Chapter 328 Detoxification
The Minister of Rites sat down awkwardly in the seat next to him, coughed, and without any opening remarks, he directly told Duke Xue the news that his entourage had just brought him in detail.
"My Lord, why did Su Heng come here? Isn't it a burden to buy so many things?"
Duke Xue snorted coldly and continued to squint his eyes and ignored him, but he did respond to the words.
"Why not? He just doesn't want to leave. He wants to use this method to annoy the Queen and make her give up on sending him back."
The Minister of Rites was stunned for a moment, then he understood, "Did the Duke also send someone to keep an eye on him?"
Duke Xue said, "If I rely on you, the flowers will be cold."
The Minister of Rites' smile froze, "The last incident is really not your fault. Who would have thought that Su Qingqing would bring the illegitimate son of Marquis Rong'an under her command? Moreover, the late Emperor had clearly sent General Su, the deputy lieutenant general, to the army of the Duke of Zhenguo after he was released from the prison. Who would have thought that he would come back again?
These two guys are both first-rate martial artists. We were so focused on keeping an eye on Wang Yu that we didn’t have time to defend ourselves against them , and that’s why we were caught off guard.”
Duke Xue opened his eyes a little and looked at the Minister of Rites, "What about this time? How confident are you that Concubine Qi will be resolved?"
Speaking of Concubine Qi, the Minister of Rites did not dare to say how confident he was, but only said: "What does the Queen mean by sending Qingyue to the Broken Red Tower?"
Duke Xue sneered, "Small Red Mansion is the Queen's information collection station in Kyoto. The mother and four top girls in it are as loyal to her as the Su family army back then. They are also veterans in the romantic world and are very good at playing with men. Sending Qingyue there is naturally waiting for the fish to take the bait.
I warn you, don't be so foolish as to save people. Qingyue is in the Broken Red Tower. As long as we don't move, she will be safe. After all, she is from Da Qi. The Queen is using her to fish but she doesn't really want to hurt her."
The Minister of Rites immediately responded, "I know this, but I am not so foolish as to say this."
"You'd better know!"
"Then do you think I should talk to the children of the other families..."
Duke Xue waved his hand and said, "That's not necessary. They don't know much anyway. Even if they go to the Broken Red Tower and want to do something, they won't cause any trouble. If you really remind them, none of these noble families will go to the Broken Red Tower. If the Queen knows our plan, she will have to come up with a new trick."
Duke Xue was actually afraid of Su Qingqing.
After all, she is the general's queen, and is different from ordinary girls in the boudoir.
"We don't need to worry about Qingyue's affairs. But right now, the Hundred Flowers Festival is coming soon. You can ask your wife to go to the palace and ask the Queen for a favor to bring the wife of the chief escort of the escort agency in."
The Minister of Rites looked at Duke Xue in surprise, "Why did you let the wife of the chief escort come to the palace? Over the years, the escort agency has tried its best to avoid the government."
Duke Xue looked at the Minister of Rites with an unlucky look, his eyes full of disdain.
"I told you you're stupid but you still refuse to admit it. Let me ask you, if the queen is determined to let the little prince of Zhao return to Zhao, and the little prince of Zhao insists on taking the rags he bought with him in order not to go back, what will be the final result?"
The Minister of Rites said, "The result is that the team escorting the young prince back to the country will be very large."
When he said this, his eyes widened.
"You mean, you want the lady of the escort agency to meet the Queen and let her know that you have accepted this mission?"
Duke Xue said, "It is a rare opportunity for us to go to Zhao State and its capital openly."
"I understand. I will go back and tell my wife about this."
Duke Xue's face was slightly serious. "It's not just saying, but it must be done."
As soon as the Minister of Rites got home, he went to find his wife. When his wife heard this, she looked embarrassed and said, "The Queen and I have never had a private relationship. How can I bring this up?"
The Minister of Rites said, "During the Hundred Flowers Festival in previous years, didn't your women invite some wealthy merchants from Kyoto or the wives of some famous doctors and scholars to the palace, or bring them in?"
The wife of the Minister of Rites sighed.
“Those who were brought into the palace had also obtained letters or oral instructions from the Empress Dowager or Empress Dowager. As for those wives of famous families you mentioned, they also received formal letters.
The wife of the chief escort leader rarely interacts with anyone. Why should I go to the palace and tell the Queen about this for no reason? "
The Minister of Rites asked, "Doesn't she have a better friend who is a famous lady?"
The wife of the Minister of Rites shook her head. "In the early years, she and Qin Wanru had a good relationship. Later, for some reason, they had a falling out. Qin Wanru was the second prince's consort at the time. In everyone's eyes, she was very likely to become the queen. With Qin Wanru around, who would want to be friends with her? There was no time to hide from her."
That's true.
The Minister of Rites was a little bald and scratched his receding hairline. "There can't be no solution at all."
His wife was silent for a long time with a sad face, then suddenly she clapped her hands and a light flashed in her eyes.
"Isn't the Jixiang in front of the Queen poisoned? Didn't you say that Concubine Qi has spread the news that Concubine Qi can cure the poison, but the Queen doesn't agree to release Concubine Qi, and Jixiang is looking for an antidote everywhere?"
The Minister of Rites nodded, "That's what happened."
His wife asked, "The Weiyuan Escort Agency travels all over the country. Do you think they have an antidote?"
The Minister of Rites was stunned for a moment, then he slammed the table.
He knew very well whether Jixiang was really poisoned or not.
Of course, it was to rescue Concubine Qi. He deliberately let Imperial Physician Liu mess up the matter. Jixiang actually just had an ordinary skin disease and some herpes, but Imperial Physician Liu said she was poisoned, and she was poisoned.
Now all we need to do is give Jixiang some ointment that can treat this skin disease, which will be equivalent to detoxification.
Anyway, now the Queen would rather sacrifice Jixiang than let Concubine Qi come out, so don’t blame her for poaching!
"You go to the escort agency and find the wife of the head escort and inform her in advance. I will go to find Imperial Physician Liu. It is most reliable to let Imperial Physician Liu pass the antidote to Jixiang."
He did what he said and the Minister of Rites got up and left.
In the palace.
It's dusk.
Jixiang came back from outside with a dejected look on his face, and walked listlessly on the long palace road. His "poisoned" arm was raised weakly, looking particularly weak.
"Miss Jixiang."
Imperial Physician Liu suddenly came out from the palace corridor and called out to Jixiang.
Jixiang looked at him suspiciously. Perhaps because he had been running all the way here, Liu Yuyi was panting with a layer of sweat on his forehead. "Miss Jixiang, this poison should be able to be cured."
