"Guotai people are pretty good!" Liu Qi hurriedly took the brocade box with a look of joy on his face, "I've heard for a long time that Wu Guotai's pineapple cakes are exquisite, and today I can finally taste them."
Xu Xiang was also a little envious and said with emotion: "Except for the heroes of Jiangdong, it is indeed difficult for other people to have such a good fortune. This time, regardless of his illness, the king cooked for the general, which shows that he loves his son-in-law very much."
Liu Qi opened the brocade box and saw four exquisitely made pineapple cakes with lotus flowers, the favorite of Jiangnan people, carved on them. A refreshing fragrance hit his nostrils.
He took out a piece and handed it to Xu Xiang: "Sir, you have traveled far and wide, and it has been a hard journey. I should share it with you."
"This is absolutely impossible!" Xu Xiang hurriedly waved his hands and said: "This is made by the Grand Master himself for the general. How dare I..."
Liu Qi couldn't help but put it into Xu Xiang's hand and said with a smile: "Since the Queen of the State has already given it to me, what's wrong with me borrowing flowers to offer Buddha to reward Mr.? This is a delicacy that everyone in Jiangdong envies. Mr. escorted him all the way without tasting a piece, which is called I feel uneasy!"
Xu Xiang didn't expect that Liu Qi would share the pineapple cake with him and refused to share it with him. He had already stuffed it into his hand and it was hard to refuse at this time. He was so moved that his nose felt sore and he stood up and bowed deeply:
"I have heard for a long time that the general respects the virtuous and loves people, and is open-minded and kind. Today, when I see him, he is truly worthy of his reputation. I am flattered."
Liu Qi helped him to the table and said with a smile: "Not to mention that Mr. Wu went to Jingzhou on behalf of the Marquis of Wu. He is a famous scholar in Jiangdong and a model of scholars. We should treat him with courtesy."
Xu Xiang was excited again and confused. When he finished the pineapple cake in his hand in a daze, he saw that Liu Qi had not yet spoken, so he couldn't help but froze: "General... why don't you eat?"
Liu Qi smiled and said: "There are exactly three yuan left. I will share it with the two ladies later. Sir, don't be surprised."
"With successful careers and harmony between husband and wife, it can be said that everything in the family is harmonious!"
Xu Xiang wiped his mouth, and his understanding of Liu Qi changed greatly. He thought that Liu Qi respected him so much and confided in him, and if he still kept it secretive, it would be unbecoming of a gentleman.
After much hesitation, he finally couldn't help but reveal the purpose of his trip. Sun Quan asked him to persuade Sun Shangxiang to go home to visit relatives, and he must take Liu Qi with him.
The mother-in-law is ill in bed, and the son-in-law should visit her at home. This is a matter of course, so why should she hide it from Liu Qi?
Liu Qi listened calmly, nodded and said: "Guotai is seriously ill, and I am very concerned about him. Since Mr. Guotai still has letters and gifts to give to Mrs. Sun, it is not too late to discuss with Mrs. Sun before making a decision."
Xu Xiangshen thought so. After the banquet, he was accompanied by Pang Hong to rest in the hotel. Later, he went to visit Sun Shangxiang and convey the old lady's entrustment.
Liu Qi took the brocade box and went straight to Huaping Medical College. Now there are more than 500 disciples here. Hua Tuo is a doctor of medicine and enjoys giving lectures every day.
There are more than a dozen medical rooms in the backyard, specially designed for preparing various secret recipes of medicinal materials. They are all run by Hua Tuo's personal disciples. There are also several secret rooms among which only a few people know.
Liu Qi entered a pharmacy, turned the switch to open the medicine cabinet, and then entered the secret room. There was a cave inside, and he saw Hua Tuo and his disciple Wu Pu checking a bottle of medicine.
Xun Yu and Yu Fan were sitting next to them. No one would have thought that these two highly prestigious figures in Cao Ying and Jiangdong were actually hiding in Xiangyang.
Xun Yu faked his death and was rescued by Liu Qi. Yu Fan traveled to Southeast Asia to solve the mystery of detoxification. It took two years before he returned to Jingzhou. When the two met, they were both surprised.
