Abandoned Woman Busy Farming

Chapter 1218: Chapter 1220: Only a 20% Chance (Part 1)

Bai Ruozhu perked up as she heard the news. Previously, due to Jiang Yichun’s accident, she had almost redirected all her manpower to Wucang Mountain and had not paid attention to the mastermind behind the mishap at the welcoming venue. Coupled with treating Consort Le and other matters, she had pushed this issue to the back of her mind.

Of course, she had only momentarily forgotten, but there was no way she would just let it slide. Daring to meddle on her turf, she could not condone such behavior.

”It was information I came across unexpectedly when buying goods. It turns out that those scapegoats weren’t the main issue, the real person orchestrating everything behind the scenes is Madam Yang from the Yang Family,” Sui Ge said, ”They’ve secretly collaborated with others and invested in a restaurant called Leisure Lodge. This move is mainly aimed at stealing business from our venue, and also targeted at you.”

”Leisure Lodge?” Bai Ruozhu nodded, ”I’ve taken note of this. There’s no rush, I’ll arrange to teach them a lesson.”

Now with the issues involving brother and sister Chu Hai on her plate, Bai Ruozhu truly found it hard to spare any attention.

”Furthermore, there’s another matter I’m not sure I should mention,” Sui Ge asked cautiously.

Bai Ruozhu glared at him, ”You’ve been with me for more than a day or two, why are you hesitating now?”

Sui Ge chuckled awkwardly and said, ”It was something a friend told me. They said the big uncle of the West City Military Commander has racked up a huge gambling debt and had a fallout with the West City Military Commander. Unable to fill the gap in his accounts, he thought of selling a large amount of medicine fields he owns. It’s said that those medicine fields aren’t very profitable; I’m unsure if it’s appropriate to bring this to master’s attention.”

”Where are these medicine fields located, and roughly how many acres?” Bai Ruozhu was immediately interested. She had been wanting to acquire medicine fields as she was a medical student. If she could monopolize the business of medicinal materials, it would be much more convenient for her in the future.

”They are located north of Capital City, in the North Mountain area, about a three-day journey away—not too far. The medicine fields spanning several villages there belong to him. But now he finds them too bothersome and unprofitable, and urgently needs money, so he’s looking to sell,” Sui Ge explained.

”This is getting interesting, but I won’t be at ease without seeing the medicine fields with my own eyes. First, find a way to contact that person and test the waters to see if he’s really keen to sell. Also, check whether he truly needs the sale to cover his debts, and make sure there’s nothing amiss with the medicine fields,” Bai Ruozhu instructed.

Sui Ge saluted, ”Yes, I’ll keep a close eye on the situation and immediately report back to you with any news.”

Once Sui Ge had left, Bai Ruozhu started to calculate how much those medicine fields would cost. She scribbled on a piece of paper for a long time and realized that even if the other party was selling cheaply, it would be a significant expense, one that would use up all of her available funds. She definitely needed to think it over carefully.

That night, Bai Ruozhu discussed the matter with Jiang Yichun. He immediately responded, ”I’ll arrange for someone to discreetly look into it. As long as it isn’t a scam, the deal sounds rather good. But certainly, you’ll need to inspect the medicine fields yourself. Even if others go to check, it won’t be reassuring enough.”

”Does this mean I’ll have to leave for a while?” Bai Ruozhu felt quite surprised. Shouldn’t he be against her leaving? Why was he actively suggesting that she inspect the medicine fields?

Jiang Yichun, feeling a bit uneasy under her gaze, cleared his throat and said, ”The Emperor has been in a foul mood these past few days, mainly because of Diao Bin’s worsening condition. There are hints that he might take out his anger on you. I think it would be wise for you to leave and lay low for a while.”

Thinking about Diao Bin’s possible life-threatening condition made Bai Ruozhu feel that she should not leave at this moment. What if Diao Bin had an accident while she was away? Wouldn’t she be plagued by guilt for the rest of her life?

