Sheng Xiyan smiled and said eagerly, "Do you want my help?"
"No need." Cheng Chuyu smiled confidently, "I'll take care of this little thing. Sister Yan, just wait and see."
She decided to let it go for her daddy's sake, but that doesn't mean she is a softie who can be easily pinched.
Cheng Chuyu thought of something and chuckled, "I just don't know if Qingping will fall in love with someone else. The eldest princess is very accommodating to Qingping. She also said that it's okay to choose more than one person when it comes to marriage. She has already chosen four princes-in-law, so it's not too much to choose a few more guests for her daughter."
Now she didn't want Lady Yong'an to go to the family temple. It would be great if she could stay in the capital and sing operas. There haven't been any interesting new operas recently.
Sheng Xiyan was stunned.
I feel a little regretful that I was so stubborn in my last life. I was brainwashed by "Female Training" and didn't see all the excitement in the capital. I feel a little regretful just thinking about it.
There was a burst of cheers in the martial arts arena. Sheng Yan shot three arrows in a row, hitting the bull's eye and turning the disadvantage around.
"Not bad." Chu Yuanchen praised, "You can raise your arms higher. When holding the bow, don't let your attention be distracted..."
Sheng Yan listened carefully and asked a few more questions from time to time.
Cheng Chuyu stood up and said, "I'm going to see Han Qianzhi. Sister Yan, my father found a doctor who is good at orthopedics for Han Qianzhi. He will probably be in the capital in a few days. I hope this doctor has some ability."
She had been coming and going frequently these days, and she didn't need anyone to lead the way, just walking briskly.
Sheng Xiyan also stood up, walked towards Chu Yuanchen and the others, and asked, "Who won?"
"Sheng Yan won." Jiao Yang said with a bit of tenacity, "I will definitely beat him next time. Sheng Yan has regressed a lot, and many of his arrows went astray."
Sheng Yan thought so too, and followed Jiuyang and said, "In fact, they all hit the target, but they didn't hold the bow steadily."
Jiuyang: "You must not have practiced well recently."
When it comes to this, Sheng Yan gets angry: "The training of the Imperial Guards is just a show. I am almost going crazy from idleness. Every day, except for running a few laps in the morning, I have nothing to do all day. When I go to the parade ground, they laugh at me."
"I'd better come back. If I stay any longer, you'll catch up with me next time."
He learned archery earlier than Jiuyang. It would be so embarrassing if he was caught up.
Jiaoyang said proudly: "It's no use for you to come back, I will definitely catch up with you."
Sheng Yan did not give in: "That's not necessarily true..."
The two of them argued skillfully, neither of them giving in. Even when Chu Yuanchen asked them to take a break, they still refused to leave the arena, saying that they wanted to compete again. They even had the target moved back fifty steps.
This time, the two men were almost wiped out. Only a few of their shots hit the target, and most of them missed the target, not to mention hitting the bull's eye.
Sheng Xiyan was so amused by what she saw that she turned around and asked Chu Yuanchen, "How many steps can you shoot?"
"Three hundred steps." Chu Yuanchen picked up a light bow from the weapon rack and handed it to Sheng Xiyan, "Try it."
Sheng Xiyan was eager to try, and was just about to ask someone to set up a target closer, but Chu Yuanchen had already put his arms around her and was guiding her to hold the bow.
Then, you need to nock the arrow and pull the string.
This bow is for Jiuyang. It is very light and can be pulled to full length just by Sheng Xiyan's strength.
Chu Yuanchen held her arms and aimed at the target.
"Release the string."
He was so close to her that her breath and the sound of his voice fell on the tip of her ear, making her feel tingling.
Sheng Xiyan immediately let go of the bowstring.
whoosh!
With a sound of breaking through the air, the feather arrow flew out with great force and hit the center of the target. The tail of the arrow was trembling slightly as the force had not yet dissipated.
"Wow!"
Jiuyang and Sheng Yan were both stunned, their eyes wide open, stunned, and clapping together.
“Sister is awesome!”
"Big sister, that's amazing."
The two of them tacitly ignored the fact that the arrow was actually Chu Yuanchen's credit.
Sheng Xiyan put away his bow with a handsome look, pursed his lips and smiled, feeling a little flattered by the compliment.
