Why was there no response in the past few days?
But now, it seems there's no other explanation besides this one?
Never mind, it was my sister-in-law's medicine that saved them!
It's as if heaven has opened its eyes; these people were not meant to die!
Qin Jian was very excited. He hid for a moment, then led his brothers out and shouted, "Your Highness! We're here!"
Prince Jing is urging his soldiers to move all the weapons away so that the soldiers in the army can be equipped with new weapons. How impressive and grand that will be!
Then they heard Qin Jian's voice. Looking up, they saw a group of people who looked very disheveled and excitedly walking towards them.
Qin Jian and his group were few in number, and at a glance, it was clear that everyone was neatly arranged. Even Prince Jing, a grown man, felt a lump in his throat.
They were on the mountain for several days, but the mountain was heavily guarded, and there was no news at all. They dared not send any signals to notify the people below.
Prince Jing once thought that their entire army had been wiped out, and he was very sad for a while. However, the mountain was really difficult to attack, and the enemy still had gunpowder, so they could not get close at all.
But to everyone's surprise, early this morning, several people who had been sent out to scout the situation returned and reported that something must have happened on the mountain. A lot of new weapons were scattered on the hillside, and they didn't look like traps.
At first, they hesitated a bit, since Qin Jian and the others hadn't given them a signal, and they wanted to wait and see.
There was still no news, and he suspected that Qin Jian and the others had all perished while trying to complete the mission. He was deeply saddened and decided to go up the mountain to find out what was going on, even if it meant fighting them to the death.
As a result, climbing the mountain was like picking mushrooms; they picked up prisoners and weapons along the way. Occasionally, they would see a few who were not unconscious, but they were no match for them, and they were taken down without much effort.
Now they directly encountered Qin Jian and the others!
They're all still alive!
"Old Qin!"
Suppressing the bitterness in his heart, Prince Jing called out to them.
They were disheveled and looked haggard; they must have suffered a lot these past few days.
Prince Jing took a few steps forward, put his hand on Qin Jian's shoulder, and said, "You've worked hard!"
"It wasn't hard at all. We're so grateful for the medicine my sister-in-law gave us, otherwise none of us might have survived!"
"Yes, yes, I've seen how formidable that woman is. Luckily, I didn't provoke her too much before!"
Prince Jing was still shaken, thankful that he had been clever enough to avoid becoming a complete enemy of He Jiu Niang.
Afterwards, Prince Jing arranged for people to escort them down the mountain, while he continued to lead his men to collect spoils on the mountain. He also reminded Qin Jian to inform General Li to bring his men up as well, as more people would make it easier to carry things.
After ensuring Qin Jian and the others' safety, He Jiuniang returned to the big tree where she had just rested, only to find Lu Baichuan already waiting for her there.
"You're pretty quick, have you got everything done?"
"Okay, let's go."
Lu Baichuan bent down in front of her and said, "Come on, I'll carry you down the mountain."
He Jiuniang jumped onto his back without any hesitation and said softly, "Oh, this is really tiring~"
Having been exhausted for so long, Lu Baichuan didn't plan to go back immediately. Instead, he took He Jiuniang to an inn in a border town to get some sleep.
Both of them were dressed like ordinary people and did not attract attention.
Of course, more importantly, something very exciting was happening in the city at that moment, and everyone was too busy to pay attention to these two ordinary people.
When they woke up and went downstairs for dinner, they heard the people at the next table talking about the exciting things that had happened in the city.
"Have you heard? The prefect has hanged himself at home!"
"Hasn't it all spread? Who doesn't know?"
"I heard he committed suicide out of fear of punishment, and the general on the border has even sent troops to surround the prefect's residence!"
Do you know what this prefect has done?
"Who knows? It certainly won't be a good thing, otherwise he wouldn't have died so quickly!"
...
Listening to their discussion, He Jiuniang and Lu Baichuan understood the gist of it. They guessed that the prefect had learned that the mine had been exposed and, fearing punishment from the imperial court, had committed suicide out of fear of punishment.
This prefect was actually quite clever. He had been colluding with Xun Wang for many years. If he had been investigated, who knows how much suffering he would have endured. But he died just like that, which was a good thing for him, while his family was implicated.
The two were not interested in these matters; Prince Jing would handle them, and the court would appoint other officials to take over, thus resolving the crisis on the border.
After finishing their meal, the two strolled around the streets, observing the lives of the local people.
Border cities are naturally not as prosperous as the capital, and are somewhat desolate in comparison, but because there has been no war recently, the people are all smiling.
Even if life is a little poor, as long as their family members are safe and sound and they don't have to worry about living hand to mouth, they are happy.
There are dairy product vendors on the street, but business isn't very good.
He Jiuniang stepped forward and tasted it. It had a strong fishy smell and the texture wasn't very good. The way it was prepared was very rough. No wonder business was bad.
"Madam, these are all fresh offspring from our own horses, they just gave birth this morning!"
The other party was an elderly man who looked at the couple with particularly earnest eyes.
Although it didn't taste very good, He Jiuniang still took out two water bags and handed them to the old man, saying, "Please fill both water bags for us."
The old man was very happy and took the water bag and began to pour mare's milk into it.
Two large water sacks could be filled for only ten coins, which He Jiuniang thought was ridiculously cheap.
"Uncle, you're selling it so cheaply, you'll lose money, won't you?"
That little money isn't even enough to keep a horse.
"Sigh, these are all our own products. If we can't sell them, they're just going to go to waste at home. If we sell them, at least we can make some money."
The old man sighed. The horses they kept were all pregnant or foal mares from the army. They were given to the people to raise, and the mare's milk was their way of repaying them. They could also use the horses to help transport things in a cart. They would return the horses when the army needed them.
This can be considered a win-win situation for both the military and civilians. Ordinary people can't afford horses, and they can only use manpower for heavy work at home.
People were happy to take on the job of raising horses for the army, as they could not only sell the mare's milk but also occasionally help transport goods.
He Jiuniang nodded in understanding, and Lu Baichuan took the full water bag. The two left the stall.
"This mare's milk doesn't taste good, why did you buy so much?"
"Please support the old lady's business!"
As He Jiuniang spoke, she told him to open the lid of the water bag, then reached into her sleeve, took out a packet of powder, and poured it in.
"Tighten the cap and shake it vigorously to mix it well."
Lu Baichuan did as instructed, but still didn't understand, and asked, "What is this for?"
"I put some yeast in it, and it will ferment and taste much better when it becomes fermented mare's milk. I'll take it back for my son to try."
Since money has been spent, it can't be wasted.
Lu Baichuan had no idea how she could have so many strange and wonderful things in her head, and suddenly he also wanted to try what this sour mare's milk tasted like.
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