Chapter 90
The county government responded quickly. Within ten days, it sent people to investigate the matter of opium shells.
The Liu family wasn't exactly secretive about their activities; after three or four days of waiting, the yamen officers caught them in the act. The day the yamen runners arrived, a long line of people gathered in front of the Liu family's shop. Suddenly, they bundled the couple out, terrifying the crowd of people buying meat. The yamen runners were especially ferocious, as if the Liu family had committed some monstrous crime.
The scene was so rude that it frightened the people in line. Some of them, genuinely curious, bravely stepped forward to inquire.
Guo Huai's intention was to amplify the impact of this incident, so the more publicity the better. As the saying goes, "leaders lead by example, and those below will naturally follow suit." Seeing the diners staring eagerly, one of the yamen runners with a booming voice immediately pointed out that the Liu family's meat had been tainted with unclean substances.
"That stuff is called opium, also known as opium. It's highly addictive. People often crave it after eating anything with it. And once you're addicted, it's incredibly difficult to break. It can bankrupt you. Secondly, eating too much can damage your health, causing you to become increasingly thin. It unknowingly drains your vital energy and blood, leading to unexplained death."
After the yamen runner finished speaking, he took out the marinade ingredients used in the Liu family's kitchen and poured them out for public inspection.
To ensure fairness, they invited a doctor to come and examine the patient. The old doctor was a highly respected figure in the town, so naturally no one disbelieved what he said.
"It is indeed opium." The old doctor said it with certainty, and the Liu family members' faces turned pale with fright.
This sudden incident frightened many people, and the crowd was in an uproar. Everyone was whispering and discussing.
These words were like a stone thrown into a deep pool, causing it to boil over. Someone in the crowd immediately responded loudly, "No wonder I've been forced to eat this mutton every day these days. I don't think it's particularly delicious, so why do I get so upset when I don't eat it for a single meal? So that's why!"
"That's right! I've been saying that the meat here isn't as good as the one from Xishi's shop, and it's incredibly fishy. Why can't we even skip a meal?" someone pointed this out, and the others chimed in. "For days now, every time I've eaten Liu's mutton, I've been so hot and sweaty. Oh my God! Could I have been infected? Doctor? Doctor! Doctor, please take a look!"
This cry caused some people who hadn't previously thought they had any health issues to become suspicious. Some who had already been feeling unwell, like those with headaches or fever, began to wonder if they were going to die soon.
They immediately started cursing and some of them were so reckless that they rushed over and tried to beat up the Liu family.
Where had the Liu family ever seen such a scene?
With the help of others, their business flourished. They thought they had struck it rich and blessed their family with a benefactor. They happily planned to buy a bigger house, servants, and concubines, never dreaming that they would face a day of bad luck.
To be honest, when they first listened to the Wu family's advice and added poppy shells to the meat, they weren't sure what to do. Unlike the Wu family, they weren't as knowledgeable and wouldn't have recognized poppy even if it were right in front of them. But it was strange that people would still want to eat it after adding it. The Liu family didn't dare eat it themselves, only making it for the local people. At first, the Liu family was worried about the secret, so they put very little in. Later, blinded by the promise of making a fortune, they put more and more in. When they could make money, who cared about other things? Who cared about the lives of others if they weren't eating it themselves?
The Liu family members' faces turned as pale as paper, and they trembled like sieves when their secrets were exposed.
The Liu family's shopkeeper, standing in front, took the brunt of the blow, a blow to the face from the burly man. He spat out a tooth. The women, thinking of their children being eaten, rushed forward in anger, tearing at the man. One by one, they began to fight, and others, fearful of the situation, gathered around.
The yamen runner remembered the instructions from his superiors and was afraid that these ruffians would beat him to death, so he drew his sword and said, "Everyone, retreat! Who dares to attack me?"
Only the threats from the yamen runners scared away the group of angry diners. They didn't dare to get too close, but they couldn't swallow this humiliation in their hearts.
When the Liu family's affair was exposed, it caused quite a stir in the town. Not only did several other meat-producing families gloat over the misfortune, but those with hidden ulterior motives were also frightened. But the officials dared not act rashly. After all, Guo Huai had already established his authority.
