[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl":3,"chapter-the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-92":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Great Jin's Most Iron Rice Bowl",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1896866,2531,"Chapter 92","the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-92",92,"\u003Cp>Although Ding Peng, the Embroidered Uniform Guard's Vice Commissioner, held only a rank of Junior Third Grade, Gu Qiming, the Director of the Medicine Bureau who held the Senior Third Grade, still gave him sufficient face by personally escorting him out of the bureau's main gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only after watching Ding Peng depart into the distance did Gu Qiming turn back with a solemn expression; upon reaching the front of the Medicine Bureau building, he did not enter directly but continued walking to the street corner, where he stood silently gazing at the square behind Ninth Street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even from such a great distance, he immediately spotted the stone cauldron in the square and the dilapidated courtyard situated behind it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Master.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Master.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing two disciples approaching from Second Street, Gu Qiming pulled himself from his thoughts and looked at them: \"Why have you come at this hour?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Tianchou and Mu Qingying first bowed to Gu Qiming, after which Lu Zimo spoke: \"Disciple and Junior Sister encountered several passages in the Medicine Ancestor's Notes that we did not understand, so we have come specifically to ask Master for instruction.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qiming hummed in acknowledgment, turned toward the Medicine Bureau building, and gestured for the two disciples to follow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Tianchou hurried to keep pace: \"Master, I heard that members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard have come to the Medicine Bureau again; is this regarding the theft of the elixirs some time ago?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qiming nodded: \"This master has already sent them away.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Tianchou asked: \"Have all the stolen elixirs been recovered?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qiming shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Tianchou looked surprised: \"The elixirs were not fully recovered, yet the Embroidered Uniform Guard simply left?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mu Qingying, who had remained silent until now, glanced at the taciturn Gu Qiming and spoke: \"Master, do you not wish for the Embroidered Uniform Guard to continue their investigation?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only after bringing his two disciples back to his office did Gu Qiming say coldly and sharply: \"Over a hundred people were seized from the Apprentice Hall; I checked, and they were all individuals with no background whatsoever.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Embroidered Uniform Guard knows clearly that they have no connection to Leng Xiangru, yet they took them away anyway; what do you think is the reason for this?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Tianchou and Mu Qingying exchanged a glance but neither spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Tianchou's father served as the Director of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau; although the rank was not high, the Yuan family was an established clan of note in the capital, having existed there for countless generations even before the Great Jin Dynasty was founded and established its capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, the Yuan family's sources of information were quite extensive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Tianchou could see the suppressed fury in Gu Qiming's eyes; regarding the recent calamity at the Apprentice Hall, he knew the true cause behind it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His father possessed the Art of Observing Qi and, as early as the year before last, had seen from the Star-Gazing Tower that the sky above the Medicine Bureau was shrouded in auspicious clouds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His father had reported this matter to the court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Initially, the court paid little attention, and the nobles merely inserted a few people casually as a formality, mostly placing them in the Apprentice Hall and the Disciple Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, after September of last year, the nobles suddenly began to take the Medicine Bureau seriously, all fixing their sights on the apothecaries of Ninth Street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In recent months, every faction has mobilized, all inserting their own personnel into Ninth Street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the competition was so fierce, those with weaker influence turned their attention to the Disciple Hall and the Apprentice Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the stolen elixirs were found in the Apprentice Hall, and since the thief Leng Xiangru had already been identified, punishing the person in charge of the Apprentice Hall should have sufficed; yet someone exerted pressure on the Embroidered Uniform Guard, resulting in the arrest of over a hundred apprentices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With over a hundred apprentices taken away, the various factions could begin inserting their own people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qiming felt indignant in his heart: \"If we allow the Embroidered Uniform Guard to continue their investigation, not only will the Apprentice Hall be filled with panic, but the Laborer Hall will also be turned upside down by them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mu Qingying was a mountain dweller from the outskirts of the capital; possessing a Wood Spiritual Root, she had felt an affinity for plants and trees since childhood, and by following a mediocre itinerant physician and studying on her own, she had somehow mastered a full set of medical skills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qiming discovered her while gathering herbs in the mountains, accepted her as a disciple, and brought her back to the Medicine Bureau; today, she has become a qualified alchemist capable of refining Grandmaster-grade elixirs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Limited by her narrow horizon, Mu Qingying was often baffled by the intricate twists and turns of court politics: \"Master, could it be that someone also wants to insert people into the Laborer Hall? That hall is reserved for heavy and exhausting labor.