Chapter 352 - The Situation in the Palace
Chapter 352 The Situation in the Palace
Qiu Yu was the first to find the solemn atmosphere overwhelming.
While he could hardly suppress the smile in his eyes, he had to straighten his clothes and sit up properly in the study, and maintain a severe expression.
“Your Highness, the prince, is there some kind of misunderstanding?”
Qiu Yu could not smother the chuckle in him at the sight of Long Tianyu’s somber expression.
Long Tianyu shot a look of disdain at Qiu Yu with his narrow yet deep-set eyes, and with a rather hostile tone, he said,
“In what way have I misunderstood?”
While the somewhat slow mind of Lin Mengya was still unaware of the situation, Qiu Yu, on the other hand, was sharp and observant.
This was none other than a man’s possessiveness towards the woman he had become enamored with.
Nevertheless, Lin Mengya was no ordinary woman. Perhaps she might not be comfortable with the prince’s overpowering jealousy.
He could not tell what might happen if this was the case.
Perhaps he should give these two people some kind of warning or reminder?
Qiu Yu brushed his hand on his lips as he fixed his eyes on Long Tianyu, and in an earnest tone, he said,
“Actually there is nothing going on between the princess and me. Your Highness, you ought to trust your princess. Moreover, you are such an outstanding character. Rest assured that you two are a perfect match made in heaven, that is rare to come by in a hundred years. The princess and I are merely casual acquaintances.”
Qiu Yu meant well and expected Long Tianyu to break into a smile after being showered with praises, or at least his anger might abate.
However, to his surprise, Long Tianyu snorted and did not even bother to roll his eyes at Qiu Yu.
How could he—
This confirmed Qiu Yu’s impression that all the men in the Long Family were not likeable at all.
Compared to these men who were lost in the pursuit of power and other silly behaviors, Qiu Yu thought his eldest brother was a much wiser man.
“Lord Qiu, the horse carriage is ready. My maids will show you out through the back gate.”
Lin Mengya’s voice sounded at the right time.
The two men in the room finally ended their confrontation. Qiu Yu glanced at Long Tianyu, then at Lin Mengya. He smiled an obscure smile, cupped his hands and left thereafter.
Long Tianyu was no doubt an excellent man. However, Lin Mengya was also a rare gem among the ladies.
If Long Tianyu could not grasp what was in her mind, their days ahead would be tumultuous.
After pondering over this, Qiu Yu realized that his worries had been unnecessary.
That would their problem if they did not realize it. His warnings were but excessive.
From the time Qiu Yu left the study, Long Tianyu had not moved, but stayed fixed in his original position.
Sitting in his seat, he remained silent.
The atmosphere was a little suffocating. Lin Mengya’s eyes darted left and right and she was at a loss for words.
“It’s spring. Have you noticed the bits of green sprouting in the courtyard?”
The moment Lin Mengya opened her mouth, she felt her failure in her attempt to strike up a conversation.
Only children would notice such things. She was certain she had wasted the opportunity to initiate a meaningful conversation.
Such a quiet time together for the two of them was extremely hard to come by.
“Hm, I noticed. The weeds are sprouting at the bottom of the windows.”
A glum-looking Long Tianyu responded in a serious tone.
Lin Mengya gazed at Long Tianyu, incredulous. She did not expect him to have noticed such trivial matters.
“Indeed, the grass had started to grow. It’s spring once again and I like the spring season. It’s a sign of the revival of all things. It fills them with energy that signifies the beginning of a new life.
Lin Mengya pushed open the window. Although the spring breeze was still a little chilly, it was much warmer and gentler. Spring had arrived after all.
Outside Long Tianyu’s study, the tree branches were still bare of leaves.
However, there was no doubt that not long from now, the prince’s mansion would soon be filled with flowers that signal the renewal of all life.
Likewise, she had thoroughly remolded herself over the past half-year.
She was no longer that medical student who spent all her time doing research, before she transcended time and space to come into this world. Neither was she the pitiful, dull daughter of the Lin Family.
The new Lin Mengya was a hybrid of her two lives.
Long Tianyu was drawn to her profile, which was a portrayal of quietness and all things beautiful. Under the spring’s sun rays, her perfect features exuded an air of gentleness.
Having been born into the royal family, he had seen countless beautiful women, but this woman before his eyes, was the only one who differed completely from them.
All of a sudden, Qiu Yu’s words rang in his mind.
Long Tianyu smirked at the thought. He would hold on to her tightly if she was indeed the object of his desire. Lin Mengya was all his.
“It may be spring, but the weather is still chilly, be careful not to catch a cold. Given your poor health, you need to take sufficient rest to recuperate.”
Long Tianyu turned around immediately, removed his warm big cloak and put it on Lin Mengya.
