Time Travel: The Best Doctor in Ancient Times

Capítulo 1119: Chapter 789: Chips—Who Would Mind Having More?

“…Yes!” A trace of pain appeared on Duo Ao’s face, but he still endured it and responded.

“Duo Ao, as a subject of our Sand Sea, you must not consider personal gains and losses. The survival of the entire clan is the priority, while personal affairs are trivial. You are a trusted general of my Imperial Brother; you should understand the art of choosing between them!” Fufeng Tianlan said, waving a hand to Duo Ao, “Go and handle it!”

“Yes! I will take my leave!” Duo Ao bowed his head, saluted, and turned to disappear into the flowers.

After Duo Ao’s figure vanished, a petite maid holding a tray appeared where Duo Ao had knelt, slightly raised her head, and with a solemn expression, looked at Fufeng Tianlan, who was standing silently by the window, and asked, “Miss, you know that the girl stationed in Xunyang is Duo Ao’s cherished one. Why did you mention her on purpose? Isn’t that…”

“Isn’t that what? Forcing him?” Fufeng Tianlan coldly chuckled upon hearing this, “He is a subject of my Sand Sea; he should understand the importance of Gu Changsheng’s son. No one complains about having too many bargaining chips. One more is an additional chance of success!”

“Then why not let Gu Changsheng and Zhou Mu’s original enemies act? In fact, deploying undercover pawns is quite difficult…” The maid was just as puzzled as Duo Ao.

“Because I want to save those people for last, to let Gu Changsheng and Zhou Mu experience the frustration of being deserted by everyone!” Fufeng Tianlan arrogantly replied, “He Miao, don’t be like Duo Ao, always asking irrelevant questions. Otherwise, you’ll return to the Goddess Palace and send someone else to serve me!”

“This maid is guilty! I dare not again!” The little maid named He Miao was so frightened that she threw the tray to the ground, trembling and kowtowing.

“Are the affairs in the Capital City progressing smoothly?” Fufeng Tianlan glanced at her maid and asked in a deep voice.

“Replying to Miss, everything is going according to plan. Our people have infiltrated the Heavenly Palace through the Inner Court of the Great Zhou Imperial Family, responsible for the daily supplies transport within the palace. Over time, they have managed to converse with the gu women in the palace and become familiar faces. Everything is proceeding as planned, just waiting for your command.” He Miao bowed her head in respect and responded.

“No rush, the right people have yet to emerge fully. Stirring the grass to alert the snake would be unwise. Stay calm and report any actions from those in the Capital City Heavenly Palace immediately!”

“Yes!” He Miao respectfully replied, “Miss, someone from the Great Zhou Imperial Family wants to meet you to discuss the grand plan together…”

“Meet me? I am of the Fufeng Royal Family, in charge of the Goddess Palace. Am I someone that a humble prince from a small Central Plains clan can just meet at will? He really thinks highly of himself!” Fufeng Tianlan sneered at the words.

“But Miss, the affairs in the Capital City still depend on his coordination. Isn’t it inappropriate?” He Miao said, looking troubled.

“What’s inappropriate? Our partnership with him is merely for mutual benefit. His request to meet me is nothing more than seeking things you dare not offer. His insatiable greed could ruin everything. Tell him, to meet me, he must show enough sincerity. Having achieved nothing in years yet still dreaming of ascending the imperial throne of Great Zhou…only that self-proclaimed smart fool would be interested. Despite how many people our Sand Sea lent him, he couldn’t eliminate Zhou Mu. Worthless! What more does he dare ask for?” Fufeng Tianlan said, her beautiful face under her veil showing a slight trace of anger. However, her eyes lit up immediately, and she continued, “But, if he can thwart the marriage alliance between Zhou Mu’s subordinates and the Liaodong women, or better yet, estrange Great Zhou and Liaodong, I might consent to offering him the position of Crown Prince of Great Zhou. Whether he can finally seize the imperial throne will depend on his ambition and ruthlessness!”

“Yes! This maid will immediately send the message.” He Miao replied in a deep voice upon hearing, and then turned to leave.

“Wait a moment!” Just as He Miao was about to leave, Fufeng Tianlan called her back and said sternly, “Assign someone to keep an eye on Duo Ao. Although romantic affairs are minor, they can be fatal. That woman is our last chance to obtain Gu Changsheng’s son and must not be lost. If he ruins my plans for personal reasons, then…”

Hongfu Su said, raising a hand and gesturing across her neck.

Maid He Miao shivered at this, her petite body trembled, and she mustered the courage to stammer out, “Li…Lady, this might be inappropriate, Duo Ao…he is the Wolf King’s…”

“Anyone who would abandon the multitude of our Sand Sea for a woman, putting our great plan aside, what use is he? Kill him then! I will explain to my Imperial Brother!” Fufeng Tianlan said mockingly, her jade-like fingers tightening almost imperceptibly.

“Yes!” He Miao bowed her head and withdrew.

The inn then returned to its previous tranquillity. Amidst the luxuriant flowers, a veiled woman stood by the window, appearing pure and harmless.

Of course, one must ignore the two notches left on the window frame by her grasp.

