Reborn as the Blissful Wife in the countryside Chapter 1722: Shu Rou

"Old Master Shen, Student Liu, Boss Xu, Third Master Sheng...all of you come and take a look!" Squad Leader Lou called over a dozen reputable people in the city to examine the government records.

After examining the records as if they were treasures, the dozen people shouted to the gathered citizens, "Vice Magistrate Qi is right. Since the beginning of Western Qin—no, since before Great Shang—the land inside and outside the Longshan Mountain Range has been ours. Don’t be fooled by the Rong bandits’ spies; they deliberately lie to cause trouble!"

After listening, the crowd finally realized their folly and cursed the malicious Rong bandit spies.

Magistrate Hao wiped off a cold sweat; that Rong bandit spy was indeed clever. First, he applied poisonous insects onto himself, making the citizens fear his spectacle. Then he spoke words of ghostly retribution, causing the superstitious and fearful population to believe him.

"Are you the Mrs. Qin who made the insect attractant?" Third Master Sheng saw the pustules on Gu Jinli’s face, frowned slightly, and asked, "Mrs. Qin said the Rong bandits’ anti-parasitic medicine can be developed? Is this true?"

Gu Jinli nodded, "As long as you study carefully, and gradually alter the amount in preparation, it can indeed be developed after a few months or a few years."

She raised the divine medicine in her hand and stated, "My husband sent a message that General Xu has already dispatched people to send this anti-parasitic medicine to the Capital so that the palace’s Imperial Physicians can research it. The Imperial Physicians are skilled in medicine, familiar with tens of thousands of herbs, and given time, they will surely learn the formula for the anti-parasitic medicine and produce it."

Third Master Sheng was delighted, "That’s wonderful; if the Imperial Physicians can make the anti-parasitic medicine, everyone can wear it in the future, and there’s no need to fear poisonous insects infecting us."

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Magistrate Hao had the Government Officials strike a copper gong and ordered, "A spy has appeared in the city; celebrations are halted; everyone return home and do not wander outside."

He further instructed, "Do not harbor suspicious people at home; if you see a suspicious person, you must report to the government office; violators will be executed."

"Return, everyone return. Don’t run; why run, do you want to get crushed to death? Turn back batch by batch!" The people from the Feng Family Escort Agency came out to maintain order and prevent the celebrating citizens from causing chaos.

But there were too many people, and although no one was trampled to death, the streets were chaotic, taking more than two quarters of an hour before the dense crowd showed signs of dispersing.

The spy’s corpse had already been carried into the government office.

But Magistrate Hao and the others had no time to attend to the corpse; instead, they asked Peng Wen, who hurried over from the West City Old Sheep Lane residence, "Is the spy’s accomplice a female slave? Are there fewer people in the house?"

Peng Wen nodded, "Only one is missing, named Shu Rou. She was originally a wealthy young madam but was captured into the Female Slave Camp by the Rong bandits."

He continued, "According to the rescued female slaves, she was pregnant when she entered the camp and, in shock, gave birth to a boy on the same day... However, the child was taken away; no one knows whether he is dead or has been sent to the Rongshan Gang to become a bandit."

"Regardless of whether he’s dead or not, that spy named Qing Lang must have used the child as bait to make Shu Rou act for him; otherwise, Shu Rou, who was horribly harmed by the Rong bandits, wouldn’t do such a thing for them!" Ms. Gao Lei spoke, feeling a mix of emotions, both sympathetic for these female slaves and angry that Shu Rou didn’t speak up and caused such a disaster.

"Talking about it is useless now. We need to figure out where Shu Rou fled to. If she entered the mountains, the mountains are so large, how do we search?!" Magistrate Hao was so anxious he was pulling his hair, "Everyone is smart; do you know why the Rong bandits withdrew? If the insect attractant is really stolen by them, the Rong soldiers who retreated halfway will surely come back to attack; at that time..."

Our soldiers simply can’t withstand it.

Ms. Gao Lei said solemnly, "We can only search separately now, both on the main roads and in the mountains."

"Everyone knows that, but the mountains are so vast, and with only one person, how do we search? It’s like finding a needle in a haystack." Magistrate Hao felt hopeless.

