Chapter 354 - On Tenterhooks
Chapter 354 On Tenterhooks
Soon Baiji and Baishao returned with the information that Lin Mengya wanted.
Those few rolls of fabric belonging to Concubine De were untouched. The women in the kitchen also confirmed that Concubine De had not asked for any red birdnest. Where on earth did Yun Ruo get those red birdnests as a reward?
Was it even possible for the fine linen clothes and red birdnest to appear from nowhere?
Moreover, it was apparent from Yun Ruo’s attitude that she did not really care much about these luxuries.
Where did this young maid acquire such extensive insight from?
These bits of information were pieced together and provided her with the final answer.
In Lin Mengya’s mind, a vague answer was taking form.
Yun Ruo’s identity was definitely not as simple as that of a maidservant.
For the imposter of Concubine De to have created such a stir, Lin Mengya supposed half of the reason would have been because she had been instigated by Yun Ruo.
The queen had gotten rid of Yun Ruo while she was trapped in the palace. Apparently, she was a chess piece held in high regard.
She did not expect herself to miss such a good opportunity.
“Master, what do think is amiss about Yun Ruo?”
The ever sensitive Baiji knew very well that her master would not be so interested in an insignificant maidservant for no reason.
Lin Mengya smiled, but shook her head.
What could she do about her suspicion when Yun Ruo was long gone?
Moreover, if the queen was determined to hide her, not to mention Lin Mengya, even Long Tianyu would not be able to find her.
“It’s nothing. Oh yes, since Baisu is not around anymore, try not to leave the mansion for no good reason. The situation is not stable at this moment. I don’t want you to get into an accident.”
The three maidservants suddenly looked lost at the mention of Baisu.
Lin Mengya, however, did not seem bothered at all. It was as if Baisu had not gone away for good, but was only taking a holiday.
The girls had the urge to ask about Baisu, but eventually held back their questions.
They were unable to find anyone who could answer the many doubts in their hearts.
Conversely, Lin Mengya had thrown herself entirely into researching and developing the antidote.
Once she finished her breakfast, she went straight into the little hut in the Liuxin Courtyard, which had been specially cleared and converted into her laboratory.
She had changed into overalls which allowed her to move around easily, coupled with an apron. Lin Mengya seemed to have reverted to the fanatical research student she used to be.
There was a continuous supply of over a hundred medicinal materials being sent into the little hut.
“Leave the materials here, but be quick and careful so you don’t disturb my master.”
All the while, Baiji remained by Lin Mengya’s side to be her assistant.
Baishao, on the other hand, stood by the gates to manage the transporting of herbs.
Earlier on, Lin Mengya had handed Baishao a checklist of the herbs she needed.
In the end, Baishao had been running around the entire morning, but had barely finished half the work.
Dabbing the perspiration on her forehead, Baishao thought about how her master had personally taken on the task of studying into all these herbs, and she was awashed with a wave of admiration for her master.
If she knew Lin Mengya was merely sorting the herbs according to their names, and that not all the herbs would be used, would she think that her master was toying with her?
Baiji did not understand initially why her master did not touch certain herbs.
It took sometime before she gradually realized her master’s intention.
Although the Liuxin Courtyard was prepared to keep out any spies at anytime,
It was not possible to keep the process of transporting the herbs a complete secret.
If someone put his mind to it, he would be able to discover the prescription.
For this reason, her master used a trick to keep the prescription a secret, so that Baiji was the only one who knew.
“Are you still unable to locate it? Strange, it should not be difficult to find the Tranquil Lotus.”
Lin Mengya went through the batch of herbs that just arrived, and muttered under her breath, apparently disappointed.
Tranquil Lotus was not an expensive herb, but was extremely difficult to cultivate. In fact, no one in Dajin had succeeded in cultivating it.
Even the Tranquil Lotus which they acquired from the other countries were of different grades.
The Tranquil Lotus they needed had to be exactly three years old, nothing more and nothing less.
This had proved challenging to Lin Mengya, because there was a limit to the way the Tranquil Lotus was preserved. Therefore by the time the three-year-old Tranquil Lotus arrived, it could not be used in the prescription.
Although Sanjue Hall, which had just gotten on track had planted its manpower all over the Jin State, but still drew a blank outside the country.
Did she have to compromise and make some alteration to the most effective prescription, by replacing it with something else?
Lin Mengya was hesitant. If the prescription failed to have a direct effect on the poison in the emperor’s body, his condition would worsen.
On the other hand, adopting another prescription would further delay the treatment and it would not help the situation.
Just when she was pondering over this matter, a figure in white had quietly come up to her door.
Qiu Yu had brought his little medical kit, and was stunned when he saw everything that was in the small hut.
Had he come to the wrong place?
The four internal walls of the hut were lined with drawers containing all kinds of medicine. The fragrance from the herbs was as strong as that in the Court of Imperial Physicians.
“What massive plans you have. Do you think you need such a large amount of herbs?”
