Chapter 64 Seeking Medicine
Shang Junnian is a man who can be said to be cruel, but also loyal. He can repay Zhao Yutuo's insult a hundredfold, and he can also repay Zhao Yuzhang's words of help with great kindness. He is truly a man of extreme character.
Lu Yan had no gratitude towards him but only hatred towards him. Shang Junnian's words were both a helpless act of being desperate and a heartbreaking act of self-abandonment.
Unexpectedly, Lu Yan glanced at him with a look of surprise, and then a faint smile spread across his eyes like ripples: "Prime Minister, I don't want to be a crown prince."
If he wanted to be the crown prince, it wouldn't be difficult given the favor of the Immortal Emperor.
Shang Junnian frowned: "Then what does Your Highness want?"
Apart from helping Lu Yan become the emperor, he really couldn't think of any other way he could help him.
Lu Yan said, "I have already enjoyed the utmost wealth in the world. I have everything I need and nothing I have to worry about. Now I just want stability."
"Your health is impaired, so you don't have to worry about me. I don't need you to do anything. Take good care of yourself. This is the most important thing."
Lu Yan's situation seemed glamorous, but in fact, it was like a brocade with flowers blooming and oil boiling in a blazing fire. In the dark, countless eyes were staring at him. However, he did not say a word to Shang Junnian. He just took the fish porridge that the maid had just brought over, stirred it in the bowl with a spoon, and fed it to her after it cooled down a bit:
"Just cooked fish porridge, drink it while it's hot. I have to go to the palace later, and I'm afraid my son won't be back for a while."
Shang Junnian didn't expect that he wouldn't let him do anything, so he pursed his lips and asked, "Why did you enter the palace?"
Lu Yan didn't explain much, just said: "Last night the mansion was attacked for no reason, I must go to the palace to report to the emperor."
Shang Junnian was a qualified strategist, otherwise he would not have promoted Zhao Yuzhang from an unpopular bastard to the throne. Hearing this, he pondered for a moment and suddenly said, "The assassin last night was from Tianji Palace."
Lu Yan paused and said, "Tianji Palace? Where did you come from?"
Shang Junnian coughed a few times before speaking in a hoarse voice, "It's a martial arts sect. Although its members practice swordsmanship, they are more skilled in the art of traps. The two assassins who broke into the room last night, one used the trap-wielding Eagle Hook and the other used the Snake Scale Sword, which happens to be the martial arts style of the Tianji Palace."
Lu Yanrao was interested: "This is interesting. I have no grudge against them in the past or in the present, so why did they come to kill me personally?"
Shang Junnian revealed a secret: "King Wuyun once had a spy network that specialized in spying on the secrets of the four countries. During the years I was in charge, Tianji Palace may have secretly sent someone to be a disciple of King Guxu, Lu Sheng."
Guxu Prince Lu Sheng is currently the most powerful candidate contending for the throne. If the Emperor had not favored Lu Yan, he would have been made the Crown Prince long ago.
He has the ability and motive to commit the crime, and he can use the hands of people in the underworld to execute Lu Yan without arousing suspicion. If this was really done by King Guxu, Lu Yan would have provoked a powerful opponent.
Lu Yan was surprised: "It was him?"
Shang Junnian saw that Lu Yan seemed worried, so he took a deep breath to relieve the pain in his wound, and then said, "But according to the usual style of Tianji Palace, they have never been willing to get involved in the affairs of the court. I'm afraid there must be something hidden."
"When you enter the palace later, Your Highness does not need to expose King Guxu. You only need to cry about the danger in front of the Emperor. Keep one of the captured assassins in the dungeon for interrogation, and hand the rest over to the Emperor for disposal. With the means in the palace, they will naturally be able to find out the whole story."
Lu Yan asked curiously, "Will the emperor punish King Guxu?"
Shang Junnian glanced at Lu Yan coldly, thinking that he was naive: "You are a prince, and he is also a prince. We are both of royal blood. How could the emperor punish the King of Guxu? At most, he would just give him a mild reprimand and leave it at that."
Lu Yan smiled and said, "Since my father will not punish him, there is no point for me to go over and cry. I'm afraid it will be a waste of energy."
Shang Junnian said word by word: "Your Highness, what you need to do is not to ask the Emperor to punish King Guxu, but to ask King Guxu to make a decisive move and hand over all the people in Tianji Palace."
