CH 112

Chapter 112: Rivalry

The old woman’s face turned green with anger at his remark.

Xiao Jinglin suddenly said, “I don’t accept those who can’t recognize words.”

“Ah?” Little Mo Xiaoliang forgot to struggle when he heard her and was stunned on the spot.

However, the child was also smart, his eyes turned, and said cheerfully, “Then if I can read and write, you will accept me?”

Xiao Jinglin thought for a moment and nodded, “Hmm.”

Mo Xiaoliang immediately broke away from her mother’s hand, and happily ran away, while yelling, “Write, write”

The old woman looked at her son’s silhouette disappeared in the blink of an eye, her face was full of worry. Then she glanced at Xiao Jinglin, wanting to say something.

However, without waiting for her to speak, Xiao Jinglin nodded to the old woman in a faint voice, “Don’t worry.”

The old woman let out a sigh of relief.

Xiao Jinglin turned her head to Ren Yaoqi again and said, “You go in first and wait for me, I’ll be right back.”

“Where are you going?” Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help but frown, this place was in a remote location and she had only brought Pingguo with her. Although she wasn’t timid, she didn’t want to stay here alone either.

“I’ll just buy something nearby, I’ll be back soon. Tongxi will stay.” Seemingly knowing Ren Yaoqi’s worry, Xiao Jinglin came close to her and whispered, “Don’t be afraid, there are people guarding the surrounding area, they won’t let random people in.”

Only then did Ren Yaoqi let her worry go, although she was a bit surprised that Xiao Jinglin had to go by herself to buy something. Moreover, she thought that Xiao Jinglin’s dislike of bringing people along to follow her meant that she really didn’t bring anyone along, surprisingly there is still someone else in the shadows.

Xiao Jinglin explained a few more things to the old woman and turned around to go out.

The old woman took Ren Yaoqi to the backyard.

Only then did Ren Yaoqi realize that although the front of this shop was small, the courtyard inside was more than three times bigger. It was just an ordinary backyard planted with some flowers and grasses. Ren Yaoqi found that there was also open ground by the corners of the walls, full of some medicine herbs such as ginseng and Alishan thistle.

“Does someone in Matron’s family know about medicine?” Ren Yaoqi asked.

The old woman hastily said, “My husband’s family name is Mo. Miss, please call me Mrs. Mo. My daughter-in-law’s grandfather originally owned a pharmacy, so she recognizes some herbs. On normal days she would also pick herbs and grow them to sell.”

“I see.”

“Did Miss know about medicinal herbs?” Mrs. Mo asked with a smile as she led Ren Yaoqi toward the table set up in the northeast direction of the courtyard.

“I only know a few common ones, can’t be considered to have knowledge about them.”

The young woman who was setting up the dishes looked up at Ren Yaoqi with some curiosity in her gaze. Ren Yaoqi looked at her dress and age and guessed that she should be Mrs. Mo’s daughter-in-law.

Mrs. Mo instructed the young woman, “Huoxiang, go and watch Xiao Liang write for me. We are not open for business today and there are no other customers, I can manage on my own.”

“Yes, Mother.” Huoxiang set up the dishes, lowered her head, and went down.

“Sit down, Miss, I’ll go to the kitchen to see if the meal is ready.” Mrs. Mo smiled.

Ren Yaoqi nodded, “We bother you.”

Mrs. Mo also went back. Ren Yaoqi took a look at the small courtyard and got up to look at a potted flower beside crude clay potted plants. A zhulan flower was cultivated in it, and it was growing very well. Zhulan is a type of plant that also can be used as medicine.

Ren Yaoqi took a closer look and found that most of the flowers and plants in this yard can be used as medicine. In potted plants alone, she saw tall chloranthus, pinellia, rindou flower, phoenix tail grass, horse chestnut, siler root, wild ginger, shiny-leaf prickly ash, Szechuan lovage, and green dragon.

Sensing someone entering the backyard, Ren Yaoqi turned around and found that it was Dongsheng who had entered.

Dongsheng stopped at a distance of about four or five steps away from Ren Yaoqi, and bowed, “I have seen Fifth Miss Ren.”

Ren Yaoqi looked at him with a smile. Dongsheng’s appearance had not changed, but he was in good spirits, his eyes were still clear and flexible.

“Why are you by the princess’ side?”

Dongsheng bowed his head and said respectfully, “Second Young Master is also in Baihe Town, this young one is ordered to drive for the Princess.”

Sure enough, Xiao Jingxi also came.