"I'll make you a light bow next time." Chu Yuanchen estimated that her arm strength was weaker than Jiuyang's, so this bow was a little too heavy for her.
Sheng Xiyan nodded vigorously and agreed happily.
When it was time to return home, she took Sheng Yan with her.
It was almost dusk and the maids in charge were waiting for her in the morning and evening hall.
Now that there is no mistress in the mansion, Sheng Xiyan has to take on the responsibility of feeding the family. Otherwise, with the eldest daughter around, it would be impossible for the feeding to be given to the concubine or the concubine sisters.
However, since she was about to get married, she just took care of it casually and did not make any major adjustments to the previous rules. She just made some simplifications and delegated some power to the housekeeper, so that she would not be tied down by these mundane affairs every day.
After taking care of some trivial matters and sending away the housekeeper, she returned to her own Cailing Courtyard.
"Miss, the third lady came here just now." Erui reported, "The third lady asked where you were going."
Sheng Xiyan leaned back on the beauty couch and said, "And then?"
E Rui: "She knew you were not here, and she insisted on going in to wait for you to come back."
Of course E Rui would not let her in and sent her away with a few perfunctory words.
Sheng Xiyan nodded slightly and ordered that the meal could be served. After dinner, she began to embroider her wedding dress.
She had been working on this wedding dress for several months. She had started making it since the marriage was officially decided. She would work on it for a while every day. Before she knew it, she had almost finished it, except for embroidering the patterns on the sleeves and hem.
Sheng Xiyan was threading the needle seriously, and the corners of her mouth slowly curled up.
Xigui still remembered that when the girl first started making this wedding dress, she just did it casually. But now, her eyes are always smiling, and she is different every day, which makes her smile knowingly.
In February, Sheng Xing'an copied the dowry list again and let her read it. Then the people in the mansion started to pack the dowry according to the list.
This finally made Sheng Xiyan feel the reality of getting married soon. Unlike her previous life, she had no uneasiness about the future, only joyful anticipation, as if a little bird was fluttering in her heart.
Finally, Han Shenzhi couldn't hold it back any longer. He waited and waited, but there was no response from Han Qianzhi. Linlang Pavilion never opened its door. The desire in his heart finally suppressed everything, including his reason.
He mustered up his courage and went to the Zhenbei Palace again. This time, Chu Yuanchen met him in the side hall.
Han Shenzhi's heart started beating fast when he saw Chu Yuanchen sitting in the main seat. He said in a trembling voice, "Prince...Prince, can you give me a box of Shiquan ointment? Just one box will be enough."
He didn't even bother to say hello, and the first thing he asked about was the Shiquan Cream, with an extremely humble tone.
This group of noble children of similar age had been beaten by Chu Yuanchen when they were young. They instinctively became a little timid when they saw him. If they were not forced to do so, they would not dare to come.
"Ten-perfect ointment?" Chu Yuanchen raised his hand and picked up a box, and asked, "Is this it?"
Han Shenzhi's eyes immediately glued to the box, a hungry look appeared on his face, and he nodded hurriedly: "Yes, this is it. Prince, Prince..."
Chu Yuanchen asked with a smile: "Why should I give it to you?"
Han Shenzhi licked his dry lips and said with a burning gaze, "Silver! Your Majesty, I have silver."
As he spoke, he searched his pockets.
Chu Yuanchen chuckled: "Will this king be short of money?"
Han Shenzhi's hand froze. He forced himself to maintain a smile that was uglier than crying: "My Lord, I can do anything you ask me to do. Really!"
Chu Yuanchen said nothing.
He picked up the teacup and gently skimmed off the foam with the tea lid. Han Shenzhi and others felt uneasy and kept swallowing their saliva, with a thin layer of sweat on their foreheads.
Chu Yuanchen finally put down the teacup: "I heard that your father is now working in the Ministry of War."
Han Shenzhi nodded hurriedly: "Yes, yes..."
Chu Yuanchen said slowly: "Then let's exchange it with the defense map of Jingzhou."
He looked at him with a smile, his tone nonchalant, as if he was saying something as a matter of course.
Defense map? Han Shenzhi's heart was beating wildly. Of course he knew what the defense map meant. It was a matter of life and death!
Han Shenzhi's hands were shaking. He didn't dare to agree and pursed his lips tightly.