Sun Ce valued Yu Fan very much and regarded him as a confidant, making suggestions to pacify Jiangdong. Zhou Yu was far away in Baqiu when Sun Ce was killed. People in Soochow were unstable, and even members of the clan wanted to seize power. They relied on Yu Fan to stabilize the situation, but He can be regarded as the third most powerful person in Jiangdong besides Zhou Yu and Taishi Ci.
Not to mention Xun Yu's importance to Cao Cao, both of them were wise men who had experienced many things. Who would have never imagined that they would meet in this way, or even work together under Liu Qi?
After spending more than a month together, Xun Yu was shocked by Jiangdong's hidden conspiracy. Although Sun Ce's death was expected by Guo Jia, he never expected that the hidden plot would be so complicated.
Seeing Liu Qi coming in, the two stood up and saluted without disturbing Hua Tuo's master and apprentice. They were examining a poison that Yu Fan brought from the sea to see if it was similar to the poison that Zhou Yu had poisoned.
Liu Qi put the brocade box on the table and opened it gently. When Yu Fan saw the pineapple cake, his eyes widened and his hair and beard grew tangled. He couldn't help but shouted: "Old godly woman is here to harm people again?"
After hearing this, Hua Tuo turned around and saw Liu Qi arriving. He also came to greet him and said, "After half a month of testing, the thing Mr. Yu is looking for is very similar to the poison Zhou Gongjin was poisoned, at least 80%."
Yu Fan suppressed his anger and said anxiously: "Why only 80%? According to those fishermen and pirates, there will be no difference in the poison."
Hua Tuo frowned and said: "Zhou Lang has been poisoned for a long time, but he was fine before, and then Chai Sangcai became poisoned. The changes are really puzzling. Not only are several lives at stake at this time, General Sun's lifetime achievements, It’s more about the Sun family’s reputation and foundation, if there is even the slightest mistake, I will be a sinner through the ages!”
Liu Qi said: "Since it is 80%, it shows that the previous speculation is not wrong. There happens to be pineapple cakes just sent from Jiangdong. Mr. Youlao will test it again and may find something."
"The queen of the country actually wants to harm the general?" Hua Tuo was so angry that his white beard trembled. He grabbed the brocade box and said angrily: "I stayed up for three days and three nights to find out the reason."
"Thank you!" Liu Qi nodded slightly, took Xun Yu and Yu Fan to another secret room, and said: "Sun Quan was injured in front of the battle, and Wu Guotai was ill in bed. The mother and son tricked me into visiting Jiangdong, and they must be coveting me again. What do you two gentlemen think about Jingzhou?"
"Capricious, treacherous and shameless!" Yu Fan turned blue with anger, gritted his teeth and pounded the table, "The Sun family and his son are heroes, how could such unscrupulous people be born?"
Liu Qi also sighed helplessly. When Sun Quan first took charge of Jiangdong, even Cao Cao was impressed, and the older he got, the more he went back.
When Guan Yu besieged Fancheng, Cao Cao was so frightened that he wanted to move the capital. Instead of taking the opportunity to attack Hefei and capture Xuzhou, he stabbed Guan Yu in the back, causing both sides to lose. From then on, the two families were in ruins. It was a mysterious operation.
Now that he has encountered a setback in Huainan and is thinking about Jingzhou again, it is really hard to guess what King Wu of Wei was thinking.
Xun Yu thought for a moment and then slowly said: "The general expected it right! Sun Quan was ordered to pay homage to the general, which shows that he has negotiated peace with the Cao family and turned to Jingzhou. He must have thought that the defeat of Huainan was due to the unfavorable land battle. If you want to save face with a water battle, use the general as a hostage and enjoy his success!"
"Childish!" Yu Fan sneered coldly and laughed angrily, "Young blue-eyed man sees all the heroes in the world like fish and shrimps, how can you throw yourself into a trap?"
After all, Sun Quan is also a hero of the Three Kingdoms, how could he act so naively?
Do you really think that by controlling himself, he can get these territories?
With his current prestige and record, not only Guan and Zhang would be dissatisfied, but even Gan Ning would probably be dissatisfied as well!
"Sir, do you think we should go?" Liu Qi looked at Xun Yu, weighing in his mind.
To make progress step by step or to make big gains, that is the question.