Ren Yaoqi looked at Dongsheng and pondered, “Do you have something to tell me?”

Dongsheng nodded and said, “Young Miss, there is movement at Bailong Temple.”

Ren Yaoqi was taken aback for a moment, but then she was overjoyed, and hurriedly asked, “Are you talking about the Xiao Family’s Army?”

Dongsheng nodded, “There was another conflict in the Army the night before, and people died. I heard that the papers requesting Yanbei to reduce the army are already filled with the emperor’s files. In a few days, there should be an imperial decree coming from the capital. Yanbei Royal Family will rush before the imperial decree is issued, breaking up several troops into pieces, and they will be scattered as farm laborers in some big temples in Yanbei. When officials come from the capital, even if they see something wrong, there is nothing they can do.”

Ren Yaoqi immediately rejoice. If the Xiao Family’s Army did not enter Ningxia, even if Zeng Yu came here in the future, he would not have had the strength of his previous life. His road to promotion will not be so smooth.

Ren Yaoqi also had to admire Xiao Jingxi’s ability to act. This matter is easy for her when she thinks about it, but it is very difficult to actually implement it. But Xiao Jingxi managed to do it in such a short time.

Seeing the joy on Ren Yaoqi’s face, Dongsheng couldn’t help but asked, “What good will this affair do to the Xian Royal Family?”

Ren Yaoqi replied, “I only know that if the power of the imperial court penetrates Yanbei, it will not be a good thing for Xian Royal Family.”

Dongsheng thought for a while, then nodded in agreement, “Miss is right.”

Seeing that he still thinks about the Xian Royal Family at times, Ren Yaoqi lightly sighs, “Tongxi, will your master blame you for telling me this?”

Seeing her call his current name, Dongsheng understood Ren Yaoqi’s meaning, thought for a while, then shook his head and said, “Probably not. I feel that the Second Young Master seems to have guessed something. Yesterday when Tongde went to report this matter to him, he did not let this young one retreat, and today he specially ordered this young one to follow the county princess to the Ren family… this young one felt that he already knew…”

Did he know that she was the one who proposed this method?

“Young Miss, don’t worry about this young one. This young one knows how to be careful,” Dongsheng reassure Ren Yaoqi. “Second Young Master treats this little one well. Since this young one has already followed him, he will naturally work hard for him with all his heart.  It’s just that the Xian Royal Family… Xian Royal Family is like this young home, and this young one will not forget his origins.”

If Dongsheng is like this while Xian Royal Family and Yanbei Royal Family were living in peace and harmony, then naturally it will be fine. If there is a conflict of interest that day, afraid that Dongsheng will…

However, in the last life, Xian Royal Family and Yanbei Royal Family did not interfere with each other. They even turned a blind eye when Li Tianyou sneaked into the capital to find her. There should be no unexpected disputes in this life.

“By the way, have you ever heard of a family surnamed Qu? It should be a prominent family in Yanzhou decades ago. Later, for some reason, the family fell into decline, and most of the family members died.” Ren Yaoqi suddenly remembered about the Han family’s affairs and hurriedly asked.

Since so many people died in the Qu Family, something big must have happened. If so, Dongsheng might know. Although they are not from Yanbei, they also know a lot of things that Yanbei citizens don’t know.

Dongsheng thought about it carefully after hearing the words, but still shook his head, “Miss, are you sure the Qu Family is a big family? Why doesn’t this young one have any impression? It stands to reason that this young one should know of Yanbei’s famous family even from decades ago .”

Regarding this point, Dongsheng is still very confident. In terms of martial arts, perhaps even Yihong and the others are better than him. But when it comes to human relations and family rules, he is the most proficient. He memorized all genealogies of Yanbei’s famous families, big and small.

Ren Yaoqi couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed, even Dongsheng couldn’t remember anything about Qu Family?

“Maybe it’s not a famous family.” Ren Yaoqi was not sure.

“Perhaps it was because of the rampage of the Khitans a few decades ago. Some families disappeared completely after suffering disasters, and they were not recorded. But I really can’t remember for a while, why don’t I go back and think about it? I remember that Second Young Master’s study seems to have some local journals that record the history of Yanzhou, I’ll go back and look through them to see if I can find anything.” Seeing Ren Yaoqi’s disappointment, Dongsheng couldn’t help but comfort her.

Ren Yaoqi nodded. Generally, these kinds of local chronicles will record some big and small things in the local area. If the Qu Family really belongs to Yanbei, some clues should be found.