Apart from the shocked look in his eyes, there was a hint of covetousness.
Just like Baili Rui, Qiu Yu was a fanatic in his own way.
This was especially apparent when he saw herbs that were rare and hard to come by. With wide opened eyes, he could not help reaching out to check them out.
“It’s nothing, these are just my personal collection.”
Pretending it was not a big deal, Lin Mengya brushed Qiu Yu off with a casual comment. Qiu Yu was left there, open-mouthed.
Good heavens, how rich Long Tianyu must be, to have given Lin Mengya such a large personal storage place for medicinal herbs.
It should be noted that such a thing was extremely rare in the entire capital city.
“So the saying goes, ‘constantly comparing oneself to others will only make one angry.'”
Shaking his head, Qiu Yu put down the medical kit in his hands, pulled up his sleeves and began to check out the herbs one by one.
“These are only part of the herbs. I’ve divided them into three parts. Once you confirm that there are no problems with them, we may begin right away.”
Lin Mengya did not try to keep back anything from Qiu Yu. She laid the checklist filled with the names of the herbs openly on the table.
Not only were there the information on the effects and dosage of each herb, but its function was also clearly stated.
“This is such a detailed prescription. You can say I’m most familiar with the emperor’s condition. Rest assured that I will personally test and administer the prescription by then.”
Qiu Yu’s expression turned somber. They were working together not simply to cure some random patient of their illness.
Rather, it concerned the wellbeing of the entire nation of Dajin.
“Your Highness, the prince, Imperial Physician Qiu arrived earlier. In fact, he has been in the princess’s courtyard for a couple of hours already.”
Just outside the Liuxin Courtyard, Steward Deng greeted the prince respectfully.
Despite knowing that Imperial Physician Qiu had come to the mansion to discuss the emperor’s condition, Long Tianyu’s countenance fell. Throughout the morning, the servants entering and leaving, did not even dare to breathe heavily.
“Alright, I got it.”
Long Tianyu, who was apparently upset by this, could only try his best to hold in his feelings.
Time and again, he reminded himself in his heart that they were in the same room to discuss his father’s illness.
He understood that if he were to go to the Liuxin Courtyard now, he would be creating trouble for Lin Mengya and Qiu Yu.
Nevertheless, he could not help but station himself on the path leading to Liuxin Courtyard.
The servants going to and fro along that path could not help but shiver at the sight of the frightening expression on their master’s face.
Some feeble-minded ones among them almost dropped the herbs in their hands on a few occasions.
“Why are the gates of the Liuxin Courtyard shut so tightly?”
Long Tianyu frowned at the tightly shut gates as if they were the only obstacle in his way.
As Long Tianyu instinctively muttered the question to himself, he did not realize how childish he was at this instant.
“In response to your question, Your Highness, it was because the princess had instructed us to do so. She added that the task of preparing the prescription for the emperor was an extremely great responsibility and there is zero-tolerance for mistakes.
Steward Deng smothered a chuckle bubbling inside him.
Being the chief steward of the mansion, he had never seen the prince on such tenterhooks since he began residing in the prince’s mansion when he became an adult and was conferred the title of Prince Yu.
It was no wonder that Lin Kui requested to be stationed outside the mansion and be in charge of making preparation for the prince’s trips, instead of serving within the grounds of the mansion.
It was only after so much had happened that Steward Deng realized the real reason.
If he had known it earlier, he would not have let Lin Kui take advantage of the situation.
“Oh really? What you say makes sense. It is indeed a great responsibility to be preparing my father’s prescription. As the emperor’s son, don’t you agree that I should be there to oversee this task personally?”
It was as if he was looking for a reasonable excuse for his presence there.
The frown on Long Tianyu’s forehead eased a little.
He broke into a brisk walk, which almost turned into a jog as he approached Liuxin Courtyard and pushed opened the gates.
The moment he stepped into the courtyard, all the people who were in the courtyard stopped in their tracks instantly.
No one dared to stare at Long Tianyu directly, so everyone lowered their eyes. One could imagine the shadow he cast on these servants when he glared at them when they were on the path leading up to Liuxin Courtyard.
“Ahem, please continue with what you’re doing and do not hold up the princess’s important work.
Long Tianyu coughed a little awkwardly, as he lowered his gaze too.
He too, felt uneasy under the gazes of all the people.
All the servants in the courtyard nodded quietly, then hurried along to carry out the tasks on hand.
Although it was not always easy waiting on the prince, the damage he did to the hearts of the servants this day, was unlike any other day.
With steady footsteps, Long Tianyu continued on to the little hut that acted as a temporary clinic for Lin Mengya.
Before he even stepped through the door, an overwhelming smell from the herbs entered his nostrils.
“Atishoo—”
The silence in the hut was suddenly disrupted by Long Tianyu’s sneeze.
Lin Mengya popped her head out from behind Qiu Yu and looked at Long Tianyu with surprise.
“What are you here for, Your Highness?”