Chu Yuanchen casually picked up the Shiquan Cream on the tea table, placed it in his palm and played with it slowly. This small box was full of temptation in Han Shenzhi's eyes, and he couldn't help but follow it, sticking to it tightly, and the greed in his eyes gradually became heavier.
He couldn't help but trembled and said, "My lord..."
Chu Yuanchen smiled but said nothing.
Finally, Han Shenzhi gritted his teeth and said, "Okay...Okay, I'll go steal it."
Chu Yuanchen smiled faintly and said, "Second Master Han, please act faster. My patience is not very good." He tossed the Perfect Cream and said, "If this thing is destroyed, there will be no second one."
Han Shenzhi's eyes were fixed on the box, his heart beating fast. He made up his mind, turned around and left without looking back.
The corners of Chu Yuanchen's mouth curled up slightly. He looked down at the Shiquan ointment in his hand. There seemed to be an unfathomable cold pool hidden in his sparkling peach blossom eyes.
Just one day after Han Shenzhi left, he came again, with excitement and expectation on his face. He waited for a long time before being taken to the side hall. As soon as he saw Chu Yuanchen, he couldn't wait to say, "Your Majesty, I got it. Here, here."
Without waiting for Chu Yuanchen to ask, he quickly handed over the parchment scroll in his hand and said attentively: "Prince, please take a look and see if this is it. If it is not right, I will go get it again."
His eyes were fixed on the box on the tea table, and he raised his hand to take it.
Chu Yuanchen tapped the back of his hand with his folding fan. Han Shenzhi retracted his hand in pain, raised his head and smiled apologetically at Chu Yuanchen, his smile was extremely sly.
Chu Yuanchen didn't even look at the scroll, but put it aside. He propped his chin with one hand, leaned on the armrest of the armchair, and asked with a smile, "Do you want the Ten Perfect Cream?"
"Yes, yes!" Han Shenzhi nodded desperately.
Chu Yuanchen said: "What if I ask you to kill your father?"
He raised his hand, and Mu Bai presented him with a dagger. He threw it to the ground.
Han Shenzhi was surprised, looked at Chu Yuanchen hesitantly, and asked in a trembling voice: "Why?"
Chu Yuanchen said as a matter of course: "Since your father is dead, the title will naturally be returned to Han Qianzhi, don't you think so?"
Han Shenzhi: “…”
After a while, he finally asked, "Will you really give me the Perfect Cream?"
He spoke carefully, afraid of annoying Chu Yuanchen.
Chu Yuanchen smiled and said jokingly, "Yes."
He made no promises and no guarantees, but the mere word "yes" was enough to make Han Shenzhi's face reveal a cruel look.
Han Shenzhi licked his dry lips and said viciously, "Okay!" Then he leaned over and picked up the dagger on the ground.
He held the dagger tightly in his hand, his eyes were bloodshot, and the burning look in his eyes was as if this was not a weapon to take his father's life, but his life-saving medicine.
"My Lord, I will be back soon, very soon!"
He said this almost as if he was swearing, then he gripped the dagger tightly and was about to leave.
"Wait." Chu Yuanchen stopped him.
Han Shenzhi asked flatteringly, "Do you have any other instructions, Your Majesty?"
That humble attitude seemed to make him kneel down and wag his tail like a dog, and he would be willing to do it.
Chu Yuanchen said, "Do you have anything else you want to ask?" This sentence was not directed to him.
Han Shenzhi was stunned and was wondering when he saw the screen placed in the corner was moved away. Sitting behind the screen were Prime Minister Lin and Prince Li. They looked at each other, shock was on their faces. Even though they had experienced two dynasties and had seen many ups and downs, they were so shocked that they could hardly speak.
One of them represented court officials, and the other represented royal nobles. Chu Yuanchen invited them after Han Shenzhi got the defense map and asked for a meeting. Without saying a word, he asked them to sit behind a screen so that they could not make any sound.
At first they were still a little hesitant about whether to listen to him, but now Eunuch Wu beside Xiao Shuo was standing behind them, and they had no choice but to listen.
I never expected to see this kind of scene.
Lin Shoufu couldn't believe his eyes, because that was a defense map! Leaking military secrets without authorization was a serious crime that would lead to the confiscation of property and extermination of the entire clan!
Han Shenzhi stole it without any hesitation.
