The Quarrel

Zhang Xuezhou had considered many things, but he never imagined that Princess Yangping would lose to such a desperate degree.

If a riddle involving guessing hidden objects is extremely difficult, it's understandable that Princess Yangping would lose.

But she repeatedly said that the riddle was simple, and that even a three-year-old child could guess it correctly, yet she still lost. This disparity caused Princess Yangping to experience great emotional fluctuations.

"The late Metal Virtue nurtured your wisdom and virtue; Your Majesty and Your Highness are both pillars of the Great Han Dynasty. Your Majesty's words are as precious as gold, and Your Highness is a woman of your word. How can there be any reason for you to lose?"

Just like the Yin-Yang inverted wine pot that Zhang Xuezhou took out, whether one can afford to lose or not is entirely up to Princess Pingyang's word.

However, such angry words have a huge flaw. All it takes is to use someone or something of a higher level than Princess Pingyang to suppress her. Whether Princess Pingyang can afford to lose or not, the other party will have to swallow their anger.

"Congratulations! You've guessed correctly again!"

Princess Pingyang felt as if she had ground her teeth to powder; the methods that had worked so well in Pingyang County were now failing in Chang'an City.

She liked intelligent people, but Princess Pingyang felt that she hated being targeted by intelligent people.

Of course, Princess Pingyang must say that Zhang Xuezhou is not a bad person. The fact that he could get through under her nose means that he is quite capable and can provide excellent assistance to the new emperor.

She disliked Zhang Xuezhou, but Princess Pingyang felt that the more talented people like Zhang Xuezhou around the new emperor, the better.

"I heard from His Majesty that you are also skilled in alchemy?"

Princess Pingyang tried to calm herself down before casually asking the question.

The new emperor's daily affairs are extremely complex, and there are quite a few unexpected events.

Some things that had been stabilized were also handed over to others.

Princess Pingyang was in charge of an alchemy exchange trade, and this trade also involved Zhang Xuezhou was standing right in front of her.

Compared to a vast country, three hundred Creation Pills may not seem like a large sum, but for an individual, it is an extraordinary amount. Most people would tremble when they take on such an exchange, as a slight misstep could lead to personal bankruptcy.

Princess Yangping looked at Zhang Xuezhou, clearly wanting to complete this matter perfectly so that all future transactions would go smoothly.

The Pingyang Marquis's residence and the Dongfang Shuo residence, where Zhang Xuezhou was located, were adjacent to each other, making it convenient for them to conduct business.

If Zhang Xuezhou hadn't been so infuriating, Princess Pingyang would have found the collaboration between the two parties to be pleasant.

She didn't care that Zhang Xuezhou hadn't sent an invitation to his wedding banquet, nor did she care that Zhang Xuezhou had visited Princess Dou first. However, Princess Pingyang disliked any trouble that might arise during their cooperation, such as the foul, even unconscious, odor that emanated from the backyard of the mansion last night.

Princess Pingyang, having heard the new emperor describe Zhang Xuezhou's alchemy methods, knew that he was an arrogant, daring, and extremely capable person.

People like Zhang Xuezhou need to be disciplined before they can behave, but she never expected that her attempts would backfire so badly.

The officials' impeachment was easily defused by Zhang Xuezhou, who resolved the issue with a salary of two hundred shi (a unit of dry measure). Princess Pingyang then posed two questions, almost causing Zhang Xuezhou to lose his composure.

After failing to get the hints right, Princess Pingyang gave up on that approach and instead got straight to the point, to see if Zhang Xuezhou could cooperate properly.

"Master Li Shaojun has always praised me as a genius in alchemy," Zhang Xuezhou said with a smile. "If Your Highness has any miraculous elixirs that need to be refined, just let me know. As long as I have the ability, I'll refine them for you free of charge!"

"Oh!"

Princess Pingyang responded softly.

Judging from Zhang Xuezhou's reply, the other party seems to be a decent person.

"What kind of elixirs can you refine?" Princess Pingyang asked.

"I am a disciple of the Yin-Yang School, and my alchemy follows the principles of Yin and Yang, combining strength and gentleness," Zhang Xuezhou said. "The principles of many elixirs are similar and interconnected. Theoretically speaking, as long as I have the Pill Formula and the ingredients, I can refine all kinds of elixirs in the world!"

