Chapter 272 - Chapter 272: Chapter 272. Earning a Fortune 2
Chapter 272: Chapter 272. Earning a Fortune 2
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Su Qing returned to the government office and saw that Zhong Yong had already shaved off the wild boar’s fur. The meat was also cut up and placed on the table.
Wild boars were very fat, and the meat they produced was enough. The fat could be refined into oil, and the oil refined from a pig was enough to feed the entire village for a month. The oil residue was also a dish that was incredibly fragrant with wine.
Seeing that Su Qing had returned, Zhong Yong grinned widely and pointed at the meat as he shouted at Su Qing,
“Master, meat.”
He hadn’t had enough to eat these few days. He wanted to hug and eat raw meat whenever he saw it.
When Su Qing saw Zhong Yong’s childlike smile, she couldn’t help but smile.
“I’ll make you something delicious later.”
“I’ll light a fire for Master.”
When he heard Su Qing say that she would cook something delicious for him, Zhong Yong sucked in a mouthful of saliva about to flow out and happily lit the fire.
“Xiao Qi, you’re making me anxious.”
Xiaoying came back from outside and heaved a sigh of relief when she saw Xiao Qi. She was afraid she would be unable to explain to Sister Su Qing if she went missing, so she waited at the city gate for Xiao Qi to return. Sister Su Qing came back after she went to the toilet. She was still thinking about how to apologize to her.
Xiao Qi scratched her head with her chubby hands and embarrassedly smiled at her. It was her fault for making Sister Xiaoying anxious.
Xiaoying’s heart softened when she saw her guilty look. She was no longer angry and squatted down to have a good time.
Xiao Qi was in the wrong for doing something wrong, so she obediently let Sister Xiaoying pat her head. She cursed in her heart, ‘Sooner or later, my head will be bald.’
Thinking of her bald appearance, Xiao Qi shivered.
Just as she thought of her bald appearance, Xiaoying carried her up and kidnapped her into the house. Her crisp voice was filled with joy,
“Godmother, look, it’s Xiao Qi.”
Su Qing saw that Xiao Qi and Xiaoying were having a good time, so she wasn’t worried that Xiao Qi was afraid of strangers. She had to treat Brother Yang and the others to dinner tonight, so she had to hurry up and cook.
This was very simple. She first cut the fat and cockscomb oil to refine the oil. She cut the fat into large pieces and threw them into the pot to soak them in water. Then, she threw a handful of salt in. After the water was almost gone, she slowly added the oil. It would take about an hour to refine the oil.
Shuisheng liked to eat pork intestines and stir-fried pig’s stomachs. When she had free time, she cleaned the intestines and pig’s stomach, then asked Li Shuang’er to take it to Qiu Yongkang’s big pot to cook it. It was enough to cook it 70%. After taking it out, she stir-fried it with chili. The taste was unbeatable.
A wild boar and a half, six pork knuckles, and trotters. They were all washed and stewed in a big pot. After throwing in some dried chili, ginger, and scallions to remove the unpleasant smell, she didn’t have to worry about them. She just had to fish them out and cut them with minced garlic to eat.
Su Qing planned to roast the pork chops with salt and seasonings for fifteen minutes. She would then set up a wooden rack in the yard and grill them over a fire. This job would be left to Jiang Yuyan and Zhong Yong.
She cut the rest of the meat into small pieces and waited for the lard to be refined before using the oil pan to make braised pork.
While Su Qing was busy stewing meat to entertain Yang Zhi, Ji Shuisheng was brought into the Empress’s palace. Before he entered, he heard whips lashing flesh and the screams of palace maids begging for mercy.
Ji Shuisheng stood at the door and did not enter. He waited for the Tartan soldier who brought him to report.
In the palace, the Empress sat behind a table with a gloomy expression. Her face was so dark that ink could drip out. Her eyes were ruthless as she looked at the two palace maids being beaten by her subordinate.
The gold that she had painstakingly accumulated had been robbed. The Empress could not swallow this anger, and there was a deep fear in her heart.
