Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne-Chapter 1082 - 123: Zhao Yao’s Speculation (Part 3)
Hearing Song Dachuan say this, Zhao Yao felt reassured.
"Continue to keep an eye on this matter."
"Rest assured, I will continue to watch it."
Zhao Yao gave Song Dachuan a few more instructions before letting him leave.
At this moment, He Lianfang emerged, pushing a wheelchair, and asked, "Do you think his words are credible?"
"Credible. The Southern Wei people are internally divided." Zhao Yao’s fingers lightly tapped the tabletop, "It should be the faction Kou Nanyu belongs to that did it."
"Do you really think the matter is that simple?"
"Second Uncle, do you also think this issue is not straightforward?"
He Lianfang nodded slightly, "The Southern Wei people are full of tricks; it can’t just be about selling the Divine Pill to control people."
"Second Uncle, what do you think their ultimate goal is?"
He Lianfang glanced at Zhao Yao, "Haven’t you already guessed it in your heart?"
On hearing this, Zhao Yao laughed heartily, "Second Uncle, we truly think alike!"
"You shouldn’t have issued the order to prohibit the Divine Pill previously." He Lianfang believed Zhao Yao’s actions might have alerted them.
"Second Uncle, you know the ultimate consequences of this matter would be severe. If I don’t prohibit the Divine Pill to avoid alerting them, more pills would flow inland, more people would consume them, and the situation would become dire, perhaps uncontrollable then." Zhao Yao’s expression was extremely serious, his tone icy, "While the pill is just beginning to spread, I remember to control it, quickly prohibit it to prevent the matter from worsening." He fears the pill might eventually become affordable for the general populace.
"If they can make the Divine Pill, they can continue to make other drugs." He Lianfang said, "Without capturing them, endless Divine Pills will still appear."
"I’ve already instructed the Dark Guard Camp to monitor them, and when the time is right, we will catch them all in one fell swoop." Saying this, Zhao Yao’s expression grew very stern, "The Divine Pill is currently worth a fortune; I worry that some high-ranked, influential people in the capital might not withstand the temptation and collaborate with the Southern Wei people, making the Divine Pill popular among the civil and military officials." In this world, few can resist the allure of great wealth, and few can resist the temptation to become young.
"Perhaps the Emperor has already consumed it and found its effects satisfactory, hence not issuing a decree to prohibit its use."
"Second Uncle, you think my father is so foolish?"
"How many Emperors can resist the temptation of extended life and rejuvenation?" He Lianfang sneered, "I’m afraid the Emperor would treat the Divine Pill as a tribute."
"If it were any other Emperor, they’d definitely be unable to resist the allure of the Divine Pill, but my father absolutely would not." Zhao Yao sneered, "Not mentioning the rejuvenation effects, just speaking of the extended life span, my father would refuse."
"You think the Emperor doesn’t want to live long?" He Lianfang laughed, "Who in this world dislikes living longer?"
"No one dislikes living longer, but my father dislikes ruling as Emperor for too long." Zhao Yao laughed, "Consuming the Divine Pill means he would have to rule as Emperor for more years." If the Divine Pill indeed extends life and rejuvenates, he’d buy it for his annoying father to consume so that the father becomes increasingly young, thus avoiding placing blame on him.
He Lianfang wanted to refute Zhao Yao’s words but couldn’t because Zhao Zheng indeed didn’t wish to rule as Emperor for extra years.
"Furthermore, over the years, quite a few Taoists and monks have offered Immortal Elixirs to my father. My father scolded them harshly and prohibited them from selling elixirs to harm the populace, executing them directly if they were found selling elixirs to deceive the populace." The practice of Taoists performing alchemy and monks producing Immortal Elixirs has existed since ancient times and remains popular. Many Emperors from the previous dynasty were obsessed with alchemy or consuming elixirs, resulting in madness or death. In short, elixirs are harmful.
After my father decreed that Taoists and monks could no longer sell elixirs, this trend disappeared. However, it’s impossible to completely eradicate the practice of alchemy. Secretly, many people continue selling and consuming elixirs.
"Second Uncle, even if you look down on my father, you don’t need to insult him this way."
He Lianfang frowned and remained silent.
Zhao Yao, suppressing his laughter, said, "The priority now is to figure out what ingredients are in the Divine Pill and its toxic effects." For some reason, he suddenly thought of the poison in Zhao Yao’s dream world that plagued the populace.
