eurekapd Chapter 211 Lu Mubai is poisoned
Chapter 211 Lu Mubai is poisoned
"Nangong Mengmeng, come out for breakfast," Wen Yuxia said as she arrived alone at the entrance to the underground river early the next morning.
A huge head surfaced, a hint of confusion on its furry face. Nangong Mengmeng was the name given to it by its first owner; how did this woman on the shore know?
Wen Yuxia smiled slightly at the huge head in the river, thinking to herself, "My darling, I brought a lot of delicious food today. Remember to throw me the remaining beauty shells after you're done eating."
One after another, roast chickens and ducks flew towards Nangong Mengmeng. Faced with such delicious food, she didn't have time to think and happily devoured the food with her gaping maw.
After breakfast, Nangong Mengmeng stared blankly at Wen Yuxia with her vertical pupils. Wen Yuxia, understanding her perspective, asked, "You want to ask why I know your name?" Nangong Mengmeng slowly nodded.
“My husband is the young master of the Nangong family. The small world has been restored to its original state under his care. If you are willing to go back, I will have him come and pick you up,” Wen Yuxia directly stated her identity as the young mistress of the Nangong family, indirectly explaining why she knew about Nangong Mengmeng’s existence.
Nangong Mengmeng swung both paws simultaneously, throwing eleven beauty shells at Wen Yuxia. At the same time, a cute, childlike voice rang out: "Please inform my master to come and pick me up."
Wen Yuxia's expression was somewhat cracked. With its enormous head and thick front paws, it was clear this creature was quite heavy. Giving it a cute name was one thing, but its voice was even cuter!
"I'm not even a year old yet, so my voice is quite different from my appearance. Please don't laugh," Nangong Mengmeng continued.
"Not even a year old?" Wen Yuxia's eyes widened. She thought, "A thousand-year-old monster isn't even a year old yet? What kind of creature is this?"
Nangong Mengmeng giggled. She was a spirit in the small world, and a thousand years in the human world was only a month to her. So, even though she had lived in the human world for thousands of years, she was still a baby...
After listening to Nangong Mengmeng's story, Wen Yuxia understood everything. She smiled and put away the Beauty Shell, promising Nangong Mengmeng she would pick it up that evening to take it back to the small world. Then she turned and left.
That evening, Nangong Wenrui went to Jingyuan with Wen Yuxia and quietly took Nangong Meng away. Wen Yuxia finally saw the water monkey's full appearance; just as the legends said, it looked like a monkey.
"Rui-ge, take these two millet beads back to the old house and give them to your parents-in-law," Wen Yuxia said, taking two millet beads out of her handbag and handing them to Nangong Wenrui.
Consuming millet beads can increase lifespan by thirty years and prevent fatal illnesses. Taking them early can prevent suffering from disease. Yesterday, Wen Yuxia and her husband each took one millet bead.
Today, Grandpa Nangong and the four siblings Youcheng also took the millet pearl. Originally, Nangong Wenrui had also managed to get one for Xiao Jingdi, but Xiao Jingdi refused to take it, saying that he wanted to grow old naturally.
"Thank you," Nangong Wenrui said, taking the small pearl and leading Wen Yuxia into the small world. He first sent Wen Yuxia back to her residence in the west of Xinchuan City.
Having arranged to pick her up later to return to the Princess's residence, Nangong Wenrui returned to the small world and went to the Nangong family home to deliver millet pearls to his parents.
Wen Yuxia walked out of her courtyard and, using the spatial illusion as cover, without alerting anyone in the mansion, successfully made her way to Wen Dashan's room.
She gently knocked on the door. "Grandpa, open the door." Wen Dashan was about to get into bed when he suddenly heard the knocking and Wen Yuxia's soft exclamation. He quickly went to the door, opened it, and excitedly said, "You're back!"
Wen Yuxia said calmly, "I was just passing by and stopped by to see you. I'll be leaving soon." She went into the room, picked up the teapot, and poured Wen Dashan a cup of tea. "Grandpa, please have some tea."
Seeing Wen Dashan drink the spiked tea in one gulp, Wen Yuxia felt relieved. After telling Wen Dashan to ask Steward Li for help if he needed anything, Wen Yuxia returned to her courtyard to wait for Nangong Wenrui.
After a while, Nangong Wenrui came to pick her up. The couple returned to the capital and went directly to Wen Yunhong's residence. Of the eleven millet pearls they had previously collected, only one remained, not enough for Wen Yunhong's family of five.
Wen Yuxia hadn't included their family in the list of people who would have their lifespan increased by thirty years. Now, she had eleven more millet beads in her possession, so naturally, Wen Yunhong's family of five should also be included.
Upon arriving at Wen Yunhong's residence, Wen Yuxia immediately said, "Yunhong, call your sister-in-law and children over." Wen Yunhong trusted his sister implicitly and, without asking any questions, simply instructed the steward to fetch them.
