Chapter 356 Full of Suspicion

“Is he still frequenting that kind of place? Didn’t the queen reprimand him?”

Long Tianyu was a little perplexed. To him, the Crown Prince may be willful at times, but he should not be so muddle-headed.

The Crown Prince knew best what the situation was like. If he was lucky, he would have a meteoric rise and ascend the throne. He would be courting destruction if he lingered about at courtesan houses.

“How could the queen restrain him? I heard that there are two very beautiful ladies in Bright Moon Courtesan House, who became the queens of flowers. One of them is Qi Xia. Not only is she devastatingly beautiful, but she is also educated and considerate. The Crown Prince could not put her out of his mind, after meeting her for the first time. They quickly became close. What was even more unexpected was that shortly after, Qi Xia was carrying the Crown Prince’s child.”

There was a mocking tone in Long Qinghan’s words.

Not to mention the women from courtesan houses, even women from families with a good reputation but little power, who enter the royal family were like rovers. There was no security for them.

If not for Concubine De’s sympathy and love, Long Tianyu’s mother and even Long Tianyu himself, would have been thrown into limbo and perished.

How ridiculous that the Crown Prince was having a child with a courtesan now.

Not only did the queen not stop him, but she even turned a blind eye in to his irresponsible acts.

What were they thinking of?

“Perhaps it’s because the Crown Prince is still childless. Although he has many concubines and vice Princesses in his mansion, he does not have a son yet. I suppose the queen is getting anxious.”

However, even as Long Tianyu said these words, he could hardly believe what he was suggesting.

Given that the queen was such a calculating and scheming person, it was surprising that she did not try to stop the Crown Prince’s rash actions, but had merely tried to salvage the outcome of the situation.

If this went on, more people in the court would raise their dissatisfaction with the Crown Prince, and would ask for him to step down.

If the queen wished to keep the position of the Crown Prince for her son, she had to think of some solutions. However, it appeared that the queen was intentionally condoning the Crown Prince’s behavior.

“Third Elder Brother, do you think it’s possible that the queen is grooming another prince from the imperial harem to take over the position of the Crown Prince.”

Long Qinghan finally said this unhurriedly, after pondering for a while.

This was quite common in the past dynasties, but it was not the same in this dynasty. There was no need to even mention that his father, the emperor, already had many accomplished sons, who had come of age at the moment.

The queen could not simply replace the Crown Prince by abusing her power.

“I think that is unlikely. The Crown Prince has been carefully groomed since a young age. Everyone can see that the queen has high expectations for the Crown Prince. It’s not just a mother’s love for her son. If it were another person, the queen won’t be able to work through him.

At the thought of the queen, Long Tianyu could not help thinking about his mother, who had been missing in action for a few days now.

Although he was certain that the woman in the Art Courtyard was not his birth mother, he could not stop worrying about his mother’s whereabouts.

“No matter what, as long as I settle the affairs regarding the Ministry of War, the situation would be favorable to us. Don’t wear yourself out by being overly worried, Third Elder Brother.”

The Crown Prince had indeed made a calculated move. Third Elder Brother would have fulfilled his basic duty by going out to check on the spring plowing. On the other hand, if Third Elder Brother did not handle this well, the Crown Prince would seize the opportunity to take over the Ministry of War.

“Since the Crown Prince already has a plan, do you think it’ll be easy for your man to take over the affairs of the Ministry of War?”

Long Qinghan said this with a somber expression. It was not because he doubted his brother’s judgment, but rather due to the situation being rather urgent.

At this moment, an enigmatic light flashed across Long Tianyu’s dark eyes.

“This person I’ve sought out is not your regular man. I’ve already given this chance to him. If he does not seize this opportunity, it only means I’ve misjudged his capability.”

Seeing that Long Tianyu was keeping him in suspense, he could not help, but be worried and anxious.

Under Third Elder Brother’s charge, the Ministry of War did well.

Affairs regarding military power were sensitive issues. Despite the fact that Third Elder Brother was not eyeing the throne, many restrictions were imposed on Third Elder Brother within the Ministry of War.

If those people veered towards the Crown Prince now, the man whom Third Elder Brother appointed to take over from him, would be facing much hinderance.

He could only count on the words of Third Elder Brother, and hope that the candidate handpicked by him, would not disappoint them.

While the men discussed military affairs, the atmosphere in Liuxin Courtyard was not much more relaxed.

Lin Mengya was staring at the herbs before her. With the help of the Shen Nung System, analyzing the functions of the herbs had become much easier.

Nevertheless, she could not find the herb that was able to replace the Tranquil Lotus, even after using three different methods.

Was there really no solution to this?

Qiu Yu, who was flipping through the medical books beside her, was secretly surprised.

He had thought that Lin Mengya was only good in the art of needle control. He had never expected that her knowledge and skill in using poison would far surpass his.

After all, he was a genius who had been immersed in the knowledge of medicine since young. Frankly, only a handful of physicians in the entire Court of Imperial Physicians could surpass him.

