Chapter 21
The person involved, Ma Xu, was a fifth-rank official. He did not enter the palace last night, so he did not see the Chu Family report and was completely unaware of the situation.
At this moment, he was caught off guard by the system exposing his adultery in front of the emperor and all his colleagues. What’s more, it was about him taking a backdoor for excitement. He was shaking like he had Parkinson's disease.
Ma Xu trembled and his colleagues around him silently stepped aside.
Ma Xu shook again and his colleagues stepped back again, almost leaving the queue, with disgust, as if he was a filthy thing in the toilet.
Ma Xu: "..."
His old face was blue and red. He did not dare to speak loudly. He only explained to his colleagues in a hushed voice: "I just have a special hobby!"
The Minister of Rites and the left and right vices of the Ministry of Rites at the front of the queue were listening to the system's exposure with their ears perked up. When they heard this out of the blue, they were completely speechless.
Yes, he had a special hobby, so why did he involve so many people?
If he hadn't had outdoor pleasure with Liu Yue and spread venereal disease everywhere, they wouldn't have had to strip naked for an examination and they wouldn't have been looked at for so long by the Imperial Academy of Medicine Administrator and other imperial doctors!
The Minister of Rites was from the north. In winter, he would go to the big bathhouse with his colleagues to take a bath and they would help each other to scrub each other's backs. He didn't mind being looked at by a man or an imperial doctor when he thought that it was mainly for medical treatment.
The two vice of the Ministry of Rites were from the south. Were there public bathhouses and people scrubbing each other's backs in the south? Bathing was done by filling a basin or a bucket with water and one person would wash slowly in a room.
Until now, the two could still recall the creepy feeling of goose bumps when they were looked at by the Imperial Academy of Medicine Administrator.
It was terrible!
It felt like they were fish on a chopping board about to be gutted. They didn't want to experience it again in their lives!
And the person who caused them such a psychological shadow was still brazenly saying ‘special hobbies’?
Yes, he was noble, he was amazing, he didn't go through the front door, but went through the back door!
The anger value soared up.
Having wild pleasure with ordinary women was not a crime, but with other people's concubines was adultery!
The two vices of the Ministry of Rites decided to go to the Ministry of Justice frequently before the charges were determined.
For no other reason, they mainly wanted to get familiar with the criminal law of the Dasheng Dynasty:)
The system continued to reveal: [This is Hao Yucai, who is affiliated with the Yu Department of the Ministry of Industry. His parents who gave him this name are so talented, hahaha! ]
[The Yu Department is in charge of the miscellaneous products of the mountains and forests, supplies vegetables and charcoal for all officials, and is also in charge of the ban on hunting and fishing. It looks inconspicuous, but in fact, he can make a lot of money if he loosen his hand. So he gave himself a hobby. Hehe, guess what it is? ]
There were so many hobbies in the world, how could Chu Hua blindly sniped it?
It was just that she was bored in the court. Eating melons was to kill time and have fun, there was no hurry now, just guess one by one.
Chu Hua: [Growing potted plants? ]
System: [No. ]
Chu Hua: [Embezzlement and bribery? ]
System: [He indeed did, but nope. ]
Chu Hua continued to guess and the system continued to deny. The leisure guessing game had the emperor and the officials were anxious.
It should tell them how this guy was corrupt and how corrupt he was, so that they could decide whether to confiscate his property and how much to confiscate!
Hao Yucai was so scared that he broke out in sweat and dared not wipe it off.
With Ma Xu's example in front of him, he didn't think he could escape. But as long as the system didn't catch him for corruption, he could still be saved!
The emperor didn't have any intention to let him go. He was worried that Chu Hua and the system would not take them to dig for treasure and the treasury had no money.
If he didn't eat the fat sheep that's been delivered to his mouth, he would be struck by lightning!
The Vice Minister of Revenue was more anxious than the emperor. His eyes were almost cramped, but Lin You still pretended not to see it.
Lin You was the emperor's confidant. If he could be ordered by other officials, he would have no hope of getting a black hat.
Only when the emperor told Chen Jiu to come over to pass on the message did Lin You order the royal guard to check.
Exasperated, the Vice Minister of Revenue blew his beard and glared: "You don't know how to adapt!"
He wanted to say a few more words, but his colleague covered his mouth: "Can't hear."
It turned out that Chu Hua had guessed it ten times and didn't guess it right. Feeling bored, she simply gave up the game.
System: [Actually, I gave you a hint that his parents named him well.]
It was indeed said. Chu Hua rubbed her chin, what hobbies did these three words ‘Hao Jade Talent’ have to do with?
The system did not keep her in suspense: [Hao Yucai is not greedy for gold and silver. He only likes jade. The stones and rocks piled in the rockery in his garden are actually jade, and they are all good jade that has not been opened. If you find a good jade carving master and sell it to a wealthy man who is not short of money, especially the rich men in Jiangnan, one can sell it for at least a few million.]
This was FEW MILLIONS Ah!
Instantly, the eyes of the emperor and all the officials were as bright as light bulbs in the dark night.
A small fifth-rank Yu Department director was actually more greedy than the main third-rank Minister of Revenue! Must be seized!
As for whether these few million could be more than five million...
Find a few top jade carving masters in Dasheng, think of a way to make up a story to create momentum, and then sell it to the famous rich man in Jiangnan, wouldn't it be there?
Hao Yucai sat on the ground with a pale face.
If the system didn't utter it, no matter how hard the royal guard dug, they couldn't dig out much cash, silver, antiques, calligraphy and paintings from his house. After all, who would care about those inconspicuous stones in the rockery garden?
Now that this had happened, all the jades he had carefully embezzled for many years were gone. Not a single bit would be left.
It was over. It was completely over!
In contrast, the Vice Minister of Revenue smiled like a cat that stole fish.
Chu Hua was really the lucky star of the Ministry of Revenue. She must be transferred here! Dig more, dig more, and investigate more corrupt officials. How could the treasury not be rich? Would he still toss and turn because of lack of money and couldn't sleep? His hair was almost lost because of worry, okay?
System: [He likes jade, but he is afraid that people would find traces of embezzlement, so he learned to polish and carve from others. Later, he was dragged by Ma Xu to participate in the outdoor pleasure and secretly carved a beep——, and then beep——]
[After using this thing, he gave it to Liu Yue. Liu Yue recommended it to others after using it. Speaking of this, I have to complain that some people are really unhygienic when they actually act unhygienic. They should at least clean and disinfect it! ]
Chu Hua continued: [Thank you system for protecting minors. ]
System: [You're welcome~]
Emperor: "..."
Officials: "..."
Ugh——
They really didn't understand why some people's hobbies were so special and so unpretentious. Didn't they feel disgusted?
Chu Hua sighed deeply: [I only know that men don't love themselves and are unhygienic, but I don't know that they don't love themselves that much. What kind of magical species is this? When humans evolved, didn't cleanliness and hygiene get engraved in their DNA? ]
Emperor: !!!
Officials: !!!
No no no no no no——This was the special behavior of a very few men. Don't extend it to all men!
The reputation was damaged to such an extent that all the men present were furious.
The emperor was quick-witted: "Chu Ping."
Chu Ping had eaten his own green hat melon last night and couldn't sleep all night. He also eaten a green hat melon this morning. Numb all over, he didn't react when he heard the emperor calling his name.
"Official Chu, the emperor is calling you." A colleague from the Ministry of Justice pushed him.
Chu Ping hurriedly stepped out: "Present."
At the same time, Liu Ziang pushed Chu Hua, "Your father."
Look at your father more, don't harm the reputation of your colleagues anymore.
Chu Hua:?
Because of this accident, her tone of complaint took a sharp turn: [What's going on? My father is accused of visiting prostitutes again? ]
The system was stunned for a moment: [Ah? No? ]
Emperor: "..."
Chu Ping: "..."
Officials: "..."
The emperor was silent for a second before he remembered what he was going to say: "Chu Ping, I heard that your family has to take a bath every day in the cold winter, and twice a day in the hot summer."
Chu Ping was confused, and Chu Hua was also confused: [The emperor still cares how many times his ministers take a bath a day? His family doesn't live by the sea, so why does he care so much? ]
Crack, the emperor clenched his teeth, changed the subject, and scolded: "Speak! Did you embezzle!"
Chu Ping: ???
Chu Hua: ???