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qiming's eyes gleamed with a cold light: \"Someone with malicious intent is secretly spreading rumors that the Medicine Bureau is a sacred land.\" Saying this, he looked at his two disciples.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Cultivators cannot survive without elixirs; if the Medicine Bureau is a sacred land, what could it be but a sacred land of alchemy?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Every family wants to establish a foothold and cultivate their own alchemists; serving as a laborer in the Laborer Hall may be humble, but for them, entering the field first is the most important thing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mu Qingying asked: \"If that is the case, why did the people of the Embroidered Uniform Guard leave? Why did they not search the Laborer Hall?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Tianchou had guessed part of the answer to this question; looking at Gu Qiming, he said: \"Master, is it because of that female laborer who dared to fight the Embroidered Uniform Guard?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qiming did not wish for his two disciples to know only how to refine elixirs, so he did not hide the truth from them: \"Although that female laborer is a cultivator, she is clearly insignificant in the eyes of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What truly gives the Embroidered Uniform Guard pause is the person standing behind that female laborer.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mu Qingying listened in confusion: \"If that female laborer has a background that makes the Embroidered Uniform Guard hesitate, why would she still work as a laborer?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qiming replied: \"Her origin is too poor; she does not even know what resources she possesses. Hua Changxi, the direct disciple of the Taosu Sect's Sect Master, is that female laborer's younger sister, yet neither she nor her family knows this.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mu Qingying's face filled with astonishment: \"Hua Changxi, the Green Lotus Fairy of the Taosu Sect?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Tianchou looked as if sudden realization dawned on him: \"Not only is the Green Lotus Fairy inseparable from the Sixth Imperial Prince, but she also maintains close ties with the heir of the Prince of Dong'an; furthermore, the other direct disciples of the Taosu Sect all have significant backgrounds.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"With such powerful backers, it is no wonder the Embroidered Uniform Guard dared not touch that female laborer.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saying this, Yuan Tianchou looked at Gu Qiming: \"Master, I heard that the female laborer is bold and unafraid of trouble; let her remain in the Laborer Hall. With her there, it should make certain people hesitate at least somewhat.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qiming looked at Yuan Tianchou with satisfaction; indeed, this was his thinking. Having factions eye the Laborer Hall was not his greatest worry; what troubled him most was that someone had set their sights on the Old Courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"By the way, did you two go to pay respects to the elder in the Old Courtyard at the square, as I previously instructed?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Tianchou and Mu Qingying nodded: \"We went.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mu Qingying said: \"Master, that Old Courtyard is extremely strange; the gate can only be pushed open a crack, making it difficult even to enter. The elder living inside is also odd; no matter what my Senior Brother or I said, he ignored us completely.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qiming asked: \"Did that elder ask you to retrieve the wooden plaque hanging beneath the eaves?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Tianchou replied: \"Yes; it took this disciple great effort to take it down, whereas Junior Sister retrieved hers with ease.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing this, Gu Qiming's expression stiffened: \"Show me your wooden plaques.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without hesitation, Yuan Tianchou and Mu Qingying removed the wooden plaques from their waists and handed them to Gu Qiming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qiming held them in his hands to examine them, then rose and walked to the bookshelf, where he took down a wooden box.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Opening the box revealed another wooden plaque inside, identical to the ones Yuan Tianchou and Mu Qingying had obtained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When this master first entered the Medicine Bureau, I also visited the Old Courtyard and received such a wooden plaque.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both Yuan Tianchou and Mu Qingying felt greatly astonished: \"Master, what is this wooden plaque used for?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Qiming shook his head: \"This master does not know either.\" Saying this, he returned their plaques to them: \"Keep these plaques and study them carefully; I always feel they are some kind of key.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If the Medicine Bureau truly is a sacred land, then this wooden plaque must be extraordinary. You two must guard them well.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Tianchou and Mu Qingying nodded in agreement; then, thinking of something, Yuan Tianchou said to Gu Qiming: \"Master, Gu Jinfan often visits the Old Courtyard; she must have received a wooden plaque as well.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Speaking of Gu Jinfan, a flicker passed through Gu Qiming's eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although they both bore the surname Gu, they did not belong to the same clan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He found this young lady somewhat mysterious; on many matters, he simply could not fathom her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her sources seemed exceptionally well-informed; he had not even heard news of Mount Kunlun, yet she knew of it and had already led cultivators of the Gu clan there in advance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wondered just where she had obtained such information.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this expedition to Mount Kunlun, the Duke Prefecture of Xin was likely to return fully laden.\u003C\u002Fp>",1701,"2026-06-12T02:51:22.172Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","046af93564e7720561c0e0ae24639c21287b1868e9d8406b6ffb3cea895a2e8a","the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-93","the-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-chapter-91",558,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-great-jin-s-most-iron-rice-bowl-cover.jpg"]