”Don’t worry. Ning Yu said that Diao Bin won’t be in any immediate danger for now, but without breaking the curse, she can only hold on for a year,” Jiang Yichun said.

”Then we only have to seek Chu Hai’s mother to break the curse for Diao Bin.” Bai Ruozhu furrowed her brows, the Reincarnation Poison of Chu Hai’s mother was truly no easy feat to resolve.

The two of them discussed for half a day, and in the end decided to let Jiang Yichun first investigate, and if everything was clear, they would have Bai Ruozhu visit the area around North Mountain.

Unexpectedly, the next day, the Empress Dowager issued an imperial summons for Bai Ruozhu to enter the Palace. Bai Ruozhu entered the Palace with trepidation and found Wang Shun already waiting at the Palace Gate, who directly led her to Cining Palace.

”Eunuch Wang, may I know what matters the Emperor and Empress Dowager have summoned me for?” Bai Ruozhu felt somewhat nervous, quietly probing Wang Shun.

”Madam Jiang, rest assured, it’s not to question your offense, but to request your medical expertise for someone,” Wang Shun said in a hushed tone, subtly reminding Bai Ruozhu.

Bai Ruozhu knew Wang Shun was kindly helping her, and after sincerely expressing her gratitude, she slipped him a substantial purse.

Upon arriving at Cining Palace, indeed the Emperor, Empress Dowager and the rest were all present, as were Chu Hai, Diao Yao, and Ning Yu. However, Chu Hai and Diao Yao did not look as wronged as before, and even had been granted seats, indicating that some matters had already been clarified.

Bai Ruozhu stepped forward to pay her respects to the Emperor and Empress Dowager. This time, she was not maltreated, and the Empress Dowager spoke directly, ”Ruozhu, I’ve heard from Ning Yu that you can detoxify the Reincarnation Blood poisoning him. If it is indeed the true Reincarnation Poison, what is your level of confidence?”

”Replying to the Empress Dowager, I only have a 20% confidence,” Bai Ruozhu answered truthfully. Just a touch of Chu Hai’s mother’s blood had already given her a massive headache, let alone the far more challenging Reincarnation Poison.

”20%? Doesn’t that mean it’s unsolvable?” the Emperor asked, displeased.

Bai Ruozhu bowed and responded, ”In response to the Emperor, I have treated Chu Hai for poisoning before. He had merely been in contact with a small amount of Reincarnation Blood and it took several months of effort, almost costing him his life, demonstrating the Reincarnation Poison’s perilous nature. The fact that one still lives after being poisoned by the Reincarnation Poison is truly rare. I haven’t faced this poison before, so I can only promise to give it my all, without complete certainty of success.”

”Your willingness to try is good. Besides you, no one can resolve this, at least you bring hope!” Chu Hai sitting beside spoke up.

His speech was suddenly interrupted by a coughing fit and Diao Yao on his side hurriedly cautioned, ”Brother, don’t get worked up, your internal injuries haven’t healed.”

Bai Ruozhu glanced at Diao Yao, surmising that the young girl had come to know she was Chu Hai’s biological sister. She observed Diao Yao’s dim expression, hollow cheeks, and noted she had lost much weight in a few days. The once carefree eyes were now clouded with sorrow, clearly showing she had been through a great ordeal.

”Your willingness to try is a good thing,” said the Empress Dowager. ”We can’t bring the patient to Danliang Country; the journey is rough, and accidents might occur. You and Chu Hai will need to make the journey to the Western Regions.”

Bai Ruozhu was taken aback; going to the Western Regions was no small venture like heading to North Mountain. The round trip would take several months, and curing Chu Hai’s mother would also require time. She couldn’t possibly stay in the Western Regions indefinitely?

With this in mind, she quickly said, ”It’s not that I cannot go to the Western Regions, but curing the poison is not something that can be resolved in a short time. The situation in Western Regions is unclear and I’m worried about unforeseen events. It would be safer to bring the patient to Danliang Country, where any medicinal materials needed would also be more readily available.”