Surviving in the General's Mansion - Chapter 70

The herbal medicine was simply too awful to drink. Every bowl left Xia Heng feeling as though her entire life had gone dark.

She first completed her daily check-in and received five points, then opened the system store at once.

Cold medicine, cold medicine…

There it was! Cold medicine for five points!

That was exactly what today’s check-in had given her. Redeem!

Next came heating pads and period underwear. Add to cart, add to cart!

If only she had thought of the period underwear yesterday. She had assumed sanitary pads would be enough.

The image of the saddle she had stuffed into her cabinet surfaced in her mind.

Stop. She could not think about that again.

Shaking her head, Xia Heng continued browsing.

Wound ointment! Buy it!

Huyan Lie’s lash had broken the skin, and her right hand still stung even now.

In the midst of her enthusiastic shopping spree, Xia Heng suddenly noticed that the points total in the upper-right corner looked wrong.

She peered at it, then tensed her abdomen and shot upright. The quilt and coat rolled down into her lap.

What?! Three thousand six hundred and forty points?

She would not have dared dream of such a number!

With some trepidation, she opened the transaction history. A long string of unfamiliar names appeared below. There were this many people?

Liang Zhongyi? Li Zhi? Hong Song?

Who were any of them?

Xia Heng frowned. Could the system have made a mistake? She scrolled farther down.

Only when she saw familiar names such as Xiao Yaqing, Dongfang Wei, Mo Qing, and Mo Bai did she gradually relax.

In that case, she must have earned these points at the training ground yesterday.

The only event that could have drawn so many people’s attention and raised their favorability toward her was Cang Chuli’s mounted archery contest against Huyan Lie.

Xia Heng slowly lay back down and tucked the quilt around herself, unable to stop the grin spreading across her face. That ordeal had been worth it!

“Cough, cough!”

It had been a little hard on her body, though.

After taking her medicine, changing into the period underwear, and applying a heating pad, Xia Heng closed her eyes and soon grew drowsy again.

Before drifting off, she was still thinking that she really did have to go outside if she wanted to earn points.

Opportunities like that were rare, however, and far too dangerous. Compared with points, staying alive was more important.

Besides, more than three thousand points would last her quite a while!

* * *

Crack! Crack!

“Have mercy, First Prince! First Prince, please have mercy!”

Yanu rolled back and forth across the floor beneath Huyan Lie’s whip.

She wore only a thin underrobe, now covered in bloody welts.

After a long while, Huyan Lie finally exhaled and put away the whip.

“Take her away.”

The servants guarding the door hurried forward and carried out Yanu, who was barely breathing.

Pasang examined the freshly applied balsam dye on her nails and pouted.

“Brother, we seem to have lost far too much. You even gave your scimitar away. The Khagan won’t be pleased.”

Huyan Lie walked to the table and took a sip of hot tea.

“It doesn’t matter. Our ally has already made a new move.”

Pasang snickered. “The people of the Central Plains truly are strange. They create trouble for their own people.”

She spoke with open mockery.

“Do we really need to intervene? Give them another couple of years and they may destroy themselves.”

Huyan Lie set down his teacup.

“Has the Central Plains not been brought low by its own people’s stupidity often enough?

“No matter what, Cang Chuli must die, and the Zhenbei Army must be scattered.

“The day the Zhenbei Army is left without a commander will be the day we Tujue break through the northern border!”

His expression turned vicious.

“Until then, I leave the emperor of Huaxia to you. My dear sister, that will not be a problem, will it?”

Pasang propped her cheek on one hand and smiled sweetly.

Before long, a guard entered carrying a jar.

“First Prince, this is what you requested.”

Huyan Lie accepted the jar, set it on the table, and pried it open with the back of his knife.

“The smell of liquor is so strong.”

Pasang leaned away, covering her nose with one hand.

“But it isn’t fragrant. It’s rather pungent.”

“It should be.”

Huyan Lie scooped some into an empty teacup and examined it carefully.

“This is called alcohol. It is Huaxia’s newest medicine for treating wounds.”

“Liquor can be medicine?”

“Apparently, wounds treated with it are less likely to fester.”

“Oh?”

Interested, Pasang leaned closer.

Huyan Lie lifted the cup and took a small sip, only to spit it out at once. His entire mouth seemed to burn, and the tip of his tongue went slightly numb.

“It tastes like very strong liquor, but it cannot be swallowed.”

“Yes, First Prince,” the guard hastily added. “The people at the medical hall called it the essence of liquor, but said it was not meant for drinking.

“It is also highly flammable and must be stored away from light and fire. Even then, it evaporates very easily.”

“Evaporates?” Pasang asked in confusion.

“Strong liquor loses its scent if left uncovered for some time. Alcohol becomes useless if it is left uncovered.”

“If it is so difficult to preserve, how do they transport it?” Huyan Lie asked.

“First Prince, the medical hall said the owners built an alcohol factory here in the capital. The short distance keeps transportation from being a problem.”

“A factory…”

Huyan Lie considered this for a moment.

“Who owns it?”

“The Xiao Family—the family of the Minister of Revenue!”

The guard paused after answering, then added, “I heard Minister Xiao was promoted because of alcohol. Their factory in the north is currently being built as well, and they previously provided aid to the Zhenbei Army…”

“Minister Xiao…

“I wonder whether he can be won over.”

“Brother! He has already supported Cang Chuli. Why would we still try to win him over?” Pasang asked incredulously.

“There are no eternal enemies, Pasang. If you want to recruit someone, you must first learn what he values most.”

“The Minister of Revenue…”

Huyan Lie tapped his fingers against the table as he thought.

“Use the alcohol on Yanu first. Let us see how well it works.”

“Yes, First Prince!”

* * *

“Cough, cough. Why are you here again?”

Xia Heng woke to find Little Baldie standing before her once more. For a moment, she almost thought she was trapped in a time loop.

“I’m here to bring Big Sister her medicine! Sister Qiulin told me to watch you drink it. And there’s this too!”

Little Wude carefully set a jar beside the bed, then took a small box from inside his robe.

“What is it?” Xia Heng asked wearily.

“Medicine! Medicine for wounds!

“The General told me to bring it to you!”

Xia Heng sat up and opened the jar. Water?

Wude, however, covered his nose and fled to the foot of the bed.

When she leaned closer, Xia Heng finally caught the familiar smell of alcohol. Her cold had left her almost unable to smell anything.

She set down the jar and opened the small box. It contained a vivid green ointment.

“The General said to wipe it with this first, then put this on!”

Wude pointed first at the alcohol, then at the ointment.

Xia Heng nodded, then asked curiously, “Why did he send you to deliver them?”

“I was helping Grandpa Lin sort medicinal herbs at the infirmary. The General came back from court with this.”

Wude tapped the jar.

“He asked Grandpa Lin for ointment and said it was for you. I told him I was coming to bring you your medicine, so the General gave me both and told me to bring them together.”

“What a wonderful boss.”

Xia Heng wiped away a tear.

“Big Sister, are you crying because you’re moved?”

“My nose is stinging…”

Xia Heng was in torment, caught on the verge of a sneeze that refused to come.

The next moment, the familiar medicine bowl was thrust up to her lips once again.

Wude stared at her with bright, eager eyes.

“Big Sister! Drink your medicine!”

Little Baldie… Be honest with me. Just what sort of peculiar hobby is this?