Two people came and went as if they had never been there, leaving everything serene and perfect as before.

Meanwhile, on the street in front of the inn, it was bustling with traffic and endless streams of passersby. The lively sounds traveled far into the quiet courtyard and reached the ears of the woman standing by the window, causing the corners of her mouth beneath the veil to curve further into a mocking smile, spreading to her entire small face, reaching even the corners of her eyes and brows…

“Waiting for three months, and finally, the Guo Family opens the wine cellar to sell wine. I’m craving it to death!”

“Who says no? I just wonder how many jars Elder Guo will release this time? And at what high price they will be auctioned off?”

“Last time it was five hundred taels a jar! Five hundred taels! That’s enough to feed my family of five for a lifetime! I wonder what astonishing prices they’ll fetch this time…”

“…”

A few groups of people clustered towards the end of the street, discussing excitedly.

“Hah! You talk as if you can taste the Guo Family Huadiao!” Nearby, a disdainful voice sounded. An old beggar wearing a ragged felt hat pushed those discussing people and staggered forward with a wine gourd.

“Hey! You, old beggar, have quite the audacity! I haven’t tasted the Guo Family Huadiao, so what? Or have you tasted it? Stop boasting here!” The people who spoke just now immediately shouted, refusing to let the old beggar pass, preparing to block his way.

“You, old beggar, why do you look down on people like this? Go ask around. On this street, whether it’s the wealthy or the itinerant world’s heroes, who among them has truly tasted the Guo Family Huadiao?”

“Yeah! Guo Family Huadiao, a delicacy among wines, can ordinary people ever taste it?”

“Exactly! So what if we haven’t tasted the Guo Family Huadiao? When the Guo Family Wine Cellar opens, the fragrance spreads for ten miles, the scent making us unaware of the taste of wine for three months. We haven’t eaten pork but have seen pigs walk; we haven’t tasted Guo Family Huadiao, but we’ve smelled its wine fragrance. So what? You jealous or something?”

“Even an old beggar dared to join the commotion at the Guo Family Wine Estate’s entrance, and still boasts shamelessly! How come the itinerant world’s heroes haven’t come to demand Huadiao today? Should this pretentious old beggar be kicked out?”

“Yes, yes! Drive him away! Don’t let him push around in this alley, lest he dirties our clothes!”

“…”

Amidst the bustling and shouting, many pointed at the staggering old beggar, and some youthful newcomers eager to make a move were held back by elders seeking wine and whispered reminders.

“In the itinerant world, keep your eyes bright, don’t bully the elderly, the weak, or women. Daring to go near Guo Family’s entrance—if not from the itinerant world, he’s really just an arrogant old beggar. Either way, we itinerant people shouldn’t lay hands, to avoid losing our code of conduct or offending high-ranking individuals!”

“Are you joking, senior brother? This old beggar, a high-ranking individual?”

“If not a high-ranking individual, then just a common beggar; even if annoying, he’s so old. How could we, people of the itinerant world, bully the weak?”

“Alright…”

Xunyang Huadiao is renowned worldwide, yet this Xunyang Old Huadiao always comes from the Guo Family.

The Guo Family opens the wine cellar once every three months to sell Huadiao Wine, attracting numerous wine lovers to bid. Among them are prominent figures, noble gentlemen, and also individuals from both the righteous and evil paths of the itinerant world.

Each time the Guo Family opens the cellar, the typically deserted gate of the Guo Family becomes crowded with people and packed to the brim!

No matter how high-ranking a government official, how wealthy and influential, how famed in or infamous in the itinerant world, at the door of The Immortal of Wine, Elder Guo, whether you’re a dragon, you must coil; a tiger, you must crouch. Because anyone with slight hearing abilities has heard that the Xunyang Huadiao Guo Family is closely linked with Wind Cloud Mountain Villa and even married a woman from Wind Cloud Mountain Villa named Beauty Sai; this…

Who would dare risk offending Wind Cloud Mountain Villa and cause trouble at the Guo Family doorstep?

Those not in the itinerant world fear the itinerant world people seeking wine at the Guo Family doorstep, while those in the itinerant world dare not offend Wind Cloud Mountain Villa. Hence, on this day, minor squabbles are constant, but never truly fierce fights, as people have long become accustomed to it.

“Is it almost three quarters past noon? Is it almost three quarters past noon? I didn’t even manage to have lunch, just to get a spot up front and savor the wine aroma to satisfy hunger!”

“Why does Elder Guo insist on setting the wine cellar opening time at this execution hour? Every time I wait here, my neck feels chilly…”

“They say it’s the best time of the day for noon, when the wine is most fragrant…”

“…”

A crowd eagerly awaited at the Guo Family gate, bustling at the forefront. Dozens of maids and young lads orderly set up racks displaying wine at the Guo Family front.

In a moment of unawareness, a burly man got jostled by the crowded throng, stumbling forward and crashing into a maid who was holding a small wine rack.

“Ah! Sorry, sorry! I didn’t do it on purpose! Not on purpose!” The burly man hurriedly steadied the maid who nearly fell, apologizing anxiously, yet his hand supporting the maid moved…