Reborn as the Blissful Wife in the countryside-Chapter 847: Poisonous?

Lord Lai smiled, but his heart was uneasy as he took the essays handed over by Magistrate Gu. After skimming through them, his smile froze, and he quickly looked at the name in the top left corner, which clearly read Exam Candidate No. 63, Gu Jin’an from Qingfu Town.

Gu Jin’an of Qingfu Town, truly the Gu Jin’an that Youlu mentioned!

Lord Lai’s vision darkened, almost fainting, and County Magistrate Zheng hurried to support him, saying, "Lord Lai, are you alright?"

Magistrate Gu furrowed his brows and said to Lord Lai, "If Lord Lai is not feeling well, you may take leave and rest at home for a while. Don’t overexert yourself."

Judge Tang remained silent, but in his mind, he thought, "At such an old age, still cleaning up the mess for the Old Gu Family every day, how could his health be good?"

Lord Lai hurriedly replied, "Thank you for your concern, sir. I am not seriously ill, just did not sleep well last night and feel a bit fatigued."

Ever since the incident with Cheng Xian and the others, the Tong Vice Magistrate had been under scrutiny, and his reputation suffered as well. Although Magistrate Gu treated him well as always, that was out of respect for that noble behind him. If he brazenly took leave, he might as well stop being an official.

Magistrate Gu smiled and said, "It’s good to hear you are alright."

He then asked him, "What do you think of this essay?"

Lord Lai replied, "It’s truly a rare piece in a decade. Previously, when discussing agricultural theories, candidates either wrote about developing water conservancy or improving fertilization and farming methods. But writing about processing leaves into food, this is the first time I’ve seen such a thing."

However...

"No one has eaten this konjac or pigeon leaf; are they safe? We mustn’t let them cause any trouble!"

This question was damning because if these two items caused any problems, Gu Jin’an would not only lose his top scorer title but also be executed!

County Magistrate Zheng laughed and said, "Rest assured, Lord Lai. I’ve had konjac tofu and pigeon leaf tofu, and they fill the stomach without using a single grain of food. They taste excellent and cause no discomfort."

Lord Lai asked with a smile, "When did County Magistrate Zheng eat them? Just because something tasted fine after one or two times doesn’t prove it’s non-toxic. At least ten days to half a month, then have a doctor examine for toxins, ensuring no harm to the body before presenting it to the court."

County Magistrate Zheng wasn’t foolish. Hearing these words, he knew Lord Lai was deliberately nitpicking.

He was a collateral branch of Ms. Zheng’s family, backed by the main branch. Although aware that Lord Lai’s position as He’an Prefecture Tong Vice Magistrate was due to noble support, County Magistrate Zheng wasn’t afraid. Pointing to a paragraph written in the essay, he said, "Lord Lai, please look here. Gu Jin’an wrote that when they discovered konjac and pigeon leaf in the mountains, they took these items to a clinic to have a doctor examine them, confirming they were non-toxic before using them as food."

"And although this article was only written during the county examination, his family has been eating konjac tofu and pigeon leaf tofu since last year."

County Magistrate Zheng feared Lord Lai would continue nitpicking and said again, "Futai Building once sold a type of green tofu, which was pigeon leaf tofu. Guests at Futai Building, and guests at Yanfu Building in Qingfu Town, have eaten it, all without incident."

He added, addressing Magistrate Gu, "However, konjac tofu and pigeon leaf tofu aren’t sold frequently, only for about half a month. After half a month, both restaurants stopped selling them. Gu Jin’an said it’s because his family lacks manpower; no one goes up the mountain to pick leaves. Moreover, he intends to offer these recipes to the government, so it’s inappropriate to sell them in restaurants."

See what a good young man he is, offering such rare recipes to the government, County Magistrate Zheng felt moved just by speaking about it.

Great Chu is blessed with such promising youth.

Lord Lai was rendered speechless, but he was unwilling to let Gu Jin’an become renowned so easily, so he said to Magistrate Gu, "Sir, forgive me for being overly suspicious, but when it comes to food, we must exercise utmost caution. Otherwise, presenting it to the Capital without thorough investigation could cost us dearly."

Magistrate Gu furrowed his brows, looked at County Magistrate Zheng, and asked, "What does Lord Zheng think?"

County Magistrate Zheng said, "Lord Lai is right; the food should be treated with caution. I request the sir to let two miscellaneous soldiers from Tianfu County Government personally prepare these foods for the lord. We shall make them, eat them, and then have a doctor test for toxins. How about that?"

Magistrate Gu nodded, "Alright."

Gu Jin’an was efficient. Knowing the County Magistrate needed to report about the food to the Prefecture, he had Zezi and Da Tuan drive a mule cart to deliver ten baskets of konjac and ten bags of pigeon leaves to the county government.

County Magistrate Zheng brought all these items, and seeing the magistrate agree, immediately instructed two miscellaneous soldiers to carry the items over to make konjac tofu and pigeon leaf tofu on the spot for the magistrate.

The two miscellaneous soldiers had learned how to make them from Gu Jin’an. Swift in their actions, they prepared the pigeon leaf tofu within four hours.

Pigeon leaf tofu, vibrant green in color, was cut into small pieces, arranged on porcelain plates, and drizzled with sugar syrup or savory seasoning sauce. Just looking at it made one’s mouth water.

County Magistrate Zheng was the first to taste a piece, and after proving it non-toxic, he said to the other officials, "Gentlemen, please."

Magistrate Gu saw the beautiful pigeon leaf tofu and immediately picked up his chopsticks to eat, but was stopped by Lord Lai.

"Sir, hold on. Some food toxins don’t manifest quickly. You should wait and avoid taking risks as the honor of a prefecture."

Magistrate Gu had tolerated Lord Lai for too long. Was this Lord Lai blind? Could he not see he wanted to use these two items to make meritorious achievements and get promoted?

He was delighted, yet Lord Lai kept insisting these two items shouldn’t be eaten, claiming they were poisonous. Poisonous, what poison? You’re envious of this magistrate’s achievements and promotions, aren’t you?

If it weren’t for the noble backing Lord Lai, Magistrate Gu would have flipped out now.

Magistrate Gu said calmly, "Lord Lai is overthinking. Since Lord Zheng ate it without issue, would this magistrate suffer any harm from eating it?"

Lord Lai wasn’t foolish, sensing the displeasure in Magistrate Gu’s words, and dared not stop him.

Magistrate Gu picked up a chopstick of pigeon leaf tofu, tasted it, and sighed, "The taste is indeed excellent. Paired with this jade-like color, calling it immortal tofu wouldn’t be an exaggeration."

Judge Tang also ate and sighed, "The magistrate speaks truly. This pigeon leaf tofu is indeed both visually appealing and delicious. Eating it is quite filling and could serve as a staple food."

He added, "Plus, the pigeon leaves used to make the tofu grow on mountains, not occupying farmland. The commoners can pick them during their season each year to make tofu. Once the pigeon leaves are consumed, it could save two months of grain for their households. Truly a beneficial thing for both the nation and the people!"

He’an Prefecture is in Jianghuai, which is considered affluent. But the Northwest, Central Plains, and Northeast regions are bitterly cold, and people often starve to death throughout the year.

If these two foods were available, they could save people’s lives!