No matter if you are a human or an immortal, you can still farm for me after traveling through time!

As the sun sets in the west, the shops on the street are packing up their goods and are about to end their business for the day. The vendors who have set up their stalls have also finished packing up. The streets are soon empty. Pedestrians on the road are walking in a hurry, carrying loads on their shoulders and driving donkeys.

Logically speaking, the palace examination should have ended by now. I wonder if the candidates could leave the palace directly after handing in their papers without having to go through any other procedures.

Ji Qingyue had already prepared dinner and was waiting for Li Sanlang to come back.

They are having hot pot tonight!!

A small copper pot was placed on a medicine stove, and it was filled with milky white mutton soup. The soup base was bought by Ji Qingyue from the mutton soup restaurant he often ate at. After buying the soup base, he went to the butcher to cut a piece of pork and mutton. He paid ten copper coins to ask the butcher with good knife skills to help him slice the meat into thin slices. He could go back and put the meat into the pot directly or marinate it before putting it into the pot.

In addition to the raw meat sold in the butcher shop, Ji Qingyue also went to a famous restaurant in the area to ask the waiter to buy a five-raw meat platter: chicken, duck, fish, deer, and beef. The main reason was that the last two kinds of meat were hard to buy. Not only were they expensive, but they also depended on luck. The reason why he was able to buy them today was that Ji Qingyue asked the waiter to order them in advance.

On the way back, Ji Qingyue came across a pastry shop and went in to take a look.

The shopkeeper, who was packing up the goods to close the shop, greeted them warmly and let Ji Qingyue try the food while introducing it to the customers.

After hearing the shopkeeper say that crystal cake and jade dew cake were the more popular snacks in the store, Ji Qingyue took a bite of each, and they were glutinous rice date cake and milk puff pastry.

The taste was indeed good, so I asked the shopkeeper to weigh some.

Afterwards, Ji Qingyue returned to the shop happily with raw meat and desserts, and then entered the painting to prepare vegetables for the hot pot.

As an invisible vegetable tycoon, you can have as many vegetables as you want at home.

Everything is ready, just waiting for Li Sanlang to return.

Not long after, a donkey cart slowly came from the distance on the street. It was shrouded in golden sunlight, and the shadows on the ground were very long.

Ji Qingyue was sitting behind the window. The moment the donkey cart appeared, he immediately leaned out, facing the sunlight, waving happily and shouting, "Sanlang! We're having hotpot tonight!"

The man on the donkey cart raised his hand in response. Even though his face was hidden in the backlight and his emotions couldn't be seen, Ji Qingyue could still guess that Li Sanlang must be very happy.

After a while, Li Sanlang walked upstairs with a smile on his face. He saw the table in the room full of dishes. The most eye-catching thing was the copper pot in the middle. The mutton soup inside was bubbling and almost boiling. The fragrance filled the whole room and wafted outside without hesitation.

He immediately put down his bag and went into the inner room to wash up.

Ji Qingyue prepared the dipping sauce for the hot pot for herself and started eating as soon as Li Sanlang sat down.

"Brother Ji, sorry to have kept you waiting!"

Ji Qingyue waved his hand and called Li Sanlang to come over for dinner.

"The seasoning is there, go and mix it yourself." As soon as Li Sanlang sat down, Ji Qingyue couldn't wait to scoop out two bowls of mutton soup from the pot, and then pointed to a long table next to the dining table.

There were more than a dozen small ceramic bowls on the long table, filled with different seasonings: salt, sugar, sesame oil, chopped dogwood, minced garlic, celery, minced ginger, black bean sauce, vinegar, minced Sichuan peppercorns, minced pepper, coriander, dill, and chopped green onions.

When they were still in Shandan, they had eaten hot pot with Ji Qingyue for more than a dozen times, so they naturally knew how to prepare the dipping sauce.

When Li Sanlang stood up to prepare the dipping sauce, the beef changed color after being churned in the boiling mutton soup for a few seconds. Ji Qingyue was worried that the beef would be overcooked and become tough and old, so he immediately reached out with chopsticks to scoop up all the beef in the pot and put it into two empty bowls.

The thin beef slices are spread and rolled in the dipping sauce dish and instantly covered with the dipping sauce.