"By then, the people of Tianji Palace will surely be disappointed with him. If Your Highness comes to the rescue and recruits them under your command, it will be a great help."
Lu Yan asked subconsciously: "What if the recruitment fails?"
Shang Junnian said calmly, "Then we should impose the death penalty on them and let them die in the Heavenly Prison for the crime of assassination. This will eliminate future troubles, weaken the power of King Guxu, and deter people in the martial arts world."
"Whether or not the recruitment is successful, Your Highness will not lose anything."
Lu Yan's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he felt as if the clouds and mists had cleared up. He held Shang Junnian's hand, brought it to his lips and kissed it vigorously. His smiling face was like the warm sunshine that captivated the eyes, making people unable to take their eyes away:
"As expected of a former prime minister, you are indeed very smart, a hundred times smarter than me."
Shang Junnian felt that the place where he kissed was particularly hot, so he subconsciously pulled back, lowered his eyes and said calmly: "I said before, if Your Highness is sincere, I will assist you with all my strength."
Lu Yan picked up the bowl of porridge and coaxed, "My beautiful lady, how could I not be sincere to you? I have never fed anyone before, and you are the first one."
Shang Junnian looked at him when he heard this, his cold and arrogant fox eyes slightly raised, and he could inexplicably see a bit of arrogance: "Since I am the first, there can never be a second one, otherwise this favor will be useless."
If Lu Yan is so good to other people, then what's the point of this relationship? It's not unique and it becomes terribly cheap if it spreads too much.
Lu Yan smiled and agreed: "Okay, okay, even if the emperor is sick, there are concubines in his harem to feed him and give him medicine. It is not my turn."
Yu Ji added: "Drink it quickly, the porridge is getting cold."
Shang Junnian pursed his lips slightly after hearing this, and drank the hot porridge in the bowl mouthful by mouthful with his hand. It was winter, and fresh fish was hard to come by. The chef sliced the fish into thin slices and boiled it in a clay pot. The rice porridge was fragrant, glutinous, and smooth, showing that he had put a lot of thought into it.
Lu Yan fed Shang Junnian two bowls of wine before stopping: "You should take a good rest. Someone will bring the medicine for your injuries later. Remember to drink it. I will go to the palace first."
Shang Junnian covered his mouth and coughed twice, frowning to suppress the fishy sweetness in his throat: "Your Highness, just go, don't worry about me."
Seeing his pale face, Lu Yan paused and said, "Rest assured, I will find a way to heal your injuries."
He did not delay any longer and ordered his men to prepare the carriages and horses. He immediately led a team of guards and rode at full speed towards the palace.
Lu Yan went there on time. Normally, the emperor should have just finished his morning court session at this time. However, he didn't expect that as soon as he stepped into the Wannian Palace, he saw a familiar figure sitting downstairs drinking tea. It was Guxu King Lu Sheng.
Seeing this, Lu Yan paused for a moment, then retracted his gaze and knelt down to salute the high-ranking emperor: "Your Highness, your son has seen you."
The emperor hummed and said, "It's rare to see you enter the palace so early in the morning. Get up and I'll give you a seat."
Lu Yan knelt on the ground without moving, lowered his head and said aggrievedly: "I dare not."
The emperor closed his eyes and rubbed his temples: "Alright, I know something happened in your house last night, if you have anything to say, just come on and talk. You are already an adult, why are you still acting like a child?"
Lu Yan muttered unhappily, "I am helpless. Father knew that there was an assassination attempt last night, but why didn't you intervene and seek justice for me?"
If anyone else had said these words, they would have been considered treasonous. However, when Lu Yan said them, the Emperor showed no anger. Although he had a fierce look on his face, anyone with a discerning eye could tell that he was not really angry: "I think you are becoming more and more presumptuous. You dare to say anything. You have learned the rules of the palace like a dog!"
Lu Yan remembered Shang Junnian's instructions and put onions on his sleeves in advance. He wiped his tears with his hand and said, "I almost lost my life last night. I didn't care about the rules. Dozens of assassins surrounded the palace. Even Eunuch He was almost unable to resist. It was really like walking through the palace of King Yan."
"I am not afraid of death, but I am afraid that I will not be able to see my father before I die. Wuwuwuwu..."
He cried sadly, and took the time to turn his head to look at King Guxu who was sitting next to him. He held Lu Sheng's hand and cried hard, lowering his head and wiping all his tears and snot on the other's sleeve: "Second brother, you are here too. If my brother had died at the hands of the assassin yesterday, you would not be able to see my brother anymore!"
