Rebirth of a Lost Nation: Princess, Please Respect Yourself

Chapter 187 Rare Medicinal Ingredients

Manzhu replied, "This medicine is called Gold Foil Fruit."

Jiang Lige frowned slightly, feeling that the name was somewhat familiar, "Gold Foil Fruit?"

"Yes, this item is a treasure of Nanchu, guarded by the entire Nanchu Han family. It only bears one fruit every hundred years, and all of them are offered to the Nanchu royal family."

Ning Yunxiao and Jiang Lige looked at each other and asked in unison, "So, it belongs to the Southern Chu royal family?"

Manzhu nodded, then sighed with regret, "Yes, but it is said that the Emperor of Nanchu is obsessed with the way of immortality. As soon as this thing was brought to the palace, it was refined into an elixir. And now, it has only been thirty years since the last result. This means that if the elixir is true, there will never be another golden foil fruit in the world."

If we calculate based on a period of thirty years, the last time the golden foil fruit appeared should have been during the reign of Jiang Lige's grandfather, the then Emperor of Southern Chu - Emperor Bo Ning.

Emperor Boning was plagued by various illnesses in his old age, and he became obsessed with the way to immortality. He spent a lot of money to recruit sorcerers from all over the world, and the matter became known to everyone.

Emperor Bening would never miss this precious treasure that only bears fruit once every hundred years.

This was soon confirmed by Jiang Lige.

"Indeed, thirty years ago, a golden foil fruit was presented to the capital, and was then refined into a medicinal pill."

Hearing this, Ning Yunxiao's heart sank, but he spoke to comfort her, "It's okay, it's just fate. There's no need to feel sorry for me. Actually..."

Who would have thought that before he could finish his sentence, Jiang Lige changed the subject and said, "However, there is still a gold foil fruit in this world, and it is in the hands of the Xu family."

They were both stunned when they heard this, and Manzhu even showed a rare look of surprise, "How did you know?"

"Because I am the Princess of Nanchu, and the Xu family is my maternal family, and they are also the family that Manzhu mentioned guarding the golden foil fruit."

It was the first time Manzhu knew that this "young master" who appeared out of nowhere was actually the Princess of Nanchu. She was shocked but also puzzled: "What about the Han family?"

"Thirty years ago, the Xu family's only daughter was betrothed to the current monarch of Southern Chu. The Xu family was powerful, and to prevent the dictatorship of the imperial relatives, the emperor exiled the Xu family to Nancheng under the pretext of 'guarding the sacred tree.' They were stationed in Nancheng, taking over the Han family's duties as guardians of the golden foil fruit."

Manzhu had also been in the midst of power and had seen many of these imperial tactics. She couldn't help but sarcastically say, "As expected, the imperial family is the most ruthless."

"..."

Seeing Jiang Lige's disappointed expression, Ning Yunxiao's heart moved and he immediately changed the subject and asked, "Thirty years ago, there were two gold foil fruits?"

"That's right." Jiang Lige nodded and explained to the two, "Actually, the gold foil fruit only grows once every hundred years, but it doesn't produce just one fruit. Instead, it produces two, one large and one small. A sorcerer once asserted that this fruit follows the law of natural selection during its growth. The small fruit is small because its nutrients are absorbed by the larger fruit, making it of no medicinal value. Therefore, the small fruit is usually discarded. Thirty years ago, my grandmother saw this thing as a rarity and kept it as a collection."

Ning Yunxiao nodded when he heard this, then turned and asked Manzhu, "Priest Manzhu, is this thing useful?"

"Of course." Manzhu rolled her eyes rudely. "I think your Nanchu people are just too rich in resources, so they listen to the nonsense of those sorcerers and don't know how to make the best use of them. In our Chi tribe, there are no useless things, only useless people."

Jiang Lige was amused by Manzhu's complaints. "On the bright side, if it weren't for that sorcerer's nonsense, this thing would have been ruined."

Manzhu also thought it made sense and nodded, "That's right, this kid is lucky."

Jiang Lige was always worried about something unexpected happening, so he slammed the table and stood up. "Without further delay, I will leave for South City today to retrieve the gold foil fruit."

Manzhu stopped Jiang Lige's action and said, "No need. We can go together. We also need to go to Nanchu to get some fresh herbs."

Jiang Lige asked: "When can we set off?"

"In his current state, he needs to recuperate for about three days before he can set off."

"it is good."

……

Three days was neither long nor short, just enough time for Manzhu to deal with all the affairs of the Chi tribe.

The place where the Chi people took refuge was called Youyuan Valley. The people who presided over all affairs in Youyuan Valley were the left and right priests under Aiguo's seat.

Manzhu wanted to leave the valley with Jiang Lige and the others, so she handed over all the clan affairs to the right priest Donzhu.

After dealing with matters in the valley, the three of them set out from Youyuan Valley on time a few days later and headed for South City.

Youyuan Valley is very close to Santou Mountain. Going around Santou Mountain is the border of Southern Chu - Nancheng.

Because Ning Yunxiao's body could not withstand the exertion, the three of them did not dare to ride horses, so they rented a carriage and chose a flat road. It took them a few more days to reach Nancheng.

Although South City is adjacent to the Border Town, the scenes in the city are completely different. The Border Town is desolate and dilapidated, while South City is prosperous and lively.

Life here is peaceful and harmonious, and everything is in order.

The Xu family was founded on literature, and their disciples were spread throughout Southern Chu. They taught people how to govern the country with literature.

Now that he has stepped down from the podium, it is truly admirable that he has managed this border city into what it is today in more than 30 years.

Through the carriage, they could feel the laughter and joy of the people outside.

Seeing this, Ning Yunxiao said to Jiang Lige, "It seems that the Xu family has managed South City very well."

Jiang Lige nodded and continued, "My Queen Mother often said that those who serve the country must first be practical and then literary. Even though the Xu family has moved away from the whirlpool of the court and lives in a secluded corner, they will not forget their duty as ministers, which is not just about cultivating talents. The people live and work in peace and contentment, which is what the Xu family strives for all their lives."

"They have achieved the goal of benefiting the world."

Jiang Lige smiled and felt proud of it.

Although the South City is very different from the Border City, both cities are border cities, so the defense is naturally very strict. The group cannot enter the city without clearance documents.

Jiang Lige had no choice but to find a restaurant near the city gate, prepare a handwritten letter, and ask the city gate guard to hand it to the Xu family.

In this way, someone from the Xu family will definitely come to greet them.

Manzhu was completely impatient and asked Jiang Lige in great confusion, "You're not a princess? Why can't you just go into the city?"

Jiang Lige answered truthfully, "I'm a princess married to a foreign country. According to the rules, I can't return to my country without being summoned. Furthermore, before that, Shi... Yun Xiao and I were being hunted down and fell off a cliff. We still don't know who was after us. If someone knew our identities, wouldn't that tell them where to hunt us?"

"..." Manzhu's patience was exhausted. She sat down and refused to communicate with the two.

Fortunately, the two men were no longer surprised by Manzhu's strange temper during the journey. They first ordered some food for Manzhu, and then asked the shopkeeper to get pen and ink, ready to write a letter.

It was a letter, but just as he picked up the pen to write a stroke, he heard a woman's shrill scream in the restaurant.

"Help! Help! The young master of the Xu family is going to kill someone!"