Su Xiaoqi gathered from their words that neither of them seemed interested in the throne of Northern Chu.
If that were the case, why had they vied for it in the first place?
Su Xiaoqi had heard that the contention had been quite fierce.
Several of Chu Yu's half-brothers had died in that struggle.
Yu Jing, standing beside them, seemed to sense Su Xiaoqi's thoughts and explained, "If we hadn't fought for it, we wouldn't even have survived."
Initially, she had been drawn to Chu Yu because he was in Daliang, and she thought they could live in seclusion.
However, Chu Yu's brothers had shown no regard for brotherhood and couldn't tolerate him.
They had even sent assassins to kill him while he was in Daliang.
If it weren't for the assassins sent by those people back then, they wouldn't have lost their newborn daughter.
This was a blood feud, and they were determined to settle the score.
Moreover, there had been no turning back at that time.
The only path was to ascend.
But because Chu Yu had no grand ambitions about becoming king, he had only persevered for so many years.
Fortunately, his capabilities were extraordinary, and Yu Jing was no ordinary woman. Under their governance, Northern Chu had fared much better than before, earning widespread acclaim from both the court and the populace.
However, this was what outsiders saw. In reality, for years, besides handling matters of state, the couple's greatest thoughts were about finding their daughter and taking her away from this troublesome place, far from all these responsibilities.
Of course, before they could do that, they had to find a suitable ruler for Northern Chu.
Chu Yunwei had been their desired successor, but unfortunately, he had gone astray and disappointed their hopes.
The current Chu Yunlang might be a possibility, but with Chu Yunwei having preceded him, they dared not place too much hope in this child.
After all, he had not grown up by their side, nor had he been raised by them.
The two of them sighed in unison.
Su Xiaoqi observed them and couldn't help but say, "Father, Mother, why place your hopes in others? Why not have another younger brother and raise him well? Wouldn't that be better than relying on someone else's child?"
At least, it would be their own bloodline.
Chu Yu's face lit up; he thought it was an excellent idea.
But then, as if remembering something, his expression quickly turned somber.
Yu Jing, however, was genuinely pleased. She held Chu Yu's hand in one and Su Xiaoqi's in the other, saying,
"Yu Ge, perhaps we can try. Xiaoqi is an exceptional physician; her medical skills are among the best in Daliang."
As Yu Jing spoke, she placed Chu Yu's wrist under Su Xiaoqi's fingertips, signaling her to take his pulse quickly.
Chu Yu instinctively struggled, not wanting his inadequacies and shortcomings to be exposed again.
He had managed Northern Chu diligently for years, a nearly perfect ruler, but his only failing was in the matter of offspring, where he couldn't achieve perfection.
This was all due to his lack of favor and frequent bullying by his half-brothers in his youth, which had damaged his physical foundation.
Later, he was sent to Daliang as a hostage.
Before meeting Yu Jing, his life could almost be described as worse than that of pigs and dogs.
It was Yu Jing who saved him and helped him.
But his physical foundation was already damaged, and many doctors had been of no use.
He didn't believe that a young girl like Su Xiaoqi, in her early teens, could help him.
So, almost instantaneously, he tried to pull his hand away.
But he couldn't.
Su Xiaoqi had grasped his vital point, and with a gentle squeeze, his wrist felt numb.
He had no choice but to let his hand be held and have his pulse taken for such a trivial matter.
His spirit was despondent, and his face showed no hint of hope.
He had experienced such scenes too many times, and each time they had only led to disappointment.
He thought this time would be no different.
"Hmm, so that's the reason. Father, don't worry, I can cure this illness..."
Before she could finish, Chu Yu looked at her in astonishment.
"You can cure my illness?"
Su Xiaoqi smiled faintly, "Of course, I can."
She didn't tell Chu Yu the exact cause of his illness, letting him believe it was what he assumed.
However, she could indeed cure this illness.
She glanced around. There were no outsiders, only the three of them, a family.
Then, she took out a pill from her sleeve.
"Try my medicine."
