"The Queen Mother is quite nice!" Liu Qi took the brocade box and was delighted. "I've heard that Queen Mother Wu's pineapple cake making skills are amazing. Today I finally get to taste it."
Xu Xiang was also somewhat envious, and said with emotion: "Except for Jiangdong's meritorious officials, it is indeed difficult for others to have such a good fortune. The Queen Mother cooked for the general despite her illness, which shows that she loves this son-in-law very much."
Liu Qi opened the brocade box and saw four exquisitely made pineapple cakes, carved with lotus flowers, the favorite of people in the south of the Yangtze River. A fresh fragrance wafted into the air.
He took out a piece and handed it to Xu Xiang: "Sir, you have traveled a long way and worked hard. I should share this with you."
"You absolutely cannot do that!" Xu Xiang waved his hands and said, "This was made by the Queen Mother herself for the general. How dare I..."
Liu Qi stuffed it into Xu Xiang's hand without further ado and said with a smile, "Since the Queen Mother has already given it to me, why shouldn't I offer it as a reward to you? This is a delicacy that everyone in Jiangdong envies. You have escorted me all the way here, but I can't bear the thought of not tasting a piece!"
Xu Xiang had not expected Liu Qi to share the pineapple cake with him. He wanted to refuse, but it had already been stuffed into his hand. He could not refuse it now. He was so moved that his nose was sore. He stood up and bowed deeply:
"I have long heard that the general respects the virtuous and loves the scholars, and is open-minded and kind. Today I see that his reputation is well-deserved, and I am flattered."
Liu Qi helped him to sit down at the table and said with a smile: "Even if you are here to represent the Marquis of Wu, you are a famous scholar in Jiangdong and a role model for scholars. We should treat you with courtesy."
Xu Xiang was excited again, and his mind was in a mess. When he finished eating the pineapple cake in his hand, he saw that Liu Qi hadn't started eating yet. He was stunned: "General, you... why don't you eat?"
Liu Qi smiled and said, "There are exactly three pieces left. I will share them with the two ladies later. Please don't blame me, sir."
"A successful career and harmonious marriage are the keys to success!"
Xu Xiang wiped his mouth and his perception of Liu Qi changed greatly. He thought that Liu Qi respected him so much and was so open with him. If he still concealed things, it would be ungentlemanly.
After hesitating for a long time, 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 her parents and to bring Liu Qi with her.
The mother-in-law is bedridden, and the son-in-law should visit her. This is a natural thing to do. Why must he hide it from Liu Qi
Liu Qi remained calm and nodded, saying, "The Queen Mother is seriously ill, and I am also very concerned about her. Since you still have a letter and a gift from the Queen Mother to give to Madam Sun, you can discuss it with Madam first, and then make a decision."
Xu Xiang agreed with this. After the banquet, accompanied by Pang Hong, he rested in the inn first. Later, he went to visit Sun Shangxiang and conveyed the old lady's instructions.
Liu Qi took the brocade box and went straight to Huaping Medical College. There were now more than 500 disciples here. Hua Tuo was appointed Doctor of Medicine and was enjoying giving lectures every day.
There are more than a dozen medical rooms in the backyard, which are specially set up for preparing various secret recipes of medicinal materials. They are all managed by Hua Tuo's disciples. There are also several secret rooms among them, which only a few people know about.
Liu Qi entered a pharmacy, turned the mechanism to open the medicine cabinet, and then entered a secret room. There was a different world inside. He saw Hua Tuo and his disciple Wu Pu checking a bottle of medicine.
Sitting next to him were Xun Yu and Yu Fan. No one could have imagined that these two people with extremely high prestige in Cao's camp and Jiangdong were actually hiding in Xiangyang.
Xun Yu faked his death and was rescued by Liu Qi. Yu Fan went to Southeast Asia to solve the mystery of the poison and returned to Jingzhou two years later. When the two met, they were both shocked.
