Chapter 237: New discovery
At this moment, Li Haitang stared straight at the sack in front of him, for fear that if he blinked, the things in front of him would disappear.
"What flower?"
The flowers inside are no longer fresh after being placed for a period of time, but the bright red color is still eye-catching.
"poppy."
Li Haitang is like a treasure. To others, this thing may be a devil. The unripe fruit of poppy can be used to extract opium, which is frightening. What she values more is its medicinal value.
The husk of poppy contains morphine, codeine and papaverine, which can be used as medicine after processing.
What pleased Li Haitang was its analgesic effect, which was far superior to the Mafeisan of this era, and was most suitable as an analgesic before and after surgery.
"Husband, if that's the case, can Ji Qiu be released?"
After being happy, Li Haitang gradually calmed down. The next step was to find Ji Qiu and ask Ming where Poppy was.
It stands to reason that Licheng's climate is not particularly suitable for planting such flowers and plants, and they may have been transported from other places.
And the use of poppies has to be kept secret. She is very afraid that it will cause opium to flood, and then she will become Daqi's sinner.
"It can be done privately, and the compensation to the suffering master is silver taels, but the winery may be difficult to maintain."
After all, it was a incident of human life, and it is impossible to calm down immediately, unless the prefect Xia is asked to come forward, it will have a bad influence, and it is not enough for the common people to complain.
At noon, a group of people left Ji's winery. After washing and resting, they waited for the final election of Empress Baihua in the evening.
Lu Yuanqing was chased by enthusiastic people for several streets. He heard that when he went out to watch the excitement, his head was like a rattle, and he was dying.
"Forget it, Miss Biao, don't make things difficult for your husband."
Aunt Lan entertained the group on behalf of the mistress, she covered her mouth with a handkerchief and smiled lightly, Tingting took small steps coquettishly, and got into the carriage first.
She is the aunt of the Xia family and the previous Baihua empress. She has a little understanding of the selection rules and explained them patiently to Zhang Ruyi.
The three women went out with their maids and mother-in-law, Xiao Lingchuan was not with him, he brought food and wine, and went to the jail to find Ji Qiu for a drink.
There was a crowd of people ahead, and the carriage couldn't get through at all. A few people could only get out of the carriage and walk over on two legs.
Men and women in Licheng, the streets and alleys are full of people, if you can't find a good place, you will be crowded to pieces.
"I reserved a table at Baixiangju, we can't squeeze with them."
As soon as Aunt Lan went out, her temper became a little bit off, as if she was not the magistrate's concubine, but a girl who liked to join in the fun.
Baixiangju is a restaurant in Licheng, and a high platform is built in the open space opposite, which is the scene of the final selection of Baihua empress.
"You guys have a cup of fruit tea first, this is the most famous passion fruit honey water in Baixiangju."
Aunt Lan was very thoughtful, and after the three of them were seated, she began to introduce the food of Baixiangju.
Passion fruit is produced in the south. When it is ripe, it is transported to Licheng, and only Baixiangju can drink it.
Li Haitang was thoughtful when he saw the little grains inside. This era is similar to many modern species, and some are called differently. It seems that she should really go to the south for a walk.
"Aunt Lan, what do you think is the chance that Jixiang will be elected Empress Baihua?"
Zhang Ruyi drank fruit tea, ate snacks, and looked at the window from time to time.
The downstairs was dark and overcrowded. Some babies were held in their arms, and some rode on their parents to watch the fun.
"No more than ten percent."
Seeing Zhang Ruyi's surprise, Aunt Lan smiled slightly. She picked up the teacup, took a sip of the fruit tea, and then explained slowly, "If the auspiciousness is not for the prefect's daughter, the top three will not be kept."
Although the selection of Empress Baihua is fair, that is relatively speaking, as long as the final result is fair, as for the middle, there are always some people who are let go and make up for it.
"Look, the woman in pink sitting on the far left, the one covered with a veil, auspiciously meeting her, the hope is slim."
Aunt Lan waited for the waiter to serve all the dishes, and then continued, "Her surname is Liu, her maiden name is Xian'er, and Baixiangju is her family's property."
This Miss Liu Xian'er is the daughter of a wealthy family in Licheng. She is sixteen this year, exactly twenty-eight years old.
"Although through the veil, you can't see it clearly from a distance, but it's still beautiful."
Some beauties are born beautiful, but the gap is too great to make people jealous. Zhang Ruyi can only envy her from the bottom of her heart.
If there is such beauty, the unmarried men in the whole city will not be able to step through the threshold of the Liu family.
"I ran for Empress Baihua last year. I was afraid of meeting her. This is the first time she has signed up."
Aunt Lan nodded, Miss Liu Xian'er is the number one beauty in Licheng, standing in front of her, I'm afraid she's just a vulgar fan.
She wins over Zhang Ruyi, and sometimes flatters Xia Jixiang, worrying that the Liu family wants to make connections, so she sends Liu Xian'er here as a concubine.
Just relying on herself to compete with Liu Xian'er, Aunt Lan foresees her own result, and she is bound to lose miserably.
"The number one beauty, how beautiful is she?"
Zhang Ruyi didn't hear what his cousin said, otherwise the two could discuss whether Liu Xian'er's color would lose to Beijing Simei.
"Anyway, it's beautiful, very beautiful."
Liu Xian'er lived in seclusion, and if she hadn't come to pray for blessings during the Hundred Flowers Festival one year, she would be shocked as a celestial being with her veil dropped, and her beauty would be unknown to everyone.
Mr. Liu didn't know the reason, but he kept his daughter in the deep boudoir, and his indifferent expression was really out of this world.
The three of them were not close to the high platform, so they took advantage of the angle of view. The crowd was noisy, and they couldn't hear what was said.
Li Haitang had an empty stomach and concentrated on enjoying the food. Before she knew it, she drank three pots of tea and wanted to go to the toilet.
"Haitang, let's go together."
Zhang Ruyi's face was flushed with suffocation. Ever since she met Chu Batian on the boat, she has been psychologically disturbed when going to the toilet, and she has been embarrassed to open her mouth.
The two sisters just pushed open the door, and just happened to meet the person who came out of the private room next door.
"Uncle...Aunt."
Zhang Ruyi's eyes widened, and the corners of her mouth curled up, revealing a stiff smile.
It's not that she's rude, ever since she had the impression that her aunt was indifferent to people.
"Yep."
Zhang Ruyi's aunt, Tang Shi, is also in her thirties, her face is cold, although she is already the mother of two children, the years have not left traces on her face.
She was wearing a dark blue dress, which was steady and dignified, but it made her look colder and colder.
Seeing Zhang Ruyi and Li Haitang, she just slightly raised her eyelids, glanced at them, and nodded.
"Haitang, I always feel that the way my aunt looks at you is a bit strange."
Zhang Ruyi is usually careless, but occasionally she is very careful. She tilted her head and thought about it. Maybe it's because her uncle is looking for a miracle doctor. If she has children, will it affect her aunt's interests? After all, his own son divides the family property alone, and it will be different if he has a concubine son and a concubine daughter.