Chapter 32: Hongmen Banquet

Soon, a third officer rushed ahead of the others. “No, I’m more urgent! I’ll go first! Don’t fight me for the toilet!”

In the officer’s group, one after another, people started complaining of stomach pains.

Suddenly, five or six officers, who had just taken the medicine from Yang Yunzhao, were clutching their stomachs and rushing to the toilet, all of them struggling to get there first.

The remaining officers looked unwell as well, curling up in discomfort, clutching their chests, feeling nauseous, and on the verge of vomiting.

As for Wang Zifu, though he was suffering from the cold and his face was pale, he was otherwise unaffected.

The source of the problem became clear.

The exiled prisoners looked at the officers, who were barely hanging on after being tortured by the medicine, and they were deeply alarmed.

“Could it be that there’s something wrong with Yang Yunzhao’s medicine?”

“Didn’t she say she worked as a court lady in the palace?”

“Now that I think about it, if she really had any skills, why would she be exiled with us? She should have stayed in the palace!”

The group began to discuss the situation, gradually realizing what had happened.

Yang Yunzhao, who had been about to check Madam Yang’s pulse and prepare more medicine, panicked. She had indeed followed the prescription exactly. Had she gathered the wrong herbs, or was the dosage off?

Meanwhile, the Marquis immediately declined her offer to help. “Yunzhao, thank you for your kindness, but there’s no need to prescribe medicine for your aunt anymore. She’s already feeling better.”

Xin Cheng, normally a quiet person, spoke up in his blunt manner. “Cousin, I think my mother will recover faster without your medicine. You don’t need to interfere.”

Madam Yang was nearly better already, and if Yang Yunzhao had administered another strong dose, it was likely that she would have been set back in her recovery.

Wang Zifu quickly spilled the medicine in his hand and, seeing his younger brothers being tortured like this, he angrily questioned, “Miss Yang, is this prescription really from the Imperial Hospital?”

Yang Yunzhao’s voice trembled slightly as she defended herself. “I followed the prescription from the Imperial Hospital! It’s a common remedy for wind-cold that most of the imperial doctors prescribe for the nobles!”

She was also getting frustrated. “How can you all be like this? I worked hard to diagnose, treat, and prepare the medicine for you. Even if I didn’t deserve credit, at least I deserve some recognition for my effort!”

Jiang Lili, crouching at the side and watching the drama unfold, couldn’t help but laugh inwardly.

All that hard work had just left everyone in distress, and yet, here she was still trying to argue her case.

“You—” Wang Zifu, frustrated by Yang Yunzhao’s defensive arguments, suddenly felt his throat itching and began coughing violently at her.

The officers who had just vomited rushed to ask Yan Zhong, “Village Chief, is there a doctor in the village?”

Yan Zhong, stunned by the sight of so many people vomiting and having diarrhea, replied, “What… what should we do? The old village doctor just happened to go into the city today.”

In truth, there wasn’t a doctor, but seeing the serious symptoms, the old village doctor usually only treated minor ailments and might not be able to help. He also didn’t want to get involved in something that could make the situation worse, so it was best to avoid adding more trouble.

Yang Yunzhao, realizing she had caused a serious problem, frantically thought of a solution. Her gaze darted toward Jiang Lili. “Wait, didn’t Jiang Lili say she knows how to treat illnesses? Let her take a look!”

The group of people writhing in pain quickly turned their eyes to Jiang Lili.

Jiang Lili immediately shook her head. “I only said I know how to treat colds.”

“You’ve nearly killed someone with this! And now you want to dump the mess on me?”

“I’m not taking the blame for this.”

Sister-in-law Chen coldly snorted and spoke bluntly, “Who told you not to trust my sister-in-law from the beginning? Now that you’re suffering, you’re suddenly remembering her.”

On the seventh day of their exile, Madam Yang had been suffering from leg pain and tried to borrow a medicinal plaster from the Yang family, only to be brushed off.

Now, Yang Yunzhao wanted to latch onto the Xin family, trying to take credit for Jiang Lili’s work and ask for a favor. But after making such a mess, she came looking for help again?

“Yunzhao, aren’t you a court lady? Weren’t you looking down on my sister-in-law before?”

Sister-in-law Chen repeatedly referred to herself as the “sister-in-law,” showing her strong protective instincts.

Jiang Lili couldn’t help but feel pleased. This was exactly what she needed—someone to speak on her behalf.

