Pei Zhiyuan glanced at the last red gauze bag on the ground and asked, "Where are you going to put this one?"

Shen Xu raised the corner of his lips slightly and asked, "Where do you think it should be placed, Master Pei?"

Pei Zhiyuan looked at the slightly smug expression on her face. He had actually checked those red gauze bags when he was transporting them, and there were no Dzi beads inside. So, the Dzi beads must have been hidden by Chen Xu, or the last bag contained the Dzi beads.

"Whatever you say."

"I'll leave this to the Imperial Master." The corners of her mouth rose more and more obviously, and she seemed confident.

Pei Zhiyuan simply asked, "Are there Dzi beads in here?"

Chen Xu opened a corner of the cloth bag, revealing the colorful winter melon-shaped "Dzi Beads"

Pei Zhiyuan wanted to go forward and take a closer look, but he saw that she had covered the gauze, wrapped it tightly, and tied a knot.

"Then you give the real Dzi beads to the Imperial Master. Wouldn't it be fun to send those fake ones in vain? Is it fun to send me all these trips?"

"Don't worry, nothing will be in vain." Shen Xu tied the 'sky bead' to his back, looked into Pei Zhiyuan's eyes, and said seriously and firmly: "Master Pei, our goal is the same. I have never given up the plan to kill the national teacher."

Pei Zhiyuan avoided Shen Xu's gaze and lowered his voice considerably: "Why are you telling me all this? Aren't you afraid that I will complain to the Imperial Master?"

The woman in front of him spoke fearlessly, her expression relaxed and at ease, "You killed the experts he sent. Lord Pei, do you think the Imperial Master will still trust you?"

"Aren't you afraid that I'll kill you too, take the Dzi Bead and hide it?"

Seeing his expression of 'let me see how you explain it', Shen Xu simply didn't bother to explain: "Then kill him."

Pei Zhiyuan narrowed his eyes, his voice filled with a hint of cold murderous intent. He threatened in a deep voice, "Do you think I dare not?"

Chen Xu didn't hide anything and said frankly: "It's not that I don't dare, but you and I still have value to each other, just like when I entered the Fish Dragon Formation to save you, of course I had other purposes."

She paused, "I said from the beginning that our cooperation is a transaction."

Pei Zhiyuan was slightly stunned, then smiled and shook his head, saying, "You are too smart. I really can't guess your purpose."

"Don't worry, since we are cooperating, I won't let you suffer too much." She limped calmly and slowly walked towards the secret inspection door in the stairwell of the mechanism room.

"Hmph, then I'll trust you for once."

Pei Zhiyuan followed with big strides.

In a blink of an eye, the two of them were already on the eaves of the alchemy hall.

On a summer night, the moon was waning, the sky was clear and cloudless, and the starry sky was like a canopy, covering the imperial city.

Chen Xu sat on the eaves without saying a word, gazing at the starry sky with a deep gaze. Suddenly, he said quietly, "I remember my brother once said that the starry sky is conducive to thinking."

Pei Zhiyuan didn't respond. He was really thinking, with a lot of things on his mind.

During this period, he was on the edge of a knife and lived in a trance. He even forgot what his wife looked like.

In order to fulfill his adoptive father's request, to protect his only daughter, to protect the young emperor, and to protect this precarious country...

He bore the infamy of killing his father, yet he was willing to kneel at the feet of Master Hua, enduring humiliation and serving as his lackey; facing the increasingly sick little emperor, he was heartbroken and powerless, at a loss and without direction.

Such a request, such a burden, is too heavy. I am powerless to face it, and I don't know how to hold on...

Shen Xu was like a ray of light shining into the darkness, or like a straw floating on the water. He seemed to see hope for life, but it was elusive. Fear was a greater crisis.

He was silent for a long time, then replied, "So what did you think of?"

Chen Xu rested his chin on his hand, half tilted his head back, and stared intently at the starry sky above. He said slowly, "I'm wondering why everyone is flocking to this Dzi bead?"

Knowing that Shen Xu was extremely intelligent and good at perceiving people's hearts, Pei Zhiyuan simply didn't answer the question unless necessary, and instead asked, "So, what's your opinion?"

She gently patted the tightly wrapped red gauze package and said with a puzzled look on her face, "This is clearly just an ordinary stone, wrapped in some mixed minerals and medicines. It's not even a proper poison."

Pei Zhiyuan was slightly stunned. Just as he was about to ask what the effect was, he heard Shen Xu continue: "At most, it can only be considered as -"

"It's an addictive drug."

Pei Zhiyuan hurriedly asked: "What kind of drug is it?"

"Cinnabar, realgar, alum, bluestone, and stone mother mixed with rice husks and datura seeds," Chen Xu recalled the bitter and slightly numb feeling on his tongue and analyzed, "That aroma... there should also be a hint of cinnabar and white osmanthus."

Pei Zhiyuan listened to her talking about these unfamiliar terms and asked, half-understanding: "The first ones are pigments and minerals, which can't be eaten. What are the ones after that?"

"The mixture of the five minerals mentioned above is called Wushisan. Records indicate that Wushisan appeared a hundred years ago, initially used to treat typhoid fever. However, its properties are intensely hot and dry, causing a fever and a disorienting short-term effect. Long-term use can lead to chronic poisoning and mental disorder. Later, because its therapeutic effects outweighed its benefits, it was destroyed by the national medical practitioner Yan Lin."

Shen Xu explained, "The last three herbs are all toxic. Rice husks are addictive, datura seeds can cause hallucinations, and cinnamon can cause hyperactivity. These herbs have no real therapeutic effect. They simply overdraft the body's energy, giving people the illusion that they can strengthen their bodies."

Pei Zhiyuan frowned, pursed his lips and said nothing. No wonder the late emperor and His Majesty became irritable and easily angered after taking the imperial teacher's elixir, and became very dependent on the elixir over time.

The late emperor's behavior wasn't obvious at first, but His Majesty's temperament had indeed changed drastically, sometimes panicking and fearful, sometimes violent and murderous. I originally thought it was because he was still young and afraid of Master Hua's intimidation that he was acting mentally ill.

I never thought that I would be controlled by this drug.

Pei Zhiyuan looked down at the figure sitting on the eaves, blurred by the night, and was filled with doubts. "Can you taste so many things just by tasting it?"

"I just wanted to taste it to confirm. When this Dzi bead fell, it felt a bit like Wushisan. I just didn't expect it to contain some addictive and exciting drugs."

"You, haven't you lost your memory? Why do you know so much?" This is the question Pei Zhiyuan has asked her most since he learned that she had lost her memory.

"I don't know either." Shen Xu looked up at the deep starry sky. She raised her hand and rubbed her forehead, saying blankly, "I can't remember almost anything about people or things, but all the books I read are in my mind."

"I must have read similar books and written them down. But there's no trace of my family in those books."