The Medicinal Herbs Come to Light

Evening.

Di Qingyu was feeling somewhat better than usual. Seeing that the weather was fairly pleasant, she went to Xuanzheng Hall to see Di Yunqian.

Di Yunqian had recently been troubled and worried by all manner of vexing matters. When he saw his thoughtful little cotton-padded jacket arrive, he naturally had someone bring her a seat and chatted with her.

"Your complexion is better than it was a few days ago. It seems the Imperial Medical Academy has been diligent after all."

"The imperial physicians have indeed done their utmost." Di Qingyu pressed her lips together and smiled. "Besides, with your protection and concern, Father Emperor, I would naturally recover much faster."

After a pause, she suddenly remembered something. "Oh, right. A few days ago, Imperial Grandmother also sent me quite a few medicinal tonics. She was extremely worried about my health. But I thought I hadn't finished taking the medicine you bestowed on me, Father Emperor, so I gave them to Zhu Wuyang. He took a blade for me, after all, and was hurt far worse than I was."

Di Yunqian showed no surprise when he heard this. He simply lowered his head to look at a memorial in his hand and chuckled. "Don't worry. That boy has been tempered on the battlefield since he was little. His skin is thick and his flesh tough. I bestowed quite a bit of medicine on him too. He'll be fine after some rest."

He made no mention of the empress dowager, because he knew she did not like Di Qingyu and had only acted because of Du Yutao.

Watching his expression, Di Qingyu understood that he had long known she had gone to the general's residence to deliver medicine. But she had to pretend she did not know that, and act extremely grateful to the empress dowager.

After Di Yunqian finished reading the memorial in his hand, he suddenly smiled.

"Those boys have a little ability after all."

"Father Emperor, do you mean Eldest Imperial Brother and the others?" Di Qingyu turned her head curiously.

Di Yunqian actually handed her the memorial. "Take a look. Those boys have already reached Yulu City. They've handled the disaster relief extremely well. Distributing grain, building houses, and everything else is proceeding in an orderly fashion. It seems they need experience before their true abilities can be seen."

A trace of pride shone in his eyes, as though their glory were his own.

Di Qingyu, seated below the desk, took the memorial. It had been written by the eldest prince, but it mentioned only the four men's shared achievements in the relief effort and was extremely modest.

After reading it, Di Qingyu respectfully handed the memorial back, smiling. "In that case, Father Emperor can rest assured. All four of my imperial brothers are extremely capable. With them there, the flooding in Yulu City is certain to be handled properly."

In truth, Di Yunqian rarely let her see memorials. He only did so when something was troubling him or when there was something amusing.

After a pause, Di Qingyu lowered her head and murmured with great relief, "Eldest Imperial Brother said their journey was smooth and they reached Yulu City safely. That's wonderful. If they had encountered mountain bandits again, I'm afraid our Xiling would truly have been mocked by the other three kingdoms."

Her words carried both feeling and concern.

Di Yunqian glanced at the memorial in his hand again. The more he looked, the more pleased he was. Lowering his eyes, he spoke with great casualness.

"There won't be a second time."

"..."

As soon as he said that, Di Qingyu's lowered eyelids stirred.

Then she heard Di Yunqian add, "This time, I doubled the number of soldiers escorting them. If they dare come, they'll come but never return!"

Di Qingyu raised her head and smiled. "Yes. With your imperial might to deter them, Father Emperor, they won't dare risk their lives again."

After a few more words of idle chat, Di Qingyu seemed somewhat tired, so she rose, bowed, and took her leave.

As soon as she was seated in her palanquin, she turned her head and quietly questioned Chunzhi, who was attending her at the side.

"Have we found any trace of the mountain bandits?"

Chunzhi frowned and shook her head. "At present, we need eyes and ears watching everywhere, so we have few people to send to investigate the mountain bandits. There hasn't been much progress yet."

Di Qingyu frowned. She had a feeling there seemed to be a path she should take.

"Where are our people stationed now?"

"Some are establishing the Information Pavilion, some are receiving reports over at Wanniang's, and some are keeping watch near the important ministers at court. And there are also..." Chunzhi paused. "Those responsible for finding 'Gu Wenci' and 'Shang Lu.'"

Shang Lu was the Empress Gu Wenci whose soul would transmigrate here in the future.

Hearing this, Di Qingyu frowned slightly. As the palanquin swayed gently, she pondered for a moment, then suddenly raised her eyes.

"Withdraw them."

"Huh?" Chunzhi did not understand.

"Withdraw the people looking for Shang Lu and have them instead... search the royal city for warehouses guarded by people who resemble government soldiers."

Previously, she had focused her attention outside the royal city, but today she had a suspicion.

Chunzhi heard the gravity of it. "Yes, I'll make the arrangements at once."

Not long after Di Qingyu left Xuanzheng Hall, Zhu Juxuan entered the palace to see the emperor.

"Your Majesty, I have discovered an important matter. After thinking it over again and again, I dared not leave it unreported."

"Speak."

"A few days ago, the sixth princess came to visit my son and brought all the rare medicinal herbs Her Majesty the Empress Dowager had bestowed on her as a gift. Her Highness was so generous that I could not refuse, so I accepted them, intending to return them when she needed them someday. But today, a problem arose. As Your Majesty knows, I have always been on good terms with Bai Lian, the master of Divine Physician Valley. Today, he came to tour the royal city and paid me a visit. He happened to see those medicines and asked who was taking them, so I told him the whole story behind them."

"Who would have thought Bai Lian would say that those medicines are indeed powerful tonics for restoring the body, but if given to someone who has been ill and frail for years, they gradually damage the liver, causing the person, within no more than three years, to have a final burst of energy before dying."

At this point, Zhu Juxuan frowned and did not dare lower his head. "The matter is of great consequence. After telling Bai Lian to keep it to himself, I came straight to the palace to ask Your Majesty how these medicines should be dealt with."

Of course, he could have kept the matter secret. But ever since Di Qingyu came to the general's residence that day, they had been in the same boat where the Du Family and the empress dowager's side were concerned. Whether Di Qingyu knew the danger of those medicines or not, he had to come.

After all, he was the one who had arranged for word of Di Qingyu being wounded by Du Yutao to leak out. Who would have thought Du Chengji would seize the opportunity to clear his name? He could only strike another blow.

Hearing this, Di Yunqian's brows immediately drew together, a trace of chill entering his imposing expression.

"Zhu Juxuan, do you know what you're saying? If there's a single false word in it, I won't spare you."

Zhu Juxuan hurriedly knelt. "I would not dare speak falsely. I brought those medicinal herbs with me, all intact. They are just outside the hall. If Your Majesty has doubts, you can summon people of great medical skill from across the realm to examine them."

After a pause, he added, "Bai Lian said that ordinary imperial physicians would be unable to discern the medicinal properties of those herbs. Her Majesty the Empress Dowager may not have known the harm they could do when used together. Perhaps she only meant well and wanted the sixth princess to recover her health."

That seemed to explain why the empress dowager had dared send the medicines so openly. Even if those imperial physicians had noticed, one was the empress dowager and the other a princess. Who would dare speak up? Even if someone did, the empress dowager could simply say she had not known and had sent the medicines only because they looked beneficial.

But emperors were suspicious by nature. Besides, the empress dowager had never liked Di Qingyu, and Di Qingyu had just come into conflict with her maternal relatives. Di Yunqian could not help feeling a chill in his heart.