"I’ve been accused!" Chu Ping cried for justice with a high-decibel voice, his voice bouncing back and forth in the entire court. Everyone could detect how aggrieved he was, "My wife and daughter are so good at making money that it can't be completely spent. What is there to embezzle?"
What was there to embezzle?
What was there to embezzle?
This sentence was like a lingering sound, spinning 360 degrees back and forth in everyone's ears and persistently drilling into their ears.
Yes! They knew he married a rich wife. They also knew that his daughter was very good at business at the age of seven.
But did he need to show off like this? Was it necessary? !
The emperor who was short of money gritted his teeth. Why didn't he have a wife and daughter who were so good at making money!
The official in the Ministry of Revenue who was short of money was so irked that he trembled all over. Then he should learn a little bit from his wife and daughter to make money, so that they could transfer him to the Ministry of Revenue!
The officials who were not short of money looked at Chu Ping with unkind gazes. They couldn’t tell ah! Chu Ping with thick eyebrows and big eyes was so good at showing off!
Chu Hua: "..."
She sighed deeply: [I only knew that my father's brain is not very good, otherwise he would not have been a fifth-rank official for so many years, but I didn't know that his brain is so bad! ]
Chu Ping: "..." So bloody filial to her father.
Chu Hua: [When people ask you if you had embezzled, why don't you just say that you didn’t? Why are you showing off your wealth? Do you think you aren’t dying fast enough? ]
The emperor and all the officials nodded frantically: That was right!
Chu Hua: [Even if you did embezzle, as long as solid evidence can’t be produced, he won't do anything to you. You can still put a hat of "tyrant emperor" or "framing loyal ministers" on him, making him notorious, so that he dare not do anything to you. ]
The emperor and all the officials’ nodding stuck halfway. What the hell? Say it again? !
Chapter 22
Chu Ping was not frightened by the emperor's questioning of whether he embezzled or not, but was frightened half to death by his daughter's nonsense.
He did not dare to refute in court, but protested secretly in his heart: She said his brain was not working. In his opinion, her brain was not working well either.
The emperor took deep breaths repeatedly to comfort himself: Forget it, don't be petty with the child.
"Chu Ping, even I am not rich enough to get all the servants to take a bath in the cold winter."
Turning the topic back to whether men like to be clean or not was already the last stubbornness of him as an emperor.
If Chu Hua dares to call him a ‘tyrant emperor’ again, he would make a scene!
How could Chu Ping have the gut to respond to this? How could he have the guts to be richer than the emperor?
"Your Majesty, our family has a small population. What’s more, my daughter is particular about cleanliness and has mysophobia. She can't stand unclean people appearing in front of her."
Chu Hua was outside the palace and could not see the reactions of the emperor and others. She only saw the shock of Liu Ziang and other Hanlin officials beside him.
It was just mysophobia, was it that shocking?
Liu Ziang was afraid that Chu Hua would notice something amiss, so he asked hurriedly: "Is your family really that rich?"
Chu Hua: "..."
Thanks to her stupid father, the whole court knew that the Chu Family was rich.
She also wanted to save them a little more to avoid being targeted in the future. "There are small population in the family and the house is not big. So we don't need to hire many people. Most of the food and daily necessities are produced in the villa. We only buy some clothes. Clothes are durable and don't need to be bought every day, so we don't use them much overall."
Liu Ziang's eyes were full of: I don't believe it.
Chu Hua: "..."
For the safety of Chu Family's life and assets, she decided to betray her father: "My father is a low-ranking official and doesn't have many social activities. My mother prepares food, clothing and gifts for him. Even when given 60 taels a month, he can save at least half of it. Of course, it can't be all spent."
Liu Ziang let out a hiss and was extremely curious: "Official Chu spends less than 30 taels a month? This is too little. Doesn't he drink?"
Chu Hua: "My younger sister opened a tavern. Flower wine, fruit wine, sorghum wine, all the wine he likes are available there. The shopkeeper and the staff all know him. If he shows up, he can put the bill in my younger sister's name without spending money."
Liu Ziang made a jealous sound: "I also want to buy wine without spending money!"
He had no other hobbies, but likes to drink, especially the sweet and non-intoxicating fruit wine. The feeling of being tipsy was very suitable for writing poems.
Chu Hua sincerely suggested: "Then you can open a tavern."
Liu Ziang: "..." Friendship was over.
Wait! He suddenly realized something, "Is the tavern opened by your younger sister the 'Hundred Wine Pavilion'?"
Chu Hua nodded: "Have you heard of it, Official Liu?"
Liu Ziang silently clenched his fists. Not only had he heard of it, he was also a frequent customer there.
He praised the Hundred Wine Pavilion so many times in front of Chu Qin and at least half of his salary was spent there every month. Chu Qin never revealed that the tavern was opened by his younger sister, so that he could buy some limited wine through the back door.
Was this still a brother? Brothers made of mud? !
The conversation here was quickly passed up by the royal guard.
Emperor: "..."
Officials: "..."
They also wanted to buy wine without spending money!
Chu Ping was such a brainless and talentless fifth-rank official. How many blessings did he accumulate in his previous life to have such a good daughter in this life!
The emperor was so jealous that his expression was unrecognizable: "You love to drink, you embezzle wine!"
Knowing that Chu Hua opened a tavern, it was very unlikely that Chu Ping to embezzle wine, so... all the officials knew clearly: the emperor wanted to know something else. Since it was not easy to ask Chu Hua, so they could only start with Chu Ping.
Sure enough, Chu Ping lived up to everyone's expectations: "How is it possible? How can the wine outside be as delicious as the wine brewed by my daughter?"
The emperor looked dimly: "Oh? For example?"
Chu Ping: "For example, the wine brewed by my daughter as a filial tribute to me..."
Just as he was about to continue, he heard his precious daughter's exasperated voice: [Damn! Why is my father so stupid? Once he finishes speaking and the emperor says 'give me a taste', can he not give it? ]
Chu Ping instantly came to his senses. That was right!
Initially, the emperor didn't want to drink it. But after Chu Hua said that, he wanted to try it.
The main theme was a middle-aged rebellion.
"Chu Ping, I..."
Unfortunately, Chu Ping was smart this time. He knew he couldn't beat the emperor, so he surrendered immediately: "Your Majesty, I can accept the investigation of the royal guard and guarantee that I have never embezzled!"
Anyway, the royal guards have moved into the Chu Family, so there was no need to worry about more.
And he believed that the emperor would not dare to send royal guards. If Chu Hua's attention was aroused and finding so many royal guards at home and asked the system what was going on, then it would be over.
Chu Ping was secretly pleased: Hua'er always disdained his poor brain, but in fact he was very smart!
Emperor: "..."
Officials: "..."
Must say, once this trick was out, there was really nothing one could do to him.
Who made Chu Ping so rich that he didn't need to embezzle and they didn't dare to send royal guards openly?
The emperor waved his hand and Chu Ping immediately returned to the queue. Then he received an invitation from his colleagues: "Brother Chu, let's drink together after the shift."
Chu Ping was about to agree when he remembered something and showed vigilance: "You can drink, but you are not allowed to covet my collection!"
Colleagues: "..." Chu Ping had become smart, tsk.
Chu Hua was slightly relieved to see that her father had successfully passed this level.
System: [Then let's continue? ]
Chu Hua: [Okay. ]
The system dug out the half-exposed information: [For venereal disease to spread to most of the court, it must be that many people share it without disinfection. ]
Ma Xu:? ! !
Hao Yucai:? ! !
What did it say? What venereal disease?
When Chu Hua said ‘don't love themselves’ before, the two of them hadn't thought of themselves. Now that it was mentioned that ‘spread to most of the court’, they suddenly became afraid.
No way? They didn't have sex with Liu Yue many times and there was nothing special... on them?
System: [Let me tell another one. This one is more explosive. ]
Emperor: ? ? ?
Officials: ? ? ?
Weren't the first two explosive enough? Was there something more fierce?
Even the second prince who was a live spring scene could not think of any more explosive plot in this matter.
Even Ma Xu and Hao Yucai, who were suspected of venereal disease, were attracted by this topic. There were talents who played more wildly than them?
System: [This person is a censor. ]
Chu Hua: [Wow——]
The emperor and the officials silently cast their explosive eyes on the many censors in the censorate.
The censors: "..."
The censors have the power to supervise all officials and were the only position in the court that could discuss whether an official was guilty without solid evidence.
They were used to impeaching officials for trivial matters and seeing the officials fume. It was the first time that the emperor and many colleagues used the teasing eyes of "I didn't expect this" and "Let me see who is so explosive" to look at them, which made them feel uncomfortable.
