Huangfu Ying was very curious about what Jiang Shangyun was weaving for her, so she often looked at his hands while climbing the mountain.
"Uncle Jiang, are you weaving wings now?" Huangfu Ying saw that what Jiang Shangyun was weaving looked very much like wings.
"Yes." Jiang Shangyun smiled and nodded. "Miss Ying, don't keep staring. When I'm done, you'll know what it is… Focus on the path. If you don't pay attention, you might fall. We're climbing a mountain now, and if you fall, you might tumble down the mountain, which would be terrible and could lead to serious injuries." He said with a kind expression, a hint of worry flickering across his face.
Upon hearing his words, the maid pulling Huangfu Ying along, and Xu Yuqing walking in front, both hurriedly and worriedly reminded her to watch her step and not to stare at Jiang Shangyun. Frightened by Jiang Shangyun's words and worried about not watching the path properly, and frequently looking at Jiang Shangyun, which could lead to her falling down the mountain, Huangfu Ying stopped looking at Jiang Shangyun and focused on climbing the mountain.
"Oh dear!" Xu Yuqing suddenly cried out and stumbled forward, nearly falling face-first. Fortunately, Jiang Shangyun, who was walking behind her, quickly reached out and caught her.
"Second Young Madam, be careful."
After Jiang Shangyun helped Xu Yuqing regain her balance, he saw everyone around them looking at Xu Yuqing. They naturally saw him holding Xu Yuqing, so he quickly withdrew his hand and then bowed.
"Please forgive me, Second Young Madam. I meant no offense. I saw you about to fall and instinctively reached out to touch you."
Xu Yuqing didn't mind him touching her, as he had held her before. However, seeing everyone staring at them, she felt the need to maintain appearances. So, she said with a solemn expression, "Since you did this to prevent me from falling, I will not blame you. However, you must not touch me in the future. There is a distinction between men and women, and besides, I am your mistress, and you are my servant."
"Yes," Jiang Shangyun quickly nodded.
Seeing this, Consort Dowager Zheng and the others said nothing and did not blame Jiang Shangyun for daring to touch Xu Yuqing, as he had acted with good intentions.
"Yuqing, what happened just now? Why did you suddenly cry out and almost fall?" Zhu Jiayi asked Xu Yuqing with gentle concern. She was always magnanimous and broad-minded. Due to Consort Dowager Zheng's earlier admonishment, she had completely let go of any past grievances with Xu Yuqing and no longer held any grudges or anger towards her. She was now genuinely concerned for Xu Yuqing.
"I was tripped by something. I don't know what devilish thing it was." Xu Yuqing's temper flared at the mention of it, and she angrily looked at the ground. Discovering that the thing that had tripped her was a black lump of some unknown substance, she immediately frowned in disgust and raised her foot to stomp on it in revenge, but was stopped by Huangfu Yue…
"Second Sister-in-law, don't touch it. This is a treasure!"
Upon hearing this, Xu Yuqing quickly stopped and exclaimed in surprise, "This is a treasure?! You can't be serious!" How could this black lump be a treasure? Was her sister-in-law blind?
"Oh my! This truly is a treasure! Yuqing, you are too lucky to have been tripped by a Wuling Shen." Zhu Jiayi, hearing her sister-in-law's words, quickly looked closely at the black lump at Xu Yuqing's feet, her eyes brightening with surprise.
"Wuling Shen?!" Xu Yuqing raised her left eyebrow slightly, a look of confusion on her face. "What is Wuling Shen?"
Hearing Xu Yuqing's question, Huangfu Yue glanced at Zhu Jiayi, thinking that since Zhu Jiayi knew about Wuling Shen, she should answer. She wanted to see how much Zhu Jiayi knew about Wuling Shen. Zhu Jiayi, not expecting her sister-in-law to be knowledgeable about medicine, thought it better for herself to answer and immediately replied, "Although Wuling Shen is unremarkable, looking like a black lump, it is a rare medicinal herb more valuable and expensive than Cordyceps sinensis or ginseng. My maternal grandfather was a court physician. According to him, Wuling Shen often has miraculous effects in treating strange and rare illnesses. If paired with the Jade Dew White Moon Pill, it can even bring the dead back to life, and is priceless. Wuling Shen is very difficult to find. When my father took us hiking, he always hoped to find Wuling Shen, but he never did. Yuqing, you are truly lucky to have stumbled upon Wuling Shen on your first mountain climb."
After listening to Zhu Jiayi's explanation, Xu Yuqing stared at the black lump in front of her with great astonishment and disbelief. She never expected this unremarkable, ugly black lump to be so precious and rare.
