"Huh?" Lou Mu didn't hear what Tang Nian said.
"I once saw a recipe for an elixir in a second-rate alchemical book. It was said that the elixir made from it could make people live forever," Tang Nian pondered. "But the recipe was incomplete. It included the use of human internal organs as a medicinal ingredient."
"So you mean, the Emperor of Chu wants to live forever?" Lou Mu thought for a moment. It was indeed possible for a monarch like the Emperor of Chu, who valued power too much, to pursue immortality. "How many people know about this alchemical book?"
Tang Nian nodded: "But not many people read this book on alchemy. Most alchemists choose books left by their predecessors, and no one knows who wrote this book."
"So he's afraid that the matter of refining the elixir of immortality will be exposed?"
Tang Nian nodded: "This kind of pill is against the will of Heaven. People who die unjustly or with resentment will mostly become ghosts. There is a Golden Light Temple in the capital, but even so, the ghostly atmosphere in the city is still too strong, and someone will always investigate."
"Did you notice it?" Lou Mu asked.
Tang Nian glanced at him and said irritably, "I'm not a proper Taoist priest, how would I know?"
Lou Mu thought to himself: But your reputation is even greater than that of a legitimate Taoist master.
"We've already sent away those who could sense the ghostly aura," Tang Nian shrugged, indicating that she was powerless to do anything about it.
Only Ming Huan, as a descendant of a divine beast reborn from fire, can discern all evil spirits in the world.
Tang Nian could only distinguish between spirits and demons; she couldn't help with finding ghosts, but she could be of some help in catching them.
"I wonder if there's any way to get into the palace to investigate," Tang Nian said in a low voice.
"Once you wake up, why worry about not having a chance to enter the palace?"
Tang Nian nodded: "That's true, it depends on how long those quack doctors take to treat us."
Upon hearing Tang Nian's words, Lou Mu couldn't help but laugh out loud. It all depends on how long she can stay in bed.
Once she wakes up, the Chu Emperor will surely find a reason to bring her into the palace to test her and use her to restrain Lou Mu.
In this situation, it's no longer about when the imperial physician can wake Tang Nian up, but rather when it would be best for her to wake up.
However, her eyes lit up when she heard that Lou Mu was going to prepare meat for dinner today.
Before long, word spread throughout the Prime Minister's residence that Tang Nian had woken up. Lou Mu sent the kitchen to prepare her favorite dishes, and Tang Nian ate quite a bit.
When the news reached the palace, Emperor Chu hurriedly put down the memorial he was examining and summoned Imperial Physician Chen. He wanted to send someone to the Grand Secretary's residence again, but was told that Tang Nian had fainted again not long after eating.
He thought for a moment, but was still uneasy, so he sent Physician Chen with the prepared medicine to the Grand Secretary's residence to inquire about the situation.
An hour later, Physician Chen returned to the palace: "Your Majesty, Miss Tang's condition has improved slightly. It was probably due to the change in environment that her old illness relapsed. However, the toxins have penetrated deep into her internal organs, and she can only rely on various medicines to prolong her life."
"Has any poison been detected in her body?"
"Your Majesty, with my limited knowledge, I can only determine that this poison is congenital, but I cannot determine what kind of toxin it is."
The Emperor of Chu waved his hand, dismissing Physician Chen.
“Your Majesty, Master Wang requests an audience.” A eunuch’s voice rang out from outside the Imperial Study.
The Chu Emperor's previously unfathomable eyes lit up instantly, and he quickly said, "Quickly, invite him in."
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
A thin, middle-aged man entered the imperial study and bowed deeply to the Chu Emperor.
Master Wang had a long goatee, his triangular eyes were often squinting, his lips were always upturned, and his temples were somewhat gray. His Taoist robe had been washed until it was faded, and because he had spent a lot of time in front of the alchemy furnace, his face and body were covered with black ash.
"Please rise quickly." The Chu Emperor smiled broadly and personally helped Master Wang to his feet. "I wonder what brings Master Wang here today...?"
Master Wang was the same Master who told Emperor Chu that he could refine the elixir of immortality. He would lock himself in his room every day to refine pills, and would send his disciples to ask Emperor Chu for anything he needed. This time, however, he came in person, giving Emperor Chu hope for immortality.
“I just observed the celestial phenomena last night and discovered that the medicinal ingredient has appeared in the capital city. However, this person’s identity is somewhat special…” A glint flashed in Master Wang’s eyes as he lowered his head and spoke calmly.
The key ingredient in the elixir of immortality is the human heart.
The Chu Emperor knew that the failure of the elixirs these days was due to the substandard ingredients, but he didn't know what the standards for the ingredients were, so he could only use ordinary people to experiment.
But what Master Wang said made his eyes light up.
"Tell me quickly, who is it?"
Seeing the Chu Emperor's greedy expression, Master Wang smiled mysteriously, and the temperature in the entire imperial study seemed to drop considerably.
"It is Miss Tang, whom Lord Lou brought to the capital."
"What?" Emperor Chu was stunned, clearly not expecting that he was a pawn he wanted to use to restrain Lou Mu.
Master Wang did not repeat himself, but simply nodded slightly.
The Chu Emperor's face turned serious, completely unlike his previous joyful expression. He pondered for a moment but remained silent.
Seeing that he had achieved his goal, Master Wang did not linger: "Then I shall take my leave."
The Emperor of Chu waved his hand, and as the door to the imperial study closed, the entire study fell into silence.
The incident that occurred in the Imperial Study left Lou Mu and Tang Nian unaware that they were being targeted.
Two days later, Tang Nian pretended to have just woken up, and Lou Mu helped her take a slow walk in the mansion to bask in the sun.
Within half a day, everyone outside knew that Tang Nian had woken up, and they were all secretly plotting something.
By evening, Lou Mu had received an invitation from the Chu Emperor.
Seven days later, on the Empress Dowager's birthday, a banquet was held in the Imperial Garden for the ministers and their families.
He even sent someone to remind Lou Mu to bring Tang Nian with him.
Tang Nian's right eyelid had been twitching ever since the invitation arrived at the mansion. The two exchanged a glance and both understood that this birthday banquet was a trap for them.
The Chu Emperor's actions were simply a way of telling Lou Mu that "there's no silver buried here," but even if the two knew this, they still had to keep their appointment.
“This doesn’t seem like something the Chu Emperor would do.” Lou Mu had served in the court for many years and knew the Chu Emperor’s temperament well. If he wanted to test Tang Nian, he would never go to such lengths.
Tang Nian set up an array, burned a talisman, and sneered, "It seems my appearance has blocked someone's path."
"A Taoist priest from the palace?"
If it weren't for the Chu Emperor, the only thing Lou Mu could think of was the Taoist priests who assisted the Chu Emperor in refining elixirs.
Tang Nian nodded: "He is not human, but I can't tell what he turned into. I can't even tell what his human form looks like. I can only tell that he is very thin and small."
She remained silent for a while, then said nothing more.
"What's wrong?"
Tang Nian looked up at Lou Mu and shook her head: "Nothing's wrong."
In the end, she didn't tell Lou Mu about the conversation between the Taoist priest and the Chu Emperor.
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