But to be honest, they were also very curious about when a rat poo got mixed in among them who were ‘strict with themselves and harsh with others’!
There were two chiefs of the Censorate, the left and right censor-in-chief. Both of them were white-haired old men over 60 years old.
Usually, relying on their old age, they could fake an accident at will, and the emperor and officials dare not touch them, for fear that they would hit the pillars in the court and bleed three feet.
At this moment, the two old men's faces were darker than the bottom of the pot and their four shining eyes stare at the officials of the Censorate.
Left Censor-in-Chief: Let me see who is not afraid of being scolded!
Right Censor-in-Chief: Oh, I have never seen such a fearless person, come on!
The Censors: "..."
Some smiled or looked calm on the surface, but cursed madly in their hearts: You bastard - don’t implicate us when you are seeking death!
The system kept it a secret and did not directly say the name: [He likes married women. ]
When these two words came out, the hearts of many officials in the court tightened.
Except for a few young men who have not married yet, who didn't have a wife? Their wives wouldn't... no no no, they wouldn't!
If this really happened, it would not only be a problem of green hat and dignity, but also venereal disease, which would kill people!
Chu Hua: [What's with the habit of liking to cheat? What’s more, double cheating? ]
Cheating? The emperor and the officials quickly identified it as adultery.
System: [Men always have some little hobbies of this or that. ]
[For example, Song Lin, a director in the Ministry of War, has a hobby of collecting. Others collect stamps, coins, and bottle caps, but he collects used stinky socks. He even numbers each stinky sock and packs them neatly in a box. ]
Chu Hua was full of questions: [Why collect stinky socks? ]
System: [Smell it before going to bed and sleep all night long. From then on, insomnia would no longer bother me~]
Emperor: "..."
Officials: "..."
Oh, they didn't expect that him, a rough guy, would have such a weird hobby.
Song Lin, a director in the Ministry of War: "..."
Feeling the gazes of the emperor and his colleagues as if they were looking at something magical, his rough square face almost collapsed.
He neither visited prostitutes, nor embezzled, nor committed adultery. Wasn't he just collecting stinky socks?
He didn't hurt anyone, at most he hurt the box containing the stinky socks. Wasn't that okay? ! He even avoided his wives and concubines when he smelled his stinky socks before going to bed. Was this not okay?
Song Lin felt aggrieved. Insomnia was really painful.
Chu Hua was silent for a long time before saying: [I don’t understand, but I respect it.]
That was right! Song Lin nodded frantically. They could not understand, but respect him!
There were so many colleagues in the court, but Chu Hua was the only girl who agreed to respect him! For this reason, when Chu Hua comes to the Ministry of War in the future, he would help more.
System: [Let’s get back to the point.]
Chu Hua: [Yes.]
The system revealed the big melon: [Eighty percent of the sons and daughters born to his brothers and friends’ wives and concubines are his. He has peach blossoms all over the world and has children all over the capital.]
Chu Hua: [The censor is astounding!]
The emperor with five sons and three daughters: “…”
Officials with few children: “…”
The censor was astounding!
The imperial censors whose reputations were damaged: "..."
Chapter 23
The last person Chu Hua said was astounding was Liu Yue, a woman who spread venereal disease throughout the court with her own strength.
This person Chu Hua said was astounding was the censor, a man who spread his offspring all over the capital with his own strength.
The emperor didn't understand why his court was full of ministers with strange habits?
Officials didn't understand why their colleagues were all people who were hard to describe?
System: [This person only picks the wives of brothers and friends who have a good relationship with him. It's not convenient for those who don't have a good relationship to visit their homes anytime and anywhere, right? ]
The censors of the Censorate searched for suspects among their colleagues according to the known clues, while officials from other departments recalled whether they had a censor friend who had a particularly good relationship with them and often came to their homes.
Some people's eyes lit up as they pondered about it. It was obvious that they had found the corresponding person according to the clues!
Some people's faces turned dark as they thought about it, worrying that they were cuckolded and raising children for others. They were also worried that they had venereal disease.
System: [I personally think Wu Ru has a bit of a pig fetish, otherwise ordinary people wouldn't do this. He also specifically seduces wives who have given birth to children, because they are plump and fertile. His own wife and concubines are also of this type. Hey, this person's favorite type is quite fixed? ]
[Among the victims are Ge Ye and Gao Qingwen, who are also officials in the Imperial Censorate... So many people together can probably form a husband-enemy alliance. Hmm? Elder Sister Hua, what's wrong with you? ]
Emperor: ???
Officials: ???
What was wrong? What was wrong with Chu Hua?
At this time, they were particularly annoyed that Chu Qin's official position was low. It was inconvenient for them to eat melons nor could they see Chu Hua who was outside the hall.
Chu Hua: [Nothing. ]
She looked at the brightening sky and asked nearby Liu Ziang: "There’s nothing to do today and it’s almost time to leave the court, right?"
Liu Ziang: "Yes, what's wrong?"
Chu Hua didn't say much: "I have something to do, so I won't go to the Hanlin Academy today."
Liu Ziang didn't ask much, "Okay."
Chu Hua concentrated on waiting for the court to end, while the emperor and the officials had no more melons to eat and quickly dealt with the remaining matters.
"Court withdraw--"
As soon as the voice came from the front, Chu Hua ran away in a hurry with her official robe.
The officials saw that she was in a hurry to escape and turned to look at Chu Ping.
The official of the Ministry of Justice was closer to Chu Ping and asked: "What is she off to?"
Chu Ping: "It seems that she asked someone to study some cowpox vaccine before and they sent a message the day before yesterday saying that they will come back. After waiting for a day, they still didn't arrive."
Officials: ? ? ?
It turned out that Chu Hua didn't ask for leave to stay at home just to anger old Madam Chu.
And... vat seed?
The Imperial Academy of Medicine Administrator was old but had very good ears. He ran over when he heard about vat seed: "Official Chu, what is vat seed?"
"I don't know much." Chu Ping really didn't know. He was just a waste who was led flying by his wife and daughter. How could he understand those things?
The Imperial Academy of Medicine Administrator wasn't picky: "Then tell me what you know."
The officials had spent a whole night because they couldn't understand the vat seed and other information revealed by Chu Hua and the system. When they learned that the information was about to be decrypted, they were in no hurry to leave. More and more people gathered around, completely surrounding Chu Ping.
Chu Ping couldn't move an inch, so he had to try hard to recall: "It seems to be for the treatment of smallpox?"
"Smallpox?"
"Really smallpox?"
"Did you hear it right?"
The officials were terrified when they heard it. That was smallpox, which could only be left to fate after infection.
The first crown prince of Dasheng died of smallpox in his prime. No matter how many doctors the founding emperor sent, they couldn't save him. Even most of the doctors who went died.
When the founding emperor heard the news of the death of the crown prince who had been carefully cultivated for more than 20 years, he vomited a large mouthful of blood in grief.
The founding emperor, who was born as a military general and had been trained for decades, had a particularly strong body. He aged more than ten years overnight and his body suddenly collapsed. He dragged his sick body to cultivate his grandson, but died of illness before he could cultivate him successfully.
Since then, Dasheng did not dare to easily appoint a crown prince.
The princes could be cultivated with all their heart, or they could fight with each other, or you-grind-I-grind-everyone-grind, but there was no rush to appoint a crown prince.
The current emperor was also appointed as a crown prince when the retired emperor was seriously ill. It was impossible to have this generation of crown prince in the next ten years at minimum.
After leaving the court, the emperor had already walked a long way. When Lin You, who was chasing him, told him about smallpox, he abruptly turned around: "Go to court!"
He urged Lin You: "Go quickly! Bring Chu Hua back with a fast horse!"
Horse racing was prohibited in the palace. The emperor broke the ban for the deadly smallpox.
"This subordinate complies!" Lin You knew that the matter was of great importance, so he ran all the way.
Riding a horse was faster than Chu Hua's legs walking in platform boots. So he stopped Chu Hua before she left the palace.
Lin You panted and said, "Official Chu, the emperor has invited you."
Chu Hua:?
[System, what's going on? ]
System: [Let me see, oh, it's the cowpox vaccine you made. Your father said it can cure smallpox, the emperor and all officials know about it, and they want to find you back. ]
Guards at the palace gate:? ? ?
Passersby outside the palace gate:? ? ?
Cure smallpox? Really?
