Qin Shilang went back to the palace to get centipedes, the county lord took people to the mountains to catch scorpions and green-spotted poisonous snakes, and Xiao Mingyue and Xiao Zhong took amber to the nearby market to find geckos and toads.

on the market.

Xiao Zhong asked Xiao Mingyue, "Why do you use these five flavors of medicinal herbs?" And why do you have to use six-inch centipedes, newborn scorpions, and geckos that have given birth? ”

Xiao Mingyue explained: "In the past, the soldiers in the barracks also had the plague, thanks to a Mongolian Muren doctor, who cured the plague with a home remedy, using these five flavors of medicine plus glutinous rice water, I think it should be the principle of 'fighting poison with poison'!" The venom of the centipede is at the mouth pliers, and the centipede of about six inches is in the prime of life, and the mouth and teeth are fully developed; The venom of the green spotted snake is on the head, and the venomous snake by the stream is aggressive and venomous; The poison of the scorpion is in the blood, the newborn scorpion has not yet eaten, the blood is pure, and the venom is clear; The toad's venom is in the skin, and the male toad, who is about to die of old age, will hold his breath and release all the venom into the skin; As for the gecko, although it is not poisonous, the gecko that has just given birth has dampness in the body, and it is used as a stewed soup to clear heat and detoxify, activate the meridians, and is conducive to recovery. ”

Xiao Zhong nodded after hearing this, and said, "My cousin is really knowledgeable, if it weren't for the official lady, she could have a consultation!" ”

Xiao Mingyue said humbly: "I also thought of these after reading other people's prescriptions, and my cousin doesn't need to praise them." ”

While talking, the three of them found a shop selling toads, and there was a little boy with pigtails sitting at the door, who was fighting crickets, and when they saw them coming, they got up and took them to the inner room, where there were large and small toads, and there was a middle-aged man with a short and pockmarked face sitting in the innermost part of the toad, and the child said, "Daddy, there are guests." When the man saw them come in, he asked, "Do you want to buy toads?" ”

Xiao Zhong stepped forward and asked, "Boss, is there a male toad that is about to die?" ”

After hearing this, the boss said puzzledly: "I don't know what the son wants to do with it?" In the past, others bought sturdy toads to go back to medicine, but no one ever bought dying toads, and our store was full of fresh toads. ”

Xiao Zhong added: "If there is, I am willing to pay three times the price!" ”

After hearing this, the boss's eyes lit up, and he laughed and said: "Yes, yes, there are a few breeding toads raised in the backyard, and now the old ones are dying, and I am worried that no one wants them!" Then he shouted at the little boy, "Stone, bring the old toads in the backyard to Daddy!" ”

After that, he smiled and said to the three of them, "Several, please sit, please sit." ”

As he spoke, the little boy brought over a few small filament cages containing toads, and the boss said, "There are five in all, please take them." ”

Xiao Zhong and Amber took the cage, paid the money, and several people got up and went out.

After going out, Amber turned her head to look at it, and said to the two of them: "This boss is really a businessman, and when he heard that we offered a high price, he sold us so happily, but these ones are not worth so much money at all." ”

"Rare things are expensive, and if they don't have them, we won't buy them at a high price." Xiao Mingyue said.

Xiao Zhong looked at Amber and said, "It's okay, it's important to save people, let's go, go buy geckos." ”

So the three of them continued to walk forward, looking for the vendor who sold geckos. After walking more than a dozen steps, I happened to meet an old man, hunched over and blind in one eye, and when he saw the three of them, he stepped forward and asked, "Do you want to buy geckos?" ”

Xiao Zhong replied: "Exactly." ”

The old man said, "Come with me!" ”

So, he led a few people to a small room and said, "Come in, this is it." ”

At this time, Xiao Mingyue suddenly stopped Xiao Zhong and Amber from continuing to walk forward, and said to the two: "Wait, don't go in yet!" ”

Xiao Zhong looked at Xiao Mingyue suspiciously and asked, "What's wrong?" ”

Xiao Mingyue said puzzledly: "Just now we were in the market, and we didn't say that we wanted to buy geckos, how did he know?" And he looked like a street vendor who had been here all the time, and no one had greeted him in the market just now; Besides, in this season, there should be a lot of people buying geckos, but his shop is closed, which has to make people suspicious. ”

The three of them stood where they were, and when the old man saw that they were not coming, he urged, "Come in, the gecko is inside." ”

Xiao Mingyue said: "I'm sorry uncle, our brother and sister came in a hurry and forgot to bring the silver, you wait for us to go back and get the silver, and then come to buy your gecko." ”

With that, the three of them turned around to leave.

When the old man saw that the temptation failed, he immediately stretched out his hands and slapped twice, and suddenly several black-clothed people rushed out of the house, all wearing masks and holding knives in their hands, and rushed towards the three of them.