The corners of Guxu King's mouth froze for a moment, then returned to normal. He pulled out his sleeves without leaving a trace, bent down to help Lu Yan up from the ground, and smiled and comforted him, "Third brother, don't talk nonsense. Father has always loved you, so how could he not uphold justice for you? This morning, father summoned me to the palace before dawn and ordered me to arrest the assassin last night. It shows that he cares about you."
As soon as King Guxu said this, Lu Yan stopped crying. He subconsciously looked at the emperor on the high throne and said in shock, "Father?"
The emperor held a cup of tea in his hand and slowly skimmed off the foam with the lid. The mist rose up, making it even harder to understand his thoughts. "Your second brother has always been prudent in his work. It is most appropriate for him to catch those assassins. Don't worry, he will catch none of them."
King Guxu forced a smile and said, "I will obey your orders."
The Emperor placed the teacup in his hand on the table and leaned back in his chair lazily, like a dozing beast. His voice was deep and majestic: "You are brothers, and brothers should support each other. Something happened in the Third Brother's house last night, and you, as the elder brother, should also pay attention. Go down and take the people from the Dragon Spring Division to arrest the assassins and bring them to justice. Don't let any of them down, and don't let me be disappointed in you."
There was a hidden meaning in these words. King Guxu was not sure what he was thinking. He bowed his head and said, "I will take my leave."
He finished speaking and slowly left the hall. When the servants closed the door, he finally couldn't help but look back. He saw that the emperor had added a seat next to him and let Lu Yan sit next to him. The hands hidden in his sleeves couldn't help but tighten.
Does the emperor...really love Lu Yan that much?
Wan Pijiang had been waiting outside the palace. When he saw King Guxu coming out, he hurried forward and asked, "Your Majesty, I received an urgent summons from His Majesty early in the morning. What's the matter?"
King Guxu said expressionlessly, "My father ordered me to arrest the assassins in my third brother's house last night. Longquan Division is responsible for assisting. You don't have to go in. It's more important to follow me and search for the assassins."
Wan Pijiang obviously knew something. Hearing this, he looked at him in surprise and doubt: "Why would His Majesty suddenly ask us to catch the assassin?"
King Guxu shook his head slightly: "Walls have ears, let's go back to the palace first."
Lu Sheng has always been honest and upright in his dealings with the outside world. His palace is not luxurious, and is quite different from the Fengling Palace, which houses the world's rare treasures. There are strange rocks and green bamboos planted in the courtyard, which shows his elegance and status.
Prince Guxu and Wan Pijiang came all the way to the study room where they were meeting, and ordered others not to come in and disturb them. Then he suddenly fell into a chair as if all his strength had been drained away, and said with a pale face: "I'm afraid my father knows..."
Wan Pijiang was shocked: "Your Highness, you can't talk nonsense about this matter!"
King Guxu closed his eyes and slumped back in his chair, holding his temples with a headache, and then he tiredly told me what happened today: "Last night, something happened in the Third Brother's house. Before dawn, my father called me into the palace. He kept talking about the three words "Tianji Palace". He said that this martial arts sect happened to be built in Guxuzhou, which is also my fiefdom, and asked me to arrest those assassins."
Wan Pijiang hesitated and said, "Could it be that Your Highness is overthinking? Maybe the Emperor is just being cunning..."
King Guxu opened his eyes and said solemnly: "It doesn't matter whether my father knows about this matter or not. What matters is how I should report to him. Do I really have to hand over the people of Tianji Palace?!"
Wan Pijiang gritted his teeth and said, "Your Highness, although Tianji Palace is powerful, it is just a martial arts sect after all. Since His Majesty has already noticed the clues, we can't do anything even if we want to. It's more important to cut off the tail and save our lives!"
King Guxu subconsciously grasped the armrest of the chair, held his forehead, his eyebrows and eyes fell into shadows, and slowly uttered a sentence: "Third brother, how can you be so worthy..."
Meanwhile, Lu Yan had already started to act like a poor scoundrel and begged the Emperor for medicine: "Father, I was frightened last night and my blood and qi are deficient. The imperial physician said I should take something tonic to strengthen my body. Don't you have a Blood Toad Pill in your storeroom? Why not give it to me?"
"presumptuous!"