Chen Fulan’s words were as sharp as a knife. “If you’re so capable, then the mess you made should be solved by you, not us!”

Yang Yunzhao’s face turned bright red. “The herbs on the mountain and the ones in the medical books are exactly the same!”

Meanwhile, Wang Zifu had approached Jiang Lili, pleading, “Miss Jiang, you really can’t treat this vomiting and diarrhea?”

Jiang Lili tightened the nosepiece of her KN95 mask, maintaining her distance as she shook her head and sighed. “I only learned a few small methods to treat common cold from the medical officers. My abilities are limited. With how severe your men’s symptoms are right now, I can’t be sure.”

Actually, she had secretly taken a photo of the herbs Yang Yunzhao had collected and sent it to their class monitor.

The class monitor, being as sharp as expected, instantly recognized the prescription Yang Yunzhao was trying to use. One of the herbs she had gathered was wrong.

The senna leaf in the herbs was supposed to be processed in a particular way according to the Imperial Hospital’s formula. Yang Yunzhao, however, hadn’t known this.

Moreover, there were some mildly toxic weeds mixed in.

This was enough to make the already weak officers suffer even more.

While they were talking, one of the officers, who had been suffering from diarrhea, collapsed from exhaustion and was carried back by concerned villagers.

Soon, things got even worse—some officers were vomiting, coughing, and almost choking themselves to death.

“Dabao’s fever has gone down, and he’s not sweating anymore!”

At that moment, Yin Zhen exclaimed in surprise. She had been busy watching the commotion around her, but when she checked on Dabao, she was amazed to see that his condition had improved. “His complexion is back to normal!”

The exiled prisoners, who had been watching from the side, immediately turned their attention toward her.

“Wow, it’s true! Dabao’s complexion has been poor for so long, and this is the first time he’s regained his vitality!”

“It seems that Jiang Lili is the reliable one. She only does what she’s capable of and doesn’t exaggerate her abilities.”

Upon hearing this, the officers, who were lying on the ground in agony, regretted their actions immensely. What could have been a simple treatment for cold, had they just gone to Jiang Lili from the start, might have been resolved by now!

“Miss Jiang, please, take a look at me!”

One officer, writhing in pain, crawled toward Jiang Lili and kowtowed, unable to bear the suffering any longer. It felt as if both his stomach and lungs were being pierced by knives.

“Yes, only after checking will we know if it can be treated!”

Jiang Lili hesitated, putting on an expression of fear and discomfort. These officers had been nothing but trouble for the Marquis’ household, often resorting to violence and insults.

“I’m afraid it might not work… If I can’t cure it, you’ll probably turn on me again,” she said, feigning reluctance.

“Please, we’ll do anything you say!”

“We’ll work like oxen or horses for you!”

One by one, the officers crawled over, pleading desperately.

Some officers had already started slapping themselves across the face in regret. “Miss Jiang, the things I’ve done in the past were worse than a pig or a dog. Please, forgive me!”

“Miss, please, have mercy on us!”

The scene provided a great deal of relief for everyone from the Marquis’ household.

Wang Zifu, burning with fever himself, was getting a headache from the entire spectacle. “Miss Jiang, please, take a look. Even if you can’t treat them, the cart will still be yours to use.”

Reluctantly, Jiang Lili agreed. “Fine.”

She then examined the herbs that Yang Yunzhao had collected, pointed out what was wrong, and advised the officers to drink plenty of hot water and rest for half a day. After the effects of the medicine wore off, she would prescribe another dose of cold medicine.

The officers, seeing that she was familiar with the names of the herbs and quickly identified the issues, became even more respectful and grateful. They followed her advice and were carried to a local villager’s house to rest.

The village head, meanwhile, began arranging accommodations for the exiles.

“This young lady, Miss Jiang, doesn’t have a place to stay yet, does she?”

At this moment, a kind-faced woman, dressed in more expensive fabrics than the villagers, approached with Village Chief Yan.

Village Chief Yan introduced her: “This is Madam Yuan, the wife of the wealthiest man in our village. She holds you all in high regard. You can stay at their home tonight. Their conditions are much better than ours.”

<< _ >>

**TN

Hongmen Banquet – Xiang Yu, a general of the Chu kingdom, hosted a banquet and invited Liu Bang. It was ostensibly a feast to celebrate their alliance, but it was actually a trap set by Xiang Yu to ass*ssinate Liu Bang, who was his rival.

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