In reality, Guo Huai had been causing quite a stir since taking power. Everyone in the county knew what a tough, unruly scoundrel Guo Huai was. A bachelor with no fear of death, he was capable of anything. He regularly targeted major landowners and merchants. If Guo Huai uncovered something, or if the Liu family lied and implicated the Wu family, Guo Huai would likely expose the Wu family to utter despair.
Gossip spread for a long time, and when the Liu family was escorted out of Dongxiang Town, many angry people chased them and threw rotten vegetable leaves at them.
Guo Huai acted very quickly and closed the Liu family's shop within a few days.
The aftereffects of adding something to the food weren't easily eliminated. Many people, frightened by the Liu family, were now afraid to buy cooked food outside. The Zhou family's business was also affected, and Ye Simei was so worried that she lost a lot of hair every day.
"It's nothing, don't worry, take your time." Diners usually feel down for a while after something like this happens, and that's normal. "People forget things quickly. Once this hype passes, business will naturally pick up."
Ye Simei could only nod and wait patiently.
Despite this, Ye Jia wouldn't let this go for long. With a major source of income cut off, the shop's business naturally needed to be revived. After much deliberation, Ye Jia summoned Xi Lai to gather a number of beggars from the town's streets. He gave these wandering beggars a hearty meal and some tips, and instructed them to spread the word throughout the streets that Xishi's shop was having a grand sale.
The so-called big reorganization and big reward is naturally a gimmick.
The president prepared about 50 kilograms of meat and sold it at half price, along with two ounces of pig intestines. First come, first served. To reassure the locals, who were frightened by the Liu family's butcher shop, Ye Jia specially invited a respected doctor from the town to inspect the food on the spot.
The beggars got a full meal and some reward money, so they naturally shouted hard.
In less than an afternoon, the entire town knew Xishi Shop was having another big sale. While Ye Jia was busy, Fourth Sister Ye didn't quite understand her intentions. Fifty kilograms of meat wasn't cheap, and braising it all required manpower. Giving it away for free was like making no profit. Yu Shi was also puzzled, but she never doubted Ye Jia's way of doing things; she was just a little curious.
"Mom, have you finished designing the bottle for that pear blossom paste?" The pear blossom paste had already been made in the workshop and was still sealed in a large jar. After several months of delay, Ye Jia was getting impatient. "Did you find a craftsman to make it?"
Yu had been preoccupied with this matter for a while, spending half a month drawing several pictures. The styles were so different that she felt undecided. When Ye Jia suddenly asked about this, she replied with a bit of panic, "I did draw, but I always feel I can do better."
"If you're not sure, bring it over to me." Ye Jia's artistic talent wasn't very high, but his aesthetic taste was okay. "Let me give you some advice."
Yu was about to ask her for advice, but she glanced at the people in the room and turned back to her room.
After a while, a small stack of papers was brought over. She felt a little shy holding them, having never done anything like this before, so she was a little unsure. But at home, no one else knew how to do these things except her.
After thinking for a moment, she gritted her teeth and spread out her paintings one by one on the table.
The first is a red, carved wooden box, embossed with pear blossoms. It resembles a simple, antique rouge box. The second is a white porcelain vase, adorned with blooming pear blossoms, a freehand and elegant display. The third is a round jar, narrow at the bottom, wide in the middle, and tapering at the top, resembling a squat drum. The mouth of the vase is embossed with pear blossoms.
"How is it?" Yu knew her painting skills were crude, and what she saw on the paper wasn't even one-tenth of what she had imagined. "Is it a little bad?"
In the hall, besides Ye Jia, there was also Ye Simei. Even Ling Ling, the tea server, came over to take a look. Ye Jia stared at the paintings in silence, and Yu Shi felt uneasy. She clenched her hands together, a little embarrassed, "If it's not good, I'll repaint it..."
"Mom, if we talk about beauty, this rouge box is naturally the best."
Ye Simei also nodded. Although she didn't know why, she thought the shape of the rouge box was beautiful.
To be honest, Ye Jia immediately fell in love with the rouge box. However, when it came to storing the pear blossom cream, she had to consider the characteristics of the cream itself. The moist cream was actually very easy to evaporate, and with the large opening of the rouge box, if it was constantly opened and closed, the liquid might evaporate faster than it was used. "But in terms of practicality, the latter two are better. After all, the cream dries easily and has a small opening, which makes it easier to store."
