[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin":3,"chapter-the-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin-the-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin-chapter-92":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The First Iron Rice Bowl of Great Jin",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},151778,261,"Chapter 92: Sacred Land","the-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin-chapter-92",92,"\u003Cp>Ding Peng, the Vice Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was only a third-rank official, but Gu Qiming, the Director of the Medical Bureau, a full third-rank official, still gave him enough face by personally escorting him out of the Medical Bureau's main gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After watching Ding Peng walk away, Gu Qiming turned back with a stern expression. When he reached the Medical Bureau building, he did not enter directly but continued walking to the street corner, silently gazing at the square behind Ninth Street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even from such a distance, he could see at a glance the stone cauldron on the square, and the old courtyard behind it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Master.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Master.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qiming saw two disciples approaching from Second Street, withdrew his thoughts, and looked at them: \"Why are you here at this hour?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Tianchou and Mu Qingying first bowed to Gu Qiming, then Lu Zimo spoke: \"Disciple and junior sister encountered several points we didn't understand while reading the Medicine Ancestor's Notes, and we have come specially to seek Master's guidance.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qiming grunted in acknowledgment, turned and walked towards the Medical Bureau building, gesturing for the two disciples to follow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Tianchou quickened his pace to catch up: \"Master, I heard that members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard came to the Medical Bureau again. Is it about the theft of the elixirs some time ago?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qiming nodded: \"I have already sent them away.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Tianchou: \"Were all the stolen elixirs recovered?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qiming shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Tianchou looked surprised: \"The elixirs weren't all recovered, yet the Embroidered Uniform Guard left just like that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mu Qingying, who had been silent all along, looked at Gu Qiming, who remained quiet, and spoke up: \"Master, do you not want the Embroidered Uniform Guard to continue their investigation?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qiming led the two disciples back to his office, then said coldly and sternly: \"Over a hundred people from the Apprentice Hall have been arrested. I looked it over; they are all people with no connections.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Embroidered Uniform Guard knows perfectly well that they have no relation to Leng Xiangru, yet they still took them away. What do you think is the reason?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Tianchou and Mu Qingying exchanged a glance, but neither spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Tianchou's father was the Director of the Imperial Observatory. Although his official rank was not high, the Yuan family was one of the established old families in the capital. Before the Great Jin Dynasty established its capital in this city, the Yuan family had already been passed down for untold generations here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, the Yuan family was relatively well-informed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Tianchou could see the suppressed anger in Gu Qiming's eyes. Regarding this disaster that had befallen the Apprentice Hall, he knew the real reason behind it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His father was skilled in the art of observing qi. As early as the year before last, he had seen from the Star Observation Tower that the sky above the Medical Bureau was shrouded in auspicious clouds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His father had reported this to the court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, the court did not pay much attention. The nobles only casually inserted a few people here and there, mostly placing them in the Apprentice Hall and the Disciple Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after September of last year, the nobles suddenly began to take the Medical Bureau seriously, all fixing their eyes on the Ninth Street Pharmacy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In recent months, all parties have been mobilizing, sending people to Ninth Street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the competition was so fierce, those with weaker power set their sights on the Disciple Hall and the Apprentice Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stolen elixirs were found in the Apprentice Hall, but since the thief Leng Xiangru had already been identified, it should have been sufficient to punish the person in charge of the Apprentice Hall. However, someone put pressure on the Embroidered Uniform Guard, which led to the arrest of over a hundred apprentices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With over a hundred apprentices arrested, the various factions could begin inserting their own people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qiming was indignant: \"If we let the Embroidered Uniform Guard continue their investigation, not only would the Apprentice Hall be in turmoil, but the Chore Hall would also be turned upside down by them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mu Qingying was a mountain villager from the outskirts of the capital. Because she possessed a Wood Spiritual Root, she had felt close to plants and herbs since childhood. By learning from a half-baked itinerant healer and self-study, she had managed to acquire a full set of medical skills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qiming had discovered her while gathering herbs in the mountains, then accepted her as his disciple and brought her back to the Medical Bureau. Now she was a qualified pharmacist capable of refining Grandmaster-grade elixirs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Limited by her experience, Mu Qingying was often bewildered by the intrigues of the court: \"Master, could it be that someone even wants to insert people into the Chore Hall? That hall does the heavy and hard labor.