At this time, someone entered the backyard again. Ren Yaoqi turned her eyes and couldn’t help but be taken aback, it was Xiao Jingxi who walked in.

Seeing Ren Yaoqi and Dongsheng talking, Xiao Jingxi was neither surprised nor unhappy.

He slowly came forward, glanced at Ren Yaoqi, and smiled, “Fifth Miss Ren.”

“Second Young Master Xiao.” Ren Yaoqi hurriedly bowed her knees and saluted.

Mrs. Mo came up, put the tea on the table respectfully, hurriedly bowed, and left.

Xiao Jingxi walked up to a pot of rindou flowers. He then gently held up a young leaf that had just sprouted with the index finger of his right hand and bent over to look closely.

Ren Yaoqi stood in front of a pot of zhulan flowers not far from him, silently watching his movements.

“The Su Family has sent an invitation to the Han Family to join them and a few other families in preparing for the Dragon Boat Races outside Yunyang City at the Dragon Boat Festival next month.” Xiao Jingxi turned his head to look at Ren Yaoqi with a light smile.

It made Ren Yaoqi froze slightly, her brain spun fast.

Every year there will be dragon boat races held in Yunyang City during the Dragon Boat Festival, but the ones who prepared for this race were several leading families in Yanzhou. It could be said that this was a symbol of a clan’s family strength. The Ren Family competed for this qualification last year, but they still failed to win it in the end.

The Su Family is the organizer of the first dragon boat race and can be regarded as the sponsor of the event. The Su Family’s invitation is very important.

Regardless of the real strength of the Han Family, the Han Family is too shallow and low-key. It is reasonable to say that this kind of thing should not come to the Han family.

Is the purpose of the Su Family to do so not only for sharing wine?

The coal mine of the Han Family… This is the reason that Ren Yaoqi thought of.

Had the Su Family decided to make a move?

“Does Fifth Miss Ren know the reason?” Xiao Jingxi looked at Ren Yaoqi and asked with a smile.

Ren Yaoqi stared Xiao Jingxi, she felt that Xiao Jingxi’s smile meant something else.

.

Because there was too many medicine plants referenced to put them in the middle of the chapter, here is the explanation of them all:

[1] Alishan Thistle (山蓟)

Cirsium arisanense is an endemic flowering plant of Taiwan within the family Asteraceae. Its common name in Chinese, the Alishan thistle (Chinese: 阿里山薊), as well as its species name, refer to the Alishan Range. C. arisanense grows at an elevation of 2,300 meters, near mountain summits.

Source : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirsium_arisanense

[2] Zhulan Flower (珠兰)

The latin name is Stephanandra chinensis. Stephanandra chinensis is distributed in Henan, Hubei, Jiangxi and other provinces of China. Stephanandra chinensis is bitter in taste and slightly cold in nature, and it returns to the lung and liver meridian. According to the records of ‘Hunan Medicine Chronicle’, it ‘cures blood metrorrhagia and irregular menstruation’, and it has the effects of detoxification and throat, hemostasis and menstruation regulation. Its green leaves are luxuriant, beautiful and unique, suitable for greening and beautifying cultivation in parks and courtyards in cool areas. Its stem bark fiber can also be used for papermaking.

Source: https://baike.google.com/item/%E9%87%8E%E7%8F%A0%E5%85%B0/4575309

[3] Tall Chlorantus (鱼子兰)

Latin name is Chloranthus elatior. Chloranthus elatior is produced in Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, and Guangxi in China, and is also distributed in Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and India. Chloranthus elatior is pungent in taste, slightly bitter, and warm in nature. It has the effects of expelling wind and cold, dredging channels and activating collaterals, and stopping bleeding. Indications for anemofrigid cold, headache, rheumatic arthralgia, numbness of limbs, injury and fracture.

Source: <https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%B1%BC%E5%AD%90%E5%85%B0>

[4] Pinellia (半夏)

Latin name is Pinellia ternata (Thunb.) Ten. ex Breitenb. Pinellia is a widely distributed species. It is distributed in all provinces and regions of China except Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Tibet. Pinellia pinellia is recorded in Chinese herbal books of all dynasties. It first appeared in ‘Book of Rites Yueling’. It is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine. Smelting pinellia has the effects of drying dampness and resolving phlegm, reducing adverse flow and relieving vomiting, dispelling lumps and resolving stagnation. However, the whole plant of Pinellia pinellia is poisonous to humans, especially the tubers, which can cause numbness of the mouth and tongue in mild poisoning, and death in severe poisoning.