Soon, Lin Xiaoxiao brought the three children to Wen Yunhong's study. Wen Yuxia took out a packet of pastries from her handbag and said with a faint smile, "I called you over to invite you to have some pastries."
There were exactly five pastries, each containing a tiny millet pearl. The millet pearls melted in the mouth, and Wen Yuxia wasn't worried at all that they would discover the secret inside the pastries.
Wen Yuxia brought them some snacks at night, asking each of them to eat one. Although Wen Yunhong found it strange, he obediently followed his sister's instructions. He picked up a snack, ate it in three bites, and then took a sip of tea to smooth it out, saying, "I'm done."
Lin Xiaoxiao gave each of the three children a pastry, then picked up the remaining one and said with a smile, "Kids, eat up!"
Watching Wen Yunhong's family of five finish their snacks, Wen Yuxia waved to them and said, "Good night, go home and sleep if you're sleepy!"
At the gate of the mansion, Lin Xiaoxiao watched the departing figures of Wen Yuxia and her husband. They had rushed to the mansion just to offer them a piece of pastry. Lin Xiaoxiao asked in confusion, "Sister, what's wrong?"
Wen Yunhong didn't know why they were eating snacks, but he knew Wen Yuxia wouldn't harm him or the children, so he earnestly said, "We'll do whatever you say, sister. Don't ask any more questions."
Lin Xiaoxiao nodded in agreement, and the couple turned and walked towards the backyard.
Back at the Princess's residence, Wen Yuxia smiled happily. All the people she cared about had taken the millet pearls and would be free from illness for the rest of their lives. It felt so good.
"Mu Hua, Xia Yichen has already handed over the still parts to me, and the parts for the old house have also been made," Nangong Wenrui said softly, revealing his plan. He wanted Wen Yuxia to go with him to other countries to arrange brewing matters.
Hearing Nangong Wenrui's words, Wen Yuxia's eyes lit up. "When shall we set off?" Although she had only recently returned to the capital after traveling for over ten years, she still loved the outside world.
"Three days from now, I need to prepare some things," Nangong Wenrui said, looking at her with affection. Last time he traveled, besides his guards, he also had four children to support him. This time, he wouldn't bring anyone—just the two of them.
For the past three days, Nangong Wenrui has been extremely busy, and Wen Yuxia hasn't been idle either, stuffing her spatial storage with plenty of cooked food. The night before their departure, Wen Yuxia called Tang Nanyi over.
"Nan Yi, while I'm away from the manor, I'm entrusting the safety of the young master and the others to you."
Nan Yi knew that Wen Yuxia was going to the workshop to teach the workers how to use a distillation apparatus to purify baijiu and how to make various fruit wines. Nan Yi also knew that Wen Yuxia and her husband planned to travel alone.
He knelt on one knee and said firmly, "Rest assured, Master, I will protect the four young masters."
The next morning, Wen Yuxia and her husband secretly left the princess's residence without telling the children. They rode their horses out of the city gate and arrived at a secluded grove of trees.
Nangong Wenrui, holding Wen Yuxia's hand, moved her and their horse into the small world. After feeding Nangong Mengmeng, Nangong Wenrui used his mind to locate the farm he had purchased in Wu Kingdom, and then led Wen Yuxia to a deserted forest near the farm.
Accompanying them were two horse-drawn carriages, each carrying six sets of distillation equipment. The couple each drove one carriage towards the farm.
Upon arriving at the farm, Wen Yuxia looked at the two-courtyard house in front of her and said with a smile, "Brother Rui, this courtyard is newly built, right?"
"Yes, the previous courtyard was a bit dilapidated, so when we were building the workshop, I instructed the head of the estate to renovate it," Nangong Wenrui said calmly.
To ensure Wen Yuxia's comfort, he renovated not only the several farms in Wu Kingdom, but also the main courtyards of the farms he purchased in other countries.
Wen Yuxia hated those smelly toilets the most, and Nangong Wenrui specifically instructed the heads of each farm to ensure that the toilets were constructed according to the plans.
When Zhuang Tou Li Tiezhu heard that his master had arrived, he hurriedly came to the courtyard with his wife. Li Tiezhu, with a simple smile, bowed to Nangong Wenrui and said, "Master, you've arrived."
"They've arrived," Nangong Wenrui said slowly, then called into the house, "Madam, it's time to go to the workshop." He chuckled, his face unconsciously flushing slightly at this first time addressing Wen Yuxia as "Madam."
Wen Yuxia came out of the house and, seeing the unease on Nangong Wenrui's face, couldn't help but chuckle. Normally, Nangong Wenrui would call her Mu Hua, but today, for some reason, he actually addressed her as "Madam."
Nangong Wenrui looked at Wen Yuxia with affection and said, "Li Zhuangtou, take my wife and me to the workshop and tell the workers to come and learn how to use the still."