When Ye Jia said this, Yu was stunned. She looked down at the three shapes and recalled the characteristics of pear blossom paste. It was true.
"Then the two behind..."
"This bottle, narrow at the bottom and wide in the middle with a closed top, is quite nice. The opening isn't too big, so it's easy to put your fingers in to take medicine." Ye Jia thought for a moment, then took out a pen and added some patterns on the top and bottom of the porcelain bottle. "If you make it a little more elegant, we can use it."
When Yu heard Ye Jia say this, a smile immediately appeared on her face. She couldn't suppress her excitement and put away a few drawings, full of energy: "Since the third one is usable, I will go back and revise it, and then go to the town to find a kiln tomorrow."
"That's fine," Ye Jia believed in Yu's aesthetic taste. "Once mother is done, we can order it. The pear blossom cream in our workshop can't wait."
Yu returned to the house with a beaming smile on her face. Just as Ye Jia was about to stand up, a man hurried in from outside the hall. Before Ye Jia could ask what was going on, the man rushed in and said, "Master, the captain has been brought back."
Ye Jia was startled at first, then his expression changed and he immediately strode over: "What's going on?"
The front yard wasn't far from the main gate, only an incense stick's worth of walking distance. When Ye Jia arrived at the gate, Zhou Jingchen was being carried in unconscious. His face was as pale as paper, and his body had shrunk considerably. His clothes were neatly dressed, and Ye Jia couldn't tell where he was injured. He could only step back a few steps to make way, not daring to touch him.
Her hands in her sleeves felt cold unconsciously. She warned herself to calm down and followed the people who were carrying the body, instructing them to carry Zhou Jingchen into the house.
Among the entourage was a military doctor, who, despite the rules, followed into the bedroom. After putting down the medicine, he took Zhou Jingchen's pulse, confirming the extent of his injury before turning around and telling Ye Jia what had happened.
It turned out that Zhou Jingchen and his men had been ambushed just two days after arriving in Yongzhou. The Turks were determined to rescue Sailik as long as he remained in Dayan territory. Perhaps they had already sensed Suletu's intentions and guessed that he would not allow Sailik to leave Dayan alive. Sailik had been using various excuses to delay his departure from Yongzhou.
The previous harassment of Yang Chenglie was intended to buy time, biding his time to escape. Unexpectedly, the Beiting support arrived so quickly, and Zhou Jingchen was completely unmoved by his tactics. He gave the Turks no time to forcefully take Selik away. Seeing the situation was not right, Selik's men immediately took action.
That night, a conflict broke out in Yongzhou City.
In the chaos, Sailik threatened the lives of the Yongzhou governor and his family, demanding that Zhou Jingchen release them from the city. Zhou Jingchen naturally would not let the tiger go back to the mountain. Needless to say, Sailik's qualifications were enough and he would eventually inherit the next Turkic throne.
This man was extremely warmongering, ambitious, skilled in conquest, and a master at employing men wisely. In his previous life, the bloodshed of Great Yan stretched thousands of miles, leaving corpses strewn across the land. More than half of the bloodshed was caused by him. The Great Yan court was defeated, losing seventeen cities and nearly half of its territory under his control. In this life, the first thing Zhou Jingchen did upon encountering him was to cripple his limbs to prevent future trouble.
Who would have thought that even though this man was disabled, the Turkic king still valued him very much. He rescued him many times and even sent a large army to threaten Dayan with war to return him.
Zhou Jingchen immediately made the decision to let Selik die in this turmoil. But the problem was that Zhao Chong, driven by selfish ambition, had ruined a major event. The governor of Dayan lacked military authority, but Zhao Chong, relying on his distant position, secretly raised an army. While the number was small, only a little over 300 men, Zhou Jingchen had only brought around 50 with him on this trip.
Because Zhao Chong's men interfered, Zhou Jingchen took advantage of the chaos to cut off Selik's head, but he was also hit by an arrow.
"Hit by an arrow? Where?" Ye Jia couldn't see the wound on his body, only the strong, bitter smell of medicine. Her eyes swept from head to toe, finally landing on Zhou Jingchen's chest.
Generally, serious injuries from archery occur in the back or chest.
"Captain, you're lucky. Although you were seriously injured, none of the injuries were vital." The military doctor saw that Ye Jia looked unhappy and said comfortingly, "Your Excellency has survived the most serious period. Now you are just weak and tired and need to rest."
