Mu Fengqie leaned on Jing Xinche's shoulder, gazing at the sky as she spoke.
Jing Xinche took off his coat and draped it over Mu Fengqie to keep her from catching a cold.
Thankfully, they didn't have to wait long. Sounds came from not far away. Jing Xinche and Mu Fengqie exchanged a look and quietly made their way over.
Two groups of people were making a deal up ahead. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't have been anything out of the ordinary. After all, deals were a common occurrence. But Mu Fengqie felt that the goods from the Jiang family were a bit strange.
"Can you hear what they're saying?" Mu Fengqie was a bit far away, so she couldn't make out their words. But Jing Xinche could, and the more he listened, the tighter his brows furrowed.
After the two groups left, Jing Xinche led Mu Fengqie down from the tree. He stared at their departing backs with a deep, unfathomable look in his eyes, lost in thought.
"What's wrong?" Mu Fengqie looked at Jing Xinche curiously. He'd had this expression ever since the group left. Was there a problem?
"Qie'er, those people aren't from the Qin Dynasty," Jing Xinche said with a complicated look in his eyes.
"That's normal. When it comes to sourcing goods, sometimes there's trade with many countries," Mu Fengqie said nonchalantly.
"It's not just that. Those people are from..." Jing Xinche closed his eyes for a moment before continuing, "the small kingdom between the grasslands and the Qin Dynasty, the Kingdom of Karlshid."
"The Kingdom of Karlshid has always been at odds with our Qin Dynasty. I've never heard of any trade between us." Today's situation was very abnormal, and judging from their familiarity, it wasn't the first or second time they'd traded.
"Did you hear what they were trading?" Mu Fengqie asked.
Jing Xinche thought for a moment and said, "They seemed to be talking about a drug... it seemed to be called opium."
Mu Fengqie stood there, stunned. A drug? Opium? This was a prohibited item. Why would such a thing appear in this era? It didn't make sense.
Seeing that Mu Fengqie wasn't saying anything, Jing Xinche turned around and saw her frowning, looking puzzled.
"Qie'er, what's wrong?" Jing Xinche asked.
"Do you know what that thing is?" Mu Fengqie looked at Jing Xinche seriously.
"Didn't they say it was a medicine? What's wrong with that?" Jing Xinche looked at her in confusion.
"If used in the right dosage, that thing can indeed be used as a medicine. But if the dosage exceeds the limit, it becomes a prohibited item. And it's very addictive.
Once someone gets addicted, it's very difficult to quit. They'll be completely ruined, living a life worse than death. It could even destroy an entire country. Just think, if this thing were to flow into the army, what would you do?" Mu Fengqie said seriously.
Jing Xinche thought about that scenario. The entire army would be listless, muddled, and completely defeated. The enemy wouldn't even need to lift a finger to beat them.
"Qie'er, are you sure about this? This matter..." Jing Xinche didn't know what to say. He'd thought that tonight, Qie'er had simply brought him here to check out the goods. He hadn't expected it to involve such a big deal. Thankfully, they'd discovered it in time, or the consequences would have been unimaginable.
"I'm very sure. So, I need to determine the quantity of that batch of goods and where they've flowed to before I can be sure if they're really using it as a medicine." Mu Fengqie also hoped that it wasn't as she feared. Otherwise, once the supply of this thing was cut off and the addicts' withdrawal symptoms kicked in, it would become a huge problem.
Even in modern times, with all the advanced technology, no cure for addiction had been found. It would be even more impossible here. They'd have to go through the withdrawal process cold turkey. If they managed to get through it, they'd live; if not, they'd die.
"Okay, I'll send someone to investigate right away." Jing Xinche didn't dare to delay. He immediately took Mu Fengqie back to the mansion. As soon as they got back, Jing Xinche sent people to investigate the goods and also assigned some to keep an eye on the Jiang family. They were to report immediately if there was any sign of trouble.
"Qie'er, is there a cure for that thing?" Jing Xinche looked at Mu Fengqie hopefully.
Mu Fengqie looked at Jing Xinche and didn't say a word for a long time. Jing Xinche understood. There was no cure.
Jing Xinche punched the pillar in anger. Damn it! He'd never expected this. Those people were so despicable!
"Ache, don't be too worried. Maybe I'm just being overly anxious," Mu Fengqie comforted him. But she knew in her heart that they'd seen the quantity of that batch of goods last night. It couldn't be just for medicinal use. And the people from the Jiang family traded with them every three days.
Even the biggest pharmacy wouldn't use up medicine that quickly, would they?
The next day, Mu Fengqie received an invitation from Mrs. Shen to visit the Shen mansion.
"Godmother, you don't look well. What's wrong?" As soon as Mu Fengqie entered, she saw that Mrs. Shen's face was pale and she'd lost weight.
Mrs. Shen looked at Mu Fengqie's worried eyes and smiled. "There's nothing wrong. I'm fine."
Mu Fengqie felt Mrs. Shen's pulse and didn't find anything abnormal, so she was relieved.
"Come, Fengqie, try this. It's my favorite tea. Try it," Mrs. Shen poured a cup of tea and handed it to Mu Fengqie. "Our master doesn't like my tea. Lately, I don't know what's gotten into him. He's taken a fancy to drinking. He's always out drinking with those martial men."
Mrs. Shen's face darkened as she spoke. She was really angry. She didn't know what had come over him.
"Godmother, if godfather likes to drink, let him. But don't let him drink too much. It's bad for his health. Here, I have a recipe for medicinal wine. You can brew a jar for him when you have time," Mu Fengqie said.
"Alright. That's a good idea. Then I can keep an eye on him when he drinks at home," Mrs. Shen thought that Mu Fengqie was a lucky star for their family.
Not long after, Qi'er came back and pestered Mu Fengqie to play with him. Mu Fengqie and Mrs. Shen had no choice but to play with him for a while. Then Mu Fengqie took Qi'er to the study to teach him how to write.
Seeing Qi'er's reluctant face, Mu Fengqie laughed. "What? Do you want to be an illiterate fool when you grow up, Qi'er?" Mu Fengqie tempted him.
"I don't want to be!" With that, Qi'er picked up the brush and started writing seriously.
Sure enough, you had to use reverse psychology on kids. Which kid didn't have a competitive spirit?
When Mu Fengqie left the Shen mansion, she was carrying big and small bags again. She always came empty-handed and left with a full load. Mu Fengqie joked that she'd be too embarrassed to come again if this kept up.
Mrs. Shen gave her a gentle scolding. "You silly girl. Why are you still so stubborn?"