Guards and passersby looked everywhere for the direction of the person who was talking, which was related to their lives!
Lin You's heart tightened. Seeing that the guards and passersby were about to find Chu Hua, he quickly dismounted to block Chu Hua's figure.
"Official Chu, please get on the horse."
Chu Hua: "It is forbidden in the palace..."
Lin You: "Under special circumstances, the emperor has allowed it."
It was a horse ride under the order, okay.
Chu Hua stepped on the stirrup and got on the horse neatly.
Lin You handed the reins to Chu Hua and patted the horse's butt. The horse ran away in pain, and he chased after the horse with his two legs.
Hearing the movement here, the guards and passers-by were surprised and stared.
Unless it was an 800 miles express emergency, the palace prohibited horse riding. What was this person's identity? What was going on? It couldn't be related to smallpox, right?
When Chu Hua rode back, the emperor and the officials had already returned to the court. Chu Ping was standing on the open space between the two sides of the queue, racking his brains to recall what his daughter had said.
"She really didn't say much."
"My daughter always tells me after she's done it."
"This isn't confirmed yet, it's good enough that she can mention it to me."
"As for sweet potatoes, she only said that the yield is large and is waiting to form a caravan to find it."
"What sweet potatoes?" The former Vice Minister of Revenue, who was known for wearing torn underwear and now newly appointed Minister of Revenue, had shining eyes, "How large is the yield?"
Chu Ping smiled with slight embarrassment: "I didn't ask."
He was not an official of the Ministry of Revenue and was not sensitive to information about land production. He neither managed the household nor was short of food and drink, so it was good enough to remember one sentence.
Emperor: "..."
Officials: "..."
To be honest, for him to be a fifth-rank official for so many years, there was really a reason for it.
Fortunately, the royal guard came to report that Lin You had caught up with Chu Hua in front of the palace gate and the two were on their way.
After everyone's anxious waiting, the people finally arrived. The emperor just saw a figure and shouted: "Chu Hua, come to the front."
Chu Hua:?
Wait, he didn't even pretend anymore?
The system was speechless: [It's already like this, Elder Sister Hua, do you still have to attend court for your elder brother? It seems that you have been exposed? ]
Chu Hua: [...I knew from the beginning that disguising as a man doesn’t work. I don't know which smartie pants came up with it. ]
The smartie pants emperor: "..."
Pretending not to hear the complaints from one person and one system, "I heard from Chu Ping that you made a cowpox vaccine that can cure smallpox. Tell me more about it."
"If it can really cure smallpox and save the people from fear of smallpox and benefit future generations, I will definitely reward you heavily!"
This was also the reason why the emperor called Chu Hua instead of Chu Qin. He couldn't put such a great credit on Chu Qin, right?
No matter how close the relationship was, one couldn’t give away credit like this.
And...
With the system as a plug-in, the emperor still wanted Chu Hua to go to court out of selfishness.
It was too difficult for a woman to attend the court. He couldn’t do it on his own. He could only pile up all kinds of merits. If it piled up enough, he could shut up those ministers.
Chu Hua didn't care whether she got rewarded or not. She had never lacked food, clothing, housing and transportation in her life nor did she have any strong material desires.
She really wanted to promote the cowpox vaccine.
First of all, she had to correct one thing: "Your Majesty, the cowpox vaccine is not able to cure smallpox, but can prevent smallpox. It’s useless for people who have been infected with smallpox."
The emperor leaned forward slightly: "Be more specific."
Chu Hua: "There are people in Dasheng who planted humanpox. The risk of humanpox is too high and many people who are planted with humanpox can't survive. This is also the reason why most people are unwilling to plant humanpox."
This Imperial Academy of Medicine Administrator had too much say. The look in Chu Hua's eyes was like seeing an unexpected confidant.
"Official Chu is right! The Imperial Academy of Medicine had established the pox planting department for more than ten years. Many colleagues have worked hard; researching various pox coating and pox paste to plant, but there are too few people willing to plant human pox."
After all, once planted, one may die. But if they plant, one may not die - it was just relying on luck.
In terms of vaccination, there was no difference between ancient and modern people. Chu Hua continued: "The danger of cowpox is much smaller. After vaccination, a few pox would appear on the body. It’s not as fierce as smallpox and is easy to cure. Cowpox and smallpox aren’t the same disease, but after getting cowpox and curing it, one wouldn’t get smallpox."
As for the technical terms such as viruses and antibodies, she herself did not understand them deeply. Better not to mention them.
The Imperial Academy of Medicine Administrator heard for the first time that cowpox could replace human pox and the risk was not high. In his excitement, he remembered to ask one more question: "Is there anyone who had been planted with cowpox?"
Chu Hua shook her head: "Two months ago, I sent some people to various places to find cows and people who had had pox. The cattle breeders are exposed to accidental infections during the cattle breeding process, so strictly speaking, no one has really been planted with cowpox."
"Earlier, there was news that they brought back five cows that had had pox. Planting cowpox requires experiments, so I asked them to wait in the villa outside the capital."
Since she said it in such detail, there was nothing else for others to ask. Only the Imperial Academy of Medicine Administrator's eyes lit up: "Official Chu, how did you think of using cowpox instead of human pox?"
Chu Hua was silent for a moment: "Because I don't want to die?"
Emperor: "..."
Officials: "..."
The expression was so hard to describe: if she wanted to lie, find a more reliable lie so that they could cooperate with it.
"Two months ago, I heard that a village had an outbreak of smallpox. In order to prevent smallpox from spreading to other places, the village was burned down."
It was also at that time that Chu Hua learned that the Dasheng Dynasty suffered from smallpox and she was afraid of killing and burning villages.
Since she knew that cowpox could prevent smallpox, how could she not rush it?
Hearing this, the emperor and all the officials were silent.
The emperor sighed, "Smallpox spread too quickly. When smallpox was discovered, half of the people in the village were infected. When the news reached the capital, the local prefect had already sent people to surround the village and dispatched doctors to treat it."
"But... smallpox had a bad reputation. There were few doctors willing to go and they couldn't treat it. After the doctors who went died, no one went."
How could they apply medicine without doctors to treat patients? How could patients not be afraid without doctors in charge?
It was unknown what people would do when they were afraid and in despair.
Maybe they would sneak away, or maybe they would drag others to die with them. In short, it must be a desperate red purgatory.
When Chu Hua heard about it, the matter had already been settled. The only thing she could do was to develop the cowpox vaccine as soon as possible so that the people of Dasheng would no longer be afraid of smallpox.
The old Grand Preceptor stepped forward: "I wonder if Official Chu is willing to preside over the cowpox planting with the Imperial Academy of Medicine Administrator ?"
"Me?" Chu Hua was slightly stunned.
Before she said anything, the Minister of Revenue jumped out anxiously: "She doesn't know medical skills, just let the Imperial Academy of Medicine Administrator handle the cows and people research. She has been transferred to the Ministry of Revenue. You can't compete with me for her!"
Chu Hua:? ? ?
She was transferred to the Ministry of Revenue? When did it happen?
It would have been better if the Minister of Revenue didn't mention it. As soon as he mentioned it, the old Preceptor was furious.
That day, he even brought out ‘this is the only wish before the old minister dies’, but he still couldn't win over the people of the Ministry of Revenue. Who let them hold Dasheng's purse?
The old Grand Preceptor had been feeling aggrieved for a few days. Just as he was worrying about having no place to vent his anger, the Minister of Revenue ran into the gun.
"What about the Ministry of Revenue? Can the Ministry of Revenue compete with the Imperial Academy of Medicine Administrator for people? Can it compete with the people of Dasheng? Can it compete with countless people in the future?"
The censors silently retracted their impulse to scold.
The old Grand Preceptor was still strong and vigorous, worthy of being an old senior who came out of the Censorate. He had not forgotten his duties for so many years!
The Minister of Revenue was stunned by the scolding.
Wasn't scolding the job of the censor? Why was the hat that the old Grand Preceptor threw at him bigger and bigger?
"But if she doesn't come to the Ministry of Revenue, the Imperial Academy of Medicine Administrator has no money to do research." The Minister of Revenue launched a direct money offensive, "How can five cows be enough? We have to buy cows that have had smallpox, right? We have to buy grass for cows to eat, right? We have to find people who are willing to plant? Researching smallpox is the court's business. You can't ask the Chu Family to provide the farm, cows, grass, and people, right?"