Ye Jia secretly breathed a sigh of relief and thanked the military doctor: "Please take care of me, doctor."
The military doctor gave Ye Jia some precautions and didn't stay at the Zhou family for long. He left a prescription, "This prescription is for daily triterpenes. For external wounds, change the medicine every three days. Remember not to get it wet."
After explaining this, the military doctor left with the others.
Ye Jia brought Xiaoli back and ordered her to boil the medicine. Xiaoli and Huanpei had been following Ye Jia closely since arriving at the mansion, and never left his side. Yingtao and Linlang followed Yu Shi. Upon receiving Ye Jia's order, they left immediately. Ye Jia turned back to glance at the unconscious figure on the couch. Her dark hair was disheveled, her lips pale. As she watched, a sour feeling welled up inside her for some reason.
Although she was nervous but not distressed when Zhou Jingchen was injured before, she felt a little pain for him now.
Turning around and closing the door, Ye Jia walked over and sat down beside the bed. He stared at him for a long time, feeling somewhat worried and wanting to know the extent of his injuries. Ye Jia prepared to untie his clothes to take a look.
However, when his hand reached his belt, it was suddenly grasped by another hand.
Ye Jia: “!!!!”
He looked down at the hand, then raised his eyes to look at the person with his eyes closed.
Ye Jia: “…”
The man held Ye Jia's hand loosely, his tightly closed eyes slowly opening a crack. Zhou Jingchen's eyes were extremely dark, like jet-black jade, and the whites of his eyes always looked slightly flooded. Now, lying on his back, looking at Ye Jia, his eyelashes slowly fluttered as they opened fully.
Ye Jia was a summer person, losing weight as soon as the weather got hot. The fat she had put on in the winter was almost completely shed in a month or two. She wore no makeup, her features were clear, and her dark hair pressed against her temples made her look pale and delicate. Zhou Jingchen stared at her silently for a long time, then suddenly curled his eyes. His voice was hoarse, "Why are you unbuckling my belt?"
…Even though he looked so dead, he still forced himself to tease people: “Look at your injuries.”
"I'm fine."
Zhou Jingchen's voice was extremely hoarse, and Ye Jia felt pain for him every time he said a word.
"...Is it okay if I'm not dead?" She immediately broke free from his hand and hurried to the table to boil a cup of warm tea. Zhou Jingchen watched her walk back and forth quietly. Seeing her holding his shoulder with one hand, he leaned obediently in Ye Jia's arms. Fortunately, there was a sturdy bedpost behind him, otherwise Ye Jia's small body really couldn't support him. "Even in this state, you still have the mind to joke."
When Zhou Jingchen heard her say that, he was not sad at all, but laughed softly.
Seeing that he was still smiling, Ye Jia pinched his arm. After hearing his hiss, she fed him the glass of water and said, "Drink water."
Zhou Jingchen drank three glasses of water in a row, and finally his voice regained some clarity. His hair was all loose, messy but not messy, and spread out gracefully on the pillow bed. He leaned in Ye Jia's arms for a long time, and suddenly said, "Jia Niang has finally come to her senses and finally understands how to care for me."
Ye Jia: “…”
Not wanting to bother with him, Ye Jia saw the lingering weariness in his eyes and knew he must be seriously injured. He gently put the man down and, regardless of his teasing, ruthlessly untied his belt.
The neat collar of his shirt was covered with bandages, rolled from under his ribs to his armpits. His lean waist was stiff, and the smooth lines of his muscles were lost in his pants.
...There was no bleeding, but the smell of medicine was very strong.
"It's okay, it's just a minor injury, I won't die."
Zhou Jingchen had sustained several injuries, both large and small, since joining the army, but he didn't seem to be prone to scarring. Only deep wounds would leave marks, and most injuries quickly faded.
Ye Jia touched his abdomen and felt his muscles tense unconsciously. She laughed before closing his clothes for him. "Behave yourself and take good care of yourself. The doctor said it will take at least three months to fully heal. Just stay at home and rest for the time being."
The two were talking in the house. Yu was anxious but did not disturb them. She just stood outside and waited.