If they can’t catch her, not only will he not advance nor leave, but he might even be buried on the spot by the Emperor.

"Use messenger wolves." Gu Jinli said, "Didn’t we obtain some messenger wolves from the Rong bandits’ camp when we cleared the battlefield? I heard General Liang had people train them; they should be useful now."

"Yes, use them!" Magistrate Hao was very pleased and looked at Gu Jinli, no longer disliking her for being ugly and smelly but instead thinking of her as a blessing, sincerely saying, "Mrs. Qin, you’re excellent. Keep at it and quickly develop the Rong bandits’ anti-parasitic medicine."

He extended his hand again, "Do you have more anti-parasitic medicine? Give Uncle a few packs."

He unceremoniously extended a palm, asking for five packs at once, and even the word uncle came out.

Magistrate Hao was the Magistrate of Xing’an Prefecture, and Gu Jinli couldn’t refuse him, but she only gave him one pack, and Vice Magistrate Qi also received one.

Magistrate Hao and Vice Magistrate Qi were dissatisfied with the small amount, but Ms. Gao Lei said, "There’s not much of this anti-parasitic medicine left, and it needs to be kept for replication, so we can’t give you much."

Magistrate Hao and Vice Magistrate Qi could only stop complaining, split up, with Vice Magistrate Qi going to the residence to interrogate the female slaves, and Magistrate Hao going to find General Liang and have him use messenger wolves to search the mountains for people.

It was chaotic outside; Ms. Gao Lei took Gu Jinli and her companions and didn’t linger long. After Feng Jin brought horses to pull the carriage, they got on the carriage and left.

But Ms. Gao Lei noticed there was a carriage following them; it was Third Master Sheng.

Ms. Gao Lei frowned and asked Danian, who was driving, to stop, then shouted to the rear, "Third Master Sheng, what do you intend to do?"

We’re the carriage of womenfolk; aren’t you embarrassed to follow us, wanting to get beaten up?

Third Master Sheng got down from his carriage, made a bow from a distance, and smiled at Ms. Gao Lei, "Old Madam Gao, calm down. I mean no harm. I just want to ask Mrs. Qin for some medicine. My wife is pregnant, and although we have the insect attractant, the anti-parasitic medicine would be better, can you give me a pack? Thank you."

"Turns out it’s for this." Ms. Gao Lei turned back to Gu Jinli and said, "Give him a pack; this pregnancy is very important to their couple."

Third Master Sheng is almost thirty and still without children; this pregnancy is close to seven months now. Whether it’s a boy or girl, it must be preserved, and must not be harmed by poisonous insects.

Gu Jinli gave Third Master Sheng a pack of anti-parasitic medicine.

"Thank you, Mrs. Qin." Third Master Sheng happily accepted it and worriedly asked, "What herbs is this medicine made from? Will it affect pregnant women and babies?"

Gu Jinli replied, "It won’t affect them; the family members of pregnant soldiers are using it."

She added, "However, you requested the medicine yourself. Any consequences, your family bears responsibility; I will not be liable."

This statement made Third Master Sheng want to strangle her, but he still accepted the medicine. He bowed to Ms. Gao Lei and Gu Jinli and said, "Thank you, I will send a thank-you gift later."

"Let’s go back." Ms. Gao Lei lowered the carriage curtain and instructed Danian to drive on, not discussing Third Master Sheng’s family matters further.

Ji Zhenniang hid in the carriage, shivering, clutching Gu Jinli’s arm, "Gu Xiaoyu, if Shu Rou really gives the insect attractant to the Rong bandits, when their witch doctors make insect attractant and no longer fear poisonous insects, will they attack back?"

Gu Jinli nodded, "Yes. But it won’t happen quickly. To understand the insect attractant’s preparation amounts will take at least a year of pondering."

However, the Rong bandits’ Great Wizard is formidable and might decipher the insect attractant’s formula earlier.

So it’s better not to let the Rong bandits obtain the insect attractant. The more they lose, the fewer Rong soldiers there are, which would ensure their safety; otherwise, they would have to endure another war disaster.