Although Mengya was a physician, she could not possibly heal herself. Long Tianyu could not help but be worried if Lin Mengya’s body would able to take it, given her damaged heart earlier on, and how she had overexerted herself lately.
Lin Mengya perked up at Long Tianyu’s words.
Her current health condition was indeed a complicated one.
She should have died a couple of times over, after ingesting the poison in the bridal sedan.
She wondered if it was because she had taken a portion of the antidote before she suddenly transcended time and space to arrive here. To her surprise, the poison was not able to take her life, yet she was unable to completely eradicate it. It remained in her like a parasite.
The various antidote and pills fed to her by Long Tianyu and Xiaoyu over the past half-year should be able to revive any dying patient, and inject energy and life into him.
However, the poison seemed to have developed antibodies against them, and they had no effect on it.
For this reason, every part of her body was functioning perfectly without any problem. However, if something triggered the poison in her body, she would die instantly.
Interestingly, the Shen Nung System in her brain still retained the knowledge of poison that her teacher had passed on to her. Now, any kind of poison in the world would not be too difficult for her to handle.
This was with the exception of the poison in her body. There was no way she could overcome it.
Apparently, even the most advanced instruments in modern times were not be able to handle this poison.
She would just have to leave it and play it by ear.
“I’m fine. The most important thing now is to purge out the poison in the emperor’s body. This is the only way we can keep from remaining passive. Whoever could have poisoned him? How did he do it? Do you have any clues?”
Lin Mengya put aside her sad emotions and once again, she was back to being the quick-witted Princess Yu.
Long Tianyu pondered for a moment and nodded slightly.
“There were too little details, I’m only at the initial stage of identifying the suspects. One day, I will be able to confirm that the queen and the Crown Prince are involved.”
Lin Mengya nodded in agreement. Most certainly, the queen and the Crown Prince were the ones who benefitted most out of the emperor’s illness.
Nevertheless, there was something that did not fit into the picture.
“I have a feeling that the Crown Prince and the queen are merely adding fuel to the flames. Think about it, the Crown Prince may have been impulsive in the things he did, but he never commits grave mistakes. In fact, the emperor has never rebuked him. As for the queen, she has been a just judge in the imperial harem. If things continue in this manner, there is a high likelihood that the Crown Prince will inherit the throne when the emperor passes away. Why would they want to take the trouble to resort to poisoning the emperor?”
Lin Mengya’s analysis made sense. She had made a deduction based on her own perspective.
In fact, Long Tianyu had also thought about it this way. Nevertheless, he knew the queen and the Crown better, and thought that things would not be as simple as it seemed, on the surface.
“Although you have analyzed it correctly, I have a feeling that the queen and the Crown Prince have a greater purpose. Father could well live for another 20 to 30 years, if his current health condition persists. “By then, the Crown Prince would be even more mature and steady, although the queen would have aged. I have a feeling that they have other ulterior motives. Usurping the throne of the Jin State is the stepping stone to achieving their goal.”
A greater purpose? So insatiable were their appetites that they would not be satisfied with merely gaining the throne of the Jin State.
Could it be that their motive was to conquer the entire world?
At the instant, Lin Mengya thought it would be ridiculous and laughable, if that was the case.
In the course of history, there were countless people who had wanted to conquer the world, who were much more competent than the grossly inadequate Crown Prince. They had all failed in one way or another, in the process of doing so.
The Crown Prince was simply a foolish dreamer if he thought he could conquer the whole world!
“He must be daydreaming. It would not sound as if it was too great an ambition if it were during turbulent times. At present, however, apart from the Jin State, the other nations are also strong. Wouldn’t it be good for people to be contented with their lives? Why would he want to conquer the world? All nations should play a part in ruling the world. What makes he think he can be the ruler of them all?”
Lin Mengya found this matter absolutely laughable.
Given the circumstance, however, this appeared to be the most plausible reason.
What else could be more alluring than the throne?
“The Crown Prince has always overestimated himself. I am not surprised at his ambition. However, I’d like to know the reason why the queen is playing along with him. Does she really think that her son is capable of holding the supreme power?”
This—
Lin Mengya pondered for a moment, and concluded that she had indeed been too naive.
“You’re right. It seems that the situation in the palace is more complicated than I thought. I don’t think I will be of much help to you, other than working behind the scenes to develop the antidote for you.”
Lin Mengya shrugged. She had been too naive.
“In that case, you will be working hard too. I hope you will take good care of your body. I will be making a trip in a few days, and perhaps will not be back for another half-month.”
Was he going away again? Lin Mengya was perplexed. In fact, she could tell from the time she married Long Tianyu that the life of being a prince was not as leisurely and carefree as it seemed.