The late May sun rose early. It was just past the hour of Mao, yet a stifling heat had already risen outside the wounded soldiers' camp in the south of Zhenbei City.
Eight large iron marching pots were temporarily set up in the open clearing. The pine firewood beneath them burned fiercely, the flames licking the pitch-black bottoms of the pots.
Several bare-chested army cooks came over, panting as they carried large wooden buckets. The buckets were filled with the offal and waste left over from the slaughter of over a hundred sheep at the drill ground the day before.
Due to the sweltering weather, these sheep entrails, having sat for a day and a night, were already emitting waves of a pungent, gamey stench, attracting swarms of green bottle flies that buzzed and circled above the buckets.
Xu Qinghuan had changed into a narrow-sleeved short tunic today. Her long hair was pinned up high with a green bamboo hairpin, and her hands were covered in linen gloves as she stood before the foul-smelling buckets.
She looked down to examine the pile of sheep kidneys in the bucket, her gaze darting through the sticky fascia. Finding the right spot, she reached in and grabbed a kidney. Holding a small boning knife in her right hand, she slid the blade along the edge of the yellowish-brown fat gland at the top of the kidney.
With a deft flick of her wrist, she cleanly excised the gland, which was no larger than a fingernail, and tossed it into a clean wooden basin prepared nearby.
Her movements were neat and decisive, showing none of the squeamishness expected of a noble lady from the capital; instead, she displayed a surprising level of proficiency.
The old military doctor, Lao Sun, emerged from a tent in the wounded soldiers' camp carrying his medical box, only to run straight into the Imperial Envoy digging through a pile of reeking sheep entrails.
Lao Sun's wrinkled face scrunched up. He hurried to the bucket, peeked at the yellowish-brown glands Xu Qinghuan had carved out into her basin, then looked back at the sick soldiers in the tents. He finally could not hold back his words.
"Imperial Envoy, I have practiced medicine for decades. If the brothers in the army suffer from night blindness, boiling a soup of sheep or pig liver to nourish them will be effective. I understand this principle."
"But this greasy matter you are picking from the sheep kidneys is rank and foul. The sick soldiers currently have ulcerated gums and weak stomachs; they cannot even swallow a mouthful of dry rations. If you force such heavy, gamey meat down their throats, I fear their frail bodies will not be able to handle the nourishment, and it will only hasten their deaths."
Xu Qinghuan did not stop her work. The small knife moved swiftly over the kidney, carving out another gland and tossing it into the basin. Only then did she straighten her back, raise her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, and turn to look at Lao Sun.
"Elder Sun, medical theory emphasizes the harmony of yin and yang and prescribing the right medicine for the illness. The fat gland at the top of the sheep kidney is where the residual energy of the innate foundation gathers."
"It is best for consolidating the foundation and cultivating vitality. The soldiers' gums bleed endlessly because they have gone without fresh fruits and vegetables for too long, leading to depleted blood vessels and malnourished internal organs. Relying solely on sheep liver can only cure blindness, but it cannot stop the bleeding in their mouths."
Xu Qinghuan set down the cleaned sheep kidney, pointed to the large iron pots of boiling water nearby, and continued.
"These glands are indeed gamey and hard to digest, so I had people gather all the aged vinegar from the major taverns in the city. Later, we will boil these glands together with the aged vinegar. Sourness has an astringent property."
"Not only will it neutralize the rank and toxic essence of the glands, but it will also preserve the medicinal efficacy. By using the sharp, sour nature of the vinegar, the foundation-consolidating medicinal power will be driven directly into the soldiers' internal organs. Within three days, their bleeding gums will heal."
Hearing this medical reasoning, Lao Sun opened his mouth to argue, but then felt that this theory of yin-yang harmony and sour astringency actually aligned with pharmacological principles. Lao Sun stroked the beard on his chin and pressed further.
"My Lord, although aged vinegar can be astringent, these glands are ultimately potent and raw. If the heat is not controlled well, I fear the medicinal power will not dissolve and will instead accumulate in the soldiers' stomachs, giving rise to other disasters."
Xu Qinghuan carved out the last gland in her hand, tossed the boning knife into a water basin to wash it, turned to look at Lao Sun, and answered.
"Elder Sun, your concerns are thorough. Therefore, the heat must be a fierce, rolling boil. We will use pine wood to build the strongest fire, thoroughly melting the fat in these glands to force out their medicinal properties, and then rely on the churning of the boiling water."
"We will let the sourness of the vinegar completely blend with the fats. We must boil it until the broth is thick and black, with a thick layer of oil floating on the surface. Only then will this medicinal meal be complete. At that time, we will only take the thick soup from the top and discard the dregs at the bottom. When the sick soldiers drink it, there will be no risk of accumulation."
After hearing this brewing method, Lao Sun's doubts were mostly dispelled. He took a half-step back, cupped his hands together, gave a deep bow to Xu Qinghuan, and agreed.