The degree of rawness and doneness is just right, soft and tender with good taste.

Then, Ji Qingyue put some ingredients that can be cooked for a long time into the pot: lotus root, bamboo shoots, taro, radish, wild rice stem, and yam.

Faced with the whole table of delicious food, Li Sanlang, who had been exhausted mentally for a day, could no longer hold back and started to eat with relish, picking up the dipping sauce dish.

The two of them were immersed in the food for a while, completely forgetting that Li Sanlang had just experienced a major event in his life today.

As it turned out, Li Sanlang only looked thinner, but his appetite was comparable to that of his brother Li Erlang.

Only after all the dishes on the table were finished and the mutton soup in the pot was almost boiled dry did Li Sanlang put down his bowl contentedly and let out a long sigh of relief with a satisfied look on his face.

Ji Qingyue's appetite was not as good as Li Sanlang's, so he withdrew from the battlefield early, and then just watched Li Sanlang wipe out the entire battlefield by himself.

"Brother Ji, I just noticed that more than half of the White Snow Tower downstairs is missing. Did someone buy it?" Li Sanlang leaned back in his chair and sat quietly, wanting to take a moment to clean up the table.

Ji Qingyue didn't want to hide it, so he told everyone that Lu Lu recognized him when she came to buy flowers in the afternoon.

Li Sanlang frowned after hearing this. He didn't say anything about Ji Qingyue's risky move, but was very surprised by Lu Lu's confirmation: "The fire in Shandan is actually related to Tuyuhun?"

"Well, actually, based on the hidden information revealed in the scroll, your second brother had long been suspicious of Tuyuhun. However, due to a lack of means, he was unable to find out more about them."

Tuyuhun... ?

Compared with the Uighurs in the north, the Tuyuhun in the south has only slowly come into people's attention again in recent years. Perhaps because they have lived in peace for too long, many people have almost forgotten that there is a powerful Tuyuhun in the southwest of Dali.

Ever since Li Erlang told him that the killer had a close connection with Tuyuhun, Ji Qingyue began to take Tuyuhun into consideration.

Judging from the map, today's Tuyuhun covers most of the Qinghai region and several southwestern provinces, and is a real plateau country.

Plateau, salt lake, bamboo...

The range was suddenly reduced by half.

"By the way, the letter from Jiro arrived today."

Ji Qingyue had already opened and read it a long time ago, and it was now placed on the desk.

To avoid arousing suspicion, Ji Qingyue did not send the letter to the barracks, but to an address given to him by Li Erlang.

Although the two are in different places, their communication with each other has not decreased at all.

Hearing this, Li Sanlang stood up and walked into the study, picked up the letter and scanned it carefully.

Correspondence has a large delay. Often a letter is sent at the beginning of the month, arrives in the middle of the month, and a reply is received at the end of the month.

The second brother in the letter was still encouraging him, comforting him not to be nervous or worried during the exam, and that everyone in the family hoped that he would return safely.

"Second brother told us in Chang'an to keep an eye out for news related to Tuyuhun. So far, all we've heard is..." Li Sanlang pondered seriously, "Last winter, Tuyuhun, disregarding the relationship between our two countries, suddenly sent troops to disrupt the border, looting villages and caravans. Later, the government sent people to Tuyuhun to demand an explanation, only to learn that the Tuyuhun king had died suddenly. Because of the suddenness of the incident, the Tuyuhun king had no time to announce the successor to the throne. As a result, several factions rose up simultaneously, fighting each other for the throne, triggering widespread unrest."

"After receiving the messenger's message, the emperor immediately ordered the Longxi and Jiannan provinces to unite and send troops to Tuyuhun to assist the Tuyuhun queen in quelling the civil unrest."

The news of this war spread like wildfire in the months before and after the Chinese New Year. Finally, around January after the Chinese New Year, the Dali army put down the Tuyuhun rebellion and supported the Tuyuhun king's youngest son to succeed to the throne.

Ji Qingyue nodded, but he had a question in his mind: "Why didn't another son succeed to the throne? Are all the other sons of the Tuyuhun King dead?"

Li Sanlang pondered for a moment and shook his head. "I don't know the specifics, but what I can confirm is that the Tuyuhun King did have more than one son. Besides the one who has inherited the throne now, there should be three more princes..."

