Wild mushrooms had been harvested aplenty, but the group had been apprehensively awaiting another bloody trial.
Unexpectedly, until they embarked on their journey back to the palace, not a single person had sprung forth!
This led to so disappointnt for Little Yanyan.
"You child, are you actually hoping for trouble?!"
Su Pan’er tapped Little Yanyan’s forehead, sowhat exasperated: "Do you think this is children playing house? Stop making a fuss!"
"It’s not like that."
Little Yanyan touched her forehead with a wronged expression: "I just hoped we could catch the bad guys sooner so that my royal brother and sister would be safe."
Although she didn’t understand much, she instinctively felt that there had been too many "coincidences" lately, so many that they seed eerie...
Qin Yi turned back to look at Little Yanyan but said nothing, just silently brought Little Sugar Bean into his arms.
Because they had collected a good amount of wild mushrooms on the hill today, after returning to the palace, Su Pan’er ticulously sorted them, disposing of the poisonous, worm-infested, and spoiled mushrooms before handing them over to the Imperial Chef of the Imperial Kitchen.
"Rember to cook these wild mushrooms separately, and it’s best to cook only one type at a ti."
Su Pan’er slowly instructed Little Yanyan: "Because these fungi generally contain so mild toxins, just not enough to reach human limits. Cooking separately can prevent different varieties of mushrooms from combining into a poisonous kind. You see, many mushrooms outside are cultivated, and after generations of people planting them, their innate toxicity has gradually diminished. That’s how they beca widely consud by the public."
"Empress Mother, with so many mushrooms, why don’t people cultivate them? If they were cultivated more, they could be sold directly without waiting for specific tis to harvest!"
Little Yanyan’s face showed her curiosity.
"Because of environntal constraints. Also, so fungi can only grow in naturally suitable locations. It’s similar to a person. You see, for instance..."
Su Pan’er talked on and on, and before they knew it, it was Mid-Autumn night.
The mooncakes had been made in advance, and now a large mooncake was brought out to be cut into small pieces, which were then speared with toothpicks to be given to the children to eat.
"Qin Family’s Mansion and Su Family’s Mansion have sent mooncakes, haven’t they?"
Qin Yi looked at the mooncake and then at the family gathered around in a circle, his heart filled with indescribable joy.
The table was laid with many delicate foods. There were pumpkin pies made from pumpkins grown in the palace and mushrooms they had picked today, alongside a variety of delicious dishes, which surrounded the big mooncake in the center, filling the table.
"Special ssengers were sent, no one has been left out. The number of mooncakes from both families was sent according to the number of people."
Su Pan’er responded offhandedly, her face still showing so loneliness: "Everyone should be happily celebrating, yet there’s still no word from Ke’er, and it’s making my heart anxious, always feeling as if sothing is about to happen."
"It has been so days since we’ve heard from Ke’er. But don’t worry too much; you know how complex and variable Deicide Mountain’s terrain is. She might just be trapped and unable to leave the mountains. Perhaps we’ll hear news tomorrow. Co, have a piece of mooncake and so of our hogrown sweet grapes to celebrate the occasion."
Qin Yi comforted her, feeding grapes that he had peeled into Su Pan’er’s mouth and then handing her a piece of mooncake skewered on a bamboo pick.
"Hopefully so."
Su Pan’er swallowed the grapes, took the mooncake, but she broke off a tiny piece and fed it into the mouth of Little Sugar Bean who was fussing to eat.
"Stop fussing now; these mooncakes are sweet treats, and eating too many can cause indigestion and a tummy ache, understand?"
Little Sugar Bean fussed about wanting to eat, blatantly playing stubborn.
Helpless, Su Pan’er hardened her heart and refused, directly giving her grapes to eat, yet Little Sugar Bean spat them back out again.
"No, no! I just want to eat mooncakes, mooncakes..."
Little Sugar Bean desperately waved her hands, stretching her short arms to try to grab the plate.
"Are you being naughty?"
Su Pan’er beca angry and couldn’t help but slap her hand. Unexpectedly, she stirred up a hornet’s nest, and it exploded imdiately. The child’s cries, like magic sounds through the brain, kept entering her ears.
Just as the two of them were dealing with the headache there, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly ca from outside.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty! Empress, sothing terrible has happened!"
The two of them looked together, only to see a little courtier running in, panic-stricken, and falling to the ground with a thud: "Your Majesty, Empress, sothing terrible has happened! The Prefect of Yongzhou has sent a ssage, the Su family’s military governor entered Deicide Mountain a month ago, and to this day, his whereabouts are unknown. Please issue Your Majesty’s command."
"What?"
Su Pan’er and Qin Yi were shocked!
They stood up together, then turned to look at each other again. Qin Yi quickly stepped forward: "The letter? Where is the letter, bring it here for to see!"
The little courtier hurriedly lifted the letter over his head, presenting it to His Majesty.
Su Pan’er’s fears were confird, and her face changed color.
Qin Yi, however, strode forward like a shooting star, personally taking the letter sent from Yongzhou. After receiving it, he eagerly unfolded it and read the content at a glance, only then slowly lowering his hand.
"Take a look yourself."
As soon as Su Pan’er saw it, the letter indeed detailed the events that happened after Su Ke arrived at Luoyan Village very thoroughly.
The letter clearly reported how Su Ke insisted on venturing into the deep mountains, encountering all sorts of bizarre incidents. Ultimately, Su Ke insisted on entering Deicide Mountain, and out of necessity, he led a group of people into Deicide Mountain.
What occurred within the mountain range was unclear to everyone; they had assud that those who entered the mountain were rely delayed, thinking there wasn’t a difference between coming out a day late or a month late. However, one month later, a retainer who had entered the mountain with Su Ke finally returned.
But, this retainer had suffered a severe head injury and, upon waking, had forgotten many things, thus making it unclear what exactly happened to Su Ke in the mountains.
"The Prefect of Yongzhou stated in the letter that restoring the man’s mory wouldn’t be easy. Yet to understand what initially happened, it’s imperative that this person’s mory is restored. This is the most urgent matter."
"It seems that the individual has contracted amnesia."
"Hmm, it’s likely due to a severe blow to the head. However, I find sothing odd."
After pondering for a mont, Su Pan’er said, "The complexity of Deicide Mountain’s terrain doesn’t need to tell you. With such complex topography, the individual suffered serious injuries and even lost his mory, yet he still managed to survive. We have to admit, this luck... it’s simply defying the heavens!"
Qin Yi considered carefully.
"But in our Imperial Physicians, who is skilled at treating head ergencies?"
"Probably Eleventh Uncle when it cos to head ergencies."
Su Pan’er, when she was pregnant with twins, compared several people she was in contact with, and she could clearly feel that Eleventh Uncle’s dical skills were much more profound in the area of head diseases.
Reviews
All reviews (0)