Marquis Jingwei served as the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War. The Ministry of War did have defense maps of various states, which were confidential not only to outsiders but also to family members. Han Shenzhi stole it so easily. It can be imagined that Marquis Jingwei had no defenses against him and must be very fond of his son. Even so, when Chu Yuanchen asked him to kill his father, he agreed without any hesitation.
Whether it was leaking secrets or killing his father, he did it so easily.
Prince Li was shocked. After learning about the Ten Perfect Cream from Xiao Shuo, he was actually a little skeptical. He always felt that Xiao Shuo was deliberately saying this to protect his naughty sister and cover up the truth about the search of the Yongning Marquis's mansion, so as to shut up the mouths of the people in the capital. He had doubts in his heart but did not dare to ask more until now.
The two men moved their lips for a long time but no words came out.
Han Shenzhi: “…”
He was stunned for a while, and his eyes gradually widened. He looked at Chu Yuanchen, then at Lin Shoufu and the others. There was no anger of being abandoned on his face, but fear instead. He asked in a panic, "Prince, Prince, the Perfect Cream..."
If they saw him, would it be of any use for him to kill his father?
I won’t refuse to give it to him.
He was so panicked that he fell to his knees with a thud, crawled to Chu Yuanchen on his knees, and said pleadingly, "My Lord, you promised to give me the Perfect Cream. Please, please."
Chu Yuanchen gave a look, and Mu Bai, who was standing beside him, walked over silently, grabbed Han Shenzhi, and dragged him out.
Han Shenzhi became even more frightened. He cried and begged with snot and tears streaming down his face.
He struggled desperately, craved, and was like a wolf.
His strength was no match for Mu Bai's, and he was dragged out by force.
"My Lord, I can do anything you ask me to do, My Lord..."
Even after he was dragged outside, he could still be heard crying.
Chu Yuanchen looked at the two of them and said with a smile, "Prince, Prime Minister Lin, you also saw it."
Lin Shoufu was still in shock. He simply couldn't believe that a good person could lose his humanity to this extent for the sake of the Perfect Ointment.
If the Minzhou garrison really became like this, wouldn't Minzhou fall easily if there was another foreign invasion? Minzhou has 50,000 troops stationed there, and it is the defense line of the Darong Sea.
Lin Shoufu felt a chill in his heart at the straightforwardness of the words.
In an instant, he had thought of a series of possibilities, and even wondered whether he should close the maritime trade immediately.
With his mind in a state of confusion and random thoughts, Chu Yuanchen asked someone to return the defense map to him.
Chu Yuanchen said: "You two can be my witnesses, I have never opened this thing."
He is a very upright person.
After Lin Shoufu took it, he took a look and found that the wax seal on it was still there, which showed that it had never been opened. Moreover, they had all seen it just now. After Chu Yuanchen took it, he put it directly on the coffee table without even taking a second look at it.
Lin Shoufu stood up and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty is upright. I can certainly bear witness to that."
Prince Li nodded slightly: "I can also testify to this."
They couldn't help but feel lucky in their hearts that Chu Yuanchen had no selfish motives. Otherwise, Jingzhou and Northern Frontier were connected. With the defense map of Jingzhou and the might of the Northern Frontier Army, it would be easy to capture Jingzhou.
Lin Shoufu calmed down and asked, "Your Majesty, do you know how long Han Shenzhi has been using the Shiquan ointment?"
Chu Yuanchen said: "About two or three months."
Lin Shoufu: "Then how many people are there in the capital..."
Chu Yuanchen shook his head and said, "I don't know about that. There are at least a dozen people whose names we can name. As for whether there are any among the common people or the imperial guards, it's hard to say."
Seeing that Prime Minister Lin and Prince Li's faces changed suddenly, Chu Yuanchen said, "However, according to the owner of Linlang Pavilion, this thing was just brought to the capital to be sold in October last year, and it should not be as rampant as in Minzhou."
Chu Yuanchen said everything he needed to say, then served tea to see the guest off.
Lin Shoufu was silent for a long time. He stood up and bowed deeply again, saying, "Thank you for telling me, Your Majesty. I will take my leave now."
Prince Li also said, "Ah Chen, I am leaving now. I will talk to you next time when you are free."
Chu Yuanchen sent them out.