He had long ago instructed his men to purchase a large quantity of liquor from various places and place it in each of his estates. All the fields in the estates were planted with fruit trees, but these trees would not bear fruit for the next two years.
To avoid affecting the fruit wine brewing process, Nangong Wenrui began purchasing fruit when planning the workshop, and his small workshop stores a lot of fruit suitable for making wine.
The workshop wasn't far from where they lived. Nangong Wenrui and Li Zhuangtou each drove a horse-drawn carriage to the workshop, while Li Zhuangtou's wife went to inform the workers to gather at the workshop.
Nangong Wenrui and his wife, together with Li Zhuangtou, unloaded the distillation equipment from the cart and set it up in the workshop. Then, Li Zhuangtou's wife led the workers to the workshop.
Wen Yuxia demonstrated the purification process for baijiu (Chinese liquor) on-site. The workers were astonished to see the baijiu purified by Wen Yuxia's skillful operation; the cloudy liquor had become clear and transparent after purification.
Wen Yuxia was very satisfied with the workers' response. She calmly continued explaining the fruit wine making process and even personally demonstrated it to the workers.
The workshop employed an equal number of men and women. Brewing fruit wine was a meticulous task, and women were more reliable because they were attentive to detail. The task of purifying the spirit was handled by the men.
In five days, with Wen Yuxia's repeated demonstrations, the male workers were able to skillfully purify baijiu (Chinese liquor), and the female workers learned how to brew various fruit wines.
Nangong Wenrui rented a warehouse in the county and piled the fruit in it. He then notified Li Zhuangtou to bring people to the warehouse to move the fruit.
Before parting, Nangong Wenrui told Li Zhuangtou that if he had any questions, he could leave a message in the small courtyard where they lived, and someone would go to check on the courtyard every ten days.
Nangong Wenrui purchased five farms in the State of Wu, each filled with fruit trees and equipped with a winery. The couple stayed in Wu for more than twenty days.
Wen Yuxia shuttled between the five workshops, teaching the workers how to purify baijiu and brew fruit wine. Nangong Wenrui was also busy, uniformly renovating taverns in major cities of Wu, with the tavern name still "Fragrant with Wine."
With the tavern renovations nearing completion and the workers in the five brewing workshops having mastered their skills, Nangong Wenrui took Wen Yuxia back to the small world and headed to another country.
"Brother Rui, I miss the children. Let's go back to the Princess's residence," Wen Yuxia said uneasily, a nameless sadness welling up inside her.
A strange emotion flashed in Nangong Wenrui's eyes, and he said dejectedly, "Go back if you want!"
The Nangong family has strongholds in various countries. As the master of this small world, Nangong Wenrui is also responsible for relaying messages between the Nangong family's various strongholds.
In the capital of Great Xia, Zhang Jinxuan and his group searched everywhere for news of Wen Yuxia. He had known about her for ten days, but simply didn't want to tell her.
Now that Wen Yuxia suddenly mentioned wanting to return to the Princess's residence to see the child, Nangong Wenrui knew he couldn't hide it any longer, so he simply blurted out everything he knew.
Wen Yuxia grew increasingly shocked as she listened. Lu Mubai had been poisoned by a rare and incurable poison, and before he died, he wished to see her one last time. Zhang Jinxuan and the others had sought her out so that she could go to Pingyuan Pass to see Lu Mubai one last time.
"Brother Rui, can the millet pearls help with the poison?" Wen Yuxia asked somewhat guiltily. Lu Mubai was her friend; she couldn't just stand by and watch him die.
The Nangong family's intelligence network was not to be underestimated. They knew perfectly well that Wen Yuxia had formed a bond with Xia Yichen, Lu Mubai, and Fu Bao during their escape from famine, and that Lu Mubai had feelings for Wen Yuxia.
If it weren't for Tang Nier's scheme against Lu Mubai, Wen Yuxia's husband probably wouldn't have been involved. Nangong Wenrui asked unhappily, "You still have feelings for him?"
Wen Yuxia shook her head and said softly, "There are many reasons to help Lu Mubai, but none of them are romantic feelings..."
She whispered to Nangong Wenrui that she wanted to save Lu Mubai for Xia Yichen's sake; she didn't want Xia Yichen to lose a capable lieutenant so soon after ascending the throne.
After hearing Wen Yuxia's explanation, Nangong Wenrui's expression softened slightly. He sighed helplessly and said, "The millet pearl might be useful, but I'm not sure if it can cure this rare poison."
"If it can detoxify, then let's give it a try."
Nangong Wenrui nodded, then led Wen Yuxia back to the small world. Wen Yuxia took out a millet bead, crushed it into powder, and prepared it for later use.
Nangong Wenrui used his mind to pinpoint the location of Pingyuan Pass in the small world. When the dying Lu Mubai saw Wen Yuxia, a glimmer of light flashed in his lifeless eyes.