"Your Lordship is well-versed in medical theory; I have been taught a lesson. I will go supervise the army cooks' fire right now and ensure there is not the slightest mistake with the heat."
Xu Qinghuan sweat-dropped. It was all thanks to the encyclopedia provided by the system, otherwise she really could not have made up these words.
In reality, the principle was very simple: sheep glands contained a high concentration of Vitamin C, making them an excellent remedy for treating scurvy in the short term during ancient times.
Not to mention, in this desolate Zhenbei City, it was fortunate that they had seized some sheep a few days ago.
...
Just then, the sound of footsteps came from the direction of the camp gate. Tie Lanshan, dressed in everyday summer linen clothes and followed by several personal guards, strode over to the large iron pots.
The Commander-in-Chief of Zhenbei City swept his gaze over Xu Qinghuan's grease-stained gloves, then looked at the basin that was already half-filled with yellowish-brown glands. In his heart, his estimation of this female Imperial Envoy rose a few notches higher.
Tie Lanshan turned to Lao Sun and the surrounding army cooks, raising his voice.
"The Imperial Envoy has a precious and noble body, yet she does not shy away from filth to personally prepare medicine for the brothers. What else do you have to doubt? Pass down my command: the entire camp is to obey the Imperial Envoy's orders."
"Once this medicinal soup is brewed, every single person in the wounded soldiers' camp must drink it for me. Whoever dares to disobey and refuse to drink will be dealt with by military law!"
Tie Lanshan's words directly placed the authority of the Commander's Office onto this pot of medicinal soup. Seeing that the Commander had spoken, Lao Sun dared not say another word. He had no choice but to step aside and call a few apprentices over to help build the fire and add firewood.
Seeing that enough glands had been collected, Xu Qinghuan instructed the army cooks to pour the half-basin of glands entirely into the boiling water. Then, she had people bring over a dozen jars of aged vinegar, break open the clay seals, and pour all the vinegar into the large iron pots.
As the aged vinegar entered the pots, the air, which had previously only carried waves of gamey stench, immediately billowed with a piercing, sour, and putrid odor.
That smell mixed with the rankness of the sheep entrails, and upon being boiled by the rolling water, it spread in all directions, smoking out the surrounding army cooks so badly that they covered their mouths and noses and retreated again and again.
Even Tie Lanshan could not help but turn his head away, raising a hand to cover half his face.
The sky above the entire south camp was enveloped by this stench.
The roaring fire boiled the mixture for a full half-hour. The broth in the pots had been reduced to a dark brown, with a layer of grease floating on the surface. That smell had already permeated the entire wounded soldiers' camp, causing the sick soldiers in the tents to gag repeatedly.
Lao Sun looked at the pot of thick soup, his brows tightly furrowed. He truly could not believe that such a foul-smelling concoction could cure illnesses and save lives.
Lao Sun was just debating whether to offer further words of dissuasion when he saw Xu Qinghuan already taking off her gloves and walking straight up to the large iron pot.
From the nearby wooden table, Xu Qinghuan picked up a long-handled wooden ladle, stirred the broth a couple of times, scooped up a full ladle of the thick soup, and poured it into a coarse porcelain bowl.
Xu Qinghuan picked up the bowl of steaming sour soup. Without a moment of hesitation, and without even furrowing her brows, she tilted her head back and downed the medicinal broth in one gulp in front of the entire camp and Tie Lanshan.
After finishing, Xu Qinghuan turned the empty bowl upside down to show everyone that not a single drop remained. She then took out a silk handkerchief, gracefully wiped her lips, and looked at the military doctors and cooks with an entirely calm expression.
"The medicine is ready. Distribute it while it is hot, and make sure you watch them drink it all."
Seeing his younger sister personally test the medicine, Xu Zhan also took a large stride forward. He walked over to the iron cauldron, reached out to grab a large bowl, and scooped up a brimful portion of the thick soup.
This one-armed fierce general, who had made a name for himself at the Battle of Wild Fox Beach and was revered by the Northern Pacification Army as Lord Tai Sui, held the bowl of thick soup. He turned to face the camp of wounded soldiers and raised the large bowl with his single hand.
"Listen up, brothers! The Imperial Envoy personally brewed this life-saving soup for us, and I will be the first to drink it out of respect. If anyone dares to pinch their nose and refuse to drink it, you are disrespecting me. Once you are healed, I will personally drill you on the training grounds!"
With that said, Xu Zhan threw his head back. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he gulped down the massive bowl of thick soup in just a few swallows. After finishing, he wiped his mouth with a heroic flair and slammed the heavy bowl down onto the wooden table.
The soldiers in the medical camp were already nauseated by the pungent smell of the brew. However, seeing the Imperial Envoy personally test the medicine despite her noble status, watching Lord Tai Sui take the lead in drinking it so heartily, and knowing the Commander-in-Chief's strict military laws were enforcing the order, no one dared to voice even the slightest complaint.