As soon as they went out, Prime Minister Lin and Prince Li looked at each other and smiled bitterly. After seeing it with their own eyes, they certainly understood how serious the harm of the Ten-Perfect Cream was.
This thing must not be kept!
They did not waste any time and went straight into the palace and told Xiao Shuo what they had seen and heard.
Xiao Shuo remained silent until they finished speaking, then he slowly said, "Since this is the case, I will ban the Ten Perfect Ointment. Do you have any opinions?"
Of course, he could also directly issue an order to ban it, but the effect would certainly not be as good as if the court officials were willing to sacrifice their lives for it.
The two looked at each other and said in unison: "It's up to the governor to decide."
The Ten-Perfect Cream must be banned!
After seeing how Han Shenzhi lost his humanity just for a box of Shiquan ointment, they no longer dared to harbor any hope that other people would be different from him.
If something like the Perfect Ointment was abused in the military or among civilians, and everyone became as crazy as Han Shenzhi and committed treason, killing, and begging for mercy for the sake of the Perfect Ointment, the Darong Kingdom would no longer exist!
Lin Shoufu was filled with lofty ambitions. He thought that before he retired, he could do something great that would benefit the country and the people, which would make his life worthwhile.
So that day, Xiao Shuo issued a series of strict orders:
Darong banned the Ten-Perfect Cream throughout the country. All past events could be written off, but from now on, anyone who bought or sold it would be guilty of a capital crime and the extermination of three generations of the clan. Darong also ordered the Imperial Guard to conduct a strict search of all shops in the capital. If anyone had the Ten-Perfect Cream, they would be acquitted as long as they handed it over in full. However, if they could not, anyone found out by the Imperial Guard would be sentenced to death. If anyone in the private sector kept it, they would also be sentenced to death.
These strict orders were announced to the entire capital within one day and sent to all parts of the country at an expedited speed of 800 miles.
The entire capital city, from the dignitaries to the common people, was all a little confused.
The common people were fine, they just muttered a few words about what the Ten-Herb Cream was, and after hearing the price, they didn't care at all. This amount of money was enough for their whole family to live on for most of half a year, and only a fool would buy something that couldn't fill their stomachs.
On the other hand, the dignitaries were somewhat surprised at first. Many of them felt that Xiao Shuo was making a big fuss. Some sensitive people could not help but wonder whether Xiao Shuo would ban maritime trade next.
"Master Xiao is only the regent for the time being, and he only needs to handle some minor matters. Shouldn't this major matter involving the entire territory of Darong be consulted with the Emperor first?"
"The emperor hasn't issued an order yet. It's really beyond your authority, Lord Xiao."
"Where does this put the Emperor?"
Under the instigation of some people with ulterior motives, some complaints were heard. However, when they were asked to talk to Xiao Shuo, they all became like quails, shrinking their necks and not daring to express their opinions at all.
After a few days of chaos, the Jinyiwei searched all the shops in the capital city. Except for Linlangge, no other shops were found in the capital city. However, through Linlangge, several people who had bought Shiquan Cream were caught. The Jinyiwei took control of them all and threw them into the Jinyiwei prison.
Most of these people were from noble families or officials in the capital, and they were panicked when their children were taken away. But at least it was the Jinyiwei who took the children away, not the Dongchang, so they couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Moreover, Xiao Shuo also said that their previous crimes of buying the Shiquan ointment before the strict order was issued would be pardoned, and they would only be locked up for a while to detoxify, and their lives would not be harmed, and their homes would not be confiscated. They felt even more relieved.
He said he was relieved, but in fact he was afraid that if he didn't agree, Xiao Shuo would get angry and simply confiscate his property to save him trouble.
The government also posted several notices throughout the capital city regarding the appearance, color, and even the style of the box containing the ointment, making sure that everyone knew about it.
As King Zhao, Qin Wei certainly knew it.
With trembling hands, he took out the box of ointment that Zhao Yuanrou had given him. This box was different from the one posted by the government, it was smaller and more exquisite. However, Qin Wei clearly remembered that the box given to the empress dowager was exactly the same as the one on the notice.
Moreover, the color and smell of the ointment here are very similar to the description.
Rou'er said that this was an ancient recipe she found and had someone make it specifically for her. It could relieve her mother's headache and also help him calm down...
Qin Wei's hands trembled even more violently.
Did she lie to him?