"Erlang's letter states that there are over ten factions causing the Tuyuhun civil strife. Besides the current legitimate ruler, there are also the new Tuyuhun king's brothers, cousins, uncles, and even powerful subordinates vying for the throne."

The two thought about it for a long time, but still couldn't figure out why the emperor would support the youngest son of the Tuyuhun king to inherit the throne.

I can’t figure it out, so I just stop thinking about it.

"How was the exam today?" Ji Qingyue finally thought of asking about the palace examination and looked at Li Sanlang excitedly: "Did you see...that person?"

Li Sanlang nodded proudly and handed the envelope back to Ji Qingyue, asking him to take it into the painting.

"Yes, I also met Lord Lu and Lord Luo."

This aroused Ji Qingyue's curiosity, and he asked Li Sanlang, wanting to eat the whole melon: "Is Lord Lu a handsome man as people say?"

Li Sanlang couldn't help laughing. "Yes, Lord Lu is not only handsome, but also has great literary talent. I heard that the questions for the palace examination were jointly drafted by Lord Lu and the emperor."

"Oh? What are the topics?"

Speaking of this, Li Sanlang's mind was filled with pain. He got a headache when he thought of those test questions.

"In addition to poetry and couplets, there are three policy essays. The first asks about clean governance, the second about commerce, and the third about land."

Corruption, business development, and land system.

Well, these are pretty standard questions.

"During the exam, the emperor came down to personally inspect my work. I was so nervous I nearly spilled my ink." Li Sanlang chuckled self-deprecatingly, then shook his head. "Poetry and couplets aren't my strong suits. Those talented candidates wrote their answers in a flash, and even the emperor couldn't help but praise them on the spot. But mine was simply unbearable to look at..."

"Brother Ji, my ranking will probably be lower..."

Ji Qingyue didn't think it was a big deal: "It's okay to be at the back. Even if you are the last one, you are still our new Jinshi! The fact that you can stand out from more than 6,000 people is already amazing! Even if you can't be appointed as an official right away, it's okay! How old are you?!"

Li Sanlang lowered his head shyly: "Brother Ji, I'm eighteen years old..."

If it were an ordinary country man, he would have two children already. However, he and his second brother, despite their mother's opposition, were determined not to get married before the matter was settled.

No, Second Brother already has Brother Ji.

"Don't interrupt! Eighteen is just the beginning of adulthood in our country, okay? You can become an official at eighteen! This is simply amazing!!"

Under Ji Qingyue's mindless praise, Li Sanlang regained his confidence and believed in his own strength again.

"Brother Ji, I want to go and see Lord Luo tomorrow."

"It is said that Lord Luo likes to eat mushrooms. Brother Ji, are there mushrooms in the painting now?" Li Sanlang remembered that Ji Qingyue had mushrooms, but he didn't see them when they were eating hot pot just now. He wondered if it was the wrong season and the mushrooms didn't grow.

Hmm? Mushrooms?

Ji Qingyue narrowed his eyes and suddenly realized: "So I forgot to take out the mushrooms! Why do I always feel like something is missing when I eat?!"

Unfortunately, they are now too full to eat any more.

After saying that, Ji Qingyue immediately returned to the painting and took out a large basket of mushrooms that had been placed in the warehouse on the top of the mountain.

He had woven the basket himself. His craftsmanship was not very good and it was a bit crooked, but the mushrooms in the basket were delicious!

The soil blocks dug back from the deep mountains of Jiangnan were buried for a long time. The mycelium hidden in the soil blocks slowly extended to the entire pine forest, and the spores multiplied into delicious wild mushrooms.

After a spring rain, mushrooms quietly poked their heads out from the soil under the pine needles, successfully attracting Ji Qingyue's attention.

Mushrooms, grown! !

In addition to the porcini, dry mushrooms, morels, coral mushrooms, and bamboo fungi that Li Erlang taught him about, there are also matsutake mushrooms!

Except for the chicken mushroom that coexists with termites, all other delicious wild mushrooms have grown! !

The magical land is truly magical!!

"Pick out some nice ones as gifts for Lord Luo."