At this moment, she heard Ye Jia creak open the door, and then she came forward anxiously to ask. Ye Jia was at a loss for words. He simply stepped aside and told her to go in and see for herself. Yu Shi didn't delay and hurried inside.
Ye Jia didn't wait outside the house. Thinking that he had to take medicine soon, he prepared to go to the small kitchen to see if the medicine was ready. After walking two steps, someone hurried in. It was the doorman. Ye Jia looked at his face and thought something had happened again. However, the doorman said to Ye Jia with a strange look on his face, "Master, that girl named Gu is here again. She is outside and refuses to leave. She insists on seeing you, my lord."
...It really is a haunting thing. These days, the Gu family siblings have been doing this from time to time. Ye Jia immediately lost his temper.
"Is he still waiting outside the door?" This member of the Gu family was a sticky person, so shameless that even Ye Jia was shocked.
"Yes." The concierge recalled what the man had said and said seriously, "Miss Gu said she had something important to tell you about, concerning the safety of the border."
Ye Jia's heart moved and he lowered his eyes.
After considering for a moment, she said, "Please invite them to the flower hall in the East Garden."
Gu Mingxi had been waiting outside the door for days, unable to even set foot inside the Chen residence. Not only had she not been able to enter, she hadn't even seen the Zhou family. But being able to enter was enough. Gu Mingxi had heard that Zhou Jingchen had been carried back with serious injuries, and she was worried about his condition. In her desperation, she could only think of this method to persuade the Zhou family to let her in.
She felt a little restless while waiting in the flower hall. Gu Mingxi hadn't come with her this time because he had heard about Zhou Jingchen and acted on his own.
When Ye Jia came over, Gu Mingxi had already drunk two cups of tea.
She went from anticipation to impatience, and then to anger. The moment she saw Ye Jia, her anger rushed to the top of her head. However, knowing that she was now in someone else's house, with only two servants by her side, Gu Mingxi forced herself to swallow her anger. She looked at Ye Jia with a stern face: "Sister, why are you so slow? Is Brother Yun'an okay? How are his injuries?"
"Didn't you say you had something important to report?" Ye Jia didn't bother to argue with her and went straight to the point, "Miss Gu, if you have something important to report, please tell me first."
Gu Mingxi used this excuse to see Zhou Jingchen, not to talk to Ye Jia. She immediately felt unhappy: "As a woman, it's useless for you to know these things. Where is Brother Yun'an? Why don't you take me there and I'll talk to Brother Yun'an in detail."
Ye Jia's brows were clearly filled with impatience. "If Miss Gu is just trying to trick me, I'm busy with affairs at home. Miss Gu, please go ahead."
Gu Mingxi's thoughts were revealed and her face turned red in an instant.
She pointed at Ye Jia, speechless with anger. After stuttering for a long time, she said with a red face, "Of course it's something important! How could I have the nerve to lie to you? What a joke! But you can't handle such a thing at all. How can you, an illiterate country woman, know what's important and what's not? I advise you to be sensible and not get jealous over something important and delay the important opportunity."
"...So what exactly is going on?" Ye Jia's face darkened instantly.
When she wasn't angry, you couldn't tell her depth. But once she frowned, her demeanor was sharp. Gu Mingxi had been thinking of taking the opportunity to belittle Ye Jia, but was startled by her expression and subconsciously muttered, "Soon, the Turks will go to war."
Ye Jia's expression changed drastically, and his eyes pierced her like needles: "How do you know?"
Gu Mingxi was so frightened by her look that her face turned pale. She pursed her lips and didn't know what to say.
After a pause, she realized that she was actually frightened by Ye Jia's look, and she immediately became angry. Gu Mingxi's face was not good, and she couldn't find a reason to explain for a while. She could only stamp her feet and said, "I just want to tell you that the northwest is going to go to war! It's true, I'm too lazy to lie to you, just tell me to tell Brother Yun'an!"
Ye Jia's heart skipped a beat. He stared at her for a long time before suddenly speaking, "Miss Gu, do you know Cheng Yi?"
As soon as the word "Cheng Yi" came out, Gu Mingxi's face turned pale. She looked at Ye Jia with some fear, and Ye Jia looked straight at her. She didn't know what she was thinking for a long time before she dodged away awkwardly, stammering, "I, I don't know him."
Ye Jia's eyes narrowed for a moment. It turned out that Gu Mingxi was a reborn person.
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