Seeing this, Xiao Zhong stood in front of Xiao Mingyue and Amber, and said, "You guys go quickly, I'll stop them." ”

Xiao Mingyue said to Amber next to her: "Amber, you go quickly and go to find the officers and soldiers patrolling nearby." ”

Amber said nervously: "Miss, I won't go, if you want to go, you will go first." ”

Xiao Mingyue shouted to the hunchbacked old man, "Who are you?" Dare to do it to us, are you not afraid of death? ”

The old man replied, "You should be the ones who will die, we are the ones who have come to ask for your life." ”

After speaking, he turned his head to the man in black behind him and said, "Give it to me, don't leave any of them alive, after the deed is completed, there will be a heavy reward from above." ”

Xiao Mingyue hurriedly looked at the man in black and shouted, "Even if you kill us, you will also be killed!" ”

The old man smiled at Xiao Mingyue and said, "Little girl, you are a little smart, but it's a pity that you are too late to be smart, give it to me!" ”

As soon as the words fell, several people rushed over together. Xiao Zhong knew how to do some kung fu and stood in the front, Xiao Mingyue and Amber picked up the cage containing the toad and smashed it at the man in black, but they were outnumbered and were about to be killed.

At this time, a few darts flew from behind, "Huh! Swish! Swish! Several black-clothed people were all cut off, and when the old man saw this, he wanted to flee and was caught by Xiao Zhong. When Xiao Mingyue turned around and looked in the direction where the dart came from, she only saw the figure of a man, and it disappeared in a flash. Just when they were confused, the nearby officers and soldiers rushed over when they heard the movement, Xiao Zhong handed over the old man to them, and several people returned to the nearby post house to rest in shock.

When the county magistrate heard the news, he hurried over and hurriedly pleaded guilty to Xiao Zhong. said: "The lower officials have no way to govern, so that His Royal Highness is frightened, and the lower officials should die!" Then he knelt down.

After Xiao Zhong changed his clothes, he said to him: "It has nothing to do with the county commander, the person who assassinated us today must have someone to support him." ”

After hearing this, the county order said worriedly: "Who is so bold and dares to assassinate His Highness?!" When the lower officials find out, he will be broken into thousands of pieces! ”

Xiao Zhong asked, "Can the person who was arrested just now be identified locally?" ”

The county magistrate replied: "The lower officials have found out that this person's name is 'Ge Da', who was originally a thief, and has been detained as a felon, waiting for His Highness to deal with it." ”

"Have the men in black been identified? Is there anything suspicious? Xiao Mingyue then asked.

"Those people are also committed to killing people and setting fires on weekdays, and they were originally some criminals who were released after completing their sentences, and there is nothing suspicious." The prefectural magistrate replied.

As he was talking, a prison guard came to report, came in and replied: "Lord Qiyu, the criminal Ge Da has committed suicide in fear of crime. ”

After hearing this, the county magistrate asked in horror, "What?" Someone committed suicide? Didn't you watch? How can you commit suicide if you look at it well? ”

The jailer stammered in fright, "Bit...... Killed himself by biting his tongue. ”

After hearing this, the county order knelt down in front of Xiao Zhong in fear and said, "The lower official should die!" Damn it! Your Highness forgives your sins! ”

Xiao Zhong thought for a while, got up and said, "That's it, it's none of your business, you go down first." ”

After hearing the county order, he hurriedly crawled out with the jailer.

Xiao Mingyue got up and walked beside Xiao Zhong and said, "Cousin, don't you continue to investigate this matter?" ”

Xiao Zhong turned around and said with a smile: "Now that everyone is dead, there is no evidence, how can I investigate?" Let's just think of it as a bunch of robbers, and the most important thing at the moment is the medicine for the plague. ”

Amber took the cage containing the toad and said, "All the toads have been killed." ”

Xiao Mingyue said: "The toad can still be used, but the 'gecko' is afraid that it will not be found for a while." ”

As soon as the words fell, a guard knocked on the door and came in, and said to Xiao Mingyue, "Miss Qiyu, someone has sent you something." ”

Amber stepped forward to take it, only to see a black cloth covered with a net box, opened it and saw that it was a big-bellied gecko, Xiao Mingyue saw this and asked, "Do you see who sent it clearly?" ”

The guard replied, "I don't see clearly, the man is covering his face." ”

Amber said: "This is strange, how do we know that we are looking for a 'gecko', miss, could it be that the bad guy stabbed us and used this thing to make amends?" ”

Xiao Mingyue looked at Amber with a smile and said: "The bad guys want us to die, how can they help us, as for the one who sent this 'gecko', of course there are other people, but it just helped us, and when Lord Qin and Lord County Cheng come back, the medicine can be put together." ”