The punishment of the female imperial court

Before I got close, I could smell the strong aroma of medicine.

In the open area in the middle of the yard, medicinal herbs of varying shades are drying.

There were many stone stoves built around the house, with many steamers and bamboo steamers placed on them. Now the stoves were cold and the bamboo steamers were cool, and there was no sign of life at all.

Yu Qiansi rummaged through the steamer, picked out a few pieces of dried herbs and tasted them, but found nothing unusual.

She was a little discouraged.

After being picked, all medicinal materials need to be steamed and dried nine times before they can be used as medicine.

If there is anything special about Wanyaotang’s medicinal materials, it is probably in the steaming process.

Unfortunately, she only learned to distinguish common drugs, and had not even scratched the surface of pharmaceutical manufacturing. Even if there was a secret here, she could not figure it out.

Yu Qiansi threw the herbs in his hand back into the box, blew out the fire, and prepared to leave.

After her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she walked to the wall and planned to climb it.

The wind blew and the moon was bright, and suddenly a faint light appeared in the yard.

They are sparsely scattered everywhere, and the row in the corner is particularly conspicuous.

It was as if someone gathered the moonlight and scattered it everywhere at random, making it appear and disappear from time to time, as if it was breathing.

Yu Qiansi squatted in the corner, where there were a row of neatly stacked things that felt like stones.

She picked up a piece in her hand, lit a stick and looked at it carefully, but couldn't tell what it was.

It was inky black and felt like quartz to the touch, but it shimmered slightly in the moonlight.

There were quite a few scattered around the yard, and she always felt that something was a little unusual.

She raised the lantern and looked around, but the dim light in the yard disappeared immediately. She had no choice but to blow out the fire again and search for the scattered lights in the yard.

There were also a few stones scattered on the table, on the floor, and in front of the stove, but they were different from the stones in the corners. These glowing stones were ground into long sheets, one side thicker and the other thinner. There was also a round hole at the end of the long strip that was polished smooth.

It looks more like the blade of a guillotine.

Thinking of this, Yu Qiansi dropped what he was holding and, with the help of the moonlight, groped his way to the low shed where herbs were chopped.

Sure enough, there was a piece of shiny stone knife stuck on the guillotine, but it looked like it had been almost worn off.

Looking more closely at the freshly chopped herbs in the shed, you can see faint light at both ends.

She had always thought that Wanyaotang's medicine was made through the nine-steaming and nine-drying process. Could it be that this strange stone was the key?

She thought carefully about all the medicinal herbs she had memorized. This thing really looked like quartz, but the color was not the common quartz that was available. She had never heard that quartz could double the medicinal value of herbs.

The moon was high in the sky, and she picked up a small stone and put it in her arms. When she was about to leave, she thought for a moment, turned back, and took off the stone knife from the guillotine.

*
Zhang Yu rested in the official residence as usual.

He lit the lamp and read the letter that the county magistrate had sent to him this afternoon.

Zhang Yu let out a long sigh, and his heart finally settled down.

In their hearts, they seemed to be planning to continue searching, leaving all matters concerning Longyuan to me. They also said to be on guard around the city. I guess they still didn't give up, and were searching everywhere for the whereabouts of the adults.

He spread the letter on the table, constantly picking up the pages with his hands, his eyes fixed on the autopsy report on the table.

Power, fame, wealth and achievement are all desires.

If you want everything, you will end up with nothing.

After all, who is without desires?
I am not much nobler than others, I am just a coward. Zhang Yurun filled his pen and was about to fill in the autopsy form when his eyelids suddenly jumped. A small fire outside the window was reflected on the window paper and was dancing gently. He stared blankly for a long time until the bean-shaped light gradually covered the entire window paper and a lot of noises came from the distance. He came to his senses and did not bother to put on his outer robe. He opened the door and rushed to the fire.

The fire in the backyard leaped up to the roof, eager to start, which was where the bodies were placed.

The sound of the gong woke up many people around. They rushed around in the thick smoke, holding back their coughs while trying to call for more help.

"The fire is coming! Help come!"

Zhang Yu approached the yard and was forced back by the heat. He saw someone holding a bucket of water next to him. Without thinking, he grabbed it, poured it on himself, and was about to rush in again.

The man who had just had his bucket taken away from him quickly hugged Zhang Yu around the waist and said, "Sir, sir, you can't do that! The whole yard is on fire. You'll die if you go in."

Today was supposed to be the day for the four of them to keep watch, but the winter night was bitterly cold and they had been running around non-stop in recent days, so they all got lazy and slept by the brazier.

Unexpectedly, a big fire broke out.

If something happens to the county lieutenant again, they will lose their heads.

Zhang Yu was choked by the smoke and burst into tears, but his voice was hoarse and he kept struggling: "Help! Go in and save them!"

The fire in the backyard roared up into the sky, like a dark yang, as if it was going to burn a hole in the sky.

The flames licked the water lightly, and the water that everyone had brought with great difficulty turned against them on the spot, and turned into ferocious steam, rushing towards everyone with the remaining anger of fire.

The entire backyard, unable to withstand the fire's ambition, twisted a few times and collapsed.

The water all over Zhang Yu's body dried up in an instant. His eyebrows and hair were curled up, and there was a burnt smell.

Even though the courtyard collapsed, Zhang Yu struggled. He was a weak scholar, but somehow he managed to stand up like that. Those bad guys didn't dare to let go.

The fire suddenly dimmed, as if a seriously injured beast was making its last struggle.

Seeing everything turned to ashes and the giant beast slowly dying, everyone quickly covered the area with soil and poured water to prevent future trouble.

Just when the night wind could no longer wake up the giant beast, a red light appeared in the sky. All the people who had been busy all night were startled and reached out with buckets to throw water towards the light.

I came to my senses only when I heard the screams and curses from the people next to me after being splashed with water.

It was actually daybreak instead of another fire.

Zhang Yu was sent back to his room in a daze.

After closing the door, he stood there, as if the flames had licked away his soul as well.

Until I heard a sneer, clear and bright, lazy and contented.

"Master Zhang, you have really good handwriting."

Zhang Yu slowly turned his head. Yu Qiansi was sitting behind the table, playing with the autopsy report with a cold smile on her face. Everything was self-evident.

As he gradually regained consciousness, his face was filled with anger, and his throat, which had been pickled by the thick smoke, screamed, "It's you! You set the fire!"

Yu Qiansi didn't take it seriously and said lightly, "Your subordinates were lazy in guarding the night, so I took action on your behalf to teach them a lesson."

As she spoke, she walked around the table and stood in front of Zhang Yu, smiling even brighter: "Similarly, if you are lazy, I will teach you a lesson."

She smiled brightly but said the most terrifying words softly. Zhang Yu was so frightened that he took a few steps back.

"How dare you, as an official appointed by the imperial court, set fire to the government residence when Mo Niang's body was inside. How could you be so cold-blooded?"

"Oh," Yu Qiansi raised her eyebrows and smiled: "Master Zhang, are you going to show your cards? Are you not going to continue pretending?" (End of this chapter)