Mo Jiuye couldn't understand the simplified characters in the book. Seeing He Zhiran's serious expression for a long time, he asked with concern, "Couldn't find an antidote?"
"I've found the formula for the antidote, but there's a very rare medicinal herb that I'm worried we won't be able to obtain," He Zhiran replied.
Mo Jiuye pressed further, "What herb is it?"
"Dan Pi. Have you heard of it?" He Zhiran asked.
"You mean Dan Pi?" Mo Jiuye's tone indicated that he was familiar with it.
"You know about Dan Pi?" He Zhiran seemed to glimpse a glimmer of hope.
"Two years ago, I was ordered to escort the Fourth Princess to the southern border for a marriage alliance, and there was a medicinal herb called Dan Pi among her dowry."
Upon hearing that it was part of the Fourth Princess's dowry, He Zhiran immediately thought of the Empress.
The Fourth Princess was the Empress's biological daughter, so it was reasonable for her dowry to include medicinal herbs. However, the fact that the Empress was willing to let her bring such a precious and singularly effective herb raised suspicions.
Mo Jiuye suddenly understood this reasoning as well.
The two exchanged a meaningful glance, but neither spoke a word.
The Empress was undoubtedly worried that the Mo family would discover the clues and find the formula for the antidote. If they did, all her efforts would be in vain. That's why she made Dan Pi part of the Fourth Princess's dowry, to completely extinguish any hope the Mo family might have.
Thinking about all this, Mo Jiuye's veins bulged with anger. He wished he could storm into the palace right now and kill that wicked woman without delay.
Mo Jiuye himself didn't realize that his desire for revenge had reached an uncontrollable level.
He Zhiran understood the value of Dan Pi, and since Mo Jiuye knew the whereabouts of the herb, their target could only be in the southern border.
The fact that their sisters-in-law had been poisoned didn't pose an immediate threat to their lives, so finding the antidote wasn't urgent at the moment.
After settling in the northwest, they would definitely have to make a trip to the southern border to find the whereabouts of their eldest and second brother. That would be an opportunity to search for Dan Pi.
It must be said that the two of them were in sync with their thoughts, and Mo Jiuye was also considering this.
Therefore, the search for Dan Pi would be temporarily put on hold until they reached the southern border, at which point they would figure out a way.
Of course, He Zhiran would also keep an eye on Taobao's movements. If that special serum were to be widely used, there might be a link to purchase it on Taobao.
In any case, He Zhiran would keep both directions for the antidote in mind.
Since it was broad daylight, and they couldn't linger in the space for too long, He Zhiran took Mo Jiuye and left together.
She went to check on Sixth Sister-in-law's condition.
After taking the medicine, Sixth Sister-in-law broke out in a sweat and was now fine.
She heard that she had earned some silver by making dolls yesterday, and feeling slightly better, she wanted to continue making them.
He Zhiran stopped her, as it was understandable to want to make money, but her health was the most important thing.
Helpless, Sixth Sister-in-law could only continue resting in the tent.
Three days passed unnoticed.
There was still no notification for them to be allowed through, and the number of soldiers searching for someone here was increasing.
The streets of the city were filled with armed soldiers, asking everyone if they had seen the whereabouts of Prince Heng.
As a result, the common people hardly ventured out unless it was absolutely necessary, and business in the shops on both sides of the street plummeted.
However, this situation did not affect the business of the embroidery house.
Not only did it not affect it, but the number of customers coming to the embroidery house kept increasing.
The reason was none other than the credit of the long-eared rabbit dolls.
Three days later, He Zhiran and Mo Jiuye arrived at the embroidery house again, carrying a hundred and thirty-one dolls. They were greeted by a crowded room filled with people.
Everyone urged the shopkeeper, asking when the long-eared rabbit dolls would arrive.
The shopkeeper couldn't produce the dolls and didn't want to lose so much business, so she continuously reassured the customers.
Just as she was getting tired of talking and was about to go get some water, she looked up and saw He Zhiran and Mo Jiuye walking in with a large package.
The shopkeeper was instantly delighted and hurriedly went to greet them.
"Young lady, you finally came. If you didn't show up, my little shop would have been torn down by now."
He Zhiran didn't have a good impression of the shopkeeper. She handed the long-eared rabbit dolls to her and, after the shopkeeper inspected them, took the money and left with Mo Jiuye.
Just as they walked out of the embroidery house's door, they saw Tang Mingrui standing across the road.
Due to the city being closed off, Tang Mingrui had not left either.
At the same time, he noticed that the troublemakers from the Salt Gang had disappeared without a trace in the past few days, so he thought of coming out for some fresh air.
Little did he expect that when he passed by the embroidery house, he would notice something unusual here.
Unlike other shops that were empty, this place was overcrowded.
Out of curiosity, he stood there to see what was going on.
To his surprise, he saw Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran coming out from inside.
Tang Mingrui quickly walked up to them.
"Sir, are you out shopping?"
Mo Jiuye didn't hide anything and explained about selling the long-eared rabbit dolls to the embroidery house.
Tang Mingrui seemed somewhat incredulous.
"Sir, are you saying that those fluffy plush dolls carried by the rich young ladies on the street are made by you?"
Mo Jiuye smiled and looked at He Zhiran.
"My wife came up with a way to earn some money when she saw that everyone was tight on funds."
When it came to making money, no one was more interested than Tang Mingrui.
He pointed to a teahouse nearby and said, "Sir, it's fate that we meet on the street. How about we have some tea together and catch up?"
Mo Jiuye instinctively glanced at He Zhiran and, seeing that she didn't object, readily agreed.
The three of them went to the teahouse and found a seat by the window.
When the waiter brought the tea, Tang Mingrui personally poured it for them, making a polite gesture.
"Sir and Madam, please enjoy the tea."
Mo Jiuye picked up his teacup and politely said, "Tang Young Master, there's no need to always refer to us as 'sir and madam.' If you don't mind, just call me Brother Mo."
Upon hearing this, Tang Mingrui stood up solemnly and bowed to both of them. "In that case, I won't stand on ceremony. Brother Mo, Sister-in-law Mo."
After exchanging pleasantries, Tang Mingrui finally got to the point.
"Sister-in-law Mo, do you know that the dolls you make are quite rare, especially the fabric used. I've been in business for years and have never seen anything like it."
He Zhiran stuck to her usual explanation.
"I was strolling around with my husband when we happened to come across a foreigner selling this kind of fabric. We had a sudden idea to use it to make dolls, and surprisingly, they became quite popular."
It wasn't unusual to see one or two foreigners in the area around the Salt Lake, which was a major waterway for transportation.
Moreover, those foreigners had some interesting things in their hands. If it weren't for the language barrier and communication difficulties, Tang Mingrui would have wanted to trade with them.
At this moment, he admired He Zhiran's vision and courage.
The fabric used for making the dolls was obviously not cheap, and now that they were on their way to exile in the northwest with a guilty conscience, it was the time to use their money wisely. Yet she dared to purchase so much fabric to make dolls.
If they ended up losing, it would be a huge loss for people like them, who were exiled.