The upright and honest man's face was full of "No way, no way? You won't really do this?" The expression rendered many people speechless.
The old Grand Preceptor choked, "... No matter how good she is at making money, she can't make millions in a few days at the Ministry of Revenue!"
The Minister of Revenue: "I just heard that she has a debit and credit accounting method, which is very convenient for accounting. Transferring her over is to check the accounts. If she can find out eight-ten corrupt officials, millions of taels will come, right?"
He turned to the Minister of Works: "The money to build the Star Picking Tower will be available then, and the project can be completed on time."
The Minister of Works looked up at the sky silently. He was not looking for money, really not!
When the Minister of Revenue’s gaze swept over, it passed by without a pause when he saw the Minister of Justice.
Chu Ping was in the Ministry of Justice. Dasheng did not allow father and son to be in the same department. The Ministry of Justice could not compete with the Ministry of Revenue at all, so he did not need to waste his breath.
The Minister of Justice, who had not won the competition with him last time: "..." Hey, why was he so irked?
The Chief Minister of Court of Judicial Review, who did not get a single look: "..."
He wanted to be angry, but the Minister of Revenue was right last time. The Ministry of Revenue could still use the excuse of ‘checking accounts’ to transfer Chu Hua over, but what could The Court of Judicial Review use?
He could only wait for Chu Hua to make achievements in the Ministry of Revenue, and then use the excuse that ‘she got sharp eyes and may find some clues’ to transfer her over. For this reason, he could only endure it.
The same thing actually happened in the Imperial Study last time and it ended with the Minister of Revenue winning a great victory. So there was no quarrel this time.
"That's it." The emperor had nothing else to say, so he closed the court.
The Imperial Academy of Medicine Administrator rushed to snatch: "Official Chu, I will go back to the Imperial Academy of Medicine to pack up and call some people. Then, I’ll go to the villa with you."
Chu Hua also wanted to arrange things as soon as possible, so she agreed.
This made the Minister of Revenue, who had been vying for a long time but was beaten to it, angry. He knew that this matter would not delay things for long.
"Forget it, go back to the Ministry of Revenue after you make the arrangements."
Chu Hua, who suddenly became popular: "...Yes."
When the group packed up and set off for the manor, there were many royal guards with knives around them, protecting the weak imperial doctors all the way.
The Imperial Academy of Medicine Administrator and Chu Hua took a carriage, and there were also imperial doctors from the vaccination department.
"Official Chu, how did you come up with the idea of cowpox?"
"Is the cowpox planting similar to the human pox planting?"
"Is cowpox really not that dangerous?"
Chu Hua picked out the answers she knew:
"There was a maid who raised cattle at home when she was young and happened to have cowpox."
"I don't know how to plant it specifically. Still have to rely on you officials to study it."
"It's definitely not as dangerous as human pox."
Chu Hua didn't have medical skills, but she had some modern and relatively complete knowledge of epidemic prevention, such as how to disinfect and how to prevent it.
She told them everything she knew without leaving out a single word, just wanting them to take fewer detours. This way, they could be safer when doing experiments and benefit the people of Dasheng as soon as possible.
"There are some high-concentration distilled alcohol on the villa, which can be used for disinfection. If you need it during the research process, you officials don't have to be polite."
The imperial doctors were delighted: "Official Chu is very kind!"
More than an hour later, they arrived at the villa. Chu Hua brought so many doctors and royal guards back. What’s more, she was still wearing her official uniform, which shocked the people in the villa. Everyone was in a panic and didn't dare to come over and talk to her casually.
Fortunately, the leader of this cowpox matter was Bai Tao, Chu Hua's former personal maid.
Bai Tao recognized Chu Hua despite all the makeup and didn't ask why Chu Hua was dressed like this and had so many officials around her.
"Master." Bai Tao changed her address and reported calmly, "There were many royal guards coming in and out of the city yesterday. Their movements were rushed, making people panic. It’s unknown what happened in the capital, so I didn't send any news to the city."
Royal guard: "..." A little guilty.
Chu Hua: "It's okay."
After a few simple words with Bai Tao, the next thing was to be coordinated by Bai Tao and the imperial doctors. She occasionally helped out.
When she finished the work here and returned to the city, it was time to go off duty.
Chu Hua sat in the carriage for most of the day and her whole body was almost shaken apart. She was tired and hungry. After going home and eating, she did not go to the Ministry of Revenue again.
The next day, she still stood on the side of the Hanlin Academy when she went to court. After leaving the court, she was surrounded by her colleagues in the Ministry of Revenue with great enthusiasm.
"Official Chu, you are already a member of our Ministry of Revenue. You should stand with us in the future."
"Official Chu, you are now the sixth rank secretary of the bureau, so of course you should stand in front."
"Official Chu, let's go back to the Ministry of Revenue together."
Chu Hua: ? ? ?
After returning to the Ministry of Revenue, she found that her desk was polished and shiny, and the pens, inkstones, paper and inkstones were all new despite only taking office today. Even the abacus was her favorite wooden abacus.
Chu Hua smiled and was polite to his colleagues, but in fact, she was poking the system in her heart: [System, when things are abnormal, there must be something up! Help me see if they are deliberately bombarding me numb and framing me with the fake accounts prepared in advance to make me join them?]
System: [Okay! ]
Ministry of Revenue official: ? ? ?
Ministry of Revenue official: ! ! !
There, there couldn’t be any more false accusations!
If it were for the fact that they couldn't be exposed, they would definitely cry in front of Chu Hua on the spot, complaining how much her suspicion had caused harm to them.
The system disappeared for a while, and when it came back, it was full of surprise: [No, they just want you to find a few more corrupt officials because the treasury is really short of money and the royal guard can confiscate their homes and fill the treasury. ]
Chu Hua: "..." They really thought highly of her.
The emperor's words were golden, so there was no room for maneuver.
She had already been transferred here. If she fails to do a good job, she would offend the emperor. If she does a good job, she would offend her colleagues. It was really a thankless job.
Chu Hua's personality and principles dido not allow her to do things perfunctorily, so she decided to do it big.
There were many account books piled up on the table. A rough look showed that from left to right, they were the account books from four years ago to the present.
This was letting her choose?
Chu Hua: [System, which year had the most melons? ]
System: [Of course it was four years ago! ]
Chu Hua: [I guess so. That year, there were natural disasters everywhere and money was scarce everywhere. Everyone was in a mess. They took money from Peter to pay Paul. It’s not easy to be discovered if they did something wrong. OK, then we will start from here. ]
"Let's start from four years ago."
The entire Ministry of Revenue was in full swing. Some people moved the account books from four years ago, and some people followed Chu Hua to learn the debit and credit accounting method, Arabic numerals, and fast calculation skills. They were busy.
Chu Hua was busy calculating the accounts, while the system was eating melons crazily, occasionally popping up to remind her.
[The relief grain here was embezzled by the local prefect. The rest was all old rice boiled into a very thin porridge with a lot of water. ]
[The price of cotton and cotton clothes here was half more. It was said that it was transported from south to north, which took a lot of time and transportation fees. In fact, it was forcibly collected from local wealthy merchants at a low price half of the market price. They made money from both ends, which is very black! ]
[The price of soybeans here had risen, but not as much as reported. The main point was that the information was not equal...]
With the OP help of the system, the entire Ministry of Revenue spent a busy morning checking accounts and eating melons happily. Only the royal guard's hands were almost broken from recording.
After lunch, Chu Hua found a sunny place to sit and bask in the sun to promote calcium absorption.
Though her eyes were seemingly closed, she was actually chatting with the system: [Was a lot of melons replenished today? ]
The system's tone was quite happy: [A lot, more than 3,000. ]
Although Chu Hua was busy, she was in a good mood. After all, being busy could reflect one's own value - the self-comfort method of social animals.
[System, there is one thing I didn't ask, how long will you bind with me? ]
System: [Until the moment you die. ]
Chu Hua: [What will happen to you if I die? ]
System: [Go back. ]
Chu Hua: [Will you continue to eat melons without binding to a host? ]
System: [No, that would lead to repeated eating of melons. There can only be one melon-eating system in one world. ]
The Ministry of Revenue official who took a walk after dinner: ? ? ?
The official who came to visit and eat melons: ? ? ?
The royal guard who hid secretly: ? ? ?
Once Chu Hua die, the system is gone?
Ah this...
Some people frowned; they had to strengthen the protection of Chu Hua.
Some people were ecstatic, as long as Chu Hua was killed, those secrets that they didn't want to expose would be buried forever!
