Chapter 0021: The Emperor's Appearance
Qu Yunmie didn't walk far. He went straight back to the palace and then stepped into the east palace without changing his expression. In Xiao Rong's opinion, it was equivalent to the forbidden area of the palace.
This is where he thought Qu Yunmie's concubine lived. ...
There is nothing mysterious about the East Palace, except that the main door is always closed. This is because people living in the East Palace usually do not go out. If they do, they go out through the back door to avoid contact with strangers.
Qu Yunmie walked through the corridor with familiarity, and met two or three teenagers in their teens. When they saw Qu Yunmie, they did not treat him with fear and awe like the outsiders, but they bowed respectfully. Qu Yunmie glanced at them and continued walking forward.
When he reached the largest palace, he paused, as if hesitating. After a moment's silence, he continued walking.
In the West Palace, this large room is the meeting hall, used almost every day by staff and generals. In the East Palace, this room is also an office location, but compared to the endless meetings in the West Palace, the East Palace has endless herbs to grind.
In an area of nearly 300 square meters, many people were busy picking herbs, sorting herbs, grinding herbs, some were smashing stones, cutting insects, and cleaning weapons. In short, everyone had something to do.
Qu Yunmie was not surprised by the scenes here. He walked silently to the innermost part. When others saw him passing by, they raised their heads curiously, but they did not stop the work in their hands and continued to be busy.
Passing through piles of debris, in the corner of the palace, there was a woman sitting there. She looked a little old, giving the impression of being around fifty years old, but in fact she was only forty-three years old.
Her skin was slightly dark, and her facial features were three-dimensional and attractive. If she dressed up, she would be as good as those ladies who never touched women's clothes. But she didn't have many ornaments on her body, and her face didn't have much expression. One could say that she looked resolute, or that she looked mean. In short, she didn't have a pleasing face.
After Qu Yunmie came over, he lifted the hem of his clothes and sat in front of her.
He called her, "Luo Wu."
The woman was observing the herbs in her hand. When she heard the call, she slowly raised her head.
Qu Yunmie looked at her and continued, "Luo Wu, I want a salted ginseng."
The woman then looked at him seriously, and then asked him in Mandarin with a slight accent: "Is anyone injured?"
Qu Yunmie was silent for a moment, then replied, "No."
The woman asked again, "Is someone going to die?"
Qu Yunmie: “Neither.”
The woman asked again: "What do you want the salted ginseng for? If you don't answer, I won't give it to you."
Finally, she recited a string of syllables, which was a bit long, but that was Qu Yunmie's real name. His name, Qu Yunmie, was transliterated from the Buteu language.
Qu Yunmie also knew the woman's character, so he had no choice but to say, "There is a new aide to the palace, but he is in poor health, vomiting blood and having a fever. He is very useful, and I want him to live a few more years." The woman raised her eyebrows.
Saltwomen's ginseng is not an ordinary herb. When the Butewu tribe decided to go down the mountain, the previous queen ordered them to collect all of it. The place where they live is too special. Even their own people may not be able to find it back after going down the mountain. Therefore, they use these saltwomen's ginseng one by one, and less by one.
Salt Maiden Ginseng grows in tiankengs among high mountains and forests, close to Salt Maiden Lake. The quantity is extremely small, but the medicinal effect is extremely good. It is a life-saving medicine, much more powerful than ordinary ginseng. The Xianbei, Goguryeo, and Khitan all coveted the Salt Maiden Ginseng. This priceless thing, Qu Yunmie had never asked her for it.
Although Qu Yunmie did not despise his foreign bloodline and was relatively close to the people of the Buteu tribe, he never confused his position. Outside, he was the King of Zhenbei who commanded the respect of all. Here, she was the queen who had the final say and Qu Yunmie could not order her around.
Her name is Agusega, she is the previous queen and the younger sister of Qu Yunmie’s mother.
When Agusega was born, his mother died during childbirth. His sister, who was only nine years old, was forced to succeed the leader. It was such a bad time and life became increasingly difficult. His sister had to take care of the entire tribe while taking care of the young Agusega. To Agusega, his sister was like a mother.
It was almost the same for Qu Yunmie, because when Qu Yunmie was only one year old, his parents died one after another. He didn't remember what his mother looked like. In his memory from childhood to adulthood, the person who played the role of mother had always been Agusega.
It's just... this kind of mother's role is not complete after all. After Qu Yunmie grew up, Agusega never participated in the affairs of the Zhenbei Army, and Qu Yunmie never participated in the internal affairs of the Buteu tribe. What should have been a sensible concession became the culprit that made the two of them gradually become less close.
Did their affection fade? No, they still cared about each other, but...there was nothing to say.
Agusejia wanted to ask who this staff member was and why Qu Yunmie would ask for salted female ginseng for him, but she hadn't shown such concern for him for more than ten years, so after a moment of silence, she asked another question: "Li Xiuheng."
"Why is he still alive?"
Hearing the name, a woman who was grinding herbs with a roller about ten feet away from them looked over.
Qu Yunmie didn't see her, and only replied: "He is still useful."
Agusega: "What's the use?"
Qu Yunmie: "I don't know, Xiao Rong didn't say."
Agusega looked puzzled: "Who is Xiao Rong?"
Qu Yunmie: "That's the new staff member I mentioned before."
Agusega: “…”
She looked at Qu Yunmie strangely, then supported herself on the ground and stood up. Before turning around, she asked Qu Yunmie again: "When Li Xiuheng is no longer useful, will you kill him yourself?"
Qu Yunmie answered calmly: "Of course."
Agusega nodded and said calmly: "Remember to ask Danran to go and see it, and Ayan--"
Speaking of this name, Agusega subconsciously looked back. The palace was peaceful and everyone was busy with their own things. No one was watching them.
Looking at the figure grinding herbs repeatedly, Agusega shook his head: "Forget it, you wait here."
Agusega took out a small box from his room, in which lay three salt ginsengs quietly. At first they brought out seventeen, but now they have only used three.
After the Zhenbei Army grew stronger, she had fewer opportunities to use it. In the past, if one person died, everyone would cry for a whole night, but now, even if ten thousand people died, no one would come to ask her for ginseng.
Come to think of it, she hadn't opened this box for almost two years.
After a pause, she took out a crescent knife from her waist and gently cut off a thin piece from one of the sticks. It was so transparent that you could almost see a human figure.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