To be able to steal the gold under heavy guard without anyone knowing, wouldn’t it be easy for such a person to kill her?
When she returned to the palace, she saw two maids standing against the wall. They didn’t come over to serve her, nor did they bow. The Empress was already in a bad mood, so she ordered people to slap their mouths to wake them up to beg for mercy.
The Empress suspected that they were pretending to be drugged. Outsiders in the secret chamber did not know. Without a mole, they could not attract outsiders. Someone must have received instructions to steal her gold in a short period.
It was the first time the Empress felt so afraid. She even felt a pair of eyes staring at her in the dark, which made her panic.
The two palace maids were covered in wounds and blood. They shouted until their voices were hoarse. They begged the Empress bitterly, begging her to let them go.
“I beg the Empress to spare my life. This servant has been drugged and doesn’t know anything.”
“Where’s Hongzhu?”
The Empress took a deep breath and raised her hand to order the nanny to stop. She asked the two pitiful palace maids in a cold voice.
“This servant does not know.”
The two palace maids lay on the ground panting heavily. Their eyes were filled with fear, helplessness, and confusion. They did not know what had happened and fainted. They did not know when Hongzhu had left.
Hongzhu was missing. Could she be the mole? There were also guards guarding the palace. The four chests of gold couldn’t be transported out without being discovered.
The Empress’s expression was uncertain. For a moment, she didn’t trust anyone. These were all personal guards and palace maids. If they had disloyal thoughts, wouldn’t her situation be terrible?
Since she couldn’t confirm who the traitor was, she would kill them all to prevent future trouble.
Just as the Empress was about to order the palace maids and guards to be killed, a guard reported from outside the door,
“Reporting to the Empress, the honored guest has arrived.”
The Empress put away her gloomy expression and ordered the nanny to bring Ji Shuisheng into the hall.
“Take them away first and find Hongzhu. All the guards on duty today will be executed.”
The Empress ordered in a low voice. The guards dragged away the palace maids, who were covered in blood. When Ji Shuisheng entered the palace, he saw two pitiful palace maids being dragged out, leaving a long trail of blood on the ground. Immediately, a palace maid came over to wipe the blood on the floor. The palace was silent.
“Greetings, Empress.”
Ji Shuisheng cupped his fists and bowed to the Empress without batting an eyelid.
“Forget it. The Princess has been plotted against and is unconscious. The doctors of Tartan are at a loss, so I would like to ask Teacher Ji to help treat her.”
The Empress sat behind the table and only raised her hand to avoid Ji Shuisheng’s bow. When Ji Shuisheng stood up straight, she immediately let him go to see the Princess.
The nanny came over to lead Ji Shuisheng into the bedroom. The Princess’s body was stiff, and her eyes were open as she lay on the soft couch. She could hear and see people but could not move or speak.
The nanny pointed at the Princess and said to Ji Shuisheng, Mister Ji, please save the Princess.”
The Princess was brought up by the nanny, who had deep feelings for her. She sincerely begged Ji Shuisheng.
“I’ll try my best.”
Ji Shuisheng didn’t take it all on himself and spoke humbly. He looked at Saiya, who was lying on the soft couch. Her eyes were filled with fear. When she saw him, her tears welled up, and she pleaded.
Ji Shuisheng nodded at her and sat on the low chair the nanny had brought to take Saiya’s pulse.
He noticed that Saiya’s fingers moved. It was time to strike her acupoints.
“Give these two pills to the princess and the palace maid.”
Ji Shuisheng took the time to take out the pills and handed them to the nanny, asking her to feed Saiya the medicine. He didn’t complain about causing trouble when men and women were not close to each other.
The nanny had complete faith in Ji Shuisheng’s medical skills. If the Second Prince could be healed of a bloody hole in his chest, the Princess would be even better.
As soon as the nanny gave the pills to Saiya and the palace maid, the Empress walked into the bedroom and asked Ji Shuisheng,
“Can she be cured?”