were all ladies from respectable families; they had never seen anything like this before.
But more than anything, I admire them.
In their eyes, Xiao Su Bao is the most powerful and has the highest status among all of them!
While treating the wound, Xiao Su Bao said, "Generally, where there are poisonous snakes, there will definitely be something to neutralize the poison within a hundred meters!"
After she finished speaking, she applied the detoxifying liquid to the wound.
Wang Youyou's face was still somewhat pale, but it was noticeably better than before when her lips were blackened.
Xiao Su Bao took Wang Youyou's pulse and, seeing that she had basically recovered from the poisoning, breathed a slight sigh of relief.
"The remaining toxins are no longer a problem!" Xiao Su Bao said to everyone.
At the same time, he looked at everyone very seriously: "In this forest, besides poisonous snakes, there are also scorpions and ants. Everyone must be careful!"
Little Su Bao looked at everyone and gave them instructions.
The people who hadn't cared much about the matter immediately nodded in agreement.
Little Su Bao breathed a slight sigh of relief, but as soon as she looked up, she suddenly saw a reflection.
"careful!"
Little Su Bao's expression changed slightly, and she hurriedly called out.
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