Chapter 24
When the news was passed, the emperor and the old Grand Preceptor and others were all anxious.
It was only one morning and the Ministry of Revenue dispatched half of the officials to use the method taught by Chu Hua to check the twenty boxes of account books. They found more than 200 loopholes of various sizes.
Originally, it would take a lot of manpower and material resources to investigate the specific situation of the loopholes. After the melon-eating system checked, all the monsters and ghosts were revealed. It was convenient, accurate, and cost-saving. It was better than dozens of royal guards.
If Chu Hua died, such useful free labor would be gone.
The old Grand Preceptor suggested: "Your Majesty, why not send a personal guard?"
The old Grand Mentor said: "We can use the reason the Ministry of Revenue checking the accounts offends too many people and there is a reason to worry about her life."
The emperor also thought so. Although the intelligence that the system could collect had certain limitations, the advantage was that it was fast, accurate and ruthless, and there was no blind spot in the perspective. It was easy to catch the part they overlooked. It was the supreme treasure given by Heaven to Dasheng.
"Send two. Find one who is familiar with medicine."
This was because they were afraid that someone would secretly poison Chu Hua and let her die quietly.
The old Grand Preceptor and the old Grand Mentor deeply agreed with this. The only worry was: "What if she doesn't want it?"
The emperor thought viciously: Have to accept it even if she doesn't want it!
Even if it was exposed that they could hear the conversation between one person and one system, the number of melons they eat in the future would be reduced and the content would be limited. It was still better than losing the system!
Of course, this was the most helpless way. Only by eating melons quietly without being discovered could the interests be maximized.
As for the system eating melons would expose everyone's secrets...
In the face of national interests, he, the emperor, had sacrificed himself, why shouldn't others sacrifice themselves? ! Why? !
While the emperor and others were racking their brains in the imperial study, Chu Hua was comfortably basking in the sun in the Ministry of Revenue.
[System, eat melons. ]
The system was available at any time: [Okay! The melon about the wife and the pig yesterday had not been finished yet, so I will continue it right away. ]
[Wu Ru is born in a poor family and was raised by his family with all their efforts. Because of this, his family was poor. With many people and not much room to live, it was easy for him to see that kind of thing. He had witness his elder sister-in-law cheating on his elder brother while he was away. ]
[When he was young, he didn't understand what it was. Still, it left a mark in his young mind, which invisibly influenced him in the aspect of marrying a wife and concubines and also made him take action against the wives and concubines of his brothers and friends. ]
Chu Hua: [His brothers and friends never found out? ]
System: [He is an extremely good time management master. He reasonably distributes his time and energy to each of his brothers and friends' wives and concubines. It’s difficult to detect when they are separated. ]
[Wine spilled on his clothes, he went to the wing room to change clothes. This is normal right? It’s normal for him to change clothes after returning, isn't it? He went to the toilet and took a walk in the garden to get rid of the smell of alcohol, isn't this normal? Who would think of that aspect? ]
Chu Hua: "..."
[This person is quite thoughtful. He is looking for ways that are not easy to be discovered. ]
Most literati have the habit of drinking and writing poems, singing songs to drink, and chatting at drinking banquets. There was no shortage of drinking table culture and social culture.
This was also the reason why Chu Hua's tavern business was so good-there were many customers who were rich and loved to drink.
Getting drunk, tipsy, and changing clothes were just like holding an umbrella when it rains and hiding from the eaves in daily life. It was really common.
The system exclaimed: [What a talent! ]
Chu Hua: [How many brothers did he put a green hat on and how many children did he have? ]
The system was very easy to talk to. It started to report the list.
The censors supervised the officials and tried to keep a distance and a neutral attitude from the officials, so most of the cuckold victims were censors.
The long list of names was reported, which shocked Chu Hua and the officials who came to listen when they heard that there was melon to eat.
Chu Hua let out an [oh] when listening to each paragraph. Once the [Oh] was a lot, she directly led the eavesdropping officials and royal guards to secretly oh.
God gosh!
The total number of officials with or without grades in the Censorate was only more than 100, Wu Ru had put on a green hat on a quarter of his colleagues.
When the news reached the Censorate, it was unknown if those censors would riot.
Then, the system began to report the list of military commanders, military commanders, lieutenants, Xinwu generals... and so on.
Officials and royal guards: Oh! Wu Ru was astounding!
They had been completely led astray by Chu Hua.
It was also at this time that Chu Hua realized something was wrong: [No matter how handsome he is, there can’t be so many married women willing to betray their husbands and have an affair with him. ]
[Liu Yue’s affair involves such a large range of people and I already find it a bit strange. Wu Ru’s behavior is simply going against logic. Dasheng doesn't value chastity, but it doesn't treat loyalty as nothing. How can he have so many? ]
System: [He has medicine. ]
Chu Hua: [What medicine? ]
System: [Longevity cream, opium, drugs, they all mean the same thing. ]
Chu Hua stood up all of a sudden. Accidentally standing up too fast, she felt a little dizzy.
After this moment, she suppressed her pounding heart and asked hurriedly: [Where did he get this thing? ]
The system searched and found it!
[It was obtained from Xirong. ]
Chu Hua's eyes suddenly deepened. It carried a certain understanding: [He collaborated with the enemy?]
System was surprised: [Huh? Elder Sister Hua, how did you know? ]
How did Chu Hua know? Of course, it was because she had seen an extremely tragic history. [This thing is addictive. Once you become addicted, one will give Xirong whatever they want. He’ll be more obedient than a puppet. ]
[The censor can impeach all officials, while the generals have military power. Whether it’s getting the defense map of the capital or various places from them, or getting the wives and concubines lead the generals to take the longevity cream, they can quietly disintegrate the Dasheng court. ]
[After all...]Chu Hua was so furious that her hands trembled. [That thing will hollow out a person's body and disintegrate a person's will. By then, the weapon will be unstable and the lifeblood will be in the hands of the opponent. What can Dasheng use to fight Xirong then? ]
The system was scared by the picture described: [What should we do? There are many such things in Wu Ru's secret room. ]
Chu Hua: [Let me think about it...]
The eavesdropping officials and royal guards did not know the consequences of the longevity cream and they were a little suspicious whether Chu Hua was exaggerating and alarmist.
But Chu Hua was so mad that she was shaking all over. Even her voice was trembling. It was obvious that she was very angry and scared.
Was the longevity cream really that scary?
An official who was eavesdropping turned pale as paper and said tremblingly: "I, I have eaten it a few times."
The colleague turned his head at once, "You have eaten it?"
The official was so scared that his mouth was crooked, "The people below gave it to me as a tribute, I, I..."
This... The officials looked at each other. The longevity cream was actually in their hands.
Before Chu Hua could figure out the reason, this part of the report was presented to the emperor, the old Grand Preceptor, the old Grand Mentor, and others.
"Longevity cream?" The emperor always felt as if he had heard of it somewhere, but his memory was a little vague.
The old Grand Preceptor's hands covered with age spots trembled, "Last year, a caravan from Xirong offered longevity cream as a tribute. The imperial physician diagnosed it as non-toxic."
The imperial physician said it was non-toxic, the system called it a drug and Chu Hua said it was addictive.
The old Grand Mentor: "If it’s addictive, it’s similar to Wushisan."
Wushisan had proved one thing through the users of all dynasties: long-term use of Wushisan would cause poisoning and it was a chronic poison.
The emperor finally remembered: "I remember! It was in a small jar and it was said to be something very rare and precious. I thought it had a strange smell and it’s unknown which corner it’s thrown into."
"If this thing is similar to Wushisan, it is also a chronic poison. Maybe the toxin is relatively traceable and it is difficult to detect unless it is taken day by day. It is possible that the imperial physician cannot see it."
There was not much stuff in the first place. The imperial physician only took a little to check for poison and could not try it day by day.
Besides, that thing comes from Xirong, while the imperial physicians were all born and raised in Dasheng. How could they have the opportunity to see Xirong's things? It was normal that they couldn't recognize it.
In this way, they knew what Xirong was planning: to quietly poison Dasheng officials with longevity cream, and take down Dasheng without a single soldier.
What made them more certain of this guess was that not long after, another report came.