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qiming's eyes gleamed coldly: \"Someone with ulterior motives has been spreading rumors in secret, saying that the Medical Bureau is a holy land.\" He looked at his two disciples. \"Cultivators cannot do without elixirs. What kind of holy land could the Medical Bureau be? Naturally, it is a holy land for alchemy.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Every family wants to position themselves, wants to train their own alchemists. Entering the Chore Hall as a laborer is indeed lowly, but for them, getting in first is what matters most.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mu Qingying: \"Since that's the case, why did the Embroidered Uniform Guard leave? Why didn't they search the Chore Hall?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Tianchou had guessed some of this, and looked at Gu Qiming: \"Master, is it because of that female laborer who dared to fight the Embroidered Uniform Guard?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qiming did not want his two disciples to only know alchemy, so he did not hide anything from them: \"That female laborer is a cultivator, but in the eyes of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, she is obviously not enough.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What truly made the Embroidered Uniform Guard hesitate was the person behind that female laborer.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mu Qingying was confused: \"Since that female laborer has a background that makes even the Embroidered Uniform Guard cautious, why would she work as a laborer?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mu Qingying was thoroughly confused: \"Since that female menial worker has a background that makes even the Jinyiwei cautious, why would she still work as a menial laborer?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qiming: \"Her background is too humble—she doesn't even know what resources she has. Hua Changxin, the direct disciple of the Tai Su Palace's sect leader, is that female servant's sister, yet she and her family were unaware of this.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mu Qingying was utterly astonished: \"Hua Changxin, the Green Lotus Immortal of Tai Su Palace?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Tianchou's expression showed sudden understanding: \"The Green Lotus Immortal is inseparable from the Sixth Prince, and she also has a close relationship with the heir of the Dong'an Prince. The other direct disciples of Tai Su Palace all have formidable backgrounds too.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"With such backing, it's no wonder the Brocade Guard dares not touch that female servant.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, Yuan Tianchou looked at Gu Qiming: \"Master, I've heard that female servant is bold and unafraid of trouble. Let her stay in the Servants' Hall. With her there, I imagine it will make certain people think twice.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qiming looked at Yuan Tianchou with satisfaction—that was exactly what he had in mind. What worried him most wasn't someone targeting the Servants' Hall, but rather someone setting their sights on the Old Courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"By the way, did you two go pay respects to the old man in the Old Courtyard at the square, as I instructed earlier?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Tianchou and Mu Qingying nodded: \"We went.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mu Qingying: \"Master, that Old Courtyard is very strange—the gate can only be pushed open a crack, making it difficult to enter. The old man living in the courtyard is also odd; no matter what my senior brother or I said, he wouldn't acknowledge us.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qiming: \"Did that old man ask you to take down the wooden plaques hanging under the eaves?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Tianchou: \"Yes. Your disciple struggled quite a bit to take one down, but Junior Sister retrieved hers with ease.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After hearing this, Gu Qiming's expression shifted: \"Show me your plaques.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without hesitation, Yuan Tianchou and Mu Qingying unfastened the wooden plaques from their waists and handed them to Gu Qiming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qiming examined them in his hands, then stood up, walked to the bookshelf, and took down a wooden box.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He opened the box; inside was also a wooden plaque, identical to the ones Gu Qiming and Mu Qingying had obtained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When I first entered the Medicine Department, I also passed through the Old Courtyard and obtained such a plaque.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Tianchou and Mu Qingying were both astonished: \"Master, what is this plaque used for?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qiming shook his head: \"Your teacher doesn't know either.\" As he spoke, he returned their plaques to them. \"Study these plaques carefully—I always feel they might be some kind of key.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If the Medicine Department truly is a sacred land, then this plaque is definitely extraordinary. The two of you must take good care of it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Tianchou and Mu Qingying nodded in agreement. Then Yuan Tianchou thought of something and said to Gu Qiming: \"Master, Gu Jinfan often goes to the Old Courtyard; she must have gotten a plaque too.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the mention of Gu Jinfan, Gu Qiming's eyes flickered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although they both bore the surname Gu, they were not from the same clan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had noticed that this young lady was rather mysterious—there were many things about her that he could not fathom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her sources of information seemed especially extensive. He hadn't even heard of the matter at Kunlun Mountains, yet she knew about it and had even led the cultivators of the Gu clan there ahead of time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where on earth did she get that information?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This trip to Kunlun Mountains, the Duke Xinguo's mansion will probably return laden with gains.\u003C\u002Fp>",1668,"2026-05-29T04:10:26.746Z","2026-06-01T04:29:08.487Z",1,"deepseek-v4-flash","75cc44a489b437508c25a1c586fed0ac6c8d6b6971f4c8730685a07b257c2b03","the-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin-chapter-93","the-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin-chapter-91",547,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-first-iron-rice-bowl-of-great-jin-cover.jpg"]