Sun Ce valued Yu Fan very much and regarded him as his confidant, and he made suggestions for the pacification of Jiangdong. When Sun Ce was killed, Zhou Yu was far away in Baqiu. The people of Dongwu were unstable, and even people in the clan wanted to seize power. It was all thanks to Yu Fan that the situation was stabilized. He could be regarded as the third most important figure in Jiangdong after Zhou Yu and Taishi Ci.
Needless to say, Xun Yu was very important to Cao Cao. Both of them were wise men with extraordinary insights. No one would have thought that they would meet in this way, and even work together under Liu Qi
After more than a month of getting along, Xun Yu was shocked by the hidden conspiracy in Jiangdong. Although Sun Ce's death was expected by Guo Jia, who would have thought that the hidden story was so complicated.
Seeing Liu Qi coming in, the two men stood up and saluted, without making a sound to disturb Master Hua Tuo and his disciple, who were checking a poison that Yu Fan brought from the sea to see if it was similar to the poison that Zhou Yu was poisoned with.
Liu Qi placed the brocade box on the table and gently opened it. When Yu Fan saw the pineapple cake, his eyes widened and his hair and beard stood on end. He could not help but shout, "You old hag are here to hurt people again?"
Hua Tuo turned around when he heard this, and seeing Liu Qi coming, he also came to greet him, twirling his beard and saying, "After half a month of testing, the thing Mr. Yu found is very similar to the poison that Zhou Gongjin was poisoned with, at least 80% or more."
Yu Fan suppressed his anger and asked anxiously, "Why is it only 80%? According to what those fishermen and pirates said, this poison will not be any worse."
Hua Tuo frowned and said, "Dr. Zhou has been poisoned for a long time, but he was fine before. Later, the poison took effect in Chaisang. This change is really puzzling. This is not only related to several lives, but also General Sun's lifelong achievements and the reputation and foundation of the Sun family. If there is any mistake, I will be a sinner for all eternity!"
Liu Qi said, "Since it is 80%, it shows that my previous guess was correct. I have some pineapple cakes that were just sent from Jiangdong. I'd like to trouble you to test it again. Maybe you can get some results."
"The Queen Mother is even trying to harm the general?" Hua Tuo was so angry that his white beard trembled. He grabbed the brocade box and said angrily, "I will not sleep 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 the battle, and Wu Guotai is ill in bed. The mother and son tricked me into going to Jiangdong to visit them. They must be coveting Jingzhou again. What do you two gentlemen think?"
"He is fickle, treacherous and shameless!" Yu Fan was so angry that his face turned blue, and he pounded the table with gritted teeth. "The Sun father and son are heroes, how could such an unworthy person come out?"
Liu Qi also sighed helplessly. When Sun Quan first took control of Jiangdong, even Cao Cao was impressed by him. But he became more and more backward as he got older.
When Guan Yu besieged Fancheng, Cao Cao was so scared that he wanted to move the capital. Instead of taking the opportunity to attack Hefei and take Xuzhou, he stabbed Guan Yu in the back, resulting in a lose-lose situation. From then on, the two families never recovered. It was a truly mysterious operation.
Now that he has suffered a setback in Huainan and is thinking of coveting Jingzhou, it is really hard to guess what the King of Wei is thinking.
Xun Yu thought for a moment before he slowly spoke, "General, you are right! Sun Quan was appointed as a general by imperial decree, which shows that he has negotiated peace with Cao and turned to plotting for Jingzhou. He must think that the defeat in Huainan was due to the disadvantageous land battle, so he wants to save face by fighting on water, and take you as a hostage to reap the benefits!"
"Childish!" Yu Fan sneered, then laughed in anger, "Bi Yan'er thinks all heroes in the world are like fish and shrimps, why are you falling into their trap?"
Sun Quan is a hero of the Three Kingdoms after all, so how could he be so naive
Does he really think that by controlling himself, he can get the territories he has now
With his current prestige and achievements, not only Guan Yu and Zhang Fei would not be convinced, even Gan Ning would probably not be convinced!
"Sir, do you think I should go?" Liu Qi looked at Xun Yu, weighing the pros and cons in his mind.
Whether to proceed step by step or to take a big gamble, that is the question.