"Second Sister-in-law, what are you waiting for? If you encounter such a treasure, shouldn't you dig it up and take it with you?" Huangfu Yue said, her eyes fixed on Zhu Jiayi. She never expected her eldest sister-in-law's maternal grandfather to be a court physician. According to him, Wuling Shen often had miraculous effects in treating strange and rare illnesses, being a great killer of intractable diseases. However, she had never heard that a black lump, when paired with the Jade Dew White Moon Pill, could bring the dead back to life. She wondered what the Jade Dew White Moon Pill was. She had never heard of it before and would ask her sister-in-law about it later.
Seeing many people looking at her with envious eyes, as if saying how lucky she was, Xu Yuqing's mood improved greatly, and she also became happy, secretly chuckling at her good fortune in being tripped by such a treasure. Zhu Jiayi's father had tried to find Wuling Shen without success, yet she had found it on her first mountain climb. This luck… was truly heaven-sent. Heh heh… If she didn't dig up and take away such a treasure, wouldn't she be a fool? But how was she supposed to dig it? She had never dug anything before, let alone such a precious and rare treasure.
"How do I dig it?" Xu Yuqing looked at her sister-in-law for help.
Huangfu Yue was speechless, and others also felt speechless, thinking, "Really? Is there still someone who doesn't know how to dig?"
"How do you dig it? You just dig like this!" Huangfu Yue's voice held a hint of amusement and helplessness.
"Just dig like this?" Xu Yuqing frowned. She didn't know how!
"Second Young Madam, I'll find a tool for you to dig with, and I'll teach you how to dig," Jiang Shangyun said.
Xu Yuqing looked at him with a grateful expression. He was good to her, helping her, unlike Huangfu Yue. Xu Yuqing discontentedly glared at her sister-in-law, asking how to dig, and she just replied, "Just dig like this," which was infuriating. It was clear she didn't want to help and wanted to tease her. How hateful!
Jiang Shangyun glanced around and noticed a small tree about two meters away. He walked over, cut off a section of the trunk, quickly sharpened one end, and then returned to give it to Xu Yuqing, telling her to use it to pry the soil and expose the black Wuling Shen. Jiang Shangyun, fearing she wouldn't know how to pry, demonstrated how to do it with his knife.
Watching Jiang Shangyun teach her, a flash of inspiration struck Xu Yuqing, and she said, "You dig it for me." Why was she so foolish, not thinking sooner that she could have others dig it? She didn't have to dig it herself. With so many servants at her disposal, not using them would be foolish.
Before Jiang Shangyun could answer, Huangfu Yue spoke, "Let Guard Jiang dig it. Once it's dug out, it will belong to Guard Jiang. Anything found on this mountain belongs to whoever finds and obtains it, regardless of master or servant. A master cannot take what a servant finds." It was a rare opportunity for Xu Yuqing to do some work and train herself, so how could she ask Jiang Shangyun to dig for her? When she had asked Xu Yuqing to dig for Wuling Shen earlier, it was to give Xu Yuqing a chance to learn to do things herself and train her. Thinking of this, Huangfu Yue's eyes flashed, and she came up with an idea.
"I suddenly thought that since it's rare for everyone to come up the mountain, and there are so many good things here, let's have a competition. We'll climb the mountain and try to find food and medicinal herbs. Whoever finds the most and the best items at the summit will receive rewards. The top ten will receive rewards. The first place will win one thousand taels of silver, the second place nine hundred taels, the third place eight hundred taels, the fourth place seven hundred taels, the fifth place six hundred taels, the sixth place five hundred taels, the seventh place four hundred taels, the eighth place three hundred taels, the ninth place two hundred taels, and the tenth place one hundred taels. This applies to everyone, regardless of master or servant, or age… That is to say, no matter your status, whether you are a master, a servant, or a child, as long as you rank in the top three, you will receive a lot of money. When judging the rankings, value will be prioritized over quantity. Huangfu Yue announced loudly.
Upon hearing this, everyone was extremely surprised and immediately became agitated, including Zhu Jiayi and her sisters-in-law, and several children. No one disliked money, including children. Except for Consort Dowager Zheng. Consort Dowager Zheng looked at her granddaughter with eyes full of admiration and a smile. She liked this granddaughter more and more! This granddaughter was truly thoughtful! When she heard her granddaughter mention a competition and rewards, regardless of status or age, she knew that her granddaughter had organized this competition and rewards specifically for her granddaughters-in-law and great-grandchildren, hoping they would actively participate, gain experience, grow, and be trained through participation. This was truly a good idea.