……

Unlike the peaceful atmosphere of the conversation between the two after dinner, there was a completely different atmosphere in the Ganzhou barracks at this time.

The barracks tent was brightly lit with candles, and the sound of conversation could be heard from time to time. It was the deputy envoy and the captain reporting to the governor.

After the regular meeting, everyone left. At this time, Yang Huang stopped two people and said, "Li Changxiang, Fang Li, you two stay."

The two people whose names were called paused and looked at each other subconsciously.

After the others had left the tent, Yang Huang explained why he had left the two men behind. "Fang Li, years ago, you led troops to Tuyuhun as a deputy general to quell a civil unrest. Upon your return, you reported to me that the Tuyuhun king had died under strange circumstances. Have you found out anything yet?"

When Li Erlang heard about this for the first time, he couldn't help but wonder, was there something else behind the death of the Tuyuhun King?

Fang Li replied, "General, I have consulted the military doctors in the camp and the famous doctors in the city, but they are unable to give a reasonable cause."

Yang Huang knocked on the table and noticed Li Erlang's inquiring gaze: "Talk to Li Changxiang..."

Fang Li then recounted in detail what he encountered during the expedition against Tuyuhun.

After receiving the order from His Majesty, Yang Huang immediately ordered Fang Li to mobilize the troops and set off. When Fang Li arrived at the Tuyuhun royal city, he happened to encounter several Tuyuhun princes and princes besieging the royal city.

After a fierce struggle, Fang Li successfully drove away the rebels and rescued the besieged Queen of Tuyuhun.

When they entered the royal city, the Tuyuhun king, who had died suddenly, had not yet been buried, and his body was still lying in his bedroom, without being moved.

Whether out of etiquette or other purposes, the general coming from the suzerain state had to go and take a look, but the Queen of Tuyuhun stopped him.

"The king has been dead for many days, and his appearance is unsightly. I'm afraid it's a bit scary. Please wait a moment, General. I will have someone tidy up everything. It won't be too late for you to pay your respects later."

Fang Li immediately refused: "I have seen all kinds of dead on the battlefield. Princess, don't worry that I will be frightened by the king's appearance."

Seeing Fang Li refused, the Queen of Tuyuhun personally led the way and brought him to the bedroom of the King of Tuyuhun.

Despite the cold weather, there seemed to be a foul smell in the dim palace. It was a strange smell, not entirely the smell of corruption.

Fang Li pushed open the palace door and strode into the inner hall. He saw thick curtains hanging on the low bed, and could not see the situation inside clearly.

That's where the stench comes from.

Fang Li slowly lifted the curtain with a knife, and the next moment, the body of the Tuyuhun King was exposed before his eyes.

It was just as horrifying as the queen said!!

Why is it like this?!

The Tuyuhun king had his eyes wide open, his pupils were cloudy, and his expression was ferocious. He seemed to be struggling in pain in his last moment of life, and his body and bed were covered with smelly filth.

But these are nothing. The most horrifying thing is that the head, face and limbs of the Tuyuhun king are covered with dense red spots and blisters. Some places are scratched, ulcerated and blackened.

Fang Li realized that the death of the Tuyuhun King was not simple, and it was not like the death from heart palpitations as the queen had said when she asked for help.

"Please explain to me, Princess."

The Tuyuhun queen was not intimidated by the suspicion, but she looked hesitant: "The truth of the matter is a little difficult to talk about, so I naturally cannot make it public."

"The king did not die of a heart attack, but..."

Under Fang Li's puzzled gaze, Queen Tuyuhun still stammered out the truth: "Some time ago, my younger brother gave you a concubine. The king favored her repeatedly and soon fell ill..."

"The female doctor found that the girl was not clean..."

Fang Li turned his head and looked at the Tuyuhun King again, wondering whether what the Tuyuhun Queen said was true.

The Tuyuhun King contracted syphilis?

……

In the big tent, Fang Li frowned. "The red spots on the Tuyuhun King's body look very similar to those of someone with syphilis, but after thinking about it for a long time, I still feel that something is wrong..."

Li Erlang listened to Fang Li's words calmly. Although his face showed no disturbance, a huge wave of turmoil surged in his heart.

Venereal disease?

The eldest princess?