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On the outskirts of the capital, there was a river named Yuanjiang River. The water of this river was crystal clear, teeming with fish, and surrounded by picturesque mountains and scenery, making it exquisitely beautiful.

Along the river, there were more than a dozen artificially excavated streams. These man-made streams, shaped in semi-circles and embedded along the riverbank, resembled ears. These streams were where merchants cultivate pearls.

Farms had been built according to the terrain of the river, creating a unique landscape when viewed from above.

Among these, the Zhou family’s farm was the largest, with a man-made stream four meters wide and over five hundred meters long, housing thousands of river oysters. These oysters were carefully tended to by the workers every day, making it one of the Zhou family’s most profitable businesses.

Upon seeing the head of the family, the gatekeeper immediately greeted him eagerly, “Master.”

Zhou Xiangfu dismounted, “Notify the manager to come and see me.”

The gatekeeper quickly complied, “Yes, Master.”

As they were talking, Chu Qingzhi also dismounted. She looked around and saw that the environment was beautiful, with fresh air, making it a very pleasant place.

Zhou Xiangfu courteously approached Chu Qingzhi, “Miss Chu, please come in.”

Chu Qingzhi nodded and followed Zhou Xiangfu into the farm.

The artificial streams were spread throughout the farm. Not long after entering, Chu Qingzhi saw a clear stream flowing slowly, with its riverbed covered in lush green river grass. The river oysters were placed on the grass, opening their mouths to feed.

Some workers by the river were collecting dead river oysters into a barrel, preparing to harvest the pearls.

Suddenly, someone shouted “Master,” and everyone turned to look, “Master.”

Zhou Xiangfu gestured for them to continue their work and then led Chu Qingzhi to the river, “Miss Chu, could you please check why these oysters are dying?”

Chu Qingzhi picked a dead oyster from the barrel, “Where do you open the oysters? If we open these oysters, it will be easier to see the cause of their condition.”

Zhou Xiangfu immediately said, “Take these oysters to be opened.”

“Yes.” The worker hurriedly picked up the barrel and went to the place where the oysters were opened, with Chu Qingzhi and Zhou Xiangfu following.

At this moment, the manager, informed by the worker, hurried over, “Master, why did you come so suddenly?”

“I’ve brought a divine doctor to examine the oysters,” Zhou Xiangfu added, “From now on, collect all the pearls that cannot be polished into jewelry. 1 will send someone to collect them regularly.”

The manager quickly agreed.

The worker opened each dead oyster, revealing many small pearls, causing Zhou Xiangfu to feel pained at the loss; if these had grown to maturity, they would have sold for so much money!

Chu Qingzhi put on gloves from her bag, crouched down, and began examining the cause of death for the oysters.

After checking a few, she understood the issue.

Judging by the flesh color of the dead oysters, they were killed by external parasites.

She asked, “Did the workers recently add a new batch of oysters to the river?”

Zhou Xiangfu quickly asked the manager, “Is that so?”

The manager, sweating profusely and nervous, replied, “Yes, every time after we harvest the oysters, we add a new batch. Otherwise, we won’t have mature pearls in time.”

Chu Qingzhi explained, “The bodies of the oysters were carrying a large number of parasites. The newly added oysters brought in new parasites, mixing with the original oysters, which couldn’t adapt, leading to their death.”

Zhou Xiangfu inwardly admired Chu Qingzhi’s skills. Several doctors with good medical knowledge had failed to diagnose the issue, yet Chu Qingzhi identified the problem after examining just a few oysters. He felt the need to establish a good relationship with her.

He said, “But this isn’t the first time we’ve introduced new oysters. Why didn’t this issue arise before?”

“The new oysters you introduced this time came from a different source than the ones before.”

Zhou Xiangfu turned his sharp gaze toward the manager.

The manager knelt down with a thud, “Master, it’s my fault. 1 sought cheap options and took in some oysters of unknown origin, not realizing it would lead to such serious consequences.”

Zhou Xiangfu took a deep breath, deciding to settle accounts later. The priority was to save the remaining oysters, “Miss Chu, is there any way to save the remaining oysters? If not, we’ll face a huge loss.”

Chu Qingzhi replied, “Where’s the study? 1’11 write you a prescription. Follow the instructions, and the remaining oysters can be saved.”

When Zhou Xiangfu heard this, he immediately heaved a sigh of relief. “Miss Chu, this way please.”

The manager felt a sense of relief like being pulled back from the edge of a cliff. There was a way to save the situation, and he might avoid severe punishment.

Miss Chu was simply a Bodhisattva who saved people from suffering.

He quickly got up and followed them to the study. He would try to redeem himself later.

In the study, Chu Qingzhi wrote a detailed prescription, “Follow this treatment, and from tomorrow, no more oysters should die inexplicably.”

Zhou Xiangfu received the prescription, looked at it, and handed it to the manager, “Hurry and get these medicines. If there are more mistakes, you’ll compensate for all the losses.”

“I won’t, I won’t. I’ll definitely do my job well.” The manager took the prescription and scurried away to get the medicine.

Zhou Xiangfu gratefully bowed to Chu Qingzhi, “Thank you, Miss Chu,” and handed her a hundred taels of silver.

Chu Qingzhi accepted the silver and then said, “Master Zhou, could you do me a favor?”

“Please speak, Miss Chu.”

“1 need two people to help me collect river crabs.” Seeing the abundant and plump river crabs along the river, Chu Qingzhi couldn’t pass them up.

“That’s fine. 1’11 arrange for it right away. But can you eat those?” Zhou Xiangfu asked in confusion.

Don’t they eat crabs in this era?

Chu Qingzhi probed, “Have you never eaten river crab meat?”

Zhou Xiangfu asked in confusion, “The crabs are covered in hard shells. Do they have meat?”

It seemed that people in this era, apart from fish, were not familiar with other river delicacies, “Yes, they do, though it’s not much.”

Zhou Xiangfu still could not accept the idea of eating river crabs, but it did not stop him from helping. “I’ll get someone to help Miss Chu pick up river crabs immediately.”

“Thank you.”

After a while, workers collected four full barrels of river crabs for Chu Qingzhi, which she took back to the city in a carriage.

In the imperial study.

The young Emperor, holding his forehead, looked very troubled, “Minister Tang, please help me think of a solution.”

The time for the triennial selection of consorts had arrived again. The Emperor only wanted to be with the Empress and had no interest in taking more consorts. However, court officials were persistently advising the Emperor to select new consorts.

The Emperor, struggling to oppose the collective opinion of the civil and military officials, felt extremely weary.

Tang Jinghong was also helpless. “Your Majesty, I can’t think of a good solution.”

Suddenly, the Emperor thought of someone, lowered his hand, and looked directly at Tang Jinghong, “Why don’t you ask Chu Qingzhi? If she can help me solve this problem, I’ll reward her with a hundred acres of good land..”