The Uses of Alchemists

After hearing that, the other three fell silent, leaving only Jiang Nuan unaffected.

Jiang Chengze, in particular, simply could not believe what Jiang Nuan's inner voice had said.

His imperial father might have been a little strict with him, but that was a burden he ought to bear as heir to the throne. He had never imagined that his ultimate fate would be to die at his imperial father's hands.

Jiang Yunsheng and Xiao Xiao had already heard this once. Though their thoughts were still tangled, they were nowhere near as shaken as Jiang Chengze.

At that moment, all three were waiting for Jiang Nuan's inner voice, hoping to learn what exactly had happened.

Jiang Nuan did not disappoint them. Since she knew little herself, she asked Guagua directly.

[Guagua, all I know is that my brother was deposed three years from now. He fell ill in the Prison of Zhao but received no treatment, and eventually died of his illness. I don't know anything else. Do you know what happened?]

Seeing that a chance to shine had finally arrived, Guagua hurriedly spilled all the gossip it knew.

[Host, here's what happened. Two years from now, your scumbag dad came down with a serious illness. The entire Imperial Medical Bureau was helpless. In the end, he took an unorthodox path and chose to trust those wandering alchemists.

After taking large quantities of their elixirs, he seemed much more energetic, but in reality, he was burning through his remaining life. His temperament also grew increasingly unpredictable.

Egged on by people with ulterior motives, father and son gradually grew apart. Your scumbag dad believed their slander and decided your brother wanted to seize the chance to usurp the throne. Finally, he issued an imperial decree deposing the Crown Prince and throwing him into the Imperial Prison. What followed was what you already know, Host.]

Everyone found Guagua's account unbelievable.

The shock Jiang Chengze felt upon hearing this news completely eclipsed his astonishment at hearing Guagua's voice for the first time.

Jiang Yunsheng, meanwhile, felt that the man Guagua described was so far removed from himself that he could barely reconcile the two.

[I wonder what illness my scumbag dad will get. If we can keep him from getting it, my brother won't have to die. And those alchemists are nothing but swindlers. The elixirs they make contain mercury and other heavy metals. Even a healthy person would get sick from taking them.]

[I know what that serious illness is. It's a poison from the Southern Frontier. It looks like an illness, but it's actually poisoning. Unless someone has been exposed to it for years in the Southern Frontier, no one can recognize it!]

The Southern Frontier!

Upon hearing that name, several names flashed through Jiang Yunsheng's mind, only to be ruled out one by one.

[So that's it. That should be easy to guard against, then. I don't know medicine, after all. If it really were some incurable disease, I'd be helpless.]

Jiang Yunsheng and the others nodded in agreement. Now that they were forewarned, they would never tread the same disastrous path again!

Besides that, there was another point in Jiang Nuan's thoughts worth noting: the alchemists.

Alchemists were far from rare in Great Xia these days. In particular, nearly every powerful, wealthy household knew one or two of them.

Learning that these alchemists merely fished for fame and swindled people out of money had already stirred his murderous intent. Worse still, they had deceived him, caused him to depose the Crown Prince, and indirectly brought down Great Xia's rule.

Just as Jiang Yunsheng was considering how to wipe out every last alchemist, Jiang Nuan's inner voice rang out again.

[These alchemists are all early chemists. What a shame they turned to swindling. If their skills were put to proper use, they could be an enormous help to the country! What a waste!]

An enormous help to the country?

Alchemists?

Those swindling alchemists?

Jiang Yunsheng's instinct was to dismiss the possibility, but then he recalled Jiang Nuan's words. She never shot arrows without a target. It seemed the alchemists really did possess merits he knew nothing about.

Yet just as Jiang Yunsheng waited for Jiang Nuan to elaborate, her inner voice abruptly stopped.

It left him feeling as though claws were scratching at his heart.

Just then, Jiang Chengze said to Jiang Yunsheng, "Imperial Father, I've heard that a group of alchemists recently arrived in the capital, claiming wondrous skills. Would you like to summon them to the palace for questioning?"

Jiang Yunsheng was thoroughly pleased with Jiang Chengze's quick thinking, though he put on an angry expression.

"These alchemists claim they can cultivate the Dao and become immortals, but in truth, they're nothing but frauds. Yet they dare come to the capital! Crown Prince, arrest every one of them and throw them into the Imperial Prison!"

[Huh? That's not how the story goes, is it? Isn't my scumbag dad supposed to trust alchemists completely? Why does he look like he wants to chop their heads off now? Is it because he hasn't yet become desperately ill with nowhere to turn for treatment?]

Jiang Nuan supplied her own explanation.

[But this won't do! These people are worth far more alive than dead. If I remember correctly, gunpowder hasn't appeared in Great Xia yet. With a weapon that powerful, never mind the Hu People or those southern barbarians in the Southern Frontier—we could wipe them out in minutes!]

Hearing that, Jiang Yunsheng's eyes immediately lit up. What emperor did not dream of unifying all under heaven?

Reality, however, was that the Great Xia Dynasty had enjoyed stability for barely twenty-odd years. Its treasury was empty, and its army no longer had its former strength. Forget conquering the Hu People and the southern barbarians—the borders still suffered their raids from time to time.

Jiang Yunsheng, who had initially wondered just how useful alchemists could possibly be, now took a tremendous interest in them.

Very soon, however, a practical problem presented itself.

Even if these alchemists were useful, only Jiang Nuan knew exactly how. He could not ask her outright without revealing that he could hear her thoughts. If he waited for her inner voice to bring it up bit by bit, the daylilies would have gone cold long before then.

Everyone said a daughter was her father's snug little padded jacket. How could Jiang "Little Padded Jacket" Nuan let her scumbag dad fret?

The very next moment, she spoke up. "Imperial Father, I think some of these alchemists might be innocent. Why don't you hand them over to me?"

The instant the words left her mouth, she sensed something was amiss.

She was just a little kid now. Why would her father listen to her? But if those alchemists were handed over to someone else, their abilities would go to waste!

"Never mind..."

"Very well!"

Jiang Nuan had been about to rephrase her request, only for her scumbag dad to agree immediately.

That drew a bewildered "Huh?" straight out of her.

"Ha ha ha ha..."

At the rare sight of Jiang Nuan looking so dumbfounded, Jiang Yunsheng burst out laughing.

"Nuannuan, if you want these alchemists to play with you, just say so. It's not as though your imperial father would refuse."

[Oh, my scumbag dad thinks I'm curious about these alchemists and want to play with them! No wonder he suddenly agreed.

The process was a little roundabout, but at least the outcome was good.]

Jiang Nuan thought blithely.

[Once gunpowder arrives, who will dare contend with us? I'll make the whole world speak the language of Great Xia!]

She had this idea entirely because English had tormented her so badly in her previous life.

Jiang Yunsheng seemed to picture that scene and grew immensely excited, as though he could already see himself unifying the world and being hailed as an emperor for the ages.

At that moment, Jiang Yunsheng looked exactly like an employee swallowing the grand promises his boss dangled before him.