The emperor's expression was hard to tell whether he was happy or angry. "This item is the most precious thing in the world. If you want to replenish your blood, there are plenty of deer antler and ginseng slices in the storehouse. Why did you ask for the Blood Toad Pills for no reason?"
Lu Yan lowered his head and said aggrievedly: "Those are just vulgar things. It is useless for me to eat them."
The Emperor could see that he was deliberately making trouble: "I don't know when you became so precious. Why is it that your body is different from that of ordinary people? It works for others but not for you?"
Lu Yan slid to his knees and pulled the emperor's dragon robe down, saying, "It's useless. If your father doesn't give me the things, I will stay here today."
The Emperor stood up and said, "Since you don't want to leave, kneel here for as long as you want!"
He ordered his personal eunuch to sort out the memorials and turned to go to the bedroom to review them. Unexpectedly, Lu Yan held his legs and refused to let go. The emperor was so angry that he kicked him off the platform. Although the force was weak, Lu Yan still rolled down.
Lu Yan covered his chest and groaned: "Father, you have such a cruel heart!"
"You useless thing!"
The emperor gave a low rebuke and left with his attendants.
Lu Yan fell to the ground, rubbed his chest with a bitter face, thinking that although his father was old, he was still very strong. He was just staying here, with food, drink and a charcoal stove, so who was afraid of him?
Lu Yan cast his gaze on the palace maid in the corner and waved to her: "My little beauty, go and bring me the bed quilt!"
The maid was stunned: "Ah?"
Lu Yan urged, "What are you standing there for? Go!"
The emperor returned to his bedroom, still feeling upset. He sat back on the couch and reviewed memorials for a while until all the cinnabar ink ran out. Then he put down his pen, glanced at the sky outside, pinched his nose and asked, "What time is it?"
"Your Majesty, it is almost 3 p.m."
Eunuch She stepped forward at the right time and pinched the emperor's neck, looking as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
The Emperor closed his eyes and asked, "Has that bastard left?"
Eunuch She was even more embarrassed, and stammered, "Prince Fengling hasn't left yet. He...he asked the palace maids to bring a quilt and slept directly on the floor."
Upon hearing this, the Emperor suddenly opened his eyes and changed his posture from leaning to sitting upright: "He slept on the floor?!"
Eunuch She nodded awkwardly: "Yes."
I heard he slept soundly.
The emperor looked unhappy: "I have been wise all my life, but how could I have given birth to such a bastard? He is good at eating, drinking, whoring and gambling, and never does any serious work."
Eunuch She said tentatively: "The Prince of Nanxun is brave and extraordinary, the Prince of Guxu is steady and respectful, and the Prince of Fengling is young, so it is normal for him to play around a bit."
The Emperor stared at his right hand and sighed: "The palm and the back of the hand are all made of flesh. The second brother was really confused this time..."
Eunuch She didn't dare to respond and could only lower his head and pretend to be deaf.
Lu Yan did not sleep last night. He asked the palace maid for a quilt and slept soundly on the floral cashmere blanket. When the palace gates were about to be locked, he was woken up by Eunuch She:
"Your Highness, Your Highness, please wake up."
When Lu Yan opened his eyes, he saw Eunuch She's old face smiling at him. He couldn't help but yawn: "Eunuch She, why are you here?"
"Oh, Your Highness, look at what you said. I am worried. You are sleeping on the ground in such a cold weather. What if the cold air gets into your body and you get frozen?"
As Eunuch She was about to help him up, Lu Yan dodged him and stretched out his hand without saying a word, opening his palm.
Eunuch She was dumbfounded: "Your Highness?"
Lu Yan clicked his tongue and said, "Why are you playing dumb? Where's the Blood Toad Pill?"
Seeing this, Eunuch She stood up straight and said sternly, "Your Highness, have you ever heard of the saying that it is hard to have a precious treasure without any use?"
Lu Yan was puzzled: "What do you mean?"
Eunuch She took out a brocade box from his sleeve and opened it. Inside was half a ruby-like pill. It was the Blood Toad Pill. "His Majesty said that it is not impossible to give this pill to Your Highness, but Your Highness needs to agree to one thing. After that, the other half of the pill will be given to you."
Lu Yan had an inexplicable ominous premonition in his heart: "What's the matter?"
Eunuch She leaned close to Lu Yan's ear and said something, but Lu Yan's face turned from blue to white, and then from white to red. It was a wonderful scene.
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