Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2828 Master Qingsong 46.0
"These beasts!"

Jin Miaomiao and Meilin simultaneously slammed their fists on the table. After hearing a loud "thud," they belatedly realized that Shen Jiu and Xia Jiu were still asleep, and their slam might wake them up. The two quickly turned around and glanced at their two younger brothers.

Seeing that they were still sleeping very soundly and feeling that their breathing was very steady, the two looked at each other and breathed a sigh of relief.

"There's no need to be so careful; they won't wake up anyway."

"Your Highness is so certain, what tricks have you played?" Jin Miaomiao stood up and carefully walked to Shen Jiu and Xia Jiu, gently placing her fingers on their wrists. "This is..."

"I did do something underhanded, but I was worried you wouldn't like it, so I didn't tell you beforehand."

"I didn't refuse."

"Haolin, Xiaocha, and even Xiaotian and Xiaojing all told me that they haven't slept for several days in a row, not even a short nap, but they're in exceptionally good spirits, full of energy every day, which worries them a lot." Song Yaojia looked at Jin Miaomiao, "Did you show them this before?"

“I’ve seen it, but my medicine isn’t very effective for them.” Jin Miaomiao covered her two younger brothers with a blanket, then slowly walked back and said, “I was thinking of trying some other methods for them, but I didn’t expect Your Highness to beat me to it.”

"It's nothing, I have medicine on hand anyway." Song Yaojia glanced at Shen Jiu and Xia Jiu, "What's going on between them?"

“They got a bit stressed at Eagle King’s camp a few days ago.” Shen Cha gave a helpless smile. “They kept nagging and nagging, never stopping. They’ve been like this since they were little. If you want them to have a proper rest, you have to let them vent all that pent-up energy. It used to only take a couple of days to get over, but I didn’t expect it to last this long this time.” She sighed softly.

"Yes, it's okay to go without sleep for just two or three days. That's how everyone got through it when you were fighting. But it's not good if it goes on for any longer, right?"

"That's why I asked Brother Yaojia for help," Shen Cha sighed and said, "But how come Brother Yaojia has medicine?"

“This medicine isn’t mine either; it belongs to my uncle. He specifically asked me to bring it with me before I left this time, saying it was just in case. I thought I probably wouldn’t need it, but I didn’t expect it to be used on the two of them.” Song Yaojia took out a small white porcelain bottle from her bosom, handed it to Jin Miaomiao, and smiled, “Open it and smell it to see if the scent is familiar.”

"Uncle Emperor?" Shen Cha raised an eyebrow and exchanged a glance with Shen Haolin. "Then I understand. A long time ago, some soldiers in the Eagle King Army also experienced a similar situation, and nothing seemed to work. Uncle Emperor specially invited Master Huilan to concoct a medicine, which is said to be very effective." She looked at Shen Jiu and Xia Jiu and said, "Indeed, it lives up to its reputation."

“It’s not exactly Master Huilan’s medicine, it should be Master Qingsong’s, his secret recipe.” Song Yaojia raised an eyebrow and looked at Jin Miaomiao. “How is it?” Jin Miaomiao picked up the small white porcelain bottle, uncorked it, and sniffed it.

“This must have been made by Master, a unique sleeping powder.” She nodded gently and smiled. “Although the name sounds ordinary, like a regular sleeping powder, it’s actually very complicated to prepare, with many steps involved. One wrong move and the powder is ruined. I was thinking that if they still wouldn’t sleep, I would start making this. But I didn’t expect Your Highness to have some, so I don’t need to bother.”

As she spoke, she returned the medicine powder to Song Yaojia. Only after seeing Song Yaojia carefully put it away did she feel relieved.

"Although this medicine is effective, it should still be used with caution." Seeing the looks in Shen Haolin and Shen Cha's eyes, she waved her hand. "It won't cause any harm, but if you use it too much, it's easy for it to be like my medicine, not working as quickly. So, unless it's their situation, it's best to rely on yourself if possible. Only use this medicine if it's really not working and the symptoms last for too long."

"understood."

Jin Miaomiao looked at Shen Jiu and Xia Jiu again to make sure they were both alright before continuing the previous topic.

"Your Highness, you just said that when She Nanqi led his troops into the bandit stronghold, he saw all the women in the stronghold tied up?" She frowned slightly. "I was so angry just now that I almost forgot something. She Nanqi confirmed the authenticity of the defense map several times before deciding to attack the bandit stronghold at night. So, how would the bandits know when he attacked? Or..."

"They knew their village couldn't be defended, so they were waiting for their prey to come to them." Song Yaojia looked at Jin Miaomiao, then at Meilin. "You're getting angry too soon; the real anger is yet to come!"

"Is there anything even more infuriating?"

"Those women have been tied up in the bandit camp courtyard for several days. They haven't been given food or water and have been exposed to the wind and sun. Those who couldn't bear it were released from their misery early. Only those with strong constitutions were able to hold out until She Nanqi's arrival."

"What the heck?" Jin Miaomiao couldn't believe what she was hearing. She jumped up. "Xiao Cha, you mean..."

“Hmm!” Shen Cha nodded, signaling her to calm down, and said, “According to the list found in the bandit camp and the prisoners’ confessions, there should have been forty women, twelve children, and seven elderly people, but She Nanqi ultimately rescued sixteen women, eight children, and the elderly…” She gently shook her head, “None of them survived.”

"Beast! He really is a beast!" Jin Miaomiao and Meilin couldn't take it anymore. They paced around the room in anger several times before finally calming down. They sat back down and asked, "And then what happened?"

"The bandit leader intended to use these women and children to threaten She Nanqi, but as you know, She Nanqi is notoriously ruthless and hates being threatened. So, he completely ignored it and ordered that no wounded or disabled soldiers be spared." Song Yaojia sighed softly, took a sip of tea, and continued, "The rebels didn't expect him to be so ruthless and panicked. Plus, She Nanqi's troops were elite, and these old, weak, and disabled soldiers were no match for him. So..." He spread his hands, "The bandit stronghold was quickly taken over by She Nanqi. While searching the stronghold for anyone hiding there," he paused, then said, "they found the women who weren't on the list in the backyard. They were already dead."