It turned out that the system was looking for melons again: [Elder Sister Hua, your family’s yiniang Liu Yue is also eating longevity cream. ]
[Her longevity cream was given by someone else. En, there is another melon here. The person who gave her longevity cream was actually from Xirong. He is in the same group as the person who gave Wu Ru longevity cream! ]
[Wait, the first man Liu Yue met in the wild was from Xirong. He gave Liu Yue longevity cream, saying that it was for aphrodisiacs and it did have aphrodisiac effects. Liu Yue became addicted after eating it a few times and whatever the other aid is whatever goes. ]
Chu Hua: ? ? ?
No wonder! No wonder the weak and gentle Liu Yiniang did such an outrageous thing. It turned out that she was controlled by the longevity cream!
[Why didn't you say it before? ]
System: [The melon-eating system sells these two kinds of content separately. You wanted to know if she was sick before, so I only bought the sick melon. ]
[En, I better show you. ]
As soon as the voice fell, a small electronic virtual screen appeared in front of Chu Hua.
It was a page like a Taobao search result. The two words "Liu Yue" were entered in the search bar. There were many small boxes below, each of which had a photo of Liu Yue. One of them, [Sick Melon], which was read.
There were other large and small melons. The lower left corner marked the melon energy required for purchase. Large ones were thousands of melons, while the minimum was only one.
After watching for two seconds, the system turned off with a sob.
At the same time, a picture like a bad connection flashed in front of the officials and royal guards within a range of 50 meters nearby. Only a blurry picture was seen and it disappeared.
The system gasped in pain: [I know that sharing the screen with the host costs a lot of melon energy, but is it necessary to deduct more than 4,000 melon energy for just two seconds? Unscrupulous businessman... I finally stayed up late to finish the imperial examination questions and worked diligently to investigate corruption to accumulate melon energy wow wow wow...]
Officials and royal guards: "..." Guilty.
They probably knew the reason: maybe it didn't take that much for Chu Hua alone, but didn't they all see it? Even if it was only for a moment, it was still seen.
Chu Hua couldn't help but pity the little system: [System, don't be sad. If melon energy is gone, it’s fine to earn them back. It's not good to cry your eyes out. ]
System: [But I don't have eyes, woo woo woo, I'm so miserable! ]
Chu Hua: [Then how do you see it? ]
The system was immediately diverted: [Huh? Yes, although there is no specific form, I should have eyes, otherwise I can't eat melons. ]
Chu Hua continued: [How do you usually eat melons? ]
When it comes to proper matter, the system stopped crying: [To see whether a person has melons, just enter the name. But there are too many melons of all sizes on a person and you can't pull them all. If you want to see what type of melon, you have to add a search condition, which require melon energys. ]
Chu Hua cursed: [Unscrupulous businessman! ]
The system couldn't agree more: [Unscrupulous businessman! ]
Chu Hua: [There are so many people with the same name and surname in the world? How can you be sure it's that person? ]
System: [Because after I bind with you, so the melon energy network would be built with you as the center, and would prioritize searching for people you know. And there are cover pictures to confirm. ]
The closer the relationship, the less melon energy you spend. For example, today, you came to the Ministry of Revenue, and the melon you checked was discounted. Many of them are even less than the small gossip I used to check about the former Vice Minister of Revenue wearing ripped underwear. ]
Former Vice Minister of Revenue: "..." Hey! I'm listening!
And... so it was like that!
This was equivalent to spending the same amount of melon energy. Chu Hua could find more melon energy in a department by taking a real job in that department.
Good news!
Chu Hua pondered for a moment: [What if I want you to check the matter of the Xirong Emperor? ]
The system tried it and came back fuming: [The green hat melon costs one thousand, a total of ten, and the bundled sale costs 9888. I won't buy it! Unscrupulous business! I will never buy it! I won't buy it even if you kill me! ]
Chu Hua got the impulse to: [To be honest, I want to know a little bit. ]
The system cried with a wail: [I want to know too, but I only have less than three hundred melons. I can't afford it even if I sell myself! ]
Seeing this, the emperor's eyes lit up.
The Xirong emperor's green hat and ten of them? Buy! Must buy!
He was definitely not curious about the content of the green hat, but wanted to embarrass the enemy:)
Chapter 25
In order to avoid a melon energy shortage for the system, Chu Hua checked the accounts very seriously in the afternoon.
When she was about to go home with backache, two brightly dressed men followed her out of the door of the Ministry of Revenue.
The two men saluted with fists together. The two embroidered spring swords in their left hands shone with cold and sharp light in the sunset.
"This subordinate, Jia Yi, has been ordered to protect you."
"This subordinate, Cai Gang. The emperor is worried that you will be assassinated before you finish checking your accounts."
Chu Hua: "..."
She didn't think that her life would be in danger so soon. No matter how stupid the other party was, he wouldn't take action when she just started checking the accounts and didn't know whether she could find anything or not. Wouldn't that be a case of trying to cover up one's own faults?
It was just that the arrival of these two people did provide her with a lot of convenience.
"Royal guard?"
"Yes."
Chu Hua smiled: "Please go to my family’s villa outside the capital and investigate Liu Yue for me."
There was a ready-made longevity cream addict there, and a weak and green tea concubine had become so dissolute was the most convincing example.
The matter of longevity cream could be reported to the emperor immediately.
If the royal guard was more powerful, they may be able to find a large amount of longevity cream in Wu Ru's secret room, follow the clues, and kill all the conspiracy of Xirong.
"Yes!" Cai Gang turned and left.
Chu Hua entrusting this matter to the royal guard was equivalent to asking the emperor for help.
The emperor immediately sent the commander of the royal guard and ordered a thorough investigation.
Lin You and his men rushed to the villa at lightning speed and brought the unconscious Liu Yue into the palace that night and locked her up in an empty side hall.
The emperor and officials above the third rank watched through the window.
They still had some reservations about what Chu Hua said and had to see it with their own eyes to believe it.
Time passed by, Liu Yue hugged her knees, huddled in a corner, her hair messy, her face panicked and scared, which was completely the normal reaction of an ordinary woman being kidnapped.
One minister couldn't wait, "This isn't good?"
The emperor glanced at Lin You, and Lin You immediately said, "Your Majesty, when I arrived at the manor, Chu Shu and Liu Yue were arguing, and a small jar was knocked over during the quarrel. Liu Yue's face changed drastically and she rushed to grab it and ate a little. I guess it will take a long time before the addiction hits again."
"That small jar, I also brought it back." Lin You took out three blue and white porcelain jars wrapped in handkerchiefs from his arms. The dirty one should be the one that was knocked over, and the other two were relatively clean.
"These two were taken out of Liu Yue's dressing box by Chu Shu when she saw me taking the jar."
Emperor: "..."
Officials: "..."
What could they say? Chu Shu and Chu Hua were really very different.
If it were Chu Hua today, she would definitely not betray her mother so decisively.
Oh, alright, she probably recognized her at first sight and would never let her mother be harmed to this extent.
The Imperial Academy of Medicine Administrator was in charge of the cowpox vaccine, so the one on the scene now was the Imperial Academy of Medicine Administrative Assistant.
The small porcelain jar was only as big as a plum. The overturned porcelain jar contained a third of the dark brown paste, and the unused porcelain jar was only half full. Both contained a slightly pungent smell.
The Imperial Academy of Medicine Administrative Assistant tested it for the poison with a silver needle he carried with him. Then he scraped a little with a bamboo stick and put it on the tip of his tongue to taste it. After a long time, he bowed his hands and confessed: "Your Majesty, I am incompetent and can't recognize what this thing is made of. Maybe it is non-toxic when eaten in small amounts, which is why it was difficult to detect it with conventional means."
The emperor had similar guesses before and was not disappointed, "Then don't wait. Find a chicken to try.”
The imperial kitchen of the palace always had some living creatures. A live chicken with its wings tied was soon sent over.
Chickens, ducks, cats, dogs and other animals were much weaker than humans and much easier to control. Killing a few of them would not be a crime, so they were often used to test poison.
The eunuch pinched the chicken's neck and pushed the longevity cream into the chicken's mouth. After one-third of it was pushed in, the chicken was still alive, so he pushed another jar.
Not much of the second jar was put in and the chicken went into a daze, struggled a little, and died when the second can was finished.
The scene was silent. It was not clear whether it was addictive or not, but it was definitely poisonous.
The emperor uttered in a cold voice: "Lin You, interrogate Wu Ru."
Lin You: "This subordinate complies."
That night, dozens of royal guards rushed into Wu Ru's house with torches and the Wu Family panicked and were in chaos.
Wu Ru, who had not even put on his clothes, hurried out to stop them, "What are you doing, Commander?"