Source: <https://baike.google.com/item/%E5%8D%8A%E5%A4%8F/21892>

[5] Rindou Flower (龙胆草)

Latin name is Gentiana scabra, also known as the Japanese gentian or the Rindō Flower. It is a species of flowering plant in the Gentian family (Gentianaceae), found in much of East Asia. The flowers bloom in mid-summer, autumn and are blue or dark blue in color. Gentiana scabra roots are used as a bitter tonic in traditional Chinese medicine where it is said to promote digestive secretions and treats a range of illnesses associated with the liver. It is also used in traditional Tibetan medicine.

Source:  <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentiana_scabra>

[6] Phoenix Tail Grass (凤尾).

Latin name is Pteris multifida Poir. It grows in neutral purple soil or limestone crevices below 800 meters above sea level. It is produced in Tianquan, Ya’an, Emeishan and other places, distributed in Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou and other regions of China, and there are also branches in Vietnam, the Philippines, and Japan abroad. The whole herb can be used as medicine, which has the effects of clearing heat and dampness, detoxifying and stopping wind, cooling blood and stopping bleeding.

Source: <https://baike.sogou.com/v104525.htm>

[7] Horse Chestnut (七叶)

Latin name is Aesculus chinensis, the Chinese horse chestnut (Chinese:七叶树 qi ye shu). It is a tree species in the genus Aesculus found in eastern Asia. The seed contains triterpenoid saponins and flavonoids, such as aescuflavoside and aescuflavoside A, which are glycosides of quercetin.

[8] Siler Root (防风)

Fangfeng, Chinese medicine name. Alias copper rue, back to the clouds, back to the grass, hundred branches, hundred species. It is the name of a kind of herb, perennial herb, its like cool climate, cold-resistant, drought-resistant, mainly produced in Hebei, Heilongjiang, Sichuan, Inner Mongolia and other places. The roots of Fangfeng can be used raw. Taste pungent, sweet, slightly warm nature. It has the efficacy of dispelling wind and relieving epidemics, winning dampness and relieving pain, and antispasmodic.

[9] Wild Ginger (细辛)

Asarum, the name of traditional Chinese medicine. Also known as: Hua Asarum, Xiaoxin, Shaoxin, Pontcao Asarum, etc., it belongs to the order Aristolochia, a perennial herb of the family Aristolochiaceae; It has the effects of expelling wind, dispelling cold, running water, and resuscitating. Commonly used for wind-cold headache, nasal sinusitis, toothache, phlegm retention and cough, rheumatic arthralgia, etc. Asarum can dispel wind-cold externally and dispel yin-cold internally, and has better pain-relieving and antitussive effects at the same time.

Source: <https://baike.google.com/item/%E7%BB%86%E8%BE%9B/16177747>

[10] Shiny-leaf prickly ash (两面针)

Latin name is Zanthoxylum nitidum, commonly known as shiny-leaf prickly-ash, tez-mui (in Assamese) or liang mian zhen (in China). Zanxthoxylum nitidum is used as an insecticide and a piscicide. In India and Nepal, the fruits are used as a condiment. However, the roots, leaves and fruit are poisonous, with as little as 40g of leaves considered to be a lethal dose. Zanthoxylum nitidum is one several species of Zanthoxylum that are used in traditional medicine in various parts of the world.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zanthoxylum_nitidum

[11] Szechuan lovage (川芎)

Latin name is Ligusticum striatum (syn. L. wallichii). It is a flowering plant native to India, Kashmir, and Nepa. in the carrot family best known for its use in traditional Chinese medicine where it is considered one of the 50 fundamental herbs. It is known by the common name Szechuan lovage. It contains the phytoprogestogens 3,8-dihydrodiligustilide and riligustilide. It is used in China, with portions of other plants and herbs (such as monkshood and Rosa banksiae) to make a liniment to treat a painful swelling of the joints. It also can be used to treat ischemic strokes, improve brain microcirculation and inhibit thrombus formation and platelet aggregation.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ligusticum_striatum

[12] Green Dragon (南星)

Pinellia pedatisecta, commonly known as green dragon or fan-leaf Chinese green dragon, is a tuberous herbaceous perennial that is native to shady woodland areas, forested slopes and valleys in northern and western China. This kind of tuber is used for medicine and has a long history in Chinese medicine. Tiger palm is mainly used to treat dysentery, cold leak sores, and malignant sores. The smell is bitter, pungent and poisonous.

Source: <https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?taxonid=276423&isprofile=0&>

<https://baike.google.com/item/%E5%8D%97%E6%98%9F/54835748>