Chu Yu took it, half-believing, half-doubting.
Under Yu Jing's encouraging gaze, he frowned and swallowed it.
No matter what, his beloved woman trusted Xiaoqi, so he, as her father, had nothing to doubt.
After taking the medicine, he asked Su Xiaoqi what he needed to do.
Su Xiaoqi said, "From now on, Father's diet needs more attention. Don't let it pass through too many hands."
She hinted.
Chu Yu didn't notice, but Yu Jing understood immediately.
After Chu Yu left to discuss matters with his ministers,
Yu Jing quietly asked Su Xiaoqi, "Was my father's diet drugged?"
Su Xiaoqi nodded, "Someone once gave him a sterility powder that prevents childbirth."
"What..." Yu Jing was furious and slammed the table.
"Can Xiaoqi really cure that medicine?"
Su Xiaoqi nodded, "I saw someone administer that medicine in Daliang. I happened to have prepared a remedy, so I gave it to Father.
Mother, don't worry. This medicine can be cured with three days of continuous dosage."
"Cured in three days? That's good, that's good."
Yu Jing breathed a sigh of relief, but the anger in her heart burned fiercely.
How dare someone try to harm the ruler? Good, very good, then don't blame her for being ruthless.
Yu Jing listened and immediately clapped her hands, calling someone in.
She gave him instructions, and the person immediately responded and went out.
Su Xiaoqi looked at the sky. The sun was already high, and two hours had passed since Shen Yun had gone out.
She couldn't help but worry about Shen Yun.
She wondered how his battle was going.
Would anyone try to harm him from the shadows?
Su Xiaoqi thought about it, and couldn't even eat her meal.
Yu Jing observed her and couldn't help but shake her head, wanting to say something but refraining.
She was too familiar with the feeling Xiaoqi had now.
When Chu Yu went out to do something in the past, she would also be unable to eat or sleep, constantly concerned about his situation.
Therefore, she could understand Su Xiaoqi's feelings at the moment.
However, despite thinking and worrying, she still had to eat.
"Xiaoqi, come, eat some of this roasted lamb leg. It's exceptionally fragrant."
Su Xiaoqi mechanically ate a few bites, finding it a bit greasy, so she asked for the staple food.
Since Yu Jing and Chu Yu had both lived in Daliang, they were accustomed to eating white rice, rather than favoring noodles as others did.
"Mother, you mentioned before that Northern Chu isn't suitable for growing rice. Is it that the harvest is poor, or that it doesn't grow at all?"
"Some have poor harvests; an acre of land yields less than half a shi of grain.
Some simply don't grow at all."
Su Xiaoqi pondered for a moment and then looked at the map of Northern Chu within the tent.
She observed it roughly. Although this world was fictional, the map was similar to modern-day Huaxia.
And the region occupied by Northern Chu was north of the Great Wall and the three northeastern provinces.
In modern times, the black soil of the three northeastern provinces was extremely fertile.
The grain produced there was supplied to all parts of the country, essentially serving as the nation's granary.
There was no such thing as crops not growing.
However, the grains planted in modern times had been improved by various agricultural scientists.
Speaking of which, this was her old profession.
She began to have ideas, "Perhaps they can try the grain seeds I have here."
It was now September, and they could use the wheat seeds from her spatial dimension, which she had improved, to plant.
As long as they could grow them, Northern Chu would no longer have to worry about starving in winter as in the past.
The national strength would also increase to a higher level than before.
Su Xiaoqi thought about it and felt eager to try.
Yu Jing trusted Su Xiaoqi's medical skills, but she wasn't entirely confident about farming.
After all, she didn't understand it herself.
"Mother, why not give it a try? Since the weather is getting cold, they can't herd livestock as they usually do. Why not persuade them to try planting the grain seeds I provide?
If they can grow them, it will be a great thing.
Even if it doesn't work out, it's just a return to the past."
Yu Jing was very accommodating. She naturally believed what her daughter said.
She nodded immediately and said she would personally arrange it.