Zhang Xuezhou's words were not boasting; his alchemy skills were indeed as described.

Given the Pill Formula and ingredients, his success rate in alchemy will be terrifyingly high after repeated trial and error.

Zhang Xuezhou also knew that the forces to which the Marquis of Pingyang belonged were skilled in metallurgy, alchemy, and medicine making, and could be considered a staunchly loyal faction that supported the new emperor.

If the relationship between the two sides weren't so strained, Zhang Xuezhou would also like to see the Pill Formula from the Pingyang Marquis's residence. After all, the Pingyang Marquis's young and handsome appearance was indeed quite impressive, and he seemed to have achieved success in maintaining his health. Zhang Xuezhou did have some interest in longevity-promoting elixirs.

Regardless of whether Marquis Pingyang's Pill Formula is effective, he will at least need to put on a show in front of Venerable Lei, instead of simply taking out ready-made elixirs as he did with Hongku.

"There are different grades of elixirs. Being able to refine them and being able to refine them well are two different things," Princess Pingyang said. "Only good elixirs have good effects. As for inferior elixirs, although they bear the name of medicine, they will accumulate poison after consumption, providing temporary convenience but harboring hidden dangers!"

"Your Highness truly understands elixirs," Zhang Xuezhou praised. "People seek fame only in elixirs, unaware of the vast differences in their grades. Only the most miraculous and exquisite elixirs have real effects!"

"You certainly know how to flatter!"

Ordinary Alchemist would have already introduced themselves as being skilled in refining certain pills, and how many mid-grade and high-grade pills they had refined.

Princess Pingyang kept asking questions, and Zhang Xuezhou answered them repeatedly, but he never gave her a real answer.

She eventually had no choice but to give up trying to find out what was going on. Instead, she indicated that she would take over the responsibility of trading with the Xiong State from the new emperor. She told Zhang Xuezhou and the others that if they needed any assistance, they could come to her.

"Can Your Highness come to me with any medicinal herbs that are lacking?" Zhang Xuezhou asked repeatedly to confirm.

"Excellent," Princess Pingyang said with a hint of pride. "His Majesty supports me, and I can also request medicine from the Empress Dowager. As long as things go smoothly, I can allocate all the medicinal herbs and elixirs in the Great Han Kingdom's treasury. There won't be any problem with us cooperating in trade!"

Even if she doesn't make a profit, as long as she doesn't lose money, Princess Pingyang can still come and go to exchange medicinal herbs and pills.

Looking at the confident Princess Pingyang, Zhang Xuezhou fully understood the reason why the new emperor had entrusted him with this matter the moment she mentioned the Empress Dowager.

There were some things that the new emperor found inconvenient to handle, but Princess Pingyang could do without any problem.

Princess Pingyang was extremely emotional, which meant she could use various methods to make demands of the Empress Dowager, getting the new emperor to do things he was too ashamed to do.

"It is truly an honor for this humble official that Your Highness has taken charge of this matter!"

Zhang Xuezhou was extremely generous in his support.

He squandered hundreds of purple lingzhi and huangjing in Shanglin Garden, while the other half was put under the control of the Empress Dowager.

Zhang Xuezhou knew without guessing that the Empress Dowager had not fully utilized these powerful medicines.

If Princess Pingyang were to swallow her pride and beg the Empress Dowager, Zhang Xuezhou might actually want to ask for a portion of it, perhaps because they have a need for the Life-Creating Pill they traced back to.

With this need in mind, and Princess Pingyang putting in a great deal of effort to demonstrate her abilities, Zhang Xuezhou felt that the two would have an extremely pleasant time together in the future.

"Your Highness, something terrible has happened! His Majesty and the Empress Dowager are arguing in the Weiyang Palace! You must go and see!"

Zhang Xuezhou and Princess Pingyang ultimately had a pleasant experience together.

Princess Pingyang's emotions flared up quickly, but as long as he continued to support her, the princess's emotions were relatively easy to soothe.

The two exchanged words, when suddenly a guard carrying a long sword approached rapidly, displaying his flying martial arts skills.

Before the others even approached the garden pavilion where everyone was, their words had already reached Princess Pingyang's ears, causing her expression to change drastically.