It came as a surprise that a young woman like Lin Mengya, could have given him such a big blow.

As the saying goes, ‘constantly comparing oneself to others will only make one angry.’

“Sigh, I didn’t think this would be so difficult”

Lin Mengya sighed.

None of the well-preserved herbs lying in front of her were comparable to the Tranquil Lotus, in terms of their efficacy.

What was she to do?

Did she have to offer the emperor something inferior, given the circumstance?

It would not be a big deal if the herbs turned out to be less effective, what was more serious was if the emperor’s condition turned worse, or if it missed the window of opportunity for healing.

“Your prescription is unique, so I believe you will find the solution to the poison.”

Qiu Yu comforted Lin Mengya and gave her a gentle smile.

While they were running short of time, they were thankful that Lin Mengya’s excellent medical skills had provided them with a variety of solutions.

“Although these medicinal herbs can be used to neutralize the poison in the emperor’s body, what we are missing is the herb called Tranquil Lotus. I’ve tried many of the herbs, and there is no way they can replace the Tranquil Lotus.”

Qiu Yu almost jumped up in surprise at the mention of Tranquil Lotus.

This herb was one that was cultivated using his family’s secret recipe.

In the world, there were many herbs that may appear common and each had its limitations. Some were extremely difficult to produce, if the method used to cultivate them was not right.

“Do you really need this herb? I heard that this herb is scarce in the entire Dajin. Where did you hear of this herb, by the way?”

Suspiciously, Qiu Yu asked this, as a way of testing her, as he continued flipping through the medical books.

Although he had been in the Court of the Imperial Physicians for a long time, he had not come across any records of the Tranquil Lotus in the common medical books in the market.

Even if someone were to know about it, few would have put it into a prescription.

“I— I’ve seen it in a medical book.”

Guilt flashed across Lin Mengya’s eyes, as she answered.

She could have easily fooled those without any medical knowledge, but before Qiu Yu, she was obviously dwarfed by him, an expert in medicine.

She could not possibly reveal to him that she possessed the Sheng Nung System, which was a form of cheating right?

“Medical book? Which medical book? Where have you seen that book?”

Lin Mengya was at a loss to answer Qiu Yu’s relentless questioning.

In reality, she had not read many medical books. She had relied mostly on the Shen Nung System to scan the pages of the medical books she read, as she was too lazy to really read through them.

A moment ago, she had just used the word search and to her embarrassment, there was no mention of Tranquil Lotus in any of the books.

If she spouted nonsense, she was sure Qiu Yu could expose her lies within a minute.

“Er... actually, I saw the write up of the herb in one of the medical books passed down to me by my mother. As you know, my mother was a well-known physician in the capital city, so I’ve inherited some of her books.”

She was obviously lying. The current Lin Mengya, not even the real Lin Mengya in the past, had any memory of her birth mother.

If not for the fact that her mother was no longer around, she would not have ended up in her current pitiful state.

However, Qiu Yu became agitated, and she did not see this coming.

Qiu Yu grabbed her arm forcefully and said in a severe tone,

“No wonder I feel that your prescription was one of a kind, and that you really were different in your perception. It makes sense now that you are your mother’s successor. Remember, the medical books passed down by your mother are extremely precious. Don’t reveal to anyone that you are in possession of your mother’s medical books.”

Lin Mengya instinctively nodded. Her eyes opened wide in puzzlement.

Medical books? What medical books was he talking about?

Didn’t Qiu Yu come to the capital city for the examination to get into the Court of Imperial Physicians just a few years ago? How would he know that Lin Mengya’s birth mother was the most well-known physician in the capital city?

“Alright, I get it. I think it would be wise to continue searching for the herb that can replace the Tranquil Lotus.”

What Lin Mengya wanted was to end this topic of discussion as soon as possible.

She would be exposed, if he continued questioning her.

“There is no need to continue. I have the Tranquil Lotus at my house. Although there is not a lot, it’s sufficient for your use!”

As Qiu Yu blurted this out excitedly, Lin Mengya simply looked at him and smiled in embarrassment.

“How is it possible for you to cultivate Tranquil Lotus in your house, given that it is extremely difficult to do so?”

Lin Mengya asked him doubtfully. There was no suitable soil in the entire Dajin to cultivate the Tranquil Lotus, not to mention the capital city.

“That’s because I have a small garden in my house which is specially reserved to cultivate rare herbs from all over the world. This skill is exclusive to my family for generations. I can teach you a thing or two in the future, if there is a chance.”

Qiu Yu’s words surprised Lin Mengya and lifted her spirits.

The ability to cultivate herbs was a much sought after skill for every medical apprentice.

Lin Mengya nodded vigorously. She would definitely acquire the skill once she found time to do so.

Thereafter, she would develop a small garden in Sanjue Hall for cultivating rare and precious herbs. That way, wouldn’t her family’s net worth increase exponentially?

By then, Sanjue Hall would be earning more and more silver and she would get the profits!historical