The clever Jiang Shangyun also understood Huangfu Yue's intentions and decided to go with the flow, encouraging Xu Yuqing to join. Xu Yuqing was the laziest among everyone. She had been unwilling to move before, so she hadn't looked for wild fruits or mountain delicacies like mushrooms. Xu Yuqing needed training the most.
"Second Young Madam, you should join too. You are so lucky to have stumbled upon a treasure like Wuling Shen. If you search diligently, you might find more Wuling Shen, or even more precious treasures, and win first place, receiving one thousand taels of silver. One thousand taels of silver is a lot of money; it could even buy a house," Jiang Shangyun enticed.
Xu Yuqing felt that what he said made sense. She was so lucky, and if she searched diligently, she might find more Wuling Shen, or even more precious treasures, and win first place, receiving one thousand taels of silver. One thousand taels was a lot of money, and it would be foolish to pass up such an opportunity. Xu Yuqing nodded, "Okay, I'll participate too."
Seeing her decision, Zhu Jiayi and Zhong Liangshu also said, "I'll try participating too." Zhu Jiayi and Zhong Liangshu didn't expect to win first place. Unlike Xu Yuqing, they knew the meaning of "overestimating oneself" and understood the importance of knowing one's own capabilities, not being easily swayed by flattering words. However, they were thinking that there were rewards for the top ten. Even if they couldn't get the top few places, they might have a chance at the later places like eighth, ninth, or tenth. This was because value was prioritized over quantity in judging rankings. If someone like Xu Yuqing could find precious medicinal herbs, they could achieve a good ranking. Finding good medicinal herbs wasn't difficult if one was lucky.
The few little ones thought the same as Zhu Jiayi and Zhong Liangshu. They thought that if they could coincidentally find precious medicinal herbs like Xu Yuqing, they could enter the top ten and get rewards. Therefore, the little ones collectively called out to Huangfu Yue, "Little Aunt, I want to participate too."
"Good, everyone participate," Huangfu Yue smiled and nodded, then looked at Consort Dowager Zheng, "Grandmother, you participate too, just for fun."
"Okay," Consort Dowager Zheng nodded. "I was also thinking of participating for fun. It sounds quite interesting."
"Second Sister-in-law, quickly dig out the Wuling Shen in front of you. After you dig it out, we'll start the competition," Huangfu Yue urged Xu Yuqing.
Xu Yuqing quickly nodded, "After this Wuling Shen is dug out, does it count as part of the items found in the competition?"
Seeing Huangfu Yue nod, Xu Yuqing's mouth stretched into a smile that almost reached her ears. Great, if it counted, she would have a head start and a high probability of winning first place. Zhu Jiayi's father had always wanted to find Wuling Shen but had never succeeded, which showed how rare and difficult it was to find. The people around them were unlikely to find it.
The more Xu Yuqing thought about it, the happier she became. She quickly crouched down and started digging frantically at the Wuling Shen, her movements somewhat rough. Huangfu Yue frowned slightly.
"Second Sister-in-law, be careful, don't damage the Wuling Shen."
Upon hearing this, Xu Yuqing quickly slowed down and became more careful. Jiang Shangyun also didn't stand idly by, offering advice to Xu Yuqing on how to dig it out quickly and efficiently, helping her with his words. With Jiang Shangyun's help, after nearly ten minutes of digging, Xu Yuqing finally dug out the Wuling Shen, allowing everyone to see its full appearance. The Wuling Shen was oval-shaped, about five centimeters long, and about seven centimeters in diameter. Each was black, slightly shiny, and densely covered with irregular fine wrinkles. One end had a circular indentation, appearing "navel-like," while the other end had a prominent scar from the stem. The top was cracked, resembling a bird's beak. It looked very firm and should not be easily broken.
Thinking of the value of Wuling Shen, Xu Yuqing no longer found it ugly or dirty. She brought it to her nose and sniffed, wanting to see if it had any fragrance. She thought that such a precious medicinal treasure should have a fragrance like ginseng, but she was disappointed.
"It's not fragrant," Xu Yuqing frowned slightly. Not only was this Wuling Shen not fragrant, but it also had a peculiar, indescribable smell. Seeing her expression, a flicker of a smile crossed Huangfu Yue's eyes. Was this woman foolish? Wuling Shen had just been dug out of the ground, covered in soil; it would be strange if it smelled good. However, Wuling Shen itself was indeed not fragrant, but it was sweet in taste, meaning it was sweet, albeit faintly so. Huangfu Yue then examined the Wuling Shen in Xu Yuqing's hand. Because it was covered in soil, its quality could not be determined. She recalled descriptions of Wuling Shen in books: fine skin texture, firm body, sinking in water, white interior, commonly known as "fine flower goods," are considered superior and top-grade.