Lin You waved his hand: "Search!"
There were royal guards outside to ensure that no one in the Wu Family could escape to inform the enemy. The royal guards inside guarded everyone in the Wu family, surrounding the entire Wu Family like an iron barrel.
Because they had learned from the system in advance that the Wu Family had a secret room, the royal guards searched with a purpose and the speed was faster. After searching through the boxes and cabinets in the Wu Family and looking for the mechanism, they actually found a secret room in Wu Ru's study.
The moment Lin You stepped into the secret room, he took a breath of cold air.
Liu Yue's longevity cream was just three small jars, which together only made up a dish, but the longevity cream in the secret room was a whole bucket.
There were also different porcelain jars of different sizes on the bookshelf next to it, at least two hundred of them, which together made up at least half a bucket.
If this bucket and a half of it was passed on to the officials of the court through Wu Ru...whether someone got addicted and was controlled by someone, or if the dose was too high and someone was poisoned to death, the consequences would be disastrous.
Lin You looked at Wu Ru, whose face turned pale, with a fake smile: "Official Wu, you are really capable."
Wu Ru was sure that Lin You could not recognize what this thing was, "I don't know what Commander is talking about. This is just a little hobby of mine that is unknown to others, so I put it in the secret room."
Lin You would not waste time arguing with him, "Hobby, huh? Okay. Come on, let Official Wu eat a few jars in front of everyone, so that we can open our eyes."
"Yes!" a few royal guards grabbed a few jars from the shelf and walked toward Wu Ru.
Wu Ru's face turned pale instantly. They didn't really know what this was, did they?
Without waiting for him to say anything, the royal guard pressed down his arm and pinched his mouth to pour it in.
"Commander, spare me!" Wu Ru struggled frantically, his expression was ferocious.
Lin You closed his eyes and ignored him.
"I'll tell you!" Driven by the desire to survive, Wu Ru cried and begged for mercy.
As soon as Lin You raised his hand, the royal guard let Wu Ru go temporarily, still holding the jar and staring at him covetously, as if he would pounce on him and hit his throat immediately if he didn't behave.
Wu Ru didn't want to die, so he had to confess honestly. His face became paler and paler as he spoke.
He knew that he was finished.
The next day, the emperor summoned all those above the ninth rank to attend the court.
At first, the early stage of the morning court went smoothly. Halfway through, an eunuch came to pass on a message to Chen Jiu. Today's main topic began.
The royal guard brought Wu Ru, who was wearing prison clothes, and Liu Yue, who was a little crazy, up.
Lin You: "You may not know each other, but the person on the left was the censor Wu Ru, and the one on the right is Liu Yue, the concubine of Official Chu Ping."
Officials: "..." They knew. Knew too well. The central figure of the gossip these days.
"Four years ago, when Wu Ru went to Xijiang for an inspection, he had initial contact with the Xirong people, then surrendered to the enemy, and betrayed his country. According to the instructions of the Xirong people, he intended to use the longevity cream to slowly and long-term corrode the officials of our Dasheng court. Longevity cream is something that many officials don't know."
Lin You ordered someone to send a live chicken up and repeated yesterday's experiment in front of the civil and military officials.
As soon as the chicken died, the royal guard carried the dead chicken and passed it slowly from front to back. They made sure that everyone could clearly see the tragic death of the chicken, so as to associate it with their own tragic death and would remember this lesson deeply.
Suddenly, a puzzled child's voice sounded in the court: [Hey, why is there a melon on the chicken? Is this a chicken spirit? ]
Emperor:?
Officials:?
System: [Oh, so it’s like this. This experiment was already done yesterday. Today, in order to let the officials have a deep understanding, it’s done again in front of everyone. What is this? This is the resentment of the chicken before it died! ]
The system shouted in a pretentious voice: [They were obviously fattened broilers and should be slaughtered with one knife, plucked, cleaned, stir-fried and then eaten by humans, but they were poisoned to death by unscrupulous people, suffering from heart and lung damage, poor breathing, muscle paralysis and other pains before dying. It's too miserable, chicken! ]
Chu Hua: "..." It was a drama empress.
[Why stir-fry? Roasted chicken is so delicious. ]
System: [Because Dasheng has no chilli peppers. Roasted chicken without peppers is equivalent to having no soul! ]
Chu Hua: [I admit that chilli peppers are the eternal god, but the original roasted chicken is also delicious. Moreover, I have asked people to inquire. I believe that chilli peppers will be found soon. ]
Emperor:? ? !
Officials:? ? !
Chilli peppers were actually the eternal god? With such a high evaluation, they must try it!
Chilli peppers? The system gave it a try: [Hey, Elder Sister Hua, I typed chili pepper in the search bar and it gave me feedback. This melon requires 200 melon energy. I won’t have enough energy left after I buy it.]
Chu Hua screamed crazily in her heart: Ahhhhhh!!! System, you are such a big treasure!
For people who love spicy food, it was cruel that they couldn’t eat chili for the first thirteen years of their lives and could only use dogwood instead.
Chu Hua took two deep breaths and suppressed her excitement: [Don't worry. I guess you'll get it after eating this melon. ]
The emperor and the officials also wanted to try the chili peppers and they cooperated to advance the next process.
Lin You explained in detail how Wu Ru committed the crime, including how he made friends with other people in the Censorate, how he entered the homes of his brothers and friends, and how he put longevity cream in their food.
"The longevity cream has a pungent taste. Wu Ru got his wife to give it to others on the grounds of stimulant and pain relief, and then he used the reason of supplying longevity cream to control them after they became addicted."
"He didn't dare to go too far, so as not to be discovered. That’s why, he only controlled the wives and concubines of the officials for four years. According to Wu Ru's account, a few wives had already put longevity cream in the food of a few officials."
Officials: !!!
This melon was about themselves all of a sudden.
Some people remembered that they had no friendship with Wu Ru and immediately breathed a sigh of relief, while others had some guesses and their faces turned pale.
Lin You continued: "Wu Ru's plan is a little slow. He used the longevity cream, adultery, and children to firmly control the wives and concubines of a few officials. With their help to cover up, they are not noticeable."
"On the contrary, Xirong is anxious because there has been no major progress in the past four years. So they sent people over to lure Liu Yue to take the longevity cream. When she became addicted to it, they brought her people with venereal disease and introduced court officials to indirectly spread venereal disease to the court."
The officials were so angry that their teeth itched.
It was the longevity cream and then venereal disease. Xirong was really afraid that they would not die fast enough.
If it weren't for Chu Hua and the system, they might have really been deceived.
No, some people have already been deceived!
Chu Hua was really curious: [System, do you know why the Xirong people targeted Liu Yue? ]
If Lin You hadn't gotten to the point that interested her after talking half a day, she wouldn't have been willing to let the system waste the energy that could be used to find peppers.
The system was also a little curious: [I'll check.]
It hadn't searched out any results yet when Lin You heard it and added: "According to Liu Yue's confession, she was just controlled by others, obeying orders, and didn't know anything."
The slightly crazy Liu Yue was brought up to let the officials see more clearly the consequences of being addicted to longevity cream, so that they would be vigilant.
System: [Found it! It's because your father's official position is low. He has no ability as an official or a person, so it's easier to control.]
The incompetent Chu Ping: ???
Where’s your politeness? !
System: [It just so happens that Liu Yue had lived in the villa for a long time, so it's easy to contact. Not only Liu Yue, they also targeted the wives and concubines of other officials. They wanted to mix longevity Gao in the water during this year's autumn hunting. Liu Yue is a test subject.]
Chu Ping sighed, while the emperor and the officials felt fortunate as well as an unstoppable chill and fear. Fortunately, they got the news from the system in advance and did not fall into the trap set by Xirong. Otherwise, if they were still so ignorant, Dasheng would probably face the iron hoof of Xirong soon after the autumn hunt.
Just then, the system screamed: [Oh my God, it turned out to be like this! ]
Chu Hua: [What happened? ]
Emperor and officials: What news?
After going through so much, it felt like nothing could surprise them anymore.
System: [Not long ago, didn’t the empress meet a young man who looked very similar to the emperor when he was young on the way to Chunfeng Tower and sold himself to bury his father? It turned out that it was a script that had been set long ago! ]
[The Emperor of Xirong intends to put a green hat on the Emperor of Dasheng! ]
Chu Hua: [Hiss——]
Emperor: !!!
Officials: ? !!!
Pupils trembled.