Chapter 369: Nourishing Elixir

Chapter 369: Nourishing Elixir

"Is Lord Meng troubled by the handling of these people?"

Meng Haining gave a bitter smile and nodded. "After all, they are ordinary civilians. Unlike soldiers, we can't negotiate with the barbarian emperor to exchange goods for their release.

Given the current situation of the barbarians, their emperor would rather see more civilians die to save on food supplies."

Hu Cong could not deny this point.

He had come here to find a solution to help alleviate Meng Haining's worries.

"I do have an idea, though it's not fully formed. Shall I share it with you, Lord Meng?"

Meng Haining was indeed troubled by this matter and eagerly asked, "Brother Hu, what is your suggestion?"

Hu Cong said somewhat embarrassedly, "Lord Meng must have heard that when I was in Imperial City, I had my own construction team."

Hearing this, Meng Haining seemed to understand something.

"Brother Hu, do you mean to hire these people as workers for your construction team?"

Hu Cong nodded. "I do have such an idea. Looking at these people, they are all skin and bones; life under the barbarians must have been hard.

In about a month, the construction here will be mostly complete. I plan to make construction my livelihood, so having a dedicated team is essential."

Meng Haining was familiar with Hu Cong's background and knew many details about him.

However, he couldn't understand why Hu Cong would choose these unknown barbarians instead of the citizens of Great Shun.

"Brother Hu, wouldn't it be better to hire citizens of Great Shun for your construction team?"

Hu Cong smiled and continued explaining, "I do intend to hire citizens of Great Shun. Among those currently building houses for the Mo family, some are already on my radar.

I am quite strict, and only those who meet my standards will join my team.

Moreover, the house designs I am using now were provided by Lady Mo Jiu. She trusts me enough to give me such excellent designs, and I must ensure they don't fall into the wrong hands.

Hiring these barbarians does carry the risk of leaks, but Lord Meng may not know that I recently discussed this with Lady Mo Jiu and asked her to help develop a pill.

This pill is not highly toxic but requires regular doses of an antidote to maintain its effect. This way, I can ensure their loyalty."

Hu Cong did not elaborate on the specifics of the pill to Meng Haining.

Initially, he had approached He Zhiran to collaborate on the construction of the courtyard houses to earn money together.

After several discussions, they reached an agreement to split the profits equally.

With money to be made, He Zhiran had no reason to oppose, and she never intended to keep the courtyard house designs secret.

Since Hu Cong was willing, she was happy to share the profits while fulfilling his request.

Of course, they also discussed the issue of the construction team.

Ultimately, it was He Zhiran who came up with this unconventional idea.

She could indeed create a pill that required regular antidotes, but as a modern soul, she didn't want to control ordinary people through such means.

Therefore, she developed a long-lasting laxative.

This pill has no harmful effects on the body, and as the name suggests, its duration is one hundred days.

Once someone takes this pill, if they don't take the second dose after a hundred days, they will experience mild abdominal pain for the first two days, followed by diarrhea on the third day.

After several episodes of diarrhea, all toxins will be expelled from the body.

Furthermore, He Zhiran added detoxifying components to the pill, which not only does not harm the user but also helps expel accumulated toxins from their body.

In essence, this is not a poison but a rare nourishing elixir.

However, the users would not realize this and would assume they were dying without the next dose.

With this pill, Hu Cong was confident that his workers would remain loyal.

Meng Haining was already troubled by the issue of these barbarians, and while Hu Cong's solution wasn't perfect, it was better than nothing.

"Brother Hu, whether they are citizens of Great Shun or barbarians, it's good that they can work for you, but please ensure their health is not harmed."

As a local official, he prioritized the well-being of the people.

Meng Haining would never support anything that would harm them for personal gain.

Hu Cong understood Meng Haining's concern for the people and quickly reassured him, "Lord Meng, rest assured, Lady Mo Jiu is very capable in creating medicines."

Meng Haining genuinely trusted He Zhiran, and hearing that the medicine was her creation gave him peace of mind.

"Very well, Brother Hu, arrange it once these people wake up."

Seeing Meng Haining's agreement, Hu Cong cleared his throat lightly.

"Cough... cough... Lord Meng, I need at most fifty people."

Meng Haining was taken aback. There were at least three or four hundred living barbarians before him, and if Hu Cong could only take fifty, it didn't solve the problem.

Seeing Meng Haining's expression, Hu Cong guessed his thoughts.

"Lord Meng, rest assured. Even if I cannot accommodate more people, there are other ways to handle the situation."

Meng Haining raised an eyebrow. "Brother Hu, do you have any good ideas?"

"I understand what Lord Meng means. It's simply that he feels reluctant to let these people go so easily, but they are commoners and cannot be killed."

Meng Haining nodded repeatedly. "That is indeed the case."

Hu Cong continued, "I don't think all these barbarians are evil-doers. If they had enough food, who would willingly resort to robbery? Later, when they wake up, if Lord Meng trusts me, please allow me to handle them."

Meng Haining was unsure of Hu Cong's plan. As long as these people could be sent away smoothly and not return again, he would be at ease.

"Alright, I'll leave it to Brother Hu."

Meng Haining had no doubt about Hu Cong's capabilities. After all, someone who had served in the government for many years must have some skills.

The effects of He Zhiran's sedative were not long-lasting, and the unconscious barbarians began to wake up after about an hour.

Upon waking, the barbarians were completely bewildered, not knowing what had happened, and they were all tied up with their own belts.

Meng Haining had already entrusted everything to Hu Cong, so he did not react at all.

The officials who had just arrived stood by Meng Haining's side, ready to act only upon his command.

Understanding Meng Haining's intentions, Hu Cong strode forward to face the group.

He pointed to those who were not sedated and said, "Explain to them what happened."

It would be much clearer if explained by their own people.